“Mother, aren’t you angry?” She looked after Gu Ying to be able to marry into a distinguished family, but what about me! Because of elder sister’s matter, I don’t even know what kind of family I will marry in the future! Now basically no family is willing to look at the young ladies of the Gu family! Gu Shuang will soon reach the age to get engaged... Now there is no one who comes to the door to take a look!”
“What is there to be angry about.” Lady Wang's tone was light as she took her daughter's little hand and said lightly, "You see that Zhao is pregnant, and mother is not in a hurry, so why are you in such a hurry?"
Gu Wan was shocked for a moment, "What? Zhao is pregnant? How did mother know?"
Lady Wang smiled gently, walking with Gu Wan in the snow, "Zhao thought she could fool everyone, these days she faked illness to drive Master out of Reed Catkin Courtyard, making Liu happy for several days. Master is busy with ten thousand things every day, Liu is dumb, naturally can’t see through Zhao’s plan, but I saw at a glance that she has been pregnant for at least two months."
Gu Wan frowned, "Then Zhao is also a fool. How did she suddenly become smart—"
"No matter who is behind plotting, this child cannot stay." Lady Wang's voice was gentle, but she said the cruelest words in the gentlest voice, "The male heir of Dongping Earl Manor can only be my son."
Gu Wan took a deep breath, but still felt uncomfortable in her heart, "Then what about Gu Ying... She stepped on elder sister, which was fine, but I...feel uncomfortable."
Although she was a concubine's daughter, she had always been proud. She believed she was no worse than the legitimate daughter, and she had learned everything the eldest daughter learned ten times, a hundred times more diligently.
Why, just because she was born from the wrong womb, crawling out of auntie's belly, did she deserve to be oppressed by the legitimate daughters forever?
"You child, really have not inherited any of my patience." Lady Wang's eyebrows were smiling, looking very gentle, "Haven't you noticed that the chastity powder on Gu Ying's arm...is gone?"
Gu Wan suddenly widened her eyes, "Mother didn't see wrong?"
Lady Wang smiled, "When have your mother's eyes ever been wrong?"
She was known for being aloof and low-key in the manor’s inner court, with little sense of existence, status not as high as Liu, and less favored than Zhao. But she had amazing observational skills. Being able to live safely in the manor and give birth to a son and daughter all these years was enough to show her prudence and care.
On the way to Yongshou Hall today, she just happened to see Gu Ying slip and fall in the snow.
The exposed section of her fair arm was bare, empty without the chastity powder, and there were some ambiguous traces, which really aroused one's imagination.
Gu Wan couldn’t help feeling excited. No wonder she always felt Gu Ying was very strange after falling into the water and returning from the palace!
That day she went into the palace together with elder sister, but elder sister had returned while she was delayed for a long time, and in the end it was just her and Yanzhi returning in a sorry state!
Turns out she had already lost her chastity long ago!
And still don't know which wild man she lost it to!
Gu Wan was agitated, "Mother, then why didn't we expose her in front of Prefect Guo just now! Make her unable to show her face!"
"Foolish child." Lady Wang said firmly, "After all, Prefect Guo is from the imperial family, no need to make such a big fuss. We only need to let the Prince see Gu Ying's true colors in front of the Prince. That’s enough."
"Oh... Then when do we have to wait until?" Gu Wan was somewhat impatient.
Lady Wang's mouth turned up in an inscrutable smile, "Wan'er, do you know that to kill a man you must cut his heart, now that we’ve grasped Gu Ying’s weakness, we have to lie low, don’t let her get away with it easily, it’s best to find a good opportunity to make her unable to show her face for her whole life at an extremely grand occasion."
"And we must also make the Prince disgusted with her forever."
Gu Wan became more and more excited as she thought about it, "Okay, Wan’er will listen to Mother!"
...
When she arrived at Muffeng Studio, Gu Ying looked at her younger brother's legs, her eyebrows furrowed, "Why did this illness suddenly become so violent? Ning, does your leg...still hurt?"
Gu Ning lay flat on the bed, looking emaciated. Although Yin Zhu took care of him in secret, he still became thinner and thinner day by day.
In recent days, he had even become somewhat unable to eat.
"It doesn't hurt."
"Do you want to eat something?"
"I won’t eat."
Gu Ning said expressionlessly, staring straight at the ceiling, refusing to look at Gu Ying no matter what.
Yin Zhu had poured out all his medicines. His legs were getting weaker and weaker, and now he couldn’t get out of bed, he could only bear Cui Ling’s insults on this bed. He only hated that he was too young to kill Cui Ling to vent his hatred.
It was not once or twice that Cui Ling and Steward Wu had illicit affairs in this room. Now that she also obtained Gu Ying’s jewelry, she became more arrogant and complacent, and her care for Gu Ning became more and more perfunctory.
In recent days, Cui Ling felt discomfort in her body and had no appetite, always vomiting, often lying in her own room, and didn’t even go out the door.
Gu Ying stroked the atrophied muscles on Gu Ning's legs. Thinking that she had read so many medical books but couldn’t help at all, she felt very frustrated, "Yin Zhu, have you noticed anything unusual?"
Yin Zhu said coldly, "Other than Cui Ling and Steward Wu often having illicit meetings in Muffeng Studio, nothing else. Imperial physician Liu comes every day to see young master and medicate young master."
Gu Ying frowned, "Medicate?"
Yin Zhu said, "Yes, normal moxibustion."
The moxa sticks were in Gu Ning's room. Gu Ying had checked them and found nothing unusual.
She couldn’t figure out what exactly the problem was for the moment. If there was no problem with Gu Ning’s medication or moxibustion, could it really be a problem with Gu Ning’s own body?
She really couldn't figure it out, "No, I still need Imperial physician Wang."
Before entering the Imperial Medical Academy, Imperial physician Wang was already the most prestigious orthopedic doctor in Jiangnan. It could be said that in the whole Dong Li, no one was more proficient in orthopedics than Imperial physician Wang.
Yanzhi wondered, "But why hasn't Imperial physician Wang responded until now?"
Gu Ying thought about it and guessed that someone must be interfering behind the scenes, but who would have such great ability to interfere with the matters of the Imperial Medical Academy?
She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again, clear-minded, "Has Liu come around recently?"
Yin Zhu shook her head, "No."
Yin Lan hurriedly said, "Miss, during this time, Lady Zhao faked ill health and has not been able to serve Master. When Master does not stay at Lady Wang’s place, he is at Liu’s place. Liu has been busy competing favor with Lady Wang these days, so she has neglected Dr. Liu."
Gu Ying also guessed this layer, and the corners of her mouth hooked coldly.
Now that the day of Gu Jia's wedding was approaching, it was time for her to start closing the net slowly.
...
After leaving Muffeng Studio, Gu Ying was thinking about how to leave the manor herself and go to Imperial physician Wang’s home.
"Ying!"
Gu Ying looked up and saw Gu Boyan coming with his aunt and cousin Ye Qingchi.
