Everyone turned their gaze to Gu Lingwei and the maid beside her.
Naturally, Gu Lingwei was dressed like a pampered, high-status young lady.
With Gu Lingwei backing her up, Luoxi usually managed to reap plenty of benefits, enjoying an endless supply of gorgeous pearl hairpins and jewelry.
At this moment, her head was adorned with glittering treasures: two milky-white jade hairpins, delicate yet stunning pearls hanging from her drooping hair-buns, and in between them, meticulously crafted, high-priced velvet flowers.
Compared to her, Gu Qiurong made Luoxi look like the mistress of the house, while Gu Qiurong, the true legitimate daughter of the Marquis Manor, resembled a mere servant.
The guests all watched this scene in silence, at a loss for words.
Gu Jundu, in particular—the one who had interrogated Gu Qiurong and forced her to apologize—felt as though his throat had been grabbed by someone. He swallowed hard, but not a single word came out.
The guests saw the truth clearly in their hearts.
Words could deceive, but attire did not lie.
It was evident that the Marquis Manor held very little genuine affection for Gu Qiurong.
They favored one and slighted the other.
Even if Gu Qiurong had done something wrong, they could have disciplined her behind closed doors. To throw her into the imperial prison—was that a place an ordinary young woman could possibly endure?
For a moment, the way the guests looked at the Marquis of Pingding shifted subtly.
They felt this family was far too cruel to inflict such ruthless treatment on a pitiful young girl.
"Lord Marquis, it seems the Marquis Manor never truly intended to welcome the Fifth Young Miss back. We won't be staying long."
Some guests could no longer bear to watch and proactively left their seats.
The Marquis of Pingding's expression flickered with panic.
After today's spectacle, his peers would surely view him as someone who confused right from wrong!
Clearly, Gu Qiurong was the one who had been in the wrong from the beginning.
"Crown Prince, I have urgent matters at home, so I must take my leave."
"Your Highness, my residence is in chaos, I need to rush back."
"Your Highness, my aging mother's sow is giving birth, so I'll be heading off..."
Guest after guest departed.
The Marquis of Pingding's face grew increasingly unsightly. He raised his foot and kicked Gu Jundu in the leg. "What madness possessed you today? Why did you have to make a scene in front of the guests? Once word of today gets out, how will the entire capital view me? How will they view the Marquis Manor?"
Gu Jundu felt deeply aggrieved. He wanted to argue back, but seeing the ferocious glare in the Marquis's eyes, he lost his nerve and could only lower his head in silence.
The Marquis narrowed his eyes, staring at Gu Qiurong as she curled up in Qingzhi's arms.
Seeing that she still seemed out of her wits and terrified, he finally withdrew his gaze.
"Crown Prince, others do not know the background of this, but you do. Qiurong was sent to prison entirely because what she did to Weiwei in the past went too far, and we had no choice..."
He absolutely could not allow Sheng Mochen to misunderstand.
"This crown prince understands."
Sheng Mochen gave Gu Qiurong a long, deep look.
She was pitiful, but she had brought it upon herself.
Besides, he could not give Gu Qiurong what she wanted. His Crown Princess had to be a dignified, generous, gentle, and well-mannered woman like Gu Lingwei. In the future, he was destined to be the emperor of the realm, and his empress could never be someone boorish and unruly like Gu Qiurong.
This was something he and the entire Marquis Manor understood implicitly.
"Gu Qiurong..." Sheng Mochen began.
Gu Qiurong glanced at him and cautiously took a few steps back.
Under Qingzhi's soothing presence, her mind gradually cleared.
Terrified, Gu Qiurong dropped to her knees before Sheng Mochen. "The Crown Prince is the heir to the nation; how could a lowly person like this humble subject dare to harbor improper thoughts about you? Your Highness, rest assured, this humble subject will never covet the Crown Prince again for the rest of her life. If I cast even one more longing glance, I shall pluck out my own eyes!"
That resolute tone and the fierce look in her eyes conveyed a firm determination to have nothing more to do with him for the rest of her life.
