He had just recovered from a serious illness and was unsteady on his feet.
Gu Boqing anxiously supported him, seeing his pale complexion. Disregarding himself, he carefully shielded the infant in his arms, feeling another wave of distress.
"You kid!"
What Gu Boqing disliked most about Zhao Changdu was this point. In his youth, Zhao was bold and fearless, charging ahead to kill the enemy, disregarding danger. He was indeed a commendable battle god general, a national hero who did great heroic deeds for the country and people. But as a husband, how could such a person give A Ying a safe and happy future?
"Father, don't worry," Zhao Changdu calmed himself down, the corners of his mouth hooked up coldly, but there was no smile in his eyes. "I will find A Ying."
"Before Chu Jiuniang died, she had already told me about all of Jiang's hiding places."
"Here." His complexion was pale as he took out a piece of paper from his bosom and handed it to Gu Boqing. "We will go to these places one by one to look for A Ying. We will definitely find her."
Gu Boqing said, "You shouldn't have killed her."
Zhao Changdu looked somewhat distracted. "I lost my temper at the time and couldn't restrain myself."
Gu Boqing sighed helplessly and turned away.
From then on, on the surface Bianjing appeared peaceful, but a hidden turbulence was brewing within.
Even Li Hao, the Crown Prince who was firmly seated in the East Palace, felt the bizarre changes happening in the several large military camps around the capital.
Throughout Bianjing Prefecture, some people had been chasing the murderer day and night in the name of the government office, strictly checking the population at night, and even initiating a carpet-style search, stirring up public discontent.
The Ye family had become very strange. Ye Lightly Late firmly held onto the serial murderer suspect of an old case, leading people from the Court of Judicial Review to wildly apprehend murderers in the city. Gu General had just returned to the capital and received rewards, a time when he should have had many friends, but instead claimed illness and did not go to court.
His subordinates reported that Gu General had personally led a team of men and horses and left Bianjing overnight.
Now the checkpoints for entering and leaving Bianjing had also become much stricter.
Moreover, these things were beyond even what he, the Crown Prince Regent, could control. One could imagine just how powerful was the person behind the scenes manipulating things.
In the East Palace, the night was cool as water, with light snow fluttering down.
Ning Si carried tea to the man’s side and gently said, “What is Your Highness thinking about?”
The Crown Prince looked up and pulled the woman with the increasingly swollen belly to sit on his lap, without the slightest disgust.
He placed his big hand on top of her round stomach, the corners of his lips hooked up coldly. “Ah Si, how about you go to the Duke’s manor tomorrow?”
Ning Si was puzzled. “But I’m about to give birth soon. Mother said I'm not allowed to go out, didn't she?”
She actually wanted to go see A Ying. After A Ying gave birth, she had only seen the little darling once, and then was restricted to the palace without another chance to see the cute little one again.
The Crown Prince kissed the girl’s slender fingers and gently said, “If I let you go, she won’t say anything.”
Ning Si always felt something was not quite right. She worriedly asked, “Just what is going on, Your Highness?”
The Crown Prince sighed, gazing at the thick night outside the carved window lattice, murmuring, “If we don't go find out about A Du’s situation again, I'm afraid Dong Li will have a change of throne.”
Hearing this, Ning Si’s expression suddenly changed.
...
At the same time, far away at the Hidden Fragrance Convent in Taohua Town of Dong Li.
Gu Ying suddenly sat up from the bed, as if she had been violently kicked, her forehead drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.
She blankly sat for a few breaths, feeling confused for a moment.
Looking up to survey her surroundings, she found herself lying on a wide lacquered wooden canopy bed.
Thick, heavily embroidered, aqua blue bed curtains completely blocked off the bed, no wonder she was suffocatingly hot and sweating all over.
She moved her body and felt an unfamiliar soreness between her legs, immediately frowning in pain, her cheeks flushing red.
She opened her mouth, wanting to call someone, but her mind went blank when she tried to speak, and she completely forgot who she should call.
"Where is this place?"
She held her head, shaking it vigorously, only feeling as if her mind was shrouded in a fog, chaotic and vague, and somewhat painfully throbbing too.
"Wait..."
"Why am I here?"
"And why...does it hurt so much?"
She bit her lip, shyly lifting the quilt to discover the pain originated between her legs, which made her even more bewildered. Could it be...she had lost her innocence?
Thinking of this possibility, Gu Ying’s small face turned white, cold sweat instantly dripping down.
"Yanzhi!"
The name Yanzhi slipped from her mouth. She suddenly remembered someone. It was as if a hidden switch in her mind had been flipped - her memories instantly became much clearer.
