"Du, I went to see Sun Mammy tonight..."
"Oh?" Zhao Changdu's mouth corner raised a faint smile as he patiently and calmly listened to the little girl tell him about the trivial matters in the back courtyard of the mansion.
Gu Ying let out a dry laugh, "Sun Mammy told me some things about Madam Cheng and my mother from back then."
Hearing this, the man's face gradually darkened, "What did she say?"
Gu Ying sat up and looked at the man's face as dark as ink, and said firmly, "Du, my mother's death was caused by Cheng's machinations."
Zhao Changdu's brow furrowed.
Gu Ying thought for a moment before deciding to tell him everything that Sun Mammy had told her, word for word.
The moment she finished speaking, she could feel a terrifying aura emanating from the man, suffocating her.
Zhao Changdu was initially only frowning, but upon hearing the end, his eyes suddenly tightened, giving off a cold and sinister light. He let out a sarcastic laugh, sitting quietly on the couch, his eyes black and shining but also concealing turbulent waves.
His large hand was still clasped around Gu Ying's lower back. His voice was so low it was almost murderous, "What a Madam Cheng—"
Gu Ying could clearly feel the man's violently churning fury. She had no doubt that if she did not stop him in time, this man could immediately take up his sword and go to the Baomo Hall to behead Cheng.
Sensing the man's intention to put her down, Gu Ying immediately reached out her arms to hug his waist, "Du, calm down first!"
Zhao Changdu's fists were tightly clenched, the veins on the backs of his hands bulging. He lowered his eyes to look at the girl in his arms, his eyes bloodshot as he gritted his teeth and said in a muffled voice, "Don't stop me, I'm going to kill her."
The chill in his eyes made even Gu Ying, the person closest to him, shudder.
The man was extremely strong. He put her aside and was about to take up the long sword placed on the sword stand.
"Du, listen to me!"
Gu Ying anxiously and hurriedly grabbed his hand, trying to make him calm down.
Zhao Changdu's eyes were filled with boundless fury. His phoenix eyes dangerously narrowed as he radiated a murderous aura that reached to the heavens, "Ying, let go of me!"
Gu Ying refused to let go, clinging tightly to his waist. In the intense struggle, she suddenly felt a pain in her abdomen.
She cried out in pain, "Ah–"
Her body hastily retreated back a few steps and fell onto the couch.
Only then did Zhao Changdu react. He flung the long sword away, held Gu Ying who had a pained expression, and became like a man suddenly waking from a dream. He busily and anxiously protected her belly, worriedly asking, "Ying, how are you feeling?"
Gu Ying furrowed her brows in pain, biting her lip hard. Her small hand stroked her bulging belly, and she whimpered tearfully, "Promise me first you won't act rashly, and I won't feel pain anymore."
Zhao Changdu's thin lips tightened, his sharp jaw slightly tensed. After a long while, he said in a low, suppressed voice, "Alright."
Gu Ying heaved a long sigh of relief. Her eyes, full of heartache, fell on the man's handsome yet cold face.
His side profile was resolute and sharp. His long lashes gently caressed her belly as his lips pressed thinly together. His nose was tall and straight, and he had an imposing manner. Yet he was unable to take up his sword to kill Cheng, and could only rub Gu Ying's belly in front of her.
She could empathize with the Crown Prince's desire to avenge immediately, but she had more important things to tell him now. She didn't want him to be blinded by hatred and do something as unrighteous as killing his stepmother in front of so many people. She also didn't want those who didn't know the truth to criticize him, nor for him to end up in serious conflict with his father because of Cheng.
"Du, revenge shouldn't be rushed. For someone like Cheng, killing her with one stroke of your sword would only make things easy for her. Why ruin your reputation and future for her sake?"
"If you trust me, let me deal with her, okay?"
"I know our mother's death has always plagued your heart. I will definitely make Cheng pay the price she deserves for this matter. Trust me, okay?"
Zhao Changdu had long calmed down. His dark gaze like ink lifted up and met the girl's clear eyes. "Okay..."
Gu Ying lowered her head, looking at the grief and anger in the man's red eyes, and smiled, gently saying, "I asked carefully. Among the medicines Cheng fed Mother back then, there was a very precious ingredient called East Sea Mandala. This medicine is prohibited in the Eastern Li Kingdom, and now only a small amount remains in the Forbidden Palace. How could a common woman like her obtain this? What's more, Sun Mammy said the medicine didn't belong to Cheng. Someone gave it to her."
Zhao Changdu tightened his eyes, his gaze sharp. "Who?"
