Chapter 423

He sat rigidly in the chair, his face pale, a breath stuck in his throat, unable to go up or down.

He regretted it so much that his guts were turning blue.

But that girl in the big red wedding dress no longer belonged to him.

Thinking of this, he was so anguished that he couldn't breathe...

Li Sheng smiled broadly as he sang the wedding congratulations out loud. The couple paid respects to heaven and earth before the gaze of countless people.

After sending the newlyweds to the bridal chamber, Gu Ying deliberately sat down next to Fu Xunzhi and smiled charmingly, "In the past I misjudged people, thinking Master Fu was an upright, principled man who didn't care about trivial matters, but now I see that Master Fu is just a timid, cowardly little man. Fortunately, my fourth sister withdrew in time and didn't marry Master Fu. It was fourth sister's blessing."

He murmured, "This family matter...it wasn't my fault..."

Gu Ying said, "Was it fourth sister's fault then?"

Fu Xunzhi's face was ashen, clenching his teeth tightly, "It was Mu Nanfeng..."

Gu Ying raised a sarcastic smile. Alright alright, this fool didn't even realize what he had lost, and was still obsessed with Mu Nanfeng's matter.

"In any case, from now on fourth sister will have nothing to do with Master Fu. Master Fu should remember to treat your future wife well."

Fu Xunzhi suddenly raised his head, his complexion very ugly, his face flushed and pale, "Shang Jiao and I are not as Madam thinks-"

Gu Ying smiled ambiguously at him. "That's unimportant."

Fu Xunzhi was embarrassed and blushed. "I...didn't wrong Shuang...and I won't agree to marry Shang Jiao."

This time Gu Ying was truly disappointed in him. Fortunately she hadn't chosen Fu Xunzhi back then, otherwise she would be the one abandoned like worn shoes today.

She had nothing more to say, only sincerely advised, "Shang Jiao is a good girl, I hope Master Fu will treasure her well." For a while Fu Xunzhi pursed his lips, really not knowing how to explain.

Ye Qingchi came out of the bridal chamber to greet guests, calling from afar, "Ying, go accompany Shuang."

"Alright." Gu Ying got up, unwilling to say more to Fu Xunzhi, and leisurely walked towards the back yard.

Fu Xunzhi's face was deathly pale, regret and anguish mixed in his eyes as he stared fiercely at Ye Qingchi in his red brocade robes.

The two men's appearances were as different as heaven and earth.

Let alone the grand wedding ceremony Ye Qingchi held for Gu Shuang, unmatched in Bianjing except for the one at the Prince's estate.

Fu Xunzhi's momentum quickly collapsed. His eyes red, stammering, "Since you married her, you must treat her well..."

Ye Qingchi contemptuously laughed. "No need for you to say this, you're not qualified."

Fu Xunzhi gritted his teeth. "I know you don't like Shuang--if I find out she's unhappy marrying you, I will definitely take her back!"

"Don't you feel contradictory?"

"I..."

"On one hand loving her, on the other disliking her, what does this mean? Or is it that seeing me willing to marry her, you feel unwilling to give up possession? Or do you still think your feelings for her run deep, and you had no choice but to not marry her?"

"I love her, I really do love her! She should have belonged to me!" Fu Xunzhi was panicked and uneasy, jumping around like a clown.

Ye Qingchi laughed mockingly. At ease and satisfied, he picked up the wine pot and poured it into a white jade cup, handing it to the cowering man before him, meaningfully said, "However much more there is to say, I only have this to tell you, thank you Master Fu for not marrying her. Tonight on our wedding night, Shuang and I will become husband and wife, living together for our whole lives."

Fu Xunzhi was so angry his whole body chilled, but the cowardice in his bones meant he couldn't do anything. He could only stand there, his hands shaking violently.

Ye Qingchi raised the jade cup in his hand and lightly clinked it against the tilted cup in his hand. He tossed his head back and drank the wine, laughed lightly, then strode away.

...

Gu Ying came out after talking with Gu Shuang, saw Ning Si, and happily waved her over.

Ning Si grinned and lifted her skirt to run over.

But the man behind her sunk his face in displeasure, and put his big hand around her waist, murmuring something to her.

Gu Ying smiled helplessly, saw Ning Si turn her head to speak to the man, then soon skipped happily over. "You should be more careful, you're also pregnant."

Ning Si joyfully pulled Gu Ying's hand. "It's so rare to see Ying, of course I'm happy!"

The main hall was filled with guests, so Gu Ying pulled Ning Si outside to a corridor bridge in the Qinghe Garden and sat leaning on the railing.

The night was cool as water. The manor was filled with blooming flowers, blocking out the sound of strings and pipes from inside, making this place feel rather quiet.

Gu Ying looked at Ning Si's complexion, slightly flushed and fuller, much rounder compared to last time they met.

"Si, have you reconciled with the Prince?"

In recent days Ning Si had already left the Prince's estate, released from confinement, and directly returned to the Ning manor to prepare for her wedding to the Prince.

Ning Si's eyes shone slightly, her whole person looking gentle and luxurious. And with the pregnancy, she emitted a mature maternal charm. "Ying, I've just realized, it was all a misunderstanding between the Prince and I."

Gu Ying looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Ning Si shyly lowered her brows a little. "I listened to you and took the initiative to get close to the Prince, treating him well, accepting concubines into his quarters, then trying to promote Cai Xiu. I didn't expect the Prince to keep cold-shouldering Cai Xiu, making her resentful and develop wicked thoughts, accusing me to the Prince that the child in my belly wasn't conceived in Yuezhou."

Gu Ying frowned. "Oh?"

Ning Si sighed. "You know I can't stop Cai Xiu...When Cai Xiu told the Prince the truth, he had just been named Crown Prince and returned from the palace. I thought the Prince would be furious after learning the truth. I didn't expect that after hearing Cai Xiu's words, the Prince actually happily hugged me and told me the child wasn't someone else's..."

The corner of Gu Ying's mouth twitched. "...Whose was it then?"

Ning Si also felt a little embarrassed, her cheeks flushed. "The Prince's..."

Gu Ying: "..."

Seeing Gu Ying's displeasure, Ning Si had to explain. "It was from that time, when I was locked up in the Taoist temple by Zhao Changxing..."

Gu Ying's brows raised doubtfully. So it meant that time at the Qingyun Temple, when Lord Li Hao came to rescue Ning Si...and took care of Ning Si on the side?

Lord Li Hao didn't seem like someone who would lose control...

No wonder she thought Ning Si's complexion was off that night...Turns out that beast Zhao Changxing had also drugged Ning Si.

"But it wasn't that kind of drug..." Ning Si's face reddened as she continued. "It made me lose consciousness and confused. The Prince was too anxious then, thinking I had been drugged...Seeing me unconscious and my body feverish, he mistakenly thought Zhao Changxing harbored wicked intentions toward me. So he risked himself to save me...Afterwards he regretted it, thinking to hide it if possible since I was to marry him in the future anyway. Who knew I would actually get pregnant...Alas, this led to all those misunderstandings."

Gu Ying understood the twists and turns and also found it a little funny.

"What about Lord Zhou, did you explain clearly to him?"