Zhao Changdu's expression was cold, as he raised his deep and cold eyes, "What does Miss Gu think?"
Gu Ying gently pursed her lips and took a step back, "I'll listen to whatever the Prince decides."
Zhao Changdu raised his eyebrows, gave an "en" sound, his slender phoenix eyes were as deep as black, "In that case, I’ll make the decision to marry Shen Ruxu to Liu Chang. What do you think?"
Gu Ying was choked for words, she could clearly feel the man's icy gaze falling on her head, like a knife, with an invisible pressure overwhelming her.
After a few months of marriage, arrogant from favoritism, she had forgotten that the person by her side was an unpredictable Lord of Hell.
Her breathing stalled for a moment, her mind blank for an instant, "Alright."
As the word "alright" fell, the man didn’t speak again.
Gu Ying hardened her scalp and stood there for a while, feeling the chilling gaze disappear. When she looked up, the Prince had already left the big tent.
The weather in March and April was fickle with warmth and cold.
At this moment, the piercing cold wind blew in from the cracks in the windows, making one’s back feel cold.
Gu Ying heaved a long sigh from her throat, and her taut spine relaxed slightly.
She moved her stiff legs, pulled her outer garment tighter, then slowly placed her hands on her flat lower abdomen, telling herself that for this child, she could do anything.
But at the bottom of her heart, there was still an inexplicable sour feeling rising up.
She closed her eyes, and walked heavily to the bedside. She just felt exhausted all over, with throbbing pain in her temples.
She sat blankly by the bed for a while, but the Prince showed no intention of returning.
She had wanted to go out and see, but didn’t know what to say to him anyway, so she simply took off her outer garment, got into bed and fell asleep...
She slept very tiredly that night.
The next day when she woke up, Yin Lan had cleaned herself up and sat by the bed calling her name.
"Mistress, time to get up and eat, how come you slept so late today?"
A warm, soft hand fell on her forehead, cool and comfortable.
Gu Ying blurrily opened her eyes to see Yin Lan's worried face, "Yin Lan?"
Normally when Yin Lan was around, the Prince would have left already.
The side of the bed was cold. She had fallen asleep after getting into bed last night, and didn't know if the Prince had come back to sleep later, or when he had left.
Gu Ying felt an inexplicable sense of loss in her heart.
Seeing that she was awake, Yin Lan's lips curled into a faint smile, "Mistress, you’re finally awake."
"Where is the Prince?"
Yin Lan smiled softly, "He went out early in the morning, saying that he had to finish the business at Xianlin Town as soon as possible, to take the Mistress back to Yueyang together. But I also feel that since the Mistress is pregnant, she shouldn't keep staying here, and should return to Yueyang City early to nurture herself."
Gu Ying asked, "What was the Prince's expression like when he went out this morning?"
Yin Lan said, "I didn't dare look directly at the Prince's face, so I didn't see his expression. But from afar he looked no different from usual."
The Prince was always cold and merciless in front of outsiders. Only in front of the mistress did he show some liveliness.
Yin Lan didn't usually dare observe the Prince's face. She secretly took two glances when she saw the Prince come out very early from the tent. The Prince’s handsome face was still very cold, his pair of dark phoenix eyes were delicate as a painting, not revealing much emotion, only some... inexplicable feeling.
So she didn't dare say more.
Gu Ying kept her eyes open for a while to calm herself, thinking that she was overthinking things.
She struggled to sit up in bed, and Yin Lan thoughtfully padded more pillows for her to lean against comfortably, "Did the Mistress catch a chill last night? When this servant touched the Mistress’s forehead just now, it seemed a little hot."
Gu Ying leaned softly against the pillow, pinched her brows, not knowing if it was because she had maintained her side sleeping position last night waiting for the Prince to return, which caused some back pain today, "Is that so? I just feel a little headache."
Yin Lan skillfully wrung a towel in the hot water basin to wipe Gu Ying’s face, "Why has the Mistress’s headache returned again?"
"Mm."
"I don't know when this problem started. When I entered the Bo’s residence, the Mistress didn't have headaches."
Hearing what Yin Lan said, Gu Ying realized something strange. She contemplated for a while, "It seems to have started after the Prince was poisoned, then I began to have headaches from time to time."
Yin Lan pondered, "It does seem so. The doctors couldn’t explain the reason either. How strange."
Gu Ying closed her eyes. Her head felt like it was being shredded by knives, tearing painfully. When she wanted to speak, she started retching again.
Yin Lan hurriedly stroked her back, "How are you feeling, Mistress? Should I tell His Highness to get a doctor?"
Gu Ying retched for a while but nothing came out. "It's just morning sickness, I'm used to it. After we return to Yueyang City, I’ll look for Master Zhuge to take a look."
Yin Lan nodded, "Master Zhuge is quite well-known in Yueyang City with good medical skills."
Gu Ying lowered her long lashes, quiet, "Where is Shen Ruxu?"
Yin Lan placed breakfast on the table and supported Gu Ying out of bed, smiling, "The Prince has decided to marry her off to Liu Chang. She has now been released. His Highness has sent people to settle Liu Chang's family in another town. Shen Ruxu is leaving today with them."
Gu Ying took a bite of a steamed bun. She was quite satisfied with the Prince's arrangement.
Although she had intended to imprison Shen Ruxu for attempted murder, the Prince's method was more precise, vicious, and ruthless. It would make Shen Ruxu unhappy for the rest of her life.
To say who was crueler, the Prince was far more ruthless than her.
As his wife, she would follow wherever he would go, whether that was virtuous or vicious.
To make oneself happy and upset others, that was how people should live.
Thinking of this, she angrily ate a bowl of rice, two buns, stuffing her stomach round and bulging. She leaned against the chair, constantly burping.
Yin Lan watched with a smile behind her hand. "I’ll go take a look at Lord Huai, Mistress."
Gu Ying waved her hand smilingly, "Go on."
...
After Shen Ruxu left, the camp became much more peaceful.
About ten days later, when the Xianlin Town affairs were finally completed, the Prince and his men prepared to return to Yueyang.
Early in the morning, while Gu Ying was still asleep, she was carried out of the quilt.
It was raining outside, and the cold wind blew making her shiver and shrink deeper into the man's arms.
"Cold?"
"Mm." The voice was coquettish and tender, extremely charming.
The man felt a pain in his heart. He took off his cloak and wrapped her up tightly.
Smelling the familiar scent of water on the person, Gu Ying didn't wake up either. She just softly put her hands around his neck, letting him carry her onto the carriage.
Because of her pregnancy, the carriage was padded with thick cushions.
They traveled very slowly.
It took a full three days before arriving back in Yueyang.
Upon entering the city, Gu Ying woke up in the Prince’s arms. The three days’ time, neither long nor short, brought the two people close together in the carriage. But they didn't talk much.
There was an invisible barrier that seemed to lie between them.
Invisible and intangible, yet very much present.
