“What are you afraid of? I’ll be here to back you up!”
Gu Jiuci’s voice was lazy, as though he had only just woken up. Xiao Yu couldn’t help feeling curious.
In the storybooks she had read, there were often tales of mortals whose bodies were possessed by demons and spirits. Yet Gu Jiuci’s reborn soul was inside her body without fighting her for control. Instead, the two of them coexisted peacefully.
It really was rather strange.
“I’ve only just realized that a woman’s mind truly works differently from a man’s. What kind of nonsense do you think about all day? Now you’re even bringing demons and spirits into it!”
“I could destroy your soul and take over your body, but I have no interest in doing that. Isn’t it better for both of us to benefit from this arrangement?”
Xiao Yu realized that the Gu Jiuci inside her seemed somewhat different from the sickly Gu Jiuci she saw in person.
The one inside her seemed more down-to-earth and approachable.
Master Liaofan’s breakfast was once again served beneath the bodhi tree.
By the time Xiao Yu arrived, Gu Jiuci was already seated beneath the tree, casually chatting with the old monk.
Seeing her approach, Master Liaofan waved his hand, and the young monks immediately began setting out breakfast.
The meal was lavish, though naturally everything was vegetarian. There were more than a dozen small side dishes alone, along with delicate wontons in clear broth topped with fresh green vegetables. Just looking at them was enough to stir one’s appetite.
“These vegetables were gathered from the back mountain. This happens to be the harvest season, so please have a taste.”
Master Liaofan had kind and benevolent features, while his eyes gleamed with wisdom, as though they could see through everything in the world.
Xiao Yu truly wondered how such an accomplished monk could cooperate so readily with Gu Jiuci.
It seemed there were quite a few extraordinary people around Gu Jiuci.
Fufeng was another example.
“What is Princess Rui thinking about?”
Gu Jiuci’s slightly cold voice snapped Xiao Yu back to her senses.
“Nothing. I was simply thinking that thanks to Ninth Imperial Uncle, this is my first time tasting these wild vegetables. They’re very fresh.”
Xiao Yu was telling the truth.
Ever since arriving at Yuling Temple, she had eaten only vegetables grown by the temple. She had yet to taste any of the wild vegetables gathered from the back mountain.
“Then eat more. If you like them, perhaps you should donate a little more incense money to Buddha. Maybe Master Liaofan will even give you some to take home. The wild vegetables from the back mountain of Yuling Temple are treasures, after all. They grow bathed in Buddha’s light. Eating more of them might even increase your affinity with Buddhism.”
Listening to Gu Jiuci’s nonsense, Xiao Yu was certain he was simply making things up.
What did he mean by vegetables growing while bathed in Buddha’s light?
He was obviously trying to trick her into donating more incense money!
She had already handed her dowry over to him, yet he still had the nerve to tease her like this.
“Gu Jiuci, listen to yourself! What kind of nonsense are you saying?”
The Gu Jiuci inside her actually laughed aloud, which was rare.
How could he not know what his own personality was like?
“He’s telling the truth. The wild vegetables from the back mountain of Yuling Temple really are quite good. Ordinary people don’t even have the opportunity to gather them. You really could take some back with you.”
“But saying they’ll increase my affinity with Buddhism is basically his way of calling me worldly, isn’t it? I don’t even remember offending him! Think carefully. What did you do?”
Gu Jiuci also found the situation fascinating.
Talking to himself—and even arguing with himself—felt both bizarre and strangely amusing.
“Perhaps it’s because he feels uncomfortable having to constantly listen to a woman. Any man would resist that somewhat, wouldn’t he?”
Xiao Yu was extremely curious.
She had no idea how Fufeng had explained the strange situation between her and Gu Jiuci to the other Gu Jiuci, yet somehow, he had actually believed it!
“Besides, he helped you yesterday, and you didn’t show him any gratitude at all. Sigh.”
Xiao Yu was stunned.
Once again, her understanding of the Ninth Imperial Uncle had been completely overturned.
The two of them were clearly cooperating as equals, so why did she always feel like she was the one at a disadvantage?
No!
Why should she simply let him mock her?
Xiao Yu raised her brows, glared at him, and gently fired back.
“No wonder the moment I saw Ninth Imperial Uncle, I felt that you were overflowing with Buddhist virtue. So it turns out you’ve simply eaten too many wild vegetables here with Master Liaofan. It seems I really should make a donation and ask Master Liaofan to let me take some home.”
The Ninth Imperial Uncle looked up at her in surprise.
Xiao Yu boldly glared back at him.
“What? Don’t you recognize me?”
The Ninth Imperial Uncle shook his head.
