Chapter 457 Solution

They arrived so quickly.

It's been less than an hour since Wen Zhiming left court. In such a short time, Wen Kehao should have just arrived at the Prince Zhong's residence. Even if he explained the situation as soon as he arrived, Su Leyan couldn't possibly have gotten to the palace so quickly.

Unless she was already waiting for Wen Kehao at the palace gate, after the couple met, Wen Kehao told her about the morning court session, and Su Leyan told Wen Kehao to go back to his residence first, while she went to the palace to find Meng Lingge.

This matter had not been leaked beforehand, so why would Su Leyan be waiting for Wen Kehao at the palace gate?

Is it possible that their relationship has reached the point where they can't be apart for even a moment?

Wen Zhiming and Meng Lingge exchanged a glance. Wen Zhiming said, "You two go to the front hall to meet. I'll wait for your news here."

“Alright.” Meng Lingge stood up and said to the maid at the door, “Take Princess Zhongqin to the front hall.”

The young palace maid agreed and ran out of the courtyard gate.

Meng Lingge checked herself in the bronze mirror and, after confirming that there was nothing wrong, gave Wen Zhiming a reassuring look and quickly walked out.

When she arrived, the palace maid led Su Leyan there.

After Su Leyan stepped forward to pay her respects, Meng Lingge took her hand and led her into the front hall, instructing the servants to stand guard outside the door.

"Your Majesty, I have come to the palace this time with an important matter I need your help with."

After Su Leyan finished speaking, she prepared to kneel down, but Meng Lingge stopped her and pulled her to sit down.

"Sit down first, and tell me slowly."

Meng Lingge noticed that Su Leyan's palms were slightly sweaty, and she didn't know whether it was because she rushed over too quickly or because she was too nervous.

Thinking that Su Leyan was pregnant, she gently patted Su Leyan's hand and said softly.

"Why did you come in such a hurry?"

"Today is the first day of the month. I went to the temple early this morning to pray for the child in my womb. When I returned, I calculated that it was almost time for the court session to end, so I waited for the prince at the palace gate."

Su Leyan reached out and touched her lower abdomen, saying anxiously, "I heard from the Prince that the Emperor has ordered him to go to the northern frontier to guard it, and he will depart in three days. The Empress also knows that I am pregnant..."

She felt that this might be a bit pretentious, but she still forced herself to continue.

"My pregnancy is not very stable right now. It would not be appropriate for the prince to leave alone, or for me to go with him. So I would like to ask the empress to persuade the emperor to see if the garrison in the northern border can be replaced?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Lingge stood up. "An unstable pregnancy? This is no small matter. They say a doctor cannot heal himself. I'll have them go and fetch the imperial physician..."

“No need.” Su Leyan quickly pulled her back and shook her head, saying, “It’s just a minor problem, there’s no need to call the imperial physician…”

Su Leyan looked ashamed; she was really bad at lying.

To avoid letting something slip, she and Meng Lingge haven't dared to get too close in recent years.

Seeing Meng Lingge's concerned expression, Su Leyan felt even more ashamed to face her.

She lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty, please consider me selfish and cold-hearted. Now that I have a child, I am unwilling to suffer in the border region. Please help me this time for the sake of our past relationship."

Meng Lingge sat down again and looked at her.

"His Majesty has spoken to me about this matter. It's not that I'm unwilling to help you. The establishment of a separate capital and the opening of trade markets in the Northern Frontier were agreed upon by the Jin Yue and Lan Yu kingdoms. Lan Yu has already decided to send Prince Rui (the Imperial Uncle Mo Siyan). If our country doesn't send a prince, firstly, it would be disregarding the contract and being disrespectful to our allies. Secondly, the separate capital is essentially Jin Yue's second capital, and the person in charge must be a member of the royal family. No one else would dare to take on this task, and His Majesty would not entrust it to anyone else. Thirdly, the local officials and bandits also need a prince of such status to be easier to suppress."

"I, Your Highness..."

Su Leyan hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

She couldn't refute what Meng Lingge said, yet she couldn't express her own predicament.

“I know you are not a selfish or cold-hearted person, but this matter is of great importance. You and Prince Zhong must tell us what difficulties you have so that we can find a way to solve them together. Otherwise, I will not be able to persuade the Emperor.”

Meng Lingge took her hand and, seeing that she couldn't bring herself to speak, reached for the teapot next to her, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to her.

"If you really can't say it, then I'll take the liberty of guessing. If I guess right, you nod. If I guess wrong, you shake your head. Is that alright?"

Su Leyan bit her lip, looked up and saw that Meng Lingge's eyes were sincere and she didn't mean to tease her, so she finally nodded.

Meng Lingge poured herself a full cup of tea: "Is it because Prince Zhong cannot go to the northern border to guard the border due to the aftereffects of taking the Gu King back then? You said you found a way to suppress the Gu King, but you are somewhat ashamed to talk about this method, and it is not something you alone can suppress? Is that right?"

Su Leyan was startled upon hearing this. She had thought Meng Lingge was just making wild guesses, but Meng Lingge's question had hit the nail on the head.

The Gu King's primary function is to reproduce Gu worms, so after consuming it, the body's need for the opposite sex far exceeds that of ordinary people.

Su Leyan had tried using medicinal herbs and acupuncture to suppress the Gu King's toxicity, but to no avail.

On one occasion, she was a second too late when she locked Wen Kehao up. After being dragged inside by Wen Kehao, she unexpectedly discovered that the only way to suppress the Gu King was to satisfy his needs.

She thought that with her there, they would be able to suppress the Gu King smoothly in the future. She and Wen Kehao were meant to be together anyway, so it didn't matter if it was sooner or later.

Unexpectedly, the Gu King's poison was so potent that after a few days, she could no longer satisfy Wen Kehao when the poison took effect.

She didn't want to share her man with others, and initially she tried to put on a brave face, but the Gu King's lust was extraordinary and simply beyond what she could bear alone.

She had tried to cruelly imprison Wen Kehao, who was suffering from the effects of the poison, in a separate place. However, the Gu King in her body could barely control himself when he was not indulging in lust, but after experiencing lust, he could no longer suppress it on his own.

When she opened the door after midnight and saw Wen Kehao with bloodshot eyes, scratches all over his body, and barely alive, her heart softened immediately.

She saved Wen Kehao's life, and she was the one who made Wen Kehao take the Gu King.

She even told Wen Zhiming that Wen Kehao would be hers from now on, that she would treat him when he was sick and take responsibility for him when he got into trouble, and that she would be responsible for Wen Kehao for the rest of her life.

Therefore, she is now the one who must deal with the consequences of the Gu King's actions.

Su Leyan went to the slave market and bought two young girls to satisfy Wen Kehao's needs when he was poisoned.

Wen Kehao initially refused to accept it, but he couldn't control himself when the poison took effect, and Su Leyan's magnanimous and composed attitude made him gradually accept the arrangement.

The two young women didn't last long either. Less than half a month later, they both came to Su Leyan to complain, saying that if they didn't find someone to share the burden, they would lose their lives in the Prince Zhong's mansion.

Su Leyan was so worried about this that she couldn't eat or sleep, and her marriage to Wen Kehao was postponed three times as a result.