The man intended to grab Gu Qianying and stuff her into a sack. However, the moment he reached out, Gu Qianying's eyes snapped open.
"You..."
The man was utterly shocked. Startled, he instinctively wanted to flee, getting up to leave.
*Swish, swish!*
Gu Qianying moved swiftly, flinging the silver needles in her hand.
One silver needle pierced the Baihui acupoint on the man's neck, and he immediately fell unconscious.
Gu Qianying surveyed the scene the man had meticulously arranged.
A cold smirk touched her lips.
It seemed Lan Qingqing had spread the rumor of her feigning serious injury, then had this man set up a staged scene, and finally planned to drag out her "corpse" to eliminate all traces, all to frame her with the tragic accusation of meeting a lover in secret and dying at his hands.
This way, not only would she be dead, but she would also be branded a promiscuous and unchaste woman in the eyes of the public, and in Nangong Mo's eyes, a shameless woman who eloped with a lover, taking gold and silver jewelry.
This scheme, killing two birds with one stone, was indeed ingenious.
She suspected that if things had gone as planned, the Gu family would have been implicated, their property confiscated, and they would have faced annihilation.
Her grandfather, General Gu, and her elder brother would have spent their remaining years in prison, or perhaps even been beheaded for her involvement.
This scheme was not only ingenious but also ruthless!
A chilling cold emanated from Gu Qianying's pupils.
Since "they" had been so "good" to her, she should indeed "return the favor"!
After a moment of deep thought, she restored the man's staged scene to its original state, pocketed the letter left on the table, and just as she was about to throw the unconscious man out the window,
The guards at the door seemed to have heard a faint noise, and the two of them discussed entering to investigate.
Gu Qianying's pupils narrowed. Just before the guards pushed the door open, she quickly kicked the man on the ground under the bed and lay down on the bed herself, feigning unconsciousness.
The guards glanced around but found nothing unusual.
They went out again and closed the door.
The two guards continued to stand guard outside.
At this moment, Gu Qianying opened her eyes, got up, and forcefully dragged the man she had hidden under the bed out, throwing him out the window.
As she threw him out, to prevent anyone outside from hearing, she made her movements very light. Before that, she had also placed a poison pill into the man's mouth.
When she put the pill in, the man kept his mouth tightly shut, unable to open it.
Without a second thought, Gu Qianying slapped the man hard across the face.
The man woke up in pain, only to be knocked unconscious again by Gu Qianying's slap.
Concurrently,
On his way back to the manor, Nangong Mo encountered Du Chun, who had just found the precious medicinal herbs.
Dusty and disheveled, Du Chun recounted his near-death experience on the way back to the manor to Nangong Mo.
Nangong Li, sitting in the carriage, listened with great interest while eating melon seeds.
Nangong Mo, however, grew suspicious. "So, someone deliberately prevented you from returning?"
Du Chun nodded. "I think so too."
Beside them, Nangong Li interjected, "But what could be this person's motive? To kill you? Injure you, rob you, but not to abduct you?"
Du Chun glared at him and cursed, "Scram."
Nangong Mo looked at him and said coldly, "Perhaps their target is not you."
Unsure of what he was thinking, he suddenly lifted the carriage curtain. "Bai Qi, quickly, return to the manor!"
"Yes, Master."
Bai Qi, sitting outside the carriage, held the reins and whipped the horse, galloping through the crowded streets.
Upon arriving at the Ninth Prince's Manor, Du Chun took the herbs directly to the small kitchen for decoction.
At this time, rumors were spreading throughout the manor about the Ninth Princess Consort Gu Qianying feigning her injuries.
Bai Qi pushed Nangong Mo towards the main hall.
Nangong Li followed closely behind.
Along the way, Nangong Mo's face was grim.
Nangong Li cautiously advised, "Ninth Imperial Uncle, they are just some gossiping servants. How can what they say be taken seriously? Ninth Imperial Uncle, please don't be angry. Anger harms the body and makes one ugly."
Nangong Mo turned to look at him.
Nangong Li quickly took out a folding fan from his怀, opened it, and silently covered his face. "Ninth Imperial Uncle, hehe, your nephew was wrong."
Nangong Mo said coldly, "Are you very idle?"
Nangong Li took the fan and immediately said, "Hehe, your nephew suddenly remembered that his feet are smelly and need washing. Your nephew will now return to the palace to bathe and change. Ninth Imperial Uncle, goodbye."
Nangong Li turned and ran away.
At this moment, Lan Qingqing walked over.
"Your Highness, you've finally returned."
Nangong Mo did not look at her.
Lan Qingqing's expression froze for a moment, then she added, "Your Highness, how is Sister Gu's injury?"
