Broken engagement?
Upon hearing these words, the people in Pingshuo Hall first erupted into a commotion, only to belatedly realize that the person at the center of the topic was right there in the room. The atmosphere instantly turned silent. The group wanted to turn and look but, fearing Gu Wuyou’s usual demeanor and temper, could only stiffly sit in their chairs, necks rigid.
The person who had initially delivered the news was still standing at the door. She didn’t know that Gu Wuyou had already arrived for class, assuming that the ever-punctual and habitually late Princess Leping would, as usual, arrive at the last minute.
As she walked in from outside, she continued to raise her voice, saying, “Why is no one talking? This is big news! Out of the blue, how could she have been broken off with? It must be—”
Before she could finish, Gu Yu suddenly turned her head and loudly scolded, “Must be what? Who do you think you are, daring to gossip about the affairs of my Gu family? Do you really think the Gu family has no one left?!”
The sudden outburst startled the speaker.
However, upon seeing Gu Yu, she frowned. She was the only daughter of the Imperial Censor, Yang Yan, and was also a well-known pampered girl in the capital.
Others might fear Gu Yu, but she did not.
Even though they both bore the surname Gu, there were distinctions of rank. Gu Wuyou was the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Ding and had been personally enfeoffed by the emperor as Princess Leping. Naturally, no one dared to provoke her. But Gu Yu was merely the child of the Gu family’s third uncle, who was a concubine-born son.
Moreover, that third uncle had achieved little in the court.
What did she have to fear?
After a brief moment of fright, she also darkened her expression, slamming her bag onto the table and pouting unhappily, “I wasn’t talking about you. Why are you so worked up?”
“Besides, it’s not like I was the one who started spreading this news. It’s already all over the academy. Your Gu family’s daughter—”
“You still dare to speak!” Gu Yu, with her fiery temper, wanted to rush over and tear her mouth shut upon seeing her blabbering on. But before she could move, someone tugged on her sleeve.
Knowing who it was, she turned around with reddened eyes and said irritably, “Why are you stopping me? Didn’t you hear what she was saying?”
“Let go!”
“I’m going to tear her mouth shut so she can’t spout nonsense anymore!”
Yang Yan’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing her words. When she saw a figure in red slowly rise from the back and gradually reveal a delicate and radiant face, she was so frightened that she took a step back.
Her eyes widened, and she stared at Gu Wuyou’s figure in panic, her lips trembling. “P-Princess Leping…”
Gu Wuyou ignored her and instead held onto Gu Yu’s sleeve, saying, “If it’s nonsense, why get angry? If someone bites you, are you going to bite them back?”
“You—”
Gu Yu frowned at first, not understanding, but when she finally grasped the meaning, she immediately burst into laughter. The gloom on her face vanished, and she turned to the pale-faced Yang Yan, lifting her chin and sneering, “That’s right. We can’t lower ourselves to do things that are beneath our status.”
The sisters’ words were crystal clear.
Yang Yan’s face turned alternately green and pale, but she didn’t dare say a word… In this academy, she feared no one except Gu Wuyou.
Gu Wuyou had been spoiled since childhood, and with a group of people always protecting her, regardless of whether she was right or wrong, anyone who dared to cross her would face consequences upon her complaint.
“What, cat got your tongue?” Gu Yu wasn’t ready to let Yang Yan off the hook.
“Weren’t you shouting happily just now? Why don’t you keep going? Say something!”
Yang Yan clenched her hands into small fists, looking around in hopes that someone would step in to help her. But at this moment, who dared to speak up for her? Some were indifferent, while others were too afraid of Gu Wuyou’s influence.
She could only pin her hopes on Xiao Yi, trembling as she softly called out, “Ah Yi…”
But Xiao Yi, for some reason, didn’t react as she usually did. In the past, she would always step in to mediate in such situations, but today it was as if she hadn’t noticed anything, keeping her head down and sitting in her seat.
With no one to help her, Yang Yan’s eyes reddened with anxiety.
Finally, Gu Wuyou deigned to turn her attention to her. She didn’t approach but instead sat back down in her chair, her slender fingers resting casually on the table. Her gaze lifted slightly as she looked at Yang Yan. “You…”
She frowned, intending to call her by name, but when she opened her mouth, she realized that while the face was familiar, the name escaped her.
Pausing, she turned to Gu Yu and asked, “What’s her name?”
Gu Yu turned her head, somewhat exasperated. She had come to understand that while Gu Wuyou used to openly torment people, now she had a way of infuriating them without even trying. But since it wasn’t her being infuriated, she didn’t mind.
“Yang Yan, daughter of the Imperial Censor,” she replied before turning back and scoffing, “I wonder how Imperial Censor Yang raised his daughter.”
Seeing that Gu Yu was relentless and had even dragged her father into the matter, Yang Yan felt she could no longer hold back. But before she could speak, Gu Wuyou let out a soft “Oh” and said, “Miss Yang.”
Her voice was calm, devoid of the usual haughtiness.
Yet it still made Yang Yan shiver involuntarily. Her face pale, she glanced toward Gu Wuyou.
“Where did you hear this from?” Gu Wuyou asked her.
