Chapter 608 Husband and Wife (Two Updates)
He moved with lightning speed and was as fierce as a dragon. He grabbed the large tree that was pressing down on Marquis Xuanping and threw it away violently!
Marquis Xuanping had long been prepared to die. He wondered if this was what death felt like? Light as a feather?
Where are the big trees we were promised? Where is the raging mudslide?
They heard the sound, how could they not crush him to pieces and suffocate him to death?
As Marquis Xuanping was wondering, he felt a powerful aura sweeping towards him. Marquis Xuanping had never admitted that anyone other than himself was powerful in his life, so for someone to have this feeling was enough to show how profound the other party's skill was.
And this aura felt somewhat familiar.
But then I realized it was impossible.
Before Marquis Xuanping could figure out what was going on, whether it was reality or a hallucination after death, he was suddenly lifted off the ground!
Completely oblivious, Marquis Xuanping: "..."
Xiao Heng's heart was pounding in his chest, but then he witnessed that thrilling scene and breathed a sigh of relief: "Long Yi!"
The instant Long Yi carried Xuanping Hou away, a mudslide swept in, almost instantly engulfing the entire village.
The mudslide chased after Long Yi. Long Yi's lightness skill was superb. Whenever he was about to be submerged, he could lightly touch the tree with his toes and fly away, while the tree was swallowed up.
He stopped on the roof again, then soared into the air once more, swallowing the roof up as well.
This is a battle against Hades, the King of the Underworld.
Xiao Heng could no longer see them, but he was confident that Long Yi's skills would allow him to outrun the mudslide.
The mudslide swallowed not only a village, but also the official road where Xiao Heng was located.
Like a colossal beast awakened from a thousand years ago, it opened its blood-red maw behind Xiao Heng.
Xiao Heng curled up the baby in his arms and gripped the reins tightly with both hands.
Rocks kept falling along the way, and the horses on the other side were already running around in panic, but Marquis Xuanping's mount did not.
It is the king of warhorses, forged in the crucible of war. It remains calm in the face of danger, is well-trained, agile and nimble, and precisely avoids every rock.
Xiao Heng didn't need to whip it; as an instinct to avoid natural disasters, it had already increased its speed to the extreme.
The mudslide was relentlessly pursuing them, and it looked like it was about to swallow them whole. Its eyes were like knives, and with a push of its hind hooves, it suddenly took off into the air!
Xiao Heng looked at the broken bridge and flowing water at his feet, and his heart jumped into his throat once again.
If we can't get over this—
It successfully made it across!
The mudslide rushed into the turbulent river!
Xiao Heng turned around, still shaken, to see the mudslide that was just a hair's breadth away from catching up, his whole body drenched in cold sweat!
The horse carried Xiao Heng all the way back in the rain.
On the other side, the situation of Marquis Xuanping and Long Yi was more dangerous than that of Xiao Heng. After all, the village was located at a lower elevation and was in the main direction of the mudslide. They could not get close to the official road and could only run to the mountain on the other side of the village.
Liu Quan was on one of the hilltops at that moment.
Xiao Heng originally left him on the mountaintop, telling him to wait there and not wander off. However, after regaining his strength, he became worried about Xiao Heng and went down the mountain to find him.
He had just reached the foot of the mountain when he heard the sound of a landslide. He knew he was in trouble and quickly turned around and ran up the mountain.
Unfortunately, a mudslide rushed over when they had only run halfway up the mountain.
Just as he was about to be swept away and buried, a whip cracked and wrapped tightly around Liu Quan's waist.
Liu Quan looked up and his eyes lit up.
It's Gu Jiao!
Gu Jiao held the rope with one hand and used the whip to wrap around Liu Quan with the other. She looked up at the people above and said, "Go up!"
Gu Chengfeng swiftly pulled the rope, hoisting Gu Jiao and Liu Quan to the top of the mountain!
Gu Jiao looked at Liu Quan, whom she had pulled up, with a satisfied expression.
She finally got to experience the same thing Gu Chengfeng had done back in Yuegu City, when he used a whip to rescue Tang Yueshan and bring him up to the city wall. She found it very amusing at the time.
