She mistakenly thought that the Crown Prince was coming to settle the score with Gu Ying, but now it seems that she underestimated the Crown Prince's affection for Gu Ying.
Ning Si left the study as if escaping, and Gu Ying glared at the man with displeasure. "Ning Si is pregnant, why are you being so harsh on her?"
"Who allowed her to occupy you without this Crown Prince's permission?"
"She's just a young girl. Is the Crown Prince jealous?" Gu Ying found it amusing and stared at him provocatively.
"Who said I'm jealous?" Zhao Changdu snorted. As long as his little girl was within his reach, sitting by the bed, he held her and gently touched her forehead. "No fever, are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Gu Ying leaned against his chest, feeling a sense of fulfillment and gratitude because of his unconditional love and care. Her eyes were filled with tears, her voice sounding a bit aggrieved. "I'm not uncomfortable anymore."
Zhao Changdu gently stroked her shoulder and asked softly, "Why do you hate Jiang Yin so much? Can you tell me?"
Gu Ying's heart ached, and her gaze became distant.
The enemy was dead, and there was nothing else for her to fear. Should she tell the Crown Prince about everything in the past?
Zhao Changdu didn't force her, seeing her eyes turning red, he felt distressed and said, "You don't have to say if you don't want to."
Gu Ying smiled wryly, sat up from his embrace, pursed her lips, and after a moment, she said, "He tried to kill me."
Zhao Changdu furrowed his brows. "He tried to kill you?"
"Yes." Gu Ying smiled bitterly and vaguely said, "A long time ago, he wanted to kill me, but I narrowly escaped. Since then, I have hated him and desired to kill him."
Zhao Changdu remained silent, gripping her cold little hand tightly, silently giving her strength.
Gu Ying self-mockingly smiled, stubbornly raised her eyes, meeting the man's cold and calm gaze. "Crown Prince, you must find it absurd, right? I am a noblewoman of the harem, and he is just a commoner. Why would we have any connection?"
"No." Zhao Changdu's lips curved into a faint smile as he embraced her. "I believe you."
These three simple words made tears burst from Gu Ying's eyes.
"Zhao Du, thank you..."
She rested her head on his shoulder and cried silently.
Zhao Changdu's gaze became deep and heavy as he patted her back. His pitch-black eyes emitted a chilling aura, as if plunging into an abyss.
Jiang Yin truly died too easily!
...
Since Jiang Yin's death, the situation in Yueyang, which had been promising, suddenly took a turn for the worse.
Mr. Zhuge disappeared, and the two Qilin Army soldiers and the medicine boy who followed him also vanished.
The number of patients, which had previously decreased, inexplicably began to rise again.
What frightened the people the most was that rumors of evil spirits causing the plague started spreading among the patients.
More and more people were infected by the plague, and the patients firmly believed that this was not a mere epidemic. It was a divine punishment brought upon them by the malevolent spirits after they allowed the evil spirits to cause havoc in Yueyang!
Such speculation was unknown where it originated, but when the news spread throughout Yueyang City, Gu Ying discovered that the body of Jiang Yin hanging on the city wall was also missing.
She stood on the city wall, looking at the empty iron chain, her expression changing slightly.
The body was taken during the middle of the night, the iron chain cut by a blade made of mysterious iron, and the body taken away directly.
Two members of the Qilin Army stationed nearby, Huai Ying'an, were struck by hidden arrows through their hearts, instantly killing them.
Ye Qingchi stood by Gu Ying's side, seeing her face turn pale, he furrowed his brow and asked, "A Ying, what is happening?"
Gu Ying clenched her fists, feeling uneasy in her heart, "I don't know. The only possibility is Han Lin, Jiang Yin's elusive subordinate who hasn't been caught."
Ye Qingchi's brow furrowed deeply, and he weakly coughed, covering his mouth, "Who is this Han Lin? His skills are even more formidable than the Qilin Army?"
Gu Ying pursed her lips, her mind momentarily confused, "I... only remember that Han Lin is elusive and mysterious. I don't know who his teacher is or where he comes from. He doesn't speak much, but he excels in hidden weapons. The only thing he reveals in front of others is a black iron longsword."
He was brought back by Jiang Yin a year after she married him. At that time, Jiang Yin didn't love her at all, so she had very few opportunities to see Han Lin, only catching glimpses of him occasionally outside Jiang Yin's study.
She didn't really understand him, but she knew his martial arts were unfathomable.
