Normally, Gu Sui’er was the person Little Ah Chen was the most attached to but that also depended on the time. When he was full and happy, he liked to ride the puppy as if it were a horse with an expression as of he was on the way to conquer the world. His expression would also seem like that of a majestic general. At that time, Furball, the puppy would be his favorite.
When he got tired of playing with little Furball, he would get excited to see his father and wave his little hands to show that he wanted a hug.
His father was tall and strong so he was able to lift him up high in the air.
When he got tired, hungry, or sleepy, he would think of his mother. Or if it was dark and he failed to see her, he would frown and start crying loudly.
Perhaps because his father had been away for a few days, he was now clinging to him and wasn’t willing to let go at all.
Seeing this, Gu Sui’er pursed her lips in a smile, “He missed you after not seeing you these days. Don’t underestimate him just because he is young, he’s quite smart.”
Xiao Heng, after hearing this, gently comforted his son and glanced at Gu Sui’er, “Is it only Ah Chen who missed me?”
He looked at her with a profound gaze that seemed to imply something.
Gu Sui’er suddenly blushed. She realized the meaning of his words, but still turned her face away and deliberately stated, “No one else missed you.”
Xiao Heng raised an eyebrow, “Is that so?”
Gu Sui’er didn’t answer. Instead, she made preparations for hot water to help him freshen up.
After playing a while with Little Ah Chen, Guizhi came to take Little Ah Chen out. Gu Sui’er assisted him.
Suddenly, Xiao Heng said, “I’m a bit tired so I would like to take rest first.”
Gu Sui’er felt sorry for him and she spoke up, “Then you should lie down for now. I’ll go to the kitchen and prepare some nourishing chicken soup for you.”
As she said that, she tried to get up.
Xiao Heng grabbed her wrist.
“Stay with me.”
********************
Doing this kind of thing in broad daylight was a bit shameful.
However, Gu Sui’er had never been able to resist this man. Since he wanted it, she has no choice but to serve him.
She thought he was tired, but when they got on the bed, she realized that he was still as lively as a dragon and animated as a tiger. On the contrary, she was tossed repeatedly and left weak and powerless.
He lay there, satiated, with closed eyes while his slender fingers absentmindedly played with her long hair. Her black hair was a little damp; the strands all exuded the distinctive fragrance of a young woman.
Just a few days without her by his side made him feel uncomfortable.
Now that he was back and had a hearty exchange with her, he finally felt better.
After being extremely exhausted, Gu Sui’er gazed at the man and recalled something important.
“Oh, that’s right… Jiang Zheng didn’t accompany third Master this time ah?”
The woman asked, coming over and snuggling up to him softly. However, the moment Xiao Heng heard her words, his eyes narrowed.
His own subordinate, who grew up with him, was naturally someone he trusted.
This woman lying beside him got entangled with him passionately at night. He was familiar with every movement of hers, every inch of her skin, and her every glance.
Anyone could see into her heart through her clear eyes. He knew what kind of a person she was and understood very well that she would never even have the tiniest notion of betraying him.
But he just felt unhappy.
When she first entered the residence, it was Jiang Zheng who escorted her all the way.
When her parents came to Yanjing City, they were more familiar with Jiang Zheng.
Now, after a few days of not seeing each other, and after getting intimate, the first thing she said was about Jiang Zheng.
Xiao Heng felt a slight discomfort in his chest. It was as if a grain of sand was stuck there; it was not big but still made him uncomfortable.
“Why did you suddenly mention Jiang Zheng?” He asked, maintaining his calm.
“It is nothing actually, just something related to the eldest Young Miss!” Gu Sui’er lay on his chest and gently stroked his sweaty skin, slowly recounting everything that happened earlier.
“Actually, she probably doesn’t like me now because of the handkerchief incident,” Gu Sui’er said with some worry.
“That matter has nothing to do with you.” Xiao Heng’s expression turned cold. “She deceived you into making a handkerchief for her and gave it to Jiang Zheng. She still has the face to blame others after doing something like that?”
Originally, Xiao Heng didn’t care much about what Xiao Jin did, but now that it involved Jiang Zheng and Gu Sui’er, his displeasure was evident in his words.
Gu Sui’er didn’t expect him to react so strongly. She was a little startled.
After a while, she finally said, “She tried to kill herself.”
This surprised Xiao Heng. He asked in a soft voice, “Did she die?”
Gu Sui’er almost choked when she heard his tone and quickly answered, “No, but she cried and said that she wanted to marry Jiang Zheng, not Prince Beize’s heir.”
Xiao Heng sneered, “And Jiang Zheng?”
