C295: Face to Face with Jiang Yin

Han Lin pressed his lips together, "Just now, I have already sent people to pursue her, but she was with three experts so my people were unable to stop her..."

Jiang Yin said in a low, angry voice, "Useless!"

Then, he strode out.

...

The quarantine ward today was the same as usual, with thousands of plague patients sitting together.

Everyone's faces were filled with lifelessness and despair.

In the eerie silence, painful wails would occasionally sound, followed by weeping and sighing, as well as faint sobs.

Suddenly, a man was thrown in, drawing everyone's attention.

The crowd was unsettled for a while, then they all gathered around the man in fine clothes.

They saw a handsome man thrown into the wide yard of the quarantine ward, followed closely by a youngster in loose clothes and an eight-chi tall man in black.

Gu Ying grabbed the unconscious Li Yang and dragged him inside, ordering loudly, "Huai Ying, go get a chair for me."

Huai Ying responded and after a while, brought a chair and placed it in the center of the yard.

Gu Ying was not as strong as the man, so she had Huai Ying tie Li Yang to the chair.

The crowd began discussing.

"Who is he?"

"Why was he brought here tied up?"

"He looks like a noble young master, how did he end up tied in the quarantine ward? This place is full of seriously ill plague patients! No sane person would dare come here!"

"And who is that youngster? He looks rather good-looking though, does he have a grudge against this young noble?"

"What youngster, that's clearly a young lady! And I find her clothes very familiar, they look like what the Heir Apparent wore recently."

"Could she be the Heir Apparent's woman?"

"I heard that the Heir's Consort was worried about the Heir Apparent, so she came to Yueyang City. Could she be the Heir Apparent's fairy-like wife that he told us about?"

"If it's her then it makes sense! Look at her brows and eyes, exquisitely beautiful like a painting, very befitting as the Heir Apparent's wife!"

Everyone whispered amongst themselves, puzzled. With the severe plague outbreak currently, everyone was already feeling heavy-hearted. Sometimes the Heir Apparent would take the initiative to come and console them, chatting with them and the like. It wasn't much but it made them feel the Heir Apparent's goodwill.

Especially since the one the Heir Apparent talked about the most was his gentle and kind, extraordinarily beautiful wife.

Though they had not seen her before, Gu Ying's reputation had already spread far.

Gu Ying stood still next to Li Yang, smiling at everyone, "Citizens of Yueyang, this man must be very unfamiliar to you all right? But don't worry, I can give everyone a good introduction."

Everyone looked bewilderedly towards the stage.

"He is the imperial envoy Prince Shu, the King of Shu, His Highness, who was sent to provide Yueyang disaster relief."

There was an uproar amongst the crowd. When they thought about how ever since this Prince Shu had arrived, in order to make his stay more comfortable, taxes had been raised in the entire Yueyang leading to extreme hardship amongst citizens, and in the end Yueyang suffered a plague outbreak, not only did he not do a single thing to help the citizens, he even hid in the government office, not daring to show his face. The crowd became furious and the entire quarantine ward became restless.

"So he's the one! Hasn't he been staying in the official's office this whole time? How did he suddenly end up here?"

"The one tied up over there really is Prince Shu?"

Seeing that they did not believe her, Gu Ying said lightly, "Huai Ying, bring some water."

Obediently, Huai Ying brought over a basin of cold water. Without hesitation, Gu Ying splashed all of the cold water onto Li Yang's face.

Li Yang was shocked awake. Opening his eyes and seeing the patients all around him with ulcerated skin, his scalp tingled.

He realized he had been tied up and thrown amongst the patients, and was instantly enraged. He glared at Gu Ying, "Where is this place?"

Gu Ying smiled mockingly, "Prince Shu, this is the quarantine ward. As the one sent by His Majesty to provide disaster relief in Yueyang, you can't tell me you don't know this is Yueyang's biggest quarantine ward for plague patients right?"

Her words made Li Yang's eyebrows twitch wildly, "Gu Ying! What are you trying to do to me?! Get these lowly commoners out of here! Release me at once! Now!"

He absolutely did not want to catch this damn plague!

Gu Ying laughed coldly, "You want to leave? No way. When in Bianjing, doesn't Prince Shu often talk about empathizing and suffering with the citizens? Now that it has truly come to this, why have you become a shrinking turtle?"

