Dugu Jingyao is reborn as Li Chu's beloved

Chapter 313 Rumors are rampant

The next morning, just as the sky in the east was beginning to lighten, Dugu Jingyao got up early as usual. The fleeting glimpse she had with Li Chu the previous night had made her feel as bright and beautiful as a flower blooming in spring.

She slept exceptionally soundly that night, as if all her fatigue had been driven away by that brief encounter, so when she woke up today, she looked radiant and energetic.

Si Jian, who had been waiting by the side, saw Dugu Jingyao like this and couldn't help but praise her repeatedly: "Princess, look at how good you look today, it's so good that I can't take my eyes off you! I guess you must have had a good rest last night, right? You look much more energetic than a few days ago!"

After hearing what Si Jian said, Dugu Jingyao raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile as she said, "That's right. I've been traveling a lot these past few days and I'm exhausted. Now that I'm finally home and lying in my own familiar and comfortable bed, I naturally feel much more at ease. Can't I have a good rest?"

After saying this, she stood up lightly and gracefully put on the clothes that had been prepared long ago. Then, she used her delicate hands to simply comb her cascading hair into a neat ponytail, and then reached out to pick up the sword that was placed beside her - that was the gift that Li Chu had given her.

Dugu Jingyao came to the center of the yard with a long sword in his hand. After taking a deep breath, he began his daily morning exercises.

For a moment, the sword light flashed, the sword energy was everywhere, her figure was like a dancing fairy, or a nimble and agile flying swallow, each move contained infinite power and charm.

After about half an hour, Dugu Jingyao finally came to a stop. It was midsummer, and although the morning sun wasn't too scorching, after this intense workout, a fine layer of sweat still seeped out on her fair cheeks.

Remembering that she had to go to the palace to see the emperor today, Dugu Jingyao turned to Si Jian and Shi Jian and ordered, "Shi Jian, Si Jian, quickly help me prepare some hot water. I need to take a good bath before entering the palace today."

The two of them agreed, and then went to find someone to prepare the items needed for bathing.

While they were preparing, they passed by the garden in the backyard and heard someone whispering about their princess. They couldn't help but stop and listen for a while. It would have been fine if they hadn't listened, but once they did, it was a disaster.

One of the maids looked around cautiously, then lowered her voice and said softly, "Guess what kind of rumors I heard when I went out on the street today?"

The other maid, who loved to pry and gossip, immediately came forward and asked curiously, "What is it? Don't keep me in suspense!"

The maid who spoke first then lowered her voice a bit and continued quietly, "This rumor points directly at the eldest princess in our mansion!"

Upon hearing this, the gossipy maid, who had been full of anticipation, suddenly revealed a look of astonishment. She murmured to herself in disbelief, "No way! Didn't these masters just return to Chang'an yesterday? Everything was peaceful before this, without even a single rumor. How could rumors suddenly start spreading?"

The maid who spoke first sighed softly, shook her head helplessly, and spoke again: "Alas, actually, rumors are not a big deal, but this time the rumors are really too vicious."

Her words successfully aroused the curiosity of the gossipy maid, who stamped her feet anxiously and urged, "What kind of rumor is this? Tell me quickly!"

Seeing the other party's eagerness, the maid who had gone in first leaned over and whispered a few words into the gossipy maid's ear. Before she finished speaking, the gossipy maid couldn't help but exclaim, "What? Someone actually said that the eldest princess was having an affair?"

The exclamation was quite loud, startling the maid who had spoken first. Her face paled drastically, and she hurriedly reached out and covered the gossiping maid's mouth tightly. She glanced around nervously, then scolded, "Shh—keep your voice down! This isn't something to be loudly announced. What if someone else hears you yelling like that?"

Because the content of their conversation was truly unbearable to listen to, Shi Jian and Si Jian were both furious and furious. Si Jian had always been a hot-tempered person, and at this moment he could no longer suppress his anger.

Although Shi Jian tried desperately to hold her back, he failed in the end. He rushed forward and shouted with his eyes wide open: "What on earth were you talking about just now? How dare you slander our princess like this..."

The two maids had been cautious, looking around, and only dared to whisper after confirming that no one was around. However, Si Jian's sudden roar was like a bolt from the blue, frightening them so much that they trembled all over.

However, not long after, the maid who had spoken first barely recovered from her shock. She took a deep breath, tried to calm herself, and then tremblingly explained, "Miss Si Jian, please calm down! These...are just some rumors, and they shouldn't be taken seriously. We have been with the eldest princess for quite some time, and we all know that she is definitely not that kind of person. It's a pity that our status is low, and even if we tell the truth, I'm afraid no one will believe us. Instead, they will accuse us of favoring our own master."

Shi Jian's expression softened slightly after hearing this, but he still said seriously, "Since we know this is a rumor, we shouldn't spread it around. If the masters get wind of it, we'll all be in big trouble and will be punished. So, from now on, no one is allowed to mention this matter again!"

The two maids immediately nodded obediently, indicating that they would not pass on the message again, and then left.

Si Jian was so angry that his face turned red, his feet stomped the ground loudly, and he roared in rage: "What is going on? The princess just came back, and it hasn't even been twelve hours, and that guy hiding in the dark can't hold it back?" As he spoke, he waved his arms, as if he wanted to vent all the anger in his heart.

Seeing this, Shi Jian shook his head slightly, sighed helplessly and said, "Alas... In fact, all this was already expected by the princess, so you don't have to be angry about it. As long as the princess's innocence can be proved, those rumors flying around will naturally fall apart." After that, he patted Si Jian's shoulder and motioned him to calm down first.

Afterwards, the two hurried back to Jiangxuexuan. Once inside, they quickly set to work. Shi Jian deftly poured hot water into the tub and adjusted the temperature, while Si Jian was responsible for sending away all other non-essential personnel, ensuring a quiet and safe environment.

Dugu Jingyao sat in a chair, quietly watching Shi Jian's busy figure. She noticed that Shi Jian hesitated several times, as if he was unable to speak about something important. Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "What's the matter? If you want to say it, just say it directly. Why are you hesitating like this?"

Seeing Dugu Jingyao's question, Shi Jian hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Si Jian, as if seeking support. After everyone else had left the bathroom, leaving only the master and servant, Shi Jian took a deep breath and summoned his courage to speak: "My Lord, there are rumors circulating outside... It's said... It's said..." At this point, he suddenly paused, looking very embarrassed.

Dugu Jingyao frowned slightly, a hint of doubt and dissatisfaction in her eyes. She turned to look at Si Jian and said, "What exactly is being spread? Si Jian, tell me!"

Si Jian hesitated for a moment, but eventually he moved closer to Dugu Jingyao and whispered something in her ear in a low voice. After hearing Si Jian's words, Dugu Jingyao's expression changed slightly, and she instantly understood the deep meaning - it seemed that the mastermind behind the scenes was finally going to make a move!

Since it was a rumor, Dugu Jingyao was not the only one who heard it. Dugu Xin, Dugu Moyan, the Guo family, the Shen family, and even the female workers had also heard about it.

When these people heard this, they all had the same reaction: This is definitely not true, Dugu Jingyao is definitely not that kind of person.

Only people like the Crown Prince, Crown Princess, Li Chu, Dugu Jingyao and Liu Jingyue in the Eastern Palace knew that this was something they had expected. Since Dugu Jingyao was still alive after using the "love poison", the person behind the scenes would not give up so easily. The best way was to destroy Dugu Jingyao's innocence with this incident. If she had the guts to do it, she would not have survived.