Chapter 325

Gu Ying smiled gently, "Mother, you don't know, Changfeng Pavilion has never been under my control. All big and small matters are personally handled by the Eldest Prince. Mother and sister Yin'er's suggestion today is very good. I also want to take in more women with good backgrounds to continue the Zhao family line. But mother, you'd better discuss this matter personally with the Eldest Prince. As long as it's settled, whatever kind of woman, I can accept."

Cheng's mouth twitched as she forced a smile. If she could persuade Zhao Changdu, would she still need to work on her?

The matter of taking in a concubine was temporarily put aside. Gu Ying smiled gently and bid farewell after bowing.

When Huo Qiyan came out of Baomo Hall, she was rather restless. She had been living in the Duke's Residence for so long, yet hadn't seen Cousin Prince.

Gu Ying was even more arrogant, monopolizing Cousin at Changfeng Pavilion and refusing to let go. Let alone becoming a proper wife, even as a concubine, Gu Ying would not agree.

Seeing her mistress unhappy, Cui Yu was also annoyed. "Now she's pregnant again. Even Uncle who dislikes her has sent people to deliver her many supplements. Miss, why don't we go back to the Huo family residence and ask Madam to think of something? After all, Madam is the Prince's aunt. If the Prince doesn't listen to Cheng, he would at least listen to his aunt right?"

Huo Qiyan scoffed coldly, "Where does uncle care for her? He clearly cares for the child in her belly. That child is the Eldest Prince's proper first born grandson after all. No matter what, Uncle would still dote and love him."

Cui Yu coaxed, "She's relying on her son's nobility. Miss, don't get angry, be careful of hurting your health."

"How can I not be angry?" Huo Qiyan narrowed her eyes, feeling even more wronged, "Now that she's pregnant, Cousin would definitely care more for her. But me, he wouldn't even look at me..."

Mother said to wait a few more months. She had a way to make it so Gu Ying doesn't give birth.

But now she couldn't stand looking at Gu Ying walking around with a bulging belly every day. It only made her angrier and more jealous. Why did such a bright and outstanding person like the Eldest Prince Cousin have to be so intimate with a vulgar direct daughter of the Gu Family... even letting her bear his child, wasn't that slapping her, a young noble lady's face?

"Miss, this servant thinks, why don't you send Young Master more things to catch his eye?" "Of course I know that." Huo Qiyan irritably twisted her handkerchief, suddenly recalling what Eldest Sister said at the winter hunting grounds. It was the young miss of the Gu Family who relied on some drug to get intimate with Master Jiang, and later the two were married.

At the time when she heard this, she only felt the Gu Family was vulgar and disgusting, to seduce a man, even forsaking face and morals.

But thinking about it now, that drug... might not necessarily be a bad thing.

Moreover, Gu Ying was also from the Gu Family to begin with. It's possible she relied on such indecent means to seduce Cousin...

She struggled internally for a while, face flushed as she instructed Cui Yu, "Cui Yu, go get me some things..."

That afternoon, Cui Yu hurriedly left the Duke's Residence in a flustered state.

...

That night, Gu Ying was sitting in the study room researching the Miscellaneous Medical Treatise that the Eldest Prince brought back from the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Sure enough, it was the book she had seen in Jiang Yin's study room in her previous life. Unfortunately, she hadn't read it before. Now opening it up for the first time, she felt... she didn't know which expert wrote this book, but the medical formulas in here were unheard of and unseen.

For example, "Bone Piercing Fragrance", "Snow Jade White", "Cinnabar Point", and other poisons she had never heard of.

She looked through it carefully for poison that could cause headaches, but didn't find any. She only saw that there was a kind of Gu poison from the Southern Border called Lovesick Thin that could silently creep into one's veins and penetrate into one's marrow sea after entering the body, causing damage to one's mind. At the beginning there would gradually be headaches, but in the later stages it would slowly cause the poisoned person to lose consciousness and return to purity and innocence, allowing others to manipulate them however they want.

In other words, it could turn a person into a mindless child of a few years old.

Reading this, her heart tightened. But thinking that she had been having headaches for a few months already yet her mind was still clear, she dismissed that preposterous idea again.

After all, for Jiang Yin to poison her, he would need to be able to get close to her. She was confident that she rarely interacted with him much since her rebirth.

It wouldn't be that easy for him to poison her.

Gu Ying took a deep breath and calmed down a bit. Just as she put the book scroll down, she saw Yin Lan lift the curtain and hurry in, worried, "Mistress, the Eldest Prince has just returned and was summoned by the Duke to the study. He still hasn't come out until now."

In his daily life, Duke Zhao lived at Qingyun Elegant Building. He only went to Baomo Hall when doting on Cheng. Most of the time he lived alone.

Come to think of it, Qingyun Elegant Building was where he lived after marrying Mrs. Lin. Even after Mrs Lin's suicide, he didn't move out.

Therefore, the study, Moyun Pavilion, he always used was also once used by Mrs. Lin. The relationship between the Eldest Prince and Duke was strained. Unless they met at Zhengde Pavilion, father and son rarely met at Moyun Pavilion.

Why tonight? For the Duke to take the initiative to summon the Eldest Prince to Moyun Pavilion?

Gu Ying looked up, "Was it someone from beside the Duke who came to summon him?"

Yin Lan said, "It was the housekeeper, Zhao Sheng."

Gu Ying paused, "Zhao Sheng is loyal to the old Duke. He's always been loyal to the Eldest Prince. He shouldn't be a problem."

Yin Lan's eyes flickered. Suddenly recalling, "That's right Mistress. This afternoon, Cui Yu who serves Miss Huo personally went out once saying she was going out to buy rouge and jewelry. Miss Huo often sends people out to shop so at first I didn't take particular notice. But now thinking about it, it was Cui Yu's first time going out personally to buy things. She also came back rather quickly looking flustered."

Gu Ying frowned. Feeling that something wasn't right. She got off the chaise, put on her shoes, and supported by Yin Lan hurriedly walked out, "I'll go take a look."

"Be careful of the child in your womb!"

"Can't consider so much now!"

...

Moyun Pavilion Gentle and breezy, window shutters tightly closed.

The servants and maids in the corridor had been sent away.

When Zhao Changdu entered, the study was empty. The master's commonly read Four Books and Five Classics, imperial bestowed brush cleaner, and priceless precious inkstone were neatly arranged on top of the desk. On the luohan couch below the southern window was a beast-headed Boshan Brazier, with faint wisps of a subtle aquatic fragrance lingering about.

On the wall hung a painting of a beauty.

Zhao Changdu only glanced at it once before mockingly raising the corner of his mouth. "He called me here, what does he want to say?"

Behind him, Zhao Sheng respectfully carried in the hot tea sent by the maids and set it on the small rosewood table, "The Eldest Prince wait a moment, the Duke will be here soon."

Zhao Changdu sat down as he pulled his lapel open. Raising his eyes, he could see his mother's portrait.

The more he looked, the more mocking his smile became.