Gu Ying shook her head. "I don't know. Sun Mammy said the person who came to see Cheng was in disguise with different clothes and wore a veil hat, so she couldn't tell who it was. But she was certain it was no ordinary person, but a well-bred noble lady with graceful manners, and she was also quite young. The noble ladies around Cheng's age back then would be about the same age as her now."
Zhao Changdu remained silent, his sword-like brows deeply knitted.
In a city as big as Bianjing, there was no shortage of noble ladies. But it wouldn't be too difficult to investigate and find a noble lady who had conflicts with or knew his mother.
Gu Ying tightly grasped his large hand, focusing her gaze. "After I came back, I kept thinking about this. Before becoming involved with Duke Guo, Cheng was merely a low-ranking official's daughter who had been demoted to the mean population registry. Later, she barely managed to start an affair with Duke Guo and fancifully thought about becoming the Duke's wife. Naturally she wanted to kill my mother. But with her status as a concubine back then, how did she contact the Duke's servants? How did she bribe my mother's people and have someone poison my mother without notice? These things seem easy but are very difficult in practice, since the Duke's residence was heavily guarded and my mother had so many people waiting on her. Avoiding all those people's eyes to slowly poison her would have been no easy feat."
Zhao Changdu's expression was cold and solemn. "What Ying means is that someone else was secretly helping Cheng."
Gu Ying's eyes lit up. "That's right!"
Zhao Changdu was no fool. When Gu Ying mentioned slow-acting poison, he had already realized there was a bigger hidden story.
He smiled sardonically, the corners of his mouth turned up. His fingertips kneaded the girl's delicate, boneless fingers as his tone became extremely cold and low, "I will have Huai An investigate this matter carefully."
Gu Ying curved her lips. "You can also send Su He a letter to ask about news from the Floating Cloud Building."
Zhao Changdu dangerously narrowed his long eyes, tacitly agreeing.
...
After Sun Mammy confessed, Gu Ying properly arranged for her to be taken care of in the woodshed with good food and drink.
The Crown Prince was in a bad mood, his expression as cold as frost when he went to the Spring Mountain Courtyard.
Gu Ying didn't dare let him go alone, always following him along, tightly clutching his big hand to keep him from being overwhelmed by hatred.
As for Cheng, ever since that rainy day she had shut herself in the Baomo Hall pretending to be sick. Apart from Duke Guo who could see her, she refused all other visitors.
"Du, I went to see Sun Mammy tonight..."
"Oh?" Zhao Changdu's mouth corner raised a faint smile as he patiently and calmly listened to the little girl tell him about the trivial matters in the back courtyard of the mansion.
Gu Ying let out a dry laugh, "Sun Mammy told me some things about Madam Cheng and my mother from back then."
Hearing this, the man's face gradually darkened, "What did she say?"
Gu Ying sat up and looked at the man's face as dark as ink, and said firmly, "Du, my mother's death was caused by Cheng's machinations."
Zhao Changdu's brow furrowed.
Gu Ying thought for a moment before deciding to tell him everything that Sun Mammy had told her, word for word.
The moment she finished speaking, she could feel a terrifying aura emanating from the man, suffocating her.
Zhao Changdu was initially only frowning, but upon hearing the end, his eyes suddenly tightened, giving off a cold and sinister light. He let out a sarcastic laugh, sitting quietly on the couch, his eyes black and shining but also concealing turbulent waves.
His large hand was still clasped around Gu Ying's lower back. His voice was so low it was almost murderous, "What a Madam Cheng—"
Gu Ying could clearly feel the man's violently churning fury. She had no doubt that if she did not stop him in time, this man could immediately take up his sword and go to the Baomo Hall to behead Cheng.
Sensing the man's intention to put her down, Gu Ying immediately reached out her arms to hug his waist, "Du, calm down first!"
Zhao Changdu's fists were tightly clenched, the veins on the backs of his hands bulging. He lowered his eyes to look at the girl in his arms, his eyes bloodshot as he gritted his teeth and said in a muffled voice, "Don't stop me, I'm going to kill her."
The chill in his eyes made even Gu Ying, the person closest to him, shudder.
The man was extremely strong. He put her aside and was about to take up the long sword placed on the sword stand.
"Du, listen to me!"
Gu Ying anxiously and hurriedly grabbed his hand, trying to make him calm down.
Zhao Changdu's eyes were filled with boundless fury. His phoenix eyes dangerously narrowed as he radiated a murderous aura that reached to the heavens, "Ying, let go of me!"
Gu Ying refused to let go, clinging tightly to his waist. In the intense struggle, she suddenly felt a pain in her abdomen.
She cried out in pain, "Ah–"
Her body hastily retreated back a few steps and fell onto the couch.
