Chen Wenjin feigned pity and heartache for her, yet when others in the Marquis Manor ruined her reputation, she not only failed to stop them, but secretly aided them.
In her eyes, a lowly foot-washing maid like herself had no business being superior to Gu Lingwei.
Since they wanted to ruin her reputation, she certainly wouldn't let them have their way.
Pressing her fingers together slightly, Gu Qiurong lowered her gaze. "Very well, I'll take this red jade hairpin."
After tidying up, Qingzhi accompanied Gu Qiurong to the dining hall.
Inside the dining hall.
Everyone from the Marquis Manor had already arrived.
Aside from the family members, there were also quite a few banquet guests.
Gu Lingwei sat beside Chen Wenjin, the mother and daughter chatting about something while Chen Wenjin's eyes held a gentle smile.
Crossing the threshold, Gu Qiurong walked before the crowd, curtsied, and said, "Greetings, Father, Mother..."
Before she could even finish, her second brother, Gu Jundu, sprang to his feet and strode quickly toward her.
Gu Qiurong only felt a dark shadow flash before her eyes, a sharp pain in her hair, and the red jade hairpin had already been yanked from her head.
"Gu Qiurong! When will you ever stop making trouble? The moment you get out of the imperial prison, you can't wait to seduce the Crown Prince? You know full well that the Crown Prince has only Weiwei in his heart—how can you be so utterly shameless?!"
"This red jade hairpin was a gift to Weiwei from the Crown Prince! Where did you steal it from?"
Gu Qiurong feigned helplessness, looking blankly at Gu Jundu before her.
"Second Brother, I didn't..." Before she could finish her explanation, Gu Jundu let out a cold, sarcastic laugh. "Do I not know you by now?"
"When have you ever dressed up like this on a normal day? You only dolied yourself up so gaudily to seduce the Crown Prince because you knew he was coming today! Don't think I don't know what you're up to."
Gu Jundu spoke with absolute certainty, and anyone who didn't know better would have thought Gu Qiurong had committed some heinous crime.
The surrounding guests' expressions shifted.
"I didn't, I really didn't." Gu Qiurong's voice was faint, her whole body trembling.
Yet the more humble she appeared, the angrier Gu Jundu became.
She was supposed to be a lowly foot-washing maid for the rest of her life, not someone who snatched away everything belonging to his beloved younger sister, turning Weiwei into someone cautious and nearly servile...
"Go and apologize to Weiwei! Weiwei is the future Crown Princess. If word gets out that you pulled such a stunt to seduce her fiancé, where will Father and Big Brother's faces be?"
Gu Jundu grabbed Gu Qiurong's wrist forcefully, dragging her toward Gu Lingwei.
His movements were harsh and unquestionable.
Gu Qiurong's body swayed like a kite with a broken string, on the verge of collapsing. She was forced to her knees before Gu Lingwei, her face turning even paler.
The guests wore varied expressions as they watched the scene unfold, subconsciously concluding that Gu Qiurong must have wanted to seduce the Crown Prince, especially given how many times she had done such things in the past.
"Second Brother, I didn't steal the hairpin."
Gu Qiurong's gaze flickered. Sensing the looks from the crowd and knowing they mostly believed Gu Jundu's words, she choked back a sob.
"This hairpin was sent by Mammy Li from Mother's quarters!"
She said anxiously, "If Second Brother doesn't believe me, you can go to my courtyard and check my jewelry box. That box is part of Mother's dowry, and Second Brother will know at a glance."
As Gu Qiurong finished speaking, everyone instinctively turned to look at Chen Wenjin.
Chen Wenjin's expression stiffened, her fingers clenched tightly at her sides.
Gu Qiurong had changed.
In the past, when she was insulted and beaten, she would never have dared to talk back.
It was precisely because she had relied on her submissive nature that she had directly instructed Mammy Li to deliver the hairpin.
