Chapter 205: and translation of chapter title

Gu Jiu Ling took Jiu Yue to Xiao Yin's eastern garden, because Jinzhi had already moved back to Tanchun Garden, and Gu Jiu Ling also did not let anyone continue moving things over to the eastern garden.

Outside the study in the eastern garden, Ling Feng brought people to stand guard; Gu Jiu Ling's steps hesitated slightly, and she wondered to herself, could there be other guests in the study?

Feeling that the protection was double the usual, Gu Jiu Ling walked over, and Ling Feng bowed to her.

"Prince, please go inside!"

Then he glanced at Jiu Yue; Jiu Yue understood that the Prince wanted to speak privately with the Princess Consort, so she took the hand warmer from Gu Jiu Ling's hand and waited at the door.

The weather grew colder and colder, the wind howled as it blew past, sweeping a layer of plum blossom petals from the eaves.

Jiu Yue shivered slightly, and Ling Feng beside her slowly moved over, extending a tightly clenched fist toward her.

Since Jiu Yue had agreed to the marriage with Ling Feng, she instead dared not get too close to him—first out of embarrassment, second for fear of bringing unnecessary trouble to her master.

At that moment, seeing the fist Ling Feng extended, Jiu Yue froze for a moment; Ling Feng opened his palm, and a piece of candy lay in his hand.

Jiu Yue immediately pursed her lips and smiled, took the candy, peeled off the wrapper and put it in her mouth; the sweetness soaked into her heart, indescribably pleasant.

Gu Jiu Ling walked into the study in the eastern garden, but she stood there, slightly stunned.

But she saw a person standing straight in the middle of the study—exactly the informant who had been sent back from the Fu Yu borderlands when Xiao Yin's men had been investigating Jinzhi's identity.

That was a mysterious woman dressed in a black robe, her face covered by a veil, unwilling to show her true face.

At that time, the woman said she had personally seen the little princess of the Fu Yu tribe rescue Jinzhi's life; Jinzhi had been burned, and multiple corroborations confirmed Jinzhi's origin.

Gu Jiu Ling thought that Xiao Yin had already given that woman some money and released her these past days, since she had indirectly saved Jinzhi, but she did not expect her to still be in the Rui Wangfu.

Moreover, from the extra guards Xiao Yin had stationed at the gate, it seemed he was on guard against this black-clad woman escaping.

"Your Highness!" Gu Jiu Ling said, bowing to Xiao Yin, then sat beside him.

Xiao Yin pushed the warmed tea and snacks toward Gu Jiu Ling, treating her like a child, always preparing little snacks for her.

Gu Jiu Ling accepted without hesitation, openly picking up a snack and taking a bite.

She realized this posture—Xiao Yin was letting her observe from the side.

Xiao Yin looked at the gentle smile on Gu Jiu Ling's lips, and when facing the black-clad woman standing in the center, his demeanor grew a bit colder.

He slowly lifted a cup of tea, took a light sip, and said, "Back then, the Fu Yu tribe betrayed its alliance with Southern Qi and was ultimately exterminated."

"Hmph!" the black-clad woman gave a cold laugh, "Yes, I am the last survivor of the Fu Yu tribe; whether sooner or later it's just death, so there's no need to keep pretending."

"Now Your Highness could easily send me to the Southern Qi court; back then, the Fu Yu rebellion made the entire tribe slaves of the state!"

"As a fugitive slave like me, Your Highness could hand me over to the authorities in exchange for some reward silver!"

Xiao Yin gave a light smile, his eyes flickering slightly as he fixed his gaze on the veiled black-clad woman: "The Fu Yu tribe has been exterminated; Your Highness the Princess need not belittle yourself or give up. What do you say? Princess Ya Lan?"

With a clatter, the teacup Gu Jiu Ling was holding fell to the corner of the table, and its lid rolled away with a gurgling sound.

"Be careful!" Xiao Yin raised his hand to touch Gu Jiu Ling's hand, gently pinching it to reassure her not to worry, ordered Jiu Yue to come in and clean the room, and then the door was shut again.

Gu Jiu Ling looked in disbelief at the black-robed woman before her, veiled, tall and slender; even with her face covered, she exuded an outstanding presence.

No wonder, when she first saw this woman, she felt she didn't look like an ordinary maid beside a princess; and indeed she turned out to be the little princess of Fu Yu Guo who, according to rumor, leapt straight from the city gate tower to die for her country when the state fell.

There is also a version that when Xiao Wei slaughtered the city, he lusted after the princess's beauty and confined her in the Fu Yu palace; the princess, unable to endure the humiliation, set herself on fire.

Others say she was killed by Xiao Wei; since it was a massacre of the tribe and the city, naturally not even chickens or dogs were left.

In short, all versions agree that Princess Ya Lan of Fu Yu Guo died, and died miserably.

If that's the case, how could the woman standing before us be the princess? How many little princesses does Fu Yu Guo actually have?

Gu Jiu Ling felt a bit dazed for a moment.

But Xiao Yin gave her no time to breathe, coldly smiling: "Back then, the little princess of Fu Yu Guo was a remarkable figure, whether in archery or literary talent, truly admirable; yet now she has actually sunk into being a timid turtle."

"Your clan was exterminated, your father's head hung on the city gate tower, and you can still scrape by alive? Your Highness the Princess, don't you have any heart?"

"You..." the black-clad woman charged at Xiao Yin, but before her body reached him, his sword sheath flicked and struck her knee, causing her to collapse to the ground in a kneel.

The veil on her face was accidentally pulled off by that motion, revealing a face covered in poisonous sores, though the delicacy of her brows and eyes could not be suppressed.

Her appearance was actually quite beautiful, even somewhat lovely and charming, but at this moment the poisonous sores covering her face forced people to recoil.

Gu Jiu Ling hurriedly rose and walked to Princess Ya Lan's face, staring at it in disbelief.

"Your Highness the Princess, please sit and speak!" Xiao Yin looked at the Fu Yu princess before him, his expression calm, yet his words carried immense pride.

"My consort is skilled in the art of Qi Huang; she can heal your face. If you help me accomplish something, my Rui Wangfu will protect you completely! It can even help you avenge your grudges!"

Princess Ya Lan's eyes flickered, she looked at Xiao Yin, and suddenly gave a cold laugh: "Your Highness need not avenge me; this face is one I poisoned myself."

Xiao Yin nodded, rose slowly, and helped Gu Jiu Ling sit back in her chair; this girl, when she gets busy with affairs, is quite proactive.

But she is pregnant, and the months are growing larger; she must be carefully protected.

Gu Jiu Ling had actually already seen about eighty or ninety percent of it; she said softly, "The poisonous sores can be cured; within a week we can detoxify and restore her original appearance."

Xiao Yin nodded, helped her sit, then coldly looked at Princess Ya Lan struggling to crawl up from the ground, and gave a light laugh: "The Princess would rather poison herself, ruin her appearance, and hide her identity while living in the old Fu Yu lands; back then your father probably intended to send you fleeing Fu Yu, and even Southern Qi did not want you to remain there."

"What a pity your father's painstaking efforts; you are actually bold to the extreme, unafraid of the court's eradication, and instead hide your name and take refuge in the ruins of the old lands."