Chapter 429 Mother and Child (First Update)
His tone was like the gentlest whisper in the world, and his gaze was full of deep affection, yet the Crown Princess still felt a chill run down her spine.
She stood there frozen, as if she couldn't utter a single word.
Prince Ning gently stroked her cheek and said softly, "Linlang, from the day you and I killed Xiao Heng, you've been unable to extricate yourself from this mess. Don't you understand that?"
The Crown Princess's eyes flashed sharply: "I didn't harm him! It was you! It was you from beginning to end! You followed me to the Imperial Academy...you killed him!"
Prince Ning raised his hand and patted the back of her head: "If you hadn't arranged to meet him alone, how would I have had the chance? Admit it, Linlang, you were also an accomplice in his death."
"I didn't! I never harmed Aheng!" The Crown Princess reached out to push him away. "I don't want to see you, get out!"
The Prince of Ning's hand, which was stroking the back of her head, suddenly tightened its grip—
"Linlang! Linlang!"
"Huh? Chunying, what are you doing here? Where's the Crown Princess? Didn't you go to the Imperial Study with her?"
A questioning voice came from not far away.
Then came Chunying's guilty reply: "The Crown Princess, she..."
The Crown Princess looked coldly at Prince Ning.
Prince Ning said fiercely and silently, "You know what to do. Don't anger me, or you won't be able to bear the consequences, Wen Linlang."
He let go.
The Crown Princess stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.
What was that sound?
Because they were so close, the moment Prince Ning released the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince had already walked over. He saw the pale-faced Crown Princess and the gentle and calm Prince Ning.
He frowned, instinctively disliking his woman standing with another man, even if that man was his own brother.
"Big brother?" He walked over with a puzzled look.
Prince Ning smiled and said, "My father summoned me to the palace to see him in the Imperial Study. It just so happened that my second sister-in-law came out of the Imperial Study and we ran into each other."
So that's how it is. The Crown Prince realized he had been overthinking things. Prince Ning was his elder brother. Even if they weren't born of the same mother, they were still from the same father. Linlang was his sister-in-law. How could there be anything between them?
The Crown Prince came to the Crown Princess's side and took her hand. Feeling the coldness of her fingertips, he frowned even more: "Why are your hands so cold? I already told you that you are injured. You can report to the Emperor in a few days if there is anything."
“My father entrusted the girls’ school to me, so I should manage it carefully.” The Crown Princess said, feeling the death stare from Prince Ning. She subtly withdrew her hand from the Crown Prince’s grasp. “I’m fine, just a little tired. Your Highness, let’s go back.”
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather seemed to suddenly turn cool, with the morning and evening breezes carrying a hint of autumn chill. The Crown Prince took off his cloak and draped it over the Crown Princess, carefully tying the ribbon around her neck.
Prince Ning stared intently at the two of them.
The Crown Princess grasped the Crown Prince's hand, gently removed it, and took the ribbon herself: "I can do it myself."
"Oh." The Crown Prince was a little disappointed. He wanted to do these little things for Linlang, but with his elder brother here, it didn't seem right for the two of them to be so affectionate.
He turned to look at Prince Ning, whose eyes had already regained their gentle warmth.
He said, "Brother, we'll head back now. Since we've summoned you, you should go quickly!"
Prince Ning paused, turned to look at the Crown Prince who was leaving with the Crown Princess, and said, "Why don't you come with me to see Father Emperor? It seems something has happened; the Imperial Guards have been mobilized."
"Is that so?" The crown prince hesitated.
Prince Ning smiled and said, "Never mind, you should stay with your second sister-in-law. I'll go see Father Emperor myself."
As he said this, his gaze swept across the Crown Princess's face, intentionally or unintentionally.
The Crown Princess felt an overwhelming threat. She clenched her fist and said to the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, you should go and take a look."
The Crown Prince said, "I am worried about you."
The Crown Princess lowered her eyes and said, "With Chunying by my side, what is Your Highness worried about?"
Ultimately, persuaded by the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince reluctantly went.
When he arrived, he learned that Xiao Liulang had been captured by assassins and his whereabouts were unknown. His father had ordered Prince Ning to lead troops to find him, and since he had also gone, his father gave him a troop of men as well.
Unable to return to the East Palace to be with Linlang in the middle of the night, the Crown Prince was instead forced to wander aimlessly through the streets searching for Xiao Liulang. He was incredibly frustrated!
"Really, he just looks like Xiao Heng, he's not the real Xiao Heng, so why does Father Emperor value him so much! He even made me, the Crown Prince, condescend to go and find him!"
Xiao Liulang, whom the Crown Prince had been searching for, was now lying quietly on Princess Xinyang's bed, and Gu Jiao was changing his IV drip.
It was late at night.
Gu Jiao and Long Yi quietly watched over him in the room. Gu Jiao sat by the bed while Long Yi sat on the roof beam.
After finishing the IV drip for Xiao Liulang, Gu Jiao couldn't resist the drowsiness and fell asleep on the edge of the bed. Long Yi, however, kept his eyes wide open, like a sleepless owl.
After an unknown amount of time, the entire Zhuque Street fell silent, and only the steady breathing of a few people remained inside the house.
Suddenly, the door was gently pushed open from the outside.