Yang Yan didn’t dare not answer. She lowered her head and whispered, “I don’t know who started it. I just overheard some maids talking when I entered. I heard…” She cautiously glanced at Gu Wuyou, and seeing her calm expression, she grew even more afraid. “It’s already spread to Buzhi Hall and Changrong Hall.”
Gu Wuyou nodded and let out another “Oh.”
She tapped the table lightly with one hand while resting her chin on the other, her bright almond-shaped eyes fixed unblinkingly on Yang Yan. “So, do you think it’s true or false?”
Yang Yan was stunned. Of course, she thought it was true!
Even if it weren’t, she wished it were! Seeing Gu Wuyou humiliated was something many of them had long hoped for. But under Gu Wuyou’s gaze, she didn’t dare speak the truth. Lowering her head, she timidly said, “N-no, it’s not true.”
“And the rest of you?”
Gu Wuyou swept her gaze over the others and asked, “Do you think it’s true or false?”
Who would dare provoke Princess Leping’s wrath?
Whether they were under her gaze or not, everyone denied it: “Of course, it’s not true.”
“How could it be?”
“Whoever spread such rumors must have a wicked heart. They deserve to die!”
…
The room buzzed with refutations.
But after they quieted down, Gu Wuyou calmly said, “The rumors about my broken engagement are true.”
Her words were like a thunderclap out of nowhere. Everyone, including Xiao Yi, who had been avoiding her gaze since earlier, couldn’t help but turn their eyes toward her.
“The broken engagement is real, but I was the one who initiated it.”
“As for the reason—” Gu Wuyou blinked, “I don’t think I have any obligation or need to explain it to you.”
Her chin had been resting on her hand for a while, and her arm was starting to ache. Gu Wuyou withdrew her hand and leaned back in her chair, looking at Yang Yan as she said, “I’ll let it go this time, but if I hear you spreading rumors again, I won’t be happy.”
As for what she would do if she were unhappy, she didn’t specify.
But Yang Yan and most of the noble girls in the room shivered slightly, as if silently agreeing not to spread any more rumors.
Watching Yang Yan lower her head and return to her seat, then slump over her desk with trembling shoulders, Gu Yu pursed her lips in dissatisfaction. She lowered her voice and said with clear displeasure, “You’re just letting her off like that?”
Gu Wuyou tilted her head and asked curiously, “What else should I do?”
Of course, she should report it!
Let her uncle or the Empress deal with these people who spread nonsense!
The little voice in Gu Yu’s mind was shouting, but she had always looked down on Gu Wuyou’s habit of tattling. Pressing her lips together, she didn’t say anything more, only muttering, “Whoever spread such shameless rumors must have no shame.”
Then she returned to her seat.
The room quickly returned to its usual quiet, even more so than usual.
Gu Wuyou held the half-finished sachet in her hand and glanced in Xiao Yi’s direction, recalling her unusual behavior that morning. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Meanwhile, in Buzhi Hall.
Li Qinyuan, as usual, arrived just before class started. Fu Xian spotted him and waved, “Where did you go so early in the morning? I went to your room looking for you, but you were gone.”
“Went out for breakfast,” Li Qinyuan replied, pulling a stick of candied hawthorn from his sleeve and tossing it to Fu Xian.
“What’s this?” Fu Xian didn’t see it clearly at first, but once he did, his face lit up. He hooked an arm around Li Qinyuan’s neck and grinned, “Qilang, this is why I’ve been so loyal to you all these years!”
“Get off.”
Li Qinyuan laughed and scolded, lightly kicking him away. “You’ve passed the top-tier exams, yet you still can’t use idioms properly.” He then threw a packet of pastries to Qi Xu.
“Wow!”
“This is my favorite pastry shop!” Qi Xu also beamed with joy.
As for Jing Yubai… he wasn’t one for indulging in food, so Li Qinyuan hadn’t brought him anything.
Li Qinyuan lazily leaned back in his chair. His servant quickly brought him a cup of hot tea, and after walking for a while, he was thirsty. He took a sip from the cup.
“Did you hear? That Princess Leping returned to the capital because she was broken off with,” the person sitting in front of Li Qinyuan whispered to his companion.
He then smacked his lips, his face full of disdain. “No wonder she came back so early. Turns out she was dumped. How embarrassing.”
“Why would she be broken off with for no reason? With the Wang and Gu families’ status, her fiancé must have a death wish or something?” his companion also looked shocked.
“Who knows?”
“Maybe she has some illness, or—” He suddenly lowered his voice and said a few more words. Soon, both of them burst into slightly harsh laughter.
Although the voices were soft, the room was quiet, making it easy for everyone to hear.
Many people began to whisper and discuss the matter.
Some even took advantage of the fact that there were no members of the Gu family present to speak ill of Gu Wuyou.
Fu Xian’s expression darkened as he watched this scene. While he didn’t like Gu Wuyou, he couldn’t stand hearing these people badmouth her like this. He had already eaten three candied hawthorns from the stick in his hand. Clenching his teeth, he bit down hard on the one in his mouth, the crisp “crack” echoing as he crushed it. He was about to lose his temper when—
Li Qinyuan, sitting beside him, suddenly kicked the seats in front of him with force.
The impact was strong, and the two people in front were knocked over, along with several others in front of them. In an instant, the room was filled with overturned tables and chairs, as well as people sprawled on the ground.