Today, she had him brought here to let him "empathize" with the citizens.

He wants to escape? He'll have to ask Yueyang's citizens first!

Li Yang was extremely anxious, and guiltily said, "When has this Prince ever said such things!"

Gu Ying's expression was unchanged, "Whether you've said it or not is unimportant now. What's important is that now, you must stay together with them, living and dying with them, just like the Heir Apparent!"

Li Yang trembled with anger, "Gu Ying, you actually dare treat me like this? Aren't you afraid that when I tell Imperial Father and Imperial Mother, they will execute your clan and kill your whole family?!"

The corners of Gu Ying's lips turned up slightly. She walked to his side and bent down, leaning next to his ear and whispering, "What if...you can't even leave Yueyang City? Then how will you kill my whole family?"

Li Yang's face paled, a wave of fear arising in his heart, "You! Are you collaborating with Zhao Changdu to harm me?!"

"It has nothing to do with the Heir Apparent, this was my own decision."

"If you release me now, I can still spare your life!"

"What if I refuse?" A hint of slyness flashed in Gu Ying's eyes.

Li Yang stared wide-eyed, Gu Ying's radiant smiling face reflected in his pupils. For some reason, his heart shook, and all words were crushed between his teeth.

He had to admit, Gu Ying was even more mesmerizing now.

Gu Ying stood up again, facing the patients as she raised her clear, gentle voice, "Since he was sent by His Majesty, tell me everyone, should he be allowed to leave or not?" She looked at the citizens before her sympathetically, laughing, "Today, Li Yang is here with all of you, sharing your life and death, your suffering and tribulations. You are all Dong Li's citizens, his subjects. If there is anything you wish to say to him, please go ahead and speak."

"He is the esteemed Prince Shu of Dong Li after all. Let's see which of you peasants dares to show disrespect to Prince Shu!"

A low, cold voice rang out angrily from outside the quarantine ward doors.

Following the frightened gazes of the crowd, Gu Ying saw Jiang Yin, followed by a large group of aggressive government soldiers rushing into the quarantine ward.

The patients were all frightened by the solemn aura exuded by the soldiers. They retreated backward swiftly.

The soldiers dispersed with a rumble, and the dense crowd also split into two, making way for the green figure walking down the middle.

Killing intent slowly emerged in the air as the two sides confronted each other with the government soldiers having the upper hand.

Huai Ying moved to block Gu Ying just in time. The atmosphere in the yard instantly became tense, confrontational, like the horns locking.

Jiang Yin strode in, his gaze landing squarely on Gu Ying the moment he entered the yard.

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C296: He’s Going to Kill Her

Through the cold, damp mist, Gu Ying and Jiang Yin's eyes met.

Gu Ying unconsciously clenched her fists, her heart skipped a beat, and her petite face tightened slightly. She had expected that Jiang Yin would come, but did not expect him to come so quickly.

"Miss Gu, I advise you to release Prince Shu immediately. Can you bear the charge of harming the imperial heir?!" Jiang Yin exclaimed.

Jiang Yin was caught completely off guard by Gu Ying's audacity in directly pointing the spearhead at Prince Shu.

Even though he had already been reborn and knew that Prince Shu did not ascend the throne in the end, the current Prince Shu was still his greatest backer. He could not let Prince Shu die in Yueyang City, otherwise even if he lived to return to Bianjing, he would not get away easily facing the cunning Imperial Concubine Wan.

Jiang Yin's brows furrowed deeply. Initially, when he had not yet awakened the memories of his past life, Gu Ying had been reborn before him. But she was just a young lady of an inner chamber, whose plots and plans were only small matters of love and affection in the inner chambers. At most, she had climbed up a marriage with Zhao Changdu, who held high power and authority.

She could not meddle in court politics and power struggles.

But now, he truly felt that after she had followed Zhao Changdu, she had begun to hinder his grand cause.

Gu Ying gritted her teeth, and the corners of her lips curled up into a faint smile. "Do you not even know in your heart if I'm talking nonsense?"

This was a "mute riddle" between the two of them. He refused to believe that she was unafraid of him exposing all her secrets!

Jiang Yin's expression turned icy cold, his eyes deep and murky. "Gu Ying, are you not afraid at all?"

Gu Ying's spirit stirred sharply...

She was afraid...very afraid, but so what?

At worst, it would be a fight to the death, and she would drag him down to Hell with her for eternal damnation.

