While everyone was still speculating about the woman's identity, Wen Nongnong narrowed her eyes.
Wen Ruyi!
It really is her!
I never expected Gu Heng to value her so much, that he would bring her along to such an important occasion.
Not far away, Wen Shiqing and Xu Shi and others were also greatly surprised. They obviously did not expect that Wen Ruyi would appear as an imperial concubine at today's palace banquet.
"So she is the newly appointed Consort Liu by the Emperor..."
The sound of women talking in hushed tones could be heard from the side.
Wen Nongnong was stunned. It turned out that Wen Ruyi had been given the title of Changzai by Gu Heng.
Despite her low rank, Wen Ruyi was the first woman to enter Gu Heng's harem.
Therefore, although Wen Ruyi was not directly made empress as in the original book, she should still be highly valued by Gu Heng.
"...I wonder who this Consort Liu is, that the Emperor values her so much." The women whispered among themselves.
Wen Nongnong's eyes darted around, then she suddenly stood up, staring at Wen Ruyi in astonishment, and exclaimed, "So, Third Sister really did enter the palace! I didn't believe it before, but now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I know it's true..."
The entire room fell silent.
Immediately afterwards, the voices of the crowd grew louder.
"What happened?"
"It seems the Regent's wife knows Consort Liu."
"Didn't you hear the Regent's Consort call her Third Sister? Isn't Consort Liu the Third Miss of the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion?"
"But I heard recently that she was caught meeting a man at night and was extremely disappointed. So the Duke of Dingguo sent her to his estate to reflect on her mistakes. Why didn't she stay at the estate and instead came to the palace?"
"It's really strange. How did she, a frail woman, get into the palace?"
For a moment, everyone was both surprised and curious, but without exception, their gazes toward Wen Ruyi were filled with contempt and disdain.
How did they get into the palace? They must have used some underhanded methods, right?
Everyone had already condemned Wen Ruyi in their hearts.
Wen Ruyi never expected that Wen Nongnong would address her directly on such a special occasion.
Her call drew everyone's attention to her, some scrutinizing her, others looking down on her, making her extremely uncomfortable.
She clenched the handkerchief in her hand, her heart filled with hatred, but at this moment, she could only feign cowardice and hide behind Gu Heng.
Gu Heng frowned, took her hand directly, and comforted her gently, "Don't be afraid."
When Empress Dowager Guo saw this, her face darkened, and a gloomy expression flashed between her brows.
This Liu'er seems weak and easy to bully, but in the past few days in the palace, she has not gotten any good results. On the contrary, because of Liu'er, she has become more estranged from her son.
She was furious and worried about how to deal with Wen Ruyi when she saw Wen Nongnong step forward. She was secretly pleased, but kept her expression unchanged and went along with her words, asking, "Does the Regent's Consort know Liu'er?"
"Liu'er?" Wen Nongnong was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled. "Her name is Wen Ruyi, not Liu'er. She is our Wen family's adopted daughter." After saying that, her gaze fell on Wen Ruyi, and she asked curiously, "When did Third Sister change her name?"
Her words revealed so much that everyone immediately understood.
So this Consort Liu is indeed the third young lady of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.
But why did she change her name? Was it because she resented the Duke of Dingguo for banishing her to the estate?
For a moment, everyone started speculating again.
Wen Ruyi timidly hid behind Gu Heng, saying helplessly, "I...I don't know you, I don't understand what you're talking about?"
Wen Nongnong paused, then suddenly stepped out from behind the table, staring at her for a long time before saying with certainty, "We grew up together, I couldn't possibly mistake you. You are my third sister, Wen Ruyi. But why do you say you don't recognize me?"
She paused, as if remembering something, and frowned, saying, "Third Sister, you wouldn't still be holding a grudge against Father and Mother for sending you to the estate to recuperate, would you? But you have to be considerate of your elders. After all, what you did that day really damaged the reputation of the Duke's Mansion..."
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