Liu Quan, hanging upside down on a tree branch: Um, could you let me climb up right-side up next time?
Gu Jiao had only been learning to wield a whip for a few days and was a bit rusty. Liu Quan was caught off guard and his head was throbbing.
Gu Chengfeng's face darkened.
I said I'd go down, I'd go down! But I insisted on going myself!
Of course, he also understood that Gu Jiao wasn't doing it entirely for fun. After all, the one who went down was in danger of being swallowed by a mudslide at any time. This girl was always like this, always taking on dangerous things herself.
She hadn't even planned to bring him this time; he just happened to run into her going out and came along.
"Who do you think you are, you brat?"
Gu Chengfeng sneered and said, "Give me back the whip."
"No." Gu Jiao decisively took the whip for herself.
Gu Chengfeng: "..."
Is a red-tasseled spear not enough for you? You even tried to steal my whip!
Gu Chengfeng glared at her secretly, thinking, "I'll take it back when we get back!"
Although the terrain here is high enough, there is no guarantee that a second wave of mudslides will not come, so they still need to leave as soon as possible.
Gu Chengfeng grabbed one in each hand and used his lightness skill to leap towards the mountain peak ahead.
Wait, something's not right.
Gu Chengfeng gritted his teeth with difficulty: "You little rascal, what have you been eating lately! How come you've gained so much weight!"
Gu Jiao played with the little whip she had just snatched: "I didn't. If you're not good enough, just say so."
A man is indispensable!
Gu Chengfeng used all his strength to pull her hair: "It's—you—have—grown—weight—!"
No—it—can't—he—carry—it—anymore!
Just as the three were about to fall, Long flew over with a whoosh and snatched Gu Jiao from Gu Chengfeng's hands.
Gu Jiao, caught off guard and suddenly snatched away: "..."
Long Yi, didn't you go to rescue Marquis Xuanping? Why are you pinching me again!
I only agreed to bring Gu Chengfeng along so that I wouldn't be squeezed by you!
Long Yi picked one up from each side.
Marquis Xuanping glanced sideways, took a closer look, and waved to Gu Jiao: "Daughter-in-law, hello—wow—"
Gu Jiao waved back: "Hello—Wow—"
Before they could even exchange a greeting, the two of them were blown away by the oncoming wind and rain, turning into sad frogs with their mouths agape.
Gu Chengfeng was left far behind, and he was completely bewildered!
Good heavens, carrying two people and running so fast! Are you born in the Year of the Wind?
A man as free as the wind!
Long Yi walked through the forest, a long journey. By the time he brought Gu Jiao and Marquis Xuanping to the nearest post station, Xiao Heng was already changing clothes inside.
Marquis Xuanping spotted Princess Xinyang directing her servants to boil water and prepare medicine under the eaves.
He paused for a moment.
However, after turning to look at Long Yi, he seemed to have come to terms with it.
Yu Jin came out of the next room carrying a basin of hot water: "Princess, I have bathed the child. Since we didn't have any baby clothes, we wrapped him in adult clothes."
"Yes." Princess Xinyang nodded.
"Lord Marquis?" Yu Jin went to pour water, and when she turned her head, she saw Marquis Xuanping at the door.
Princess Xinyang also looked at him.
Marquis Xuanping is in such a sorry state that he is completely unaware of it, still believing himself to be as handsome as ever.
He raised an eyebrow and smiled casually: "Qin Fengwan?"
Princess Xinyang glanced at his blemish on his eyebrow, her eyelids twitched, and she mumbled a reply, "Hmm, where are Jiaojiao and the others?"
Gu Jiao walked out from behind Marquis Xuanping and spat out a mouthful of rainwater with a blank expression.
Before long, Gu Chengfeng and Liu Quan arrived.
Princess Xinyang said calmly, "Go and change your clothes."
Princess Xinyang is indeed a mother; she carries her children's clothes with her wherever she goes. However, she now has more than one child, including Gu Jiao.
She had Yu Jin take Gu Jiao to a room that had been prepared in advance. The charcoal inside was already heated, and Yu Jin took out the dry clothes that Princess Xinyang had prepared for Gu Jiao and had her change into them.
Xiao Heng brought several sets with her; one set was given to Gu Chengfeng, and another set... was given to Marquis Xuanping.
