One of the official’s wives could tell that Madam Gao was in a fix, so she said pointedly, “There are many highly ambitious people who are not blessed with good fortune. They are unable to see where they stand, so they dare to dream of things out of their reach. Now with the rumors being spread throughout the imperial capital, they might very well end up falling into the mud soon.”

Madam Gao turned to look at the woman when she heard this.

When Madam Gao saw the unfathomable expression on the woman’s face, as though she knew more than she was letting them in on, Madam Gao could not help but ask, “Do you know something about this?”

Both women were on friendly terms and were frequently in contact, which was why Madam Gao did hesitate to ask the question.

The woman shook her head. “All I’ve heard were rumors. I’ve yet to hear anything directly with my own ears.”

Madam Gao paused momentarily, contemplating the hidden meaning within those words. “Are you saying that someone is trying to destroy Li Tong’er’s reputation?”

A spark appeared in the woman’s eyes, though she continued shaking her head. “I’m not too sure about that, but Madam Li and her daughter have been acting in quite a high-profile manner recently. All the things they have said and done are supposed to be taboo, but they do not seem to bother keeping themselves in check. They are bound to get into trouble sooner or later.”

She lowered her voice slightly and continued, “Madam Li and her daughter have been attending many banquets over the last few days. They’re acting like they’re worried no one knows about Li Tong’er nearly becoming the Empress in the past. And there’s the fact that Li Tong’er is an exceptional beauty. Most people privately think that she will have a bright future and have reached out to her, harboring secret intentions. But Madam Li is the only fool who does not know when to stop such boastful behavior. Does she think the lady in the lofty position is a weakling? Would she allow Li Tong’er to show off as she pleases?”

The woman stopped talking when she reached this point.

However, Madam Gao had already realized quite a few things from this.

That said, the woman’s comment about people being secretly optimistic about Li Tong’er’s future made her break out in cold sweat.

Madam Gao’s expression stiffened when caught the woman’s smiling eyes.

That was because Madam Gao had indeed harbored the same intentions to get on friendly terms with Madam Li and her daughter.

Now that she had heard what the woman had to say, she felt chills through her body.

That woman was relatively close to Madam Gao, so when she saw that Madam Gao was scared out of her mind, she tried to console her.

“You shouldn’t feel so nervous about this. You didn’t do anything wrong. Besides, you chased away that pair of mother and daughter.”

Madam Gao felt secretly relieved when she heard this.

She was about to say something when a young lady appeared from behind a rockery.

That young girl was wearing a long yellow dress that gave a bright and charmingly coquettish look to her.

Madam Gao had just quelled her anxiety when the sight of this person made her feel stressed again.

“Miss…Miss Lin?”

Madam Gao’s friend looked at her in surprise too.

Lin Qingyuan met their eyes with a dignified aura and offered a pretty smile. “I saw those beautiful flowers planted by Madam Gao in the courtyard and lost myself for a moment while admiring them. I must seem rather like a child.”

With those words, her gaze swept around the place. When she saw how few people were left in the courtyard, she appeared surprised. “Why has the banquet ended? Where is everyone?”

Madam Gao’s face twitched. She had no idea how to start explaining about what happened.

Some of the attendees quickly explained, “Something came up and the others had to leave.”

Lin Qingyuan had actually heard everything from behind the rockery.

She smiled. “Since that is the case, I should leave too, now that I’m done admiring the flowers. Thank you for being a generous host today, Madam Gao.”

“You’re much too kind, Madam Lin,” Madam Gao gave a start and quickly replied.

Lin Qingyuan nodded at the few of them and left with her maids.

Once she had left, Madam Gao almost collapsed to the ground, though fortunately a few official’s wives beside her helped her up.

When she managed to gather her thoughts, Madam Gao began to feel worried again. “Do you think she heard everything we just said?”