She was the second concubine's daughter of the Gu manor. Her father was the Cavalry Commander Gu Boqing who had been sent to guard the borderlands when she was very young.
So ever since she was little, she had only depended on a maid named Yanzhi.
Her grandmother did not dote on her, but her eldest sister Gu Jia from the main room liked playing with her very much. Gu Jia would often give her tasty treats and nice clothes and jewelry.
Gradually, she became utterly dependent on her big sister. Until later, she discovered that a young boy she had saved when she was small had grown up and achieved first place in the imperial exam as Top Scholar. He appeared refined and elegant in aqua blue robes at the spring banquet, and she decided she must marry this man to be her husband.
She did not care for some little marquis of the Yong’an Marquis Manor that had been arranged for her.
Her mother said that as a woman, she should marry someone she liked.
She liked this young man and wanted to marry him.
Thinking of all this, Gu Ying’s cheeks slightly flushed. Just as she reached out to open the bed curtains, she saw the room door open from outside as a young maidservant cautiously walked in.
She thought it was Yanzhi, but coming closer, she found it was not.
"Who are you?"
The maid had neatly combed hair in a bun, wore a peach red short coat with a lotus root colored long skirt. Bowing her head deferentially she said, "This servant's name is Haitang. Previously, I was always in the kitchen tending the firewood. Later, Yanzhi got sick and was sent back to the Gu manor, then I was transferred to serve the young miss."
Gu Ying looked around at the spacious boudoir and extravagant furnishings, unable to help sucking in a breath.
The dresser and jewelry boxes were all made of rosewood, the cabinets were all made of yellow pear wood.
The display shelves seemed to hold many valuable porcelain vases.
As an unfavored daughter in the Gu manor, her room was never furnished with so many luxury items.
Gu Ying rolled her eyes back and forth. No matter how much Haitang said, she really could not recall there ever being such a maid at her side. But this maid did seem familiar to her eye, so she temporarily trusted in the maid’s words.
"Yanzhi is sick?"
Haitang said, "That's right. The young miss fell into the water, and Yanzhi also jumped in to save the young miss."
Gu Ying blurted out confusedly, "Then where is this place, and why am I here?"
Haitang looked up cleverly and smiled. "How could the young miss have hit her head hard enough to damage her brains? This is the Hidden Fragrance Convent, Master Jiang's residence in Taohua Town."
He had just recovered from a serious illness and was unsteady on his feet.
Gu Boqing anxiously supported him, seeing his pale complexion. Disregarding himself, he carefully shielded the infant in his arms, feeling another wave of distress.
"You kid!"
What Gu Boqing disliked most about Zhao Changdu was this point. In his youth, Zhao was bold and fearless, charging ahead to kill the enemy, disregarding danger. He was indeed a commendable battle god general, a national hero who did great heroic deeds for the country and people. But as a husband, how could such a person give A Ying a safe and happy future?
"Father, don't worry," Zhao Changdu calmed himself down, the corners of his mouth hooked up coldly, but there was no smile in his eyes. "I will find A Ying."
"Before Chu Jiuniang died, she had already told me about all of Jiang's hiding places."
"Here." His complexion was pale as he took out a piece of paper from his bosom and handed it to Gu Boqing. "We will go to these places one by one to look for A Ying. We will definitely find her."
Gu Boqing said, "You shouldn't have killed her."
Zhao Changdu looked somewhat distracted. "I lost my temper at the time and couldn't restrain myself."
Gu Boqing sighed helplessly and turned away.
From then on, on the surface Bianjing appeared peaceful, but a hidden turbulence was brewing within.
Even Li Hao, the Crown Prince who was firmly seated in the East Palace, felt the bizarre changes happening in the several large military camps around the capital.
Throughout Bianjing Prefecture, some people had been chasing the murderer day and night in the name of the government office, strictly checking the population at night, and even initiating a carpet-style search, stirring up public discontent.
The Ye family had become very strange. Ye Lightly Late firmly held onto the serial murderer suspect of an old case, leading people from the Court of Judicial Review to wildly apprehend murderers in the city. Gu General had just returned to the capital and received rewards, a time when he should have had many friends, but instead claimed illness and did not go to court.
His subordinates reported that Gu General had personally led a team of men and horses and left Bianjing overnight.
Now the checkpoints for entering and leaving Bianjing had also become much stricter.
Moreover, these things were beyond even what he, the Crown Prince Regent, could control. One could imagine just how powerful was the person behind the scenes manipulating things.
In the East Palace, the night was cool as water, with light snow fluttering down.
Ning Si carried tea to the man’s side and gently said, “What is Your Highness thinking about?”
