Chapter 64

Xiao Zheng was very unlucky; he went to Willow Lane and almost died there, was rescued by Xiao Yin, then was struck down by the epidemic.

Usually, all the great clans are self‑interested profiteers; now nobody wants to handle this thankless, labor‑intensive task.

Xiao Yin transferred all the manor's workers to Shang Jing, then, relying on his former military prestige, persuaded the Imperial Guard commander to keep order in Shang Jing.

He secretly gave silver to those Imperial Guard soldiers as a subsidy, so they could keep digging the Official Ditch, clearing street silt, burying the corpses, and even took out the Rui Wang Fu's manor and annex in the suburbs to house the sick populace.

He also produced a remedy for the epidemic, bought medicine and ordered his subordinates to dig mugwort on the hillside, brewing pot after pot of decoction that the people could take for free.

For a time, Prince Rui's reputation for benevolence spread among the populace; the watching Crown Prince and others found it increasingly suspicious and all jumped in to put on a show.

Although it was a performance, it also took effect; within less than three days, Shang Jing finally stabilized.

But the princes' performances were a bit over‑the‑top—for example, the Crown Prince himself personally boiled medicine beside a large iron pot, nearly cooking himself, and only after being pulled away and rescued did he avoid utter embarrassment.

At this moment Xiao Yin's mind was not on that.

He stood motionless before the Peach Blossom Pavilion, the servants coming and going covering their mouths and noses with kerchiefs, each face grim to the extreme.

Xiao Yin frowned fiercely; three days had passed, full three days, and Gu Jiu Ling still hadn't awakened, could not even drink water or eat food, and remember she was pregnant.

His heart sank, he could no longer suppress his anxiety, and he strode into the Peach Blossom Pavilion.

Ling Feng, following behind, was instantly startled, forgetting propriety and grabbing Xiao Yin's lapel: "Prince, think twice!"

Ling Feng hurriedly let go, dropped to his knees: "Prince! This epidemic came on suddenly; if you fall ill, it will be disastrous."

They had spent a full seven years plotting, now poised to strike, to avenge the brothers of Qi Sha Gu from years past; if Prince Rui fell to the epidemic now, all their efforts and his single‑minded scheming would come to nothing.

Although the Princess Consort is excellent, she ultimately cannot compare to the Prince's noble person; the Prince need not risk his life to care for her.

Xiao Yin drew a breath, ignored Ling Feng's pleas behind him, and strode into the Peach Blossom Pavilion.

He had just taken his stand in the outer hall of the Peach Blossom Pavilion.

With a clang, the water basin Jiu Yue was holding fell to the ground.

The others were also dumbstruck, wondering if the Prince had gone mad.

This disease takes one after another, and once you catch it, you're dead!

The Prince didn't even cover his mouth and nose, just walked in like that? He walked in!

Xiao Yin slowly scanned the maidservants and old women kneeling around, performing their salutations: "From now on, everyone must give me twelve‑percent effort."

"The Princess Consort is unfavoured in the Gu household and often bullied in Shang Jing; you lot probably harbor a lazy heart."

"Anyway, she's helpless; even if she dies, you'll still be living off the Rui Wang Fu's silver."

"Today I make this clear: if the Princess Consort survives this ordeal, every servant in the Peach Blossom Pavilion courtyard will be promoted one rank, their monthly stipend tripled, and they'll receive it until the day they leave the Wangfu."

The kneeling crowd's eyes lit up at once; they indeed had been a bit lax, and the strong men of Shang Jing this time couldn't withstand it—many died.

What's more, Gu Jiu Ling is pregnant, her natal family offers no help; even if she dies, it's just death, and the Prince losing a wife is nothing unusual.

Perhaps the Prince really has a hard fate—marrying one and killing the next.

Apart from Jiu Yue's personal attendance, they all kept their distance, naturally treating her with less care.

Unexpectedly, the Prince himself entered the Peach Blossom Pavilion; they all jumped, naturally realizing this newly taken Princess Consort is different from before.

Xiao Yin said coldly: "Speak plainly now—if the Princess Consort doesn't survive this bout, you'll all go bury her with her!"

