The Empress looked at Yang Cui and asked, "Xiaocui, you are the victim. What do you suggest we do about this?"
Yang Cui, who was called out, stepped forward and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for standing up for me. I have no other requests, except that the Guo and Gu families post notices at the city gate to clarify this matter."
The evidence now points to Madam Guo, but there is no evidence pointing to Wang Mengyun. Even if we know she did it, it's useless. In this day and age, there are no surveillance cameras. How easy is it to find the person who bribed the servants of the Guo family?
"This whole thing started because I'm family-oriented, so helping to clarify things is no problem," Wang Mengyun agreed readily.
Madam Guo now hated Wang Mengyun to the core. She glared at Wang Mengyun with resentment and said, "Your Majesty, Madam Cen, although I did not do this, it was my fault for misjudging people, for being the matchmaker, and for failing to manage my subordinates, which led to this situation. I will post a notice to apologize and come to apologize in person. I will have no objections."
“Then let’s do as Xiao Cui says. I will also issue an edict to clear the name of Lady De’an.”
After the Empress finished speaking, her gaze fell on Wang Mengyun again. "Although there is no conclusive evidence pointing to you, everyone knows whether it has anything to do with you. You are pregnant now, so I think you should stay at home and rest."
This means being under house arrest.
What might be a punishment for others is nothing to a pregnant woman.
Pregnant and still having time to cause trouble, it seems life is too comfortable. The Gu family's backyard isn't lively enough, so... Yang Cui doesn't mind helping her liven things up.
When Yang Cui left the palace, the Empress bestowed many gifts upon her to appease her.
Once outside the Jiaofang Palace, Madam Guo erupted: "Wang Mengyun, I never imagined you were this kind of person! I, Wang Minyao, was blind! You just wait!"
After uttering those harsh words, he immediately chased after Yang Cui: "Madam Cen, this matter really has nothing to do with me, you..."
“Madam Guo, whether there is a relationship or not is not important. What is important is that your people are spreading rumors. Please restore my reputation as soon as possible, and let’s try not to see each other in the future unless there is a specific reason.”
Yang Cui's words made Guo Wangshi lose face.
The Guo family values Yang Cui and Cen Xiao highly. Now that he has fallen out with Yang Cui, he is afraid that he will have a hard time explaining to the elders of the Guo family.
Thinking of this, Guo Wangshi's resentment towards Wang Mengyun deepened even further.
After leaving the palace, Yang Cui got into the carriage, gave Wang Mengyun a meaningful look, and then whispered to Xi Hongmei, "If she can spread rumors, so can we. Let's say that Wang Mengyun doesn't want her illegitimate daughter to marry too well, so she deliberately smears me and sabotages this marriage."
Wang Mengyun offended Guo Wangshi again today. Guo Wangshi, that matchmaker, will surely step forward and accuse Wang Mengyun. Then… hehe…
"Find a few more capable concubines for Gu Minghua, the kind with ambition." A concubine who doesn't want to rise in rank isn't a qualified concubine.
Aren't you bored? Let me liven things up for you.
Wang Mengyun recalled Yang Cui's smile and had a bad feeling...
*
While Wang Mengyun was relieved that no one had caught her doing anything wrong, Gu Minghua was in for a rough time.
What was once a sure thing, a lucrative position, was snatched away today.
What's even more infuriating is that a small mistake he made was pointed out in public during court today, and he was immediately impeached by the Censorate.
The emperor looked very displeased and told him to rest at home for three months and reflect on his mistakes.
Isn't this just confinement? Confinement is never a punishment for adult men, especially men holding official positions.
Gu Minghua felt baffled; this was clearly targeting him.
But why?
Before Gu Minghua could figure it out, *splash*—a bucket of swill poured over him, leaving him completely chilled.
"Ugh~" This taste is really...
The other officials were so frightened that they all retreated, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.
Yuan Qiu, leaning against the palace wall, warned, "Gu Minghua, this is called 'the husband paying for the wife's debts.'"
"Damn it! Get down here right now! Ugh..." Gu Minghua was furious, realizing that nothing was going right for him.
Xia Zhen, the little tyrant of Kyoto, was also perched on the wall, and what he said was even more infuriating: "Earl of Yongchang, you're a man, how come you can't even manage a woman? How can you share the burdens of the emperor like this? Sigh... it really makes one doubt your abilities."
Gu Minghua: "..."
Gu Minghua's face flushed red. Not only had he been splashed with spit, but he had also been told he couldn't control his woman! He felt like everyone was laughing at him!
A woman? The husband pays for the wife's debts? It's Wang Mengyun again!
This woman couldn't even stop causing trouble while pregnant, making herself lose face so badly.
Gu Minghua was furious.
After Gu Minghua left, Yuan Qiu and Xia Zhen climbed down from the palace wall. An Xiaohu, who was holding the ladder, gloated, "Now the Lady of Yongchang Marquis's Mansion is going to be in trouble, hahaha..."
“I feel like once isn’t enough. I’ll splash him again tomorrow morning. That way, he’ll definitely hate his wife even more,” Yuan Qiu said.
He did want to splash Wang Mengyun, but she was pregnant, so he couldn't do it.
“But nephew, are you sure it was that Yun who did this? You know, the Gu family’s daughter was also affected. Could it be Madam Guo? Should we…” An Xiaohu felt that Madam Guo was the one who should be blamed.
Xia Zhen put his hand on An Xiaohu's shoulder and said, "Xiaohu, you don't understand. Wang Mengyun is not Gu Xueyin's biological mother, and Gu Xueyin has a half-brother. She definitely doesn't want Gu Xueyin to marry too well, lest she help her half-brother in the future. This kind of thing is very common in wealthy families."
Moreover, she already had a problem with your sister, so Wang Mengyun is killing two birds with one stone.
"Alright, splash Yongchangbo again tomorrow morning to avenge my sister!"
...
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