Only then did Zhao Changdu react. He flung the long sword away, held Gu Ying who had a pained expression, and became like a man suddenly waking from a dream. He busily and anxiously protected her belly, worriedly asking, "Ying, how are you feeling?"
Gu Ying furrowed her brows in pain, biting her lip hard. Her small hand stroked her bulging belly, and she whimpered tearfully, "Promise me first you won't act rashly, and I won't feel pain anymore."
Zhao Changdu's thin lips tightened, his sharp jaw slightly tensed. After a long while, he said in a low, suppressed voice, "Alright."
Gu Ying heaved a long sigh of relief. Her eyes, full of heartache, fell on the man's handsome yet cold face.
His side profile was resolute and sharp. His long lashes gently caressed her belly as his lips pressed thinly together. His nose was tall and straight, and he had an imposing manner. Yet he was unable to take up his sword to kill Cheng, and could only rub Gu Ying's belly in front of her.
She could empathize with the Crown Prince's desire to avenge immediately, but she had more important things to tell him now. She didn't want him to be blinded by hatred and do something as unrighteous as killing his stepmother in front of so many people. She also didn't want those who didn't know the truth to criticize him, nor for him to end up in serious conflict with his father because of Cheng.
"Du, revenge shouldn't be rushed. For someone like Cheng, killing her with one stroke of your sword would only make things easy for her. Why ruin your reputation and future for her sake?"
"If you trust me, let me deal with her, okay?"
"I know our mother's death has always plagued your heart. I will definitely make Cheng pay the price she deserves for this matter. Trust me, okay?"
Zhao Changdu had long calmed down. His dark gaze like ink lifted up and met the girl's clear eyes. "Okay..."
Gu Ying lowered her head, looking at the grief and anger in the man's red eyes, and smiled, gently saying, "I asked carefully. Among the medicines Cheng fed Mother back then, there was a very precious ingredient called East Sea Mandala. This medicine is prohibited in the Eastern Li Kingdom, and now only a small amount remains in the Forbidden Palace. How could a common woman like her obtain this? What's more, Sun Mammy said the medicine didn't belong to Cheng. Someone gave it to her."
Zhao Changdu tightened his eyes, his gaze sharp. "Who?"
Gu Ying shook her head. "I don't know. Sun Mammy said the person who came to see Cheng was in disguise with different clothes and wore a veil hat, so she couldn't tell who it was. But she was certain it was no ordinary person, but a well-bred noble lady with graceful manners, and she was also quite young. The noble ladies around Cheng's age back then would be about the same age as her now."
Zhao Changdu remained silent, his sword-like brows deeply knitted.
In a city as big as Bianjing, there was no shortage of noble ladies. But it wouldn't be too difficult to investigate and find a noble lady who had conflicts with or knew his mother.
Gu Ying tightly grasped his large hand, focusing her gaze. "After I came back, I kept thinking about this. Before becoming involved with Duke Guo, Cheng was merely a low-ranking official's daughter who had been demoted to the mean population registry. Later, she barely managed to start an affair with Duke Guo and fancifully thought about becoming the Duke's wife. Naturally she wanted to kill my mother. But with her status as a concubine back then, how did she contact the Duke's servants? How did she bribe my mother's people and have someone poison my mother without notice? These things seem easy but are very difficult in practice, since the Duke's residence was heavily guarded and my mother had so many people waiting on her. Avoiding all those people's eyes to slowly poison her would have been no easy feat."
Zhao Changdu's expression was cold and solemn. "What Ying means is that someone else was secretly helping Cheng."
Gu Ying's eyes lit up. "That's right!"
Zhao Changdu was no fool. When Gu Ying mentioned slow-acting poison, he had already realized there was a bigger hidden story.
He smiled sardonically, the corners of his mouth turned up. His fingertips kneaded the girl's delicate, boneless fingers as his tone became extremely cold and low, "I will have Huai An investigate this matter carefully."
Gu Ying curved her lips. "You can also send Su He a letter to ask about news from the Floating Cloud Building."
Zhao Changdu dangerously narrowed his long eyes, tacitly agreeing.
...
After Sun Mammy confessed, Gu Ying properly arranged for her to be taken care of in the woodshed with good food and drink.
The Crown Prince was in a bad mood, his expression as cold as frost when he went to the Spring Mountain Courtyard.
Gu Ying didn't dare let him go alone, always following him along, tightly clutching his big hand to keep him from being overwhelmed by hatred.
As for Cheng, ever since that rainy day she had shut herself in the Baomo Hall pretending to be sick. Apart from Duke Guo who could see her, she refused all other visitors.
