Yin Lan hurried around the city all afternoon, discreetly asking many people for information. "Mistress, Jiang Yin is currently living in the Prince Shu's residence in Yueyang, together with Prince Shu and Lord Zhou. However, I heard that since arriving at Yueyang, he hasn't done much and mostly keeps to himself in the residence, secretly advising Prince Shu behind the scenes instead of showing himself in public. As for whether he met with the Eldest Prince today, I didn't get a clear answer... Some said they saw them meet, others said they didn't, but it seems Jiang has been avoiding the Prince."
Gu Ying narrowed her eyes slightly, her expression sinking. "I see. Thank you, Yin Lan. You've worked hard today, go rest. I can take care of Ning Si."
Yin Lan glanced at the inner chamber, puzzled. "Mistress, it's only been an afternoon, what happened to Lady Ning?"
Gu Ying felt conflicted. She smiled. "It's nothing serious. I'll explain another day."
Yin Lan tactfully didn't ask further. She bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Only Gu Ying and Ning Si remained in the spacious chamber.
The long night stretched on as Gu Ying sat by Ning Si's bedside lost in thought about many things.
Ning Si's situation was a tangled mess, and her own days were no better.
Between her and the Eldest Prince still lay the most terrifying chasm.
Even if the Prince currently favored and doted on her, even taking the oath to grow old together for life, for their whole lives, as a lifelong couple - what if he learned of her past?
Would he still love her for life?
Just the thought of the Prince looking at her in disgust made Gu Ying flustered and anxious, too afraid to think further.
She felt inferior, oversensitive, afraid. After Jiang Yin's betrayal and hurt, she truly couldn't fully trust someone with all her heart.
Even deeply loving the Prince, she didn't dare confess everything about her past life to him.
Moreover, there was still Jiang Yin, the biggest hidden danger from her rebirth.
Thinking of his gloating face made her feel disgusted.
She couldn't hide her pregnancy for long. With Jiang Yin's sinister and cunning personality...he would surely come make trouble for her again.
He had already killed one of her children. This child, she must protect well for him to be safely born...
Therefore, she must find a chance to kill Jiang Yin once more.
"Ying..." Ning Si didn't know when she woke up, eyes fluttering open dazedly.
Gu Ying returned to her senses. She smiled faintly at Ning Si and helped prop her up in bed. "Ning Si, how are you feeling now?"
Ning Si leaned weakly against the pillows, her lips were parched and her cheekbones deathly pale. "I feel like there's something inside me...and I'm a little scared. I had nightmares for so long before struggling awake."
Gu Ying brought over some water for her to drink.
Ning Si's eyes were empty. She couldn't cry even if she wanted to, her tears were already dried up, leaving her eyes red and swollen, looking extremely frail.
Gu Ying sighed and gently clasped Ning Si's hand. "Don't be scared, and don't cry. I'm here with you - we'll get through this safely."
Ning Si's eyes reddened again as they welled up with tears. "Ying...thank you."
Gu Ying continued comforting, "Ning Si, while you slept I thought a lot. There are solutions to this issue. You're still early, if you don't want the child, we can find a way to terminate the pregnancy soon without anyone knowing. After that, only heaven and earth will know, you and I will know. Absolutely no third person will know."
Gu Ying was much older than Ning Si and had gone through incredibly cruel life experiences.
Now, to her, this was nothing resembling a life-threatening situation.
When she first learned of the child's existence, solutions instantly came to mind.
Now, it depended on what Ning Si thought.
Ning Si was dumbfounded for a moment. "Terminate?"
As an unmarried girl from a good family, how would she ever experience something so cruel...
Gu Ying nodded. "Mm. We quietly get rid of the child...pretend this never happened. You can still become the Princess Duan and marry Prince Duan."
Ning Si quickly shook her head anxiously. "No...I can't. I'm no longer a virgin so I can't marry Prince Duan. It would be discovered on our wedding night...then it would be a crime of deceiving our lord for the Ning family..."
Gu Ying frowned. "Ning Si, show me your arm."
Ning Si blankly stretched out her arm.
Both their eyes fell on the scarlet red mark on her fair white arm.
Ning Si bit her lip, her cheeks slightly flushed. "The virginity protector is still there. Ying...could my child be Lord Zhou's...he carried me once when I sprained my ankle..."
