Although Lan Shuang's punishment was not quite what she had imagined, she was still quite satisfied.
Because she saw the smug looks on the faces of the other concubines.
This proves that they were also satisfied with the punishment of copying books.
But as soon as Gu Jiangli returned to her room, Yu Wang's first words left her dumbfounded.
"You did this, didn't you?" His voice was cold and indifferent, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
Gu Jiangli composed himself and calmly asked, "What did I do?"
Prince Yu bluntly said, "The bitter ginseng soup, you gave it to the concubines in the backyard, didn't you?"
Gu Jiangli's heart beat faster, a sense of tension she hadn't felt in a long time filling her nerves.
Was he questioning me?
He knew all along?
Gu Jiangli desperately wanted to discern some other emotions from Prince Yu's face, but unfortunately, she couldn't see anything.
Prince Yu's face was devoid of any expression other than the stillness of a thousand-year-old icy pool.
"When...did you find out?"
Since you already know, why would you cooperate with me in putting on a show?
It's really hard to figure out.
Prince Yu replied calmly, "I knew it from the beginning, because Lan Shuang would never send contraceptive soup to those concubines."
Why is it impossible?
If she can give gifts to herself, why can't she give them to those concubines?
"Because it's unnecessary."
Only then did Gu Jiangli realize that Prince Yu was not interrogating her, but explaining something she didn't understand.
So she followed up on what Prince Yu had said and asked, "Why isn't it necessary?"
Prince Yu looked into her eyes and said seriously, "I can't touch women. I feel nauseous and dizzy whenever I do. I've never touched any of the concubines in my backyard, and I never will. And Lan Shuang knows about this."
Gu Jiangli pursed his lips and pondered.
It seems that the rumor that Prince Yu couldn't touch women was actually true?
"You can't touch women? But we clearly..."
"Only you can," Prince Yu interrupted her, "Only you won't make me feel nauseous or dizzy."
Gu Jiangli blinked. So that was why the system had sent her here.
To Prince Yu, wasn't she the chosen one?
In the previous world, only she could have children; in this world, the male protagonist can only touch her!
Wow, the difficulty has decreased.
"Haha, then I really am the prince's destined princess."
She waved with a smile, then instantly became serious.
Now is not the time to think about this!
She looked at Prince Yu, this innocent young man who had acted out a play with her today, and she hadn't yet found out why.
“Lan Shuang had no reason to send bitter ginseng soup to the concubine in the backyard, but she did send me a bowl, and you can’t doubt that.”
“I have no doubt that she is capable of doing such a thing. Lan Shuang saw that you and I got along very well, so she got anxious. She was worried that if you had a child, it would threaten her.”
"Me? Threaten her? What right do I have to threaten her...?"
But as soon as Gu Jiangli finished speaking, she suddenly froze as if she had thought of something.
Of course she can threaten Lan Shuang!
She used to think that Prince Yu and Lan Shuang were siblings, so she never considered that possibility. But when Prince Yu mentioned "threat," she immediately understood.
Even siblings can be "threats" when faced with interests.
Lan Shuang's child, Yu'er, has the blood of the Zhao family flowing in her veins.
As long as Prince Yu has no children, after his death, all of the Zhao family's assets can only be inherited by his children.
However, once Prince Yu had offspring, half of his vast estate would be divided among his children.
Moreover, because Prince Yu was a man, his children would receive a large portion of the inheritance.
As a result, Lan Shuang's sons were few and far between.
"What she wants is the Wang family's fortune?" Gu Jiangli asked, as if talking to himself.
Prince Yu chuckled self-deprecatingly, “She used to know I couldn’t touch women, so she never felt any sense of crisis. But things have been different since you came.”
Gu Jiangli understood completely when she heard this. Prince Yu, who used to avoid women like the plague, had been inseparable from her ever since she arrived.
So Lan Shuang panicked.
"She saw that you and I got along very well, and that Your Highness was not at all averse to contact with me, so she was worried that I would have a child and take away the family property that 'belonged' to her son."
Prince Yu sighed almost imperceptibly, "Yes."
Gu Jiangli: "Tsk tsk tsk, Your Highness, you really have a big heart. According to you, you knew all along that excuse Lan Shuang made about not recognizing ginseng was fake. She deliberately and intentionally wanted to cut off your lineage."
"You're only punishing her by making her copy medical books? Making her clean the chamber pot is too lenient, okay? Aren't you afraid that after she finishes copying the medical books, she'll use the same trick again and start over?"
Prince Yu gave a bitter smile, and Gu Jiangli could feel the bitterness in his expression.
“Your Highness, I think you are one of my closest confidants. I admire your straightforwardness and liveliness, so I don’t intend to hide anything from you.”
"Is there any other little secret you haven't told me?"
"Your Highness, it doesn't really matter whether you can have children or not, because I cannot have children."
Gu Jiangli's lips parted slightly, clearly surprised.
She knew her mission was to help the infertile male protagonist have a child.
But she never imagined that the male lead would take the initiative to admit that he couldn't have children!
She assumed that, under normal circumstances, they would shift the blame for infertility onto the woman.
"Your Highness...why do you say that? Is there something wrong with your health?"
Prince Yu seemed to have expected her to ask directly, so he was not surprised at all and frankly admitted it.
"I have seen many doctors, and the answer is always the same: I am destined to have no offspring."
Prince Yu's eyes looked dim, but Gu Jiangli couldn't detect his disappointment at all.
It wasn't that Prince Yu wasn't saddened, but rather that he had to accept this outcome amidst immense pain.
No wonder...
No wonder he didn't expose Lan Shuang's sinister intentions after he knew them, but instead continued to act out the play he had prepared.
Gu Jiangli even suspected that if the person who drank the contraceptive soup today was not Gu Jiangli, but one of the concubines in the backyard, Prince Yu might have let the matter drop, just like the mistress.
It wasn't because he was biased towards Lan Shuang, but because he simply didn't care.
He didn't care about Lan Shuang's motives or her lies, because he already believed that he would never have any more children.
Gu Jiangli moved her chair forward and hooked her arm around Prince Yu's shoulder.
"Your Highness, you are so kind, you will surely have a child."
Prince Yu laughed self-deprecatingly: "I have seen all the doctors in the city, unless there is a miracle."
“Then I am Your Highness’s miracle. Your Highness, rest assured, I am more effective than all the doctors in the city. You are destined to have a child.”
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