Chapter 233
Zhao Changxing, the notorious playboy son of the Zhao family, was the most well-known rogue in Bianjing City. He loved to toy with women the most. Eldest Prince's Consort, Lady Hu, had married into the Zhao family for ten years, yet the concubines in Zhao Changxing's backyard were too numerous to count on both hands.
No one knew what sins Eldest Prince's Consort had committed to provoke such an oppressor. She looked so fragile, hope she's not really being bullied by Zhao Changxing.
She was struggling internally on whether she should push the door open to take a look.
Not long after, she saw Gu Ying walking out of the room again.
Qing Yun was stunned.
Gu Ying's cold gaze swept over the few people in the yard. She rotated her wrists and said to the local ruffians below, "You bullied Lady Ning just now. By law, that is punishable by death. But now, I'm willing to give you a chance to redeem yourselves. Do you want it?"
Those ruffians were merely hired hands. Glancing carefully into the room and seeing no movement from Zhao Changxing, they did not know if this beautiful Madam had killed him or what.
Sizing up this young yet formidable beauty, they were already scared witless. They quickly smiled, "Rep...replying to Madam, what...what chance is there to make amendments?"
Gu Ying sneered and told them to come into the room.
Once in the room, everyone was shocked and stared wide-eyed. Qing Yun was even more frightened, not daring to utter a word.
They saw Zhao Changxing bound tightly with bedsheets on the floor, thrown into an embarrassing posture. Two smelly socks were stuffed into his mouth. He stared furiously at Gu Ying.
"Mmpf! Mmpf!"
"Mmpf!"
Though no one understood him, everyone knew he was swearing.
Zhao Changxing's gaze could kill. Helpless to speak, he could only glare at Gu Ying with bloodshot eyes.
The few ruffians felt rather awkward. Head lowered, they dared not meet Zhao Changxing's furious stare.
Gu Ying faintly knitted her brows without a word. She took out the Qilin Dagger from her deer leather boots.
Right before them, she lifted Zhao Changxing's clothes, exposing his manhood brazenly.
Zhao Changxing's expression changed. Scared witless, his body shuddered violently as he struggled vigorously. "Mmpf! Mmpf mmpf! Mmpf! Mmpf mmpf!"
Gu Ying glanced at him indifferently, showing not a shred of mercy. She directly slashed downward with the dagger.
With a soft puncture, Zhao Changxing's body almost bounced off the floor, sweating profusely from extreme pain as his eyes turned red.
He could not scream. Arching his neck back with protruding veins, his angry and terrified eyes glared fixedly at Gu Ying.
He simply could not believe Gu Ying would do something so ruthless to him!
Without any apprehension, Gu Ying had made her decision and would never regret it. She neatly retrieved the blood-stained dagger from his pants.
"I've warned you. Don't provoke me. You can't afford to."
Zhao Changxing looked at her as though looking at a fiend, fury and agony burning in his crimson eyes.
Gu Ying remained nonchalant. "I severed your source of disasters today. Behave yourself from now on. Stop thinking of harming young ladies."
Zhao Changxing's body shuddered violently, his pupils already somewhat distracted.
With the pants soaked with blood, everyone in the room was frightened out of their wits, their faces all deathly pale.
Even Qing Yun was quivering from Gu Ying's shocking move. Only Yin Zhu watched her Mistress admiringly with appreciative eyes.
The few ruffians wanted to escape immediately but were seized back in by Prince Duan's guards.
Wiping the Qilin Dagger clean of fresh blood, Gu Ying looked down at those cowering ruffians and said, "Didn't he say he wants me to have some fun tonight? Why did I keep all of you back?"
Too frightened to think properly, the gang leader cautiously replied, "For...for us to let Zhao Gongzi have some fun too?"
"Quite clever. Regarding tonight's affairs, I presume you've seen nothing?"
"No...Nothing! Madam can rest assured, we won't breathe a word of this!"
Satisfied, Gu Ying left at last.
The rest could be left to Prince Duan...
...
Exhausted after a long night, Gu Ying slept in the carriage. On the way back to the estate, she lay curled up on the cushion as a dull pain tingled in her lower abdomen.
Jiang Yin is reborn.
She had not felt at ease. Recalling what he said, she became even more worried and apprehensive...
About Eldest Prince's ending in his past life...she actually cared a lot too. Though professing to protect him all the time, she actually lacked confidence deep down.
It would be better if she knew Eldest Prince had a good ending in his past life. But now with Jiang Yin's reminder, she instead felt restless and uneasy.
Eldest Prince absolutely must not come to harm...
Noticing her complexion, Yin Zhu slowed down the carriage out of concern.
Back at Prince Duan's estate, it was Yin Zhu who piggybacked her straight into the estate.
The moment Gu Ying returned to Changfeng Lodge, she abruptly awoke from her dream with eyes red and swollen, tears clinging onto her thick damp lashes looking extremely pitiful.
The yard was deathly still, only the howling wind and dancing snow could be heard.
Only now did Yin Lan bring in freshly brewed ginger tea. "Mistress, finish the tea and go back to sleep. It's been an exhausting night..."
Yes, physically and emotionally drained throughout the night.
"I don't want it..." Gu Ying was in no mood for drinks, totally devoid of appetite. Drinking would only make her vomit.
On the way back she dreamt of Eldest Prince leading the Qilin Army according to her timeline, but halfway they still met with a snow avalanche...
The huge mass of snow completely buried Eldest Prince underneath.
In the pitch black beneath, Eldest Prince had his eyes shut tightly without a breath, his body also turning cold.
She shuddered in fear, bawling as she tried to dig him out from below.
But in the end, what she excavated was only his icy corpse.
He would never open his eyes again, never take her into his embrace again, never kiss her lips again, never whisper gently to her again.
Without a breath, he lay quietly in the snow with his handsome face deathly pale like paper.
She held him and wept in the snow, crying with gut-wrenching sobs until she jerked awake. But a lingering dull pain still remained in her heart.
"Why the tears, Mistress? Did you have a nightmare?" Yin Lan asked worriedly. Ever since the Lantern Festival tonight, Mistress had not smiled once.
Gu Ying shook her head, stroking her heart. "I'm fine."
Wiping the tears from eyes, she got up to hastily write Eldest Prince a letter.
Then she passed it to Huai An and urged him to deliver it to Eldest Prince as fast as possible.
Seeing Mistress' rare solemn expression, Huai An delivered the letter without delay that very night.
Sitting in a daze, Gu Ying finally felt the tense string in her mind relaxing. But the moment she slackened, a sense of fatigue washed over her entire body while her spirit sagged. Yet her lower abdomen continued throbbing.