Both of them were in a decent size, but Liu Quan had a bit of a middle-aged belly and couldn't wear Xiao Heng's clothes, so he went to a guard to get a set for him.
Looking at his son's clothes in his hand, Marquis Xuanping said to Princess Xinyang at the door, "Indeed, you don't have any of my clothes over there."
Princess Xinyang's face darkened. "You're talking as if I would give you your clothes just because I have them!"
Marquis Xuanping looked at Princess Xinyang with a half-smile: "Qin Fengwan, did you come here specifically to save me?"
Princess Xinyang could tolerate him if he didn't speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, she really wanted to beat him up!
Princess Xinyang said irritably, "I'm here to save my son! Can't you stop taking yourself so seriously?"
"Oh." Marquis Xuanping raised an eyebrow and placed the clothes on the table. "I don't believe it."
Princess Xinyang: "..."
How can this person be so shameless, getting more and more shameless over the years?
To avoid developing a heart condition from anger, Princess Xinyang decided to ignore him!
Princess Xinyang went to Gu Jiao's room, and the rescued baby was also placed there.
Gu Jiao had already changed her clothes and was treating the infant.
"How is it?" Princess Xinyang asked as she entered the room.
Gu Jiao opened the small medicine box, took out a stethoscope, and said, "The bones are okay, but there are some scratches and abrasions, mild dehydration, and a high fever. That's all I can see for now. I heard the dry well is quite deep; this child is lucky to be alive."
“I’m asking how you are,” Princess Xinyang said.
Gu Jiao hung the stethoscope on her ear and paused to listen to the baby's heart and lungs.
Princess Xinyang took in her expression, sighed, and asked, "Are you injured?"
"I'm fine." Gu Jiao spoke up without waiting for Princess Xinyang to ask. "My old injuries have long since healed."
Princess Xinyang nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the child on the table: "Will he be alright?"
After listening to his heart and lungs, Gu Jiao removed her stethoscope and said, "Pneumonia. He must have been infected before falling into the well, and being soaked in ice water for so long has worsened his condition."
Princess Xinyang's face changed upon hearing about pneumonia. Xiao Heng had suffered from this disease as a child, experiencing persistent coughing and high fever, and almost died.
Princess Xinyang still feels lingering fear: "What should we do then?"
Gu Jiao said, "Give him his medicine first. If he can't swallow it, then give him an IV drip."
This disease was a serious illness in ancient times, but it was not a difficult or complicated disease for a small medicine box.
Sure enough, when Gu Jiao opened the medicine box again, she found fruit-flavored antibiotic powder and antiviral oral liquid inside.
"The rice porridge is ready." Yu Jin walked in carrying a steaming bowl of rice porridge. "This is all we have in the kitchen."
It refers to food that can be given to children.
Gu Jiao gave the medicine to Yu Jin and explained its usage and dosage.
"Okay, I'll feed him in a bit." Yu Jin glanced at the weak child. "He's quite well-behaved, not making a fuss."
Princess Xinyang looked at the baby and said, "After crying for so long, it doesn't have the strength to make a fuss anymore."
Yu Jin is here, Gu Jiao goes next door to see Xiao Heng.
Compared to the infant, Xiao Heng's condition seemed far more pitiful. He was originally only half a mummy, but now his whole body was wrapped in gauze, making him look like a fat, white giant.
The situation of Marquis Xuanping was no less dire, except that Gu Jiao was Xiao Heng's wife, and Gu Jiao could tie him up wherever she wanted, but Gu Jiao was not Marquis Xuanping's wife.
He won't tie it up.
Gu Jiao then called his wife over.
Princess Xinyang entered the room, but Gu Jiao had already left. Marquis Xuanping was slumped in his wheelchair, his back to the door.
He thought it was Gu Jiao who had come, and snorted, "I'm not going to tie that thing up!"
"What do you want if I don't tie you up?"
Princess Xinyang's voice rang out softly.
Marquis Xuanping choked, and when he tried to turn around, the pain in his neck made him gasp: "How come it's you?"
Princess Xinyang came before him, looked at him, and asked, "Why won't you accept treatment?"
