Clouds and Moon Shadow

Chapter 353 Princess Qing'an hanged herself?

Gu Qingyue also wanted to see what other teahouses were like, since Wenxianglou was about to open. Although their business models were different, they were still considered half competitors.

Diagonally opposite He Tai Feng is Qin Xiang Lou, a long-established teahouse.

This teahouse is said to have a history of over thirty years, and it looks very well-established.

As soon as Gu Qingyue and her two companions entered the room, they were stared at by countless eyes. Gu Qingyue nonchalantly led Jiang Wan and Zhu Qing toward the stairs.

Several male patrons at different tables in the hall were watching the group of people, their voices low and their expressions ranging from surprise to astonishment to something else entirely.

Gu Qingyue saw all this, raised an eyebrow, and ignored it all, continuing to walk.

"Whose young lady is this? She's got quite the air about her, could she be a princess?"

A young man slapped the back of the head of the person who had just spoken, "Use your brain! How dare you speak so casually about a young lady from a prominent family?" It seemed that he recognized Gu Qingyue's identity.

Gu Qingyue stepped onto the stairs, and the table that was not far from the stairs overheard the conversation, and she slightly curled the corners of her lips.

"If you ask me, none of the young ladies from prominent families in the capital can compare to her looks and temperament. Look, not only is her face stunning, but her graceful figure is also unmatched by any other young lady..." Another man at the table thought he was lowering his voice, but winked at the other two men meaningfully.

Jiang Wan gritted her teeth in anger behind Gu Qingyue. These scoundrels dared to disrespect their master!

"Master," Jiang Wan lowered her voice, trying to get Gu Qingyue's consent. She was about to give these lecherous scoundrels a good beating to teach them a lesson.

"Walk".

Gu Qingyue didn't care at all. She was beautiful and had a great figure, so what did it matter what others said? Besides, wouldn't it be unreasonable to not let people talk about someone like her?

The key point is that she doesn't care about these idle gossips; as long as they don't go too far, she's too lazy to bother with them.

Besides, there are many people coming and going up and down the stairs, including young ladies and wives. Since they didn't mention names, they might be talking about someone else.

It's pointless to argue with someone like that.

Once the group settled down at the second-floor window, they discovered that the second floor was also full, just like the lobby on the first floor—business was truly booming.

Gu Qingyue coughed lightly, "Waiter."

"Hello, miss. What would you like to order? Our Qinxiang Pavilion recently introduced the Spring Tea Golden Leaf Eyebrow. Would you like a pot?" The waiter was extremely attentive to Gu Qingyue and her companions.

Gu Qingyue nodded, "Bring a pot of Golden Leaf Eyebrow tea and some snacks."

"Alright!" The waiter immediately scurried off, but before leaving, he glanced at Gu Qingyue and her maid a few more times. There was no way around it; she was truly beautiful, and even the two maids were incredibly pretty.

"Have you heard? I heard that Princess Qing'an refused to go to the marriage alliance and hanged herself," a man's voice was not loud, but his words were like a thunderbolt, and the hall buzzed with discussion.

“Don’t talk nonsense. I heard that the Prince An’s mansion did urgently summon several imperial physicians and Dr. Wen from Shouchun Hall last night. It seems that the princess has contracted a strange illness,” another middle-aged man, who looked like a shopkeeper or manager, also lowered his voice.

According to the message Gu Qingyue received from Yue Ling early this morning, the Prince An's mansion did indeed summon an imperial physician for Princess Qing'an last night.

However, according to a scout at the Prince An's residence, he heard Princess Qing'an scolding her servants outside her courtyard last night. The scout was full of energy and even kicked a servant over herself, so she was definitely not sick. Summoning the imperial physician was probably just a pretext.

Gu Qingyue speculated that the reason the Prince of An's mansion urgently summoned the imperial physician last night was to confirm that she was seriously ill and unable to participate in the marriage alliance, especially since the negotiations between Da Chu and Nan Zhao were nearing their end and it was time to determine the marriage partner.

After all, although many people knew about her affair with the Eighth Prince at the Spring Festival banquet, they were all female relatives of officials, and no one would be so foolish as to spread the news. Didn't you see that the Emperor immediately suppressed the matter?

Therefore, there is still a high possibility that Princess Qing'an will go to marry a foreign ruler.

Even if Yue Zhiqi and Princess Lianfu also attended the Spring Appreciation Banquet and heard the news, so what?

Anyway, the person to be married off is their eldest prince of Nanzhao. What does it have to do with Yue Zhiqi if he is happy to see the eldest prince being cuckolded?

Thinking of this, Gu Qingyue lowered her head and laughed even more heartily.

It seems that the eldest brother has put in a lot of effort. Rumors are rumors, aren't they? They're rumors that are a mix of truth and falsehood.

“Don’t talk nonsense. I heard that the princess wanted to marry the third prince of Nanzhao, but the third prince did not agree. He only said that this marriage was to marry their eldest prince. As a result, Princess Qing’an was heartbroken and hanged herself in a moment of despair,” said a young man next to the middle-aged man.

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyue wanted to spit out a mouthful of tea, if only she had some tea with her.

With such rumors circulating, Princess Qing'an's reputation would be ruined beyond repair. How dare she even dream of having a relationship with her brother? What a fool's dream.

Even if the emperor were muddle-headed or wary of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, he would not bestow such a woman upon Gu Yuanming as his wife.

This is a blatant slap in the face to the Duke's mansion.

As for becoming a concubine, that's even more impossible.

Even if Princess Qing'an agrees, Prince An and his wife would probably not.

"Is the princess still alive?" someone at the next table asked anxiously.

"Who knows? I heard that Princess Qing'an fell ill because she was lovesick for General Gu. Don't talk nonsense. I also heard that Prince An went to the palace to ask the Emperor to grant them a marriage, but the Emperor did not agree."

The person who said this clearly didn't know Gu Qingyue, yet they were speaking with great enthusiasm.

"Where did you get this information? Does Princess Qing'an really want to marry General Gu?"

"Isn't that ancient history? General Gu has nothing to do with her for a long time. It's just a rumor from a few years ago. A woman who is so blatantly delusional is a laughing stock in the capital."

"What do you know? I heard that Nanzhao originally intended to make peace with Dachu through marriage. The emperor has already secretly chosen Princess Qing'an, and Nanzhao has also sent Princess Lianfu over. Do you think Princess Lianfu is going to enter the palace?"

These words made the atmosphere in the hall even more lively.

"If Princess Lianfu doesn't enter the palace, who will she marry?"

Gu Qingyue's lips curled up. The conversation had veered off-topic so quickly, it seemed that chasing gossip was indeed human nature, whether in ancient or modern times.

"It's said that Princess Lianfu might marry a prince, but as for which prince, hehe!"

"Tell me quickly, I've seen that princess, she really is very beautiful..."

"Shut up, all of you. Stop talking about these things and drink your tea," an old man said, slamming his cup down and giving the men a disapproving look.

"Miss, this is our Qinxianglou's spring tea, Jinye Mei. Please try it. This is lotus pastry, crystal cake, and rose-flavored cheese." Gu Qingyue was listening intently to the gossip when the waiter brought the tea and snacks to the table.