Gu Sui’er replied, “He has been locked up. The Madam questioned him but he refused to speak up and is waiting for you.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Heng immediately got up with the intention of getting dressed.
Gu Sui’er quickly got up and helped him put on his robes. In the process, she suddenly thought of something and asked, “Why don’t you wash up before leaving?”
Xiao Heng raised an eyebrow, looking at her in confusion.
Blushing, Gu Sui’er lowered her head and whispered, “You smell.”
She was afraid others would perceive it.
Xiao Heng’s gaze darkened as he stared at her flushed face and asked, “Of what?”
Gritting her teeth, Gu Sui’er replied, “The smell from earlier.”
Their scents mixed together, making people blush.
Xiao Heng listened silently, without saying a word.
Perplexed, Gu Sui’er asked, “Third Master?”
Unexpectedly, Xiao Heng suddenly leaned in closer to her. His tall nose lightly brushed her ear.
“Then let me see if you smell too.”
His voice was low and hoarse, causing Gu Sui’er’s ears to heat up.
*********************
In the end, they ended up bathing together.
After Xiao Heng dressed up neatly, he wanted Gu Sui’er to accompany him to Xiao Jin’s yard. “Let’s go and take a look together.”
Gu Sui’er felt that it was inappropriate for her to go, even feeling that the Xiao Jin might cause a commotion because of her.
However, since he had asked her to go, she had to follow.
Upon their arrival, they not only saw the Madam but Marquis Ruiding also.
When the Old Madam saw Xiao Heng coming in, she asked him to sit down. “Go and ask Jiang Zheng, we really couldn’t get any answers from him.”
Xiao Hend nodded and ordered for Jiang Zheng to be brought in.
A moment later, Jiang Zheng stepped inside, accompanied by two guards of the Marquis residence.
When Gu Sui’er looked over, she saw that Jiang Zheng’s face had turned pale and his lips were colorless. However, his back was straight, his head was held high, and his expression was resolute.
She lowered her head slightly, not daring to look again.
She felt that Jiang Zheng was a good person who had helped and even saved her life. She hoped that he would be alright.
How could he vie for someone of the eldest Young Miss’ station so easily?
When Jiang Zheng saw Xiao Heng, he knelt down and greeted him respectfully.
Xiao Heng asked in a cold voice, “Jiang Zheng, what exactly happened?”
Jiang Zheng knelt on the ground with clasped fists. “Replying to third Young Master, this subordinate doesn’t know what happened to the eldest Young Miss. This subordinate knows the distinction between superiors and subordinates and has never dared to foolishly have any wishful thoughts about the eldest Young Miss.”
The Madam frowned and asked, “What about the handkerchief incident back then? And what happened this time? Why did Ah Jin say that she has lost all face?”
Jiang Zheng became even more respectful and fearful. “The handkerchief was thrown beside this subordinate so he misunderstood and thought it was given by someone else. This subordinate never imagined that it was thrown by the eldest Young Miss. As for her saying that she has lost all face, it was probably due to the matter that happened a few days ago. Eldest Young Miss came to this subordinate and said she wanted to elope with him. This subordinate was shocked but didn’t dare to, so he refused.”
His words truly alarmed everyone.
The Madam was so angry that her body shook.
This was the daughter she raised ah. The legitimate eldest daughter of the Marquis family, her only daughter, actually wanted to elope with a guard but the other person didn’t even care about her.
What kind of a legitimate eldest daughter of a Marquis family was this ah!
At this moment, Marquis Ruiding was also furious. He slammed the table and roared, “Ah Jin, come out!”
The screen moved aside and Xiao Jin stepped out, her face full of despair. She looked at Jiang Zheng and asked stubbornly, “I just want to ask you, did you really not know that the handkerchief was from me even after we talked that day? Did you think it was given by someone else? Who did you think it was from?”
Jiang Zheng’s expression changed slightly. He lowered his head. “This subordinate doesn’t know. This subordinate only thought that it was given by some maid. This subordinate felt that the handkerchief was exquisite so he kept it with himself without much thinking.”
Xiao Jin’s face was filled with grief and anger. Suddenly, she shouted: “You thought it was from Gu Sui’er, didn’t you? Jiang Zheng, I was really wrong about you. I thought you were a real man with resolve and not moved by feminine charms but unexpectedly, you secretly covet your master’s concubine!”
Hearing this, Marquis Ruiding’s expression changed dramatically: “Shut up, you’re spewing nonsense!”
