Chu Zhao was bewildered by the sudden scolding.

She knew about Liang Qin’s failed engagement—supposedly rejected by the Xie family. During their time at Chu Garden, some girls had mocked how the other party rejected Liang Qin for being ugly, and Chu Zhao had stopped them.

She understood how devastating it was for a girl to be rejected in marriage, especially for her appearance. Some girls might never dare show their faces again or remarry after such humiliation.

Liang Qin had been keeping a low profile these days. For a girl of just sixteen or seventeen, her mental state had likely been severely affected by the shock.

Chu Zhao didn’t step forward to hit her, but frowned at Liang Qin: “I’ve heard about your situation, but why are you scolding me? You should be scolding the Xie family’s son.”

Hearing this, Liang Qin let out a sharp laugh: “Go scold the Xie family’s son? Wouldn’t that hurt you? Could you bear it?”

What nonsense! Had this young lady lost her mind?

Chu Zhao looked around. All the girls had stood up, but strangely, they weren’t rebuking Liang Qin for talking nonsense. Their expressions seemed rather peculiar.

“A-Qin,” Qi Leyun stepped forward to pull Liang Qin, “If you have something to say, speak properly. Don’t shout.”

The other girls also tried to persuade her this way, and someone went to close the door—

“Don’t close the door!” Liang Qin shouted, without any resemblance to a well-bred young lady. She pushed away the girls near the door and called to the maids who were catching up, “Keep the door open! Why close it? Let everyone see what kind of person Chu Zhao is!”

Liang Qin’s maids and servants rushed over in a panic, having been chasing after her all the way.

They wanted to restrain Liang Qin but didn’t dare, nor did they dare follow her orders to block the other girls. The maids who had been standing guard outside also gathered around, causing chaos inside and out.

A-Le fought her way through with punches and kicks: “Nobody come near my young mistress.”

Chu Zhao raised her voice: “A-Le, close the door.”

A-Le heard her and immediately fought her way to the door, dispersing the people crowded there, slamming it shut, and using her body to block it.

“Lowly maid,” Liang Qin cursed and moved to attack, but before she got close, A-Le kicked her away.

Liang Qin’s maids and servants rushed to support their young mistress, refusing to let her go forward again. Liang Qin collapsed in their arms, screaming and cursing shrilly.

Chu Tang whispered something to the girl beside her, and that girl stood up with raised eyebrows: “A-Qin, if you still consider us friends, then speak properly.”

Liang Qin, who appeared almost delirious in her servants’ arms, heard this, and her eyes flickered slightly. She had come to make this scene to clear her name, and only after clearing her name could she return to her former life.

But if the girls all refused to associate with her, her life would never be the same.

Liang Qin covered her face with her sleeve, grief-stricken: “Chu Zhao has harmed me like this; her character is so despicable, yet you still want to protect her?”

Indeed, she had stopped cursing.

Chu Zhao’s ears were buzzing from all the commotion, but finally, there was quiet. She glanced at Chu Tang, who made a gesture to her and then hid behind the other girls.

At times like this, Chu Tang would never step forward, but Chu Zhao knew that the girl who had stopped Liang Qin had been instructed by Chu Tang.

This was for the best. As her sister, Chu Tang’s words would have little effect; it was better coming from someone else.

Chu Zhao ignored Liang Qin and looked at the girls around her.

“You all know what she’s talking about, right?” she asked. “What’s going on?”

This was why they had called her here today, wasn’t it?

Qi Leyun clarified first: “We didn’t call Liang Qin here. We didn’t know she would come.”

Chu Zhao glared at her: “I’ll settle accounts with you later.”

She believed what Qi Leyun said, making Qi Leyun secretly delighted. She huffed: “Why so fierce? Tricking you to come was for your good. Everyone wanted to discuss something with you.”

“A-Zhao,” one girl volunteered, “the Xie family son who broke off the engagement with Liang Qin is Xie Yanlai.”

Xie Yanlai—Chu Zhao pinched her buzzing ear, momentarily failing to react. After a pause, she remembered who Xie Yanlai was.

“A-Jiu?” she said.

The girls didn’t know who A-Jiu was.

“The Xie family young master, you rushed down to protect that day.”

“A-Jiu? Is that his pet name?”

“She’s even using his pet name, clearly their relationship is deep—”

The hall erupted with a cacophony of voices.

Chu Zhao waved her hand again: “What deep relationship? I do know him, but—” she paused, looking at everyone, “what are the rumors now?”

Qi Leyun looked at her and said, “The rumor is that you and Xie Yanlai made a private agreement to marry. When you learned that Liang Qin had an engagement with him, you were consumed with jealousy, beat up Young Lady Liang, and then eloped with Xie Yanlai out of the capital.”

This rumor was truly outrageous, making Chu Zhao’s eyes widen.

Each element had happened, yet each was also false.

…

…

“I beat—when I had the conflict with Young Lady Liang, I didn’t even know Xie Yanlai,” Chu Zhao said, looking at everyone in the room. “I escaped from the capital and only met Xie Yanlai on the road. We didn’t know each other then; he was just a post station soldier using the alias A-Jiu.”

The girls immediately accepted this: “So that’s how it was.”

Chu Zhao was rather curious—why did they believe her so readily?

Qi Leyun wore a knowing expression and said: “You met this A-Jiu on the road, and rushed out to protect A-Jiu in the street, both with the same purpose—to get acquainted with the Xie family’s Third Young Master.”

With the Third Young Master Xie around, who would care about other men from the Xie family?

Chu Zhao was stunned into laughter.

“A-Qin, do you understand now? Don’t believe rumors,” Qi Leyun turned to look at Liang Qin. “How could Chu Zhao possibly be interested in someone like Xie Yanlai?”

“Yes, at Chu Garden when we heard that Xie fellow mocking your looks and refusing marriage, A-Zhao rebuked him,” another girl testified. “She despises that man.”

Liang Qin, face covered in her maids’ arms, was also surprised at this—how had everyone come to deeply trust Chu Zhao’s words in such a short time?

Because of the literary gathering at Chu Garden?

Although she had been hiding at home, she had heard about the literary gathering from her brothers and sisters. The ones who had shone at the Chu Garden gathering were others; Chu Zhao’s scholarly abilities were only average.

Yet now Chu Zhao stood in the room, unconsciously taking the position of authority, with everyone gathered around her.

Recalling what Qi Leyun had just said, these girls, upon hearing the rumors, didn’t distance themselves or question Chu Zhao, but instead gathered to discuss and find ways to deal with the situation!

What bewitching potion had Chu Zhao given everyone!

As for Chu Zhao’s claims—that she hadn’t known Xie Yanlai before, that she looked down on and despised him—Liang Qin didn’t care. It wasn’t what she was concerned about.

What she cared about was that she had finally found an opportunity to wash away the shame of being rejected for her looks.

She, Liang Qin, was flawless in both appearance and talent. It was these two people who were improper, forming a private relationship without proper matchmaking!

No matter what Chu Zhao said today, she wouldn’t back down. Moreover, she had more evidence.

“Chu Zhao, is whatever you say the truth?” Liang Qin looked up with a cold smile. “Then did you not say that you would willingly die for Xie Yanlai, that even in death, you would still be his person?”

Now this was—serious!

All eyes in the room instantly fell on Chu Zhao.

Chu Zhao’s expression stiffened slightly, then as if recalling something, she burst into laughter.