Sheng Mochen felt as though his throat had been choked; he could not believe Gu Qiurong would utter such decisive words.
Yet a moment later, he thought: Could it be that she hated him because he failed to help her back when she was imprisoned?
Deep love turns to deep hatred.
"What kind of temper are you throwing in front of the Crown Prince?" The Marquis of Pingding stepped forward. "Your Highness, please don't lower yourself to her level."
Sheng Mochen's gaze was deep. "Others may not understand the Marquis Manor, but this crown prince does. I will not take it to heart. Since tonight is a welcoming banquet, let the whole family be harmonious and welcome the Fifth Young Miss back in peace."
With the Crown Prince having spoken, the members of the Marquis Manor dared not make any more trouble.
Mammy Li, standing beside Chen Wenjin, pressed Gu Qiurong back down into her seat.
Her eldest brother, Gu Jundu's older brother Gu Wangci, who had remained silent all this time, slowly opened his mouth. "The Crown Prince coming here today to welcome you is your honor. Stop being ungrateful and stirring up trouble."
"As for those pearl hairpins and jewelry, if you had simply asked Mother for them yourself, you wouldn't have been reduced to this state. Is it your goal now to ruin the reputation of the Marquis Manor?"
Gu Wangci glared at Gu Qiurong with a warning in his eyes. "Keep your temper in check. Don't think that just because you've been to the imperial prison, everyone owes you a debt. Don't forget that it was your own doing that sent you there in the first place. That we chose not to dwell on the filthy things you did is already an act of benevolence and righteousness for the sake of our blood ties."
Gu Qiurong lowered her gaze.
To outsiders, it looked as though she was repenting.
Only Qingzhi caught the subtle curve at the corner of her young lady's lips.
Qingzhi felt more and more that the Marquis Manor's talk of "benevolence and righteousness for the sake of blood ties" was utterly hypocritical.
Back when her young lady's engagement to the Crown Prince hadn't been broken off, Gu Lingwei had constantly entangled herself with him, ignoring the boundaries between men and women—why didn't anyone ever tell Gu Lingwei to know her place?
She increasingly felt that her young lady was right.
Now that they had cast aside all their longing and expectations for these people in the Marquis Manor, they finally realized how cold and heartless their true faces were.
If her young lady wanted to sever ties with the family, then so be it!
Her young lady would never associate with this group of hypocritical and selfish people.
The welcoming banquet commenced, and every member of the Marquis Manor was burning with suppressed anger.
With the Crown Prince present today, they didn't want to lose face over family matters in front of him, so they said no more.
This suited Gu Qiurong's intentions perfectly.
She remained silent, eating the soft, easily digestible food bite by bite, and stopped using her chopsticks once she was seven parts full.
Just as the welcoming banquet ended, Gu Qiurong rose impatiently and hurried toward Rongan Courtyard.
She had taken only two steps when the voice of Eunuch Chang, who served Crown Prince Sheng Mochen, rang out from behind her.
"Fifth Young Miss, please stay your steps."
Gu Qiurong closed her eyes slightly, wanting to pretend she hadn't heard and continue walking forward, but Eunuch Chang hurried over to block her path. "The Crown Prince requests an audience."
Gu Qiurong lowered her eyes. "The Crown Prince is my sister's betrothed. It is improper for me to meet him in private."
"Qiurong."
Seeing her unwilling to come over, Sheng Mochen stepped up behind her. "Between you and me, there is no need for such rigid formalities."
Yet Gu Qiurong reacted as if frightened, taking a few rapid steps backward and bowing respectfully. "If words like that from Your Highness were to reach the ears of the Marquis Manor, it would look once again like this humble subject is shameless and deliberately trying to seduce you."
Sheng Mochen's brow twitched slightly. "Qiurong, you have misunderstandings about them. They are your closest kin, and everything they do is for the sake of your reputation. You know my status well; there is not the slightest possibility between us. Continuing to pin your hopes on me will do your reputation no good. You still have to marry in the future, and they are merely paving the way for you."