Gu Qinlan turned away, a hint of grievance in her voice, and said, "It's none of your business. The physical pain is nothing compared to the bitterness in my heart. Did I do this for myself today? And yet you blame me!"
Zheng Dinglian immediately understood her intention and explained gently, "I'm not blaming you, I'm just worried and scared. You must never take such risks again. Even if the Fourth Prince's Consort really falls, I have a way to handle it properly, it's just a little troublesome. But if you get injured, I... Qinlan, you don't need to bear these risks and burdens, I have the ability to protect you."
Zheng Dinglian held her tightly in his arms, resting his chin gently on her shoulder, and said in a gentle yet firm tone, "You don't need to work so hard. No matter what happens in the future, you must remember to protect yourself first. For you, your safety and health are more important than anything else. As long as you are safe, everything will be alright."
His heart was filled with unspeakable pain and fear. When he learned that Gu Qinlan had used her body to catch the Fourth Prince's wife, he almost wanted to execute that ruthless couple on the spot!
Complex emotions flickered in Gu Qinlan's eyes as she gazed quietly at Zheng Dinglian, a warm feeling welling up inside her. In her past life, everyone had told her that she had to shoulder a certain responsibility, to help her husband and bring him glory, so that she could also benefit from it.
However, Zheng Dinglian told her that she didn't need to do that.
The atmosphere inside the Fourth Prince's residence was extremely tense.
"Bang--"
A priceless glass cup was suddenly thrown to the ground, instantly turning into countless fragments that scattered in all directions, the ear-piercing sound of shattering echoing in the air.
The maids inside were terrified and knelt down in unison. Two of them accidentally knelt on the broken pieces, and blood gushed out, but no one dared to make a sound.
Immediately following, there was another loud "bang."
This time, it wasn't porcelain that shattered, but the Fourth Prince's wife's cheek.
The Fourth Prince delivered a resounding slap, making his wife see stars and feel dizzy.
"You bitch, didn't you swear you were absolutely certain? Now how do you plan to clean up this mess?! My meticulously planned scheme of many years has been ruined by you!"
Enraged, the Fourth Prince slapped his wife again, leaving her cheeks swollen and distended.
The Fourth Prince's wife was extremely aggrieved and roared at the Fourth Prince in a fit of rage: "You only know how to blame me! Didn't you personally agree to all of this? For the sake of your so-called great cause, you concealed the truth about the difficulty of having children. Why didn't you tell me the truth! Since you chose this plan, why did you make me pregnant! The child is already in my womb. I originally wanted to use this child to help you, but in the end, you pushed all the responsibility onto me? Do you have any conscience at all!"
Her background was quite illustrious. Although not as noble as that of a royal princess, her father was one of the few non-royal princes in the Western Wei Dynasty, wielding immense power. The reason she married the fourth prince was because the emperor was worried that her marriage to someone else would cause internal strife within the royal family, so he bestowed her upon the fourth prince, who was known for his "problem with offspring."
Therefore, she was not afraid of the fourth prince, since the fourth prince could not ascend the throne without the support of her family.
The fourth prince's face was ashen, and he was burning with rage, but he dared not take any excessive action against the fourth prince's wife.
Seeing this, the Fourth Prince's wife looked down on him even more. A man who could only rely on the pretense of "having difficulty having children" to cover up the truth seemed so weak and incompetent compared to the other princes.
She was already indifferent to the Fourth Prince, and this incident made her even more disappointed.
So she stood up resolutely, gently touching her swollen cheek, and said in a cold tone, "Since you don't need this child, then hurry up and have someone send you birth control pills. After this is resolved, we'll get a divorce immediately."
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince panicked and hurriedly grasped his wife's hands, pleading, "Tingting, it was my fault. I was too impulsive. I shouldn't have hit you. I apologize. Please don't mention divorce, and definitely don't say you'll give up the child."
“How could I not want this child? You know how much I long to have our own bloodline. I was wrong before, thinking that the big picture was more important, but now I understand that since the child is here, it is God's arrangement. Stop overthinking, focus on the pregnancy, and leave the rest to me.”
The Fourth Prince's wife sneered contemptuously: "Deal with it? How do you plan to deal with it? Publicly admit that you are actually capable of having children? How can your grand plan proceed then? Or admit that the child is not yours, but was born from my affair?"
The fourth prince hurriedly explained, "I've thought it over. Let's continue with the argument that having children is a problem. We can treat this child as an unexpected surprise. That way, my brothers won't be too wary of me, and it won't have too much of an impact on the overall situation. What do you think?"
The Fourth Prince's wife smiled sarcastically: "You really are meticulous."
A slightly embarrassed smile flickered across the Fourth Prince's lips: "Tingting, I know I have a deep sense of guilt towards you in this matter. Rest assured, I will ensure that you and your unborn child enjoy the highest honor. On the day I achieve my great success, it will be entirely up to you to decide which women in the household will be able to bear children and which will not."
The Fourth Prince's wife gently withdrew her hand: "I never easily believe verbal promises. Moreover, Your Highness's actions just now have made me lose all basis for trust."
She leaned slightly forward, bringing her face even closer.
The fourth prince stared at the swollen cheek, gritted his teeth, and shouted at the maids, "All of you, get out of here!"
The maids hurriedly retreated and carefully closed the door.
The fourth prince gripped his wife's hand tightly and swung it at his own cheek: "Let you hit me, to make amends for my mistake."
The Fourth Prince's Consort struggled free and coldly mocked, "Your Highness is of noble status, how dare I be presumptuous?"
The fourth prince clenched his fist, then suddenly slapped himself twice hard across the face: "Now, is my wife willing to believe in my sincerity?"
The Fourth Prince's wife's heart jolted, not out of gratitude, but out of fear.
This man is terrifying. He's willing to sacrifice everything, even his dignity, for profit.
Such a person, once he gains power, will surely retaliate ruthlessly against all those who have disrespected him.
Those two slaps were enough to haunt him for life.
She clearly underestimated this man.
After hitting her, the Fourth Prince acted as if nothing had happened, smiling as he reached out to take her hand. "Tingting, I really realize my mistake. I sincerely assure you that every word I said came from the bottom of my heart. I also know that you have suffered a great injustice in this matter. I promise you that I will never let Zheng Dinglian and Gu Qinlan off the hook. In the future, they will definitely kneel at your feet and beg for your forgiveness."
"Stop saying hurtful things. Focus on your pregnancy and leave everything else to me, okay?"
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