Gu Ying's brow twitched. Hearing this absurd talk, she couldn't help chuckling. "You silly girl, just from being carried once? How could you get pregnant like that?"
Ning Si mumbled, "Mother said girls can't casually touch men. Even holding hands can make you pregnant...In all these years I didn't dare touch men except Prince Duan..."
Gu Ying laughed despite herself. Ning Si wasn't married yet so naturally didn't know pregnancy required consummating the marriage.
Yet her virginity was intact while she was already pregnant. It truly left her puzzled.
But things were as they were. The key now was finding a solution to get rid of the child cleanly.
"Ning Si, you need to decide about the child quickly, otherwise when you start showing, it'll be harder to deal with."
Ning Si also knew the gravity of the situation. Flustered now and depressed, she could only listen to Gu Ying. "Alright...I'll listen to you for everything. Ying, help me get rid of the child...I really am scared."
Gu Ying smiled reassuringly. "Don't be scared, just drink a bowl of medicine. After that, you lie in bed to recuperate for half a month. No one will notice anything, I'll stay with you the whole time."
Gu Ying was experienced and composed. She looked young but gave Ning Si much assurance.
Yet the more Ning Si listened, the more doubtful she became. "Ying, you're younger than me, how do you know so much?"
Gu Ying's speech and conduct were truly unlike a young girl's. She had noticed before, but it felt especially obvious tonight.
Gu Ying dryly laughed and randomly found an excuse. "Didn't I marry earlier than you...I also like studying medical texts, naturally I know more. It's nothing strange."
Hearing her explanation, Ning Si let it rest. She had no other recourse but to rely on Gu Ying.
The two girls chatted about girly things for a while longer.
Gu Ying was already pregnant and couldn't handle fatigue. Seeing that Ning Si had fallen asleep, she also undressed and got into bed with her to sleep.
Cai Xia worried the spring night's chill would sicken the two young ladies. She lit a brazier in the inner room and by late night, the sparks exploded as the air grew hotter.
In the second half of the night, Gu Ying slept uneasily, her hands and feet exposed.
Yet she felt someone use their warm palms to warm her hands and feet before tucking her back into the blankets.
Yin Lan hurried around the city all afternoon, discreetly asking many people for information. "Mistress, Jiang Yin is currently living in the Prince Shu's residence in Yueyang, together with Prince Shu and Lord Zhou. However, I heard that since arriving at Yueyang, he hasn't done much and mostly keeps to himself in the residence, secretly advising Prince Shu behind the scenes instead of showing himself in public. As for whether he met with the Eldest Prince today, I didn't get a clear answer... Some said they saw them meet, others said they didn't, but it seems Jiang has been avoiding the Prince."
Gu Ying narrowed her eyes slightly, her expression sinking. "I see. Thank you, Yin Lan. You've worked hard today, go rest. I can take care of Ning Si."
Yin Lan glanced at the inner chamber, puzzled. "Mistress, it's only been an afternoon, what happened to Lady Ning?"
Gu Ying felt conflicted. She smiled. "It's nothing serious. I'll explain another day."
Yin Lan tactfully didn't ask further. She bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Only Gu Ying and Ning Si remained in the spacious chamber.
The long night stretched on as Gu Ying sat by Ning Si's bedside lost in thought about many things.
Ning Si's situation was a tangled mess, and her own days were no better.
Between her and the Eldest Prince still lay the most terrifying chasm.
Even if the Prince currently favored and doted on her, even taking the oath to grow old together for life, for their whole lives, as a lifelong couple - what if he learned of her past?
Would he still love her for life?
Just the thought of the Prince looking at her in disgust made Gu Ying flustered and anxious, too afraid to think further.
She felt inferior, oversensitive, afraid. After Jiang Yin's betrayal and hurt, she truly couldn't fully trust someone with all her heart.
Even deeply loving the Prince, she didn't dare confess everything about her past life to him.
Moreover, there was still Jiang Yin, the biggest hidden danger from her rebirth.
Thinking of his gloating face made her feel disgusted.
She couldn't hide her pregnancy for long. With Jiang Yin's sinister and cunning personality...he would surely come make trouble for her again.
He had already killed one of her children. This child, she must protect well for him to be safely born...
Therefore, she must find a chance to kill Jiang Yin once more.
