What on earth is going on?! A daughter-in-law of the Zeng family actually jumped out and kept saying that the second daughter of the Gu family was her sister!

This is too ridiculous!

Zeng Ya watched this scene with interest, casually put the aromatherapy ball in her hand into her sleeve, raised her chin slightly, and looked down at Gu Yanfei who was sitting on the bench with a look of contempt.

She had met Gu Yanfei before, in Huaibei, Xuzhou, just two years ago.

Once, she and several of her younger sisters went to a farm in the countryside to stay and play. Her third sister was almost bitten by a poisonous snake. A skinny little girl suddenly took action, killed the poisonous snake with a stick, and took the dead snake away, saying that she was going to roast it for food.

It has been two years, and Zeng Ya had completely forgotten about this matter. Besides, Gu Yanfei's current appearance is very different from the one she was in Huaibei two years ago, as if he had become a completely different person.

Therefore, Zeng Ya did not recognize her at first. It was not until not long ago when she went for an outing with a few close friends and happened to encounter a snake in the mountains. When she talked about this past event with her handkerchief friend, she remembered it.

At first, Zeng Ya was not sure and always wondered if she had made a mistake.

For this reason, she made some special inquiries and found out that Gu Yanfei's background was unknown. The Gu family only claimed to the outside world that their second daughter was raised in their hometown in the countryside. It can be seen that Gu Yanfei must have had some shameful past.

Zeng Ya had a vague guess in her heart -

Gu Yanfei is the wild girl from the countryside of Huaibei! It's ridiculous that a lowly wild girl would become the eldest prince's consort! Zeng Ya mocked in her heart, but made an unbelievable expression on her face, and said to herself: "Sister? How is this possible!"

Zeng Ya frowned and shouted at Li Zhaodi, "What nonsense are you talking about! Miss Gu Er is the sister of Captain Gu of the Jinwu Guard. How can she be your sister?"

Her voice was gentle yet stern.

Li Zhaodi was startled, her sallow face flushed red. She was afraid that Zeng Ya would be angry, so she quickly pointed at Gu Yanfei on the bench and explained, "Miss, she is really my younger sister, Li Erya."

Her eyes flickered constantly, and various thoughts ran through her mind in a chaotic manner.

Finally, she gritted her teeth, and the surging malice instantly overwhelmed everything.

She said resolutely, "Er Ya and I grew up together in Huaibei. My family even arranged a marriage for her, but she suddenly disappeared last year. Before today, I thought she was kidnapped by human traffickers... or met with some misfortune."

As she spoke, Li Zhaodi's eyes were filled with tears. She took a step closer to Gu Yanfei and said sadly, "Er Ya, you are fine. Why didn't you send someone to bring back a message? Dad and grandma are very worried about you. Grandma is seriously ill."

Li Zhaodi acted like a good sister, with a look of worry, heartache, and aggrievedness.

Li Zhaodi felt as if something was blocking her throat. Tears slowly flowed from the corners of her eyes, and the jealousy in her heart burned her.

In fact, compared to her real sister Gu Yunmeng, the person she was more jealous of was Li Erya, who grew up with her.

Li Erya used to be so humble at home. She got up at the crowing of the cock and rested at midnight. She was busy like a spinning top, and she was not well fed or well clothed. Her father did not like Erya, so no matter what she did, it was wrong. She was beaten and scolded by her father every few days. If she and her brother made any mistakes, as long as they said it was Erya's fault, her grandmother and father would give her a good beating...

Erya is the one who can be ordered around and stepped on by anyone in the family. She is the dust on the ground.

And now, everything has changed!

After Li Zhaodi came to the capital, she inquired about Erya's current situation and learned that she was now the second daughter of the Gu family. Even though the Gu family had lost its title, it was still a wealthy and powerful family. She could wear gold and silver and interact with the dignitaries in the capital.

She also got a new name - Gu Yanfei; but she herself was called Zhaodi, a vulgar name.

She flew to the clouds and became a noblewoman that everyone envied, but she herself became a widow that everyone pitied.

The fate of her and Arya changed drastically.

Just thinking about it, Li Zhaodi felt even more uncomfortable.

It shouldn't be like this. They all grew up in Huaibei and are sisters from the same family. Why is she the only one who is sinking in the quagmire, being ordered around and looked down upon?

How could that humble Arya live better than her... No, it shouldn't be like this! Arya should be living a worse life than her!

Li Zhaodi did not deliberately lower her voice when speaking to Zeng Ya, and those who were nearby could hear it clearly.

Gu Yanfei was the focus of everyone's attention today. For a moment, more and more eyes were directed towards her, and everyone's expression was full of surprise and confusion.

Miss Gu has already been engaged in Huaibei?! Is this servant dressed like a daughter-in-law her sister?

How is this possible! Everyone found it unbelievable, their eyes became subtle and complicated, and they fell on Gu Yanfei as if with thorns.

If all this is true, then the fact that the emperor personally presided over Gu Yanfei's coming-of-age ceremony today would have become a joke!

