Chapter 97

At nightfall, Gu Jiu Ling sat beside the bed, watching Xiao Yin lying on the mattress groaning; she was utterly speechless.

Jiu Yue brought hot water in; Gu Jiu Ling used it to warm a towel and helped Xiao Yin wipe the cold sweat that had broken out on his forehead, snapping: 'It's just a basin of spicy chicken—is it really necessary?'

'Your health has never been good; the lesion under your left ribs still hasn't been diagnosed, and I've repeatedly told you to avoid spicy food, yet you ate an entire large plate of spicy chicken and a full basin of spicy fish, not even leaving a drop of broth.'

'Prince, you're eating and drinking as if it were your life!'

Xiao Yin gave a cold snort, turned his face away, unwilling to look at Gu Jiu Ling.

Isn't it because she made him angry?

He never expected his stomach to hurt as if on fire; these days he felt his health was fine, but one spicy meal threw him back to square one.

Gu Jiu Ling looked at his sulky expression and could neither laugh nor cry.

'I really am at my wit's end!'

'Gu Jiu Ling, stay away from Tuo Ba Yu and his crowd from now on, or——' Xiao Yin hadn't finished when Gu Jiu Ling cut him off.

Gu Jiu Ling laughed in anger: 'Otherwise, what do you want to do?'

'Zuo Feichen is a doctor at the clinic; can we really drive him out?'

'Tuo Ba Yu, I naturally keep my distance from him; as a Bei Di prince, I'd have to be out of my mind to provoke him.'

'Crown Prince Xiao Ting, if you could kill him, I'd give you ten thousand taels; if it weren't for his scheming back then, how could I have ended up like this?'

'Cheng Ming… that's my nephew; no matter what, I wouldn't stoop so low, would I?'

Xiao Yin's complexion improved slightly; he lifted his head and glanced at Gu Jiu Ling's belly, which had begun to show a pregnancy these past days, and the more he looked, the more uneasy he felt.

'The father of this child is utterly worthless; he must be killed!'

'Fine, fine, kill, kill, kill…' Gu Jiu Ling finally managed to soothe Xiao Yin.

Just then Yun Duo hurried in, whispering: 'My lord, the Grand Princess has arrived!'

Gu Jiu Ling froze for a moment; since her last unpleasant encounter with the Grand Princess, she had already grown somewhat dissatisfied with her.

Today Cheng Ming personally came bearing thorns to apologize, which eased her anger considerably; she hadn't expected the Grand Princess to show up in person again, and at such a late hour.

Xiao Yin slowly rose, suppressing his abdominal discomfort: 'I'll go with you!'

'No need!' Gu Jiu Ling saw his face turn white from stomach pain and hurriedly pressed him back onto the bed.

'Just lie down; she's a woman, and she's in our Wangfu—what mischief could she possibly get up to? Besides, she's come to see me.'

'Hmm,' Xiao Yin, who also didn't want to see this imperial sister, said: 'If there's anything you can't settle, send a maid to find this prince.'

Gu Jiu Ling nodded, got up to tuck the blanket around Xiao Yin, and let him rest in her own Peach Blossom Pavilion.

Before marrying Xiao Yin, she always thought he was aloof and cold-hearted.

But after getting along, she found he was actually a tsundere goofball little prince.

She tidied up, took Jiu Yue to the Qian Ting, and from afar saw several servants of the princess's mansion waiting outside the Zheng Ting.

Gu Jiu Ling stepped into the Zheng Ting and saw the Grand Princess seated in the guest seat, sipping tea.

Upon seeing Gu Jiu Ling, the Grand Princess rose slowly; Gu Jiu Ling stepped forward and bowed: 'Imperial sister, I hope you are well.'

Gu Jiu Ling's expression was frosty, completely devoid of her former politeness.

The Grand Princess's face showed a hint of embarrassment; she nodded and smiled at Gu Jiu Ling: 'You're too courteous, sister-in-law.'

Host and guest seated, Gu Jiu Ling lifted her eyes and glanced coolly at the Grand Princess before her: 'It's so late; I don't know what brings you here, Imperial sister.'

Having already broken with each other, Gu Jiu Ling no longer bothered with pleasantries and directly asked the purpose of the visit.

