Chapter 475 Her Secret (Second Update)
When Marquis Xuanping came out of the palace, he was surprised to find a familiar carriage parked nearby.
It was Princess Xinyang's carriage.
He frowned, unsure whether the other person had entered the palace or something. If they weren't looking for him, then there was no need for him to make a fool of himself.
Just as she was thinking this, the curtain of Princess Xinyang's carriage was lifted from the inside.
Yu Jin bowed and dismounted from the carriage, walking towards Marquis Xuanping.
"My lord," Yu Jin bowed respectfully, "the princess wishes to see you."
That's quite unusual.
After so many years of marriage, Princess Xinyang has only come to see him a handful of times.
He rarely went to see her. Ever since she made a nominal request on their wedding night, he had only maintained a superficial relationship with her.
After a moment's hesitation, Marquis Xuanping boarded Princess Xinyang's carriage.
Marquis Xuanping's carriage was also an extremely luxurious carriage, but it was not as exquisite in detail as Princess Xinyang's carriage. Princess Xinyang's carriage was clearly a woman's carriage, fragrant and exceptionally refined.
Twenty years ago, Marquis Xuanping probably wouldn't have had anywhere to stay.
He's no longer the roughneck he used to be. He's quite refined now, elegant and composed, with a scholarly air... well, at least on the surface.
Marquis Xuanping sat down on the bench beside Princess Xinyang, glanced at her, and asked, "What is it?"
Princess Xinyang opened her mouth, a hint of hesitation flashing across her brow.
Marquis Xuanping didn't urge her; he casually picked up an orange and played with it in his hand.
Princess Xinyang finally spoke after a long while: "When did you find out that there was something wrong with the Dragon Shadow Guards around me?"
Marquis Xuanping asked, "You came to me just to ask this?"
Princess Xinyang said, "Answer me."
"Not long after Xiao Qing's incident," Marquis Xuanping said truthfully.
"Have you found out anything?" Princess Xinyang asked.
Marquis Xuanping shook his head: "No, on the contrary, we found nothing, which is why we find it strange. Your Dragon Shadow Guards have been operating in the shadows all along, but..."
Princess Xinyang smiled wryly: "But you already knew."
"Yes." Marquis Xuanping did not deny it.
From the very first day Princess Xinyang married into the mansion, he sensed several unusual presences lurking in the shadows.
He had sensed a similar aura from the Dragon Shadow Guards who served the emperor, so he guessed that she also had Dragon Shadow Guards by her side.
But their identities were truly confirmed on the night Xiao Qing had his accident.
When he discovered that his two children had been poisoned, he immediately went to find an antidote. At that time, the emperor had an antidote pill from the Yan Kingdom, which was said to be able to cure all poisons.
Unfortunately, there was only one.
In order to get the antidote for him, Xiao Heng's mother did not hesitate to kidnap Xiao Qing.
However, when she was capturing Xiao Qing, she almost accidentally entered Princess Xinyang's room, where a Dragon Shadow Guard appeared and fought with her.
“Back then…” Princess Xinyang’s voice interrupted Marquis Xuanping’s thoughts, but she seemed hesitant.
Marquis Xuanping weighed the orange in his hand and said, "Ask whatever you want. You don't need to consider whether I want to answer or not. If I don't want to answer, I will tell you directly."
Princess Xinyang asked, "After you confirmed that the Dragon Shadow Guards were the murderers who killed Xiao Qing, did you ever think about revenge?"
Marquis Xuanping gave a faint smile: "Would you believe me if I said I didn't?"
Princess Xinyang pursed her lips: "Then why didn't you take revenge?"
Marquis Xuanping said solemnly, "First of all, they were just executioners; the one who actually issued this order was the late Emperor."
There were only two people who could command the Dragon Shadow Guards: the late emperor and Princess Xinyang. It couldn't have been Princess Xinyang herself who gave the order to kill her own son.
It's not difficult to reach this conclusion; it's difficult to accept it.
Marquis Xuanping chuckled and said, “Every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. If I want revenge, I will go to the late emperor. Why make things difficult for a few executioners who obeyed orders? Only a coward would take his anger out on a few subordinates instead of his master.”
That arrogant tone—it's definitely Marquis Xuanping.
Princess Xinyang asked, "Just because of this?"
Marquis Xuanping looked at her strangely, a smirk playing on his lips: "What are you expecting, Qin Fengwan? Expecting me to tell you that it's because you still need them that I reluctantly kept them? Qin Fengwan, I'm not as affectionate towards you as you think."
