"You..." She was momentarily confused before realizing that he was her husband, Zhao Changdu, the heir of the Duke's Residence.
"Do you have any questions about today's events?"
Gu Ying shook her head. "No."
Zhao Changdu choked on his words. This girl really doesn't care about him at all. She may not care, but he had to explain. "Today, a maid suddenly came to find me and said that Cheng has something very important to discuss with me, something that concerns the future of the Duke's Residence. So I went."
Pausing for a moment, he continued, "Before going, I didn't notice that the maid who came was Lv Zhi."
Gu Ying blinked. "So, it was deliberately planned."
Zhao Changdu nodded lightly and continued, "After I went to the side hall, I found that Wang from Dongping Earl Manor was also there."
"What?" Gu Ying furrowed her brows.
She hadn't expected this. Just solving Gu Wan was not enough; it turned out that Wang was also causing trouble.
Zhao Changdu stared at her radiant and clear eyes, and softly said, "This time, she came to target you, intending to accuse you of not being a virgin in front of me."
Gu Ying's eyes froze for a moment, and then she thought of something. She glared at him with a hint of blame, her face flushed.
Zhao Changdu looked at her bashful cheeks, his deep and profound eyes filled with meaning as he chuckled lightly. "So, they've hit a brick wall. I had someone deal with Wang, so don't worry, she won't dare to spread rumors anymore."
Gu Ying wasn't worried about that. Even if she came over without being a virgin, he was the one to blame. He should be the one to explain.
But he didn't make a big deal out of it. He handled it quite beautifully.
After all, rumors are more powerful than tigers. Outsiders don't care whether what Wang said is true or false; they only want to hear what they want to hear.
"Gu Ying." Zhao Changdu suddenly turned serious.
Gu Ying saw that he seemed to have something important to say and quickly straightened her back, turned to face him, and asked, "Your Highness, please speak."
Zhao Changdu's lips curved slightly. His large hand reached out and pinched her tender cheek. Looking at her slightly surprised watery eyes, he smiled and said, "No matter what others say, I want to tell you that I don't love Huo Qiyun. When I was young, she took care of me very much, and back then, I wanted to marry her just to give her a stable life."
Gu Ying stared at him in a daze. So, this was what he wanted to say...
"Actually, I don't care—"
"Don't say such things." Zhao Changdu interrupted her, his overbearing gaze fixed on her, his eyes both solemn and deep. "Although I don't understand what love is, since I married you, I will be completely devoted to you, respect you, protect you, and fulfill my responsibilities as a husband."
Gu Ying's mind buzzed as she heard only one sentence: he doesn't like Huo Qiyun.
Her chest rose and fell slightly, and the deep, restrained gaze before her miraculously overlapped with the eyes of the young boy in her dreams.
Supporting the heavy phoenix crown on her head, she murmured, "Your Highness, is it possible that I saw you when I was very young?"
Zhao Changdu looked at the young girl beneath the veil, her beauty unmatched. While receiving guests outside, he had been wondering all along how the person under the red wedding veil would look tonight.
He had imagined countless times how she would look in her bridal attire, but this moment still managed to captivate his heart.
Tonight, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
He gazed deeply at her, reached out to help her up, and gently removed the phoenix crown from her head. With a slightly intoxicated voice, he murmured, "Hmm? Why suddenly ask this?"
After the removal of the phoenix crown, Gu Ying felt a sense of relief throughout her entire being, although her waist felt weak, causing her to stumble and fall into the embrace of the man beside her.
Her cheeks flushed instantly, and her small hand pressed against his chest as she tried to get up.
However, Zhao Changdu's large palm moved, gripping her delicate fingers, allowing her to lean against his chest. "What did you just say?" he asked in a low, lingering voice.
"I..." Gu Ying caught a whiff of alcohol emanating from him, a scent she didn't particularly like. She wrinkled her slightly reddened nose and shifted uncomfortably. "I... didn't say anything."
"You mentioned seeing me when you were young."
"No..."
"Ah Ying, tell me."
The endearing way he called her Ah Ying made Gu Ying's heart tremble, her emotions complicated.
She had promised herself not to be swayed, but even the way he called her name was charming.
Gu Ying raised her watery eyes slightly, furrowed her brow, and gazed at the man's handsome and smooth jawline. "Prince, did you ever visit the hot springs at the back of Qingyun Temple when you were younger?"
Half-closing his eyes, the man appeared slightly intoxicated. "I did."
"Do you remember a four or five-year-old little girl?"
"Hmm?"
With an intoxicated air, the man's voice became even more mellifluous and attractive. His handsome face leaned closer until it was almost touching the woman's skin.
The mingling of their breaths created an intoxicating atmosphere, and Gu Ying turned her face away, feeling a warmth creeping up her ears. But she also reminded him, "Prince, don't forget, we are only in a fake marriage. You promised me that we would have a book of divorce after this."
At this moment, Zhao Changdu was slightly more sober. His deep and clear eyes showed a hint of sobriety mixed with confusion.
Taking advantage of the situation, Gu Ying escaped from his embrace and sat at the edge of the bed, three feet away from him, her cheeks blushing with delicacy.
No matter how composed she was, it was still her first time living alone in a room with the prince.
Zhao Changdu rubbed his forehead, his sculpted face displaying a slightly flushed color due to the alcohol.
He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Hmm, I haven't forgotten."
He would keep his promise to her.
If after spending a few months together, she still wanted to leave, fine. He would personally see her off.
Gu Ying's heartstrings relaxed slightly, but she couldn't quite describe herself as happy. The emotions in her heart were like an indescribable tangle of threads, but she couldn't dwell on them at this moment.
On their wedding night, there were still many important matters to attend to.
The brilliant red wedding candles burned silently, and as she looked around, all she saw was dazzling red.
Gu Ying felt uneasy in her heart and stood up, contemplating how to face the night ahead.
"Would the prince like to bathe first?"
Zhao Changdu supported his temple with one hand, closed his eyes, and concealed all the emotions in his eyes. "You don't have to keep calling me "Crown Prince." Just call me by my name."
Gu Ying wanted to show some respect. After all, he was an influential Imperial Guard Commander and a young general who had won countless battles on the border. Thinking about the future, she couldn't afford to offend him. So she cautiously asked, "Changdu?"
Zhao Changdu frowned, his voice growing cold. "That's too distant. From today on, you are my wife. Just call me Adu."
Gu Ying pursed her lips. She couldn't bring herself to utter such an intimate name.
Seeing the tiredness in the man leaning by the bed, she stopped worrying about the issue of names. She walked to the door and called Yin Lan and Yanzhi to come in and help the Crown Prince with bathing and changing clothes.
To her surprise, as soon as Yin Lan and Yanzhi entered, Zhao Changdu lifted his eyelids and coldly glanced at them. "Let them leave. I'm not used to having people waiting on me so closely."
