Chapter 33: Relying on me to protect you is what I should do, and relying on me is also what you…

In front of the prince’s mansion, housekeeper Jiang Fu was shocked and anxious, cold sweat on her forehead. After hearing Gu Sui’s voice, her expression suddenly became somewhat dazed.

The black-clad youth dropped the heavy sword in his hand, leaped over several steps, ran to Mu Jiulu’s side, grabbed her arm, and said hurriedly:

“He deserves to die, but you can’t openly kill someone in front of the prince’s mansion, right? This isn’t good for you. Baby, be good and let go first, okay?”

The veins on Mu Jiulu’s hand were slightly bulging, showing her considerable strength. Jin Ying was still struggling desperately, his face completely drained of color, on the verge of death.

Seeing that Mu Jiulu showed no signs of letting go, in his urgency, Gu Sui directly embraced her, his voice urgent:

“Don’t lose control, he’s not worth it. Look at me!”

The tightness of the embrace and the familiar touch gradually dispelled the killing intent in Mu Jiulu’s eyes, and her tightly clenched right hand also loosened slightly.

She quickly embraced Gu Sui back, gently patting his back as if to comfort him.

“It’s alright, don’t be afraid, I’m not losing control.”

Without any support, Jin Ying fell directly to the ground. His veil had long since fallen off, revealing his deathly pale face underneath. Having escaped death, he gasped for fresh air and began coughing violently.

A small attendant who had already been frightened silly stumbled over to support him. Mu Jiulu’s cold gaze fell on the two people on the ground.

“Get lost, don’t let this prince see you again.”

“Cough… cough cough, Your Highness, you will… regret this, his fate…”

Boom–

Mu Jiulu raised her hand and waved her sleeve, striking him with a palm and sending him flying.

Jin Ying’s body flew through the air and crashed directly into the wall across the road.

The thick wall instantly collapsed, raising a cloud of dust.

Jiang Fu: “My Lord!”

Gu Sui heard the sound and was stunned, wanting to turn his head to see what had happened, but Mu Jiulu held his head tightly, pressing him against her chest, unable to move.

“Jiang Fu, send him back to the palace, dispatch someone to treat his injuries, take good care of him, but by no means let this Donzhou pearl perish!”

The cold voice carried a chilling intent. Jiang Fu, with a tense jaw, repeatedly responded in agreement.

Mu Jiulu held Gu Sui’s hand and led him into the mansion. Jiang Fu dispatched people to drag Jin Ying out of the rubble across the street and put him on a carriage.

Yun Mu, who was still lingering at the mansion gate, swallowed hard.

“Is this person really not dead?”

This was the Cheng Tian Main Street, wide enough for six carriages to pass through simultaneously, and the wall across had been smashed!

“He’s still breathing. What, you think the Regent was too heavy-handed?”

Sui Yu picked up his sword and sheathed it, asking with a sidelong glance.

Yun Mu shook his head: “Not at all. What kind of creature is he to deserve serving the same wife as my young master? He brought it upon himself. I’m just worried that the Regent’s ferocity might drag down the young master, sigh.”

“Don’t think about those unnecessary things, the young master has already gone in.”

“Oh oh oh, let’s follow.”

All the way to Wei Rui Hall, Gu Sui’s frequent backward glances were finally blocked by the layers of courtyards.

Suisui, sunbathing in the courtyard, saw the incoming people and excitedly ran over. Gu Sui instinctively bent down to catch Suisui who was about to jump up.

“What did you do to him just now?”

Mu Jiulu suppressed the ferocity in her entire body, looking at the youth and cat standing in the sunlight, her voice slightly hoarse.

“Nothing.”

Gu Sui: “What was he trying to say just now? You acted too suddenly, I didn’t even have time to react.”

Mu Jiulu brushed it off again: “Nothing, don’t ask silly questions, it’s not important.”

“You always just brush me off. You scared me to death! If I hadn’t come, would you have really killed him?”

Gu Sui spoke dissatisfied. Mu Jiulu’s ink-black eyes turned slightly, and she quickly changed the subject.

“I vaguely saw you jump off the carriage with a sword just now. What were you planning to do?”

Gu Sui: “…I.”

To be honest, at that moment he was so impulsive he wanted to stab him to death with one sword.

But when Mu Jiulu was really about to kill him, he felt it wasn’t worth it.

