Chapter 456

Rui Wangfu was immersed in moonlight.

In the eastern courtyard where Gu Jiu Ling lived, children's laughter could be heard from time to time.

Xiao Yin ultimately could not live under the same roof as Gu Jiu Ling; at her strong insistence, he had to move to the neighboring courtyard.

However, before going to sleep each day, he would inevitably first go to Gu Jiu Ling's warm pavilion to take a glance at his two children.

The atmosphere in the warm pavilion today was a bit stiff; the maids attending inside and out were all sent away.

Yun Duo and Jiu Yue picked up the two little ones and carried them to the back of the outhouse, handing them over to the wet nurse for feeding.

Being twins, the two little ones were healthy and ate a lot; Gu Jiu Ling really couldn't cope alone, and she gradually gave up the idea of nursing them herself.

At this moment, Xiao Yin sat in a chair, watching Gu Jiu Ling bend over to tidy something in the medicine box.

"Will you be going out later?" Xiao Yin couldn't help asking; in fact he had already guessed a bit.

Gu Jiu Ling nodded and gave a reply, still focused on fiddling with the medicine box.

Gu Jiu Ling had already taken the items out of her own space, but facing Xiao Yin she felt embarrassed to take them out directly, so she used the medicine box as a prop to put things away.

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"Prince, go rest first; I'll go out for a while."

Xiao Yin smiled: "I'll go with you; your brother is getting more and more formidable, so be careful."

Xiao Yin took a cloak from the side and helped Gu Jiu Ling drape it over her shoulders.

Gu Jiu Ling's hand moving to tidy the medicine box twitched slightly; she picked up what she needed, turned around, and looked at Xiao Yin facing her.

The words she had wanted to say before had been suppressed in her heart; now it had come to the point where she could not avoid saying them.

"Prince, are you really going to sit in that position?"

Xiao Yin's brows furrowed slightly; he raised his hand and carefully tied the ribbon on Gu Jiu Ling's cloak, then took a breath and said: "Qi Sha Gu is a nightmare I cannot escape in this lifetime; I once tried to forget the past, but every night I can still hear my brothers' wails in my ears."

"Actually, Gu Kang is right: as long as Emperor Longqing lives, the Qi Sha Gu case cannot be overturned; and as long as Emperor Longqing's own son inherits the throne, the Qi Sha Gu case will never have a resolution."

Gu Jiu Ling's heart sank slightly.

She admitted she liked the person before her, but she also understood that once Xiao Yin became emperor, it would also be the time she would completely leave him.

She did not want to be trapped in the deep palace, fighting with a group of women over Xiao Yin's favor; such a life she disliked.

Gu Jiu Ling smiled, gripped the small medicine box in her hand, and said: "I'll go see Gu Kang."

"That brat doesn't even know where he hid Miss Ruoxi."

"Tomorrow might be when Miss Ruoxi beats the peace drum to file an imperial complaint; I want to send her some medicine so she won't be unable to bear the pain when it gets severe."

Xiao Yin sighed; he knew Gu Jiu Ling had deliberately brushed aside the previous topic.

He also understood that Gu Jiu Ling did not want him to contend for that position, but the nightmare of Qi Sha Gu that began with him must also end with him.

Xiao Yin took Gu Jiu Ling out of Rui Wangfu; to avoid attention, he also wore a black cloak with a wide hood, covering his face completely.

He lifted Gu Jiu Ling onto the horse's back and personally rode to escort her to the Gu residence.

Gu Kang had bought the former Gu Xiangfu residence but did not move in; he merely changed the plaque on the manor to read the two characters "Du Jia".

Then he returned to his own residence, which had been bestowed by the emperor, to live there.

Emperor Longqing was actually quite pleased with Gu Kang's low-key conduct; in fact, Gu Kang himself did not want to live in the Gu Xiangfu residence.

Although it bore his youthful extravagance, it was also his lifelong nightmare.

