A few more days passed, and suddenly there were rumors about Su Mo'er spreading in the prefectural governor's mansion.
These words initially only circulated in a small area and did not attract much attention.
But after a few days, it spread like wildfire, and the entire mansion became agitated.
Whenever Su Mo'er and her servants went out, they could hear others whispering and pointing at them.
Qing You was furious and went to confront them, but the other party acted innocent and denied everything.
Qing You couldn't help but feel annoyed, "These despicable people must be up to something!"
Today, the two of them came to find Li Ling'er. As soon as they entered her room, Li Ling'er pulled her over mysteriously and anxiously asked, "Sister Su, have you heard the rumors that have been circulating recently?"
Su Mo'er nodded, indicating she knew.
Seeing her looking calm, Li Ling'er became even more anxious and exclaimed, "Sister Su, since you know, why don't you come out and clarify? The rumors are very malicious, they are defaming you!"
Su Mo'er shook her head, "What's the use of clarifying? Will others believe it?"
Li Ling'er was taken aback, but then said, "Still, it's better to clarify than not to."
Su Mo'er just smiled and advised her not to take it to heart, "Rumors are like that, the more attention you pay, the more they thrive. If you ignore them, others will lose interest, and in a few days, everything will be forgotten."
She said this, but in her heart, she had her own thoughts. It seemed that it was probably Liu Feifei who was behind it.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but laugh, it seemed that Liu Feifei was truly getting desperate to act so quickly.
However, she had miscalculated; the rumors were spreading more and more viciously. Even Yuan Niang asked her privately, "What happened between you and that Mr. Liu?"
Su Mo'er said it was a misunderstanding, "Mr. Liu is Miss Liu's brother. In the past, I did receive some care from him, but apart from that, we have nothing between us. If I really were as scandalous as the rumors suggest, I wouldn't have been able to enter the mansion back then."
To serve the prince, naturally, is a big deal. Not only is the family background clean, but before entering the mansion, a specialized female doctor was sent to examine the body.
Not only should the body be clean, but even if one's appearance is good, if there are any scars or birthmarks on the body, then one cannot enter.
Her words were concise, but they revealed quite a bit of information.
A clever person like Yuan Niang, how could she not guess anything? She thought for a moment, looked at Su Moer thoughtfully, and then nodded, advising, "Since that's the case, then I can rest assured. Just remember, do not take it lightly. One kind word warms three winters, but a hurtful one stings like the cold of June. Sometimes, words can hurt more severely than killing. Even though forbearance is like a big sea, capable of accommodating all rivers, at this critical moment, you still need to be cautious. Your ability to endure such things is indeed commendable. However, if it is heard by someone who shouldn't, ... "
Yuan Niang gazed deeply at Su Moer, meaningfully saying, "You should assess this for yourself."
After hearing these words, Su Moer was stunned for a moment, then coldly came to her senses, feeling a chill.
Yes, why did she jump to conclusions?
In the beginning, she deliberately said those words in front of people, wanting to provoke Liu Feifei. Now, sure enough, Liu Feifei had fallen for it and made some moves.
She was not afraid, because she had always believed that the righteous are always clean. But the only problem was that she had taken it for granted.
As one who witnessed it personally, she naturally believed these things, but what about others?
Most importantly, the prince? What would he think if he found out? Would he tolerate the person he favored carrying such burdens?
While proving this matter was simple, requiring only her sacrifice to provide proof, what if the prince's perception was influenced by the rumors?
Even if she ultimately proved her innocence, how could she know that these matters would not become thorns between them in the future?
The more she thought about it, the more she felt chills all over, to the point that she didn't even know how she returned to the Yan Shui Pavilion.
She sat in the Yan Shui Pavilion for a while, only then did she realize that she couldn't continue like this; she needed to find out what was going on at the Dingxi Pavilion…
Su Moer thought and acted, asking Qingyu to prepare, and then went to the Dingxi Pavilion.
The prince had not returned to the mansion, so she couldn't see him, but she did see Eunuch Li.
Eunuch Li, upon seeing Su Moer, smiled brightly and said, "Miss Su, why did you come today?"
Su Moer smiled and handed the food box from Qingyu to Eunuch Li, saying, "I owe my gratitude to you for taking care of me lately. To show my appreciation, I made some snacks to satisfy your cravings."
In the past, every time Su Moer gave Eunuch Li money, it was always refused. Later, she learned and stopped sending money, instead giving him snacks.
This tactic was indeed effective, as the snacks Su Moer made were approved by His Highness, so their taste naturally wouldn't be bad. Eunuch Li accepted them a few times and came to like them.
Seeing this scene now, his face naturally displayed an even brighter smile, saying, "This cannot do, Miss Su is always thinking of me."
He said this, but his hand was not slow. Seeing this, Su Moer felt a little relieved. She exchanged a few words with him and then got to the point.
"In recent days, there have been some rumors in the mansion…"
Before Su Moer could finish speaking, Eunuch Li took over with a smile, "If Miss Su is worried that these dirty rumors will reach His Highness's ears, there's no need to worry. His Highness is such a distinguished figure, how could his ears be tainted by such dirty matters."
Smiling, Eunuch Li then looked at Su Moer and said, "Moreover, even if His Highness were to hear such talk, so what? His Highness is such a wise man, how could he be unaware of such matters?"
Although Su Moer didn't know if it was true, after hearing these words, she felt somewhat relieved.
She smiled and said, "Eunuch is right. I'm overthinking it." Then she casually inquired about the prince's affairs.
