Not long after, Chang Qing arrived by order.
Although he still looked somewhat unhappy, he obediently paid his respects to Chu Yunfei.
Chu Yunfei held a cup of tea, leaning against the carved brocade couch. Her lowered gaze held a touch of indifference, as if she were immersed in her own thoughts, isolated from the world.
Hearing Chang Qing's voice, she lifted her eyes nonchalantly and spoke straight to the point: "Chang Qing, you are the Prince's personal guard; for now, I only trust you."
Chang Qing did not understand what she meant and remained silent for a moment: "The Princess Consort is pregnant; you should still take the letter of divorce and leave Prince Zhan's Estate."
"Do you also want to be punished with the plank?" Chu Yunfei frowned, her tone calm and indifferent. "When did it become your place to interfere in matters between the Prince and me?"
Chang Qing said coldly: "This subordinate is doing this for the Princess Consort—"
"It seems you know what happened." Chu Yunfei gave a faint smile. "Since that is the case, why not tell the truth?"
Chang Qing pursed his lips and said nothing; there was no point in saying anything.
Besides, the Prince would not allow it to be said at all.
After a long silence, Chang Qing spoke again: "If the Princess Consort is worried about having nowhere to stay after being divorced, you can consider going to Langya City; they will provide you with protection."
Upon hearing this, Chu Yunfei's pupils slightly constricted, and a sky-high wave surged in her heart.
Langya City?
Why would Chang Qing mention Langya City?
When her mother married her father back then, no one in the Ji Clan of Langya City agreed, all saying that Chu Yuanzhong was not worthy of a daughter of the Ji Clan.
Yet, her mother seemed possessed at the time, insisting on marrying none other than Chu Yuanzhong. For this, she even developed a rift with her father and elder brother. Over these many years, regardless of whether she lived well or not, she never complained to her own kin, and they rarely even exchanged letters.
In her previous life, if it hadn't been for the accident that befell Chu Yunfei, her mother would not have proactively proposed a divorce and taken her back to Langya City.
How could Rong Cang think of letting Langya City protect her?
Could it be that in her previous life, at this time, Rong Cang had already calculated that she would go to Langya City after receiving the letter of divorce?
Or rather... had he already made full preparations in Langya City from the start?
The more Chu Yunfei thought about it, the more she felt that those things she once couldn't understand now vaguely had answers.
Gently closing her eyes, Chu Yunfei suppressed the turbulent emotions in her heart and asked indifferently: "Who is responsible for the Gu Poison in Rong Cang's body?"
Chang Qing suddenly lifted his gaze, looking at her in shock: "Princess Consort?"
"What?" Chu Yunfei opened her eyes, a cold light flashing in her beautiful eyes. "Are you surprised that I know?"
Chang Qing was so shocked he became incoherent: "I... this subordinate, how could the Princess Consort..."
Chu Yunfei threw out another shocking statement: "If I tell you that I can cure Rong Cang's Gu Poison, will you still urge me to leave?"
Thump!
Chang Qing suddenly knelt down: "This subordinate deserves to die!"
Chu Yunfei watched him without a word.
"I beg the Princess Consort to save the Prince, the Prince he..." Chang Qing's eye sockets reddened, his tone unstable. "He truly had no other choice, so he deliberately tried to force the Princess Consort to leave..."
It was as expected.
Even though she had already guessed the answer, hearing Chang Qing say it himself, Chu Yunfei still felt her heart tighten uncontrollably.
She asked: "When was it discovered?"
Chang Qing replied: "After the wedding last year, the Prince often felt unwell. At first, he thought it was a lingering illness from years of being injured at the Border Pass, so the Prince didn't take it to heart. But before the new year, his condition worsened. Sometimes his temper would be out of control, and this subordinate found it very strange."
Chu Yunfei remained silent, thinking of the first half-year after their marriage, when Rong Cang had always been a steady and self-restrained, noble man, only relaxing when they were alone.
During evening meals, he would patiently talk to her about the rules in the Palace, ask if she was used to life in the Prince's Estate, if anyone was bullying her, and occasionally talk about things in the barracks.
But the Prince, who held military power, was very busy. He left early and returned late every day, either attending court in the Palace or going to the barracks to train troops. She often only saw him in the evening.
But the first half-year was truly quite good; there were no problems with their feelings.
Thinking of their interaction during those six months, from being reserved to being warm, even the most critical woman could not find fault with him.
However, in the following months, he changed. He returned later and later, no longer stepping into Shuanghua Courtyard, always having the nanny come to tell her: "The Prince says he will be busy until very late tonight, so the Princess Consort should sleep first and not wait for him."
Chu Yunfei initially believed he was too busy, but as the number of times he returned late increased, she couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Jinlin Courtyard connected to his Study Room. Rong Cang often rested in the East Side Hall bedroom after finishing his official duties in the Study Room, and left early before dawn, disappearing for the whole day. But was he really so busy that he didn't even have time to speak a word to her?
Was it from that time that he realized his body was abnormal, so he deliberately acted with indifference, waiting for the best time to divorce his wife?
Chu Yunfei gave a cold smile; he was truly thoughtful and had gone to great lengths.
"Although the Prince is young, he has been accustomed to forbearance since he was a youth. Controlling his emotions is simpler for him than eating or drinking." Chang Qing lowered his head, his tone steady and respectful. "This subordinate has been by the Prince's side for many years and has never seen him truly out of control. But in the few months before the new year, the Prince would always throw a tantrum for no reason, always irritable and furious, and we could not find the cause."
Chu Yunfei said indifferently: "Did you not summon an Imperial Physician to take a look?"
Chang Qing slowly shook his head: "The Prince was worried that inviting an Imperial Physician would alert the Palace, and inviting a military doctor might cause unrest in the army. So he chose a day to disguise himself and went to an inconspicuous restaurant. That night, this subordinate invited a doctor with superb medical skills in the Imperial City to take the Prince's pulse at the restaurant."
"What did the doctor say?"
"The doctor did not know the Prince's identity at the time, but after feeling the pulse, he was shocked, saying that the Prince was controlled by a type of Gu, and it had been there for eight or nine years."
Chu Yunfei frowned: "Eight or nine years?"
Chang Qing nodded with pursed lips: "The doctor also said that the Gu Poison is almost impossible to cure. This type of Gu has a long lifespan when raised in a human body, generally living fifteen to twenty years without issue. In the insect egg stage, it is imperceptible, but in the later stages, as it gradually grows, it is not as obedient as it was as an egg; it becomes irritable, and its emotions affect the host's emotions."
"Did the doctor have no way to cure it?"
"No, he said that unless the person who cast the curse is found." Chang Qing shook his head dispiritedly. "But even if the person who cast the curse is found, it might not be curable."
Moreover, the curse was cast eight or nine years ago; where would they find the person who cast it now?
The Shadow Guards investigated secretly for three months and found nothing.
Chu Yunfei pondered for a moment: "When did you start following Rong Cang?"
"Seven years ago." Chang Qing said, unable to help feeling sad, "This subordinate has not been following the Prince as long as the Gu worm has been there."
Chu Yunfei was silent for a moment, her gaze falling on the face of this loyal guard: "Chang Qing, I have Rong Cang's child in my womb; this is his only bloodline inheritance."
Chang Qing nodded: "This subordinate knows."
"So you should understand what this means." Chu Yunfei's tone was calm. "He and I are husband and wife; he is the father of my child, and I am the mother of his child."
Chang Qing understood what she meant and said with his head lowered: "If the Princess Consort has any instructions, please speak freely; this subordinate will certainly carry them out."
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