“Gu Sui, in the future, if you want to kill someone, tell me. Don’t act on your own again.”

Mu Jiulu’s expression suddenly became much more serious. Gu Sui felt somewhat bewildered.

“Again? I’ve never killed anyone.”

Ah no, Gu Sui had killed before, and killed many. It also counted towards him.

Gu Sui lowered his head to pet the cat, avoiding her gaze. Mu Jiulu also raised her hand to rub his fluffy head.

“Whoever offends you, just tell me, okay?”

Her voice was gentle, but Gu Sui felt somewhat uncomfortable, mumbling:

“I’m not useless.”

From a young age, he had developed the habit of not troubling others if he could solve problems himself.

Even with Mu Jiulu, if he troubled her for everything, wouldn’t that make him a freeloader?

Although he couldn’t change the fact that he was about to be married off, some of his thoughts still hadn’t converted, retaining their original stubbornness.

“But I…”

Mu Jiulu’s voice dragged out slightly, her vermilion lips carrying a faint smile, her low magnetic voice drifting into his ears.

“am your wife-master.”

Gu Sui’s heart trembled, falling into the deep sea vortex of tenderness in her ink-black eyes, drowning in it unable to extricate himself.

“Protecting you is what I should do, and relying on me is also what you should do, understand?”

“Rely on…”

The simple two words kept lingering in his heart, ripples rising in the youth’s peach blossom eyes.

No one had ever made such a solemn promise to him before.

“If you say it like this, I’m going to take it seriously.”

Perhaps, after so many years, he should try relying on someone else.

Gu Sui’s voice was clean and transparent. Mu Jiulu nodded slowly.

“Of course you can take it seriously.”

Gu Sui: “Then it’s settled, you can’t lie to me. I hate it most when people lie to me.”

Mu Jiulu’s heart skipped a beat, but when she met the youth’s eager gaze, she quickly regained her gentle expression.

“Mm, I won’t lie to you.”

The corners of Gu Sui’s lips lifted in a brilliant smile. He boldly leaned forward and pecked her lips, his eyes brimming with joy.

“Baby, I love you so much!”

Mu Jiulu couldn’t help but deepen the kiss. After a moment, in the midst of chaotic breathing, she spoke softly.

“I love you too.”

*

Imperial Palace.

The young emperor heard that her lovely cousin had come to the palace to pay respects to her imperial father. After the morning court session, she went to Ci Ning Palace.

“Huan pays respects to Imperial Father. How has Imperial Father’s health been recently?”

The Empress Dowager was of such an age that she could naturally see through her daughter’s ulterior motives. She pulled the small youth sitting beside her closer.

“Imperial Father is fine. It’s just that with the recent cold spell in late spring, Xun Xiu caught a cold some time ago and couldn’t come to the palace to see me for a long time. Your uncle has missed you.”

Su Xun Xiu, dressed in a goose-yellow palace costume, lowered his head somewhat embarrassedly upon hearing this, his voice soft and tender.

“Xun Xiu missed uncle too.”

Mu Huan’s brow furrowed slightly: “How did you catch a cold? Are you fully recovered now? I’ll have the imperial physician come check on you again. We mustn’t leave any lingering illness.”

“Sister Huan need not worry. Xun Xiu has already fully recovered, otherwise I wouldn’t dare come to the palace to see uncle.”

Su Xun Xiu raised his watery eyes to look at Mu Huan, speaking softly. Mu Huan felt her heart melting.

Her obedient, soft, and adorable cousin Xun Xiu was truly the lover of her dreams!

It’s just that they were both still young, and couldn’t talk about marriage yet.

But that’s alright, Mu Huan thought. She was the emperor. When her cousin grew up, she would marry him back to the palace as her phoenix consort, hiding her precious gem in a golden house!

“Xun Xiu, you’ve always been in poor health since childhood. You mustn’t neglect yourself. Uncle still has many nourishing medicinal herbs here. Take them all when you leave.”

“Yes, yes, yes. A young man must be well-nurtured.”

Mu Huan said seriously. Su Xun Xiu met her gaze, then quickly lowered his head again.

“Xun Xiu thanks uncle and Sister Huan.”

“We’re all family. There’s no need for thanks.”

The Empress Dowager smiled kindly and gently. When Su Xun Xiu looked up, a sweet smile spread across his small face.

