The Marshal’s Wife is Wild
Chapter 150 - 149 Forked Out

Chapter 150: Chapter 149 Forked Out

When Qu Tong returned to the banquet, she noticed that from time to time people’s gazes would fall on her, discreetly sizing her up, clearly indicating that something was amiss.

When her eyes landed on Lan Weiying, who was surrounded and lauded by everyone nearby, she roughly guessed the reason.

It was nothing more than people comparing her to Lan Weiying while trying to curry favor with the latter.

Combined with Ouyang Linna’s malicious slander, after some embellishment, Qu Tong was portrayed as an indifferent, vicious-minded woman, utterly unfit to be a Princess Consort.

Lan Weiying had always been careful to maintain her image as a cold and unapproachable beauty, naturally she wouldn’t say anything, but sometimes silence sends a louder message than words.

Qu Tong caught every word Ouyang Linna said, her lips curling into a slight smirk.

She filled her glass with a full half of red wine, made her way through the crowd to Ouyang Linna, and without any pretense, splashed it directly on Ouyang Linna, adding a half-hearted "oops" for effect.

Ouyang Linna never expected Qu Tong to be so bold, leaving her no chance to dodge.

"Ah!" Ouyang Linna screamed, stepping back several paces.

Although Ouyang Linna was also wearing red, which didn’t show the stain too clearly, a whole glass of red wine dripping down her fingers, soaking her entirely, was unbearable for anyone.

The people around were stunned by this move, and the two nearest began frantically reaching for tissues and handkerchiefs to help Ouyang Linna wipe off, but it wasn’t something that could be easily wiped clean.

Qu Tong apologized in a rather insincere manner, "Sorry, it was not intentional."

Ouyang Linna glared furiously, "It was clearly on purpose."

"It wasn’t."

"It was! With so many people watching, you still want to argue?" Ouyang Linna pointed at the group of ladies standing together.

They all nodded, indicating they had seen the incident.

There weren’t a few people at the banquet, and a commotion like this quickly drew a crowd eager to see what was happening.

"They are all with you, of course they would say whatever you want them to," Qu Tong said fearlessly, directing her questioning gaze toward the onlookers who had just gathered.

Those people cooperatively nodded their heads as well.

Ouyang Linna was furious, gritting her teeth in anger, "I’ve been splashed by red wine all over because of you, how could I possibly be wrongly accusing you?"

"Who knows? After all, spreading rumors doesn’t cost anything, once you start there can always be more," Qu Tong said with a mocking smile.

Ouyang Linna caught the implication this time, Qu Tong was alluding to the slanders she had just uttered. She truly thought Qu Tong too high-minded to care, and deliberately said loudly,

"Did I say anything wrong? Aren’t you the one who left him to die? Lan Weiying’s mental outburst after returning was also caused by you."

"With so many people around at the time, why didn’t you ask them to save him? What does Lan Weiying’s mental outburst have to do with me? You ask your Miss Lan, who was the first to make a move?" Ouyang Linna’s words didn’t rile Qu Tong, who calmly pushed the pressure back onto Lan Weiying.

Everyone’s gaze shifted along with Qu Tong’s to the aloof goddess Lan Weiying.

Lan Weiying stiffened, then quickly revealed an impeccable faint smile, "The competition has a double points mechanism, competition between us is nothing out of the ordinary."

Lan Weiying’s response was very skilled, giving the impression of a forthright answer, but in reality, she didn’t address the issue directly, simply shifting the blame onto the competition’s rules.

"Let’s focus on Miss Ouyang’s issue for now, be careful you don’t catch a cold," Lan Weiying said thoughtfully, redirecting the conversation.

Upon hearing Lan Weiying’s words, Ouyang Linna felt a chill, although it wasn’t much for her S-rank constitution, it could not hide the fact that Qu Tong had publicly humiliated her.

"Hmph, you’re just throwing a fit of pique and intentionally came over to splash wine on me," Ouyang Linna retorted.