The happier the emperor is today, the more furious he will be when he finds out the truth! Everyone was so shocked that they couldn't speak for a long time. The lake was silent for a moment, even the wind seemed to have stopped, and the surroundings were strangely quiet.

Gu Yanfei raised his eyebrows, looked back and forth at Li Zhaodi and Zeng Ya with a calm expression, and the corners of his lips even raised as if smiling.

Zeng Ya stared at Gu Yanfei intently.

She thought she would see shock and embarrassment on the other person's face, but instead, Gu Yanfei was smiling, and there was a hint of interest in his smile.

"Whose servant is speaking nonsense here?" Gu Yunzhen's gentle voice broke the brief silence.

Gu Yunzhen lifted her skirt and walked over hurriedly. Her breathing was a little rapid due to jogging, but her eyes were exceptionally bright and determined.

Her pretty little face was full of anger, and her eyes fell on Li Zhaodi's face, trying to find similarities between her facial features and Gu Yunmeng's.

Although he was confused, Gu Yunzhen did not show it on his face. He righteously scolded Li Zhaodi: "Where is this place? Who are you? You are so bold that you dare to cry and talk nonsense here. You have no manners and no manners!"

Gu Yunzhen's words were not only a curse on Li Zhaodi, but also a curse on the Zeng family as well.

Unlike Wei Jiaoniang and the others, Gu Yunzhen spoke in a gentle, elegant and restrained tone, but he showed no mercy to Zeng Ya at all.

"Which family is so rude to bring such an unruly and tactless servant to the emperor? Aren't they afraid of losing manners in front of the emperor?!" Gu Yunzhen asked repeatedly, but his eyes were accurately fixed on Zeng Ya's face.

"..." Zeng Ya was so angry that a few blue veins appeared on her forehead.

If she directly said that Li Zhaodi was her family's servant, it would be tantamount to admitting that their Zeng family had no manners!

Li Zhaodi's behavior today was indeed inappropriate. If a servant from another family dared to speak so arrogantly in front of so many nobles, he would have been punished by his master long ago. But in their Zeng family, such a servant would only be dragged away and beaten to death, and the body would be hastily wrapped in a straw mat and thrown into a mass grave.

Gu Yunzhen put me in a position of power with just a few words. What I do also represents the reputation of my master's family. If I don't say anything today, other people will question the etiquette of their Zeng family in the future.

A mere Li Zhaodi could not compare to the Zeng family's reputation! "Zhaodi, stop talking nonsense!" Zeng Ya's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, and her jawline was tense, "Kneel down!"

There was a hint of severity in her tone, and a cold look flashed in her eyes.

Li Zhaodi shrank back and bit her lower lip so hard that it almost drew blood.

She couldn't help but look around at everyone timidly. The young men and women around her, who were dressed in gorgeous clothes, all looked at her with a condescending look, full of contempt and disdain.

There wasn't a shred of sympathy or pity, and no one would plead for her.

Li Zhaodi's gaze finally fell on Gu Yanfei's face, and she placed the last glimmer of hope on her.

However, Gu Yanfei just looked at her quietly, his eyes so indifferent as if he was looking at a stranger.

Li Zhaodi felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on her heart, making it hard for her to breathe. She lifted up her skirt and knelt down with great difficulty.

It was not the first time for her to kneel. With her status, she had no idea how many people she had knelt before, so kneeling was nothing. But she had never imagined that kneeling would be as difficult as it was today.

It made her feel that the person she was kneeling to was not Zeng Ya, but Gu Yanfei.

Li Zhaodi lowered her head, an evil fire burning in her heart. Her eyes were bloodshot under her half-closed eyelashes, revealing intense hatred and jealousy.

Why! Why should Erya, who could step on anyone, be subjected to her kneeling? "This is Miss Zeng, right?" Gu Yunzhen sighed as he looked at Zeng Ya, knowingly asking.

She was still not satisfied, so she smiled slightly and said indifferently, "So this is your servant."

"Miss Zeng, this isn't your personal servant, is it?"

Without waiting for the other party to answer, Gu Yunzhen continued to speak: "Miss Zeng, being kind is a good thing, but this excessive kindness and softness will not even allow me to discipline my servants. Who knows, it may bring disaster to your house one day!"

Gu Yunzhen stood straight, like a bunch of orchids in a valley. His voice was neither loud nor soft, but it was just loud enough for the young men and women around to hear.

The gentle voice has a unique power that is soft on the outside and strong on the inside.

Zeng Ya's face was burning and her chest was heaving slightly.

At this moment, she felt as if everyone around her was looking at her. Their gazes stabbed her face like knives, speculating, mocking, suspicious, and questioning...

To Zeng Ya, these looks were more painful than Wei Jiaoniang's rude scolding.

A sinister light flashed across Zeng Ya's eyes.

In the past, this eldest Miss Gu was low-key and always gentle. I only knew that the Gu family had a second and a third Miss, but I neglected this eldest Miss.

Zeng Ya quickly calmed down after the initial confusion.

