Chapter 564

"Prince, stop!" Gu Jiu Ling pleaded, looking at Xiao Yin whose face was ashen before her.

Only by holding this man's hand at close range could one feel him trembling slightly from anger.

It was those people who first harmed him; he only resisted a little, and then so many people rushed out to denounce him as a traitor and villain.

Even Lin Ru Jun and Cheng Ming, who used to be on good terms with the Prince Rui's mansion, now look at him this way—could Xiao Yin really be a shameless villain scheming to seize power?

Xiao Yin has fought half his life, leading the Azure Dragon Army in battle day and night on the front lines—could it be that he's protecting this bunch of trash?

Enough! Enough!

Since so many people think he's evil, let Xiao Yin show them evil.

"Xiao Yin, snap out of it!" Gu Jiu Ling saw he was off and pinched him hard.

That pinch was a bit hard; in the pain, the scarlet in Xiao Yin's eyes faded bit by bit, and he finally looked at the woman before him.

He finally couldn't hold on, whispering hoarsely: "Jiu Ling, what should I do?"

Only Gu Jiu Ling could hear Xiao Yin's voice clearly; she drew a breath.

"Leave it to me!"

Gu Jiu Ling turned to see Ling Feng rushing over, quickly handed the dazed Xiao Yin to him, and whispered: "Your Highness may be tired; go rest first, I'll handle this."

At this time, the surrounding crowd grew ever larger; although the Lin family in Shang Jing had no money or military power, they still carried great weight in the eyes of scholars.

Just watching the Lin family's eldest daughter confront the Prince Rui's mansion, more and more people gathered, murmuring.

"The Lin family truly has backbone, showing no compromise toward such traitors and villains!"

"Even a married-out woman has such spine—look, that Xiao Yin must have slunk back, feeling guilty!"

"Who says otherwise? A perfectly fine night, who knows what chaos they caused—our relative lives near the palace city; who knows how many died that night?"

"This Ninth Imperial Uncle is truly ruthless, isn't he?"

Gu Jiu Ling stared fixedly at Lin Ru Jun; the two women had once been close friends in Shang Jing, now standing on opposite sides, and for the first time Gu Jiu Ling felt a heavy ache in her chest.

She suddenly grasped Xiao Yin's misery; the people he protected, this land, all turned into sharp swords piercing his chest, causing everything he once believed in to collapse.

By now, what is right? What is wrong? Gu Jiu Ling can't say.

Ling Feng also noticed his lord's odd state, cautiously approached Xiao Yin and said: "Your Highness, let me escort you back to the Eastern Garden to rest."

Careful sailing yields a ten-thousand-year boat.

Xiao Yin gripped the hilt of the Dragon Spring sword tightly.

Gu Jiu Ling placed her hand on the back of his; finally Xiao Yin sighed and returned the Dragon Spring sword to his waist sheath.

Only then did Gu Jiu Ling relax; it had been a close call, but all ended well.

Gu Jiu Ling had Ling Feng escort Xiao Yin back to the mansion; the crowd that had kept its distance, upon his departure, suddenly lost that imposing presence, and the onlookers surged toward Gu Jiu Ling again.

Gu Jiu Ling looked at Lin Ru Jun before her, then glanced at the ground where Empress Long Princess held her son, wailing in anguish.

Gu Jiu Ling indeed felt waves of suffocation in her chest; the more she saw these people like this, the more distressed she felt.

At this moment, Gu Jiu Ling coldly regarded Lin Ru Jun before her; she never imagined her relationship with Lin Ru Jun would come to this.

If one sets aside the men behind them, she truly liked this maiden, yet now her chest felt an indescribable frustration.

Gu Jiu Ling took a deep breath, slowly stepped forward, but detoured around the stiffly standing Lin Ru Jun, squatted down to check Cheng Ming's wounds.

"Don't touch me, old man!"

Cheng Ming let out a low growl, then shut his mouth upon seeing the silver needle in Gu Jiu Ling's hand.

Gu Jiu Ling's face flickered with surprise, but she proceeded professionally, putting away the silver needle in her hand.

She then switched to a bottle of healing powder, gently lifting Cheng Ming's arm, but he shoved her away.

"You don't need to pretend to be a good person; even if your medical skill is high, you cured Xiao Yin's illness but not his wicked heart!"

Gu Jiu Ling also hardened her grip, seized Cheng Ming's arm, stared him down, lowered her voice: "Your wife is about four months pregnant; can you guarantee this child will be born safely? If you come to the clinic again later, do you think I'll bother with you? All this whining, taking advantage and acting innocent—do you believe I'll stab you dead with a needle?"

The threat of a needle to the throat was enough; the key was Gu Jiu Ling using Lin Ru Jun and the child to scare him, and Cheng Ming immediately stopped resisting, letting Gu Jiu Ling examine his wound.

Beside her, Empress Long Princess's face showed a slight embarrassment; she still trusted this woman's medical ethics.

Gu Jiu Ling treated his son's illness with utmost dedication; the son's condition improved greatly, and now Empress Long Princess saying she isn't grateful is false.

She even wanted to enshrine Gu Jiu Ling; she is literally her son's lifesaver—otherwise Cheng Ming would have died long ago.

Gu Jiu Ling quickly bandaged Cheng Ming's wound; the attendants behind the Empress Long Princess's mansion hurriedly helped him to his feet.

Empress Long Princess beside her moved her lips, unsure what to say, but still thanked Gu Jiu Ling.

The only thing unchanged was Lin Ru Jun, standing there like a stone.

At this moment, Empress Long Princess looked at Lin Ru Jun's back, feeling a growing dissatisfaction.

Lin Ru Jun married into her princess mansion, thus becoming part of it, yet she constantly thinks of aiding the Lin family. If the Lin family were still as before, it would be fine, but now it's clear the Lin family's supported crown prince has lost the power struggle against Xiao Yin.

Yet Lin Ru Jun still threw herself into this mess of the Lin family, implicitly also dragging her own son and the princess mansion into trouble.

"Now that Ming'er is injured, why don't you come over to comfort him instead of just standing there?"

Lin Ru Jun's lips trembled slightly; she could not miss the resentment in her mother-in-law's words.

Although the saying goes "marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog," she is now the junior lady of the Empress Long Princess's mansion, yet how can she swallow this resentment?

But now the Lin family's whereabouts are unknown, and Xiao Yin has sealed off all news from Shang Jing.

Lin Ru Jun stared fixedly at Gu Jiu Ling before her, drew a deep breath, and gritted her teeth: "Where have the Lin family people gone?"

Gu Jiu Ling sighed, softened her tone: "I think you've misunderstood the Prince; we haven't finished our preparations—let's step aside to talk."

"Hehe! What shady business does the Prince Rui's mansion have? Lay it out in the open!"

Gu Jiu Ling froze for a moment—did she truly hate them now?

Gu Jiu Ling's heart involuntarily turned cold.