"It seems that this Han Lin is the one who took Jiang Yin's body," Ye Qingchi's gaze darkened. "Jiang Yin was indeed not a good person. Even after death, he finds no peace. Recently, Yueyang City has become increasingly turbulent, showing signs of rebellion. I and the Crown Prince's men have been dedicated to combating the plague, which has consumed a great deal of manpower. If a revolt truly erupts, the situation may be grim."
Gu Ying suddenly spoke, "Cousin, there must be someone manipulating everything in secret."
Ye Qingchi turned to look at her.
Gu Ying tensed up, feeling a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. She almost couldn't stand and supported herself against her lower back, leaning against the city wall. She took a long breath to calm herself.
Ye Qingchi hurriedly supported her and said earnestly, "Take care of yourself. These matters shouldn't concern you. You are just a young girl. Focus on taking care of yourself and the child. Leave the rest to me and your husband. If things truly become uncontrollable, I will find an appropriate time to send you and Ning Si away."
Gu Ying's heart ached with discomfort. She squinted her eyes and shook her head, "Cousin, I have a foreboding feeling."
She even had a terrible suspicion that Jiang Yin might not be dead at all!
But she personally checked his breath and pulse. He was bleeding from seven orifices and died from poisoning. It was impossible for him to still be alive.
Could it be that Han Lin, in carrying out Jiang Yin's will, was stirring up trouble in Yueyang?
"But how is that possible?" Gu Ying raised her hand to cover her throbbing temples, feeling her mind in a chaotic state, as if insects were gnawing at her, causing cold sweat to form on her forehead.
"Alright, Ying, don't think about these things for now," Ye Qingchi said, noticing a thin layer of sweat forming on her forehead. She seemed uncomfortable in her lower abdomen, and he immediately became worried, pulling her closer. "Let me carry you back to see a doctor first."
Gu Ying's emotions were fluctuating greatly, and her stomach was in intense pain, causing her brow to furrow tightly.
"Cousin... my head hurts so much... my stomach hurts too."
"Ying, don't... don't get agitated for now."
"Okay..."
With her eyes red, Gu Ying took a deep breath, trying to calm her excited emotions. It was strange because she wasn't someone who was easily emotionally swayed, but now, because of Jiang Yin, there was suddenly an indescribable force playing tricks on her consciousness.
She had been suffering from headaches since her time in Bianjing, and it had improved a lot after becoming pregnant. However, now it suddenly became ten times worse.
She mistakenly thought that the Crown Prince was coming to settle the score with Gu Ying, but now it seems that she underestimated the Crown Prince's affection for Gu Ying.
Ning Si left the study as if escaping, and Gu Ying glared at the man with displeasure. "Ning Si is pregnant, why are you being so harsh on her?"
"Who allowed her to occupy you without this Crown Prince's permission?"
"She's just a young girl. Is the Crown Prince jealous?" Gu Ying found it amusing and stared at him provocatively.
"Who said I'm jealous?" Zhao Changdu snorted. As long as his little girl was within his reach, sitting by the bed, he held her and gently touched her forehead. "No fever, are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Gu Ying leaned against his chest, feeling a sense of fulfillment and gratitude because of his unconditional love and care. Her eyes were filled with tears, her voice sounding a bit aggrieved. "I'm not uncomfortable anymore."
Zhao Changdu gently stroked her shoulder and asked softly, "Why do you hate Jiang Yin so much? Can you tell me?"
Gu Ying's heart ached, and her gaze became distant.
The enemy was dead, and there was nothing else for her to fear. Should she tell the Crown Prince about everything in the past?
Zhao Changdu didn't force her, seeing her eyes turning red, he felt distressed and said, "You don't have to say if you don't want to."
Gu Ying smiled wryly, sat up from his embrace, pursed her lips, and after a moment, she said, "He tried to kill me."
Zhao Changdu furrowed his brows. "He tried to kill you?"
"Yes." Gu Ying smiled bitterly and vaguely said, "A long time ago, he wanted to kill me, but I narrowly escaped. Since then, I have hated him and desired to kill him."
Zhao Changdu remained silent, gripping her cold little hand tightly, silently giving her strength.
Gu Ying self-mockingly smiled, stubbornly raised her eyes, meeting the man's cold and calm gaze. "Crown Prince, you must find it absurd, right? I am a noblewoman of the harem, and he is just a commoner. Why would we have any connection?"
"No." Zhao Changdu's lips curved into a faint smile as he embraced her. "I believe you."
These three simple words made tears burst from Gu Ying's eyes.
"Zhao Du, thank you..."
She rested her head on his shoulder and cried silently.
Zhao Changdu's gaze became deep and heavy as he patted her back. His pitch-black eyes emitted a chilling aura, as if plunging into an abyss.
