next day
Jiang Yuwei took Xia Yue and Yun Qing to the shop early in the morning. When they arrived, Aunt Zhou had already opened for business. Liu Sheng, as instructed by Jiang Yuwei yesterday, stood at the door and kept repeating the bad things Qing Lan had done.
Cheng Yi was afraid that Liu Sheng might not be speaking sincerely, so he specially found a strong and sturdy guard to stand by Liu Sheng's side. If he spoke unclearly, incomprehensibly, or too softly, the guard would beat him with a stick.
Under such pressure, Liu Sheng naturally dared not slack off and repeated the story over and over again. Jiang Yuwei also made him explain why Qinglan wanted to harm Haochicheng and why Qinglan was so persistent in pursuing Ning Huaizhi.
People love gossip, and with Liu Sheng shouting like that, a crowd quickly gathered at the door to listen to his stories.
"I never expected that Princess Qinglan would be this kind of person."
"Yes, is it wrong for General Ning not to marry her?"
"Even if you gave me a woman like that, I wouldn't dare to take her. Wouldn't marrying her mean she'd be a complete troublemaker?"
"Who says otherwise? Don't be fooled by Princess Qinglan's respectable appearance all day long; you never expected her to be this kind of person behind the scenes!"
Jiang Yuwei was quite satisfied with the discussions around her. Since Qinglan was restless, she could only let her settle down. As for whether she could get married in the future, what did it have to do with her?
Seeing that there were many people gathered outside, Jiang Yuwei asked Xia Yue to take the snacks for tasting and set them out outside, taking the opportunity to advertise her food stall.
But the good times didn't last long; news of what happened on Golden Street soon reached Qinglan's ears.
"Princess, I had no idea that Liu Sheng was such an unreliable person..."
Qinglan glared at Yang Liu and angrily cursed:
"You're a complete waste of space. You can't even find someone to do the job properly. Now that things have turned out like this, you've completely disgraced me!"
Yang Liu knelt down in fear.
“Princess, I really chose Liu Sheng after careful consideration. I thought that with his gambling debts holding him back, he wouldn’t betray us. I never expected that he couldn’t even last a day…”
Qinglan slammed the teacup in her hand to the ground.
"What's the use of telling me all this now? Liu Sheng has really ruined me, that idiot!"
Upon seeing this, Yang Liu hurriedly kowtowed.
"Princess, please calm down, please calm down. I will go and make Liu Sheng shut up right away."
A hint of killing intent flashed in Qinglan's eyes.
"Only the dead can shut up, but I heard that Jiang Yuwei, that bitch, has made the General's Mansion very secure. She's hired twenty or thirty guards, and no one else can get in."
As Qinglan spoke, she couldn't help but frown.
"We can't just kill him in the street. If that's discovered, wouldn't that just confirm my reputation for being ruthless?"
Yang Liu felt conflicted upon hearing this. After thinking for a while with her eyes lowered, she looked up and smiled at Princess Qinglan, saying:
"Princess, haven't you done all these things so that you can marry General Ning in a proper way? Now, why don't you take this opportunity to fulfill your wish?"
Qinglan looked at Yangliu with some confusion.
"Now that things have turned out like this, how can I possibly face Brother Huaizhi?"
Yang Liu smiled faintly, got up from the ground, took a new teacup, and poured Qinglan another cup of tea.
"Princess, don't worry. Although others may think you've lost face and been at a disadvantage, don't forget what the old general often said: 'Put yourself in a desperate situation and you will survive.'"
Qinglan took the tea offered by Yangliu, took a small sip, pondered for a moment, and then revealed a triumphant smile.
"Come, accompany me to the palace to see the Empress Dowager!"
Yang Liu nodded in agreement.
"But, Princess, won't you freshen up and wash yourself again?"
Qinglan smiled and waved her hand.
"No need. The more I act like this, the more it highlights my difficulties."
After saying that, Qinglan took Yangliu and headed out of the mansion towards the palace.
When the two arrived at the Empress Dowager's palace, Qinglan began to cry.
"Grandmother, you must do me justice!"
The Empress Dowager was resting in the palace when she saw Qinglan enter crying. She quickly got up and waved to her, saying:
"Oh dear, my little Qinglan, what's wrong with you? Why are you crying like a baby?"
As Qinglan wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief, she bowed to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager quickly reached out and pulled Qinglan to sit down beside her.
"Don't cry, it hurts your grandmother's heart to see you cry. Who bullied you?"
With red-rimmed eyes, Qinglan looked at the Empress Dowager and choked out:
"Grandmother, Qinglan's reputation is now completely ruined. She will never be able to get married again!"
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's eyes widened in surprise.
"Who dares to be so audacious as to ruin your reputation!"
Qinglan sobbed a few times.
“Grandmother, now all my family members have died on the battlefield, and the once glorious General Sun’s mansion is now desolate. Who will still care about me, an unmarried princess?”
Hearing Qinglan's words, the Empress Dowager felt even more distressed and pulled Qinglan into her arms, comforting her:
"Good Qinglan, let's not cry anymore. As long as I'm here, no one will dare to ride roughshod over you!"
Qinglan leaned on the Empress Dowager's shoulder and sobbed softly.
“Grandmother, Jiang Yuwei is now taking advantage of Huaizhi’s pampering to ride on my head. Today she even went outside to ruin my reputation, saying that I have a vicious heart and that I will not let go of Huaizhi.”
The Empress Dowager was furious upon hearing Qinglan's words.
"This Jiang Yuwei is truly a country bumpkin. Now she's even going so far as to fabricate lies about you. It's utterly outrageous!"
As she spoke, the Empress Dowager slammed her hand heavily on the table.
Seeing this, Qinglan quickly grabbed the Empress Dowager's hand and gently blew on it.
"Grandmother, I just couldn't find anyone to vent to, so I thought I'd come and tell you what's on my mind. Please don't get angry over my matter. It would be really not worth it if you got sick from getting upset."
As she spoke, Qinglan slowly lowered the Empress Dowager's hand and sighed.
"Alas, now I am an orphan, and only my grandmother truly cares for me. It doesn't matter that I am slandered, nor does it matter that I will not be able to get married in the future. I only hope to stay by my grandmother's side for a long, long time."
The Empress Dowager was deeply moved upon hearing Qinglan's words.
"You silly girl, what are you saying? How could you not get married? You're so young. What's the point of you spending all your time with an old woman like me? Don't worry, your grandmother will definitely give you a grand and glorious marriage."
Qinglan rose from the Empress Dowager's embrace, lowered her head, and whispered:
"Now, my reputation in the capital is ruined. No one dares to marry me. Right now, Jiang Yuwei is even having one of her shop assistants loudly gossiping about me on Jin Street."
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