Chapter 657: You Actually Gave Me Silver?

Fragmented summer sunlight streamed through the carved window lattice, falling onto the simple bed in the bamboo hut.

It was already early summer; the room was warm and cozy, and lying there, catching hints of grass fragrance, gave a uniquely soothing feeling.

Gu Jiu Ling was awakened by the sunlight; she flung her eyes open, and the fatigue from her hangover made her head feel like it would split, but what hurt even more was this body that felt almost crushed.

Gu Jiu Ling tried to sit up, but she sucked in a breath of pain and lay back down.

Yesterday she drank alcohol, feeling as if she had blacked out.

She had some memories in between, but they were fuzzy to her; she felt like a duckweed leaf being tossed about in the vast ocean.

"Awake?" a frivolous, slightly magnetic voice came from beside her ear.

Gu Jiu Ling's body tensed, she slowly turned her face away, only to discover Xiao Yin bare-chested, lying on his side beside her, his gaze lowered and fixed on her.

She had never seen Xiao Yin like this—his brows and eyes held spring, the corners of his mouth smiled; even just lying on his side, she could sense a strong festive air from him.

Gu Jiu Ling shuddered and hastily scooted back.

In an instant, the overwhelming memories of last night flooded back—she had been drunk, but she hadn't lost her memory.

Last night's frenzy was like a wild feast; after the peak, the aftertaste was endless.

At this moment, Xiao Yin smiled with narrowed eyes; from this angle he looked exactly like a well-fed big cat.

Gu Jiu Ling froze for a moment; she hadn't expected that the one who broke her own limits last night would be herself.

She glanced at the tooth marks she had left on Xiao Yin's collar and chest, and the bloody scratches she had raked on his neck and body.

Gu Jiu Ling's eye twitched, and she coughed once.

She grabbed the scattered clothes nearby to cover herself, instinctively moving a little away from Xiao Yin.

"Yesterday… that thing from yesterday…"

Having started, Gu Jiu Ling felt she couldn't go on.

She forced composure, waving her hand: "You don't need to take responsibility for me."

"After all, we're both adults; doing something is perfectly reasonable."

Xiao Yin had been lying beside her; looking at his flustered, at-a-loss appearance, the bright god still wanted to tease her a few words.

He didn't expect Gu Jiu Ling's words to come out so abruptly, leaving Xiao Yin slightly stunned.

"How? After just one night of spring, do you want to part from this prince?"

"Last time, you kept whispering in my ear, saying you wanted to bear me a troop of monkeys—who exactly was that woman? Am I going deaf?"

Gu Jiu Ling's cheeks grew redder; she wondered what exactly she had done to Xiao Yin last night.

Because she had been dead drunk, she couldn't recall the details, but she understood one thing: now the two of them had broken through that barrier and were together again.

This was completely different from what Gu Jiu Ling had imagined; before she could fully clear up the Du family case, she hadn't wanted to get too involved with Xiao Yin, yet in the end she still couldn't hold back.

Gu Jiu Ling hurriedly clutched her chest and jumped down from the bed.

"I won't disturb the prince any further; last night I really did drink a bit too much, and I did something wrong to the prince—please don't blame me."

"Oh, by the way, this is for the prince—consider it my apology."

In her flustered haste, Gu Jiu Ling grabbed the silver pouch she carried and threw it at Xiao Yin's face.

Xiao Yin took the money pouch Gu Jiu Ling had thrown; it was embroidered with various colorful patterns in gold and silver thread.

Xiao Yin pulled out several silver notes from the pouch, his eyes narrowing as he fixed his gaze on the guilty-looking Gu Jiu Ling, who was hiding behind a screen while getting dressed.

"Gu Jiu Ling, what do you mean by this?" The sweet nothings Xiao Yin had prepared were cut off by her successive actions, leaving him unable to speak.

Gu Jiu Ling threw on her torn outer robe and, as if fleeing, stumbled out of the bamboo hut.

She dared not linger for a moment, fearing that the man behind her would tear her apart.

Sure enough, as Gu Jiu Ling stumbled out of the master bedroom, aching all over, Xiao Yin's angry roar came from behind her.

"Gu Jiu Ling, what is this? Sleeping with the prince and then trying to escape responsibility?"

"And… why are you stuffing me with all these silver notes? Do you think I'm a boy toy from the Spring Return House?"

"Gu Jiu Ling, get your ass back here! I see you're getting bolder—come back quickly, or I'll catch you!" Xiu Shu Chong

Gu Jiu Ling had no intention of listening to him; last night had simply been a mistake.

That was definitely the fault of drink; if she and Xiao Yin hadn't both been stinking drunk, how could they have shared a beautiful night?

Gu Jiu Ling felt she had nowhere to put her face, and in her panic she bumped straight into the concerned faces of Jiu Yue and Yun Duo.

The two of them had in fact already arrived in Yingzhou City, and Gu Jiu Ling didn't know why, but seeing the people around her made her feel even more at a loss.

"How did the two of you come here?"

"The servants pay their respects to the princess consort!" Jiu Yue and Yun Duo hurried forward a step, kneeling before Gu Jiu Ling, who helped them up.

Yun Duo and Jiu Yue had already learned last night that the princess consort and the prince were staying together, and they weren't sure whether in a few days they'd be able to hold a little heir.

Jiu Yue pursed her lips and smiled, stepping forward to say, "Let me serve you with your change of clothes."

Only then did Gu Jiu Ling realize that the clothes she had just worn out of the bamboo hut had been torn to shreds.

Not only was her outer robe ruined, she had also torn Xiao Yin's outer robe quite badly.

The two were like beasts bound by moral shackles; now, under alcohol's numbing effect, the shackles had temporarily failed, and they could no longer restrain the feelings in their hearts.

"Master, are you feeling unwell? Why is your face so red?" Yun Duo, noticing Gu Jiu Li's discomfort, couldn't help but ask.

If she hadn't asked, it would have been fine; but once she did, Gu Jiu Ling felt even more embarrassed.

Gu Jiu Ling touched her slightly warm cheeks and smiled: "It's nothing; just these past few days the wind has been strong, blowing my face a little dry."

"Alright, don't waste any more time here—everyone go back to your own courtyards."

Jiu Yue and Yun Duo didn't dare ask further, but seeing their master's gait, they both hid the smiles in their eyes.

Gu Jiu Ling had previously been staying in the prince's main courtyard, but now she dared not move back in no matter what.

Last night Xiao Yin was like a beast unleashed from its cage, while Gu Jiu Ling felt a little afraid.

The master and servants returned to the previous courtyard; Gu Jiu Ling ordered someone to prepare bathing supplies, for in fact, in her hazy state last night she had realized that her body had been washed by Xiao Yin while he held her.

Gu Jiu Ling sat in the bathtub, then Jiu Yue and Yun Duo finally saw clearly the marks on Gu Jiu Ling's body that made one's face flush and heart race.

Jiu Yue felt a twinge of blame; the Prince really, how could he not attend to the master's body?

But it's a matter between the couple; we servants also shouldn't say anything.

After bathing and changing, Gu Jiu Ling had just sat down at the small table to have a snack when suddenly Ling Feng walked into the courtyard, standing outside the gate asking to see her.