Marquis Xuanping said nonchalantly, "It's just a tiny injury!"
He still had to go kill the old King Liang, otherwise that old man would die of old age.
Marquis Xuanping thought she was going to say that the roads were all blocked, so how could he get there? He had already come up with a plan: to go around through the neighboring county. He might not make it in time, but he had to try.
He's the kind of person who won't give up until he's completely defeated.
Princess Xinyang did not say that.
After a terrifying silence, she spoke softly, "I've thought about killing him countless times. At first, I used the Dragon Shadow Guards, but they didn't do anything."
Marquis Xuanping pondered for a moment, then frowned and analyzed, "They are assassins that the old King Liang bought from the State of Yan. Their trainer is also from the State of Yan. The old King Liang was involved in the entire training process, so he secretly gave them orders that they must never kill him."
Princess Xinyang nodded in agreement: "I gave orders to all of them, from Long Er to Long Wu, but none of them listened to me. I only forgot Long Yi, who happened to be out. When he first came to my side, he was a bit restless and always stayed in the mansion improperly. At that time, I didn't know he had barged in. I just thought that he, like the other four Dragon Shadow Guards, wouldn't carry out the mission to assassinate that person. After he came back, I was too lazy to give him any more orders."
Marquis Xuanping caught a key point: "Wait, what do you mean by 'Long Yi was an intruder'?"
Princess Xinyang said, "A few days before the late emperor passed away, he summoned me to the palace and said he would give me four Dragon Shadow Guards. But when I arrived at the mansion, there were five. I thought the late emperor had changed his mind after I left and sent me one more."
Marquis Xuanping asked in bewilderment, "Aren't you going to go and ask?"
Princess Xinyang replied matter-of-factly, "Why ask about good things? What if asking ruins them?"
Marquis Xuanping's mind went blank for a second, clearly not expecting Princess Xinyang to be so opportunistic.
"That's true." He accepted the advice.
Perhaps tired of standing and talking, Princess Xinyang sat down on the stool diagonally opposite Marquis Xuanping: "Later, I secretly cultivated some forces, which would have been enough to kill him even without using the Dragon Shadow Guard, but I didn't do that."
"The reason?" Marquis Xuanping turned his head to look at her.
Princess Xinyang didn't look at Marquis Xuanping, but instead gazed at the torrential rain outside: "I've discovered that he's ill, seriously ill. He's in constant pain all over his body, and neither the imperial physicians nor itinerant doctors in the streets can cure him or even alleviate his pain in the slightest. The imperial physicians have concluded that his internal organs are failing and he won't live more than a year."
"But a year has passed, and he's still not dead. If an ordinary person had such a serious illness, they would have died long ago, but he can't die even if he wants to. Sometimes I wonder if God has eyes and this is his retribution?"
"It's not that he hasn't tried to kill himself, but the Liang Prince's Mansion lost its real power when it was under his control. It has only survived to this day because of His Majesty's respect for him. If he were to die, the Liang Prince's Mansion would completely decline. How could his family members give up their current wealth and glory? They spare no effort to keep him alive. He is being used by his family and suffers from illness every day, living a life worse than death."
"Tell me, isn't this his retribution?"
Marquis Xuanping frowned as he looked at her: "Qin Fengwan."
Princess Xinyang said calmly, "So you don't need to kill him. He has already received his just deserts. There's no need to dirty your hands."
After saying that, she turned and left the house.
Marquis Xuanping turned his wheelchair around and looked at her back, saying, "Qin Fengwan."
"What?" Princess Xinyang turned around and looked at him strangely.
Marquis Xuanping patted the armrest and smiled, "Two wheelchairs."
If the purpose was simply to rescue Xiao Heng, a wheelchair would have been sufficient.
Princess Xinyang turned her head away indifferently: "It was brought by Yujin."
In the middle of the night, Marquis Xuanping disappeared.
His mount was gone too.
He still took a detour to Liang Wang's mansion.
Old King Liang hasn't passed away yet, but he'll be soon.
With his family all gone to the capital, the old Prince Liang can finally die peacefully in his old age.
Unexpectedly, on his deathbed, he saw Yama, the King of Hell, wielding a butcher's knife.
...
