Chapter 11: Plot Twist

The man in white was none other than Ning Chenjun, the Heir of the Duke of Fuguo's Manor.

Ning Chenjun could not help but smile faintly; even a hundred flowers would blush at that gentle smile.

"Yu Yue, what happened to your master today?"

The men in black behind the two of them appeared swiftly. Yu Yue opened his mouth to speak, but upon seeing the cold condensation in his master's eyes, he shook his head just in time.

He didn't know, he knew nothing at all!

In truth, he was screaming wildly in his heart: *Master, you have always been high and mighty, noble and cold! How could such trivial matters possibly catch your eye!*

Inside the room, Shangguan Erya's expression was indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger. No one knew that she was already sneering inwardly—this Princess Consort Gong truly had a fine scheme!

The whole world believed Shangguan Erya to be a person who deceived the world for fame. No matter what conclusion she reached, people would gossip; if she was right, they would say she guessed blindly, and if she was wrong, they would say it was only natural. Thus, Princess Consort Gong had proposed this specifically to exploit that very point!

Everyone in the room was waiting to see the reactions of the two Shangguan sisters. In truth, concubine-born daughters rarely attended such occasions, and these ladies were only quite familiar with Princess Consort Gong's biological daughter. However, since Princess Junjie was unwell today and had not come, the concubine-born daughter had instead taken center stage, creating a confrontation of truth versus falsehood!

Everyone scrutinized the twin sisters standing together. As expected, they were carved from the same mold, except that one was disheveled and loathsome, while the other exuded an aloof elegance and grace. It was truly a case of "comparison is the thief of joy"—to any observant eye, the difference between who was noble and who was vulgar was crystal clear.

Someone whispered, "Regardless of whether that woman is the elder or younger sister, she not only seduces men but also strikes maids without distinction between right and wrong. Her conduct truly lacks the grace of a great lady."

The people around them chimed in one after another, pointing and gesturing toward Shangguan Yunzhu.

Shangguan Yunzhu's face shifted between pale and green. At this moment, she did not think these people were talking about Shangguan Erya at all; they were clearly despising her!

She glared fiercely at Shangguan Erya beside her. All of this was caused by this little slut; she would certainly not let this go!

"Why have you stopped speaking, sister?" Shangguan Yunzhu snorted coldly. "If you admit now that you were just playing around, as your elder sister, I will surely forgive you!"

Shangguan Erya looked at Shangguan Yunzhu's arrogant face and smiled, lowering her long eyelashes, her gaze suddenly flashing with cunning.

Since it was like this, then she would let things proceed exactly as the girl desired!

With lightning speed, Shangguan Erya suddenly grabbed Shangguan Yunzhu and said with a tearful voice, "Sister, I admit that I am Yunzhu! This is all my fault! It was I who impersonated you and had Qinghua ask the Second Young Master Ning to meet me in secret. I didn't expect that I would accidentally stumble into Sister's room!"

Shangguan Yunzhu stood frozen in place. What kind of trick was Shangguan Erya playing now!

"Sister!" Shangguan Erya looked at Shangguan Yunzhu pitifully. "I know you cherish me and were willing to ruin your own reputation to cover for me! But I cannot stand by and watch you be misunderstood, so I beg Mother to punish me!"

The crowd was dumbfounded by this sudden reversal of the plot. Could it really be like this?

Princess Consort Gong's face turned ashen upon hearing this. Shangguan Erya was actually playing the "burning one's bridges" card!

With this single move, she could not only salvage her reputation but also push Yunzhu into the fiery pit!

Princess Consort Gong smiled coldly, "Then why did you impersonate Erya just now?"

"I was simply too angry that she said she liked the Second Young Master Ning. Moreover, I was terrified because I had done something wrong, so I thought of throwing all the dirty water onto Sister so she could take the blame for me. But Yunzhu has realized the truth now; Sister's words were clearly meant to help me. Yunzhu was foolish; please punish me, Mother."

Shangguan Erya's explanation was perfectly logical; this way, everything made sense!

Everyone had just misunderstood the eldest young lady of the Prince Gong Manor!

Outside the room, the three men had vastly different reactions to Shangguan Erya's performance.

Yu Yue's mouth hung open in shock, while Ning Chenjun was somewhat surprised. He hadn't been paying much attention to Shangguan Erya; in his eyes, women were not judged by beauty or ugliness, but by good or evil. He was long accustomed to the hidden struggles within noble households and was indifferent to women's tricks. However, he found that the woman in the room was quite different from the others, which had piqued his curiosity.

To be honest, aside from being excessively beautiful, that woman possessed an unyielding, rebellious spirit. Standing there, one could not ignore her cold elegance; she remained poised and unyielding even in the face of various difficulties, which truly made him look at her in a new light.

Only the noble man's eyes, which held a half-smile, showed a hint of approval. "Since someone wants to marry your brother, how could he not be present?"

These words were clearly intended to fan the flames.

Ning Chenjun gave a low, helpless laugh. Looking up and seeing several ladies approaching from not far away, he suddenly coughed twice, drawing a frowning look from the person beside him. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Ning Chenjun shook his head with a smile. "Should we withdraw for a moment?"

The noble man looked back, his gaze deepening. "They certainly arrived quickly. In any case, there is no rush to meet them right this instant."

Just as the three of them were leaving, a sharp shout rang out from inside the room: "Bullshit!"