Jiang Yin truly died too easily!
...
Since Jiang Yin's death, the situation in Yueyang, which had been promising, suddenly took a turn for the worse.
Mr. Zhuge disappeared, and the two Qilin Army soldiers and the medicine boy who followed him also vanished.
The number of patients, which had previously decreased, inexplicably began to rise again.
What frightened the people the most was that rumors of evil spirits causing the plague started spreading among the patients.
More and more people were infected by the plague, and the patients firmly believed that this was not a mere epidemic. It was a divine punishment brought upon them by the malevolent spirits after they allowed the evil spirits to cause havoc in Yueyang!
Such speculation was unknown where it originated, but when the news spread throughout Yueyang City, Gu Ying discovered that the body of Jiang Yin hanging on the city wall was also missing.
She stood on the city wall, looking at the empty iron chain, her expression changing slightly.
The body was taken during the middle of the night, the iron chain cut by a blade made of mysterious iron, and the body taken away directly.
Two members of the Qilin Army stationed nearby, Huai Ying'an, were struck by hidden arrows through their hearts, instantly killing them.
Ye Qingchi stood by Gu Ying's side, seeing her face turn pale, he furrowed his brow and asked, "A Ying, what is happening?"
Gu Ying clenched her fists, feeling uneasy in her heart, "I don't know. The only possibility is Han Lin, Jiang Yin's elusive subordinate who hasn't been caught."
Ye Qingchi's brow furrowed deeply, and he weakly coughed, covering his mouth, "Who is this Han Lin? His skills are even more formidable than the Qilin Army?"
Gu Ying pursed her lips, her mind momentarily confused, "I... only remember that Han Lin is elusive and mysterious. I don't know who his teacher is or where he comes from. He doesn't speak much, but he excels in hidden weapons. The only thing he reveals in front of others is a black iron longsword."
He was brought back by Jiang Yin a year after she married him. At that time, Jiang Yin didn't love her at all, so she had very few opportunities to see Han Lin, only catching glimpses of him occasionally outside Jiang Yin's study.
She didn't really understand him, but she knew his martial arts were unfathomable.
"It seems that this Han Lin is the one who took Jiang Yin's body," Ye Qingchi's gaze darkened. "Jiang Yin was indeed not a good person. Even after death, he finds no peace. Recently, Yueyang City has become increasingly turbulent, showing signs of rebellion. I and the Crown Prince's men have been dedicated to combating the plague, which has consumed a great deal of manpower. If a revolt truly erupts, the situation may be grim."
Gu Ying suddenly spoke, "Cousin, there must be someone manipulating everything in secret."
Ye Qingchi turned to look at her.
Gu Ying tensed up, feeling a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. She almost couldn't stand and supported herself against her lower back, leaning against the city wall. She took a long breath to calm herself.
Ye Qingchi hurriedly supported her and said earnestly, "Take care of yourself. These matters shouldn't concern you. You are just a young girl. Focus on taking care of yourself and the child. Leave the rest to me and your husband. If things truly become uncontrollable, I will find an appropriate time to send you and Ning Si away."
Gu Ying's heart ached with discomfort. She squinted her eyes and shook her head, "Cousin, I have a foreboding feeling."
She even had a terrible suspicion that Jiang Yin might not be dead at all!
But she personally checked his breath and pulse. He was bleeding from seven orifices and died from poisoning. It was impossible for him to still be alive.
Could it be that Han Lin, in carrying out Jiang Yin's will, was stirring up trouble in Yueyang?
"But how is that possible?" Gu Ying raised her hand to cover her throbbing temples, feeling her mind in a chaotic state, as if insects were gnawing at her, causing cold sweat to form on her forehead.
"Alright, Ying, don't think about these things for now," Ye Qingchi said, noticing a thin layer of sweat forming on her forehead. She seemed uncomfortable in her lower abdomen, and he immediately became worried, pulling her closer. "Let me carry you back to see a doctor first."
Gu Ying's emotions were fluctuating greatly, and her stomach was in intense pain, causing her brow to furrow tightly.
"Cousin... my head hurts so much... my stomach hurts too."
"Ying, don't... don't get agitated for now."
"Okay..."
With her eyes red, Gu Ying took a deep breath, trying to calm her excited emotions. It was strange because she wasn't someone who was easily emotionally swayed, but now, because of Jiang Yin, there was suddenly an indescribable force playing tricks on her consciousness.
She had been suffering from headaches since her time in Bianjing, and it had improved a lot after becoming pregnant. However, now it suddenly became ten times worse.