On a sunny afternoon, the Bauhinia flowers in Bishui Hutong were in bloom, a vast expanse of purple, all newly planted by Xiao Jingkong.
In reality, the so-called "new planting" was simply moving the flowerpots from Princess Xinyang's courtyard to the courtyard in Bishui Hutong. Even the moving was done by Long Yi, but he was the one who took them and placed them on the ground, so it was he who planted them.
In the front yard, Gu Jiao was instructing Huangfu Xian on rehabilitation.
With the help of a prosthetic leg, Huangfu Xian successfully stood up and is now practicing walking with crutches.
Gu Jiao made a prosthetic leg based on his body shape. Despite his young age, he was actually taller than both Gu Xiaoshun and Gu Yan.
On the other side of the yard, two big white dogs sat obediently in wheelchairs, stretching out their arms and legs, basking in the sun.
Marquis Xuanping had his limbs in casts, as well as his neck and abdomen; he was completely immobile from the chin down.
He could only move his eyes and try to look at his son beside him: "My back is a little itchy, scratch it for me."
Although Xiao Heng didn't have a cast, his whole body was wrapped in gauze, so he wasn't much more agile than him: "I can't scratch it."
...
Old Liang Wang was brutally murdered; the crime scene was horrific.
The emperor was furious and ordered the local government to thoroughly investigate the matter. In order to find the real culprit as soon as possible, the emperor also sent Xing Shangshu, a skilled judge.
Minister Xing couldn't bring Xiao Heng with him this time because Xiao Heng was injured.
He personally investigated thoroughly, but the scene was spotless, leaving not a single trace, as if... the other party possessed extremely strong counter-surveillance capabilities.
Minister Xing returned to the capital and reported to the emperor: "Your Majesty, judging from the wounds of the deceased, this was a revenge killing. The murderer vented a terrible rage on the deceased. Before his death, the deceased... suffered unspeakable torture."
The emperor was furious!
That was the late emperor's most respected uncle, who was brutally murdered in revenge when he died peacefully in his sleep!
Who dares to be so bold!
Just as Minister Xing was reporting the case to the Emperor, a eunuch rushed in and loudly announced outside the Imperial Study: "Your Majesty! The Princess Consort of Liang requests an audience! She says she knows who the murderer who harmed the old Prince Liang is!"
Eunuch Wei was so frightened that he almost threw the whisk in his hand away.
The eunuchs making a ruckus outside the Imperial Study were clearly not one of their own; it was obvious that Princess Liang had bribed them.
Princess Consort Liang was originally imprisoned by Empress Xiao's men, but when news of the death of the old Prince Liang came from Ping Le Prefecture, the Emperor sent someone to the old Prince Liang's residence in the capital to deliver the message.
It's likely that the person who delivered the message was bribed by Princess Liang, and then bribed into the palace.
"Announce it," the emperor said.
Princess Consort Liang did not return to Pingluo Prefecture because she fainted on the spot after hearing the news of Prince Liang's death. She remained unconscious for several days and nights before finally waking up.
"His Majesty!"
Princess Liang staggered and knelt down in front of the emperor's desk.
The emperor hurriedly rose, walked around the desk, and helped her up: "Ninth Aunt, please rise!"
Princess Consort Liang gripped the Emperor's arm tightly, bursting into tears: "Your Majesty...Your Majesty, you must seek justice for your Ninth Uncle!"
The Emperor said solemnly, "Ninth Aunt said she knows information about the murderer. May I ask who the murderer is?"
Princess Liang gritted her teeth and made up her mind: "Princess Xinyang!"
The emperor was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Ninth Aunt is joking. How could the murderer be Xinyang? She wouldn't kill anyone, especially not Ninth Uncle."
He knew Xinyang's character well; she wouldn't do something like murder and arson, and besides, she had no motive to kill Old Liang Wang.
Princess Liang seemed to have used all her strength, trembling violently as she said, "Your Majesty, you must believe me! The murderer is her! It really is her!"
How could the emperor possibly believe that Xinyang was the murderer?
The Emperor said earnestly, "Ninth Aunt, you must be tired. I'll have Eunuch Wei escort you back to your residence to rest."
