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Princess Xinyang's writing brush suddenly stopped.
Yu Jin, while kneading Gu Jiao's leg, discreetly glanced at Princess Xinyang.
In reality, Yu Jin couldn't quite figure out Princess Xinyang's true attitude towards Little Marquis. Sometimes, she seemed to care about him, but then she would ruthlessly deny any connection. At other times, she claimed not to care, yet she would become so upset about his misfortunes to the point of fainting.
Saying she fainted due to so much anger in her heart, Yu Jin didn’t believe or accept that.
Perhaps she still couldn’t overcome that emotional barrier within her heart.
She was afraid that treating Little Marquis too kindly would be unfair to the child who had died.
Gu Jiao was being massaged so comfortably that she was dozing off, and her little head began resembling that of a chicken pecking at rice.
Yu Jin waved at a servant girl, motioning for her to bring a cushion.
The servant girl immediately complied.
With a signal from Yu Jin, the servant girl placed the cushion behind Gu Jiao and gently leaned her against it.
Princess Xinyang had her head buried in practicing calligraphy, seemingly unaware that Gu Jiao was falling asleep. Her gaze flickered, and she suddenly asked, "You love getting into a fight so much, who did you learn it from?"
Gu Jiao jolted awake, not forgetting to retort, "I didn't fight!"
Without lifting her eyelids, Princess Xinyang said, "Who did you fight?"
Gu Jiao replied, "Ning Wang."
Yu Jin: "...".
"You even dared to fight an imperial prince. You’ve got a lot of guts." Princess Xinyang wrote a large character for "autumn," then asked, "Why?"
Gu Jiao stated straightforwardly, "I don’t like him."
Princess Xinyang: "..."
"It's rare to see someone not liking Ning Wang." Princess Xinyang's expression remained calm as she continued to practice calligraphy.
Gu Jiao turned her head to look at Princess Xinyang and asked, "What about you, Princess? Does Princess find Ning Wang likable? In Princess's eyes, what kind of person is Ning Wang?"
Princess Xinyang answered calmly, "I haven't had much contact with Ning Wang. If Princess Ning'an were here, perhaps she could answer you."
Indeed, Princess Xinyang was married to Marquis Xuanping, and Marquis Xuanping was connected to Empress Xiao and the Crown Prince, belonging in a different faction from Ning Wang and the Zhuang Family. Imperial Consort Zhuang was exceptionally narrow-minded, and she wouldn't allow much interaction between Ning Wang and Princess Xinyang.
However, when Princess Xinyang mentioned Ning Wang, there was no trace of strangeness in her expression. Could this mean that she had never suspected any connection between Xiao Heng's "death" and Ning Wang?
To be honest, there were only two people who had the motive to burn Xiao Heng to death four years ago: Ning Wang and Princess Xinyang.
The less suspicious Ning Wang was, the more suspicious Princess Xinyang appeared.
Princess Xinyang showed not the slightest suspicion towards Ning Wang. Was it because the culprit was herself, or had Ning Wang's disguise successfully deceived everyone?
Gu Jiao eventually fell asleep.
The sun shone brightly, streaming in through the window lattice and casting a warm glow over the entire tabletop. Gu Jiao had even broken a slight sweat.
Yu Jin stood up gently and placed Gu Jiao's feet on a stool, also adding a cushion to provide stability and prevent any discomfort.
"Princess, are you still going out later?" Yu Jin asked softly.
Princess Xinyang continued practicing calligraphy, her tone light and breezy, "Maybe another day. I no longer feel like going out today."
Yu Jin acknowledged and then went to the greenhouse, returning with a few fresh flower branches to arrange.
The room was quiet, with only the soft sound of the brush on paper, the subdued snip of scissors, and someone's even breathing.
It was tranquil all around, yet it didn't feel as lonely as usual.
"Blanket." Princess Xinyang said without looking up, her calligraphy practice remained steady and focused.
