Chapter 82: Accident

Xia Tong pouted and secretly stretched out her white palm, “Where are the beads?”

Gu Qin squinted his eyes, daily grappling with the thought of tossing this woman into a snake pit. Yet, he ultimately suppressed it. He casually pulled out a small box from his sleeve, grasped the woman’s delicate wrist, and slipped a string of Buddhist beads from the box onto it. Her thin arm seemed like it would take forever to gain some flesh.

Xia Tong twirled the beads in front of her. Although they were a bit large, thankfully, they wouldn’t fall off. She didn’t expect someone like Gu Qin, a typical straight man, to measure her size.

Once back at the residence, Xia Tong indeed faced punishment. Gu Qin had Fang Yu, the cunning spy with elbows that always turned outward, force her to drink a large bowl of tonic soup. Whether it was the soup or not, she experienced severe morning sickness that night. Just the smell of oil made her stomach uneasy. Those executioners even mentioned they would give her a different kind of soup the next day.

That night, she deliberately secured her bedroom door tightly, hoping to keep that man off her bed. However, in the dead of night, a shadow still lay beside her. In her dazed state, Xia Tong felt the quilt warm up significantly.

When she woke the next day, she discovered the bolt on her door had snapped in two.

While having breakfast, she scolded Fang Yu for only knowing how to turn her elbows outward when Qing’er rushed in, her cheeks flushed from the wind.

“Master, the troops at the border are returning to the capital today, and it’s said they had a great victory!”

After sipping her porridge and seeing Qing’er’s excited demeanor, Xia Tong was not particularly surprised. The border conditions were harsh, and the enemy lacked resources. How could they compete with their well-supplied forces? It was already quite good that they had managed to hold on for a few months.

“However… I also heard that the Emperor was attacked yesterday at the Guanglu Temple and sustained some minor injuries,” Qing’er said hesitantly.

Upon hearing this, Xia Tong frowned, while Fang Yu spoke up, “I’ve heard the same. The outside world is saying this incident is related to the Prince. Why else would you and the Prince be unharmed at the Guanglu Temple, while the Emperor got injured?”

With her appetite lost, Xia Tong took a piece of candied fruit from the table and popped it in her mouth as she stood up, heading to the inner room to grab a cloak. Her voice was calm, “It doesn’t matter how the outside world spreads the rumors. Tell the butler that such gossip must not be allowed in the residence.”

The longer she stayed with Gu Qin, the more she felt for him. Over the years, he had taken the blame for so much. However, what others spread always had a ring of truth. If she didn’t know his character, she might even believe that he was behind it. He seemed to be at the center of every mess.

“Understood,” Qing’er promptly replied before leaving.

The weather outside had warmed considerably, although early spring still brought its rain. The constant drizzling made the ground damp. By the time Xia Tong reached the study, her clothes were covered in raindrops. She let Fang Yu wipe her down for a bit, then entered to see the man at the desk still poring over documents. He always seemed busy with a multitude of tasks.

“I’ve been taking the pregnancy-preserving medicine for a long time. Can I take a break for a while?” She walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat beside him, her expression pleading.

Without lifting his gaze, he casually replied, “What do you think?”

Xia Tong: “…”

Taking medication comes with risks. Why should she take so much pregnancy-preserving medicine? Besides, with the amount of tonic soup she consumed daily, the baby should be healthy.

“I’m going to the palace this afternoon. You stay in the residence,” he said, looking at her with serious eyes.

Xia Tong pursed her lips, as if she had thought of something. There would definitely be a welcoming banquet tonight for the army’s return. Logically, she should go, but Gu Qin would definitely not let her go. She had only been to the Guanglu Temple yesterday during this period, and she was not allowed to leave the residence the rest of the time.

If she didn’t go, then so be it. She was too lazy to deal with those with ulterior motives. There was nothing worthwhile to see anyway.

Bored, she started grinding ink for him, her gaze drifting over a piece of slightly crumpled letter paper on the desk. She stole a glance at the man and quietly picked up the letter, but when she read its contents, her expression changed entirely.

Xiao Ming was hiding in the Grand Tutor’s residence!

No wonder even Xiao Jing couldn’t find him. It was clear Xiao Ming must have colluded with the Grand Tutor. The male lead wasn’t the old emperor and would never tolerate the threat to his authority posed by a powerful family like the Grand Tutor’s. It was evident that the Grand Tutor understood this well, which is why he chose to cooperate with Xiao Ming. Now, Xiao Ming had no choice but to rely on the old Grand Tutor. Otherwise, he would be hunted down for life. The union of these two would surely spell trouble.

