Su Li accompanied her mother, Madam Su, to listen to the abbotâs sermon. As they stepped out of the main hall and descended the stairs, a man suddenly called out to her.
"Li'er, itâs really you!"
Su Li turned around, and Madam Su also looked at the man with suspicion.
The surrounding noblewomen stopped in their tracks.
"Young man, itâs highly inappropriate to address my daughter so familiarly in public," Madam Su said sternly.
Su Li coldly observed the man. She didnât 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, "Iâm sorry, Iâm sorry! I was just too excited and couldnât help myself. Li... Miss Su, ever since that night, I havenât been able to forget you. Today, I finally get to see your beautiful face again."
Madam Suâs face turned dark with anger. What did he mean by "that night"? What did he mean by "unforgettable"? This was utterly scandalous!
The manâs words immediately caused an uproar among the crowd.
The noblewomen around them began to look at Su Li with disdain.
"Such a decline in morals!"
"Who would have thought the Su familyâs daughter would behave like this?"
"If I were Minister Su, Iâd disown such a daughter!"
"Stay away from Miss Su from now on, do you hear me?"
â¦
The surrounding whispers grew louder, and Madam Suâs 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, weâve never met before. Who are you? How dare you slander the daughter of a court minister! This is a crime punishable by death."
The manâs eyes flickered with fear.
At this moment, Madam Xia, who had been silent until now, spoke up, "Exactly! If this is true, itâs one thing. But if itâs slander, your entire family will be implicated!"
Su Yue also stepped forward and said, "Do you have any evidence? Empty words wonât convince anyone."
The man immediately put on a heartbroken expression and said, "Li'er, how can you be so cruel? Were all those words you said to me 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, Iâll show you evidence!"
He pulled an item from his pocket and said, "Iâve kept this with me ever since that night. Whenever I miss you, I take it out to look at it."
Su Yue blurted out, "Sister, isnât that yourâ¦" She then pretended to have misspoken and quickly covered her mouth.
The surrounding women blushed at the sight of the item.
"Disgraceful!"
"Who would have thought Miss Su would be so shameless?"
"With her face ruined, she must rely on her body to get by."
"If I were her, Iâd hang myself!"
â¦
Madam Su felt dizzy at the sight of the item.
Su Yue nearly laughed out loud, not realizing that the noblewomen around her were also giving her disdainful looks.
They wouldnât 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 Liâs face remained cold. She had initially wanted to preserve the familyâs dignity, but this mother and daughter were truly despicable!
"What does this prove? How does it prove anything?"
The man, seeing her calm demeanor, raised his voice, "This is your undergarment! It even has your name embroidered on it!"
The crowd erupted in outrage.
"Scandalous!"
"How dare they defile this sacred place!"
"Heavens! This is justâ¦"
Su Li sneered, "You say itâs mine, so it must be?"
The man, still pretending to be heartbroken, said, "Youâre so cruel! You wonât admit it until you see the evidence!" He then flipped the garment to reveal the embroidered name.
When the character appeared, Su Yueâs 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 familyâs daughters!"
The man was confused, but Su Li said, "Youâve been slandering me, calling me Li'er, but the name on this is âYue.â How do you explain that?"
The man was dumbfounded, not understanding how the item had changed.
The noblewomen 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 screamed, "What are you all looking at? This isnât mine! Itâs not!!"
The man, seeing the situation, thought that either Su daughter would be a good catch. He said, "Ling'er, Iâve always been calling you! Iâve been calling you âLing,â as in âLingxiâ! You werenât 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 womanâs informal name 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 hadnât expected the scoundrel to turn on them!
Su Yue glared at Yuqi, Su Liâs maid, standing behind her. How did Su Liâs undergarment end up with the character âYueâ? It must be that wretched maidâs doing!
Yuqi, who had realized something was wrong the moment she saw the character âYue,â nearly collapsed under Su Liâs amused gaze and Su Yueâs venomous glare.
"I thought it was the elder sister, but it turns out the younger sister is the shameless one."
"Such a disgrace to the title of âCapitalâs Talented Ladyâ!"
"So young and already so promiscuous. Truly, a concubineâs daughter."
â¦
Su Yueâs face turned pale as she shouted, "Shut up! I didnât do it!"
The man, seeing an opportunity, said slyly, "Donât speak of Ling'er like that. Weâre in love. Iâll go prepare the betrothal gifts and propose to her family."
Madam Xia coldly spat, "Youâre 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 didnât want to further tarnish the Su familyâs reputation or embarrass her father, but she also didnât want to let these two off easily.
"Little sister, I know youâve been wronged. At this point, the only way to clear your name is to prove your innocence."
Su Yue looked at Su Li, who then glanced at her arm.
Su Yueâs eyes lit up. Thatâs 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 me! I was just following orders! I wasâ"
Madam Xia quickly shouted, "Gag him!"
The man was gagged and dragged away.
Although Su Yueâs name was cleared, the fact that she had to publicly prove her innocence by showing her arm became 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 stormed off toward the west wing.
Su Li watched Madam Xiaâs retreating figure and smiled faintly.
This wasnât over yet!
[--------------------------------------------]
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