Chapter 267 Lu Zhaoruo's body is no longer clean!
As soon as the mother and son arrived at the gate of Yunshang Pavilion, they saw a procession of carriages on the other side, and the Di State Duke's carriages had just arrived.
Meng Xi was the first to nimbly dismount and personally stepped forward to carefully help Madam Di out of the carriage.
The old lady was dressed exceptionally solemnly today, with a dignified yet satisfied smile on her face.
Behind her, Granny Xiang directed several servants to unload several heavy gift boxes tied with red silk from the carriage, making quite a spectacle.
The two groups of people bumped into each other right in front of the Yunshang Pavilion!
Madam Di glanced around and saw the Xiao family mother and son, especially Xiao Yeming's unfathomable eyes, and immediately understood.
Her polite smile remained unchanged, but her demeanor naturally exuded the dignity and aloofness befitting a duchess. She spoke softly, "What a coincidence, Madam Xiao is here too?"
She sighed inwardly. In fact, she and Madam Xiao were kindred spirits and had always had a good personal relationship.
But for the sake of his grandson's future, he had to put that favor aside for the time being.
Madam Xiao hadn't expected to run into him so directly, and inwardly cried out, "Oh no!" But she immediately put on a cheerful smile and strode forward: "You've come too? What a coincidence! I've brought my good-for-nothing son here to check on Zhao Ruo's injuries."
She spoke in a loud voice, trying to defuse the awkwardness with enthusiasm, and while speaking, she nudged Xiao Yeming hard with her elbow: "You taciturn fellow! Hurry up and pay your respects to the old lady!"
Meng Xi stood quietly by the old lady's side from beginning to end.
His gaze met Xiao Yeming's in mid-air, without provocation or anger, but rather with a calm certainty.
He even gave a barely perceptible nod to Madam Xiao, a gesture of respect that was impeccable, yet it only made Xiao Yeming's silence and stiffness seem out of place.
Xiao Yeming felt that calm gaze was more piercing than any sharp edge.
Under his mother's almost fiery gaze, he could only clasp his hands in a salute, unable to utter a single word.
Outside the gate of Yunshang Pavilion.
The crowd, drawn by the grand display at the Duke of Di's residence, gathered around with curiosity, creating a festive atmosphere of watching the spectacle.
Not far away on the street corner, Wan Ningniang, wearing a veiled hat, was hidden in the shadows.
Her gaze briefly met that of a short, thin man in the crowd with an ordinary face and shifty eyes, and she gave a barely perceptible nod.
The man understood and immediately slipped into the crowd silently, like an eel.
He leaned closer to a few idlers who were craning their necks to watch the spectacle, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, "Hey, gentlemen, have you heard? That Miss Lu inside, who's about to marry into a wealthy family, isn't just going through a simple divorce and suing her husband's family! I have a distant relative in Jizhou who says that when she was sixteen, she was attacked by bandits on her way to a pilgrimage to the mountains and lost her virginity! Her body is no longer pure! Later... alas, she even committed that filthy act of abortion! Truly, you can't judge a book by its cover..."
Upon hearing this, the eyes of the idlers widened instantly, their faces revealing an expression of disbelief mixed with barely suppressed excitement.
Such secrets, like cold water dropped into boiling oil, instantly exploded among them, and with added embellishments, spread rapidly to all sides in an even more unbearable tone.
At first, they whispered in small groups, their voices low but each word grating: "Is this true? Losing one's virginity is a heinous crime, and to have had an abortion?"
"Tsk, I never would have guessed... She always acts so aloof, but behind the scenes she's such a fallen woman!"
"Of the seven grounds for divorce, adultery is the most heinous. This kind of woman deserves to be drowned! If the Duke of Di's family were to actually marry her, wouldn't that disgrace their family and make them a laughingstock of the world?"
"What will become of his reputation! The Duke's lifelong integrity will likely be ruined by this woman!"
Gradually, the murmurs grew louder, filled with undisguised ridicule and disdain, and clearly reached the ears of the people in front of the door.
