She was maliciously rumored by the gossips in Yan Country.

The guards, two burly men with faces that bore the imprint of many years of service, looked at Mei Ling's bare breasts, their eyes filled with amusement.

"And why..." one of the guards chuckled, "would such a famously beautiful princess of the Zhou emperor choose to travel in such... unsuitable clothing for the Rites of Zhou?"

Mei Ling ignored the sarcasm, her focus unwavering. "I have an appointment," she said, her voice even, "an extremely important appointment. I need to go to Zhao before my 18th birthday to meet someone I love very much."

"A rendezvous, indeed," the other guard guffawed, "And what better way to celebrate one's 18th birthday than a naked journey to meet one's lover? Perhaps you're recovering a new custom for the girls of Zhou."

His words were met with uproarious laughter.

Princess Mei Ling was upset but her voice was still gentle "I am not celebrating. I am racing against time."

The Yan soldiers opened the gate and enjoyed looking at Mei Ling's naked body: "Very well, Princess, but you cannot remain naked within the city walls."

Although embarrassed, Mei Ling still kept her composure and politely replied: "I understand. I will pass through quickly." She nodded, her eyes fixed on the road ahead.

The Yan soldiers' teasing of Princess Mei Ling was heard by some idlers and gossips near the city gate who liked to gossip and interpreted it in many distorted ways.

The rumors regarding Princess Mei Ling's nakedness quickly spread throughout KeQing. They were told over and over again and soon people believed them to be true.

The princess was walking through a crowded market in KeQing. Drops of sweat glistened on her naked body in the morning sun. The scent of jasmine from her hair wafted in the wind. She walked naked with burning shame inside because she heard mocking laughter echoing everywhere.

At a shop selling paper fans.

"Look! It's the princess of the Zhou Dynasty!" A Confucian scholar holding a folding fan shouted: "Heaven and earth! She's completely naked."

The scholar next to him thought his friend was joking, so he replied, "Don't talk nonsense."

The scholar held a folding fan and pointed toward the street: "Look at that extremely beautiful naked girl wearing embroidered slippers walking behind you."

The other guy's eyes widened in disbelief. "It's really Princess Mei Ling, she's really lost her mind!"

"Poor thing," the paper fan shop owner's voice rang out, "That beautiful princess lost all her money and clothes while gambling. Now she no longer has a piece of cloth to cover her naked body. It's so shameful!"

2 the scholar asked again: "Is there really such a thing?"

The shopkeeper seemed determined: "It's true, everyone knows about this. The two young masters must have been too busy studying to know much about things outside the city.

It was my daughter's best friend's sister who saw Princess Mei Ling play dice badly that night in a tower.

When she ran out of silver, she bet the only clothes she was wearing. The princess had lost everything in a game of gambling! She lost all her clothes and the beautiful princess had to wander naked for many days until now!"

"They say she lost a fortune in Zhongshan," an embroiderer next to her added, a giggle escaping her lips. "She owed a merchant a large sum of money and stripped herself of all her clothes as collateral, and after paying off her debt she had to live naked."

"Look, there she is! "The gambling princess, stripped of her clothes and dignity!" a woman's voice was high and sharp.

A young lady of Yan country narrowed her eyes in disdain. "A princess who threw away her dignity, voluntarily went naked in front of many men for a few small coins!"

The two scholars nodded and believed the story that had been embroidered by many people:

"The foolish princess Mei Ling"

But she was so beautiful. Even though she voluntarily went naked because she lost in gambling, the princess of Zhou country must have been very ashamed!"

A wave of hot tears welled up in Mei Ling's eyes. They weren't tears of shame, but of fury, frustration and the sheer injustice of it all. Her lips trembled as she tried to speak, to explain but she was not allowed to mention the curse.

"Silence!" she cried, her voice a melody of sorrow and defiance. "I am no gambler, no beggar! I am Princess Mei Ling, and I walk this path for love, not for coin! The fact that I was stripped of all my clothes was for reasons I couldn't control."

Her words were drowned out by the rising tide of ridicule. The whispers grew louder, laced with disdain.

"Look, even she admits it! She was stripped naked because she was a gambler!" The Yan Kingdom's young ladies' voices were filled with disdain.

"For love?" A burst of laughter rang out from the crowd, "A beautiful and noble princess, because of gambling, voluntarily stripped herself naked for thousands of people to see, turning herself into a vulgar exhibitionist! You should be ashamed!"

"I… I don't…" she stuttered, tears streaming down her beautiful face. The weight of their ridicule, the shame of her nakedness, and the fear of the journey ahead, all combined to crush her spirit.

But her words were not listened to by anyone. The rumors continued their cruel refrain, their voices echoing throughout the streets of KeQing.

With a choked sob, Mei Ling ran naked, her arms covering her breasts, through the crowded streets. She wanted to leave this cruel market as soon as possible.