"We must keep a close watch on the Gu family's every move in the near future, and do so without anyone noticing." She secretly made up her mind to expose Gu Qinhuan's conspiracy and eliminate the potential threat from the Zheng family.
Upon returning to the Fourth Prince's residence, Gu Qinlian went straight to the study to express her gratitude to the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince, who had recently enjoyed good fortune, also had a favorable impression of Gu Qinlian. "Miss Gu, there's no need for you to be so polite with me. I will need your wisdom and assistance in the future."
Gu Qinlian smiled gently and modestly: "Your Highness is too kind. It is my honor to serve Your Highness."
Suddenly, her brows furrowed, and she looked troubled. The Fourth Prince, keenly sensing something amiss, immediately asked, "Miss Gu seems to be troubled by something?"
Gu Qinlian confessed, "I dare not hide it from Your Highness. On my way home today, I ran into my husband. He is interested in seeking refuge with Your Highness and hopes that I can introduce him to you."
The Fourth Prince was slightly surprised: "Ji Yinli? As far as I know, his learning is mediocre and his abilities are also average. But since Miss Gu speaks so highly of him, I might as well make an exception and arrange a leisurely position for him."
However, Gu Qinlian unexpectedly said, "Your Highness misunderstands. I am not asking for a favor for him, but rather I would like to ask Your Highness to grant him some trials."
The fourth prince was slightly taken aback: "I heard that you took the initiative to ask for your marriage, but now you are making such a request. There must be something fishy about this."
Gu Qinlian sighed and said, "To be honest, Your Highness, my relationship with him as husband and wife has long been broken. He just wants to use me to seek refuge with you."
The fourth prince suggested, "Since that's the case, I can arrange for you to divorce. What do you think?"
Gu Qinlian gently shook her head: "No, he has something on me. If we divorce, he might do something desperate."
The fourth prince's curiosity was piqued: "What leverage?"
Gu Qinlian resolutely knelt down: "In the past, his mother was cruel to me. Out of sympathy, my personal maid put some harmful substances in his mother's room. Originally, she only intended to torment her body, but an accident occurred, leading to his mother's death. This was discovered by his concubine, who attempted to use it to blackmail me. My maid lost her hand in the struggle with her, resulting in her death. Although I did not kill them with my own hands, I am still culpable. Ji Yinli has been using this matter to blackmail me, forcing me to do what he wants."
She cleverly blended fact and fiction, aiming to convince the Fourth Prince and prevent him from pushing Ji Yinli into a corner, lest he reveal the secret of her rebirth. Her rebirth was her greatest secret.
The Fourth Prince was skeptical of what she said, but he didn't care much. In his eyes, Gu Qinlian was nothing more than a useful pawn. He feigned sympathy and anger, saying, "Ji Yinli dared to be so despicable. Your maid has indeed committed a heinous crime. If this matter gets out, you will be condemned by the whole world and may even be punished by law."
Gu Qinlian knelt down and wept, "I know this matter is serious, so I dare not deceive Your Highness. I beg Your Highness to have mercy and lend me a hand."
"Sir, where are we headed?"
The steward didn't even turn his head, replying directly, "Naturally, I'm going to your post. This is a position personally assigned by His Highness; do you have any objections to it?"
Ji Yinli quickly clarified, "Not at all, I was just a little surprised. I originally thought I would be assigned to the Fourth Prince's residence."
Was being exiled to that desolate place truly his new job, or was it an attempt to silence him?
The steward revealed a mocking smile: "Young Master Ji may not know, but His Highness has many positions under his command. Even if you don't work in the manor, your position in other places is equally important. Moreover, the position you hold was personally appointed by His Highness, so its importance is self-evident."
The doubts in Ji Yinli's mind instantly dissipated.
The carriage swayed and rattled for about an hour before they finally arrived at their destination, when it was completely dark.
Ji Yinli didn't even have time to appreciate the scenery around him before being led into a room. Soon after, someone gracefully carried in plates of exquisite dishes.
"Young Master Ji must be tired from your journey. Please have some dinner first. We can discuss other matters tomorrow."
Ji Yinli had not received such courtesy in a long time, so he did not hesitate to start eating.
The dishes were so delicious that he almost couldn't resist finishing them all, just to maintain his composure.
After the meal, someone else came in to bathe him.
Every detail was taken care of meticulously, and Ji Yinli completely let his guard down.
In the dead of night, Ji Yinli was fast asleep when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, which made him scream in agony.
Just as he cried out, the door was gently pushed open, and an oddly dressed old man slowly entered, standing by the bed and coldly watching him struggle in pain.
Ji Yinli's last memory was of the old man's deep and mysterious eyes.
When I woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.
If it weren't for the lingering pain in his body, Ji Yinli would almost doubt whether he had just had a nightmare last night.
He struggled to get up, but someone came in to stop him: "Young Master Ji, the toxins in your body have not been completely eliminated. Do not move around unnecessarily."
Ji Yinli asked in horror, "I've been poisoned? Who poisoned me?"
The visitor smiled and explained, "You have indeed been poisoned, but it wasn't intentional; you were simply testing the poison."
Ji Yinli turned pale and exclaimed, "Trying poison?"
The visitor maintained his calm smile: "As a newly recruited drug tester, testing poisons will become your duty. Are you completely unaware of this?"
Ji Yinli's body went limp instantly, and he lay back down on the bed, powerless.
Gu Qinlian's methods were extremely ruthless. She sent Ji Yinli to such a hellish place. Even though Ji Yinli had nine lives, he probably would not have been able to escape the cruel torture.
When Jin Tianming truthfully reported the information he had gathered to Gu Qinlan, he couldn't help but shudder, as if he were in an ice cave.
Being used as a test subject is even more cruel than the excruciating punishment of slow slicing. While slow slicing is painful, at least there is a definite end date. However, being a test subject means that even the time of death is unknown. This kind of torture is truly worse than death.
Gu Qinlan was not overly surprised by this, after all, Gu Qinlian's nature was extremely selfish and narrow-minded. If she was not living a good life herself, she would never allow the people around her to live in peace.
Moreover, Ji Yinli's performance in this life was absolutely terrible, causing Gu Qinlian a lot of trouble. Now that Gu Qinlian has gained some power, how could she possibly let Ji Yinli off easily?
What has the Song family been up to lately?
Jin Tianming replied, "She has been secretly dealing with the Gu family's assets these past two days, and these dealings are all being carried out in secret, away from Old Master Gu. In addition, she has been secretly sending messages to Jin Du, and it seems that she intends to escape."
Gu Qinlan smiled slightly, a hint of coldness in her eyes: "Keep a close watch on her. She will definitely slip up before she leaves the capital. Once she plans to leave the capital, immediately inform the Fourth Prince's residence."
Want to run away? Well, she'll have to see if she gets my permission first.
Jin Tianming immediately accepted the order, his attitude firm.
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