Gu Jiu Ling and Xiao Yin arrived outside the Gu family residence.

Gu Jiu Ling was lowered from the horse by Xiao Yin; she carried the box to the door, intending to knock, but Xiao Yin raised his hand to block her.

Xiao Yin then took her hand and went to the outside of the west courtyard wall, holding Gu Jiu Ling as he leapt over the high wall and landed steadily in the courtyard.

Gu Jiu Ling stared blankly for a moment.

Xiao Yin smiled: "That Gu Kang brat is hiding something; let's sneak a look at what he's up to."

Gu Jiu Ling softly laughed: "Prince, is it because you're afraid to knock, and the hassle of waiting?"

Xiao Yin was struck in his thoughts by Gu Jiu Ling, blinked slightly, then laughed as he ruffled her hair: "Go on in; enter that brat's home, no need to give him face—I, the prince, can come and go as I please; what can he do to me?"

Having said that, Xiao Yin brought Gu Jiu Ling to Gu Kang's study; outside, they indeed saw Gu Kang's clear, handsome figure reflected in the window, as if he were lifting his brush to write something.

Gu Jiu Ling came to the study door and knocked; Gu Kang inside responded calmly.

"Elder sister! Please come in."

Gu Jiu Ling looked incredulously at Xiao Yin beside her: "How did this brat know it was her coming?"

Xiao Yin whispered with a laugh: "The Gu Kang of now is not the same kind of person as the Gu Kang of before."

"Gu Kang is now a favorite beside the emperor, a rising star in the Southern Qi court, and he single-handedly brought down the Duan family; such a person, do you think his compound lacks guards?"

"Who knows how many people in the whole Southern Qi want to kill your brother."

"Now that we, husband and wife, have entered Gu Kang's territory, it feels like entering a no-man's land; you say he won't know we've intruded?"

Gu Jiu Ling secretly gave a wry smile: they're all old foxes.

She no longer stood on ceremony, pushed the door open, and entered with Xiao Yin.

Gu Kang hastily put down his pen, rose to greet his sister and brother-in-law with a salute, then personally brewed tea for the two.

He also took out some pastries and brought them to the elder sister.

"Sister, brother-in-law, you two coming to my place—surely not just to catch up over tea?"

Gu Jiu Ling smiled: "Tonight I came to see you to discuss Miss Ruoxi."

Whenever the two characters "Ruoxi" were mentioned, the usually composed Gu Kang still couldn't stay completely calm, his expression shifting slightly.

His expression fell into Xiao Yin's sight, and Xiao Yin couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.

No matter how flamboyant Gu Kang is, he ultimately cannot escape the trial of the love gate.

He knew Gu Jiu Ling had some private words she wanted to say to Gu Kang; after saying that, he rose and left, the prince remarking: "You siblings chat; I'll admire Gu Kang's courtyard."

Xiao Yin, in a no-man's land, was prohibited from leaving; only Gu Jiu Li and Gu Kang remained in the calligraphy study.

Gu Jiu Ling handed the medicine box she was tightly clutching to Gu Kang: "This pill, hand it over to Miss Ruoxi; after taking it, she can only last a little longer tomorrow, otherwise her frail body, as if pierced with iron nails, would likely die on the spot."

Gu Kang took the medicine box Gu Jiu Ling had handed over; the box's material was quite special.

It was neither jade nor silk; it looked like a hazy box and felt slightly soft when pinched.

He had no time for anything else this time; only the four words 'Miss Ruoxi' kept echoing in his ears, making him feel uneasy.

Gu Jiu Ling stared at him steadily: "Gu Kang, if you hold a grudge over what happened back then, just hate me."

"Miss Ruoxi is merely a tool in my hand."

"This time it is not your personal grudge, but whether the grievances of tens of thousands of wronged souls can be redressed; it represents not just one person, but the people of an entire city."

Gu Jiu Ling paused, then said word by word: "I hope you will treat her kindly."