A pristine white embroidered shoe stepped across the threshold and landed silently on the spotless floor.
The elegant golden skirt flowed slowly across the lake like floating gold leaf.
Xiao Liulang was half asleep, and he didn't have the strength to open his eyes.
In a half-dream, half-awake state, he felt a gentle, delicate hand touch his forehead.
He didn't know whose hand it was, nor whether he was dreaming.
The hand stayed there for a while before leaving.
When Xiao Liulang finally opened his eyes, he only saw Gu Jiao sleeping beside him.
His hand was held in Gu Jiao's hand, while Gu Jiao's other hand was pressed down by herself.
This position makes it impossible to free your hand to touch his forehead.
So, am I just dreaming?
It was pitch black, and he was only half awake. For a moment, he didn't realize where he was. The environment and the atmosphere didn't bother him, nor did they make him feel unfamiliar.
He pulled the blanket over Gu Jiao's shoulders, removed her hand that she had been pressing down on herself, closed his eyes, and fell asleep again.
Gu Jiao didn't announce Xiao Liulang's escape for the time being. In her dream, she only knew that someone had hired someone to assassinate Xiao Liulang, but she didn't know who that person was. The other party didn't know that Xiao Liulang was safe and was probably frantically searching for his whereabouts right now.
As for Princess Xinyang, she doesn't seem to have leaked any information about Xiao Liulang.
As dawn broke, Gu Jiao returned to Bishui Hutong to let her family know she was safe, and also packed a few sets of Xiao Liulang's clothes.
Actually, if the mastermind were found out, there wouldn't be anything to fear, but right now they are in the open while the enemy is in the shadows, making it difficult to defend against.
Gu Jiao had thought it over. It was relatively safer here with Princess Xinyang. As long as Princess Xinyang didn't tell them to leave, she would pretend she didn't see the little look of disdain on her face.
Gu Jiao was unaware that the Crown Princess arrived shortly after she left.
She came to visit Princess Xinyang, and at the same time, she also had something to confirm with Princess Xinyang.
Princess Xinyang went to bed late last night, not closing her eyes until almost dawn. However, the maid in the courtyard recognized the Crown Princess and knew that she was someone Princess Xinyang cared about, so she still invited her into the courtyard.
"This servant will go and call Lord Yujin," the maid said.
The Crown Princess said, "No need, you all go about your business. I will go find Yu Jin myself."
Yu Jin was drying clothes in the backyard. She held the position of Household Steward in the Xinyang Princess's residence, a rank of sixth grade.
The sixth rank is not a particularly prestigious rank in the capital, but it is a different story if one is a close confidant of Princess Xinyang.
Since she could remember, Yu Jin had been serving Princess Xinyang and was one of Princess Xinyang's closest people.
"Lord Yu Jin." The Crown Princess walked over and greeted her politely.
Given Yu Jin's status, there was no need for her to personally do such drying work. The Crown Princess couldn't help but take another look, and then she was stunned.
It was a man's garment.
Princess Xinyang has secret guards by her side, but the Crown Princess doesn't think Yu Jin would go and do laundry for one of them.
"Is it the Marquis who has returned?"
The Crown Princess's first thought was that Marquis Xuanping had returned to the capital to reunite with Princess Xinyang.
Despite their strained relationship, they were still husband and wife, so it wouldn't be too surprising if Marquis Xuanping came here.
“Ah, no.” Yu Jin shook her head.
She didn't know how to explain it for a moment.
These are Xiao Liulang's clothes.
After a night of thinking and observation, Yu Jin was fairly certain of Xiao Liulang's identity, but... the princess hadn't said anything yet, so she couldn't tell anyone beforehand.
Seeing Yu Jin's difficulty in answering, the Crown Princess recalled some rumors she had heard—that Princess Xinyang and Marquis Xuanping were not on good terms, that Marquis Xuanping was a womanizer, and that Princess Xinyang also... had her own male lovers.
This was, of course, just a rumor, and the Crown Princess never believed it, but now, these were men's clothes...
"Don't misunderstand, it's not the princess, it's...it's me." Yu Jin decided to take the blame herself!
A strong sense of astonishment flashed across the Crown Princess's eyes.
Yu Jin cleared her throat and said, "Please keep this a secret, Your Highness."
The Crown Princess came to her senses. Speaking of which, this Lady Yu Jin was quite an extraordinary woman. She never married in her life. If she were outside, who knows what kind of gossip would spread about her behind her back. But because she was in the Princess's residence and had Princess Xinyang's protection, no one dared to embarrass her to her face.
This is a good opportunity to win over Yu Jin.
The Crown Princess smiled and said, "Don't worry, Lord Yu Jin, I didn't see anything today."
"With the Crown Princess's words, I can rest assured." Yu Jin's smile was more like a grimace.
Princess Xinyang was still asleep, and it wouldn't be right to wake her. The Crown Princess knew she didn't have that much influence, so she decided to come another day.
She bid farewell to Yu Jin, and as she passed by Princess Xinyang's house, she heard a commotion inside.
She thought Princess Xinyang had woken up and was about to go inside to pay her respects when Long Yi, who had jumped down from the roof beam, blocked her way at the door.
(End of this chapter)
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