But Xiao Jin did not give in: “I can marry. I am willing to marry whoever you want me to marry! But I cannot accept this! Why do you like that country bumpkin too? Why?! Is she as good as me? Or did you already begin fooling around with her when you were escorting her to Yanjing City?”
Hearing all this, Gu Sui’er’s face turned red in anger and shock as she defended herself:
“Eldest Young Miss, I have never offended you before. When you asked me to embroider a handkerchief for you, I did it. I never hid this from anyone. I also embroidered handkerchiefs for the eldest Young Madam, the second Young Madam and the second Young Miss. But apart from the third Young Master, I have never embroidered one for another man. Eldest Young Miss, when you gave the handkerchief I embroidered to another man, did you stop to consider my position for a moment? And now you want to smear my innocence!”
The people present all supported her words. Marquis Ruiding declared, “Xiao Jin, come and apologize to Sui’er!”
Xiao Jin sneered, “Apologize? That is impossible! I won’t apologize. Whoever loves her can apologize to her! Why should I apologize to a fickle woman like her? Hasn’t she caused enough trouble already? There was the third prince before and now there is Jiang Zheng. Why do these men choose her instead of other women? She is nothing but a slut!”
Upon hearing this, Gu Sui’er was so angry that she couldn’t utter a word. Tears welled up in her eyes.
If the matter with the third prince was a bolt from the blue, this one with Jiang Zheng was even more inexplicable to her.
She just wanted to live a good life. And now that everything was going well, this kind of a filthy issue found its way to her, dumping a basin of feces on her.
She wanted to defend herself, but her hands had frozen and she was unable to speak.
At this moment, Xiao Heng stepped forward and stood in front of Xiao Jin.
He looked at the latter with an extremely chilly gaze.
She shivered, instinctively taking a step back.
But to her surprise, he took another step forward, approaching her.
Now she was starting to panic; she was downright scared. She had never seen such a terrifying third brother.
“Th-third brother?” Xiao Jin hurriedly spoke out, “What I said is true. Jiang Zheng and Gu Sui’er must be having an affair! Otherwise, why didn’t Jiang Zheng care about his own life and saved Gu Sui’er at that time!”
“Ah Jin, if it were someone else, I would have beaten them until they were incapable of moving. But we are siblings, and you are a girl. I won’t hit you today. But I will tell you one thing, didn’t you look down on Sui’er because you thought she has a lowly background? So what if she did? From today onward, whenever you see her, you must greet her with respect.”
Xiao Heng’s voice was extremely calm, but the words he said shocked everyone present.
Xiao Jin felt a chill all over her body and murmured, “How is that possible? Why should I? She’s just a concubine!”
But Xiao Heng took out a yellow scroll with mountains, rivers, and auspicious clouds patterned with nine dragons were etched on the outside.
When everyone saw it, their expressions changed immediately, becoming incredibly deferent and not daring to speak loudly.
Even Marquis Ruiding lifted his robe and knelt directly.
Marquis Ruiding certainly wouldn’t mistake an imperial decree.
After he did so, everyone else knelt as well.
Xiao Jin hesitated for a moment before her knees weakened, and she also knelt down.
“This imperial decree bestows the position of a prince’s Concubine on my concubine, Gu-shi.”
Xiao Heng unfolded the yellow scroll and slowly announced in his clear, cold voice.
When these words came out, nobody dared to believe their ears.
After all, Gu Sui’er came from a humble background. It was impossible for her to become Xiao Heng’s legitimate wife.
But now that he had become a prince, she was suddenly bestowed the title of a Concubine.
In addition to the legitimate wife, a prince could have two secondary comsorts and six concubines. These concubines were ranked below the secondary consorts and the latter were ranked below the legitimate wife.
Regardless of position, even if she wasn’t the legitimate wife, being a Concubine meant that she would be registered in the imperial family’s registry as a legitimately!
If that were the case, not to mention Xiao Jin, even Marquis Ruiding and the Madam would have to respectfully address Gu Sui’er as Concubine Gu.
After reading the imperial decree word by word to everyone, he rolled it and put it back into his sleeve unhurriedly.
He had requested for this before leaving, and the first thing he did upon returning to the capital was to enter the Palace and obtain it. Only after doing so did he step come back to the residence.
“In the future, if anyone dares to disrespect my Concubine and slander her, it will be treated as an insult to the reputation of the imperial family. Do not blame me for turning my back at that time.”
As soon as these words came out, a chill spread in the air, making Xiao Jin shiver involuntarily.
The Gu Sui’er who couldn’t even read properly had now become the concubine of a prince. From now on, she, Xiao Jin, would have to kneel and pay her respects whenever they met.
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