The Grand Princess's complexion turned slightly stiff as she weighed her words: 'Sister-in-law, although Cheng Ming's illness was cured by your miraculous hands, I still worry he's suffered great vital damage this time; I've come to ask for a few medicines, and of course I won't take them for nothing—here is some silver for your expenses.'

The Grand Princess produced a stack of banknotes, pushed them toward Gu Jiu Ling, and smiled: 'After all, you now run a clinic; your investments and expenses must be considerable.'

Gu Jiu Ling's expression softened; she ordered Jiu Yue to fetch paper and brush, then quickly wrote a prescription and handed it to the Grand Princess.

The last time Cheng Ming had just awakened, she hadn't even had a chance to write his prescription before being summoned to the palace by Emperor Longqing.

Indeed, the Grand Princess came for her son's sake; seeing her sincerity was decent, Gu Jiu Ling also had Jiu Yue fetch some tonics to strengthen the foundation and gave them to the Grand Princess to take along.

The Grand Princess finally relaxed, then turned to Gu Jiu Ling, her expression taking on a strange shade; she glanced around and whispered: 'Sister-in-law, there's something I want to give you a heads‑up about, so you won't be flustered when the time comes.'

Gu Jiu Ling raised her eyebrows, suddenly realizing that the nobles of Shang Jing were all without exception—each a shrewd person among shrewd people.

It seemed the Grand Princess also had her own channels for obtaining information.

'Imperial sister, please speak!'

The Grand Princess looked at Gu Jiu Ling and whispered: 'In a few days, the Bei Di great prince Tuo Ba Heng will be sent on a mission to Southern Qi.'

Gu Jiu Ling's expression flickered with surprise; what direct relation could the Bei Di crown prince's visit to Southern Qi have with her, for the Grand Princess to tell her this in private? It all felt rather odd.

Gu Jiu Ling nodded, silent; the Grand Princess looked at her and said: 'I've heard he's also bringing a batch of treasures, said to be what Old Master Du left behind in Bei Di.'

'Bei Di is willing to return this batch of treasures, and has specifically requested they be handed over to Old Master Du's descendants.'

Gu Jiu Ling had originally thought it had nothing to do with her, but upon hearing the Grand Princess's words, the hand holding her tea cup froze mid‑air, and she lifted her eyes to the Grand Princess.

Could this Bei Di crown prince have come to Southern Qi specially to give her and her brother charity and warmth?

These days, speaking of her maternal grandfather's descendants, it seems there are only her and her younger brother Gu Kang.

Her mother Du Qingning died early, and her maternal grandfather had only this one daughter—no son at all.

Therefore, whatever her maternal grandfather left behind would fall to her and her brother; though they lacked maternal and paternal affection from childhood, they never lacked money.

Yet Bei Di waylaid and killed her maternal grandfather en route; back then he had taken all of Southern Qi's wealth out of the country, only for those Bei Di bandits to seize it, and now, over a decade later, they are disgorging the Du family's possessions—viewed from any angle, this reeks of strangeness and danger.

The Grand Princess rose slowly, smiling at Gu Jiu Ling: 'Sister‑in‑law, perhaps this time the Bei Di people bringing things is actually a good thing—after all, they are delivering goods.'

'It's getting late, sister‑in‑law, rest now; farewell!' The Grand Princess headed for the Zheng Ting's door, but halfway she stopped, turned sideways to look at Gu Jiu Ling and said: 'Sister‑in‑law, you saved my son; I owe you a huge favor.'

'Although our previous unpleasantness was quite disagreeable, if you ever need the princess's mansion, don't stand on ceremony; I and Cheng Ming are duty‑bound, we are not ungrateful people—before, it was just concern that caused confusion.'

Having said that, she didn't wait for Gu Jiu Ling's reply and strode into the night.

Gu Jiu Ling's heart clenched tightly: the Bei Di crown prince, sending treasures to her and her brother? Just what had her maternal grandfather been doing with all that wealth and treasure back then?

Could there really be an underground vault where the Du family hid their riches? Is Bei Di playing a long game, casting a line to catch a big fish? Yet she and her brother know nothing about it!