Su Li accompanied her mother, Madam Su, to listen to the abbot’s sermon. As they stepped out of the main hall and descended the stairs, a man suddenly called out to her.
"Li'er, it’s really you!"
Su Li turned around, and Madam Su also looked at the man with suspicion.
The surrounding noblewon stopped in their tracks.
"Young man, it’s highly inappropriate to address my daughter so familiarly in public," Madam Su said sternly.
Su Li coldly observed the man. She didn’t know where the West Courtyard had found him, but while he was dressed respectably, the look in his eyes betrayed his dubious character.
The West Courtyard was clearly determined to ruin her reputation!
The man quickly apologized, "I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I was just too excited and couldn’t help myself. Li... Miss Su, ever since that night, I haven’t been able to forget you. Today, I finally get to see your beautiful face again."
Madam Su’s face turned dark with anger. What did he an by "that night"? What did he an by "unforgettable"? This was utterly scandalous!
The man’s words imdiately caused an uproar among the crowd.
The noblewon around them began to look at Su Li with disdain.
"Such a decline in morals!"
"Who would have thought the Su family’s daughter would behave like this?"
"If I were Minister Su, I’d disown such a daughter!"
"Stay away from Miss Su from now on, do you hear ?"
…
The surrounding whispers grew louder, and Madam Su’s expression darkened further.
Her daughter had stayed indoors ever since her face was disfigured. This was nothing but slander!
Just as Madam Su was about to step forward, Su Li stopped her and gave her a reassuring nod.
Su Li turned to the man and said coldly, "Sir, we’ve never t before. Who are you? How dare you slander the daughter of a court minister! This is a cri punishable by death."
The man’s eyes flickered with fear.
At this mont, Madam Xia, who had been silent until now, spoke up, "Exactly! If this is true, it’s one thing. But if it’s slander, your entire family will be implicated!"
Su Yue also stepped forward and said, "Do you have any evidence? Empty words won’t convince anyone."
The man imdiately put on a heartbroken expression and said, "Li'er, how can you be so cruel? Were all those words you said to lies?"
Su Li watched his performance with cold indifference.
The man gritted his teeth, as if he had nothing left to lose, and said, "Fine! If you want evidence, I’ll show you evidence!"
He pulled an item from his pocket and said, "I’ve kept this with ever since that night. Whenever I miss you, I take it out to look at it."
Su Yue blurted out, "Sister, isn’t that your…" She then pretended to have misspoken and quickly covered her mouth.
The surrounding won blushed at the sight of the item.
"Disgraceful!"
"Who would have thought Miss Su would be so shaless?"
"With her face ruined, she must rely on her body to get by."
"If I were her, I’d hang myself!"
…
Madam Su felt dizzy at the sight of the item.
Su Yue nearly laughed out loud, not realizing that the noblewon around her were also giving her disdainful looks.
They wouldn’t distinguish between the two sisters. To them, both daughters of the Su family were equally disgraceful.
If the elder sister was like this, how could the younger one be any better?
Su Li’s face remained cold. She had initially wanted to preserve the family’s dignity, but this mother and daughter were truly despicable!
"What does this prove? How does it prove anything?"
The man, seeing her calm deanor, raised his voice, "This is your undergarnt! It even has your na embroidered on it!"
The crowd erupted in outrage.
"Scandalous!"
"How dare they defile this sacred place!"
"Heavens! This is just…"
Su Li sneered, "You say it’s mine, so it must be?"
The man, still pretending to be heartbroken, said, "You’re so cruel! You won’t admit it until you see the evidence!" He then flipped the garnt to reveal the embroidered na.
When the character appeared, Su Yue’s smile froze on her face.
Before Madam Xia could hide her glee, she shouted, "You insolent scoundrel! Where did you get this? How dare you slander the Su family’s daughters!"
The man was confused, but Su Li said, "You’ve been slandering , calling Li'er, but the na on this is ‘Yue.’ How do you explain that?"
The man was dumbfounded, not understanding how the item had changed.
The noblewon turned their suspicious gazes toward Su Yue.
Madam Su, though relieved, knew that such a public scandal would disgrace the Su family, regardless of which daughter was involved.
Su Yue scread, "What are you all looking at? This isn’t mine! It’s not!!"
The man, seeing the situation, thought that either Su daughter would be a good catch. He said, "Ling'er, I’ve always been calling you! I’ve been calling you ‘Ling,’ as in ‘Lingxi’! You weren’t like this when we were together."
Su Li and Su Yue were standing close together, making it unclear which sister he had initially addressed.
A woman’s informal na was known only to her closest family, but Su Yue had revealed hers during the Qiong Hua Banquet, giving the man an opening.
Madam Xia nearly vomited blood. This was truly lifting a stone only to drop it on her own foot!
She hadn’t expected the scoundrel to turn on them!
Su Yue glared at Yuqi, Su Li’s maid, standing behind her. How did Su Li’s undergarnt end up with the character ‘Yue’? It must be that wretched maid’s doing!
Yuqi, who had realized sothing was wrong the mont she saw the character ‘Yue,’ nearly collapsed under Su Li’s amused gaze and Su Yue’s venomous glare.
"I thought it was the elder sister, but it turns out the younger sister is the shaless one."
"Such a disgrace to the title of ‘Capital’s Talented Lady’!"
"So young and already so promiscuous. Truly, a concubine’s daughter."
…
Su Yue’s face turned pale as she shouted, "Shut up! I didn’t do it!"
The man, seeing an opportunity, said slyly, "Don’t speak of Ling'er like that. We’re in love. I’ll go prepare the betrothal gifts and propose to her family."
Madam Xia coldly spat, "You’re dreaming! A lowly scoundrel like you, thinking you can marry into the Su family? Ridiculous!"
Su Li raised an eyebrow. Madam Xia was clearly panicking and speaking without thinking.
Madam Su also looked at Madam Xia in surprise. How did she know the man was a scoundrel?
Su Li didn’t want to further tarnish the Su family’s reputation or embarrass her father, but she also didn’t want to let these two off easily.
"Little sister, I know you’ve been wronged. At this point, the only way to clear your na is to prove your innocence."
Su Yue looked at Su Li, who then glanced at her arm.
Su Yue’s eyes lit up. That’s right!
While it was still embarrassing, it was far better than being labeled as promiscuous.
Without hesitation, she rolled up her sleeve, revealing the bright red virginity mark on her arm.
Madam Xia tried to stop her, but it was too late.
The crowd gasped.
Su Li loudly declared, "Seize this scoundrel who slandered my sister!"
The man cried out, "Madam, spare ! I was just following orders! I was—"
Madam Xia quickly shouted, "Gag him!"
The man was gagged and dragged away.
Although Su Yue’s na was cleared, the fact that she had to publicly prove her innocence by showing her arm beca the talk of the town.
As the crowd dispersed, Madam Su instructed everyone to return to their rooms to rest before heading back to the manor once the sun was less intense.
Su Yue snorted coldly and stord off toward the west wing.
Su Li watched Madam Xia’s retreating figure and smiled faintly.
This wasn’t over yet!
[--------------------------------------------]
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