"That's good." Princess Xinyang breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Marquis Xuanping looked at her with a half-smile, narrowed his eyes, and suddenly leaned over, placing one hand on her side as if he were pinning her against the carriage wall: "Qin Fengwan, you look very disappointed?"
Princess Xinyang turned her face away and said, "I didn't."
Marquis Xuanping smiled casually, with a hint of coldness and sarcasm: "It's too late to be disappointed. You were the one who rejected me back then. Even if you lower yourself to beg me now, I will not be moved by you again."
After saying that, he coldly sat back down in his original seat.
"Then, have you ever had feelings for me?" Princess Xinyang asked.
Marquis Xuanping's smile froze.
“No,” he said.
“There is no best,” Princess Xinyang said. “Don’t like me, I… I won’t like you.”
Marquis Xuanping's expression turned cold: "Qin Fengwan, am I really that bad?"
Princess Xinyang lowered her eyes, her hands beneath her wide sleeves tightly gripping her handkerchief: "It's not your fault, it's mine."
I can't fall in love with any man.
Marquis Xuanping alighted from the carriage with an icy expression.
Yu Jin didn't get into the carriage until he had walked away.
Being alone with a man in this cramped space was extremely difficult for Princess Xinyang, even though that man was her husband of many years.
She concealed it very well on her face, but the handkerchief in her hand had already been pierced with several holes.
"Princess, are you alright?" Yu Jin asked with concern.
Princess Xinyang had applied a thick layer of makeup to her face, concealing her pale complexion; otherwise, she would have been exposed long ago.
"I'm fine," she said, taking a deep breath.
She said she was fine, but her body began to tremble slightly.
Yu Jin had always known that the princess had an unspeakable problem—she couldn't have normal contact with men, especially in very confined spaces, where she could suffocate at her worst.
The reason no one had noticed before was mainly because she was a princess. She had a noble status and did not allow anyone to get close, so others could not approach her.
Furthermore, she was also very good at disguising herself. If Yu Jin hadn't witnessed her fainting in the carriage, he probably wouldn't have known her secret.
Over the years, apart from the young marquis, only Long Yi was allowed to stay close to her, and even the other four Dragon Shadow Guards were not allowed to approach her without permission.
In fact, after so much time has passed, the princess's condition has improved a lot. She did not experience any discomfort when she was in the same carriage with Marquis Xuanping last time.
This time...
Did Marquis Xuanping take liberties with the Duke?
The good news of Yao's son's birth quickly spread throughout Bishui Hutong, and everyone came to offer their congratulations. Gu Yan and Xiao Jingkong each carried a basket of red eggs and went door to door to distribute them.
Lord Gu hadn't slept all night and then spent the whole morning looking after his son. He was so exhausted that he fell asleep right next to Madam Yao.
After feeding the child some milk, Yao was too weak to resist and fell asleep.
I don't have the energy I had when I was younger.
It was at this time that Gu Jinyu arrived at Bishui Hutong.
Last night, Gu Jiao threw her out and she was never allowed to enter the courtyard again, so she returned to the Marquis's residence first.
She heard the news from Huang Zhong early in the morning that Yao had given birth to a younger brother, and she personally cooked soup for Yao to nourish her body.
She carried the nourishing soup inside.
"Mother, I've come to see you."
Granny Fang was giving the little one a bath when she heard this. She looked up, made a shushing gesture, and whispered, "Madam is resting."
"Ah." Gu Jinyu quickly covered her mouth, looking guilty.
A screen was drawn in front of Madam Yao's bed. Gu Jinyu peeked out from behind the screen. Madam Yao was sleeping soundly. Lord Gu was sitting in a chair with his upper body leaning on the edge of the bed, also fast asleep.
She quickly looked away, placed the food box on the table, and curiously squatted down by the basin. Watching the little guy being handled by Granny Fang, she said, "He's so small."
Granny Fang said, "He's not young anymore, he's fair and chubby."
Can't you speak properly?
Where is the young master small?
He's clearly a big, chubby boy!
After giving the young master a bath, Granny Fang dried him with a soft towel, dressed him in tiny clothes, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes.
She didn't cry or make a sound throughout the entire process.
She's very well-behaved.
Gu Jinyu opened her eyes wide and asked, "Granny, can I hold my little brother?"
"Can you hold him?" asked Granny Fang.
Gu Jinyu nodded: "I will. I've held Ling's little cousin many times."
After hesitating for a moment, Granny Fang carefully handed the child to her.
Gu Jinyu gently took the child and smiled as she looked at the little one in the swaddling clothes.
At that moment, something incredible happened. The little guy, who never cried during baths or diaper changes, suddenly burst into tears!
(End of this chapter)
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