Eunuch Li smiled and said, "It's a coincidence, Miss Su. If you hadn't come today, I would have sent someone to deliver a message to you."
Su Moer responded with an "Oh?"
Eunuch Li leaned in mysteriously, "His Highness's disaster relief efforts have been outstanding. He should be returning to the mansion for a while soon."
This was good news indeed. Eunuch Li continued, "Mid-Autumn is approaching, and with the successful disaster relief, even though His Highness won't be in Yandu, the rules passed down by our ancestors cannot be neglected."
Su Moer's facial expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and she exchanged a few more words with Eunuch Li before taking her leave.
On the way, she pondered. Eunuch Li's implication was quite clear: the prince would spend the Mid-Autumn festival at the mansion.
Thinking of the successful disaster relief, Su Moer couldn't help but feel excited. It took great effort for her to suppress her excitement.
Although Su Moer was aware of the prince's successful disaster relief, she didn't dare to take the meeting with the prince lightly and prepared herself well in advance a few days ago.
She personally went with Qingyu to pick lotus roots and leaves, and also prepared food.
Until this day, when the prince returned, Su Moer spent the whole morning anxiously waiting for news in the Yan Shui Pavilion.
Seeing her restrained appearance, Qingyu was puzzled, "Miss, if you want to see His Highness, why not go to the Dingxi Pavilion yourself?"
The weather was clear and cloudless today, the midday sunlight streaming through the dense branches and leaves in the courtyard, casting dappled shadows on the ground. A gentle breeze made the tree branches and leaves tremble, causing the light spots on the ground to dance.
Su Moer just stared at this scene, then shook her head, saying, "You don't understand."
She didn't know if the prince's disaster relief method was developing as she had said, nor was she sure if the prince would summon her.
Although she had been granted permission to visit the Dingxi Pavilion at her leisure, being summoned by the prince personally and willingly going there on her own were two different matters.
Unless absolutely necessary, Su Moer didn't want to appear overly eager.
She wanted the prince to summon her, so that being summoned by him would become a habit. Over time, it would create a place for her in his heart.
In most cases, winning the heart is the top priority. Yuan Niang had also said that the most direct way is to start by conquering the body.
But now she was not involved in either of these methods, so she could only find an indirect way to occupy his memory.
She believed that this situation wouldn't last long.
As she thought of this, she heard Qingyu's excited voice, "Miss, look, someone's here!"
Suo Mo'er followed her gaze and indeed saw a shadowy figure hurrying over. Suo Mo'er often went to Dingxi Building, so it was natural for her to recognize that person as someone from Dingxi Building.
She rose from the window, closed it, and sat in front of the mirror to examine her makeup.
Not long after, she heard a voice from outside, "Is Miss Su here?"
The news of the prince's return this time spread slowly. It wasn't until Suo Mo'er was summoned again to Dingxi Building that the other dancers in the Yanshui Ge found out.
It was said that Suo Mo'er, dressed in a new outfit, was led out of Yanshui Ge by someone from Dingxi Building and then got into the soft carriage sent to fetch her.
All the dancers at Yanshui Ge watched this scene clearly, feeling both envy and jealousy, gnashing their teeth.
Listening to these reports, Liu Feifei's face contorted, and she directly threw a scalding hot tea out, "Get out! All of you get out!"
After the others in the room left, Bao Yue said, "Miss, please don't get angry again. Suo Mo'er going to Dingxi Building is a great opportunity, isn't it? The means that were planned earlier should be executed now."
A look of ferocity flashed across Liu Feifei's face, "You're right. Let's see if Suo Mo'er can pass through this!"
The two of them huddled together for a private conversation, and after a while, Bao Yue sneaked out of Yanshui Ge.
Suo Mo'er never expected that this visit to Dingxi Building would be so grand. Even though she had expected it, she couldn't believe that sitting in the soft carriage sent by the prince, she still couldn't come to her senses.
When she arrived at Dingxi Building, she could see Li Gonggong standing under the corridor, who smiled when he saw her, "Miss has finally arrived. Come, His Highness is waiting for you."
Suo Mo'er followed Li Gonggong into Dingxi Building, passed through the corridor, and entered the prince's usual residence.
As soon as she entered the room, she saw the prince standing at the window, flipping through the pages of a book.
He stood tall and elegant, with a face like the stars and moon. A faint ray of sunlight poured from below the corridor onto his head, blurring the light and making him look even more dazzling.
(A grand romantic scene is about to unfold!)
The author has something to say:
Good evening, everyone! I want to let you all know that "The Prince" will be available on V tomorrow and there will be three consecutive chapters on that day. After that, there will be daily updates, and I will strive to achieve double updates. Your support and subscription mean a lot to me, so please show your love for "The Prince." Also, I don't have much money, but I will send red packets for the first three chapters after it is available on V.
Additionally, I want to advertise the sister work of "The Prince," called "The Darling Beauty in the Eastern Palace." Interested readers can bookmark it in the column.
Summary: Qingchun is a well-known beauty selected to serve by the prince. In her previous life, she tried everything to climb up the ranks, but ultimately ended up in a miserable death. After her rebirth, her first thought was to cherish life and stay away from the prince. Who knew that the prince suddenly became so interested in her?
Later, Qingchun watched as the women in the Eastern Palace used all sorts of tactics to compete for favor. But as they competed, those women inexplicably disappeared. With the prince's favor, she inexplicably became the queen.
The prince was asked: How do you treat a woman well?
The prince looked at the woman by his side lovingly and said: "Think of what she hasn't thought of and love her fully... That's it.