It's all ruined, who cares about the chastity arch

The maid beside her quickly reached out to steady her swaying body, and said sternly: "Madam, you must not stay at this time. Look, the people around are looking at us curiously and talking about us."

Yuan followed the maid's instructions and looked around. She saw passers-by pointing and talking or talking in low voices. There was a mixture of curiosity and indifference in their eyes.

"Hey, what do you think? Could this be the legendary courtesan of Ziyan Pavilion, who is actually the missing daughter of the Pei family?"

A voice was filled with surprise and speculation.

"Seeing her chasing after him so desperately, I'm afraid this is really the case."

Another person took over the conversation.

"It's really unpredictable. I heard that in order to prove her innocence, the second daughter of the Pei family had already committed suicide at home. If this is true, then the one who died before has become a substitute, right?"

Another voice joined the discussion, with a hint of gloating in its words.

These words blew through Yuan's heart like a cold wind. Although she felt heartbroken, she knew that she could not do anything impulsive at this moment.

The carriage was still galloping forward, and the speed seemed to have increased a bit.

Pei Qingzhi watched the carriage go farther and farther away. She stretched out her hands anxiously, tears welling up in her eyes, and her voice was filled with undisguised sorrow: "Mother, don't abandon me! Mother!"

She shouted hoarsely, "I really am your Qingzhi!"

On this bluestone paved road, her long skirt dragged gently with the rhythm of her running, but in her panic, the hem of her skirt accidentally tripped her feet, causing her to fall suddenly on the hard ground.

In an instant, the sharp stone mercilessly cut her delicate palm, and blood dripped from her fingertips, staining the stone slab red.

As the beloved second young lady of the Pei family in the past, how could she have ever suffered such humiliation and pain?

She lay there, anger and despair intertwined, her eyes staring straight at the direction where Yuan left, and a beast-like cry came from her throat: "Mother, do you really not want Qingzhi anymore? Mother!"

Her pride and self-esteem were completely crushed at this moment, and tears mixed with dust made her look miserable.

The people around witnessed this scene, some shook their heads, some sighed, and more were talking about it.

"It seems that she is not the real daughter of the Pei family, but just a prostitute who wants to climb up the social ladder."

"How shameless! She thinks she can change her social status just by looking good, without even considering her own background."

"A mere brothel girl is so courageous and isn't she afraid of being laughed at?"

These cold words pierced Pei Qingzhi's heart like sharp arrows. She hurriedly lowered her head, trying to cover her scarred face with her messy hair. She endured the pain and slowly stood up, just wanting to escape from this chilling scene as soon as possible.

Just as she was about to turn around and leave, a white hand suddenly crossed in front of her. It was the maid from Ziyan Pavilion. There was no warmth in her voice: "Please stay, young lady."

Pei Qingzhi raised her head suddenly, with a flash of surprise in her eyes: "Didn't you say that you could let me go anytime I wanted?"

The maid's face was as cold as ice, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth: "Girl, my meaning is very clear. Unless one day the Pei family comes to pick you up in person, you can't go anywhere. And just now, they didn't acknowledge that you are their flesh and blood."

These cold words were like cold water poured over one's head, completely extinguishing the last glimmer of hope in Pei Qingzhi's heart.

The last glimmer of light deep in Pei Qingzhi's heart seemed to be shattered by the ruthless hammer of reality, collapsed and turned into nothing.

Tomorrow night, what awaits her is no longer the freedom she dreams of, but the fate of being forced to receive guests who disgust her both physically and mentally.

Under the seemingly pure title of "clean prostitute", she actually had to put on a forced smile in front of those dirty and disgusting men. Every inch of her dignity was cruelly stripped away, and every day of her life was like falling into the abyss, a life worse than death.

The hatred in her eyes was like a wildfire fueled by the autumn wind, growing more and more intense, almost penetrating her eyes and burning the injustice of this world.

"Why! Your master is so cruel that he won't give me a chance to live!"

She lost control of her emotions and suddenly pushed away the maid standing beside her. The strength in her arms was mixed with despair and anger, as if she wanted to pour all her reluctance into this hopeless push.

The maid was nimble and seemed to be used to such changes. She easily grabbed Pei Qingzhi's struggling wrist. There was no warmth in her voice, only cold rationality: "The master never said that he would not let you go. In fact, it was your family that abandoned you in the abyss of despair first."

Pei Qingzhi's mind seemed to be hit by a heavy hammer. Besides being shocked, tears mixed with old scars blurred her vision. She stared at the void in despair, as if looking for the answer, or the final comfort in the boundless void.

The maid's voice sounded again, and every word was like a sharp blade, cutting her remaining fantasy: "If the Pei family had not been so unkind to you, how could the master have had the opportunity to intervene? It was them who chose to give up at the critical moment."

"Second Miss, you must understand that the one who really pushed you step by step to the edge of despair is the Pei family, whom you rely on. In their eyes, you are just a stain on the family. Your joys, sorrows, anger, and even your life and death are not as important as maintaining the reputation of the Pei family."

"At first, they valued you because of your beauty. They hoped that you could enter the palace and become the empress with your beauty, thus consolidating the status of the Pei family. But after you fell, they immediately turned their minds to how to get rid of you as a burden as soon as possible, and even made you a slave to the farmers, to endure endless humiliation and suffering."

"And at that time, even if you cried your eyes out and shouted your throat out, it wouldn't change anything."

Qingyu, a maid who is from the same school as Siqi but is even more cold-blooded and ruthless, has been following Pei Qingzhi like a shadow for some time, protecting her or monitoring her.

Her existence constantly reminds Pei Qingzhi of her helplessness and despair.

Su Wanyu's previous teachings took deep root in Qingyu's heart - completely destroying Pei Qingzhi's spirit is more valuable than taking her life directly. The disputes within the family caused by her will be like the bites between vicious dogs and hungry wolves, causing the Pei family to collapse from within.

The human heart always has its fragile side, and destroying the soul is often a thousand times more effective than any harsh torture.

Qingyu remembered this teaching and applied it to perfection.

"Second Miss, please think about this. If one day the Pei family has to choose between you and Pei Chi'an, whose side will your parents stand on?"

These words were like a bolt from the blue, causing Pei Qingzhi's hands to drop limply. Despite this, the hatred in her heart did not diminish in the slightest.

She subconsciously blamed her misfortune on the entire Pei family. She even transferred all her anger towards Pei Chi'an for the tragedy of the Concubine Dowager, blaming him for his stupidity and believing that the Concubine Dowager's death should have been a relief rather than a loss for the Pei family.