Even worse, some people pointed at the carriages of the Duke of Di's mansion, their faces full of smirks that seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold.
"I thought she was some chaste and virtuous woman, but it turns out she was already a broken woman!"
"How dare such a disgraceful person enter the house? The old lady of the Di family must be senile!"
Even worse, some people pointed at the carriages of the Duke of Di's mansion, their voices shrill: "Look! This is the perfect bride they've chosen from among thousands!"
The reserved smile on Madam Di's face froze instantly. An incredulous look flashed in her eyes, which was then replaced by deep embarrassment and hesitation.
She may not care about family background or social status, and may even be understanding of divorce and remarriage, but "loss of virginity" and "abortion" are the heaviest and most burdensome iron shackles on a woman's body, especially when they are torn apart bloodily in front of everyone.
The Duke's Mansion has a century-old reputation; how can it be tarnished by a woman?
She had to weigh whether the Di family could withstand the uproar.
Meng Xi, who was standing to the side, suddenly contracted his pupils and his face turned deathly pale.
Although he knew about this beforehand, when this hidden pain was publicly humiliated in such a despicable way, when he heard the harsh and foul language around him, and when he saw the obvious wavering in his grandmother's eyes, a wave of mixed heartache, anger and immense powerlessness suddenly engulfed him.
He subconsciously looked at the tightly closed door of Yunshang Pavilion, feeling as if his heart was being torn apart.
The short, thin man had vanished like a ghost at the alley entrance before the crowd could fully stir.
Madam Xiao, who was standing to the side, suddenly turned pale the moment she heard those foul words!
Her eyes, which always held a cheerful smile, immediately widened in anger, almost bursting forth.
"What utter bullshit!"
She spat loudly, ignoring the whispers, "Who the hell is talking like this behind my back? I know Zhao Ruo's character very well! Someone must be jealous and deliberately trying to smear me!"
Her chest heaved with anger, and she instinctively took a step forward, ready to rush into the crowd and drag out the person who spread the rumors to confront them.
However, she couldn't tell which one was spreading rumors.
She turned to glare at her son, only to find Xiao Yeming standing frozen in place, his face deathly pale and his lips tightly pressed together, looking even worse than Old Madam Di and Meng Xi.
"you……"
Seeing his state, Madam Xiao was even more furious, assuming he was troubled by the rumors. She snapped at him, "You blockhead! This is clearly a frame-up! Why aren't you..."
Her words came to an abrupt end.
Because she saw that Xiao Yeming's hands, hanging by his sides, were clenched into fists, his knuckles white from the excessive force, and even trembling slightly.
He didn't look at his angry mother, nor at the commotion of the crowd; his gaze was fixed on the ground.
Fine beads of cold sweat even seeped from his forehead, and an almost painful struggle distorted his cold, stern profile.
It wasn't just anger; it was more like... a kind of inescapable despair and self-reproach, as if one's most fatal secret had been exposed.
Madam Xiao was stunned, a trace of puzzled doubt flashing through her mind.
Why is this child reacting so...abnormally?
At this moment, Xiao Yeming was experiencing immense pain.
Every word, "defiled" or "lost in chastity," was like a red-hot branding iron, fiercely searing his conscience.
It was him.
That one is outside Jizhou City.
That night, the bandit who ruined Lu Zhaoruo's innocence and plunged her into an abyss of endless pain was Xiao Yeming!
This sin, buried deep in his heart and gnawing at him day and night, has now been exposed in public in the most unbearable way, becoming a sharp weapon to attack her.
He is the source of all this tragedy.
What right did he have to be angry? What right did he have to... protect her? Boundless pain and self-blame almost consumed him.
A terrible thought flashed through Madam Xiao's mind!
She grabbed Xiao Yeming's arm tightly, leaned close, and whispered, questioning him word by word: "Tell me honestly! You refused to marry Zhaoruo before, was it... was it true? And it was because you knew about this that you looked down on her?"
Xiao Yeming suddenly turned to look at his mother. He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.
This silence, in Madam Xiao's eyes, was almost tantamount to acquiescence! She was so angry that she trembled all over.
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