"Yes." Yu Jin put down the scissors and flower branches, wiped her hands on a cloth, opened the wardrobe, and fetched a thin cashmere blanket.
She walked over, about to drape it over Princess Xinyang, but then she heard Princess Xinyang's expressionless voice, "Give it to her."
Though she didn't specify who "her" referred to, there were only three people in the room, and if it was meant for Yu Jin, she would have told her it was for her.
Yu Jin moved around the desk and approached Gu Jiao, gently placing the thin blanket over her.
She lightly squeezed Gu Jiao's hand.
Indeed, she was sweating just a while ago, but now she felt cold.
The sun was setting and was no longer shining on her. There was also the delicate autumn breeze outside, which happened to blow on her face.
Where Yu Jin was situated, there was no wind, which explained why she hadn't noticed Gu Jiao getting cold.
Yu Jin's smiling gaze rested on Princess Xinyang, whose beautiful appearance seemed untouched by the passage of time, "Princess."
"What is it?" Princess Xinyang asked calmly.
Yu Jin suppressed a smile, "You also like Physician Gu, don't you?"
She used the word "also."
It was unclear whether the person who also liked Gu Jiao that she mentioned was Xiao Liulang or herself.
Princess Xinyang responded, "I've said it before, her life is valuable. If something happens to her, who will be able to treat this princess?"
……
When Gu Jiao woke up, it was already dark outside, and beside her was Long Yi, who seemed as still as a statue.
Gu Jiao, feeling as if facing a formidable enemy, almost reflexively sat up and said sternly, "I'm not breaking any pencils today!"
Long Yi, who had been holding a box of charcoal pencils for Gu Jiao for the whole afternoon: “...”
Yu Jin invited Gu Jiao to stay for dinner.
Glancing at Princess Xinyang who was watering the plants in the courtyard, Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow and said, "It’s not like the princess is inviting me to eat, so I won't. I'm leaving!"
Whoosh...
Princess Xinyang nearly drowned the flowers while watering them!
Yu Jin couldn't help but suppress a chuckle..
Gu Jiao's previous statement was simply a joke. How could she not know that Yu Jin wouldn't dare to invite her to dinner without Princess Xinyang's tacit approval?
She did have something to do, so she had to head back quickly.
With a smile, Yu Jin said, "I'll arrange a carriage for Physician Gu."
"I..." Gu Jiao was about to decline as she could go back on her own.
But Yu Jin continued, "Or perhaps Long Yi can bring you back."
In an instant, Gu Jiao’s expression turned grave, "I’ll take the carriage, many thanks."
Yu Jin instructed a servant to prepare a carriage and said to Princess Xinyang, "I'll go see Physician Gu off."
Princess Xinyang didn't say anything, she just carried the watering can and switched to a potted plant to water.
Gu Jiao actually didn't need Yu Jin to see her off, but she felt that Yu Jin seemed particularly eager to do so today.
The two of them left the courtyard.
Yu Jin turned to the coachman and said, "This wooden stool isn't stable. Go get a new one."
This was a way to dismiss the coachman.
At the entrance, there were only the two of them and Long Yi, who was sitting on the wall with a box of charcoal pencils, looking resentful.
Yu Jin took Gu Jiao's hand and whispered, "Young Miss Gu, you're one of us, so I won't beat around the bush. I'll be straightforward, and I hope you understand."
Indeed, she had something to say.
Gu Jiao nodded, "Go ahead."
Yu Jin spoke seriously, "Regarding the matter with Little Marquis... I don't know how much you've heard, but regardless of what you've heard, please believe in the princess. She did hate Little Marquis at one point, but more than that, she hated herself. She loathed the assassins who poisoned her son and..."
Perhaps she realized that the identity of the person was too sensitive, or maybe she wasn't certain if Gu Jiao had already figured out this much.
Yu Jin paused before continuing, "the person who personally killed her son. The princess did contemplate taking the Little Marquis’s life, but in the end, her heart softened. She couldn't bring herself to do it. It wasn’t the princess who started the fire.”
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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