In the warm chamber, silence fell instantly, the tension reaching its peak.

He looked at Jiu Yue, whose eyes were slightly red: "I'll take turns with you; be more diligent!"

"Yes, Prince!" Jiu Yue said with a sobbing tone, kowtowing three times hard to Xiao Yin—her master was saved!

Xiao Yin sat before Gu Jiu Ling holding the decoction; in just three days she had become unrecognizable, no longer the lively, spirited self she once was.

Her face was pallid, from extreme weight loss her eye sockets slightly hollow, her lips cracked, her breath intermittent.

Xiao Yin's heart jumped; he gently lifted her up and leaned her against his chest.

"Drink the medicine!" Xiao Yin said, though he knew she was unconscious, he still spoke gently.

He brought the bowl to her lips, but the decoction couldn't be poured in; as soon as a little went in, it leaked out from the corner of her mouth.

Xiao Yin frowned fiercely, pouring it in repeatedly, but to no avail.

These damned lot—patients can't even swallow the medicine, yet nobody comes to report; are they all mute? Cut out their tongues and drag them out to be killed.

A frost crept into his eyes, he grew fierce, lifted his hand and pinched Gu Jiu Ling's cheeks, forcing her mouth open.

He lifted his head, held the decoction in his own mouth, then leaned forward and passed it into Gu Jiu Ling's mouth.

Jiu Yue, who had come in with warm water at the door, stared incredulously at the scene, then slowly retreated; she had tried feeding the medicine before and couldn't get it in, never expecting the Prince to use this method to get the medicine down.

Gu Jiu Ling fell into a nightmare; she was back in the lab, after a violent explosion her body had almost vaporized into countless fragments.

Then she stumbled into a pitch‑black forest, countless jackals, wolves, tigers and leopards chasing her; she ran desperately, about to be torn apart, when a tall man loomed ahead, hidden in the mist.

Instinctively she sprinted toward that man, who seized her in a tight embrace; looking up, she saw it was Xiao Yin.

Xiao Yin began smiling, then his face turned eerily cold, his skin started to ooze blood, and Gu Jiu Ling screamed in terror.

"Prince! Prince!" Gu Jiu Ling shrieked.

Suddenly she was tightly embraced, a familiar hoarse, wanton voice assailing her.

"You like me this much? Just woke up and you're throwing yourself into my arms?"

Gu Jiu Ling opened her eyes and met Xiao Yin's slightly upturned peach‑blossom eyes; instantly a flood of indescribable emotions surged over her.

Her slender white hand clutched his tightly; before she knew it, she lay in his arms, and this time she did not want to push him away.

She had come over alone, with no confidante to discuss matters; every situation she had to break herself, every burden she had to bear herself.

Only he, at her life‑and‑death juncture, was willing to lend her a hand.

The corners of her eyes reddened, she felt a maiden's grievance, sniffled and said with a sobbing tone: "Prince, I almost died; if I died, would you again marry for profit?"

Xiao Yin looked at her, laughing and crying at once, then his heart softened; he stared fixedly at her timid, aggrieved expression, his throat feeling dry.

Her lips, when taking the medicine, she'd just sip and stop, her mind not wholly on it; now seeing her recovered, her teeth lightly biting her lip, his throat tightened a bit as he slowly leaned in to taste her more carefully…

Gu Jiu Ling was also startled by Xiao Yin's movement, eyes wide as he leaned in, their noses touching, he tilted his head and was about to kiss her.

Suddenly Ling Feng's voice came: "Prince, the Sixth Prince has awakened and wishes to see you!"

Xiao Yin's kiss halted there—neither a kiss nor not a kiss—and the atmosphere that had been building was abruptly cut off.

He muttered a curse, rose and walked toward the door, but stopped, pointed at Gu Jiu Ling and snapped, "Take your medicine properly, you! Did you hear me clearly?"

Gu Jiu Ling instinctively nodded, then watched him rush out in anger, and ordered Ling Feng to receive twenty heavy board strikes.

Gu Jiu Ling's lips twitched slightly, and she laughed.