Miss Truth

The Government Office’s people had already arrived, and the inn was surrounded so tightly that water couldn’t leak through, but no one dared to make a loud noise. Almost everyone was whispering, making it difficult to hear any useful information.

Seeing this, Ge Lan nudged Wan Lu. They had grown up together since they were young, and some things did not need to be said for them to understand each other’s intentions.

Wan Lu scanned the crowd, then squeezed her way forward to a plump middle-aged woman and asked in a low voice, "Lady, do you know what happened here?"

The woman glanced at Wan Lu, and seeing her dressed as a maid with a decent but not overly flirty appearance, she was just itching to gossip with someone. In a very professional gossipy manner, she leaned over and whispered, "You must have just arrived, right? I was right across the street in the fabric store and heard everything clearly. It’s said that the legitimate daughter of the Dou Family, who normally never steps out of her home, was somehow in a very good mood today and went to Zhi Xian Tower for a private room, saying she wanted to celebrate something. However, before even two moments had passed after she entered, she..."

The woman sighed with pity, "That’s why I say, fate, oh fate!"

"Eh? Why wouldn’t Miss Dou step out of doors?" Wan Lu felt it strange, as even the most demure ladies in Chang’an would occasionally go out for a trip or to shop.

The woman took another glance at Wan Lu and said, "You haven’t been in Chang’an for long, have you."

"Yes, I arrived in Chang’an just half a year ago. I’m unfamiliar with the area and don’t often go out," said Wan Lu.

"That explains it," the woman said, her enthusiasm suddenly rising. The essence of gossip is knowing something others do not. Upon hearing this, the woman warmed up a bit more to Wan Lu and lowered her voice to a level only they could hear. "This Dou Miss is the legitimate daughter from the wealthiest family in Chang’an, with legitimate older brother and sister. The sister is fair and pure, but I don’t know why she ended up with a face full of blemishes, completely marred. So at seventeen, she hasn’t had a single suitor. Miss Dou rarely leaves the house due to this, perhaps twice in a whole year, and now, on this rare occasion that she went out, she met with this misfortune. Aren’n’t you saying it’s fate?"

Wan Lu’s heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly understood why Ran Yan and Liu Qingsong were so anxious, her face turning pale.