The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

A flicker of panic crossed Pei San's eyes. He clenched his fist instantly, but then he remembered that the other party wasn't one of his brothers who he used to punch with, someone who could decide the outcome with a single blow.

He then loosened his fists and tried to argue, "I originally thought you had been wronged in the Marquis's mansion, which is why I wanted to stand up for you. But after hearing what you said, I think you are a bit ungrateful."

You were complaining about unfairness to me earlier, but it turns out you were just trying to gain my sympathy so I'd marry you sooner!

I never imagined that you, with your beautiful exterior, were so terrible inside.

I truly regret falling for you.

Hua Sirong coldly watched Pei San's performance shift from deep affection to detachment, and she sneered, "My whereabouts are easy to track, whether I'm at Baiyun Temple or the Marquis's mansion."

After settling into the Marquis's residence, today is the first time I've gone out. As for the few days I stayed at Baiyun Temple, my whereabouts were even more limited; I prayed before the Buddha during the day and stayed in the pilgrim's courtyard at night without stepping out.

I believe the monks at Baiyun Temple would be happy to testify for me.

Hua Sirong spoke with such certainty that she dared to ask a monk to testify for her. It is common knowledge that monks do not lie.

For a moment, the onlookers felt that Hua Sirong was credible, while Pei San's casual slander of a woman's reputation was truly despicable.

But this person was also the Second Prince's guard, and for a moment, the group led by Madam Jiang began to feel that this matter was troublesome and difficult to handle.

As Hua Sirong spoke, she observed the reactions of the onlookers. As she had anticipated, she continued:

"You probably don't know, but at that time my father had just passed away less than 100 days ago. I was still in mourning, heartbroken and wishing I could take his place. There was absolutely no way I could have been thinking about love."

You really shouldn't have just blurted it out.

You can slander me, but you should never question my filial piety towards my father!

Accompanying the powerful words were Hua Sirong's tear-filled eyes.

Now that Madam Jiang is getting on in years, she loves to see harmonious scenes of filial piety among her children and grandchildren. After hearing Hua Sirong's words, she instantly felt a renewed fondness for the child.

How bad can a filial child be?

Everyone turned their questioning gazes toward Pei San.

Surrounded by a group of women adorned with cosmetics, Pei San's hands, gripping his sword and knife, were now sweating profusely.

He was filled with remorse at that moment, realizing that he had acted carelessly and had been given leverage over others, which was why he was being blackmailed into doing this thing that damaged the woman's reputation.

But the die was cast, and he suppressed his regret, his voice low and urgent, "I admit that I took advantage of your vulnerability back then, but it was precisely because you had just lost your father that it was easier for me to win your heart, wasn't it?"

Hua Sirong looked coldly at Pei San, who was spouting nonsense, and fell into deep thought.

The guards following the Second Prince are clearly not lazy or unambitious; as long as they are loyal, they will surely have a bright future.

Why would such a promising young man insist on clinging to her, an orphaned daughter of a merchant?

What is the motivation behind this?

Is it just because of the cousin's aunt that Chiang Yi-lan mentioned?

Hua Sirong had a gut feeling that there was another force behind all this, orchestrating everything, but she couldn't be sure who that person was.

If they were from the Marquis's mansion, how did they manage to infiltrate the Jiang family?

Could it even drag the people around the Second Prince down with him?

Hua Sirong felt a chill run down her spine, but her face showed a look of deep sorrow. She seemed to have discovered a weakness in this martial artist.

She challenged him again, saying, "If you want to accuse me of having an affair with you just because I went to Baiyun Temple to offer incense, then you are doing so."

So, does that mean women in the world will no longer be allowed to go out?

Is it possible that the moment we step out of our homes and our whereabouts become known, any random rickshaw driver or beggar could come up to us and claim to have fallen in love with some young lady?

"If I am extorted by you today, then in the future, countless innocent women like me will suffer unjust accusations and their innocence will be difficult to prove!"

These words served as a wake-up call for the women present.

They were all relatives of the most powerful and influential people in the capital, and they valued integrity above all else.

As Hua Sirong said, if one can arbitrarily slander another's innocence with just a few words, then women like them will have no choice but to stay in their boudoirs and not dare to step out of their rooms in order to protect themselves.

As a result, many people present began to empathize with Hua Sirong.

“Miss Rong is right. If Guard Pei has no evidence, he shouldn’t try to slander someone’s innocence with baseless accusations!”

I've heard absurd stories like this before. It's said that a peasant, after finding a handkerchief that a young lady had dropped while she was out playing, gathered a group of uninformed people and went to the young lady's door to cry and complain.

If one insists that the handkerchief was a token of their love, with the young lady's name embroidered on it, then she is truly in a situation where she cannot clear her name no matter what she does. The young lady's parents had no other choice but to agree to the marriage in order to preserve their family's reputation.

The young lady was a woman of strong character; she refused to suffer an injustice unjustly, but had nowhere to seek justice, so she chose death to prove her innocence.

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked.

Some pointed their swords at Pei San, saying, "Isn't Pei San's every word and action today a perfect illustration of the peasant in that story?!"

“That’s right. If you and Miss Rong are truly in love, you should ask a matchmaker to go to the Marquis’s mansion to propose marriage.”

After the first voice of support, there was a second and a third...

Pei San had always been surrounded by swords and spears when he followed the Second Prince; he had never had a verbal battle with so many women before.

His original intention today was merely to ruin Hua Sirong's reputation; he didn't really intend to marry her. Who knew this woman would be so resilient?

If any other woman had encountered this situation, she would have fainted from anxiety long ago, and there wouldn't have been any subsequent rounds of explanation.

Looking at the women around him, who had initially seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold, they all joined in and started arguing with him.

"That's right. If my Rong-jie really takes a liking to you, then you can come to my residence to propose marriage. I will decide whether to accept or reject you. But if you don't even come, how do you know I will refuse outright?"

The one who spoke was Madam Shen, who arrived late, accompanied by the Seventh Miss, He Zhizhu.

The reason why Madam Shen arrived late was that she had gone to change clothes on the way.

Little did they know that this person's urgent need caused them to lose face in front of the Jiang family once again.

Hearing that Hua Sirong had gotten into trouble again, she rushed over in a panic. Little did she know that she would run into her own unfortunate child on the way, which is why she was dragged into this situation until now.

The arrival of Madam Shen gave He San a sense of security, and she even gave Hua Sirong a reassuring look.

Hua Sirong was grateful in her heart, but she remained outwardly calm.

When Madam Shen arrived, she naturally protected her own children, bowed to Old Madam Jiang, and then looked at the guard Pei San.