Chapter 391: She Cannot Die

Xiao Yin didn't expect he was about to leave, but Gu Jiu Ling threw him a brocade pouch; his mind stirred, not knowing what she meant.

He hurriedly caught the pouch with his hand, a smile flickered across his face, his eyes holding a hint of anticipation.

Gu Jiu Ling kept her head down, still gripping her son's chubby hand; this time she didn't press his fingers but, copying Xiao Yin, pressed his whole chubby hand into the ink and smeared it wildly on the paper.

The usually stern little fellow finally smiled, clearly enjoying this rough game.

Gu Jiu Ling whispered: "Be careful at tonight's palace banquet; your royal brother is vicious—you should have seen it coming."

"Even for an alliance marriage, many royals could marry Princess Yuan Qing."

"Besides, if Bei Di's Princess Yuan Qing marries, it should be with someone of her generation, like the Crown Prince or the Sixth Prince."

"Several young, strong princes are still unmarried—what's the fuss about marrying? When will an alliance marriage wait for you, old man, to step forward?"

Though the words were satisfying, the three words "old fellow" from Gu Jiu Ling's mouth stabbed straight at Xiao Yin's lungs.

Xiao Yin's face shifted slightly, his handsome brows raising.

Gu Jiu Ling didn't let Xiao Yin speak, continuing: "A junior of Bei Di, Princess Yuan Qing, is to marry Southern Qi's Ninth Imperial Uncle."

"What would it mean if Princess Yuan Qing married in? She's nearly the same generation as Emperor Longqing—wouldn't that let Bei Di overwhelm Southern Qi?"

Gu Jiu Ling snorted: "Emperor Longqing cares most about face; how could he let an enemy nation's princess become his sister-in-law?"

"The only explanation is that Emperor Longqing wants to seize your military command and wipe out your army prestige."

"Now your military prestige has somewhat recovered, but if you marry Bei Di's Princess Yuan Qing..."

Gu Jiu Ling chuckled: "The troops you once led, the Southern Qi soldiers who admired you, all have kin who died in the war against Bei Di."

"They hate the Bei Di royal family to the bone; in this situation, marrying someone else would be fine."

"But you alone cannot; once you marry Princess Yuan Qing, you'll become Bei Di's prince consort and its lackey."

"Then you'd be unlike those army brothers, unable to join them; how would they see you? Where would your prestige go?"

"Besides, by convention, a prince consort cannot hold real power or become a high official—this is Southern Qi's rule."

"Even an alliance-marriage prince consort cannot escape this rule."

"So now there's only one way: ruin this alliance marriage."

"But tonight at the palace banquet before so many, Emperor Longqing will surely raise the alliance marriage and may publicly declare no room for your rebuttal."

Xiao Yin's eyes flashed; he instinctively gripped his waist knife's hilt.

He already had a plan; that wench Yuan Qing, oblivious to her own worth, insists on marrying him—tonight he'll take her life.

He had long planned this; he didn't expect Gu Jiu Ling to bring it up.

His expression shifted slightly; he hurried to Gu Jiu Ling and sat down again.

He rested his elbow on the table, palm supporting his face, turned slightly to the lovely, focused woman opposite: "Then, according to you, what should we do?"

Gu Jiu Ling raised an eyebrow, glanced at Xiao Yin, and scoffed: "You wouldn't be planning to kill Princess Yuan Qing, would you?"

Xiao Yin's pupils trembled: "Exactly, you guessed right—only the dead won't be so troublesome."

Gu Jiu Ling released her son's hand, letting his two hands fling ink and play wildly on the paper, laughing happily.

She looked at Xiao Yin: "Your actions are decisive, but killing here is the worst plan."

"Now Western Rong's situation is dire; if you kill Princess Yuan Qing, Bei Di will inevitably clash with Southern Qi, war will erupt instantly, and the suffering will fall on the common people, countless lives scorched."

"Thus killing a princess is easy, but stopping a war is hard."

"Once Princess Yuan Qing dies there, Western Rong and Bei Di will surely cooperate; then, do you have full confidence to wage war against both nations at once?"

Xiao Yin's brow twitched; indeed, one couldn't tell Gu Jiu Ling had such broad vision.

He looked at the woman before him, nodded: "Not bad, continue."

Gu Jiu Ling also dipped a finger in ink and drew three dots on the yang-wood table: Western Rong, Bei Di, Southern Qi.

"Now the prince's military strength has somewhat recovered, but it's not the same as seven years ago."

"Now the prince is merely an idle prince; his training ground has only just been built, and he holds no military command."

"If at this time Bei Di and Western Rong cooperate to resist Southern Qi, it would actually benefit the Duan family."

"The emperor had originally prepared to act against the Duan family, but now he certainly won't; instead he'll rely on them."

"Then the Duan family will grow stronger; by then the prince's military territory will likely be devoured and replaced by the Duan family; if so, even if the prince schemes brilliantly, he'll unwittingly create a stronger enemy—will the grudge of Qi Sha Gu go unavenged?"

Xiao Yin's face darkened slightly; hearing Gu Jiu Ling mention the Qi Sha Gu grudge, he suddenly thought of Old Master Du.

Yes, that culprit's niece sits before him now; this leaves Xiao Yin feeling somewhat at a loss.

Gu Jiu Ling ignored Xiao Yin's expression, continuing: "Our pressing matter is that our greatest enemy is the Duan family; since you made the Third Prince a eunuch, the Duan family has become our mortal foe."

"This time my natal Gu family has also gravely offended the Duan family, so the Duan family will certainly not let us go; at this juncture, Princess Yuan Qing must not die."

Xiao Yin's brows furrowed tightly: "What do you mean?"

Gu Jiu Ling glanced at the silk pouch in Xiao Yin's hand; he hurriedly took it out, finding a glass bottle with half a bottle of medicine powder.

Gu Jiu Ling raised her chin, pointed at the powder, and whispered: "Later at the banquet, pour it into your wine cup; within less than half an incense stick it will take effect, and you'll bleed from the seven orifices."

Xiao Yin was speechless, his eye twitching; his long fingers rubbed the bottle: "Miss Gu, you're really harsh toward me—you wouldn't really want to poison your husband, would you?"

Gu Jiu Ling snorted: "You won't die; believe it or not, eat it or not."

"If the prince bleeds from the seven orifices, it's clearly incurable; then if Emperor Longqing still wants to give him an alliance marriage, it's a joke—he can use the chance to hide for a few days."

"During these few days, I wonder how, with the prince's cleverness, to place Princess Yuan Qing? How to escape this farce? The prince should be able to figure it out—no need for me to elaborate."

"By the way, when taking the medicine, the amount is half a bottle; if the dosage is wrong, you'll die!"

Xiao Yin seized the medicine bottle and gave a faint smile: "You really… love me fiercely."