Chapter 396

Gu Jiu Ling held her daughter in her arms, while her son lay asleep in Jiu Yue's arms.

She lifted the curtain and glanced at Xiao Yin walking toward the carriage not far away, silently sighing, why does this man bother himself?

Xiao Yin was knocked unconscious by a cup of poisoned wine given by Princess Yuan Qing in Qionghua Hall and has remained comatose to this day; this news has spread throughout Shang Jing of Southern Qi, yet he now risks coming to see himself.

One must know that at this critical juncture, it's best for the two of them not to meet.

Since Xiao Yin is pretending to be a sick, poisoned person, he should keep up the act instead of taking an hour or two to rush here to see her and the children.

The time Xiao Yin has to see her is limited, namely half an hour.

For Xiao Yin, such a brief meeting is rare, and the time passes too quickly.

He suddenly realized that pretending to be ill and waiting to die as a persona is really troublesome.

But the pit he dug himself at the banquet, into which he himself fell, is still somewhat difficult to climb out of in a short time.

Jiu Yue, sitting beside, looked carefully at her master and couldn't help but whisper, 'Prince, you've worked hard; in the palace you have to deal with all that, your thoughts are still with me, you can't let go of either side, and lately you seem to have lost weight.'

Gu Jiu Ling's heart stirred slightly, and she slowly lowered her head to look at her daughter sleeping in her arms.

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These two little rascals made a fuss for a long time, finally wore themselves out playing and fell asleep.

Yun Duo then brought the message to come say that Xiao Yin wanted to see her; she happened to be not at the manor, so she brought the children to this grove.

When she first bought the manor here, she discovered that this grove was deep and secluded.

She planned to build a medicine hut in the grove and clear a plot of land to grow medicinal herbs.

Now she brings the children to pursue her career, getting both done; she just brought the kids to play here and, by the way, check on the specific situation of this place.

At that time, have Li Qiao'er help her contact craftsmen to repair the medicine hut here; just then Xiao Ying sent someone over saying they wanted to see her and the children, missing her.

Gu Jiu Ling secretly smiled; since she returned to Shang Jing, she and Xiao Yin have been able to meet almost every one or two days, and sometimes Xiao Yin would run back and forth to her place several times in a day.

Although she and Xiao Yin are now separated, this child cannot be prevented from seeing Xiao Yin.

She also planned to bring the children back to the manor, not expecting that Xiao Yin had already come following the news.

The two then chatted in the carriage, ate some snacks, and then parted.

Gu Jiu Ling originally intended for Xiao Yin to take the prescription she gave, feigning illness to avoid disaster.

Unexpectedly, before Xiao Yin feigned illness, he also splashed dirty water on Princess Yuan Qing, completely making this marriage alliance impossible to proceed.

But Xiao Yin cannot keep pretending to be ill forever; how to resolve this afterward, Gu Jiu Ling wanted to ask him.

Xiao Yin merely chatted with her, held the son, and kissed the daughter.

Gu Jiu Ling also didn't press further, after all this is Xiao Yin's private matter; how to resolve it, he might have his own way.

Gu Jiu Ling lowered the carriage curtain, returned to her own courtyard, not expecting that her movements had already been exposed not far away.

Princess Yuan Qing saw the scene before her and almost shouted out.

Her cry was stifled by a woman beside her who clapped a hand over her mouth, forcing the words she was about to utter back down her throat.

Princess Yuan Qing felt she couldn't catch her breath and nearly fainted.

She incredulously looked at the green-clad woman beside her, a flash of madness and anger crossing her eyes.

This green-clad woman was Ying Gu, who secretly loved Xiao Yin but had been harshly humiliated by him the last time.

Ying Gu had taken a liking to this handsome, extraordinarily suave and debonair man since she was very small seven years ago.

Unfortunately, at that time she followed his father to a remote frontier, never having set foot in Shang Jing.

Naturally she had no connection with Xiao Yin; later, as she grew up, she repeatedly wanted to go to the capital, but her father and brothers dissuaded her each time.

