Gu Jiuci turned his gaze away from Xiaobaozi in disgust, no longer bothering to look at him lying on the ground.
“Since you were foolish enough to act blindly at someone else’s command, you’ll lose one eye as a lesson. Prince Rui, he is your servant, so I’ll leave the rest for you to deal with afterward. Don’t let him defile the purity of this Buddhist sanctuary. As for the person in your inner courtyard who ordered him to do this, she actually dared to slander this prince…”
At this point, the Ninth Imperial Uncle deliberately paused.
Xie Jin immediately understood that he was expected to handle the matter himself.
“Rest assured, Imperial Uncle. Once I return, I will punish her severely. I will definitely give Imperial Uncle a satisfactory explanation!”
Gu Jiuci rose to his feet, and a guard immediately stepped forward to support him.
When he reached Xiao Yu’s side, he paused briefly.
“Since that’s settled, this prince won’t stay any longer. Princess Consort Rui, are you satisfied with the outcome?”
Xiao Yu lowered her head and curtsied.
“I wouldn’t dare ask for more. Many thanks to Ninth Imperial Uncle for upholding justice on my behalf. I am deeply grateful.”
“You’ve only just married into Prince Rui’s residence, yet there are already servants harboring disloyal intentions. You should discipline them properly! Don’t let them disgrace the imperial family.”
“I will remember your advice. Thank you for your guidance, Ninth Imperial Uncle.”
Gu Jiuci glanced at Xie Jin, whose entire body had gone stiff. The corner of his lips curved ever so slightly before he turned and left.
After returning to the small courtyard, Xie Jin’s expression remained gloomy.
He had completely lost face in front of the Ninth Imperial Uncle, and the humiliation filled him with rage.
Coincidentally, Nanny Chen from the residence had received word from Steward Du and hurried over to help resolve the situation.
When she saw the injury on Xiao Yu’s face, Nanny Chen was shocked.
“Your Highness, the Princess Consort’s face is injured. If she returns to the residence now and someone with ulterior motives sees her, it may give rise to unpleasant rumors. Why don’t we say that the Princess Consort has an affinity with Master Liaofan and will remain here for a few more days? We can also say that Your Highness is concerned for the Princess Consort and has personally stayed behind to accompany her in copying scriptures and worshipping Buddha.
“Meanwhile, Your Highness can quietly return to the residence to deal with Concubine Jin’s matter. Once the injury on the Princess Consort’s face has healed, you can return and accompany her back to the residence. Wouldn’t that be better?”
Xie Jin thought about it.
The disturbance they had caused at Yuling Temple today had probably already spread throughout the capital.
Nanny Chen’s suggestion could at least help salvage some of his reputation.
“Then we’ll do as you suggested.”
Xiao Yu paid no attention to their discussion.
As far as she was concerned, healing her face was the only thing that mattered right now.
Xie Jin’s slap had been anything but light. Her cheek hurt so badly that she couldn’t even eat solid food and could only drink thin rice porridge.
“Princess Consort, the Ninth Imperial Uncle sent over a bottle of medicinal ointment. He said it’s extremely effective at reducing swelling and relieving pain.”
Anxiang entered carrying a dark green porcelain bottle, explaining that one of the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s guards had delivered it.
“Then apply it.”
Xiao Yu was already in unbearable pain, and the ointment she had been using wasn’t helping at all.
Anxiang carefully applied the medicine to her cheek.
A cool sensation immediately spread across her skin, and the burning pain quickly became less intense.
She had to admit that anything Gu Jiuci sent was indeed of excellent quality.
By evening, Xie Jin boarded an inconspicuous carriage and quietly returned to Prince Rui’s residence.
As soon as he arrived, he headed straight for Jinxiu Courtyard.
“His Highness is back!”
The maid at the entrance had just begun to bow when Xie Jin’s dark expression frightened her into freezing in place. The delighted smile on her face hadn’t even had time to disappear.
“Your Highness…”
Supported by her maid Xiaohong, Jinniang approached.
The moment she saw Xie Jin’s expression, she sensed that something was wrong.
She assumed that Xiaohong’s plan must have succeeded.
“Xiaohong, leave us.”
Xiaohong left the room and closed the door behind her.
“Your Highness, you look upset. Did something happen?”
Jinniang walked toward him and gently tried to comfort him.
But Xie Jin simply stared at her without saying a word.
Something about his gaze made her uneasy, and an inexplicable chill crept into her heart.
“This prince never realized that Xiaobaozi had become so obedient to your commands.”
Jinniang froze.
Only then did she realize that what she had done had been exposed.
Xie Jin had come to hold her accountable.
The only thing she didn’t know was how much he had discovered.
Her legs weakened, and she dropped to her knees at Xie Jin’s feet.
“Your Highness, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have ordered Xiaobaozi to send information back to the residence. I simply found it strange that the Princess Consort suddenly requested to go to Yuling Temple to worship Buddha.