If the old Princess Liang doesn't leave, the old Prince Liang will die, and the Liang Prince's Mansion will decline. All of this is caused by that wretched woman from Xinyang!
She won't let them have an easy time, and she won't let herself have an easy time either!
The worst that can happen is we'll die together!
A fight to the death!
Princess Liang raised three fingers and solemnly said, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, you must believe me! I swear to Heaven that if the murderer is not Princess Xinyang, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"
As soon as she finished speaking, lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky. A bolt of lightning actually struck into the Imperial Study, hitting the old Princess Liang directly.
Princess Liang: "..."
Minister Xing: "..."
emperor:"……"
When the emperor ordered Eunuch Wei to summon Gu Jiao to the palace, the old Princess Liang had already passed away.
Empress Xiao also arrived.
She glanced at the old Princess Liang in the imperial study, covered her nose with a handkerchief, and said with disgust, "What bad luck, to die in His Majesty's imperial study!"
The emperor also felt it was bad luck, so he did not refute Empress Xiao's words.
However, he still summoned Princess Xinyang to the palace.
"Aunt Jiu said you are the murderer, which I find very strange. Did you do something to mislead her?"
"No, perhaps she has been traumatized and is not in her right mind."
The emperor thought about it and realized that this possibility could not be ruled out.
But for some reason, he felt that something was still not quite right.
He stared intently at Princess Xinyang: "Where were you on the day of the incident? I heard you left the city."
Princess Xinyang said without changing her expression, "I went to visit my Ninth Uncle. My Ninth Aunt came to see me the other day and said that my Ninth Uncle was in poor health and wanted to see me before he passed away. I rushed over, but I encountered a natural disaster on the way and was stranded at the post station. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can send someone to ask."
Princess Xinyang stayed at the post station overnight and returned to the capital the next day; the people at the post station can testify to this.
"Where is Marquis Xuanping?" the emperor asked, his gaze fixed on him.
It must be said that the affair between Consort Jing and Qin Fengyan has made the Emperor mature. In the past, he would never have doubted Xinyang, but now he is much more cautious.
But Princess Xinyang was no pushover. She flawlessly explained, "I knew nothing about the rainstorm. When Aheng heard that I had left the city, he was worried that I might encounter landslides and mudslides, so he rushed after me. His father, worried about him, also came along. Aheng was concerned about the village and wanted to see if everyone had evacuated. He found an infant who had fallen into a dry well and risked his life to rescue the baby. Both of them were seriously injured in the process."
Only Gu Jiao and her group knew that Marquis Xuanping had left the post station in the middle of the night. Gu Chengfeng disguised himself as Marquis Xuanping and returned to the capital, where he even exchanged a few words with the guards at the city gate.
This is something that can be found out.
Marquis Xuanping also had a perfect alibi.
Princess Xinyang continued, "After that, the two of them stayed in Bishui Hutong to recuperate and never left."
Gu Chengfeng was recovering from his injuries a few days ago, but his face was wrapped in bandages, so who could recognize him?
They called him "Lord Marquis," and the neighbors all knew that he was the Lord Marquis.
The emperor can investigate, everyone in the alley will say that Marquis Xuanping has been there for several days in a row.
The Emperor nodded: "Aheng came to the palace again the day after he returned to the capital. I saw him at Renshou Palace, but we didn't say more than a few words. He was too tired and fell asleep."
This was also to prepare an alibi for Marquis Xuanping in advance.
Both of them were recuperating in Bishui Hutong. As long as Xiao Heng was real, no one would doubt that the Marquis Xuanping mentioned by everyone was fake.
After leaving the palace, Princess Xinyang went to Bishui Hutong.
Marquis Xuanping was sunbathing alone in the courtyard. He looked meaningfully at Princess Xinyang, who seemed to appear eight times a day: "Qin Fengwan, you've been coming a lot lately. Could it be that you've taken a fancy to me? You'd better give up on that idea. I protect you because you are my nominal wife and the mother of my son, not because I have any marital feelings for you."
Princess Xinyang said coldly, "I've come to see my son!"
Marquis Xuanping stared at her intently for several moments, then shook his head as if to say, "I don't believe it."
Princess Xinyang: "...!!"
(End of this chapter)
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