Clouds and Moon Shadow

Chapter 390: Scandalous Gossip Is More Talkable Than Domestic Feuds

After discussing it, Gu Yuanjin and the others handed Hu over to their third uncle to deal with, with only one condition: they did not want to see her again in the Duke's mansion.

I heard that my third uncle had put Hu in the small Buddhist hall in the mansion to reflect on her mistakes. Gu Qingyue wanted to pursue the matter further, but Qin stopped her.

After all, they had been sisters-in-law for over twenty years, and Qin Shi couldn't bear to see her lose her life. Gu Qingyue had no choice but to give up for the time being and see how Hu Shi behaved in the future.

In any case, Hu lost everything she wanted.

She told the old Duke that ever since she learned of what Liu had done, she had been planning to bring down the eldest branch of the family and make her third uncle, Gu Changjing, the heir apparent.

She said that Liu's actions would eventually be exposed, dragging the eldest branch of the family into a quagmire. At that time, only the third uncle would have the opportunity to become the heir. Therefore, she had evil intentions and pushed Liu.

Gu Qingyue sighed deeply. The women of ancient times must have been so stifled by being confined to the backyard that they all wanted to become spirits.

Moreover, their methods are vicious and ruthless. Don't be fooled by their gentle, dignified, and polite appearance; who knows what kind of despicable thoughts they harbor beneath that facade, plotting to kill you?!

“Mother, are you going to Ci’en Temple by yourself? I wonder if Master Liaochen is still there. How about I go with you after my Wenxianglou opens?”

Upon hearing Qin Shi say that she was going to Ci'en Temple, Gu Qingyue immediately chimed in.

After the funeral, the mansion was finally quiet.

But Qin's mood remained low.

Gu Qingyue knew the reason, but she was helpless and could only wait for time to heal Qin's wounds.

But upon seeing Qin's haggard face, Gu Qingyue regretted telling her the truth.

But she quickly suppressed that slight regret.

There are many things in life that one can choose to hide, but for the sake of the deceased original owner, Gu Qingyue still chose to let Qin Shi know Liu Shi's true colors.

"No need, Yue'er, Mother can go by herself," Qin Shi said affectionately, squeezing Gu Qingyue's hand and taking out a letter from a wooden box.

Gu Qingyue opened it with suspicion and saw that it was a reply from Master Liaochen.

Just before she planned to expose Liu's conspiracy last time, she sent a letter to Master Chen, saying that Qin would postpone her visit to him for a while.

Gu Qingyue was surprised that Master Liaochen had actually replied to Qin Shi, saying that he would wait for Qin Shi's arrival and that he planned to stay at Ci'en Temple for a while longer.

Therefore, she had no reason to stop Qin.

It's good to let Qin go to Ci'en Temple to listen to the sutra lectures and let Master Liaochen give her some guidance. Getting away from the hustle and bustle of the capital city might help her calm her mind more quickly.

“Then I’ll have Cui Shuming accompany you,” Gu Qingyue said.

She then turned to Cui Shuming and gave her a lot of instructions before finally agreeing to let Qin go to Ci'en Temple first.

The departure time was set for the day after the old Duke's birthday.

Master Liaochen is incredibly powerful, and with her sending people to secretly protect Qin Shi, the Prince An's mansion probably won't be able to touch her for the time being.

After all, the Prince An's mansion is probably already struggling to take care of itself.

She still remembered that the day before Liu's burial, the Prince An's mansion sent people to pay their respects. The steward looked at Liu's coffin with annoyance and guilt, as if he had swallowed a fly. Gu Qingyue saw it all.

Their pawn planted in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is dead, and the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has no idea how much it actually knows about Lady Liu and the Prince of An's mansion.

They must feel guilty.

Furthermore, Princess Qing'an's reputation was thoroughly ruined by Gu Qingyue's actions at Ci'en Temple, leaving her utterly ashamed to face anyone.

As a result, censors repeatedly impeached Prince An for failing to properly educate his daughter, who was accused of having an affair with a married man in a royal temple, thus defiling the sacred place of Buddha. This led to Prince An being repeatedly reprimanded by the emperor, and he was unable to defend himself, feeling extremely angry but helpless.

According to information sent by spies from the Prince An's mansion, Princess Qing'an was smashing things and whipping servants every day, acting like a madwoman. Just thinking about it made Gu Qingyue feel very relieved!

Although Prince An later tried his best to prove to the emperor that Princess Qing'an had never been to Ci'en Temple, so what?

After all, the news had already spread among the people, and the person involved, Lin Zizhan, had long since disappeared, with no witnesses.

On the other hand, Prince An didn't dare let Lin Zizhan testify. He tricked Lin Zizhan into ruining the Qin family's affairs, and naturally he didn't dare let the emperor know.

The thought of Prince An possibly being caught in a dilemma and having no way to resolve the situation made Gu Qingyue feel a sense of satisfaction!

Of course, that's not all.

Gu Qingyue wouldn't let the Prince An's mansion just fade into obscurity like this.

In the past two weeks, the public has been spreading rumors about the scandalous affair between Princess Qing'an and Lin Zizhan.

This elevated the Prince An's Mansion to a level that other rumors could not even dream of.

Even the rumors and speculations about the sudden death of Lady Liu, the wife of the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, were gradually suppressed.

Scandalous gossip is always more fodder for conversation than infighting within the inner quarters. In no time, Princess Qing'an's scandalous reputation swept through teahouses and taverns throughout the capital.

This was naturally facilitated by Gu Qingyue's actions and efforts.

Gu Qingyue could only say, "Serves him right!" Of course, the biggest trouble for the Prince An's mansion had not yet been revealed.

The garrison at the capital region camp has reported to the emperor the discovery of the villa and the private soldiers in the valley.

According to Mu Yun Chu, the emperor has already ordered an investigation. Of course, this is being carried out secretly, and only Mu Yun Chu and the people of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion know about it.

Evidence is needed to link those private soldiers with Prince An.

These tasks can be left to Mu Yun Chu; Gu Qing Yue has already entrusted Liu San to him.

After all, Liu San had gone to the manor that night to hand over the 'Qin family', so he naturally knew that it was Prince An's manor.

As for how to use Cheng Anbo Lin Zizhan and that actor who were captured from Ci'en Temple, we'll have to wait and see.

Of course, Lin Zizhan didn't waste his time either; from him, Gu Qingyue learned quite a few little secrets about Prince An.

For example, Lin Zizhan once defiled the youngest daughter of a third-rank official at a villa in the suburbs of Beijing, and the woman committed suicide by hitting her head against a wall on the spot.

For some reason, Prince An found out about this matter and used it to blackmail Lin Zizhan, which is why Lin agreed to Prince An's request for Ci'en Temple.

As for Prince An's little secret, it was something that Lin Zizhan himself had been blackmailed at the time, and he was very indignant, so he sent someone to secretly follow Prince An.

He discovered that Prince An would spend a few days each month staying at a merchant's house in Qianshan Town to meet the merchant's daughter in secret.

According to Lin Zizhan's description, the woman was very beautiful, with big eyes, a high nose, and was extremely charming and alluring...

This intrigued Gu Qingyue.

Could it be that Prince An is also keeping a mistress?

Why is it hidden in Qianshan Town?

Considering that Prince An's private army was located near Qianshan Town, then... this is something worth pondering!

The backyard of He Tai Fung.

"Ah Yue," Mu Yun Chu said, holding Gu Qing Yue's hand with a smile as warm as a spring breeze.

"There's progress on Uncle An's matter," Mu Yun Chu said in a low voice when she saw Gu Qing Yue's curious gaze.