Chapter 6: Taking the Initiative to Undress

"Prince, please show some restraint!" Gu Jiu Ling's face changed a bit in an instant; she was still pregnant, this beast!

Xiao Yin stared at her steadily; the expression in his eyes, while scrutinizing, mixed with a hint of teasing.

Everyone says the Gu family's eldest miss is lascivious, but she seems quite proper after all!

The wedding candle cracked with a pop, bursting a spark; Gu Jiu Ling glanced at the bed and indeed felt a bit sleepy.

"Prince, where… should I… sleep tonight?" Gu Jiu Ling asked timidly.

Xiao Yin smiled faintly: "Consort, on our wedding night, where do you think we should sleep?"

Gu Jiu Ling took a deep breath, her heart pounding wildly.

Wasn't it supposed to be a fake marriage? Why does this guy always act unexpectedly?

Could this be considered her being teased by the legendary impotent Ninth Imperial Uncle of Southern Qi?

Xiao Yin rose, loosened his grip on Gu Jiu Ling, stretched out his arms, and said in a clear, cold voice: "Change my clothes for me!"

Gu Jiu Ling's eye twitched sharply; she forced herself to stand before Xiao Yin, who was very tall—she only reached his chest when standing before him.

The air instantly turned eerie; Gu Jiu Ling gritted her teeth and undid his sash, discovering his figure was indeed fine.

Broad shoulders, narrow waist, a slender build—even ill, it did not diminish his aura.

Gu Jiu Ling found it difficult to undress him; men's clothing in this era, especially for nobles, was extremely elaborate.

No matter how she tried, she couldn't undo a knot on his side; the more she panicked, the less she could get it off.

Xiao Yin lowered his gaze, focusing intently on the petite woman before him; a few beads of sweat appeared on her tiny nose from nervousness, which was rather cute.

He raised his hand and seized Gu Jiu Ling's hand, leaning down to look at her; his tall figure cast a looming, intimidating shadow over her.

"Miss Gu, how did you get pregnant if you can't even take off a man's clothes?"

Gu Jiu Ling stammered: "Usually… it's the man who takes off his clothes…"

After saying that, she suddenly realized she had misspoken and hastily closed her mouth.

Xiao Yin's brows furrowed; for the first time he felt somewhat uneasy, he slowly straightened and asked coldly: "Who is the child's father?"

Gu Jiu Ling almost cried; she had no idea.

The original owner, clueless, had intended to drug the Crown Prince to consummate a marriage, but ended up confused and was instead taken advantage of by someone else; crucially, the original owner, in a daze, didn't even know who had taken advantage of her.

She pressed her lips and said: "I don't know."

Xiao Yin snorted coldly: "Stupid!"

Gu Jiu Ling gritted her teeth and had to agree with his view.

Xiao Yin lay on the bridal bed, thoughtfully shifting to make space beside him and hooked a finger at her.

Gu Jiu Ling silently cursed her mother, then lay down beside him.

Gu Jiu Ling dared not undress to sleep, lying there fully clothed; who could know whether the one sleeping beside her was a beast or a person?

"Good night, Prince!" Gu Jiu Ling mumbled.

Xiao Yin chuckled lightly; the way the Gu family's eldest miss spoke was somewhat peculiar.

He slowly extended his wrist and placed it before Gu Jiu Ling's face: "Don't rush to sleep; take my pulse, promise to cure my poison—you haven't forgotten, have you?"

Gu Jiu Ling hurriedly sat up; Xiao Yin also smiled and rose, looking at her with a calm expression.

Gu Jiu Ling raised her hand and rested it on Xiao Yin's wrist; taking his pulse was practically child's play…

Suddenly her complexion changed.

What's going on?

Before, she clearly remembered that Xiao Yin's lesion was below his left rib, a sign of poisoning.

Now why has his lesion disappeared, disappeared?! It's gone!

He is not poisoned!

Why isn't he poisoned? This makes no sense!

"Huh? What's wrong?" Xiao Yin glanced at Gu Jiu Ling as her face instantly turned pale, his pupils flickering slightly, gaining a hint of danger.

The wedding hall was deathly silent; the air froze, all sounds ceased, leaving only the two of them breathing lightly.

Gu Jiu Ling had never encountered such a situation; all the medical knowledge she had mastered before her transmigration now seemed like a joke.

She had heard of lesions expanding, spreading, even worsening into cancer, but never of a lesion vanishing completely in a single day.

When she first took Xiao Yin's pulse, it was unmistakably a sign of poisoning, and the delay had been long, reaching an incurable stage.

Now they tell her it's gone, disappeared, that poisoning doesn't exist?

Beads of fine sweat appeared on Gu Jiu Ling's forehead; the only explanation was that what was inside Xiao Yin might not be poison—what then was tormenting this man?

"Gu Jiu Ling?" Xiao Yin also sensed her oddness, his expression gradually turning dangerous.

Gu Jiu Ling felt creepy under Xiao Yin's stare; she realized that if she couldn't uncover his true ailment, she would have deceived him.

Deceiving Prince Rui of Southern Qi would exact a bloody price.

But now she can't avoid deceiving him; she doesn't want to die with three corpses on her wedding night—if the child in her womb were truly Xiao Yin's, perhaps she could still gain a slim chance of survival.

"Prince!" Gu Jiu Ling gripped Xiao Yin's hand tightly; his hand was large, well-shaped, with long fingers and distinct knuckles, a thin callus from sword practice at the base of his thumb.

Xiao Yin raised an eyebrow; Gu Jiu Ling's small hand wrapped around his, a strange warmth and tenderness spread forth, cracking open a seam in the hard shell encasing his heart.

He had married six princess consorts, yet none of them were as bold as Gu Jiu Ling.

Those women who entered the palace as consorts were all cast by him into the rear courtyard to fend for themselves; only this woman before him was special, yet also—cunning.

"Prince, the poison in your body… might have worsened."

Xiao Yin's brows and eyes sank, his expression turning somewhat cold and solemn.

Gu Jiu Ling felt a jolt from his cold aura, suppressing her guilt and bone-deep fear, she took out a small bottle of vitamin B6 from her space, for preventing hair loss.

She smiled as she shoved it into his hand, saying: "Prince, please take these medicines first to strengthen your foundation; I think the poison on your body is strange, a rare toxin unseen for a thousand years."

"If I could cure your poison right now, wouldn't that be deceiving you?"

Please let me study it a bit more; I will surely be able to cure the Prince within half a year.

Xiao Yin took the medicine Gu Jiu Ling gave him, paused slightly; the bottle felt smooth, not like jade carving, yet it was a curious object.

He chuckled softly: "Miss Gu has hidden quite a few good things!"

"Prince, these are all gifts from my maternal grandfather; my maternal grandfather once traded by sea and obtained many novelties, which have thus benefited me."

Gu Jiu Ling smiled as she explained.

Xiao Yin nodded and set the medicine bottle on a side table.

He looked at Gu Jiu Ling: "Rest now."

Gu Jiu Ling sighed in relief, unable to hold on any longer, and fell asleep; Xiao Yin, lying beside her, slowly rose, gazed at her intently, then took the medicine and walked to the side hall.

"Prince!" Ling Feng hurried over, giving his master a meaningful glance.

Miss Gu is indeed out of the ordinary; she actually can rest in the Prince's room, and the Prince gave her ample face on his wedding night.

Xiao Yin said slowly: "Ling Feng, give this medicine to Master Nian Yuan to check whether it's poisonous; if it is..."

His eyes flashed: "This woman need not be kept!"