Chapter 315

Gu Jiu Ling's steps halted there, as if deliberately opposing her; that bell-like laugh grew sharper by a few degrees, and the girl inside appeared to be in a good mood.

That laugh fell into Gu Jiu Ling's ears, especially grating.

Gu Jiu Ling couldn't help but feel a bit self-mocking; she and Xiao Yin were originally in a cooperative relationship, and even if Xiao Yin now fancied another woman, aside from a slight discomfort in her heart, she truly had no position to stop it.

But now Gu Kang's matter is urgent, and after spending so long in the palace with no news at all, Gu Jiu Ling couldn't care about anything else; she went straight over.

The guards who usually guarded the study saw the Princess Consort of Rui striding over angrily, and they all froze in place.

They were all Xiao Yin's close aides, and naturally they knew the Prince had uncovered the ringleader who had framed their brothers back then—the maternal grandfather of the Princess Consort.

They used to like this Princess Consort very much, but now, because of the connection with Old Master Du, their gazes toward Gu Jiu Ling also carried a hint of coldness.

Everyone around Xiao Yin felt the Qi Sha Gu incident deeply in their hearts, so their hatred grew even stronger, even extending to the blood relatives of Old Master Du.

Gu Jiu Ling stepped forward to enter, but the two guards blocked her path.

Gu Jiu Ling shouted angrily: "Get lost!"

The two guards were about to say something, but Gu Jiu Ling lifted her arm, shoved the door open hard, and strode inside.

The commotion caused by this was somewhat loud; the people chatting and laughing in the warm pavilion fell silent.

Gu Jiu Ling lifted her gaze and looked at the few people seated.

Xiao Yin sat in the main seat wearing casual robes, while on the guest-of-honor seat sat a middle-aged man in short martial attire, looking like a dart escort from the jianghu.

To the man's right sat a heroic-looking, fairly beautiful young woman in military dress, not the sort of lady raised in the inner chambers.

On the other side sat a youth in indigo-blue short clothing, his smile still not faded, showing that the host and guest had just been chatting happily.

Ling Feng stood behind Xiao Yin, his face bearing a faint smile; upon meeting Gu Jiu Ling's gaze, and also seeing Jiu Yue who had followed her, his expression flickered with a hint of surprise, a flash of panic crossing his eyes.

Jiu Yue gave Ling Feng a cold stare, then stood behind her own master.

Because the relationship between her master and the Prince had been growing icy these days, Jiu Yue also began to dislike Ling Feng.

Even though Ling Feng had tried to meet him privately several times, he had avoided him; now that these people met, though they were once the closest, it was somewhat awkward.

Xiao Yin hadn't expected Gu Jiu Ling to push the door open and storm in; he instinctively rose from the edge of his seat, the movement somewhat urgent, almost a reflex.

He strode a few steps toward Gu Jiu Ling, but then stopped just there.

His eyes toward Gu Jiu Ling held a mix of anxiety and surprise, which was then replaced by more complicated emotions; he didn't know what to say, so he just stood there stunned.

The middle-aged man on the side was Li Shu, who had been helping Xiao Yin run errands these days; Li Shu glanced at Xiao Yin's anxious expression and furrowed his brows slightly.

The Prince had never been like this before; even when facing the Qi Sha Gu situation, he had never lost his composure.

This time, facing a pregnant woman, the Prince's expression appeared somewhat fragmented.

He was the one who personally investigated the Qi Sha Gu incident, and by now he already knew that Gu Jiu Ling's maternal grandfather was Old Master Du.

Seeing Gu Jiu Ling walk in, the faces of those several people were not looking good.

The young woman named Ying Gu sitting on the side furrowed her brows tightly; to be honest, she liked Xiao Yin.

But she knew she was a jianghu person and could never be worthy of Prince Rui, so she hid this affection deep in her heart.

She was not the type to pester others, so she had never confessed her feelings to Xiao Yin.

Moreover, she had her own pride and was even less willing to become Xiao Yin's concubine.

These days, having come to Shang Jing with her father, after interacting with Xiao Yin she found that his complexion was much better than before, and his physique seemed more capable.

She couldn't help feeling happy for him, yet the affection buried in her heart—could it really be suppressed just by saying so?

Now seeing the woman Xiao Yin liked, Gu Jiu Ling, walk in, she felt a faint chill in her heart, and had to admit that this woman was indeed good-looking.

But she was Old Master Du's granddaughter; how would Xiao Yin conduct himself from now on?

It was said that this woman had once shamelessly clung to Xiao Yin's leg to force him to marry her.

Gu Jiu Ling withdrew her gaze from the others and fixed it on Xiao Yin before her.

Gu Jiu Ling raised her brows slightly; she had thought that these days, with Xiao Yin having a new love, he would surely be carefree and plump, in good spirits.

But this time he appeared even more haggard than before, obviously due to lack of sleep.

Gu Jiu Ling had no mood to ponder why Xiao Yin was so haggard; she lifted her head and stared fixedly at the man before her, the atmosphere between them already having grown distant.

"Please, Prince, step out for a moment; I have something to say to you."

Even though Gu Jiu Ling was anxious, she did not want to speak of her brother's matter in front of so many people.

After all, Gu Kang's entry into the palace was no ordinary matter, and Gu Jiu Ling wished to avoid involving unrelated people.

Hearing Gu Jiu Ling address him with a title, Xiao Yin felt rather displeased.

He looked at the beautiful-faced woman before him, no longer having his former bright smile, but instead carrying a hint of coldness.

Xiao Yin knew that these past days he had neglected Gu Jiu Ling, making her especially dissatisfied with him.

But Xiao Yin was the elder brother of the deceased brothers of Qi Sha Gu, a great general of countless wronged souls.

At this moment he truly did not know how to face Gu Jiu Ling; he only wanted to wait for time to pass, to slightly ease things between them.

So that he could find an opportunity to settle this matter and pacify both sides.

But evidently the woman opposite him harbored some resentment toward him; thinking that the woman before him hated him a little, Xiao Yin suddenly panicked and stepped forward hastily.

He hadn't even spoken when Ying Gu on the side suddenly rose to her feet.

"Is this the Princess Consort of Rui? What a grand air."

Gu Jiu Ling's brows knotted tightly; she despised women who had no sense of boundaries.

"What goes on between her and Xiao Yin is their marital affair; what connection does it have with you, an outsider?"

"\"Xiao Yin! Come out! \" Gu Jiu Ling, obviously exasperated, didn't want to waste more time and directly called his name."

"\"Prince, you are after all the esteemed Imperial Uncle Ninth; you are nothing more than an unvalued legitimate daughter of the Gu family. \""

Ying Gu raised her voice.

"\"Now the Prince pities you and takes you into his manor, yet you treat the Prince with such disrespect—what kind of reasoning is this? \""

Gu Jiu Ling's expression changed in an instant, and she let out a bitter laugh: "I don't know who you are, but women who want to be a concubine in my Prince Rui's manor—there are not just a thousand or eight hundred in all of Shang Jing; if you wish to be a concubine, to be the mistress of the Prince Rui's manor, line up properly and wait—there is no cutting in line."

What nonsense are you talking?

Ying Gu has been upright and honest since childhood, wandering the martial world, practicing chivalry and justice; everyone respectfully calls her Miss Ying.

Who would have thought Gu Jiu Ling would humiliate her like this?

She instantly flew into a rage, raised her hand and lunged to grab Gu Jiu Ling.

Everyone was stunned by this, and even Uncle Li stood up.

But Yun Duo, behind Gu Jiu Ling, had already drawn her sword and thrust it toward Ying Gu's face.