"Ying..." Ning Si didn't know when she woke up, eyes fluttering open dazedly.
Gu Ying returned to her senses. She smiled faintly at Ning Si and helped prop her up in bed. "Ning Si, how are you feeling now?"
Ning Si leaned weakly against the pillows, her lips were parched and her cheekbones deathly pale. "I feel like there's something inside me...and I'm a little scared. I had nightmares for so long before struggling awake."
Gu Ying brought over some water for her to drink.
Ning Si's eyes were empty. She couldn't cry even if she wanted to, her tears were already dried up, leaving her eyes red and swollen, looking extremely frail.
Gu Ying sighed and gently clasped Ning Si's hand. "Don't be scared, and don't cry. I'm here with you - we'll get through this safely."
Ning Si's eyes reddened again as they welled up with tears. "Ying...thank you."
Gu Ying continued comforting, "Ning Si, while you slept I thought a lot. There are solutions to this issue. You're still early, if you don't want the child, we can find a way to terminate the pregnancy soon without anyone knowing. After that, only heaven and earth will know, you and I will know. Absolutely no third person will know."
Gu Ying was much older than Ning Si and had gone through incredibly cruel life experiences.
Now, to her, this was nothing resembling a life-threatening situation.
When she first learned of the child's existence, solutions instantly came to mind.
Now, it depended on what Ning Si thought.
Ning Si was dumbfounded for a moment. "Terminate?"
As an unmarried girl from a good family, how would she ever experience something so cruel...
Gu Ying nodded. "Mm. We quietly get rid of the child...pretend this never happened. You can still become the Princess Duan and marry Prince Duan."
Ning Si quickly shook her head anxiously. "No...I can't. I'm no longer a virgin so I can't marry Prince Duan. It would be discovered on our wedding night...then it would be a crime of deceiving our lord for the Ning family..."
Gu Ying frowned. "Ning Si, show me your arm."
Ning Si blankly stretched out her arm.
Both their eyes fell on the scarlet red mark on her fair white arm.
Ning Si bit her lip, her cheeks slightly flushed. "The virginity protector is still there. Ying...could my child be Lord Zhou's...he carried me once when I sprained my ankle..."
Gu Ying's brow twitched. Hearing this absurd talk, she couldn't help chuckling. "You silly girl, just from being carried once? How could you get pregnant like that?"
Ning Si mumbled, "Mother said girls can't casually touch men. Even holding hands can make you pregnant...In all these years I didn't dare touch men except Prince Duan..."
Gu Ying laughed despite herself. Ning Si wasn't married yet so naturally didn't know pregnancy required consummating the marriage.
Yet her virginity was intact while she was already pregnant. It truly left her puzzled.
But things were as they were. The key now was finding a solution to get rid of the child cleanly.
"Ning Si, you need to decide about the child quickly, otherwise when you start showing, it'll be harder to deal with."
Ning Si also knew the gravity of the situation. Flustered now and depressed, she could only listen to Gu Ying. "Alright...I'll listen to you for everything. Ying, help me get rid of the child...I really am scared."
Gu Ying smiled reassuringly. "Don't be scared, just drink a bowl of medicine. After that, you lie in bed to recuperate for half a month. No one will notice anything, I'll stay with you the whole time."
Gu Ying was experienced and composed. She looked young but gave Ning Si much assurance.
Yet the more Ning Si listened, the more doubtful she became. "Ying, you're younger than me, how do you know so much?"
Gu Ying's speech and conduct were truly unlike a young girl's. She had noticed before, but it felt especially obvious tonight.
Gu Ying dryly laughed and randomly found an excuse. "Didn't I marry earlier than you...I also like studying medical texts, naturally I know more. It's nothing strange."
Hearing her explanation, Ning Si let it rest. She had no other recourse but to rely on Gu Ying.
The two girls chatted about girly things for a while longer.
Gu Ying was already pregnant and couldn't handle fatigue. Seeing that Ning Si had fallen asleep, she also undressed and got into bed with her to sleep.
Cai Xia worried the spring night's chill would sicken the two young ladies. She lit a brazier in the inner room and by late night, the sparks exploded as the air grew hotter.
In the second half of the night, Gu Ying slept uneasily, her hands and feet exposed.
Yet she felt someone use their warm palms to warm her hands and feet before tucking her back into the blankets.
