Chapter 308: A Body Inspection

Gu Fei’s heart grew cold. "I haven’t heard any rumors."

Princess Qi slammed her teacup on the table. "The way I see it, it’s not that you’re unaware. Perhaps the rumors started with you! You’ve had this scheme in mind from the very beginning!"

Gu Fei pressed her lips together, saying nothing. She knew that anything she said right now would be wrong.

The more she tried to defend herself, the angrier the Princess Consort would become.

Princess Qi sneered. "You two girls think you can use your pretty faces to latch onto my Yu’er, don’t you?"

Gu Fei lowered her head. "That is not my intention."

"Lan Zhi is already betrothed to my second older brother and will be married soon."

"And I have no intention of clinging to the Young Master Heir."

Upon hearing this, Princess Qi glanced at Lan Zhi. The girl was dressed in rags and already betrothed; she was likely not a threat.

But this Miss Gu... she was far too beautiful. The Princess Consort had seen plenty of girls like her—girls who thought they could use their looks to climb the social ladder and become royalty overnight.

She snorted. "Nanny Xu, take these two girls to the back and have them examined."

’This Miss Gu’s words sounded convincing enough, but she couldn’t bring herself to trust them completely.’

’If these two girls are innocent, then so be it. But if they’ve truly corrupted my Yu’er... hmph, they won’t be leaving here alive!’

Gu Fei snapped her head up to stare at Princess Qi. ’An examination?’

Her face flushed crimson. Unable to endure it any longer, she burst out, "Princess Consort, Lan Zhi and I are respectable, innocent young women. Don’t you think examining us for no reason is going too far?"

Horrified, Lan Zhi quickly tried to pull Gu Fei back.

’This is the Princess Consort! Have you lost your mind?’

’And the Young Master Heir isn’t even here to help.’

But Gu Fei paid her no mind, clenching her fists. "We may be daughters of a common family, but we have our self-respect and our honor! How can you humiliate us like this! For the Princess Consort to look down on us is a small matter, but does this mean you hold the Young Master Heir in such low esteem? Do you truly believe he is such a contemptible person?"

Princess Qi was momentarily speechless. Before she could respond, her senior maidservant, Ruyu, snapped, "Slap her! Who gave you the audacity to speak to the Princess Consort that way?"

At these words, an older female servant rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward.

Princess Qi suddenly raised a hand. "Stop!"

’The girl did have a point. If nothing had truly happened, and Yu’er found out she had so little faith in him, he would definitely raise a fuss. That child was incredibly stubborn. She feared neither heaven nor earth, but she was completely helpless when it came to her son.’

The older servant hastily retreated.

Princess Qi beckoned Nanny Xu closer and whispered, "What is your assessment of these two girls?"

Nanny Xu leaned close and whispered in her ear, "Princess Consort, I was observing the two of them when they walked in. They walk with their legs held tightly together and without swaying their hips. Judging by their faces—their eyebrows are full, the corners of their eyes are pristine, their gaze is clear, and there’s a touch of red on their chins. They are, without a doubt, virgins."

Princess Qi let out a long sigh. ’Good.’

’Yu’er’s master had instructed that he must not lose his virginity before the age of twenty. There were still six months until Yu’er’s twentieth birthday, and she was terrified he would lose his self-control and break his abstinence.’

Her gaze fell upon Gu Fei. ’The girl truly is a peerless beauty.’

’Her eyes looked clear and righteous, not like those of a flirtatious seductress who constantly strikes poses to attract attention.’

’She knew her son wasn’t one to meddle in other people’s business. The fact that Yu’er was willing to step in and help her must mean that he had developed feelings for the girl.’

’If that was the case, then perhaps after Yu’er was properly married, it wouldn’t be impossible to take this girl in as his concubine.’

’But first, she still needed to put the girl in her place.’