When Xiao Yu looked away, the corners of his tightly pressed lips curved upward slightly.
He suddenly found Princess Rui rather interesting.
From beginning to end, Master Liaofan never touched his chopsticks. He merely accompanied the two of them and completely ignored their bickering.
“We should return after breakfast. Prince Rui has already made quite a spectacle of accusing me before the entire imperial court. He claims I caused the death of his unborn child. Tell me, Princess Rui, don’t you think I’ve been terribly wronged? First, I was falsely accused of being your lover, and now I’ve been saddled with such an infamous crime. What do you think all those court officials will say about me?”
“Ninth Imperial Uncle, there’s no need to worry. The injuries on my face haven’t even disappeared yet! Besides, Yuyan caught a suspicious man sneaking around. If that man is in your hands, the court officials will only think that Ninth Imperial Uncle did a good deed.”
Gu Jiuci gave a faint, mocking smile.
“Do I look like a good person?”
Xiao Yu felt somewhat exasperated.
Then she heard him continue.
“Still, I don’t mind being a good person for once.”
“Also, Princess Rui, you can continue enduring silently this time. In the end, Xie Jin will be the one who completely loses face. To appease him, His Majesty will undoubtedly grant that Jinniang an official position. We might as well let her have the title of Secondary Consort. I’m rather curious to see what cards that woman still has up her sleeve.”
“And your father is no pushover either. Once he hears how Xie Jin has treated you, he’ll definitely demand justice on your behalf. He might even manage to tear a chunk of flesh from Xie Jin in the process!”
After hearing the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s words, Xiao Yu immediately understood.
He had already planned everything out.
That suited her perfectly.
She had also begun to grow curious about Jinniang.
“I understand.”
After returning to the small courtyard, Nanny Chen had already finished packing everything.
The injuries on Xiao Yu’s face only needed a little makeup to conceal them. Unless someone looked closely, they would hardly notice anything.
The group then set off for Prince Rui’s Residence.
Not long after Xiao Yu left, the Ninth Imperial Uncle also departed from Yuling Temple.
Everything remained as usual in Qinglan Courtyard.
After her belongings had been put away, Xiao Yu heard from Anxiang that Xie Jin had returned to the residence.
The information Yuyan had gathered was exactly as the Ninth Imperial Uncle had predicted.
At court, Xie Jin had portrayed himself as the victim, describing how cruel and ruthless the Ninth Imperial Uncle had been and accusing him of causing the death of his unborn child.
He had not exactly lied.
He had simply emphasized the parts that benefited him while glossing over everything else.
Several court officials immediately supported him, listing one infamous deed after another supposedly committed by the Ninth Imperial Uncle.
However, others defended the Ninth Imperial Uncle.
They exposed the fact that Xie Jin favored his concubine while neglecting his lawful wife and had repeatedly raised his hand against Princess Rui.
When Xiao Xingzhi heard this, he was both shocked and furious.
Only then did he realize how much suffering Xiao Yu had endured.
Unable to contain his anger, he openly denounced Xie Jin in the imperial hall, condemning him as a heartless and unfaithful husband.
His furious tirade was so severe that even Emperor An looked embarrassed.
The two sides argued endlessly, giving Emperor An a terrible headache.
He had already heard rumors about the affairs in Xie Jin’s inner residence and had been planning to find an opportunity to reprimand him.
Unfortunately, before he could do so, this incident occurred.
Worse still, the Ninth Imperial Uncle had become involved.
Left with no choice, Emperor An sent someone to summon the Ninth Imperial Uncle to the imperial hall.
When the Ninth Imperial Uncle arrived, he did not bother defending himself.
Instead, he simply dragged the captured man into the hall.
The man was so terrified that he immediately confessed everything.
This time, Xie Jin had truly brought disaster upon himself.
Naturally, he no longer dared to make any further accusations. He could only lie on the floor and weep bitterly over his unborn child.
In the end, it was the Ninth Imperial Uncle who stepped forward to resolve the situation.
He said:
“Your Majesty, I was falsely accused for no reason, and the culprit has already received the punishment he deserved. As for Jinniang losing her child, that was truly never my intention. Why not issue an imperial decree to appease Prince Rui? You could raise that woman’s status as compensation. What does Prince Rui think?”
When Emperor An heard this, he was naturally delighted to grant the favor, especially since the Ninth Imperial Uncle himself had suggested it.
“Then let us make an exception and grant her the title of Secondary Consort. Consider it compensation for the pain of losing her child!”
Xie Jin immediately kowtowed and thanked the emperor for his grace.
Xiao Xingzhi, however, was having none of it.