After the Eldest Prince left, Gu Ying stayed in Changfeng Pavilion all the time without going out much. Whenever other families held banquets and invited her, she always declined due to illness and only sent gifts over.
Later, she asked Huai An to find a tutor from outside to teach Gu Ning.
After the Eldest Prince left, she spent more time accompanying her younger brother. Yu Gu was also kept at the Prince's residence to specially help her.
Before the tutor arrived, she taught Gu Ning to read and write by herself. During her free time, she would also learn medicine from Yu Gu.
Yin Lan's martial arts skills were good so she could also teach Gu Ning some basic mantras and techniques.
Nowadays, Gu Ning's legs were getting better and better, and the atrophied muscles on his calves had grown back. Gradually, he was even able to stand on the ground.
Although he still couldn't walk, being able to stand firmly on the ground had already brought tears to this proud little boy's eyes.
Gu Ying clenched her fists as she watched him lean on crutches under the eaves, with moist eyes, "Good job, Ah Ning!"
For the first time, there was light in Gu Ning's eyes. "Sister, I want to learn martial arts."
Gu Ying naturally agreed. "Alright."
In order to find him a good martial arts master, she spent a lot of money to have Huai An hire a master in the Jianghu.
That master is now a shabby beggar, but during the later great turmoil in the world when wars were about to break out, with his lone efforts, he guarded the Bianjing City gates and resisted the rebel forces from invading.
He is still wandering outside now. She has to ask someone to invite him earlier.
...
After Zhao Changxing was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice for a period of time, Prince managed to get him out after running around. It was said that after he got him out, he almost lost half his life. Cheng was so angry that she smashed down pots and vases.
Who dared to physically punish the eldest young master of the Prince's residence?
Other than that man, she really couldn't think of anyone else.
Zhao Changxing was half-lying on the bed, not angry at all. He had an complacent smile at the corner of his lips.
Cheng sighed and cried, "You still have the mood to laugh! That brute Zhao Changdu, how could he be so cruel to you! I really regret being too kind to him in the beginning. I should have killed him when he was still young!"
Zhao Changxing glanced sideways at his mother and said, "Mother, don't cry. Now that he is gone, only his little wife is left in the family. I will get back all the torture he inflicted on me, from his little wife's body."
Speaking of Gu Ying, Cheng was even more furious. "Her? You still care about her? Xing'er, what exactly are you thinking? Back then, just to make Zhao Changdu angry, you went through great lengths to obtain Huo Qiyun. And now, you want to possess Gu Ying too?"
"What's wrong with that?" Zhao Changxing said disdainfully, "Women are just playthings. Gu Ying's mother was the greatest beauty in Bianjing. Her beauty surpasses that of Huo Qiyun. Not to mention me, even Prince Shu covets her. With Zhao Changdu gone, Gu Ying has lost her backer and will sooner or later be obtained by me."
Cheng felt uneasy, yet happily said at the same time, "Prince Shu? My son, how did you get acquainted with Prince Shu?"
The Prince's residence remained neutral and treated the two royal princes equally, so it didn't get any benefits.
But her thoughts were different from the Prince's. She actually wanted to establish ties with Prince Shu’s residence, since Prince Shu was doted on by His Majesty. She was just vexed that there was no opportunity.
Zhao Changxing narrowed his eyes, recalling in his mind when Prince Shu and Jiang Yin came to visit him in the prison of the Ministry of Justice.
Prince Shu looked for him for only one purpose, which was to obtain Gu Ying.
As long as he helped Prince Shu get Gu Ying, there would be endless benefits in the future.
But then he thought again, Gu Ying had long become Zhao Changdu's woman. It wouldn't matter if he played with her a few times before presenting her to Prince Shu later on. Prince Shu wouldn't be able to tell.
Thinking of this, Zhao Changxing sneered softly. The lust in his eyes grew thicker and thicker.
"Nothing much. It was just Prince Shu coveting Gu Ying’s beauty and wanting me to pull some strings for him secretly."
Cheng said solemnly, "My son, you must not touch Gu Ying. She is not the same as Huo Qiyun."
Zhao Changxing looked provocatively. "What if I insist on touching her? Who can stop me?"
Cheng was so angry that her whole body trembled. She was speechless for a long time as she pointed at her unfilial son.
"Madman!"
She didn't like Gu Ying. Not only because she felt that Gu Ying was not easy to deal with, but also because she, as a woman herself, could feel Gu Ying’s attractiveness to men as a woman.
She was born too beautiful. That kind of attraction was irresistible.
No man could resist the bewitching that was ingrained in her bones.
If her son was obsessed with her, there would only be a road leading to death!
...
Gu Ying heard that Zhao Changxing had returned, and also heard that he had sent gifts to the Huo residence to apologize to Huo Qiyun.
However, there had been no news about Huo Qiyun after she returned to the Huo residence.
Gu Ying was not too concerned with how things would eventually turn out between them.
Anyway, the Prince's residence was huge. Everyone could just mind their own business. She would not go near Zhao Changxing day and night even half a step.
Although the Eldest Prince was not at home, Huo Qiyan still shamelessly moved in.
After she moved in, she couldn't seduce the Eldest Prince anymore, so she stayed by Cheng’s side every day, sweet-talking her.
Cheng was displeased by her many times due to her not paying morning and evening greetings as a daughter-in-law should. But there was nothing she could do with her.
She still had to speak nicely to ask someone to plead for Sun Mammy to be released.
Yin Lan wondered, "My Lady, don't you find it strange? Cheng cares too much about Sun Mammy."
She was just a servant after all, not an elder in the Prince's residence. On the contrary, she was a maid whom the Prince casually bought to serve his concubine back then.
Although she had followed her for decades, Cheng was not someone who would be sentimental towards a servant. Logically speaking, she would not care so much about a servant like this and repeatedly compromise to ask for her release.
Gu Ying was sitting at the desk writing a letter to the Eldest Prince. Her mind was still thinking about those sweet words the Eldest Prince wrote in his letter that made her blush with embarrassment. Her heart pounded like crazy. Upon hearing this, her face flushed as she calmed down from her thoughts, “How is Sun Mammy now?”
Yin Lan said gently while grinding ink, "She's still in the wood hut. The Eldest Prince's men are guarding it so that no one can enter or she can come out. That Sun Mammy has quite a bad temper. She’s making demands for food and drinks even while being locked up inside. She eats exotic delicacies and drinks good soups and broths simmered in Cheng’s courtyard. Cheng doesn’t seem like someone who would indulge her servants to act so unreasonably. But she is clearly spoiling Sun Mammy. It looks rather suspicious in this slave's eyes."
Gu Ying fell into deep thought as she wrote another line on the paper, "I miss you. Hurry there and come back soon. I'll be waiting for your return."