Thinking of this, her gaze grew even more resolute. "Go ahead if you have the ability. Let's see if you can take Prince Shu from my hands today!"

Jiang Yin's face turned icy.

With Jiang Yin and the guards from Yueyang Prefecture present, Li Yang laughed smugly, "Jiang Yin, hurry, take Gu Ying down for me! And kill all these lowly commoners for me too!"

"On what grounds should you kill us?!" A man suddenly stood out, gritting his teeth and roaring angrily, "We don't deserve death!"

That man's voice grew louder and louder. His honest and upright face was full of indignation...

At first, when Gu Ying had let them speak, no one had dared to stand out.

Li Yang was the emperor's son. They were of low status, how could they defy imperial power?

But looking at the young lady standing by Prince Shu's side, her husband working day and night for their sake, she herself disregarding danger, specially bringing an imperial prince here and tying him up, everything she did was for them.

Anyway, there was no medicine yet that could cure their illness. Since they were already dying, what more did they have to fear? Even in death, they would bring down someone higher in status!

Dragging down a noble prince, it was worth it!

After a period of silence in the courtyard, more and more people began to stand up one after another, layers upon layers of angry accusations ringing out, "Don't let him leave! Let him fall ill! Make him suffer the same as us! If we die, we die together!"

"That one surnamed Jiang can't leave either!"

Everyone gradually began to chime in, "That's right! Make him suffer the same as us!"

"We barefoot commoners do not fear the shod! We dare to pull the emperor down from his horse!"

"Why should he be able to rest easy in the government residence while we cannot live? If we cannot be cured, he should not think about living either!"

An old granny stumbled forward, facing Li Yang she spat disdainfully.

"Pei!"

Li Yang instantly turned deathly pale in fright.

That old granny did not say another word, tottering away to disappear namelessly into the crowd, yet she elicited a round of applause from everyone.

Li Yang was so angry he raised his leg to kick the old granny.

Gu Ying narrowed her eyes, and in a flash her figure moved to shield the old granny, while not forgetting to return a kick that sent Li Yang tumbling head over heels.

"Hahahahaha!"

The courtyard erupted into raucous laughter.

"Hahaha, well done Lady Boss! With that mouthful of spit, it'll be hard for him not to fall sick!"

"He'll die too! He'll suffer the same as us! Now I fear nothing! Just let me die!"

Li Yang shook with rage, his teeth chattering. After panicking for a good while, his entire body toppled to the ground in an odd posture as he yelled furiously, "You lowly commoners! All of you...stay away from me!!!"

Seeing the enraged crowd that even Jiang Yin's large force could not control, the corners of Gu Ying's eyes curved up happily.

"Looks to me like Prince Shu has also been infected with the plague already. This is fantastic news! Your Highness, you should just stay here peacefully from now on and wait for the doctors to research and produce the medicine, hmm? Or rather, we are short on manpower in Yueyang, so why don't you order people to enter the city from a few nearby prefectures, to provide additional manpower and medicine? Otherwise, if no one gets cured of their illnesses, you'll have to suffer along with everyone, won't you?"

Looking at Gu Ying's blossoming smile, Li Yang no longer felt a shred of fanciful thoughts about her. His lips trembled as he stammered, "Gu Ying...you cheap sl*t...you will suffer retribution...I...I am Imperial Father's...most beloved son...you actually dare...dare to harm me..."

Gu Ying was wholly indifferent. Seeing that Li Yang was about to be scared unconscious, the depth of her smile undiminished, she pulled him up from the ground.

Yet Jiang Yin's face remained icy as he strode towards her in a few large steps. "Gu Ying, this is the last time I will say this - release Prince Shu!"

Gu Ying pressed her lips tightly together, took over the longsword in Huai Ying's hands, and walked over to stand in front of Jiang Yin, slowly taking up a dueling pose against him.

"I refuse to release him! If you have the guts come and take him!"

Jiang Yin's blood boiled furiously, wrath clouding his vision. He casually snatched a long blade from the hands of a soldier by his side, and with a wave of his large hand, directly hacked down towards her face.

The sharp edge of the blade sliced through the air, the icy sword aura bursting forth. Gu Ying narrowed her eyes, also raising her hand to swing the longsword.

Just as she was about to counterattack, she suddenly sensed a vague shadow flashing ghost-like before her eyes.

