Chapter 49 It Hurts So Much! Jiang Zhuoying was somewhat bewildered; the way things were unfolding...

Jiang Zhuoying was somewhat bewildered; things seemed to be spiraling out of control...

But she still spoke up and gave the obvious answer.

"Because even if someone who betrayed me comes back, I will never accept them again."

Although she pressed against his chest, she didn't exert any force with her wrists, and the man leaned closer.

She could almost see the fine hairs on his face, and she could also see her own astonished face reflected in his pupils.

"What about the rest?"

A deep, magnetic voice, carrying a gentle, seductive quality, assaulted her senses, causing Jiang Zhuoying's heart to pound and her lips to tremble...

Are there any others?

"Your injury?" The man shifted his gaze slightly, looking at her shoulder.

Jiang Zhuoying seemed to have grasped the rope that led her out of confusion, and nodded without hesitation, her voice pitiful as she said, "It hurts so much."

The man's voice immediately dropped even lower, with a noticeable grainy, abrasive quality: "Afraid of scarring?"

When this matter was mentioned, Jiang Zhuoying nodded in agreement; it was indeed a concern of hers.

The girl lowered her eyes and carefully tugged at his sleeve: "With this scar, you might be disliked in the future. Could you...?"

The next instant, a cool, soft touch reached her lips.

The girl's pupils contracted sharply, her body stiffened, and her lips trembled. A wet, soft touch brushed against the corner of her lips, and a tingling sensation instantly spread from her lips to her entire body...

The brain has ceased to think; it is a wasteland.

"Can."

He retreated half an inch.

Jiang Zhuoying trembled all over and, without thinking, raised her hand and pushed him hard.

The consequences are severe.

Her chest remained completely still, but her face instantly contorted in pain—

"Waaah..."

A hint of helplessness flashed in Qi Fan's eyes. He stretched out his long arm and pulled the person into his embrace.

"So stupid?"

Jiang Zhuoying was still in shock, and she lay stiffly on his shoulder, her heart pounding with fear.

Crazy...crazy?

how so?

Didn't they say they only treated her as a maid?

The only maidservant by his side?

"Does the wound still hurt?"

Jiang Zhuoying reacted slowly, shaking her head blankly.

How could she possibly dare to feel pain?

"Hmm." The deep voice beside my ear paused slightly, "Because of you, a lot of things have been delayed."

Jiang Zhuoying opened her mouth tremblingly, but before she could say anything, she was lifted up around the waist again.

"Open the door."

The door opened automatically, and Jiang Zhuoying looked at the door in shock to find Chu Yixin standing there.

Wait... what about Wu Jiu?

Chu Yixin's face was a mix of colors, some unsightly, yet also clearly showing excitement, making her appear quite strange.

"This servant lost track of the person; please punish me, Master."

He talked about punishment, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

"Lost them?"

Both of them looked at her. Jiang Zhuoying tried to keep a straight face and coughed lightly twice: "Hehe, he, he's quite good at kung fu."

As soon as he said this, a cold, piercing gaze immediately fell upon him from above.

Jiang Zhuoying simply shut her mouth...

She was just frightened and her mind isn't clear right now; the more she says, the more mistakes she'll make.

...

Jiang Zhuoying was carried into another room, where she saw the gentle-looking young man, Gu Yunci, once again.

Upon seeing her, the other person raised an eyebrow: "Your leg is injured so badly? Why don't you go to the clinic later to have Ayou take a look?"

The girl took a breath, her cheeks slightly flushed. She hadn't hurt her leg, and thinking about it, being carried up and down was really inappropriate.

She frowned and patted the man's arm, her meaning clear: put her down.

Qi Fan followed her instructions, while glancing sideways at Gu Yunci, who touched her nose and looked away.

How long has it been? And he's already like this, leaning towards that girl...

Judging from her demeanor and the fact that she has never had a woman by her side, this girl will at least become a lady of leisure in the future.

Jiang Zhuoying was put down, and the interrupted conversation between the two resumed.

She originally wanted to calm down and think carefully about what to do about what had just happened in that room.

Can……

The conversation between the two men gave her a real fright and she broke out in a cold sweat.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door, and another young man entered with a hunched-over, veiled woman.

"This is my younger brother."

Gu Yunci gave a brief introduction, and Jiang Zhuoying looked up at the young man, momentarily realizing what was happening.

You could even see a resemblance to his younger brother in his eyes and brows.

Gu Yanqing's eyes lit up when he saw Jiang Zhuoying's face, and he quickly walked up to the girl.

"May I ask who this young lady is?"

Gu Yunci coughed a few times, which finally managed to get his attention back.

For the next while, Jiang Zhuoying was stunned, because she had heard about a palace secret from many years ago.

Moreover, given her current status, she might be silenced before she even leaves Yuanbao Tower with such a secret...

This is insane! Why did you bring her here to hear such secrets?

Jiang Zhuoying wanted to cry but had no tears...

How could she possibly know the cause of the Crown Prince and Consort Wan's deaths, such a shocking secret?

Unexpectedly, this unassuming woman turned out to be the imperial concubine's personal maid, who was dedicated to eliminating dissidents for her sake, but in the end, she ended up with her family destroyed and her life ruined.

Jiang Zhuoying kept a blank expression, but she pricked up her ears.

Since she's already in the situation, whether she listens or not, others will assume she's listening, so why not listen?

Chu Yixin even placed a plate of osmanthus cake on the square table next to Jiang Zhuoying.

...

It turns out that when the Imperial Concubine entered the palace, the Crown Prince had already been born. Not long after she gained favor, Consort Wan became pregnant again.

