The location where the Marquisate of Zhendong’s Mansion entertained young female relatives was in the east courtyard of the mansion. There was a rather large waterside pavilion that could accommodate dozens of banquet tables.
When Xue Yunrou stepped in this courtyard, she found that many of the young maidens present were looking at her with strange eyes, and she could faintly hear them whispering.
"No way, could she have really fallen for that dandy?"
"Who are you guys talking about?"
"Li Xuan, from the Earl of Chengyi’s mansion, a notorious debauchee. It’s said that he spends at least nine months a year in brothels."
"Many people have seen them being very intimate, and it’s said that it was her who took the initiative to approach him."
"How could that be? Xue Yunrou is an angelic figure, how could she fall for soone like this? Is she blind? Or is she too naive and got deceived?"
"What kind of person is Xue Yunrou? She is the most stand-out maiden of noble birth in all of Beijing, she could even beco the empress if she wanted. How could she get involved with such a person?"
"Who knows? So people appear to be dignified and reserved on the surface, but they have completely different colors in private. Who knows what Xue Yunrou is really like? Maybe she likes such a worthless man."
"Hey, hey, Li Xuan isn’t that bad, right? I heard that the second son of the Earl of Chengyi has already nded his ways, and recently, not only has his martial law greatly improved, but he has also achieved many great deeds within Liudao Division, his future is promising—"
Xue Yunrou’s cultivation had greatly improved recently, and her hearing was excellent. Nothing within ten feet of her could escape her ears.
The whispers from these girls made Xue Yunrou feel suffocated, and her face turned pale. This wasn’t for herself, but for Li Xuan.
Her personality, although not as straightforward and bold as her cousin Jiang Hanyun, would not be provoked by these girls’ gossips.
Would a sky-soaring azure phoenix care about the chatter of a group of rabbits on the ground?
She always rembered that she was a spell cultivator, not the sa as these won who grew up in the serenity of their hos.
Xue Yunrou’s aspirations had always been high above, not buried in the trivialities and gossip of everyday life.
But today they were talking about Li Xuan, and that was different.
Xue Yunrou felt uncomfortable, as if her lungs were about to burst. Even if Xuan had been awful in the past, it was not their place to judge him.
At this mont, Xue Yunrou admired her cousin.
Despite Jiang Hanyun having nicknas like ’Iron-blooded Shura’ and ’Blood Hand Butcher’, her temper was far better than outsiders imagined.
Although she was powerful, she had enough restraint not to beat up those who talked behind her back. This required great self-control.
At least for now, Xue Yunrou was itching for a fight and was finding it hard to hold back.
It suddenly dawned on her that her previous good temper was not because she was kind, but because she had not yet t soone who mattered to her.
"Miss, the lady has been urging you. She is asking why havent you co yet? No matter the situation, she wants you to hurry. She is waiting for you to pay your respects to Old Madam."
At this ti, Xue Yunrou’s maid also ca up. After finishing Madam Xue’s orders, she looked at her miss with slanted eyes: "Miss, did you really fall for the second son of Earl Chengyi?"
"Why?" Xue Yunrou imdiately returned a displeased gaze: "Do you also have an opinion? Are you going to lecture ?"
"No! No! I have quite a good impression of Master Li. I know that if not for Mo, that last ti you might not have been able to co back."
The little maid hurriedly shook her hand, then covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled: "I just find it really funny. A few weeks ago, you couldn’t understand why your aunt wanted to do this, saying how could she fall for that young master? You even said your cousin marrying him was like a fresh flower being stuck in cow dung."
"Did I say that?" Xue Yunrou’s face turned slightly red, then she used a trick that won are good at, complete forgetfulness. "No way! Definitely not, you rembered wrong!"
"But Miss, you did say that! I even rember you said it in that cool pavilion—"
The little maid was supposed to remind Xue Yunrou of her mory, but then her voice suddenly stopped because she sensed her mistress’s deathly stare.
"Well, let’s say there wasn’t, it must have been my mory getting confused. But the situation with the madam is really funny. Just when Miss you were about to et your beloved at the front gate of the mansion, the Madam has already helped your mother-in-law to get the mother of the man you like."
"What is happening?" Xue Yunrou’s eyes promptly sank: "Tell carefully! Wasn’t it said that I am to et Lady Li in the afternoon?"
The little maid didn’t dare to smile anymore: "Your aunt changed her mind temporarily. Now that Master Li’s prospects are looking up, Lady Li has contacted several noble young maidens for him to et today. Therefore, your aunt beca anxious and the eting was moved to the morning."
Xue Yunrou’s chest tightened again, with an impulse to spit blood.
But the next words from the maid felt like the knife had just been driven deeper into Xue Yunrou’s chest: "You don’t know, initially Lady Li didn’t seem to be willing, she seed sowhat unwilling towards the young mistress. But after our lady’s silver tongue, Lady Li changed her mind after just a few sentences, and she beca enthusiastically towards your aunt. I guess Lady Li is probably investigating. If there is no better choice than the young mistress, I guess this matchmaking will be settled."