She did not even clearly see that person's silhouette before she felt her waist being gripped tightly, the longsword in her hand forcibly snatched away. Meanwhile, Jiang Yin, who had hacked at her, was lightly flicked up by the man's longsword in hand, his body flying out like a fired arrow.

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C297: Jiang Yin was Captured

A powerful internal energy surged in the courtyard like rolling waves.

Jiang Yin swiftly retreated, his back slamming heavily against the wall as he forcefully coughed up a mouthful of blood.

As the gust of wind subsided, Zhao Changdu's robes fluttered, and he stood calmly in the courtyard, pulling Gu Ying closer to him. With a cold gaze from a superior position, he looked down at the disheveled Jiang Yin on the ground and spoke in a calm tone,

"I want to see what your limits are."

Gu Ying turned her face and looked up at the young lord's chiseled profile. "Your highness, why did you come?"

"If I hadn't come, were you planning to fight him on your own?"

Gu Ying blinked innocently and replied, "He attacked me first... I was just defending myself."

Zhao Changdu helplessly pinched the waist of the young girl. "Remember, you are going to be a mother."

Gu Ying's cheeks flushed, and she hurriedly covered her stomach. "Our baby is fine."

Jiang Yin held his chest, a sweet and bloody taste rising in his throat. He stared fiercely at the man standing in the center of the courtyard, amazed by his formidable internal energy.

No wonder it had been so long, and the poison he had administered to him hadn't taken effect yet.

Zhao Changdu was indeed as powerful as he was in the previous life, making it impossible for people not to look up to him.

And that woman dared to look at Zhao Changdu with such adoring eyes... How could she look at another man!

There was also the sachet hanging from Zhao Changdu's waist, the one with a blooming pomegranate flower...

It was clearly her craftsmanship...

She had said she would only make it for him in this lifetime!

Jiang Yin's gaze faltered, and he found the sachet particularly glaring. Remembering her past tenderness and affection towards him and now carrying Zhao Changdu's child, his anger burned hotter, twisting his heart with pain. It took him quite some time to suppress the surging fury in his heart.

He stared back at Zhao Changdu with a defiant smile. "Master Zhao, impressive skills. I admire you."

The provoking voice sounded, and Zhao Changdu's lips curled up coldly.

He had wanted to capture him for a long time, and Jiang Yin was indeed cunning. Today was quite good—coming to him willingly.

Zhao Changdu's indifferent gaze landed on Jiang Yin's face, without wasting any words.

"Men, take him down."

Dozens of black-clad figures appeared out of nowhere, swiftly surrounding the entire sickroom like thunder, making the useless officials from the government retreat and no longer dare to protect Jiang Yin.

Jiang Yin's eyes flickered. "Zhao Changdu, how dare you!"

"You." Zhao Changdu raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes and brows filled with taunting meaning. "You dare to address me so directly?"

The man exuded a powerful aura, making even Li Yang, who was bound to a chair, feel intimidated, his breathing growing heavier.

Jiang Yin considered himself no longer the poor scholar from before. He was the prime minister who had held power and enjoyed boundless wealth and fortune.

The son of a mere Duke, under his command, was nothing in his eyes.

"What? Is there anything wrong with calling you Master Zhao? No matter how powerful you are, you are still a servant of the Dongli Imperial Clan. In the grand scheme of things, you're just a slave to Prince Shu! If you don't release Prince Shu, I will write a detailed report to the Emperor, exposing all your crimes and ensuring that you are punished!"

Zhao Changdu sneered, "You're his slave, so everyone looks like a slave to you?"

Jiang Yin choked on his words, "You—"

Zhao Changdu glanced at him expressionlessly and said calmly, "The Zhao family, which I belong to, is a prominent clan in Jianbei. We have been loyal for generations. What are you? How dare you compare yourself to the Zhao family?"

Jiang Yin forced a smile, clenching his fists in humiliation. "You are nothing more than a mere young master. How dare you plot against the heir to the throne—"

There was no change in Zhao Changdu's eyes as he spoke in a flat tone, but it instilled fear in people.

Gu Ying, with a calm expression on her face, slightly curled her cherry-red lips in a mocking smile, her small hand still held within the man's broad palm.

Jiang Yin clutched his chest in discomfort, his crimson eyes fixed on the couple, unsure if he was feeling jealous or angry, but