The young girl was only about fourteen or fifteen years old, with innocent and pure eyes.
Her clothes were tattered and covered in mud and water. She had lost her shoes and her bare feet were frozen red. Coupled with her plaintive and miserable cries, she looked extremely pitiful.
"Princess Consort, although we work for the Yue family, we've never used the Yue family's power to do anything immoral. Many servants of the Yue family have been arrested, and my father and elder brother have been taken to the government office. The Crown Prince listens to you the most. Please plead for them!"
Her plea was like a bomb thrown into a deep mountain. It exploded with a roar, sending fragments flying, and these fragments then fell into the water, stirring up waves upon waves.
The crowd was shocked and couldn't tell the truth from the falsehood for a moment. The buzz of discussion rose like a rising tide, wave after wave getting louder.
"Why does that girl call Miss Song 'Princess Consort'? Isn't Miss Song a relative of the Chu family?"
"I vaguely heard that Miss Song was married before, and her husband was the young master of the Duke of Jin's mansion!"
"The rules in the capital are strict. Since Miss Song is a woman from a noble family, how could she be involved with the Crown Prince?"
Suddenly, two women squeezed into the crowd shouted in shrill voices.
"The girl didn't call wrong! The Crown Prince promised to take her back to the capital and confer the title of Princess Consort on her. He also said that when he ascends the throne in the future, Miss Song will be the queen!"
"Miss Song is really lucky! She used to be a concubine of the young master of the Duke of Jin's mansion. The young master wanted to make her the main wife, and the old lady of the duke's mansion even petitioned for a first - rank imperial order for her. Such unparalleled wealth, yet Miss Song didn't care. It turns out she caught the eye of the Crown Prince!"
The crowd immediately erupted in an uproar. Song Wanchu instantly became the target of public criticism. Just a moment ago, people thought she was the gentle and beautiful porridge - giving fairy, but now their looks at her were full of criticism and blame.
"Humph, she's a twice - married woman, yet her ambition is really big. She even dares to covet the position of Princess Consort!"
"Didn't you hear what that girl said? The Crown Prince is so infatuated with her that he does whatever she says. Isn't this a femme fatale? With such a woman by the Crown Prince's side, how can he be a wise king in the future?"
"Who can blame her? She has a peerless beauty. Compared with the position of queen, the first - rank imperial order from the duke's mansion is nothing. She knows how to use her beauty to climb up!"
Song Wanchu was surrounded by the crowd, and countless fingers were pointing at her.
The discussion became more and more unpleasant, as if it was going to drown her.
Liang Yuzhou scanned the crowd, and the anger in his eyes was almost uncontrollable.
Seeing Song Wanchu's pale face, he suddenly remembered that Dragon Boat Festival year. At the banquet in the Princess Chang's mansion, the princess and the Princess Jiahe had humiliated her one after another. The noble ladies and young misses had also discussed her like this, hurting her with contemptuous words.
His chest felt stuffy.
But at this moment, he couldn't say or do anything.
That girl had shouted "Princess Consort" as soon as she came up. If he stood up for Wanchu at this time, it would only push her into a more embarrassing situation and do no good.
He understood that this was a battlefield for women, and all he could do was stand behind her.
Xia He and Ying Lan rushed up to protect Song Wanchu, but Liang Yuzhou winked at them and tilted his chin towards the crowd.
The two understood instantly and quietly squeezed into the crowd, keeping a close eye on the two gossiping women.
The two women had successfully provoked the crowd's contempt and anger towards Song Wanchu. They were hiding behind a few men, smiling smugly.
Suddenly, their arms were twisted from behind. The two women were greatly shocked, but they heard a threat in their ears: "If you dare to make a sound, we'll make you disabled immediately!"
The two women were so frightened that they shut their mouths.
Ying Lan and Xia He were quick and decisive. They didn't hesitate at all. They directly captured the two women and dragged them out of the crowd.
Bai Zhi and Luo Cen were standing outside the porridge shed.
When giving out porridge, they felt they were of noble status and didn't want to squeeze with the poor common people.
But seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Bai Zhi was a little anxious. If something happened to Song Wanchu, the Crown Prince would surely punish them!
She was about to rush into the crowd, but Luo Cen stopped her.
"Don't be in a hurry. No matter what, the Crown Prince will be angry about this. Let's see how Miss Song gets out of this mess."
Was the Crown Prince so fond of her just because of her beauty?
If a woman could only hide and cry when being framed, so weak and incompetent, how could she manage the six palaces in the future?
Luo Cen had served the Crown Prince for many years. The Crown Prince had high standards. She wanted to see if this Song Wanchu really had any skills.
Song Wanchu saw that Xia He and Ying Lan had captured the two gossiping women, and she knew that Liang Yuzhou was silently supporting her from behind.
The young girl was still tightly hugging her thigh, as if she was the only straw to clutch at.
Many people from the Chu family wanted to step forward, but Song Wanchu shook her head at them.
She was already at the center of the whirlpool. At this time, no matter who came in, they would surely be affected.
Grandma Chu kept a straight face and was as steady as a mountain, but secretly she was worried about Song Wanchu.
Song Wanchu smiled calmly. She didn't mind the girl's dirty hands at all and helped her up.
She then looked down at the girl's swollen feet.
She turned around and called "Nan Zhi". Nan Zhi took out a pair of brocade shoes from the traveling bag and handed them to Song Wanchu.
Song Wanchu gave the shoes to the girl and said gently, "It's cold. Put on the shoes first and then talk slowly."
There had been a freezing rain in Yunzhou, and the ground was full of mud and water. This pair of shoes was her spare one.
The girl was stunned. Looking at the brocade shoes adorned with Eastern pearls and embroidered with gold threads, she timidly dared not take them.
Before kneeling down, she had imagined many scenarios: being kicked away by Song Wanchu, being beaten and dragged away by her maids, or even being silenced.
After all, the task she had received was to shout those words so that they could spread among the crowd and then throughout the whole city of Yunzhou.
But this girl, who was like a goddess, was not angry at all. Instead, she cared about whether her feet were cold!
She looked at Song Wanchu, her eyes filled with tears.
This time, the tears were real.
"Put them on."
The girl had never seen such good shoes in her life. She put them on as if she had found a treasure.
Only then did Song Wanchu ask unhurriedly, "You said the Crown Prince arrested your father and elder brother, right?"
The girl quickly nodded. This was a fact and she was not afraid of investigation.
"Have they been convicted, or were they just taken in for questioning because of their connection with the Yue family?"
The girl was stunned. She was simple - minded. She thought Song Wanchu should be eager to clarify the matter of "Princess Consort" and save her own reputation.
But she didn't ask about herself. Instead, she only asked about her family. Moreover, she was so meticulous and logical.
She stammered, "The yamen runners said it was for questioning. They haven't been convicted yet."
But in the eyes of ordinary people, once taken away by the yamen runners, they would surely be convicted.
Many servants of the Yue family had already been convicted and sentenced.
Her worry was not unfounded, was it?
Song Wanchu's eyes were clear and she was calm. She scanned the crowd.
The crowd had quieted down from the commotion.
Song Wanchu began to speak slowly. Her voice was gentle and melodious. Even at the center of the storm, she didn't lose her dignified and elegant manner.
"The Crown Prince has always enforced the law impartially and seen things clearly. The Yue family has committed heinous crimes, but the Crown Prince only punishes those who are guilty and will never wrong an innocent person. Since your father and elder brother are innocent, I'm sure the Crown Prince will release them soon. You don't have to worry."
Bai Zhi and Luo Cen, who had been watching coldly at first, now looked at Song Wanchu with new respect.
Song Wanchu really had some skills.
She wasn't eager at all to clarify her relationship with the Crown Prince. She put her own reputation aside and instead first tried to change people's impression of the Crown Prince.
She was so insightful and intelligent!
The girl stammered and couldn't say a word for a long time.
The situation was developing in a direction that neither she nor even the old lady of the Yue family could have predicted!
Song Wanchu stared into her helpless and flustered eyes and asked with a kind smile, "Why do you call me 'Princess Consort'?"