Only later, when Xiao Yin investigated the Qi Sha Gu incident, did he move the Li family's forces to Jing Cheng.

Only then did Ying Gu have the opportunity to come into contact with Xiao Yin, and after several encounters her affection grew ever stronger.

After seven years, Xiao Yin had gained a few more touches of maturity; what was there for Ying Gu not to like?

But she never imagined that Xiao Yin would actually marry that ill‑reputed eldest daughter of the Gu family, and dote on her all the more.

This was bad enough, but later her father discovered that the maternal grandfather of that Gu family's eldest daughter was actually the mastermind behind the Qi Sha Gu tragedy seven years ago, which left Ying Gu unsettled.

This woman and their Azure Dragon Army share a mortal enmity.

Upon hearing this news, the Prince also treated this woman with a degree of coldness.

At this point, Ying Gu could not help but feel a twinge of longing in her heart.

After this woman was burned to death, the Prince left Shang Jing with a desolate expression.

Ying Gu tried desperately to investigate the Prince's whereabouts, but found no trace.

In fact, she secretly wished Gu Jiu Ling dead, but just then the Prince, after being despondent for several months, reappeared in the outskirts of Shang Jing and brought this woman back with him.

At that instant Ying Gu finally understood that Xiao Yin truly loved this woman to the point of desperation.

But she simply would not accept it.

Xiao Yin could never marry this woman; she is an enemy!

How could an enemy possibly catch the Prince's eye?

Upon learning that the Prince had returned, she went to the estate despite her father and brothers' objections to seek the Prince, never expecting that the Prince, for Gu Jiu Ling's sake, would actually want to marry her off—and he indeed did so.

These days her father has already begun to look for a future husband for her, plunging Ying Gu completely into despair.

Despairing Ying Gu has already completely lost her bearings; he must cause Gu Jiu Ling's death.

Not only for the brothers of Qi Sha Gu, but also for the Prince.

The Prince absolutely cannot be with this woman.

But she understands Xiao Yin's tactics, now feeling a bit afraid, and thus uses the simple‑minded Princess Yuan Qing before her as a shield.

Ying Gu coldly looked at Princess Yuan Qing, whose face had drastically changed, and softly laughed: 'Your Highness, you didn't expect this, did you? You thought the Prince was gravely poisoned and could not form a hundred‑year union with you, but in fact it's not a matter of Prince Rui being poisoned; it's that you were played by that woman Gu Jiu Ling.'

"Gu Jiu Ling is not dead; she has been alive all along."

"If Gu Jiu Ling moves a finger, Prince Rui must rush over to see her."

「Your Highness, everyone in Southern Qi knows of your sincere feelings for the Prince; it's just a pity that your sincerity is wasted. 」

「At this moment, Princess Yuan Qing's mind was in utter confusion; she suddenly lifted her gaze to the Ying Gu beside her: 'Who exactly are you? Why are you helping me?'」

「Ying Gu lightly patted the dust off her sleeve, then turned and leapt down from the roof. 」

「Princess Yuan Qing followed and stood before him, then in one move stopped her action. 」

「Ying Gu stared coldly at her: 'I have some grudge with that Gu Jiu Ling, so I naturally don't wish to see her well.'」

「As for today's matter, Princess, you just need to hear it; there's no need to ask who I am or where I'm from. Seeing is believing—what you see is what you think. 」

「The Prince was poisoned and had a basin of dirty water splashed on you—clearly he does not want to marry you. Now, who holds importance in the Prince's heart is obvious to anyone with discernment. 」

「I still advise you not to meddle in these matters; obediently returning to Bei Di as your own princess is the correct choice. 」

「Ying Gu turned and left. 」

「Princess Yuan Qing watched Ying Gu's retreating back, her eyes icy. 」

「In Princess Le Qing's dictionary, the words 'retreat' and 'yield' have never existed. 」

「Gu Jiu Ling and Xiao Yin actually teamed up to deceive her like this? 」

「They really took her for a lump of clay. 」