A man's devilishly handsome face came into view, a faint scent of grass wafted into her nostrils, and a magnetic voice sounded in her ear,
"With this King here, do not be afraid."
Gu Qianying's body tensed abruptly, and she froze.
His tone, with its usual coolness, carried a familiar warmth she hadn't heard in a long time.
For a fleeting moment, Gu Qianying felt as though she had heard these words before.
Snapping back to reality, Gu Qianying suddenly realized she had been... embraced by Nangong Mo. No, she was sitting on the lap of the renowned Ninth Prince?
And her hands seemed to be resting on his shoulders?
His narrow eyes were fixed on her.
In his usually indifferent gaze, only her reflection seemed to exist.
The chaotic, jostling crowd around them had, at some point, been cleared by the hidden guards summoned by Bai Qi.
Silence reigned, and time seemed to stand still.
Gu Qianying, with a sudden movement, leaped off Nangong Mo.
"I... Ninth Prince..."
She found herself at a loss for words.
Nangong Mo was not familiar with her, yet he had spoken such gentle words to her. How should she respond?
"Call me Ninth Imperial Uncle."
Gu Qianying was shocked.
"Ninth Prince, this is likely against the rules. This humble girl is merely..."
She was merely the legitimate daughter of the Gu household, not royalty. How could she address Nangong Mo as Ninth Imperial Uncle?
"I like to hear it."
Nangong Mo's tone was unyielding.
Gu Qianying: "..."
Not far away, Gu Mingyue, clutching her scratched face, glared fiercely at Gu Qianying, who was alone with Nangong Mo. She hated her with all her being.
Gu Qianying, that slut, was actually being held by the noble Ninth Prince. How shameless!
But along with her hatred, she felt envy and jealousy. What was Nangong Mo's status? Even paralyzed, he could command the winds and rain in the capital. If she could marry someone like him, her future would be boundless.
But now, seeing Nangong Mo showing interest in that slut Gu Qianying was enough to drive her mad!
No! She had to think of another way to get rid of Gu Qianying!
Nangong Mo, seeing Gu Qianying's slightly flushed cheeks and her discomfort, decided not to press her further.
"Bai Qi, escort Miss Gu back."
Following the incident of poisoning and coercion, Nangong Mo was worried about Gu Qianying's safety. Even if she had family accompanying her back to the manor, he was still uneasy.
"There's no need, Ninth Prince. This humble girl..."
"Hmm?"
Nangong Mo frowned.
"Ninth Imperial Uncle, this humble girl has her mother accompanying her."
Gu Qianying felt that if she didn't comply with Nangong Mo, with his domineering nature, he would undoubtedly arrange for a dozen guards to escort her back to the manor in broad daylight.
"As you wish."
Concise and clear.
Nangong Mo did not insist further.
Bai Qi raised his hand, dismissing the hidden guards, and turned Nangong Mo's wheelchair.
Gu Qianying called out to him.
"Guard Bai, Hundred Orchid Grass can detoxify the Yi Shui Han poison. Take eight grams, grind it into powder, and steep it in warm water before consuming."
Although she had exposed the poisoning palace maid on the spot, Nangong Mo had still been poisoned by Yi Shui Han.
In her past life or this one, Nangong Mo had never harmed her. Informing him of the antidote was merely a small gesture.
This, however, delighted Bai Qi.
"Thank you, Miss Gu. Your kindness is deeply engraved in my heart, and I will surely repay it in the future."
His master, due to a deep poisoning many years ago that delayed treatment, had resulted in his paralysis. His body was already weak, and now he had been poisoned by Yi Shui Han.
He had been worrying about what to do when, fortunately, Miss Gu provided this antidote. This was a great kindness to him.
As Gu Qianying spoke, Nangong Mo's phoenix eyes lingered on her for a long time.
He never knew that the mischievous little girl from years ago, who knew nothing of the world and only knew how to play with crickets, understood herbs so thoroughly. Times have changed, and it seemed his girl had finally grown up.
The incident of poisoning and hostage-taking in the palace reached the Emperor. Furthermore, the victim of the poisoning was the Ninth Prince, Nangong Mo.