The Imperial Concubine was the daughter of the Prime Minister, and her family background was extremely prominent. Relying on her family background, she acted arrogantly in the harem and bribed a young maid in Consort Wan's palace to secretly poison the pregnant Consort Wan.

After giving birth, Consort Wan indeed gradually weakened. It was only through the Emperor's efforts to gather renowned doctors and precious medicines from across the land that she was able to prolong her life for so many years.

After the imperial concubine gave birth to a prince, she turned her attention to the young crown prince and devised a plan to drug the mastiff beside the young prince.

The poor little prince died because his neck vein was torn open by a bite...

This woman was the personal maidservant of the Imperial Concubine back then.

The imperial concubine was suspicious, and after everything settled down, she began to eliminate those who had been involved.

The old woman was lucky enough to escape from the mass grave. When she returned to her home in the city, she discovered that her child and husband had been murdered.

The only one who survived was the elderly mother, who had just been brought from outside the city and happened to be out at the time.

The old woman and her mother depended on each other for survival until recently, when the old woman passed away peacefully, and only then did they find Gu Yunci.

This is because Gu Yunci is the heir of Prince Shen, and the current Prince Shen is the elder brother of the former Empress.

...

After hearing this, Jiang Zhuoying felt uneasy.

I had long heard that once you enter the palace, it's like entering a deep sea; every single thing there is a matter of life and death.

These words also mentioned Consort Wan.

Jiang Zhuoying subconsciously craned her neck to observe Qi Fan's expression.

Seeing that he still had a stern face and no expression, she twisted the beads on her skirt.

He must be pretending to be indifferent...

Surviving in the palace was so difficult; once she thought about it, she could understand his cold and distant demeanor to some extent.

The conversation seemed to drag on indefinitely. Jiang Zhuoying slowly got up, intending to go to the restroom.

Eunuch Chu naturally followed and gave her directions. The two walked for a short while and finished discussing the matters inside the house.

At this point, Gu Yanqing could no longer hold back.

He bowed respectfully, then cautiously inquired, "Your Highness, may I ask which family the young lady from just now belongs to?"

He noticed that the other person's demeanor, expression, and attire were all extraordinary, and without thinking, he subconsciously assumed that she was a noble lady from a prominent family in Luoyang.

Moreover, the fact that Eunuch Chu, who was standing beside His Highness, was so polite to that girl makes her status even more extraordinary.

Furthermore, the fact that she was able to participate in today's private meeting suggests that she must be part of His Highness's camp...

She had no idea about the relationship between Jiang Zhuoying and Qi Fan, since the Second Prince was known throughout the court for his aversion to women and the fact that he had never been with a woman.

Gu Yunci was drinking tea when she heard this and choked on her tea.

Gu Yanqing glanced at him unhappily, gritting her teeth: "Brother?"

Gu Yunci stopped his hand and frowned, signaling him to shut up.

But Gu Yanqing was young and impetuous, so it was impossible for him to listen to him.

He turned to look at Qi Fan, pursed his lips, and carefully chose his words: "Your Highness, I didn't mean to be rude to that young lady, it's just... I've reached the age for marriage."

"You want to marry her?"

Qi Fan suddenly interrupted him, his expression growing even more somber.

Jiang Zhuoying's hand, which was pressed against the crack in the door, paused slightly.

She just went to the outhouse, but unexpectedly, this led to some interesting stories about her.

Her heart felt like it was pounding wildly, and she couldn't help but prick up her ears...

Gu Yanqing, who was inside the room, was taken aback. He had indeed fallen for the girl at first sight, but the two of them had never even spoken.

His Highness actually brought up marriage right away.

In Gu Yanqing's heart, Qi Fan was imposing without anger. Although he was only a generation older than him, he was still like an elder.

His reply should naturally be given with utmost care.

He steeled his resolve and nodded solemnly: "Yes, I fell in love with her at first sight, and I have the intention to marry her."

Jiang Zhuoying, standing outside the door, swallowed hard and quietly pressed her ear against the crack in the door...

"Is that so?"

Qi Fan lowered his eyes slightly, his slender fingers caressing the celadon cup in his hand, his tone chilling.

These two short words made Gu Yanqing even more uneasy, and a chill ran down his spine. He rubbed his hands together and softened his voice to probe.

"Your Highness, is that young lady of extremely noble birth?"

Qi Fan paused slightly, he hadn't missed the blank look on the little girl's face.

As if struck by a sudden thought, Gu Yanqing noticed his expression darken, his eyes turning as black as ink: "She's just a maid."

"ah?"

Gu Yanqing looked astonished: "A maid? How is that possible?"

It wasn't that he looked down on the maids and servants, but their clothes, their overall demeanor—at a glance, it was clear they were pampered and carefully raised…

"Given her status? You still want to marry her?"

With a deep, cold voice, Gu Yanqing met his gloomy face and belatedly felt a tremor in her heart.

What did he just do... dare to covet His Highness's person?

"Hey? Jiang girl, where are you going?" Chu Yixin's high-pitched voice suddenly rang out from outside the door.

Qi Fan's expression hardened slightly, and he immediately got up and opened the door. Chu Yixin, who was standing at the door, immediately turned around.

"Master? Who is Jiang girl?"

He had only finished speaking when the gray-blue figure flashed past him.

Jiang Zhuoying pouted, her heart throbbing with a bittersweet feeling.

What does it mean to say "just a maid"?

He clearly looked down on her so much, yet he did that to her...

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Author's note: If you say something wrong, you have to find a way to appease them!