Chapter 125 Gu Qianhan is nothing special.
A few days later, the news that Gu Qianhan had injured Xiao Qingyuan and taken Chu Yanluo away to keep as his mistress had already spread like wildfire.
Gu Qianhan's reputation plummeted. Previously, matchmakers who came to the Duke's mansion to propose marriage almost wore out the doorstep, but now not a single one came.
Noble families value both appearance and substance, and their eldest daughters are carefully cultivated; they would never allow their daughters to suffer such humiliation after marriage.
Families of modest means might not care if a noble young master like Gu Qianhan kept a mistress, but they were simply not worthy of the Duke's mansion.
Gu Qianhan was summoned to the palace and scolded several times. Today, even the Crown Prince had a private talk with him.
The Eastern Palace.
Crown Prince Xiao Qingxuan, dressed in a jade-colored casual robe, spoke earnestly: "Qianhan, I thought you were calm and composed, that you wouldn't be troubled by love or be seduced by women. How come you're just like Qingyuan now, fighting over a woman?"
Gu Qianhan glanced at the Crown Prince, who looked heartbroken and seemed genuinely concerned for him. He showed no sign of his fear of the Gu family or his ruthless desire to eliminate them.
He said calmly, "Your Highness, Miss Chu is different from other women. I fell in love with her at first sight and couldn't bear to see her continue to struggle in the Prince Ning's mansion, so I rescued her from her predicament. I only hit Qingyuan because I had no choice, since he forced Miss Chu to stay, which was really too much."
The Crown Prince seemed somewhat curious: "Is that Miss Chu really that good? That she made you and Qingyuan disregard your status and fight over her."
Gu Qianhan said firmly, "She is the most unique and proud woman I have ever met."
The Crown Prince nodded and offered a few more words of advice. Seeing that he was unwilling to give up on Chu Yanluo, he finally gave up: "I have tried to persuade you, as my mother asked me to, but since you are so sincere in your feelings for that girl, I can't very well separate the lovers."
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness."
After thanking him, Gu Qianhan left the main hall.
The crown prince watched his departing figure, and his expression relaxed considerably.
An advisor emerged from behind the screen and whispered, "Your Highness, it seems the Gu family isn't all-powerful. Among the younger generation of the Gu family, the most threatening is Gu Qianhan, but I didn't expect him to lose his senses because of a woman. As long as we can control that woman, Gu Qianhan will be no threat in the future."
The Crown Prince nodded: "I never expected that someone as resourceful and ruthless as Gu Qianhan would be unable to resist the charms of a beautiful woman. I am truly curious about what kind of beauty Chu Yanluo possesses that has captivated Gu Qianhan."
"Your Highness, I have indeed visited Qingyun Tower to try the snacks and pastries invented by Chu Yanluo, and I have also met her in person. She is quite beautiful and very unique. She does not wear makeup, wears all white, and has her long hair down her back, unlike other women who tie it up with gold or silver hairpins, so she looks quite ethereal."
The Crown Prince's tone was indifferent: "Unconventional? Gu Qianhan and Qingyuan both like this kind of thing?"
"I think that's just an image that Chu Yanluo deliberately created for herself. Gu Qianhan and Prince Xiao were probably deceived by her, so they both thought she was special and became more and more obsessed with her."
The advisor had obviously investigated Chu Yanluo and knew the inside story: "Your Highness may not know, but this woman is quite cunning. She has lived in the Ning Prince's mansion for so many days, but she has never shared a bed with Prince Xiao. She has been keeping Prince Xiao hanging on, making his appetite very high, but she just won't satisfy him."
"She used the same tactics on Gu Qianhan, always trying to be nice to him, but not letting him take advantage of her easily. When necessary, she would turn the tables and accuse Gu Qianhan of bullying her."
"Gu Qianhan was first slandered by her, and then treated as an honored guest. It can be said that he went from hell to heaven. It is normal that he couldn't resist and fell in love for a while."
The Crown Prince chuckled and said, "So that's how it is. Gu Qianhan is nothing special after all."
The Gu family was a major threat to him and his father, and Gu Qianhan was an even greater threat. Now that he heard that he had also been deceived by a woman, the Crown Prince felt that the threat posed by the Gu family was not so great anymore.
Just then, a eunuch entered and said, "Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress requests your presence."
The crown prince's expression was icy: "What is it now?"
"Your Highness, it is Miss Gu from the Duke's Mansion who has arrived."
The crown prince remained silent for a long time before finally standing up: "I will go now."
The eunuch received his message and went back to report to the Empress.
The advisor followed behind the Crown Prince and whispered a reminder: "Your Highness, just keep Miss Gu calm. I dare to advise Your Highness not to fall in love. You have already seen the consequences of falling in love. Gu Qianhan and Prince Xiao are the examples of what happens."
The crown prince frowned slightly, said nothing, and stepped out.
——
Prince Ning's Mansion.
Without Chu Yanluo, Shen Wantang has been living a peaceful and comfortable life these past few days, and Princess Ning is in a great mood, even her complexion has become rosy.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chatted idly while drinking tea and eating snacks, completely forgetting that Xiao Qingyuan's illness was fluctuating.
The maid Qiushui came in and said, "Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, your family has sent a message saying that your father is ill, and it seems to be quite serious. They want you to go back to your family home."
Princess Ning's smile vanished: "Lord Shen is ill? Tang'er, then you should go back and see him, and bring back plenty of medicinal herbs and tonics."
"Yes, thank you, Mother."
Shen Wantang responded and left her mother-in-law's courtyard, returning to her own.
Because she was going back to her parents' home, Granny Chai and Qin Xin specially prepared many gifts, because if a woman brought too few things when she returned to her parents' home, she would be laughed at.
After looking at what they had prepared, Shen Wantang said, "You don't need to bring so much. Just bring some medicinal herbs. Leave the rest behind."
Granny Chai knew that she didn't have much contact with her family in private. The Shen family sent letters to the mansion one after another, but the Princess Consort never replied. She would just glance at the letters and burn them.
But when she returns to her parents' home, she can't be too shabby, otherwise the Crown Prince's wife will be looked down upon.
She gently reminded her, "Princess Consort, it's best not to be careless about etiquette, otherwise outsiders will easily gossip."
Shen Wantang didn't want to bring anything back. Bringing it back would only benefit her ruthless stepmother. She said calmly, "Granny, my father is seriously ill, and I'm anxious to get home. It's normal that I don't have time to pack. Bringing too much would make people think I care too much about face and don't care about my father's condition!"
"That...that seems to make sense."
"Then let's hurry up and leave, don't bother packing."
Shen Wantang didn't even change her clothes before leaving the courtyard with her maids and nannies. When she got into the carriage and left the palace, she was accompanied by servants and guards, which made her quite imposing.
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