Chapter 199

Xiao Yin slapped the table with one palm, and the teacups on the table trembled.

Everyone around fell silent, no one dared to say anything.

The Zhao family's demand is understandable; Zhao Lang really got screwed over by the Rui Wang Fu this time, not only almost losing his life, but even his reputation was completely trampled.

Now that the Zhao family has made this demand, they are trying to make things difficult for the Rui Wang Fu; since the Rui Wang Fu had previously insisted on the marriage alliance, they really must now provide a wife for that Zhao Lang brat.

Anyone with eyes can see that the Zhao family and the Rui Wang Fu are now enemies; no matter whom the Rui Wang Fu sends to marry into the Zhao family, Zhao Lang will just use her as a punching bag.

Xiao Yin sat down in the chair and said slowly: "The urgent matter is for me to go recognize another sister."

"Where to go recognize a sister? This time we need to find someone whose background we know," Gu Jiu Ling also sat down and poured him a cup of tea.

Xiao Yin slowly looked at the few maidservants beside Gu Jiu Ling; Gu Jiu Ling startled and hurriedly said: "No one from my side may move! Not a single one!"

Xiao Yin nodded, feeling a bit uneasy; if we want someone whose background we know, it would be those few maidservants beside the princess consort; if we had sent them to Zhao Lang's side earlier, it would have been like burning high incense.

Now Zhao Lang hates the Rui Wang Fu; marrying over there would no longer be wonderful.

Gu Jiu Ling certainly wouldn't let her people step on a landmine; Xiao Yin sighed, his Wangfu originally had hardly any ladies, where could he find someone?

He then turned his gaze to the pale-faced Ling Feng, who actually had a somewhat delicate and handsome appearance.

Ling Feng instinctively stepped back, then knelt down and said: "Your Highness, I have a request!"

"Speak!" Xiao Yin said slowly: "These past years I haven't seen any women by your side; if you like men..."

"Prince!" Ling Feng's voice trembled slightly: "Prince, I wish to marry the maiden Jiu Yue who serves beside the Princess Consort! I hope the Prince will grant this!"

A flicker of loss crossed Xiao Yin's eyes; he nodded and said: "This is a good thing! I don't know how the Princess Consort feels about it."

Gu Jiu Ling smiled: "Naturally I am pleased to see it come to pass!"

At that moment Ling Feng and Jiu Yue knelt to give thanks, but Jiu Yue said her mistress is pregnant and cannot leave her; after the mistress gives birth to the young heir and the commandery princess, she can marry later; first let's just settle the engagement.

After Gu Jiu Ling settled Jiu Yue's marriage, she then had Jiu Yue take her people and leave.

At this moment, only Xiao Yin and Gu Jiu Ling remained in the Dongyuan warm pavilion; Xiao Yin took a breath, raised his hand and gripped Gu Jiu Ling's somewhat cool hand, giving a bitter smile: "Tell me about the poison in my body! I can bear it!"

A hint of worry flickered in Gu Jiu Ling's eyes: "Prince, please wait a moment."

She rose and walked to the outbuilding outside the warm pavilion, took out a box, then from the box took out several sealed plastic boxes, placing a total of seven in front of Xiao Yin.

Xiao Yin raised his eyebrows slightly, not knowing what this meant.

Gu Jiu Ling's expression toward him became more solemn: "Prince, these were all taken from your body; the smallest one is almost up against the heart."

"If delayed another half year, even a Great Luo immortal couldn't save you."

Xiao Yin's brows furrowed tightly; he picked up the first box, and as soon as he opened it his whole body stiffened there, his face full of disgust.

Gu Jiu Ling stared at him intently and said: "It's pretty disgusting, right?"

These are cysts cut from Xiao Yin's body, not ordinary cysts; inside they actually harbor slender gu worms.

She lowered her voice: "The poison the emperor and empress dowager gave the prince is not an ordinary poison but a rare gu poison; these are gu worms, parasitic in the prince's body, slowly growing, eroding his five viscera and six bowels, causing the prince to unknowingly become a madman whose insides have been hollowed out!"

Xiao Yin's masseter muscles were clenched tight; he didn't speak, just stared fixedly at the disgusting thing inside the box.

After a long while he closed the box again, lifted his gaze to Gu Jiu Ling and said: "May I have these things given to me?"

Gu Jiu Ling froze there: "Prince, what do you want these for?"

"If it weren't to let the prince see them with his own eyes, I would have wanted to throw these disgusting things into the fire and burn them right after they were cut out."

Xiao Yin said slowly: "Is there still use in keeping them?"

Gu Jiu Ling froze there: "What use?"

Xiao Yin's long slender fingers played lightly with the box, and he smiled faintly: "One day this prince will return all these things to them, stuffing them into their mouths!"

Gu Jiu Ling felt a chill run through her, and she involuntarily shivered slightly.

She quickly changed the subject, looking at the invitation placed on the table: "Prince, the third prince's concubine-taking wedding feast—will you go?"

"Actually it doesn't matter; it's just taking a concubine. If the prince doesn't want to go, I'll have someone call it off for you!"

Xiao Yin put down the box, picked up the invitation, and chuckled lightly: "Why not go? This prince still wants to go and show proper support!"

Although he said this with a smile, his eyes were icy to the point of being deadly.

These days, the trusted maidservants around Gu Jiu Ling have all gotten busy.

Yun Duo was sent out to investigate Su Wanrou's affairs; Jiu Yue and Ling Feng have become engaged, and they also have some matters to keep them busy for a few days, leaving only Jinzhi beside her.

Now that Su Wanrou has left the Wangfu, Jinzhi no longer needs to avoid her; coincidentally today the master is seeing patients at the medical clinic, and the two stewards from the manor have come to deliver the manor's register.

Gu Jiu Ling oversees the household affairs of the Rui Wang Fu; the year-end accounts must all be reviewed by her.

These days, for some reason there are also many patients, so the accounts sent from the manor are personally carried by Jinzhi to the medical clinic, handed directly to the master to look at and have stamped.

Gu Jiu Ling, wanting to avoid trouble, simply handed the seal to Jinzhi, letting her take care of the stamping.

But Jinzhi is especially rule-abiding; although she has earned the master's trust, she absolutely cannot overstep, so even just running back and forth with the accounts, Gu Jiu Ling can only let her do as she wishes.

She is someone who has come from modern society through time travel, but Jinzhi is still a very conservative girl of this era, following rules and being obedient to the point of making one feel sorry for her; for a while she still cannot accept the idea of equality.

That day, after Jinzhi finished delivering the accounts and was about to turn back, the owner of the Hu Ji sweet pancake stall on the street called out to her, asking her to wait a moment, as he had sweet pancakes to send to her master.

Those days, the son of Old Man Hu was the one whose illness Gu Jiu Ling had treated with surgery, and he was especially grateful.

Jinzhi waited outside the shop; Old Man Hu went inside to package the sweet pancakes, when suddenly the sound of horse hooves came from the street, and a rider nearly bumped into Jinzhi.

Jinzhi hastily dodged, looked up, and met the stern face of Junior General Zhao Lang.

Zhao Lang's injury had finally healed; these days he could come out for a stroll, and he hadn't expected his horse to be startled and nearly hit someone; he tightened the reins, dismounted, and was about to rush over to apologize to Jinzhi, when he saw the insignia of the Rui Wang Fu embroidered on the vest she was wearing.

His expression immediately sank slightly.