Chapter 10: Ruining One's Reputation

“Mother, you are mistaken.” Shangguan Erya suddenly straightened her back and spoke with powerful resonance, “Even if Mother were to decide for me, with a reputation for being unchaste and lacking self-respect, no prestigious family would ever accept such a woman as a primary wife. Not to mention that the Duke of Fu's household maintains strict discipline; they would never allow anyone to corrupt the family's reputation.”

Her eyes shifted, sweeping toward Shangguan Yunzhu. “Are you being so filthy and despicable as to ruin your own reputation truly just to become a concubine for the Second Young Master Ning? Or do you intend to impersonate me to destroy my reputation as a lady? Sister Yunzhu, I fear that is your true objective!”

Shangguan Erya did not release her internal energy, yet her sheer aura alone caused everyone's hearts to tremble. Only then did the female guests realize the gravity of the situation; the woman was right. Regardless of whether the Princess Consort agreed to the marriage, once a woman's reputation was ruined, she would never be accepted by her in-laws—she wouldn't even qualify to be a concubine.

The motive behind such actions was indeed suspicious!

Sitting at the head of the room, Old Matriarch Wang had been observing the woman for a long time. Her speech was logical, her attitude neither humble nor arrogant, and she possessed a proud backbone, much like the general-like demeanor of Sister Changsheng from years ago.

Recalling the past, Sister Changsheng and she had once been as close as sisters, but that person was long gone...

She looked toward Shangguan Yunzhu and said with authority, “You only need to say whether you are truly Erya or Yunzhu, and I can decide to let you be the primary wife!”

Everyone was stunned. Old Matriarch Wang was clearly choosing to disregard the woman's reputation. Discussions broke out around the room; perhaps the Matriarch was considering her past feelings for the late Prince, and if the woman truly was Shangguan Erya, marrying into the Duke's household would not result in her becoming a concubine.

Everyone agreed with this sentiment, except for Shangguan Erya, who tilted her head in thought. The Matriarch's words were actually a way of forcing Shangguan Yunzhu to tell the truth; only the truth could save her reputation.

At that moment, Shangguan Yunzhu cast a panicked glance at Princess Consort Gong and said through gritted teeth, “I am Shangguan Erya!”

She pointed at Erya, her face contorted, “Yunzhu, what is your intention in repeatedly confusing the situation and impersonating me!”

Princess Consort Gong also spoke up, “Both of you have your own stories. For the sake of fairness, prove yourselves individually. What do you think of this, Grand Madam?”

“Heh.” Old Matriarch Wang said with a hint of sarcasm, “If even you, the legal mother, cannot tell them apart, then my old eyes are certainly too dim to recognize them. Let it be done this way.”

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yunzhu immediately called for Qinghua, preventing Shangguan Erya from speaking further. “Grand Madam, this is Qinghua, who serves by my side. She can prove that I am the Eldest Miss of the Prince Gong's residence, and that I was the one who sent her to invite the Second Young Master Ning to meet me.”

She spoke without a shred of shame.

Seeing the grand scale of the gathering and realizing the real Shangguan Erya was present, Qinghua’s heart screamed: *It's over, it's over! The truth is out! What use is it to stubbornly deny being the Eldest Miss? When she returns to the manor, she'll still have to serve the real Eldest Miss! She'll surely be punished!*

However, when she saw the way the Princess Consort looked at her, and remembered she had the Princess Consort as her backer, she felt she had nothing to fear.

Having made up her mind, Qinghua said, “Reporting to Grand Madam and Princess Consort, this servant did indeed follow the Eldest Miss's instructions to lure the drunken Second Young Master Ning here.”

“The Eldest Miss has been with me this entire time and never saw any Second Young Master Ning!” Qingwei, standing nearby, rebuked sharply, “Qinghua, after all the kindness the Eldest Miss has shown you, you actually lie with your eyes wide open! What benefit did the Second Miss promise you?”

As soon as the words fell, Shangguan Yunzhu lunged forward and slapped Qingwei. “You little wretch, since when is it your turn to speak!”

The crowd frowned. How could a lady of a great household, even a daughter of a concubine, be so willful? Not to mention how despicable her previous actions in ruining her own reputation had been!

Hearing the murmurs, Shangguan Yunzhu couldn't help but feel a sense of triumph. She intended to make Shangguan Erya's reputation absolutely rotten!

Shangguan Erya's gaze turned cold. Qingwei, however, stood her ground without fear and said to Shangguan Yunzhu, “In response to the Second Miss, Qinghua is the Eldest Miss's witness. Even the Grand Madam and the Princess Consort have allowed both sides to present evidence. May I ask, Second Miss, what wrong has this servant committed? Furthermore, everyone in the Prince Gong's residence knows the Eldest Miss is kind and never strikes or scolds her servants. This slap of yours is enough to prove you are absolutely not the Eldest Miss!”

Shangguan Yunzhu's teeth itched with rage. Since when did even the people around Shangguan Erya become so eloquent?

“If I were truly Shangguan Yunzhu, what benefit would I gain from impersonating you?” Shangguan Erya looked up and countered, “You have already ruined Shangguan Erya's reputation; why would I seek to impersonate her when I wouldn't even mind a bad reputation? Moreover, if you were truly Shangguan Erya, I have provoked you time and again, yet you haven't said a single word against me. Is it because Shangguan Yunzhu's identity makes you fearful? Or are you unwilling to damage Shangguan Yunzhu's reputation?”

Shangguan Yunzhu's face flushed red. “You are being unreasonable!”

Shangguan Erya raised an eyebrow. “And what about you? Aside from a little maid, what else can prove you are the Eldest Miss of the Prince Gong's residence?”

“I...” Shangguan Yunzhu looked toward Princess Consort Gong at the head of the room, feeling somewhat lost.

“Old Matriarch, Erya has a skill that only she possesses!” Princess Consort Gong suddenly turned to Old Matriarch Wang with a smile. “Why don't we test the two of them? Then it will be clear who is real and who is fake.”

Everyone, including Old Matriarch Wang, nodded in agreement. In the Kingdom of Nanliang, who didn't know that Shangguan Erya possessed the talent for celestial observation!

This was indeed a good method!

Shangguan Yunzhu grew nervous. She wasn't sure what her mother meant by this proposal. She had no idea how to observe the heavens! If she lost, wouldn't her deception be exposed?

She called out to Princess Consort Gong in distress, “Mother...”

“You two just use your skills to prove who is Erya.” Princess Consort Gong shot a quick glance at Shangguan Yunzhu, giving her a reassuring look, before turning to the other side and saying calmly, “What do you think?”

The people in the room all looked toward Shangguan Erya, waiting for her answer. No one noticed that two men had been standing at the doorway for quite some time.

One was dressed in white as pure as snow; the other was elegant and noble.

The man in white sighed, “It has been a long time, and your playful nature has grown.”

“It is quite interesting, is it not? Guess how she will answer?” The noble man smiled eerily.