The Crown Prince looked up and pulled the woman with the increasingly swollen belly to sit on his lap, without the slightest disgust.
He placed his big hand on top of her round stomach, the corners of his lips hooked up coldly. “Ah Si, how about you go to the Duke’s manor tomorrow?”
Ning Si was puzzled. “But I’m about to give birth soon. Mother said I'm not allowed to go out, didn't she?”
She actually wanted to go see A Ying. After A Ying gave birth, she had only seen the little darling once, and then was restricted to the palace without another chance to see the cute little one again.
The Crown Prince kissed the girl’s slender fingers and gently said, “If I let you go, she won’t say anything.”
Ning Si always felt something was not quite right. She worriedly asked, “Just what is going on, Your Highness?”
The Crown Prince sighed, gazing at the thick night outside the carved window lattice, murmuring, “If we don't go find out about A Du’s situation again, I'm afraid Dong Li will have a change of throne.”
Hearing this, Ning Si’s expression suddenly changed.
...
At the same time, far away at the Hidden Fragrance Convent in Taohua Town of Dong Li.
Gu Ying suddenly sat up from the bed, as if she had been violently kicked, her forehead drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.
She blankly sat for a few breaths, feeling confused for a moment.
Looking up to survey her surroundings, she found herself lying on a wide lacquered wooden canopy bed.
Thick, heavily embroidered, aqua blue bed curtains completely blocked off the bed, no wonder she was suffocatingly hot and sweating all over.
She moved her body and felt an unfamiliar soreness between her legs, immediately frowning in pain, her cheeks flushing red.
She opened her mouth, wanting to call someone, but her mind went blank when she tried to speak, and she completely forgot who she should call.
"Where is this place?"
She held her head, shaking it vigorously, only feeling as if her mind was shrouded in a fog, chaotic and vague, and somewhat painfully throbbing too.
"Wait..."
"Why am I here?"
"And why...does it hurt so much?"
She bit her lip, shyly lifting the quilt to discover the pain originated between her legs, which made her even more bewildered. Could it be...she had lost her innocence?
Thinking of this possibility, Gu Ying’s small face turned white, cold sweat instantly dripping down.
"Yanzhi!"
The name Yanzhi slipped from her mouth. She suddenly remembered someone. It was as if a hidden switch in her mind had been flipped - her memories instantly became much clearer.
She was the second concubine's daughter of the Gu manor. Her father was the Cavalry Commander Gu Boqing who had been sent to guard the borderlands when she was very young.
So ever since she was little, she had only depended on a maid named Yanzhi.
Her grandmother did not dote on her, but her eldest sister Gu Jia from the main room liked playing with her very much. Gu Jia would often give her tasty treats and nice clothes and jewelry.
Gradually, she became utterly dependent on her big sister. Until later, she discovered that a young boy she had saved when she was small had grown up and achieved first place in the imperial exam as Top Scholar. He appeared refined and elegant in aqua blue robes at the spring banquet, and she decided she must marry this man to be her husband.
She did not care for some little marquis of the Yong’an Marquis Manor that had been arranged for her.
Her mother said that as a woman, she should marry someone she liked.
She liked this young man and wanted to marry him.
Thinking of all this, Gu Ying’s cheeks slightly flushed. Just as she reached out to open the bed curtains, she saw the room door open from outside as a young maidservant cautiously walked in.
She thought it was Yanzhi, but coming closer, she found it was not.
"Who are you?"
The maid had neatly combed hair in a bun, wore a peach red short coat with a lotus root colored long skirt. Bowing her head deferentially she said, "This servant's name is Haitang. Previously, I was always in the kitchen tending the firewood. Later, Yanzhi got sick and was sent back to the Gu manor, then I was transferred to serve the young miss."
Gu Ying looked around at the spacious boudoir and extravagant furnishings, unable to help sucking in a breath.
The dresser and jewelry boxes were all made of rosewood, the cabinets were all made of yellow pear wood.
The display shelves seemed to hold many valuable porcelain vases.
As an unfavored daughter in the Gu manor, her room was never furnished with so many luxury items.
Gu Ying rolled her eyes back and forth. No matter how much Haitang said, she really could not recall there ever being such a maid at her side. But this maid did seem familiar to her eye, so she temporarily trusted in the maid’s words.
"Yanzhi is sick?"
Haitang said, "That's right. The young miss fell into the water, and Yanzhi also jumped in to save the young miss."
Gu Ying blurted out confusedly, "Then where is this place, and why am I here?"
Haitang looked up cleverly and smiled. "How could the young miss have hit her head hard enough to damage her brains? This is the Hidden Fragrance Convent, Master Jiang's residence in Taohua Town."
