Chapter 424: Two Princess Consorts

Only at the gate of Rui Wangfu did a woman in rags, her face pale, stand.

She struggled to hold two children in her arms; the two children were also disheveled and filthy, dressed in old clothes that looked like patchwork gathered from who knows where.

Though dressed in rags, the two children were extraordinarily handsome, their big, shiny eyes curiously watching the crowd of onlookers pointing and gossiping around them.

Especially the boy, it was obvious at a glance that he was Prince Rui's offspring.

The surrounding crowd had long been stunned.

"This… this isn't the Princess Consort of Rui, is it?"

"Good heavens! Isn't the Princess Consort of Rui dead?"

"Isn't this like seeing a ghost alive?"

"How can she still be alive and standing here? Look at those two kids, tsk tsk tsk…"

"What on earth is going on?"

Inside the carriage, Lin Ru Jun was also dumbfounded; she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, and instinctively rubbed her eyes.

As soon as she realized it was truly Gu Jiu Ling, she forgot everything else, jumped straight down from the carriage and ran wildly toward Gu Jiu Ling.

Not expecting Lin Ru Jun's jump, it only stirred up even more discussion from the surrounding crowd.

The bride had just arrived at the groom's mansion when she herself removed the veil from her head.

That would have been fine enough; normally the groom carries or holds the bride over the fire basin, but this time there was no such thing as her jumping down on her own.

Not only did she jump down, she dashed straight toward another woman.

Instantly the gate of Rui Wangfu erupted into chaos; Ling Feng, waiting at the gate to greet the bride, felt a flash of wild joy flicker in his eyes, but he desperately suppressed it.

No wonder the Prince had said earlier that the Empress Dowager's bestowed marriage should be left alone, letting things take their natural course.

What a perfect 'let nature take its course'—it's as if they had brought the lost Princess Consort back by letting nature take its course.

He collected himself and hurriedly went to meet Gu Jiu Ling.

After all, putting on a show, one ought to make it look good.

"Princess… Princess Consort?" Ling Feng stared at Gu Jiu Ling in astonishment, as if seeing her for the first time.

Gu Jiu Ling said coldly: "I, this Princess Consort of Rui, am not dead yet—what do you lot at Rui Wangfu mean? And what does the Prince mean?"

These 'what do you mean' are exactly what Gu Jiu Ling truly wanted to ask.

This time the Empress Dowager's bestowed marriage, for Xiao Yin, was not without a solution, yet he had kept dragging it out until now.

He just wanted to force her to come back!

When Gu Jiu Ling previously saved Xiao Yin in Paulownia Prefecture, she had received a favor from the Lin family's eldest daughter, though it was due to Xiao Yin's indebtedness.

Yet she greatly admired Lin Ru Jun's openness and integrity, and did not wish to harm this woman.

If she does not show herself this time, Lin Ru Jun will be in trouble.

Ling Feng dared not meet the Princess Consort's gaze, feeling under scrutiny.

He quickly averted Gu Jiu Ling's sharp gaze and whispered in a low voice: "In reply to the Princess Consort's words, the Prince has long been ill and unable to rise; the Empress Dowager has issued an edict for the Prince to marry to dispel misfortune."

Gu Jiu Ling let out a cold laugh and spoke loudly: "Back when I had an incident at Chongwen Pavilion, the flames spread everywhere, and I had no choice but to jump into the water to survive—who would have thought…"

Gu Jiu Ling's voice trembled slightly as tears streamed down, and only then did the surrounding crowd hear the reason.

No wonder they dug out all the secret passages of Chongwen Pavilion back then but found no corpses of those people—turns out they had jumped into the river after the flood and fire at Chongwen Pavilion.

Gu Jiu Ling's voice grew louder and louder.

"I never expected that, after being swept downstream by the current, I would hit my head on a stone and lose consciousness."

"Later, a farming household took me in, but my head injury truly left me unable to recall anything."

"In that span, over half a year passed, and I even gave birth to two children."

"Not long ago, while I was doing farm work in the yard, the children were crying inside the house; I rushed to hold them, but I tripped and fell, bumping my head against the stone grinding base."

Gu Jiu Ling paused her words: "This time I have returned completely clear-headed; the things I had forgotten in my muddled state, I have recalled them one by one."

"I was never just a mountain village woman; I merely suffered a head injury that caused amnesia."

"These days I have carried the two children along, enduring untold hardships; I never imagined that Xiao Yin, that murderous bastard, would actually want to marry again! I won't stand for it—today Rui Wangfu must give me an explanation!"

Having said that, Gu Jiu Ling, holding the children, sat directly down at the main gate of Rui Wangfu.

The surroundings instantly erupted in an uproar.

"What kind of thing is this?"

"How can every sort of bizarre mishap happen to Rui Wangfu?"

"This time, not only the people of Rui Wangfu, but even the surrounding common folk are worried for Rui Wangfu."

Yet the Prince Rui himself at this point has only half a life left, lying unconscious in bed, and this matter simply cannot be decided.

The former wife is not dead; on the contrary, she has returned after enduring countless hardships, bringing two children with her.

The new wife is also about to enter the door; the two families are performing opposite sides of a play, and the ending will leave everyone dumbfounded.

However, this affair was caused by Empress Dowager Ning'an; naturally, its resolution must also come from Empress Dowager Ning'an.

Moreover, the matter has already blown up so much that even if the Empress Dowager wanted to settle it privately, she could not.

Ling Feng hurriedly ordered someone to enter the palace and report to the Empress Dowager; not long after, the Empress Dowager issued an edict ordering that Gu Jiu Ling and her children, together with the new bride Lin Ru Jun, be brought into the palace.

Not long after the news spread, Old Lady Lin brought Lady Lin and her grandson Lin Jing Yuan into the palace together.

On this side, the Gu family was not idle either; Gu Kang, dressed in court robes, also entered the palace to request an audience.

When things had come to this point, even Emperor Longqing could not turn a blind eye; he had no choice but to bring everyone together to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Empress Dowager Ning'an also went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The moment she stepped into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, she saw Gu Jiu Ling holding the two children, especially the boy.

Empress Dowager Ning'an's steps froze right there.

He was practically a living, breathing miniature version of Xiao Yin; she still remembered how, when Xiao Yin's birth mother died, he was that tiny and had been brought into her sleeping quarters.

This time, the baby before his eyes almost overlapped with Xiao Yin from his childhood.

At that moment, Empress Dowager Ning An's kind and benevolent expression almost faltered.

Emperor Longqing wore the same expression, staring fixedly at the two little rascals beside Gu Jiu Ling, his hands clenched into fists so tight he almost bled from hatred.

As expected… this is indeed Xiao Yin's bloodline.

How could this be?

Before he still harbored some doubt, but now these two children were truly right before his eyes.

So lively and lovable, almost exactly like Xiao Yin in his childhood.

He was injured in Qi Sha Gu—how could he still have children?

Why?!

Emperor Longqing's gaze instantly turned murderous; he didn't even want these two brats to leave the Nurturing Heart Hall alive today.

Exactly! They absolutely must not be allowed to live!

Just then, Eunuch Wang came in again to report: 'Your Majesty, Old General Chen, Old General Zhao, Old General Wang, and Old General Li—several old generals request an audience.'

After Eunuch Wang reported those names, Emperor Longqing's killing intent eased somewhat.

Although Southern Qi previously had Xiao Yin, and now the Duan Family Army guards the borders, those old generals still hold great prestige in the military and were once closely connected to Xiao Yin.

If these people come, he cannot refuse them; offending them might destabilize Southern Qi's realm.

Clearly, these old fellows have come to protect Xiao Yin's bloodline!