Gu Shengyin, naturally, noticed the Crown Prince's possessive gaze. Far from being flattered, she felt nothing but disgust. Why now? she thought. If he truly cared for Jiang Lingzhen, how could he act so shamelessly with Jiang Yunshan?
Feigning ignorance, Gu Shengyin focused on chatting casually with the women around her. Fortunately, the Crown Prince couldn't linger in the women's hall for long and soon left.
As the evening drew to a close and the guests prepared to leave the Duke's residence, a sudden message from her system interrupted Gu Shengyin's thoughts.
"Are you serious?" she asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. Could those two really be that brazen?
The system had just informed her that Crown Prince Ji Ye was currently behind a rockery in the back garden of the Duke's estate—entangled with a maidservant.
Gu Shengyin's lips curled into a faint sneer. Truly despicable. She thought back to the Crown Prince's role in the original story. What exactly does Jiang Yunshan see in a man like this?
Rising from her seat, she turned to the young ladies around her and said with a pleasant smile, "I've heard there are some rare peonies in the back garden of the Duke's estate. Wouldn't it be lovely to see them before we leave?"
The women eagerly agreed, and their hostess, Li Ruoxuan, the daughter of the Duke, graciously led the way.
The garden was indeed magnificent, with rows of vibrant peony bushes in full bloom. The ladies admired the flowers and exchanged compliments about their beauty. Just as they were about to leave, one of the girls paused, tilting her head curiously.
"Wait," she said. "Do you hear that? It sounds like someone crying."
The group fell silent, straining their ears. Sure enough, faint, rhythmic sounds carried through the air. Intrigued, Li Ruoxuan, confident in her position as hostess and flanked by several servants, decided to investigate.
The younger women, unaccustomed to such excitement in their daily lives, followed with curiosity. But as they moved closer to the source of the sound, an uneasy feeling spread through the group.
Though the noises resembled crying, there was a peculiar cadence to them—a strange, suggestive undertone that made the more experienced women in the group blush.
Some of the older matrons exchanged knowing looks, their expressions darkening with understanding. One of them, a senior maid, stepped forward. "Ladies, this matter may not be suitable for your eyes. Allow us to handle it."
The older women moved cautiously towards the source, but the moment they rounded the rockery, a piercing scream echoed through the garden.
"Blind old hag! How dare you interrupt my fun!" bellowed a furious male voice.
The group froze as they heard the unmistakable sound of someone being struck. Moments later, the senior maid who had gone ahead stumbled back, clutching her side, having been kicked to the ground.
To everyone's shock, the man's voice belonged to none other than Crown Prince Ji Ye.
Before anyone could fully grasp the situation, the garden guards, alerted by the commotion, came running. In their haste to investigate, they burst onto the scene.
And there, in full view of the stunned crowd, stood the Crown Prince—half-dressed and disheveled—with a maidservant clinging to him, her state of undress leaving little to the imagination.
The scene was impossible to unsee. Within minutes, word of the scandal had spread among the gathered guests.
Gu Shengyin, observing from a distance, couldn't help but note the ashen look on Jiang Yunshan's face. She wondered if Jiang Yunshan had ever imagined a moment like this when she schemed to seduce the Crown Prince. Now you know what kind of man he truly is, she thought.
Despite the royal decree that quickly followed, forbidding anyone to spread rumors of the incident, it was impossible to silence all the witnesses. With so many esteemed guests present, the scandal couldn't be contained.
Within two days, whispers about the Crown Prince's indiscretion with a maidservant in the Duke's estate had spread like wildfire throughout the capital. The once-revered Crown Prince had become the subject of gossip and ridicule in every corner of the city.