Chapter 003: Provocation

"Is Gu Mingxuan really the daughter of the Princess of Huaqing? The Princess of Huaqing was the most beautiful woman in the capital back then. Could it be a mistake?" Even though Gu Mingxuan had returned to the Gu family for three or four months, some young ladies couldn't help but doubt her identity.

Back in the day, the Princess of Huaqing was as radiant as the moon, outshining all the young ladies in the capital, even the princesses in the palace couldn't compare to her. She married the then heir of the Marquis of Shunan, Gu Wenqian, and the two of them were a perfect match, admired by everyone in the capital. They had a daughter as beautiful as a carved jade, that is, Miss Gu Mingxuan. Not long after, the Princess of Huaqing became pregnant again. While the Marquis of Shunan was eagerly anticipating the birth of his legitimate son, the capital was plagued by bandits. The Princess of Huaqing, on her way to pay respects, was thrown from her carriage and suffered a miscarriage. Similarly, Miss Gu Mingxuan was thrown from her carriage and fell off a cliff, and then disappeared.

The Princess of Huaqing fell ill with grief for her lost daughter. Although Gu Wenqian found a distant relative girl who resembled Gu Mingxuan and raised her as Gu Yuwen, the Princess of Huaqing never recovered. If they hadn't found Miss Gu's body at the time, the Princess of Huaqing would have held onto hope and might have survived. But even so, after six or seven years, the Princess of Huaqing passed away.

The beautiful Princess of Huaqing, who made everyone feel inferior, and the incomparably handsome Gu Wenqian, who even outshone the current young master Yang Xulan, gave birth to a daughter who is both ugly and vulgar, and infatuated with trivial things like Gu Mingxuan?

It's really hard to believe.

But the fact is right in front of us, and we have to believe it even if we don't want to. It's truly regrettable. Now, the former heir of the Marquis of Shunan has become the Marquis, but the Princess of Huaqing is no longer here.

At this moment, the second wife of the Marquis of Shunan, Lady He, looked extremely unpleasant.

After this incident, Lady He could only repeatedly apologize to the stern-faced Lady Qiu, the wife of the prime minister, and then leave the prime minister's mansion in a hurry.

Once on the carriage, Lady He let out a cold laugh. A lowly person's daughter is also lowly. She actually dared to dream of marrying Young Master Yang Xulian. What a joke. It just so happens that she doesn't like the heir of the Changxin Marquis's family either. The Changxin Marquis's family doesn't want such a daughter-in-law.

Good news doesn't go beyond the door, but bad news spreads a thousand miles. In the blink of an eye, the news that Gu Mingxuan pushed Young Master Yang Xuzhe into the water and accidentally fell in herself spread throughout the capital. Even the old lady of the Marquis of Shunan, who was staying at home, heard the news.

The old lady was furious. She first scolded Lady He a few times, but under Lady He's sincere apologies and the gentle words of her second daughter, Gu Minghe, she finally shifted her anger and angrily ordered, "Quickly bring that ignorant girl to me."

Lady He hurriedly said, "Mother, please calm down. Mingxuan has been away for many years and has just been found. It was just a moment of confusion. Please wait until she wakes up before making a decision."

"Elder sister, even if she is from our family, she should still have a sense of shame. Her behavior has made our daughter afraid to go out. You are still protecting her." The third daughter, Gu Mingzhi, was very angry.

She and her second sister, Gu Minghe, were Lady He's own daughters. However, the eldest daughter, Gu Minghe, was gentle and elegant, with remarkable talent, and was a model of a lady in the capital. The fifth daughter, Gu Mingzhi, was praised for her loveliness and charm. Although she was still young, she and her sister were famous sisters in the capital.

When Gu Mingzhi said this, the anger of the old lady of the Marquis of Shunan, Lady Cui, who had just calmed down, flared up again. She angrily ordered the maid beside her, "Go, go, go. They already treat me as if I'm dead. They don't listen to me. Go and bring that troublemaker to me."

Lady He's eyes flashed with a smug smile, but she looked very frightened. She knelt on the ground and begged for forgiveness, saying that everything was her fault and she hoped that the old lady would spare Gu Mingxuan. She promised to teach Gu Mingxuan well in the future and not let her cause trouble again.