She showed an annoyed expression, bit her lower lip, and said apologetically: "Miss Gu, I have already made Zhaodi kneel down and admit her mistake to you. If you still think it is not enough, I will punish her by slapping her in the face, okay?"

She acted gentle and tolerant, throwing the problem back to Gu Yunzhen, putting herself in a weak position.

Having said that, if Gu Yunzhen still refuses to give up, it means that Gu Yunzhen is determined to punish Li Zhaodi. Gu Yunzhen is being aggressive and unreasonable.

Especially since this is the royal palace, there are so many eyes watching us.

Li Zhaodi, who was kneeling on the ground, was frightened, her face turned pale and she was in a state of panic.

Although she had only been in the Zeng Mansion for a short time, she knew that the rules were very strict. Once a servant broke the rules and was slapped hard fifty times, leaving his face bruised and swollen, and even a tooth was knocked out.

Li Zhaodi said fearfully: "Miss, please spare my life. I didn't lie..."

“Bang!”

A maid in green strode forward and slapped Li Zhaodi hard on the face, knocking out the rest of her words.

A bright red palm print quickly appeared on Li Zhaodi's face, and her cheeks also became swollen.

Li Zhaodi was confused.

Zeng Ya was going crazy, and she yelled at Wei Jiaoniang, "Wei Jiaoniang, why are you hitting people?!"

The maid in blue who slapped Li Zhaodi just now was Wei Jiaoniang's maid.

"Ha!" Wei Jiaoniang sneered contemptuously and asked, "Miss Zeng, didn't you ask us to fight?!"

"..." Zeng Ya was speechless for a moment, her face turned green, and she almost dropped the fan in her hand.

People are in different positions, so they can do different things. Gu Yunzhen only has a widowed mother at home, so she cannot be aggressive, but Wei Jiaoniang can.

Wei Jiaoniang raised her chin slightly and looked at Zeng Ya with a half-smile, looking confident.

He was just a servant of the Zeng family, and he spoke rudely. She beat him, so what else could she do? Awesome! Lu Qin almost laughed out loud, suppressing the urge to applaud Wei Jiaoniang.

Li Zhaodi covered her swollen face with her hands, her hair was disheveled, and she said hesitantly: "I really..."

The maid in green raised her hand high, and Li Zhaodi immediately shut her mouth and began to tremble uncontrollably.

Wei Jiaoniang chuckled, and Gu Yunzhen stared at Zeng Ya with a half-smile.

Everyone around was looking at Zeng Ya.

Zeng Ya's heart was filled with mixed emotions. She weighed the pros and cons for a long time before she gritted her teeth and said, "Zhao Di, please leave."

Li Zhaodi didn't want to retreat. She still had a lot to say and she wanted to let everyone here know about Erya's shameful past.

But……

She timidly glanced at the maid in green again and trembled again. She felt numb and painful on her left cheek from being hit, and there was a salty and fishy taste in her mouth.

If she continued to talk, she would only be slapped again. Zeng Ya could not protect her at all.

Li Zhaodi stood up with her face covered, lowered her head, and walked away silently.

After walking a few feet away, Li Zhaodi couldn't help but look back at Gu Yanfei who was sitting on the bench with a resentful look in her eyes.

Zeng Ya was also looking at Yan Fei, her slender index finger stroking the handle of the round fan repeatedly.

Gu Yanfei's face was still calm. From the moment Li Zhaodi appeared, she had never lost her composure. She always looked like this, calm and composed, with an air of composure that could remain calm even when faced with a mountain collapse. It was hard to see through her or fathom her.

Li Zhaodi was pushed by the old woman from the Zeng family. She did not dare to stay any longer and left quickly.

Others didn't care whether Li Zhaodi stayed or left. Their attention was on Gu Yanfei and Zeng Ya.

Zeng Ya secretly gritted her teeth, her eyes were uncertain, and she said to Gu Yanfei politely: "Second Miss Gu, it's my servants who are rude."

Tang Jinyun and several other girls from aristocratic families beside her all stared at Zeng Ya with complicated expressions, their eyes burning.

They all wanted to ask Zeng Ya what was going on with her servant named Zhaodi?

Judging from the emperor's attitude today, Gu Yanfei will most likely be the eldest prince's consort. Presumably, after Gu Ce's case is overturned, the emperor will grant the eldest prince and Gu Yanfei a grand marriage.

Just now, the daughter-in-law of the Zeng family said that Gu Yanfei was her sister and had been engaged for a long time. Is this true? Everyone was in a commotion and looked at each other in confusion.

To everyone present, the origins of the second daughter of the Gu family remained a mystery. She had only appeared in the capital in the second half of last year.

Since she returned to Beijing, her life has been glorious and even the future Princess Kang, Gu Yunyan, was overshadowed by her.

Before arriving in the capital, no one knew anything about her. Her life in the past fourteen years was a mystery, as if this person had been created out of thin air.

It's inevitable that people feel that there is something fishy behind this.

If what the Zeng family servant just said was true...

A glimmer of hope emerged in the hearts of Tang Jinyun and other girls, and they waited and saw what would happen.

(End of this chapter)