GTB Chapter 220

Chapter 222: Discovery

Gu Changxuan picked up the wine cup in front of him again, his voice low and firm, “I naturally trust Prince Rui. I have no other desires in this life, and I don’t value fame or fortune. My only wish is to avenge her.”

As he spoke, he clinked glasses with Shi Xiu again. The cups collided, making a crisp sound, as if tapping on the hatred buried in his heart.

He hated Shi Yan for trapping Yu Qin in his mansion for more than a month, and even her death was silent.

If he hadn’t asked someone from the Crown Prince’s side to find out what happened, he wouldn’t have known that such a good woman, the love of his life, had become a simple, solitary grave at the foot of the mountain outside the city.

Shi Yan should have paid the price for his actions when he used his power to cancel the auction and directly take Yu Qin away.

A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Gu Changxuan’s eyes, and he secretly hated that because of him, that kind of person who ignored others and used his power to oppress others, what right did he have to be the ruler of the world?

In the east courtyard, Xiang Cao, who was sitting on the porch of the main house holding an embroidery basket, was picking fabrics piece by piece in the sunlight.

She turned her head and saw Ji Shutíng walking over, holding the jade crown in her hand, “Miss, is Master Gu not here? Why didn’t you send this thing out?”

Ji Shutíng looked dazed, her eyes wandering, as if her thoughts had already drifted far away. She softly “mm”ed, her voice a little erratic: “I didn’t send it. I saw the study door was closed, so I didn’t go in to disturb him.”

“Oh!” Xiang Cao responded, a smile appearing on her face. She got up and brought the embroidery basket to Ji Shutíng, enthusiastically saying:

“Miss, how about embroidering a small bib for the baby in your belly with this red fabric?”

“Okay.” Ji Shutíng nodded, her voice so soft that it was almost inaudible.

She raised her foot and entered the house, walked to the window and sat down, staring at the tender branches of the trees swaying gently in the wind outside the window. The sunlight sprinkled on her face through the leaves, but it couldn’t illuminate the haze in her eyes.

The sentence: ‘I have no other desires in this life, only to avenge her’ echoed in her ears like a demonic sound, repeating again and again.

She was stunned for a long time, when suddenly a sharp pain came from her chest.

She couldn’t help but reach out to cover her chest, her brows furrowed, and her face gradually turned pale.

She found it hard to imagine that her brother, who was so loyal to His Majesty, would actually stand with Shi Xiu?

No wonder her brother’s expression was not quite right when she returned home on the second day of the new year and when she saw her brother yesterday. So her brother must not be willingly standing on the team, was it because of her?

She suddenly remembered that Gu Changxuan took her back to her parents’ home the day before the emperor fell ill.

On that day, she remembered that Gu Changxuan and her brother talked in the study for a long time.

And Jiu Chu, Jiu Chu’s assassination was also because of her? Because she told him Jiu Chu’s whereabouts…

The more she thought about it, the paler her face became.

Suddenly, a creaking sound interrupted her thoughts.

Gu Changxuan walked into the house with a smile on his face, and walked towards Ji Shutíng by the window, his tone gentle: “Why did Madam return to the mansion today? Didn’t you say you would stay for two more days?”

Ji Shutíng looked at Gu Changxuan’s gentle appearance of a scholar, but a chill rose in her heart.

It was hard to imagine that such a person with his heart and eyes full of hatred was actually her husband who she lived with day and night.

Seeing that she hadn’t replied for a long time, Gu Changxuan was about to ask, but his eyes caught a glimpse of the white silver-inlaid jade crown placed on the table.

He took a step forward, reached out and took the jade crown in his hand, examining it carefully and said: “It seems that my husband doesn’t have this hair crown. Did the wife buy a new one for me?”

Ji Shutíng still didn’t reply, her mind was fighting, but she was already faintly blocked in her heart because of that portrait, and now it was like a bolt from the blue.

The love she thought she had turned into deception and exploitation overnight. Finally, anger dispelled reason.

She glanced at the chair next to her, her voice with a hint of uncontrollable coldness: “Husband, please sit down.”

Gu Changxuan was a little puzzled by Ji Shutíng’s silence for a long time, but he still sat down with a smile: “Does the wife have any good news to tell her husband?”

“I just went to the study and heard the voice of the Regent. Can my husband tell me why?” Although Ji Shutíng’s voice was calm, it carried a hint of questioning that could not be avoided.

Gu Changxuan’s face suddenly stiffened, and a trace of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

He smiled and said in a relaxed tone: “Well, the Regent happened to be passing by, so I invited him in for a seat.”

“I know you have a good relationship with Miss Jiang, but the Regent now has power in his hands, and sitting in that position is a foregone conclusion. If I am polite, I will be able to stand firm in the court in the future.”

After listening, Ji Shutíng directly ignored his explanation and continued to ask: “Does my husband plan to rebel with the Regent?”

Gu Changxuan’s expression changed when he heard this, and a trace of shock and panic flashed in his eyes.

He didn’t expect Ji Shutíng to be so direct, he straightened his expression:

“Madam, don’t talk nonsense. The emperor trusts the Fifth Prince, and the Fifth Prince has been serving His Majesty before. It is the will of the people for him to sit in that position.”

“Unlike Shi Yan, who only knows how to travel and play with women, the Regent is more suitable to sit in that position than Shi Yan.”

Ji Shutíng sneered when she heard this: “So you can’t stand it, so you told the Fifth Prince what I said in bed with you, and recruited so many assassins for the Crown Prince?”

After she finished speaking, she didn’t give Gu Changxuan a chance to speak, and continued: “Who is more suitable is up to the emperor to decide. Since the emperor has already named Shi Yan as the crown prince, what you are doing is rebellion.”

“I am now very suspicious of why the emperor suddenly fell ill. After all, you just said that the Fifth Prince has always been taking care of him.”

Gu Changxuan’s face instantly sank when he heard this, and his tone became stern: “Shutíng, don’t talk nonsense, be careful of causing trouble.”

Ji Shutíng pretended to tilt her head and looked around: “There are no outsiders here, so how can trouble come out of my mouth? Or is my husband going to accuse me?”

“That’s right, my husband doesn’t care about anything for the sake of his sweetheart, and I’m sure he won’t even blink an eye if he accuses me.”

Gu Changxuan’s pupils shook suddenly when he heard this, and his face instantly turned pale.

He quickly explained: “Madam, don’t misunderstand her husband just because you hear a few words. Where did I get a sweetheart, and how could I accuse you?”

Ji Shutíng squinted her eyes and looked at Gu Changxuan, who was full of lies, and felt that she had never really known him.

“Do you remember the deceased sister you told me about? It’s unfortunate that I happen to know her.”

She looked at Gu Changxuan, who was stunned, and continued: “My husband must have forgotten that I was also present at the Mo Feng Pavilion auction last year.”

“And the artist girl playing the qin on the stage is exactly the same as the person in her husband’s painting. I later inquired about it. What was her name…?”

Ji Shutíng deliberately lengthened her tone, and then sarcastically stared at the man in front of her, word by word: “Oh! That’s right, her name is… Yu Qin.”