Chapter 424 Full Moon Storm
The full moon banquet was held grandly, with nobles from the capital gathered. The atmosphere was warm but full of hidden intentions.
The General's Mansion was decorated with lights and was bustling with guests. There were more than a dozen banquet tables in the front yard, and the guests presented gifts one after another.
On the surface, they were respectful, but behind their backs, they were whispering and talking about rumors about Chu Ruohan and Gu Chengan.
"Have you heard? That child may not be the general's." A gorgeously dressed woman covered her face with a round fan and whispered to the people around her.
"That's right. It's spread all over the street. It's said that she's having an affair with that brother-in-law." The people around him echoed, but their eyes kept glancing at where Chu Ruohan was sitting.
Although Chu Ruohan greeted the guests with a smile on her face, fatigue was hard to hide in her eyes.
Song Ruyan couldn't help but tell her about the rumors outside a few days before the banquet. At that time, Chu Ruohan looked calm and just nodded slightly.
But Song Ruyan knew that this seemingly weak woman must have had some plans in her mind.
"If you hold back for a moment, you'll get angrier; if you take a step back, you'll lose more."
Chu Ruohan only said this one sentence at the time, letting Song Ruyan know that there would be something interesting to watch at today's full moon banquet.
The people from the third and fourth branches of the Gu family sat at the same table. Mrs. Gu wore a high-profile dress today, as if she wanted to attract everyone's attention.
She sat there, casting contemptuous glances in Chu Ruohan's direction from time to time. She resented Chu Ruohan for not helping her before, and she was also unforgiving in her words.
"If you have your own child, other people's children will lose favor." Mrs. Gu Si deliberately raised her voice and looked at Mrs. Gu San.
Mrs. Gu San responded indifferently: "Life must go on."
She picked up her teacup and sipped it, unwilling to say much. After all, although Xuan Ge'er was from the third house, he was born to a concubine, not her own grandson, so she was happy to watch the fun.
Seeing that Mrs. Gu San did not respond, Mrs. Gu Si changed the subject in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the people at the surrounding tables to hear.
"I gave birth to a girl, and I don't even know if it's my own!"
Finally unable to hold back, Madam Gu Si said sarcastically, "In my opinion, those rumors back then were probably true. Even if Gu Junze became a high-ranking official, in the end, he still had to raise someone else's child!"
Her words attracted a lot of meaningful looks.
Many guests put down their chopsticks, wanting to see how Chu Ruohan would respond.
When Chu Ruohan heard this, a hint of coldness flashed in her eyes.
She slowly stood up and walked to Madam Gu Si with a dignified manner. She smiled sweetly and said, "Aunt Si, are you speaking from your own experience?"
Mrs. Gu Si was stunned, obviously not expecting Chu Ruohan to come over and fight back.
"That's true. After all, the son that Fourth Uncle had with his mistress back then was much older than the one in my family." Chu Ruohan spoke in a lighthearted tone, but every word was poignant. "Fourth Aunt must have a deep understanding of the concept of 'cheap sons'."
Before she finished speaking, it aroused people's imagination. Mrs. Gu Si's face suddenly turned ashen, and she was shaking with anger. She pointed at Chu Ruohan and was speechless.
The guests around tried hard to suppress their laughter, and some ladies even secretly covered the corners of their mouths with their sleeves.
This matter is not a secret in the capital, but few people mention it in front of Mrs. Gu Si.
Fourth Uncle Gu had a mistress outside and had a son who was several years older than the legitimate son born to Fourth Wife Gu.
Madam Gu Si had always considered this a great shame and humiliation, and now that Chu Ruohan had exposed it in public, it was a slap in her face.
"You, you..." Mrs. Gu was so angry that she was shaking, but she couldn't say a complete sentence.
Chu Ruohan smiled slightly, looked around, and said loudly: "Today is my daughter's full moon. Thank you all for coming."
"I didn't mean to pollute your ears with some nonsense from the outside world, but since someone has mentioned it, I, Chu Ruohan, swear here that the child in my belly is indeed the biological child of the great general Gu Junze. If I tell a lie, I will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death!"
Her words were sincere and her eyes were firm. Everyone present was involuntarily intimidated by her aura. Many people nodded secretly, thinking that this general's wife was indeed not someone to be trifled with.
Just when the atmosphere was relaxing a little, Du Ruoling arrived late with two maids. She was wearing a gorgeous red dress, gold hairpins and pearls on her head, and heavy makeup, trying to cover up the hostility and haggardness between her brows with her gorgeous appearance.
When the ladies saw Du Ruoling, the other protagonist of the rumor, appear, they looked at each other, but no one took the initiative to pay attention to her.
A woman who was granted the title of princess by despicable means and had no foundation was nothing but a jumping clown in the eyes of these ladies from aristocratic families. They felt it was a loss of face to even look at her for a second.
Du Ruoling noticed the cold looks from people around her and felt angry.
She winked at the maids beside her, and one of them immediately understood and took advantage of the chaos to quietly slip away towards the backyard.
However, the shadow guards had already ambushed in every corner, and the maid's every move was under their control.
Du Ruoling pretended to be graceful as she walked up to Chu Ruohan and said with a forced smile, "Congratulations to the General's wife on the birth of her daughter. I'm just wondering if the child should call Gu Cheng'an Uncle, or... something else?"
She deliberately dragged out the last word, her eyes full of provocation and suggestion.
Chu Ruohan took a sip of tea slowly and looked at Du Ruoling with contempt, as if she was watching a clown who was performing hard but no one was applauding.
"Thank you, Princess, for your 'concern'. Speaking of which, I'm actually quite curious. When you faked your pregnancy and relied on Gu Cheng'an, was it because you'd never seen a man before, that you were so desperate and desperate, that even a letter of divorce couldn't stop your wishful thinking? It's truly heartbreaking to hear about it, and it makes anyone who sees it cry!"
"Puchi——" The ladies around could no longer hold back and burst out laughing, not hiding their contempt for Du Ruoling.
Du Ruoling was hit in the sore spot in public. She was so angry that her face turned red and her whole body was shaking. She pointed at Chu Ruohan and kept saying "you, you..." for a long time, but she was suppressed by Chu Ruohan's aura and couldn't say a complete sentence. She was like a defeated rooster.
At the same time, in the backyard, Gu's mother was searching room by room furtively.
She guessed that with so many people coming and going outside, the child would definitely not be brought to the front so early. She would definitely wait until the banquet to bring him over. Now, only the wet nurse should be looking after him.
She keenly noticed the sound of a baby crying in one of the rooms.
She tiptoed closer and peeked in through the window. She saw a woman who looked like a wet nurse, softly soothing a baby in the cradle.
Mother Gu held her breath and waited patiently for the opportunity.
Not long after, the wet nurse suddenly covered her stomach, looked anxious and left in a hurry, as if she was in a hurry to go to the toilet.
Mother Gu was overjoyed, thinking that God was helping her...
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