Consort of a Thousand Faces Chapter 109.1 - truth

Chapter 109.1: truth

Most of the customers who gathered on the first floor of the teahouse at night had regular day jobs, so the waiters were neither surprised nor disdainful when they spotted Su Xi-er with her face covered in grime.
Su Xi-er shook her head. “I have already eaten. I just saw that this teahouse looked lively and decided to come in to check it out.”
The waiter instantly understood and nodded. “You came to see what the buzz is about right? Listen carefully, today is much more explosive than usual since the matter is related to the previous Eldest Imperial Princess!” The waiter then left with a smile.
Ever since the previous Eldest Imperial Princess, Ning Rulan, was evicted from the imperial household and killed, no one dared to publicly mention her name. It was unclear who had started the rumour, but that was no longer important. What mattered now was that it gave everyone the excuse to fervently discuss the topic, bringing forth their pent up curiosity and thirst for gossip.
Everyone kept exchanging words in the teahouse, with the topic revolving around Ning Rulan. Some even mentioned her performance on the battlefield, about how she devised stratagems and cooperated with Prince Yun. However, soon after that, everyone began to sigh.
“If Ning Rulan had toned down her glorious achievements, perhaps refrained from displaying her abilities so early on, the ministers in court probably wouldn’t have targeted her. I think that Prince Yun still had some feelings for her, but he was forced to kill her due to a lack of options.”
Su Xi-er looked at the middle-aged man who was sharing his opinions. He’s already at such an age, but he contemplates quite a lot. Yun Ruofeng had already been plotting to kill me, so how could he have been forced due to a lack of options?”
“I’m an expert in pretending. Pretending that I love you very much.” I will forever remember those words. Now that I have come to Nanzhao however, there’s something I don’t understand. Shouldn’t Yun Ruofeng and Ning Anlian be trying to rush their marriage? They are truly in love with one another; not to mention that Ning Anlian is even pregnant. If they continue to procrastinate, her tummy will only get larger. At that point, even if they have the heart to be together, the obstinate ministers can prevent them from coming together on the basis of Nanzhao’s rules.
It would reveal that they’re not conforming with the rules, and defying the founding principles of the nation.
“Exactly how many people have seen what the peerless beauty looks like? Is she really similar to Ning Rulan? If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have gone to work, but come running here to squat in the streets to wait for her instead.”
Right after he spoke, there was an uproar in the whole teahouse. Many people burst into laughter and said that he didn’t have the luck to see the beauty.
Some even directly remarked, “I have seen her before. What’s the saying again? ‘This woman is so refined and beautiful that she can only exist in Heaven. It would be difficult to find any like her in the mortal realm’.”
“Woah, even someone like you who rears pig is able to say this phrase.”
“Rearing pigs also requires learning a little from the storyteller teacher. Women nowadays all like men with sweet mouths. I’m already 30 years old, and my old mother at home is nagging at me. She doesn’t count on me being able to marry a top-class beauty, but hopes that I can at least marry a virtuous wife.” The man giggled.
“Speaking of virtuous, us Nanzhao citizens like women who keep to their roles and manage domestic affairs. No matter how much the two miss’ from the Wei Family are worth, who’s going to marry them? Not only are their appearances worse than that of normal people, they even have the temper of a bossy missy.
In an instant, everyone was discussing the two miss’ from the Wei Family, even revealing how the peerless beauty forced them to back down with her wisdom.
As Su Xi-er silently listened, she kept surveying her surroundings. This teahouse was the largest in Nanzhao, with a total of three storeys. The first floor was for entertaining ordinary people, the second floor for daughters of noble families, and the third floor specially catered for the powerful.
The person who started the rumour must be here. I’m just not sure if they are on the second or third floor.