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The Crown Princess closed her eyes.
Either Xiao Liulang wasn't really Xiao Heng.
Or Xiao Heng hadn't recognized Princess Xinyang yet.
The Crown Princess's emotions were incredibly complex.
"Crown Princess." Yu Jin's voice interrupted the Crown Princess's thoughts.
The Crown Princess returned to her senses, and she politely asked, "Lady Yu Jin, what's the matter?"
Yu Jin said with a serious tone, "Regarding Physician Gu's matter, I kindly ask the Crown Princess to show some leniency for the sake of the princess. The princess's heart condition is incurable, and it was only with Physician Gu's treatment that she finally found some relief."
Upon hearing this, a slight furrow appeared on the Crown Princess's brow, "Wasn't the Hundred Flowers Pill effective last time?"
Yu Jin shook her head, "To be honest, that wasn't the effect of the Hundred Flowers Pill. It was the result of Physician Gu's medicine."
The Crown Princess's slender hands clenched tightly.
Yu Jin continued, "Crown Princess doesn't need to worry. In the princess's heart, you are always the person she is closest to. It's because she sees you as family that she doesn't treat you as an outsider."
Who wouldn't be pleased to hear such words?
The Crown Princess smiled generously and said, "Don't worry, I'm not that petty. I won't tell His Highness the Crown Prince or His Majesty about today's incident. If they ask, I'll say I accidentally fell and injured myself."
Yu Jin held the Crown Princess's hand, "Only the Crown Princess is so considerate of the princess."
Indeed, only she truly cared for Princess Xinyang. Regardless of whether Xiao Liulang was Xiao Heng or not, and regardless of whether Gu Jiao was Princess Xinyang's daughter-in-law, she was the person closest to Princess Xinyang.
Meanwhile, after Long Yi took Gu Jiao out of the residence on Zhuque Street, Gu Jiao thought he was taking her for a stroll outside. Who knew Long Yi would bring her to the princess mansion directly.
Gu Jiao had never been to the princess mansion before, but that didn't stop her from recognizing the words on the signboard.
With an expressionless face, Gu Jiao looked at Long Yi, who had thrown her into the princess's bedchamber. Seriously, this made her worry about his future dates. Would he be able to pick appropriate places?
There were servants guarding the princess mansion, but Long Yi's movements were too light; no one noticed that someone had entered the residence.
Gu Jiao sat in the chair, watching as Long Yi leapt onto the beams. She asked slowly, "Can we change the location?"
Long Yi didn't react.
Gu Jiao: Hero, are you trying to tell me that the destination and duration of our outing are fixed and not open to negotiation? Can’t we discuss it again?
After some thought, Gu Jiao suggested, "How about... you come down, and we draw something in the yard?"
"Or could you tell me how long we have to stay here?"
"Princess won't stay angry for long, right..."
Long Yi continued to ignore Gu Jiao's attempts to talk. She tried opening the door and windows to slip out, but Long Yi retrieved her every time.
Finally, Gu Jiao gave up resistance, slumping into the chair, turning into a soulless little salted fish.
From her angle, however, her gaze fell upon a pile of scrolls.
She sat up and walked to the treasure cabinet, extracting a scroll from a large jar.
Undoing the ribbon, she unrolled it and found a portrait of Xiao Liulang... or should she say Xiao Heng.
It depicted Xiao Heng at the age of thirteen, dressed in white, exuding an elegant demeanor.
She unrolled another scroll, also depicting a thirteen-year-old Xiao Heng. He was dressed as the Young Chief, with unparalleled grace and nobility.
Whether as the Little Marquis or the Young Chief, his eyes were filled with starlight.
His smile was pure and warm, akin to the most innocent piece of jade in the world.
Gu Jiao caressed the smiling youth in the portrait, her fingertip delicately tracing his face. It was difficult to believe that such a smile had vanished forever from his face.
The light in his eyes was also gone.
She rubbed the area over his heart.
There weren’t just one or two portraits, and it wasn't just portraits of Xiao Heng.
Gu Jiao also saw Princess Xinyang's portraits.
Princess Xinyang in her youth was truly beautiful. She was still beautiful now, but in the past, she had been like a delicate flower in the sunshine, radiating vitality and energy. Now, she had transformed into a silk flower.
She was still beautiful, but no longer vibrant.
Gu Jiao also saw a portrait of the mother and son together. It depicted Princess Xinyang in her twenties holding a five-year-old Xiao Heng. Princess Xinyang's embrace was so tender that even time seemed to stand still.
Princess Xinyang and Xiao Heng didn't have the strained relationship that Gu Jiao had with her parents in her previous life. They had once been the closest, most needy of each other, and most reliant on each other in the world.
"Being lazy again, huh? I take my eyes off for a moment, and you're all sneaking around. If Princess finds out, she'll skin you alive!"
Suddenly, an elderly servant’s stern voice came from outside. She walked towards the bedchamber, reached the doorway, and placed both hands on the door.
Just as she was about to push the door open, Long Yi swiftly jumped down from the beams, grabbed Gu Jiao, and leaped out of the window with her.
Caught in Long Yi's arm like a little chicken, Gu Jiao’s face ashened, "Next time... Could you give me a heads-up?"
Due to this interruption, their one-day excursion to the princess mansion came to an early end. That was probably for the best; otherwise, Gu Jiao didn't know how long she would have been hidden by Long Yi's tactics.
However, because everything had happened so quickly, Gu Jiao hadn't had a chance to put the scrolls back. At this moment, she was still holding the portrait of the mother and son.
……
In the residence on Zhuque Street, Xiao Liulang slowly woke up. He gazed at the unfamiliar canopy above him, momentarily unsure of his whereabouts. He looked around at the furnishings in the room, taking a while to realize where he was.
He blinked in disbelief.
His mind started recalling the events of the previous day. He had seemingly been taken away by Long Yi, but he had no idea where they had gone because he had fainted.
Although he had woken up briefly in the middle of the night, he hadn't been fully conscious. He had seen Gu Jiao by his side and then drifted back to sleep.
That hand on his forehead in the middle of the night...
"Are you awake, young master?"
A young servant girl entered the room.
She was one of the servants Princess Xinyang had brought back from Mount Fengdu. Xiao Liulang had never seen her before, and she had never seen him.
She didn't know Xiao Liulang's identity, only that he was brought back by Long Yi.
She wasn't aware of why Princess Xinyang would tolerate a man from outside sleeping on her bed, and she didn't dare to ask.
Seeing the unfamiliar servant girl, an absurd guess crossed Xiao Liulang's mind. He asked, "Where am I? Where is your master?"
The servant girl pointed outside, "We're on Zhuque Street. Is the young master talking about the princess?"
Xiao Liulang tentatively asked, "Princess Xinyang?"
The servant girl nodded, "Yes."
It appeared that it wasn’t as he had guessed. This residence hadn't changed ownership.
Xiao Liulang asked again, "How long have I been asleep?"
The servant girl replied, "Half a day and a night! Young master came yesterday evening, and it's now noon of the next day. Young master, are you hungry? The kitchen has prepared porridge."
Xiao Liulang temporarily had no appetite. After a pause, he inquired, "And... Where's the princess?"
The servant girl pointed outside, "The princess returned to the princess mansion."
Xiao Liulang gave a bitter smile.
Sure enough, she still didn't want to see him.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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