The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 956 - 956 439 The Truth (Seven More Updates)

Chapter 956: 439 The Truth (Seven More Updates) Chapter 956: 439 The Truth (Seven More Updates) Princess Xinyang’s pen suddenly stopped.

Yujin, while kneading Gu Jiao’s calf, glanced at Princess Xinyang without a trace.

In fact, Yujin was also unsure what Princess Xinyang’s true attitude toward the young marquis was—saying she cared, yet heartlessly refusing to recognize him; saying she didn’t care, yet she would faint from sadness over his plight.

As for fainting from anger, Yujin did not believe it, would not accept it.

It was probably that she couldn’t overcome a certain barrier in her heart.

Perhaps she feared that being too kind to the young marquis would betray the memory of the child who had died.

Gu Jiao was being massaged so comfortably that she felt sleepy, her little head starting to nod off like a pecking chicken.

Yujin signaled to the young maid with a wave of her hand, gesturing for her to bring over a cushion.

The young maid complied.

With a meaningful look from Yujin, the maid placed the cushion behind Gu Jiao and gently helped her lean back against it.

Princess Xinyang, absorbed in her calligraphy, hadn’t noticed Gu Jiao was almost asleep. She paused, then suddenly asked, “So who taught you to fight so fiercely?”

Gu Jiao jolted awake, stubbornly retorting, “I didn’t fight!”

Princess Xinyang did not even lift her eyes, “With whom did you fight?”

Gu Jiao replied, “Prince Ning.”

Yujin: “…”

“You even went so far as to clash with a prince; you’re quite brazen.” Princess Xinyang wrote a large character for ‘autumn’, “Why?”

Gu Jiao spoke candidly, “I found him disagreeable.”

Princess Xinyang: “…”

“It is rare to find someone who finds Prince Ning disagreeable.” Princess Xinyang’s expression remained calm as she continued her practice.

Gu Jiao turned to look at Princess Xinyang, “What about the princess? Does the princess find Prince Ning agreeable? What kind of person is Prince Ning in the princess’s eyes?”

Princess Xinyang said indifferently, “I have had little contact with Prince Ning. Perhaps Princess Ning An could answer you if she were here.”

Indeed, Princess Xinyang was married to Marquis Xuanping, who was allied with the Empress Dowager and the crown prince, forming a camp distinct from Prince Ning’s and the Zhuang family. Consort Zhuang was particularly petty, and would never allow Prince Ning to have much contact with Princess Xinyang.

However, when mentioning Prince Ning, Princess Xinyang’s expression did not change in the slightest. Could this mean she never suspected Xiao Hen’s “death” was connected to Prince Ning?

Truth be told, four years ago, the only two people with a motive to burn Xiao Hen to death were Prince Ning and Princess Xinyang.

The lesser the suspicion on Prince Ning, the greater it became on Princess Xinyang.

Princess Xinyang showed absolutely no suspicion towards Prince Ning—was it because the culprit was herself, or had Prince Ning’s facade succeeded in deceiving everyone?

In the end, Gu Jiao fell asleep.

The sun was strong by then, its rays shining through the window lattices, warming the entire table. Gu Jiao even broke out in a slight sweat.

Yujin quietly stood up, placed Gu Jiao’s feet on a stool, and added another cushion, making it stable and comfortable for her feet.

“Princess, are we still going out?” Yujin asked softly.

Princess Xinyang, continuing her calligraphy practice with a serene air, said, “Another day, I don’t feel like going out today.”

Yujin acknowledged, then turned to walk around the Flower Room, cutting a few fresh flower branches to arrange in a vase.

The room was silent, filled only with the sound of the pen scratching on the paper, the quiet snipping of branches, and the even breathing of someone asleep.

The surroundings were serene, yet for once they did not feel lonely.

“Blanket,” said Princess Xinyang, her eyes not leaving her writing, steady and focused.