Xue Yunrou started to breathe deeply, trying to alleviate the depressiveness in her chest and thinking about how to deal with the situation.
My dear mother, she thought, you have loved your daughter for over ten years, why would you dig such a big pit for her now?
At that mont, a delicate voice of a young girl ca from beside her, "Miss Xue, I advise you not to be fooled. You are clearly a person standing on the clouds. Why do you insist on stepping into the mud pit?"
Xue Yunrou paused and turned to the source of the voice. She instantly recognized the green-clothed girl standing next to the waterside pavilion’s railing, it was Xi Xuer, the protagonist of the brawl at Duke Xuguo’s mansion.
"Deceived? Mud? Are you talking about Li Xuan?" Xue Yunrou’s face turned chilly, her eyes darkened.
"Who could it be if not Li Xuan?"
Xi Xuer sighed as if it was a pity, "I know best what kind of person he is. He’s scum. His vices of indulging in eating, drinking, visiting brothels, and gambling are one thing, the key problem is his bad character. I had a eting with him at Duke Xuguo’s mansion once because my father owed Earl Chengyi’s mansion so kindness. The result was that the scum Li Xuan had ill intentions and behaved improperly towards ."
As she said the last few words, Xi Xuer seed bashful, she gritted her teeth and her voice beca nearly inaudible.
After hearing these words, Xue Yunrou didn’t display anger but instead laughed, "What did you just say? I didn’t hear clearly, can you repeat it?"
Xi Xuer didn’t notice the abnormality in Xue Yunrou’s tone and repeated with a wry smile, "I really didn’t want to talk about this. That day, he —"
Before she finished speaking, there was a sharp sound in the waterside pavilion. Xue Yunrou fiercely slapped Xi Xuer in the face, creating a heavy silence in the pavilion.
Xi Xuer felt an intense pain in her face, blood trickled down the corner of her lips, and even her teeth felt loose. She looked at Xue Yunrou incredulously, "You, you are cra—"
Slap!
Another sharp sound reverberated within the pavilion. Xue Yunrou had slapped Xi Xuer in the face again.
"Shaless creature!"
With a stoic face and cold eyes, Xue Yunrou glared at Xi Xuer. "If what you just said had any basis in fact, although I would be angry, I wouldn’t do anything to you. However, if you’re trying to fra Li Xuan for sothing he did not do, then I cannot stand by!"
Xi Xuer stared at Xue Yunrou, her eyes filled with murderous rage while her chest heaved with fury.
However, she didn’t dare to move under Xue Yunrou’s icy gaze. She was like a rabbit being watched by a tiger.
The girl in front of her was a mber of the esteed Xue family in Jiangnan, and moreover, she was the niece of the current Heavenly Master.
Most importantly, she was a genius spell cultivator who had reached the sixth house level by the ti she was not even seventeen!
At this mont, soft laughter could be heard in the waterside pavilion.
"Isn’t that Miss Xi Xuer of the Left Deputy Xian’s family? Don’t speak ill of Li Xuan, your own reputation is not exactly spotless."
"Xi Xuer? You an that one? There have been rumors all over the city recently. Reportedly, she was involved in a scandal of getting pregnant before marriage in Beijing, which forced her to flee to the south."
"Heh! Getting pregnant before marriage is one thing, if it is truly a matter of love, although it defies tradition, I can still tolerate it. The key issue is that this woman has no sha, and she seduced her own sisters’ man."
"She actss as if she is very innocent, but just a few days ago, she disguised herself as a man and went to Qinhuai River for a clandestine eting with her lover. Soone saw it with their own eyes."
When these rumors entered her ears, Xi Xuer’s face turned alternately pale and then green. She dug her long nails deeply into her own flesh, her eyes filled with resentnt.
Just then, a few girls rushed into the riverside pavilion, excitent glead in their eyes.
"Everyone, hurry over to the west wing, there’s a good show to watch."
"That Zhang Jin from the North, he said he would definitely make Li Xuan a laughingstock this ti. Li Xuan has already been lured to Cuiwei Garden."
Xue Yunrou’s face turned cold, her gaze intense. "Explain clearly! What’s the entertainnt? What does Zhang Jin plan to do to Li Xuan?"
At this mont, the girls noticed the figure of Xue Yunrou and all turned slightly pale.
"We aren’t sure." One of them stuttered under Xue Yunrou’s intense gaze, "It seems to have sothing to do with an expert guest staying at the Marquis Zhen Dong’s mansion. The person is called ’Sword Rain’ Hua Shenxiao, and he is at the Cuiwei Pavilion in the west wing."
Upon hearing the term ’Sword Rain,’ Xue Yunrou’s face changed drastically and she quickly headed towards Cuiwei Pavilion.
Behind her, a glint of an unusual color flashed in Xi Xuer’s eyes as she too hurriedly followed.
People generally liked to watch the excitent. As the two left one after the other, the girls in the pavilion exchanged looks and also followed in succession.
In an instant, the waterside pavilion was almost empty, with only a handful of truly composed young girls left behind. Although they too were curious, they didn’t bother to go and check.
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