Chapter 76: He

At that moment, Gu Jiu Ling felt her head buzz, a blank emptiness, leaving only the man's icy aura.

Xiao Yin released her, locking his gaze on her frightened, doe‑like wet eyes, unable to say what he felt.

He drew a deep breath, his voice icy and frosty: "You think Tuo Ba Yu is some kind of good thing?"

"He looks harmless and gentle, but he's actually a venomous, poisonous person!"

"The Bei Di royal family abandoned him and left him in Southern Qi; the Qi nobles bullied him relentlessly. He dared not strike at imperial kin, but he showed no mercy to the sons of aristocratic families."

"The Heir of Ding'an Marquisate helped Xiao Wei beat him up; the next day his corpse was found in the Official Ditch sewers, his whole body gnawed to bones by a strange fish, and even as a skeleton the fish still clung to his ribs."

"No one else knows, but I personally saw that fish being raised in the Bei Di Villa."

Xiao Yin caught his breath: "Tuo Ba Yu was ten years old then!"

"What were you doing at ten years old?"

Gu Jiu Ling was startled by Xiao Yin's words, muttering: "When I was ten, I chased Ultraman while eating popcorn!"

She fell silent as soon as she finished speaking.

Xiao Yin stood there, staring at his nonsensical foolish Princess Consort, a headache pounding as he realized only two of his ten sentences had gotten through to her ears.

His hand shook with anger as he grabbed Gu Jiu Ling's cheek in a fierce pinch.

"What are you doing? Let go! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!!" Gu Jiu Ling bristled.

"All you do is eat, eat, eat—you're being watched and you still eat!" Xiao Yin, still unsatisfied, pinched her cheek again; seeing her truly tear up, he hastily let go.

Gu Jiu Ling snapped: "Xiao Yin, how can you be so unreasonable? Just because Tuo Ba Yu paid a visit, you've been quarreling with me to this point, you even… you even violated me! Are you even a man?"

Xiao Yin's eyes narrowed slowly as he leaned in…

Gu Jiu Ling quickly amended: "All right, you're a man, so you shouldn't quarrel with a little woman like me. I marry you and risk life and death every day—am I not suffering? Are you bullying me?"

"I won't live!! Wah… you're bullying a pregnant woman! You're bullying… hic… you're not human!!" Gu Jiu Ling sobbed, hiccuping.

Xiao Yin felt a headache coming on; he involuntarily softened his tone, crouching before the sobbing, limp Gu Jiu Ling slumped on the ground—he realized he had acted rashly.

He had no choice but to raise his hand and tousle her frizzy hair, speaking softly: "How could this be called impropriety? Between husband and wife, it's the proper marital rite! What's wrong with me being close to you? You are my Princess Consort!"

"You liar! When we first teamed up, there was none of this!" Gu Jiu Ling grew angrier the more she thought, grinding her teeth.

"So who was it that first clung to my thigh and wouldn't let go?" Xiao Yin replied with a wry smile.

Gu Jiu Ling instantly lost her temper; Xiao Yin helped her up, gazing at her solemnly: "All right, I admit my fault. From now on you must not associate with Tuo Ba Yu—those not of our kind harbor different hearts! He's no good thing."

"You're still young; I'm actually several years your senior, more experienced and knowledgeable—everything I say is true, I never deceive you…"

Xiao Yin said, pulling her into his embrace with each word, then lifted her horizontally and walked toward the Peach Blossom Pavilion.

He chuckled as he walked: "These past few days you've really gained weight—you've gotten plumper!"

Xiao Yin persuaded Gu Jiu Ling to return to the Peach Blossom Pavilion, where she was lounging, hoping to mooch food and drink, when suddenly an edict from Emperor Longqing arrived ordering Xiao Yin to enter the palace at once.

Gu Jiu Ling no longer had the energy to quarrel with Xiao Yin; she watched helplessly as he strode out of the courtyard, still standing at the gate waving his hand arrogantly, signalling her to stay calm.

"Damn it!" Gu Jiu Ling cursed at his retreating figure.

She then turned and sat blankly at the table by the window, unconsciously touching her lips, which still seemed to retain Xiao Yin's fervent warmth.

A faint blush crept up her cheek; her heart startled, she hurriedly rose to her feet.

"My lady?" the attending Jiu Yue jumped, wondering if the mistress and the Prince had just had a tiff—but if they were quarreling, why was the Prince smiling like a thieving old cat, utterly pleased?

"Get the toothpaste ready—I want to brush my teeth!"

Gu Jiu Ling, feeling flustered and exasperated, could not stay at the Prince Rui's residence, nor could she fall in love with this man.

To her, Xiao Yin was a ticking nuclear bomb—she would need immense courage to dare date someone like him.

Xiao Yin returned only in the evening, his face somewhat solemn.

He went straight to the Peach Blossom Pavilion; Gu Jiu Ling kept her distance, letting only a maid attend to his changing, dining, and washing.

Xiao Yin looked at Gu Jiu Ling, who was hiding near the door, and a frost settled in his brows and eyes.

"Come over! Why hide so far away? I'm not going to eat you!"

Gu Jiu Ling reluctantly moved over, and Xiao Yin seized her arm, pulling her to sit on his long leg.

His leg muscles were tight and solid, yet Gu Jiu Ling felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles.

"Prince, if you have something to say, just say it properly—no grabbing! I sell my talent, not my body!"

Xiao Yin couldn't help but laugh in exasperation, then laid it out plainly: "I've taken a liking to you—what about it?"

Gu Jiu Ling turned her face away, looking at Xiao Yin with panic, pursing her lips: "But I, Miss, haven't taken a liking to…"

"Huh?" Xiao Yin gripped her waist tightly, staring coldly: "If you've got the guts… go on."

"Prince, is there anything important about entering the palace today?" Gu Jiu Ling changed the subject—she lacked the courage!

Seeing her frustrated expression, Xiao Yin's heart softened a bit; he held her close and whispered: "I've always been in the army, never taken a wife, nor had any beloved."

"Although I married six princess consorts, they were all foisted on me by others; I didn't like them, and they all died young, leaving me with guilt—my family gave them condolence money."

"But you… you're bold and smart, and you don't despise me as a good‑for‑nothing."

"I grew fond of you until that time the Official Ditch flooded, houses collapsed, and you were turning over corpses in the mud, looking for me."

"At that instant I felt reassured."

"I just thought that if I died in this lifetime, it would be nice to have a woman who constantly thinks of me and tends to my corpse."

"Gu Jiu Ling!" Xiao Yin pinched her chin, turning her face toward his, staring intently: "Any woman I have taken a liking to, I will never let go! You cannot escape—unless you die!"

"No! Even if you die, you'll be my ghost—trapped beside me for life after life, with no escape!"

"You bastard!" Gu Jiu Ling wanted to curse.

The first half of his confession she'd heard was warm and fuzzy, but the more he went on, the more it turned into nonsense!

She gritted her teeth in anger, yet he held her fast in his embrace, his heartbeat fierce and reckless.

"Gu Jiu Ling! Bandits are ravaging Chen Prefecture; my elder imperial brother has ordered me to lead the Imperial Guard alongside the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince to suppress them. Stay put, don't run around, don't cause trouble, don't get involved with pretty boys—I'll earn you some merit and come back, alright?"

"All right!" Gu Jiu Ling replied, holding her breath.

You big-headed ghost!