“Okay,” Yujin put down the scissors and flower branches, wiped her hands with a cloth, opened the wardrobe, and brought out a thin cashmere blanket.

She approached to drape it over Princess Xinyang but heard Princess Xinyang speak emotionlessly, “For her.”

Although she did not specify who ‘her’ was, there were only three people in the room—if it was meant for Yujin, she would have said ‘you’.

Yujin walked around the desk to Gu Jiao’s side and gently draped a thin blanket over her.

Yujin pinched Gu Jiao’s palm.

Indeed, just now she was sweating, and now it had all cooled.

The sun was about to set, no longer shining on her, and there was a fine autumn breeze outside the window, which happened to blow on her face.

The spot where Yujin stood wasn’t reached by the breeze, which was why Yujin hadn’t noticed earlier that Gu Jiao had grown cold.

Yujin’s smiling gaze fell on Princess Xinyang, whose beauty seemed untouched by the years, “Princess.”

“What is it?” Princess Xinyang said indifferently.

Yujin pursed her lips and smiled, “You like Doctor Gu too, don’t you?”

She had used the word ‘too’.

It wasn’t clear to whom she referred as the other person who liked Gu Jiao, whether it was Xiao Liulang or herself.

Princess Xinyang said, “I’ve said it before, her life is very valuable. If something happens to her, who will treat me?”

By the time Gu Jiao woke up, it was already dark, and only the statue-like Long Yi was by her side.

Gu Jiao, as if facing a great enemy, sat up almost reflexively and said sternly, “I won’t pout my pen!”

Long Yi, who had been waiting with a box of charcoal pencils all afternoon, “…”

Yujin invited Gu Jiao for dinner.

Gu Jiao glanced at Princess Xinyang, who was watering plants in the courtyard, and raised an eyebrow, “It’s not the Princess who invited me to eat, I won’t eat, I’m leaving!”

Sss—

Princess Xinyang nearly drowned the flowers while watering them!

Yujin couldn’t help but snicker.

Gu Jiao had been joking just now, she knew very well that without Princess Xinyang’s tacit approval, Yujin wouldn’t have the guts to invite her for dinner.

She really had something to do and needed to go back quickly.

Yujin said with a smile, “I’ve prepared a carriage for Doctor Gu.”

“I…” Gu Jiao was going to decline, as she could go back on her own.

Yujin added, “Or I could have Long Yi take you.”

Gu Jiao’s face turned serious in a second, “The carriage, thank you.”

Yujin instructed the servants to prepare a carriage and said to Princess Xinyang, “I’ll go escort Miss Gu.”

Princess Xinyang didn’t speak, simply picked up her watering can and started watering another potted plant.

In fact, Gu Jiao didn’t need Yujin to escort her, but she felt that Yujin seemed especially eager to do so that day.

The two of them left the courtyard.

Yujin said to the coachman, “This stool is not stable, go get a new one.”

That was a way to dismiss the coachman.

There were only the two of them left at the door as well as Long Yi, sitting on the wall with a box of charcoal pencils and a look of resentful eyes.

Yujin pulled Gu Jiao’s hand closer and said softly, “Miss Gu, since you are one of us, I won’t beat around the bush. I’ll make it short and hope you understand.”

It was clearly something important.

Gu Jiao nodded, “Go ahead.”

Yujin said seriously, “As for the matter with the young marquis… I don’t know how much you’ve heard, but no matter what you’ve heard, you must trust the Princess. She did indeed once hate the young marquis, but she hated herself even more, as well as the assassins who poisoned her son and the one who killed her son with their own hands…”

Perhaps realizing the person behind her was of a particularly sensitive nature, or perhaps she wasn’t sure if Gu Jiao was already aware of this detail,

Yujin paused, then corrected herself, “The murderer. The Princess had the intention to kill, but in the end, her heart softened. She couldn’t bring herself to do it, and the fire wasn’t set by her.”