Chapter 728 This is clearly a trap for you
Within three days after the Duke of England's birthday banquet, a rumor spread like wildfire throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.
The protagonists of the rumor were Gu Qingchen, the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, and Lin Jiayou, the down-and-out young man with a rough life experience.
The version of the story, which was originally a "secret meeting in the garden" circulated among the ladies of high rank, has evolved into a vivid and lively one after being embellished in the streets and alleys.
The storyteller of Qingfeng Tower even made this into a joke. After banging the gavel, he talked about how the young lady of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion had a secret crush on Master Lin and was so infatuated with him that she was even willing to disobey the crown prince for him.
"Miss! Miss!" The maid ran into the yard panting, her face full of indignation. "What those people outside said was too rude!"
Gu Qingchen was wiping his longbow. He paused when he heard this, raised his head, and his eyes turned cold. "What did you say?"
"They're talking about you, about you and that Master Lin... you're secretly in love with each other!"
Huanran repeated the obscene words he had heard, stamping his feet in anger. "Someone must be gossiping behind your back, deliberately ruining your reputation!"
Gu Qingchen was so angry that his lungs were about to explode.
The first person she thought of was Lin Jiayou, the hypocrite who was good at acting.
From the fake rattle to the carefully planned assassination, his shadow can be seen in every detail.
"Lin Jiayou!" She slammed the bow heavily on the stone table, making a dull thud. "In order to curry favor with the Duke's Mansion, he resorted to such despicable means!"
"Miss, where are you going?" Huanran saw her about to rush out with her skirt lifted up, and hurriedly stopped her.
"I'll go find him and ask him clearly!" Gu Qingchen pushed Huanran away, her anger burning her to the point of almost losing her mind.
As soon as she rushed to the gate, a hand firmly grabbed her wrist.
Qian Zhenyun arrived without anyone noticing. He frowned, looking at her, who was fuming with anger, and warned her in a deep voice, "The wind is blowing in the wrong direction."
Gu Qingchen turned around and glared at him: "What's wrong?"
"It wasn't spread earlier, it wasn't spread later, but it happened right after the Yongding Palace suffered a heavy loss." Qian Zhenyun's eyes were sharp, and his analysis was incisive. "Don't you think it's too coincidental? This is clearly a trap set for you."
But Gu Qingchen was so angry that he couldn't listen at all.
From the fake rattle to the planned assassination, her trust in Lin Jiayou had long since collapsed.
"Coincidence? How can there be so many coincidences with Lin Jiayou!"
"Don't be impulsive!" Qian Zhenyun grabbed her wrist, increasing his strength. "This is clearly a trap. If you go to him angrily now, no matter what the result, in the eyes of others, it will be evidence of your close relationship!"
"I can't swallow this!"
"You have to swallow it even if you can't! This is not the time to show off your bravery!" Qian Zhenyun's voice also became stern.
"I must ask clearly in person!" Gu Qingchen swung his hands and broke free from his shackles.
"Even if it's a trap, I want to see how long Lin Jiayou can keep pretending!"
Before she finished her words, she had already picked up her skirt and rushed out of the Qian family courtyard without looking back.
Qian Zhenyun looked at her back, his outstretched hand stopped in mid-air, and finally slowly let go.
The most famous restaurant in Beijing is "Qingfenglou".
In the private room on the second floor, Lin Jiayou was toasting and chatting happily with several colleagues.
He behaved well and spoke humorously, and soon became the focus of everyone's attention.
Just when the atmosphere was at its most heated, there was a commotion at the stairs.
"Lin Jiayou!"
A clear and sharp shout instantly made the entire second floor quiet.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Gu Qingchen, dressed in red, with a murderous look on her pretty face. She was standing at the stairs, her almond-shaped eyes fixed on Lin Jiayou.
The smile on Lin Jiayou's face froze.
He stood up and walked over to them amidst the astonished and somewhat inquiring gazes of his colleagues.
"Qingchen, why are you here? What happened?"
Gu Qingchen ignored the growing crowd around him, took a few steps forward, stood in front of him, and asked sternly: "Lin Jiayou, are you the one who started those rumors outside?!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room was in an uproar.
Everyone pricked up their ears and glanced back and forth between the two.
Lin Jiayou was shocked at first, but that look of shock didn't seem fake.
Then, a heartbreaking pain of being wronged by his loved ones appeared on his face.
He didn't argue loudly or refute angrily, but just looked at her steadily with an extremely hurt look, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Qingchen, in your heart, am I such a villain...who would destroy your reputation for fame and fortune?"
His appearance, coupled with his tearful expression, was so heartbreaking that anyone who heard it would cry.
In the eyes of others, this was nothing more than a fierce quarrel caused by love turning into hate, which made the already ambiguous rumors seem even more true.
Gu Qingchen was so angry at his behavior that her heart ached. She gritted her teeth and said, "Stop pretending here!"
"Pretending?" Lin Jiayou smiled bitterly, his eyes instantly red.
His eyes swept across the crowd of people watching the show, and finally fell back on Gu Qingchen's angry face, his voice full of heartbroken questioning.
"If I really wanted to do that, why did I send people to rescue you and Brother Qian that night?"
"Qingchen, how can you be so cruel?"
All the anger and all the questions were silenced at this moment.
She looked at his face which was filled with pain and disappointment, and she felt dizzy and her chest was stuffy.
She turned around angrily and pushed away the crowd of onlookers.
Lin Jiayou looked at her departing back, the pain in his eyes became even more intense. He staggered back a step, holding onto the table behind him, and barely managed to stand steady.
Seeing this, his colleagues around him rushed forward to support him and tried to comfort him.
At the street corner outside Qingfeng Tower, Qian Zhenyun did not follow in to watch the confrontation that was doomed to end in failure.
He turned and slipped into the shadows behind the crowd.
A figure appeared silently behind him, bowed and waited for orders.
"Go check," Qian Zhenyun said in a low and calm voice, looking in the direction of Qingfeng Tower. "Who have those thugs in the south of the city who first spread the news accepted money from recently?"
He paused and added.
"Remember, start your investigation with the purchasing servants of the Yongding Palace."
"Yes." The subordinate took the order and disappeared into the crowd in an instant.
Just as the farce in Qingfeng Tower was about to end, a luxurious carriage with the Eastern Palace logo happened to pass by slowly.
The people on the street moved away.
The curtain of the carriage was lifted by a bony hand, revealing the cold face of Crown Prince Zhao Chen'an.
His eyes just happened to take in Lin Jiayou's heartbroken performance and the expressions of everyone who were waiting for the show.
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