Her concern slightly softened the coldness on Nangong Mo's face.
However, Nangong Mo still did not speak to Lan Qingqing.
Lan Qingqing was delighted to see that Nangong Mo's gaze towards her was not as cold.
Hence, her words of concern increased, "Your Highness, did Physician Du bring the medicinal herbs for Sister Gu?
Did your journey out go smoothly?"
These irrelevant words made Nangong Mo frown. He looked at Lan Qingqing, his cold eyes glinting with frost. "It was you!"
Lan Qingqing put on an innocent expression, but inwardly, she felt a pang of guilt.
Had Nangong Mo discovered what she had done?
No, that shouldn't be the case.
"Your Highness, what are you saying? Qingqing doesn't quite understand," Lan Qingqing asked tentatively.
"Du Chun encountered assassins on his way back to the manor!"
This single sentence changed Lan Qingqing's expression and also put her at ease. It seemed Nangong Mo had not seen through her scheme, and her plan was very successful. Her pupils flickered, and she clutched her handkerchief, tears welling up in her eyes. "Your Highness, Qingqing is just a weak woman. How could she have the ability to hire assassins? Moreover, Qingqing has not left the manor even half a step these past two days. I implore Your Highness to see clearly and not to wrongly accuse Qingqing, or Qingqing will die of sadness."
Lan Qingqing wept pitifully, as if she had suffered great injustice.
"Alright, stop crying. This prince understands. You may go back!"
Nangong Mo did not look at her, but he understood in his heart that Lan Qingqing had lived alone in the manor for many years, with no influence behind her, and without any martial arts skills.
How could a mere woman find assassins?
"Your Highness, Your Highness..."
Lan Qingqing refused to leave, even blocking Nangong Mo's path.
Bai Qi, pushing Nangong Mo, paused. Nangong Mo looked up at Lan Qingqing, his tone impatient. "Is there something else?"
Ever since the incident at the wedding banquet where Lan Qingqing had mistreated his maid, his attitude towards Lan Qingqing had changed.
He could fulfill the request of his benefactor and provide his daughter with a lifetime of prosperity and honor.
However, harming Gu Qianying was his bottom line. Lan Qingqing had crossed his bottom line, and he would naturally not let her off. If Gu Qianying had not pleaded for Lan Qingqing that day, Lan Qingqing would not have been tolerated in the Ninth Prince's Manor today.
"Your Highness, that day Qingqing was indeed ignorant and committed such an unforgivable offense. However, please rest assured, Your Highness. From now on, Qingqing will diligently serve the Princess Consort by her side to make amends for her past mistakes."
"Mm."
Nangong Mo responded casually.
"Your Highness, the Princess Consort is inside. How can she be without maids to attend to her? How about this, Qingqing will accompany Your Highness inside. When the Princess Consort wakes up, I will personally attend to her. Is that alright?"
Lan Qingqing used a strategy of advancing by retreating.
Nangong Mo did not pay much attention. "Mm."
Lan Qingqing walked over, pushed Bai Qi aside, and snatched the task from his hands.
Bai Qi frowned, not wanting to delegate, but Lan Qingqing smiled softly at him. "Brother Bai Qi, you have worked hard these past few days. From now on, Qing'er will take care of Your Highness."
Bai Qi wanted to decline, but seeing that his master remained silent, he stepped aside.
He turned and walked away.
He needed to properly store the items his master had just handed him.
At this moment, Nangong Mo's entire focus was on Gu Qianying's injury. He had thought about Gu Qianying for the entire duration of his absence.
He was eager to return and paid no heed to Lan Qingqing's intentions at this moment!
Lan Qingqing, standing behind Nangong Mo, observed that although Nangong Mo's face was grim on his way back to the manor, he had not lost his temper.
This disappointed her. After planning for so long, Nangong Mo had shown no reaction. However, on second thought, the person lying inside was already dead, and with her instigation, she had become a shameless woman who had eloped with a lover, taking gold and jewels to deceive the Ninth Prince. She was incredibly excited.
She could hardly wait for Nangong Mo to see the situation she had orchestrated.
"Your Highness, the Princess Consort knows that you care for her so much, she will surely be very happy," Lan Qingqing deliberately enhanced Gu Qianying's image in front of Nangong Mo.
Because she knew that if Nangong Mo saw Gu Qianying deceiving him, and shamelessly eloping with a lover, the more he liked Gu Qianying, the more he would hate her.
With this thought, Lan Qingqing pushed open the door before Nangong Mo could speak.
The guards at the door saw their master arrive and quietly retreated.
Lan Qingqing pushed Nangong Mo into the inner chambers...