A harmonious atmosphere filled Ci Ning Palace. The Empress Dowager watched Mu Huan teaching Su Xun Xiu to write. Leaning on the couch, his brows showed a hint of melancholy.

Regarding Huan’er’s marriage, he wasn’t in a hurry. But the Grand Empress Dowager was not at all peaceful. She often summoned young masters from various families to enter the palace, her intentions clear to all.

He felt sorry for Huan’er. At such a young age, she held a high position, treading on thin ice, not to mention being looked down upon. He naturally wanted to fulfill her wishes.

Su Xun Xiu was his own nephew, childhood friends with Mu Huan, growing up together, knowing each other well and mutually in love.

It’s just that the Su family was only a scholarly family, not some noble clan. He always worried that in the future, Mu Huan would be controlled by politics and make choices against her will.

For this reason, after Su Xun Xiu returned home, he specifically had a talk with Mu Huan.

Since being stimulated by the Regent at the end of last year, Mu Huan had become increasingly hardworking recently, and also understood some of the Empress Dowager’s good intentions.

“Imperial Father’s teachings, Huan remembers in her heart. Huan promises that no matter what happens in the future, she will not let down Cousin Xun Xiu.”

The Empress Dowager smiled with satisfaction: “That’s good then.”

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!”

A shout suddenly came from outside the door. Mu Huan displeased, called the person in.

“What matter is so urgent?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, it’s Young Master Jin, no, it’s the Regent, the housekeeper of the Regent’s mansion sent the dying Young Master Jin back. He’s currently in Yun Chu Palace, and the imperial physicians are still treating him.”

Mu Huan stood up abruptly, her small face tense: “What exactly happened!”

The Donzhou diplomatic mission had just left the capital. Although Shu Tong had left, they had still left behind envoys in the capital.

To beat up Donzhou’s young prince into such serious injuries in the blink of an eye, even bullying had its limits!

The Empress Dowager remained calm, asking in a deep voice:

“The Regent is not a rash person. Why did she suddenly attack? What did that Young Master Jin do?”

The messenger dared not be vague and relayed everything Jiang Fu had said word for word. After listening, Mu Huan’s face became extremely ugly.

“He was purely seeking death on his own.”

The Empress Dowager also shook his head: “Forget it, Huan’er. You are the emperor. Going to take a look is already a gesture of sympathy, and it can be considered as giving Donzhou an explanation. As for the rest, your Ninth Aunt will resolve it.”

Mu Huan was somewhat displeased, but since Imperial Father had spoken, she could only go and take a look. However, she couldn’t help but complain inwardly.

The Regent was too fierce! Jin Ying went to her mansion to provoke her, couldn’t she just have driven him away? Beating him up like this, how does that sound good when word gets out!

Sigh, it’s infuriating to death.

At the Regent’s mansion, when Jiang Fu returned to report, Gu Sui had already petted the cat to his heart’s content and exchanged affections with his fiancée. He had returned home to continue waiting for marriage.

Mu Jiulu was in the study resolving the matters that occurred during the day. She would not give the Donzhou envoys in the capital any opportunity to stir up trouble.

Jiang Fu was grinding ink by the desk, several times on the verge of speaking but holding back, her gaze extremely complicated.

Mu Jiulu found it puzzling. She pursed her vermilion lips and spoke faintly:

“If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t stammer.”

Jiang Fu sighed and said carefully:

“My Lord, you and the Prince Consort are still not married after all. This baby…”

Mu Jiulu raised an eyebrow, her gaze somewhat chilly as she looked at Jiang Fu.

Jiang Fu shuddered and hesitantly continued: “…for the Prince Consort to be pregnant before marriage, isn’t that somewhat improper?”

She also found it difficult to say that her own lord was too beastly, otherwise, sigh…

Mu Jiulu placed the brush on the stand, making a crisp sound. Jiang Fu immediately held her breath.

“The ‘baby’ he mentioned is me, understand?”

Jiang Fu froze on the spot: “Huh?”

She didn’t understand.

Was she getting old? What kind of play was this?

“What nonsense are you thinking, all jumbled up.”

Mu Jiulu lightly rebuked. After Jiang Fu came to her senses, she quickly lowered her head.

“What you heard today, swallow it all down for this prince. If you dare to speak a word of it, you’ll be in for it.”

Jiang Fu nodded like a pecking chicken: “Yes, yes, yes.”