The Emperor was furious and immediately ordered the Assistant Minister of the Grand Court of Revision to take charge of the case, commanding them to quickly ascertain the truth and find the mastermind.
Soon, the mastermind was apprehended.
It was Han Lin, the Vice Minister of Personnel, whom Nangong Mo had reported for disregarding human lives in court years ago.
According to the palace maid's confession, she was the second daughter of the Han family and had harbored a desire to avenge her father's imprisonment and suicide by assassinating Nangong Mo. She had infiltrated the palace years ago and had been waiting for the opportune moment to strike.
Despite the seemingly flawless confession, it was riddled with loopholes. However, as the Emperor had secretly ordered the execution of the poisoning palace maid, no one dared to bring up the matter again.
Gu Residence, Yangchun Pavilion.
Crash!
Expensive jade ornaments were scattered across the floor, several wooden hairpins and accessories were broken, and the ground was a mess. Several maids knelt on the ground, trembling and afraid to make a sound. The imprints of five fingers were clearly visible on their faces.
"This enrages me! They are all useless, utterly useless!"
Gu Mingyue looked at the wound that still bore a scar despite several days of applying Jade Dew Paste, and her anger flared.
She was almost disfigured, yet Gu Qianying was living more and more carefree.
Not only was she planting flowers and plants in the courtyard, but she had also been bringing food boxes to their grandfather for several consecutive days, showing filial piety. Now, their grandfather liked Gu Qianying more and more, and paid little attention to her.
Seeing Gu Qianying living more and more comfortably in the manor, how could she not be angry!
"Alright, alright, don't be angry, don't be angry. Look, this scar has faded a lot. Mother believes that in a couple more days, your face will be completely restored." The Second Concubine said.
Clang!
Gu Mingyue threw the teacup from the table onto the ground, shattering it into pieces, and tea spilled everywhere.
"Mother, I'm not angry about this. I'm angry about that slut Gu Qianying..."
The Second Concubine covered Gu Mingyue's mouth, signaling for her to be careful. She raised her hand and drove all the maids out of the room.
Only after keeping the trustworthy Chunyan did she say to Gu Mingyue, "Daughter, don't be anxious. Have you forgotten what that little slut Gu Qianying's weakness is? Knowing the opponent's weakness, isn't it a matter of minutes to control her?"
Reminded by the Second Concubine, a glint flashed in Gu Mingyue's eyes. "I almost forgot about that. Heh, I should thank that dead slut Gu Yumei for this!"
Mentioning Gu Yumei, Gu Mingyue's aversion was unconcealed.
As she spoke, Gu Mingyue wanted to call her maid Cuiyu in, but was stopped by the Second Concubine. "Daughter, it's not appropriate to use our own people for such matters."
"Mother means..."
The Second Concubine whispered something to Gu Mingyue.
Gu Mingyue was very satisfied after listening. The malice in her eyes was self-evident.
"Gu Qianying, I refuse to believe that this time, you can still be so lucky!"
The next day.
Gardening Pavilion.
The weather in June was like a child's face, one moment the sun was shining brightly, the next, the wind picked up, rain fell, and dark clouds gathered.
Gu Qianying, in plain clothes and light makeup, had specifically put on a light purple outer garment today, accentuating her graceful figure.
At this moment, she was tending to a few poisonous flowers she had recently planted.
Although they were poisonous flowers, they were not deadly upon contact.
To make these seemingly delicate flowers, indistinguishable from ordinary vibrant flowers, effective, they needed to be paired with other poisonous herbs.
Although these few plants seemed easy to grow, they were actually very difficult to care for, unable to withstand wind or rain, and sensitive to sunlight.
Fortunately, in her past life, she had already learned how to care for these delicate flowers.
"Miss, the small kitchen made your favorite Plum Blossom Fragrant Cakes today. Miss, please try them."
Lu Zhu walked over, carrying a food box.
After taking out the pastries from the food box, she poured Gu Qianying a cup of her favorite Xianchun tea, placing them on the table together.
Gu Qianying put down her scissors, washed her hands, and turned to come over.
As she picked up the Plum Blossom Fragrant Cakes, her delicate brows furrowed...