"You’re the one spreading rumors," Qu Tong countered, knowing she would never admit the truth, with the assurance of surveillance behind her and people from her own circle all around Ouyang Linna.

"Spreading rumors about what?"

"What do you think?"

"Do you know how expensive my dress is?"

"No worries, my lord has plenty of money."

Ouyang Linna: "..."

The audience at the scene: "..."

Qu Tong had thrown a figurative bomb, rendering everyone speechless.

The ongoing squabble eventually caught the attention of the elders nearby.

Arriving simultaneously were Song Ke, the Empress Dowager, and Niannian, carrying a fish bowl.

The fish bowl was wrapped like a birthday cake in a transparent plastic shell.

As soon as Niannian arrived, she sweetly called out, "Aunt!"

Qu Tong smiled and patted the Little Princess on the head.

Song Ke also asked with concern, "You didn’t suffer any unfair treatment, did you?"

Qu Tong gestured with her lips towards the frustrated Ouyang Linna, "Do I look like I’ve been at a disadvantage?"

Song Ke eyed Ouyang Linna’s disheveled appearance and then Qu Tong’s relaxed demeanor, quietly giving Qu Tong a thumbs up.

"What has happened here?" The Empress had already set aside her gentle demeanor and in front of others displayed the majestic air befitting the mother of a nation.

With a furrowed brow and a raised eye corner, she exuded a sense of oppression, to say nothing of the retinue of trusted aides behind her.

Ouyang Linna lifted her wet skirt, glanced at her own father, and found the courage to say, "Empress Dowager, the Princess Consort just intentionally spilled red wine all over me."

The head of the Ouyang family raised his voice in questioning, "Is that so, Second Princess Consort?"

"It was not intentional; it was an accident. I will compensate Miss Ouyang for her dress at full price, and I wish Miss Ouyang would not spread rumors about me without reason."

Rumors spread from one person to another, and almost everyone had heard something, including the Empress.

The Empress decisively selected a random spectator, "Tell me what happened."

The person called upon was somewhat nervous but still recounted the incident truthfully.

After listening, the expressions of the audience varied.

Since the chosen witness had not seen the incident of the stain on Ouyang Linna’s dress, they were very objective, mainly describing the dispute between Qu Tong and Ouyang Linna that followed.

To everyone’s ears, it sounded like Qu Tong had accidentally spilled red wine and apologized, while Ouyang Linna insisted on accusing her of doing it deliberately. Qu Tong denied it throughout, and Ouyang Linna’s evidence was not convincing.

"This was just an accident; what do you think, head of the Ouyang family?" the Empress turned to the Ouyang family head.

The head of the Ouyang family, of course, wanted to believe his daughter, but his argument was not solid, and he was caught in a dilemma.

That was when Lan Weiying spoke up, "I happened to be right next to Miss Ouyang. The Princess Consort’s actions didn’t quite look like an accident. I wonder if my word could serve as testimony?"

In everyone’s hearts, Lan Weiying was a high-standing idol, the S-rank Pharmacist from the Alchemist Association. Naturally, she was above lying.

Hearing her stand up to speak, the audience’s internal scales began to tip; excitement and gratitude appeared in the eyes of Ouyang Linna and the head of the Ouyang family.

"Have you forgotten the last rumor Miss Ouyang created about you?" Qu Tong hit the nail on the head.

Lan Weiying paused, gave Qu Tong a deep look, and then fell silent.

Finally, the Empress declared, "Given the situation, Miss Ouyang is currently in a less than ideal state. It would be best if she could tidy up a bit."

She waved to a guard behind her, "Guards, escort Miss Ouyang to... kindly take her to the changing room in the back courtyard."

Just as Qu Tong was musing about the Empress’s imposing aura, her sleeve was tugged.

She looked down to see Niannian waving her chubby little hands and blinking her sharp, clear eyes, gesturing for Qu Tong to lean down.

Qu Tong squatted and listened.

Niannian whispered, "Actually, the Empress Dowager has been wanting to throw the bad person out for a while now."

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