"Qingzhi said my complexion was too pale, and she was afraid that the guests attending the welcome-home banquet today would find it inauspicious. So she specially picked the brightest one among the trinkets Mother sent over, fearing... fearing that others would see how weak I am and think the Marquis Manor mistreated me. If that got out, it wouldn't look good for the manor's reputation, and people would start gossiping that Father is biased..."
With that, Gu Qiurong's eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked at the Marquis of Pingding. "Father, it is Daughter's fault. Daughter truly didn't know this hairpin looked like the one the Crown Prince gave to Fourth Sister."
"When Daughter first returned to the manor, I was ignorant and made many mistakes. But after entering the imperial prison this time, I suffered all sorts of hardships and broke several bones. I have finally woken up. The Crown Prince and Fourth Sister are childhood sweethearts with a deep bond; I will no longer act maliciously to drive a wedge between them..."
The young girl looked extremely frail, lifting her hand to wipe away her tears, her slender figure swaying as if a gust of wind could knock her over.
The guests were all deeply shaken, their eyes stinging with sympathy.
Knowing nothing of the inside story, they saw how pitiful Gu Qiurong looked and assumed she must have suffered terribly in prison and genuinely wished to turn over a new leaf.
Immediately, someone interceded, "To know one's errors and mend one's ways is the greatest virtue. Marquis, I see this child is sensible and considers the reputation of the manor in everything she does—she understands the bigger picture. You shouldn't hold this against her or make things difficult for a young girl."
"The dirty business of the inner courtyard is unknown to outsiders, but I know it clearly. Fifth Young Miss Gu has only just returned to the manor; how could she possibly know about the red jade hairpin given by the Crown Prince? Marquis, do not be fooled into falsely accusing the Fifth Young Miss, lest you become the talk of the town and a laughingstock."
Once a guest spoke up, the expression of the Marquis of Pingding darkened heavily.
His awkward and rigid expression was as black as ink.
"Enough. Today is your welcome-home banquet—take your seat at once."
Gu Qiurong rubbed her red-rimmed eyes, nodded, and obediently took her seat under the steward's guidance.
Just as she sat down and looked up, her gaze fell upon the man seated in the seat of honor: extraordinarily handsome, wearing a jade crown, and of noble status.
Sheng Mochen, the current Crown Prince of Anyuan.
The fiancé she was betrothed to in name.
The man whom she, in her utter despair, had believed capable of saving her from the fires of hell.
Gu Qiurong swept her gaze past him indifferently, all emotion in her eyes finally fading into profound stillness.
"Even if you didn't steal the red jade hairpin, you still owe Weiwei an apology! If not for you back then, how could Weiwei have been so severely injured?!"
Gu Jundu's tone was aggressive, driven by some misplaced sense of righteousness that convinced him Gu Qiurong owed Gu Lingwei an apology, whether for today or for the past.
"Apologize!"
Gu Qiurong raised her eyes, meeting Gu Lingwei's gaze—a look that outwardly feigned worry, but could hardly suppress the gleam of triumphant malice within. The corners of her lips twitched slightly.
Her body suddenly swayed a few times, and she dropped heavily to her knees, trembling violently. "I apologize! I was wrong, I truly was wrong! I beg Second Brother not to send me back to the imperial prison, I'm begging you, I really know I was wrong..."
As if recalling the agonizing memories of her imprisonment, cold sweat broke out on both sides of Gu Qiurong's face. Kneeling on the ground, she frantically hugged Qingzhi, her eyes blank and helpless.
Qingzhi felt as though her heart was being torn apart. She tightly embraced Gu Qiurong and cried, "I beg the Marquis to spare my young miss! The young miss was beaten far too severely in prison, she truly knows she was wrong, she is terrified! She will never bully the Fourth Miss again, I beg the Marquis to spare my young miss..."
"Second Young Master keeps claiming that my young miss dressed up gaudily with the intent to seduce, but my young miss's attire is not even as fine as that of the Fourth Miss's personal maid! I beg Second Young Master to show mercy and stop tormenting my young miss!" Qingzhi wept, tears streaming down her face.