“You still say you’re not a spy?” Gu Qin suddenly glanced at her, his expression icy.

Xia Tong shot him a peculiar look; he had a knack for scaring her, which made her wonder about his twisted sense of humor.

Seeing that she seemed unfazed, Gu Qin suddenly felt that he had been too accommodating. He raised a hand and lightly tapped her on the head. “Don’t worry about things that don’t concern you.”

Rubbing her head where he had tapped it, Xia Tong pouted, “I’m not worried. I just wanted to take a look.”

Perhaps it was from drinking too much tonic soup recently, but her face had indeed grown rounder, and her bright black-and-white eyes were constantly darting around.

Gu Qin stared at the woman in front of him, and after a moment, his gaze shifted. “If I were truly to rebel, what would you do?”

The study fell silent; this was the first time Gu Qin had broached such a topic with her. Xia Tong lowered her head, tugging at her oversized sleeves, and glanced at him secretly. “I won’t say any empty words. If the Prince wants to do something, I will naturally support him. However, I personally hope it doesn’t come to that. If that day truly arrives, how could the officials allow only me in the harem? I’d have to watch you marry so many concubines, and I would be very unhappy.”

The more she spoke, the more her small face scrunched up, her hairpin swaying, her brows knitted in worry, as if Gu Qin had already taken many concubines.

Looking at her gloomy little face, Gu Qin couldn’t help but chuckle, his stern features softening with mirth. He had never laughed so joyfully before, while Xia Tong fumed, her brows tightly knitted. Did this man find it amusing to see her unhappy?

He lifted his hand to cup her delicate face, a gentle smile playing on his lips. “If that day really comes, how can this king be controlled by others?”

As their eyes met, Xia Tong sensed a promise in his words, her face flushing as she looked down. It made sense; he had no one to fear now, and once he became the Emperor, he would be even more reckless, beyond anyone’s reach.

“Master, Lord Ji requests an audience.”

At that moment, the sound of Xifeng echoed outside. Knowing how busy he was each day, especially with Xiao Ming and the old Grand Tutor conspiring behind the scenes, Xia Tong decided not to disturb him further. Instead, she reached up to gently touch his brow, a sweet smile on her face.

“Then come back early today, I’ll wait for you to go to bed.”

Otherwise, if she fell asleep alone, the bed would surely be cold again.

The man gazed at her intently as Xia Tong turned and left the study. Outside, Fang Yu immediately held up an umbrella to shield her from the light drizzle. The ground was quite damp, but Xia Tong didn’t hurry her steps. Upon closer inspection, the scenery in the regent’s residence looked quite beautiful in this weather.

As she passed through the long corridor, she noticed a few servants watering the garden. Each one knelt to pay their respects upon seeing her. Xia Tong didn’t pay them much mind, but her gaze inadvertently fell on one of the maids watering the plants. The girl had her head bowed and looked unfamiliar, though her figure seemed somewhat recognizable.

“Qing’er bought you a few more storybooks yesterday. I heard they are the latest ones.”Fang Yu said with a smile as she followed behind.

At this, Xia Tong’s eyebrows perked up, and she quickly turned to ask, “Is it from the same series I read before?”

Fang Yu nodded. She knew what her master enjoyed, and it was no surprise that Qing’er would find those books.

Seeing this, Xia Tong was about to praise Qing’er when a sudden sharp pain struck her lower leg, as if she had been hit by something. Her entire leg went numb, but luckily, she quickly grabbed onto a garden pillar for support.

“Are you alright?” Fang Yu immediately rushed to support her, worry etched on her face.

Xia Tong shook her head, relieved that she had managed to hold onto something. If she had fallen, she would have worried about the baby.

“Princess, please don’t scare us like that!”

Just then, a group led by the butler rushed over, their expressions more anxious than anyone else’s. If anything happened to the unborn child, they could only imagine how the prince would react.

“I’m fine, I just twisted my ankle a little,” Xia Tong said. Although her leg was still numb, her ankle didn’t hurt—how could she have twisted it suddenly?

Then, for some reason, her gaze shifted back to the group of watering servants in the garden. She looked around and suddenly asked, “Where is the maid wearing the pink flower hairpin?”