“After all, we personally saw her together with another man before, yet the Princess Consort refused to admit it. Back then, she had not yet married into Prince Rui’s residence. But now, her every word and action represents Your Highness and the entire residence. Naturally, she can no longer behave as freely as she did before.”
“So I became a little more cautious and asked Xiaobaozi to keep an eye on her, only because I didn’t want anything to damage Your Highness’s reputation. It was all my fault. Your Highness must have already arranged for someone to watch over matters. I was simply meddling unnecessarily!”
Tears streamed down Jinniang’s face as she spoke.
Every sentence made it sound as though she had acted solely for the sake of Prince Rui’s residence and to defend Xie Jin’s reputation.
What she didn’t know was that this time, it wasn’t Xie Jin who wanted to hold her accountable.
It was the Ninth Imperial Uncle.
In truth, Xiaobaozi sending information back to the residence had been arranged by Xie Jin himself.
What Jinniang had instructed Xiaohong to do was something entirely different.
She had ordered Xiaohong to find another man so they could make it appear that Xiao Yu was secretly meeting a lover.
Coincidentally, Xiaofuzi had noticed Xiao Yu going to the rear courtyard of the Buddhist hall for several consecutive days. He had also vaguely heard a man’s voice coming from inside.
That was why he had embellished the story before sending word back to the residence.
As for the man Xiaohong had found, he never even had the opportunity to play his part.
Yuyan had already dealt with him.
Otherwise, Xiao Yu and Gu Jiuci would never have been able to play along with their scheme so smoothly.
“You only told Xiaobaozi to send information back to the residence? You didn’t do anything else?”
Jinniang deliberately avoided the important details and answered vaguely.
“I merely asked Xiaobaozi to watch the Princess Consort and see whether she behaved improperly. I wouldn’t dare do anything else.”
But Xie Jin understood perfectly.
She had definitely done more than that.
Although he had also hoped Jinniang’s plan would succeed, not only had she failed, but she had also implicated herself in the process.
It proved that Jinniang possessed some cunning, but her methods were far from sophisticated.
“Do you know who the man with Xiao Yu was?”
Jinniang raised her tear-filled eyes.
A trace of hope rose in her heart.
She desperately hoped Xie Jin had truly caught Xiao Yu secretly meeting another man.
But Xie Jin’s next words plunged her into an icy abyss.
“It was the Ninth Imperial Uncle, along with Master Liaofan of the temple. They were openly discussing Buddhist scriptures and worshipping Buddha together. Servants and guards were present the entire time.”
Jinniang’s face instantly turned pale.
She understood everything now.
Xiaobaozi must have exposed her.
And the Ninth Imperial Uncle would certainly not let her off!
Of all people, she had actually provoked the Ninth Imperial Uncle!
“Your Highness, I was wrong! But Your Highness is his nephew. Surely he wouldn’t be so ruthless? Besides, I’m carrying Your Highness’s child. Does he truly insist on demanding an explanation?”
Xie Jin looked at Jinniang’s deathly pale face and shook his head with a trace of pity.
At that moment, he suddenly felt that Jinniang was rather foolish.
He had always believed her to be understanding, gentle, and kind.
She had even told him that she desired no status or title and only wished to remain by his side.
Yet she had barely entered the residence before she had already begun trying to win people over to her side.
“Jinniang, you don’t understand him. The Ninth Imperial Uncle may appear warm on the surface, but his heart is cold. He never forgets a grudge.
“Xiaobaozi accused him of being some wild man having an affair with the Princess Consort and claimed that you were the one who ordered him to do it. No matter what, the Ninth Imperial Uncle now holds a grudge against you.
“Do you know what happened to Xiaobaozi? One of his eyes was gouged out on the spot. If you weren’t a woman from my inner courtyard, your fate might have been even worse than his.”
“Your Highness…”
Hearing the indifference creeping into Xie Jin’s voice, Jinniang was suddenly filled with dread.
She gritted her teeth and remained silent.
When Xie Jin said nothing more, her heart turned cold.
At once, she made her decision.
“Your Highness, I was wrong. I overstepped my boundaries! I won’t put Your Highness in a difficult position. I must pay the price for what I’ve done!”
With that, she rose and walked toward the bedroom.
Xie Jin had no idea what she intended to do and assumed she had gone inside to retrieve something.
Then—
A heart-wrenching scream came from the room.
Xie Jin rushed inside and froze in shock.
A severed little finger lay on the table.
Jinniang had collapsed onto the floor, one hand covered in blood and the other still clutching a pair of scissors.
“Jinniang! What have you done?!”
“Your… Highness… I overstepped… This will be my lesson… I severed one of my own fingers… to give the Ninth Prince… an explanation…”
As soon as she finished speaking, Jinniang’s head fell to one side, and she lost consciousness.
“Someone! Come quickly! Go get Doctor Liu! Hurry!”
Xie Jin had never imagined that Jinniang could be so resolute.
All the doubts and resentment he had felt toward her moments ago vanished completely.
In their place remained nothing but overwhelming tenderness and guilt.