Not long after Gu Chen gave his instructions, a woman with her hair styled in a high, elaborate bun and wearing a red dress, entered the room, carrying a silver whip with barbs.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Gu Chen spoke to Jiang Wan in a tone so gentle he barely recognized it himself.
"Your maidservant has returned to the Prime Minister's residence. This is Qian Ling. There are no other servants in the mansion, so she will take care of you."
Jiang Wan was astonished. This vast mansion had no maidservants? Weak in body, Jiang Wan didn't have the energy to dwell on it.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I won't trouble you. Once I'm feeling better, I'll ask Doctor Zhong about the hairpin. I should return to the Prime Minister's residence first."
As she finished speaking, Jiang Wan tried to sit up, but her body felt as if she had been pushed, and she collapsed back onto the couch. Seeing this, Zhong Hengzhi immediately said,
"Don't move, Your Highness. The medicine is strong. It's best for you to rest in the mansion for the next two days."
"But I haven't married the Prince yet, so it might be inconvenient for me to live in the Prince's residence."
Gu Chen immediately comforted Jiang Wan, his tone firm and resolute.
"Don't worry, just stay here."
Jiang Wan, considering her own physical condition, had no choice but to stay.
"Qian Ling, please help me remove my hairpin, and trouble Doctor Zhong to check if it's poisoned."
Zhong Hengzhi took the hairpin, examined it, and sniffed it, then frowned and replied, "This hairpin is soaked in the poison 'Snow Beauty'. You must not wear it. If you wear it, you will become thin, your complexion will turn yellow, and you will cough incessantly within half a month. You will die unknowingly within a month."
"But Doctor Zhong knew what the poison was just by smelling it, and the symptoms are so obvious, how could someone die unknowingly?"
"In reply to the Princess, this poison is not common, and few people know about it. If taken directly, it will cause immediate death, and the cause of death is traceable. However, if this poison is soaked in an object for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the poison's toxicity in the body will disappear. If one cannot discover the hairpin is poisonous, ...
"Then it won't be possible to detect if she died from poison, allowing someone to die without anyone knowing."
A hint of affection appeared in Gu Chen's eyes. He hadn't expected Jiang Wan to be in danger every day. He just wanted to marry her as soon as possible and protect her properly.
"Zhong Hengzhi, Qian Ling, you two can leave first."
After everyone left, Gu Chen went forward and sat by Jiang Wan's bedside, a trace of pity in his cold eyes.
"You don't need to be afraid. I'll have someone kill her."
"No need, Your Highness. I already anticipated the hairpin was poisoned and have a countermeasure."
"Do you need my help?"
"I am currently weak. Please trouble Your Highness to find a skilled craftsman to make an identical hairpin for me. Thank you, Your Highness."
"No need to thank me. You can just call me Gu Chen."
The atmosphere became subtly charged because of Gu Chen's words. The two of them looked at each other, a hint of emotion stirring in their hearts.
"Alright, then you can call me Wan'er, Gu Chen."
The scene became even more suggestive. Jiang Wan's pale cheeks flushed pink, and she averted her gaze, catching sight of a few bloodstains on Gu Chen's clothes.
"How did you get blood on you? Are you hurt?"
Gu Chen, preoccupied with worrying about Jiang Wan leaving, hadn't noticed the blood on his clothes.
"No."
"Then where did the blood come from?"
"It must have been Shen Quan or Jiang Nianzhu."
Jiang Wan looked bewildered. Could Gu Chen have hurt them for her sake? One was a prince, the other the Prime Minister's daughter. Gu Chen wasn't afraid? Did he like her?
"You injured them?"
"Yes."
"You went to the Cloud Armor Pavilion to save me? Not your subordinates? But you're under house arrest, and besides, they won't let this go. Why would the Prince put himself in danger for me?"
"I can protect the grand mountains and rivers of the Shen Kingdom, and the well-being and happiness of tens of thousands of people. If I can't even protect my own wife, then what kind of man am I!"
Jiang Wan's eyes welled up with tears, trying to hold them back, but they streamed down her face anyway. Seeing Jiang Wan cry, Gu Chen wanted to wipe away her tears, but he retracted his hand.
"Why are you crying?"
"I didn't expect you to be so good to me after only knowing me for a few days, does Your Highness like me?"
"Do you know what 'like' means?"
"I… liking someone might be wanting to marry them, and being good to them?"
"Is that what 'like' is? Because I've never liked a woman, so I don't know what it feels like to like someone."
Jiang Wan was taken aback by Gu Chen's question. In her previous life, she liked Shen Quan, but it was just because she wanted to marry him. Seeing him happy didn't make her heart flutter. Maybe she didn't understand anything in her previous life. Seeing Shen Quan being nice to her, she just assumed it was love.
"I don't really understand either. I'll tell you when I do."
"Alright, you should rest early. I'll sleep on the side couch."
"Your Highness, doesn't the manor have any other rooms? It's not appropriate for us to be in the same room, is it?"
"Of course, there are rooms, but the Regent's Residence was newly bestowed by the Emperor, and the other rooms haven't been cleaned yet after construction."
"Alright."
Jiang Wan fell asleep quickly because her body hadn't fully recovered. Only Gu Chen remained awake on the side couch, his eyes fixed on the sleeping Jiang Wan, lost in thought. What is liking? I want to protect her, don't want her to get hurt, is this liking? But it's only because we'll be married soon, this shouldn't be liking.
In the morning, the thin light pierced through the paper window, shining on Jiang Wan's cheek and making her open her eyes. After waking up, Jiang Wan found that Gu Chen, who was on the side couch, was already gone. Jiang Wan felt a little tired, but she could move freely. After opening the door, she saw the woman named Qian Ling from yesterday standing outside.
"Where's Gu Chen?"
"The Wangfei is awake. The Emperor summoned the Wangye to the palace."
Jiang Wan remembered that Gu Chen had injured Shen Quan and Jiang Nianzhu yesterday. Surely the Emperor wanted to punish him, what could she do?
"Qian Ling, will the Emperor punish Gu Chen?"
"Your Highness, this subordinate doesn't know."
"Then, how were Shen Quan and Jiang Nianzhu injured yesterday? Seriously?"
"Replying to Your Highness, His Royal Highness Shen lost a finger, and the Second Miss Jiang had her toes pierced by the King's spear."
Jiang Wan looked at him in disbelief. She had long heard that the common people called Gu Chen "General Yama", but she didn't expect him to dare to injure even the Emperor's son.
"Then, does Qian Ling have any way for me to enter the palace? I can't let Gu Chen be punished by the Emperor because of me."
"Your Highness, please rest assured. The King should be fine. Besides, the King has ordered that Your Highness not leave the mansion."
"This... Let me go out, please, Qian Ling."
"Your Highness, if you go out, the King will not spare me when he returns."
Hearing this, Jiang Wan was afraid that Gu Chen would come back and punish Qian Ling if she left the manor, so she could only wait obediently inside, pacing anxiously in the courtyard.
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace hall, Gu Chen sat on the left side of the Emperor on a dragon chair made entirely of silver, looking indifferently at Prime Minister Jiang, who was kneeling and weeping.
"Your Majesty, you must uphold justice for this old official. The Regent, disregarding your order to remain confined, ran out of his manor. Without regard for the circumstances, he used a spear to pierce my daughter's toes. He also imprisoned my eldest daughter in his manor. This old official went to reason with the Regent yesterday, and the Regent even drew his sword against me. I am, after all, the current Prime Minister. The Regent has injured my beloved daughter and imprisoned my legitimate daughter. His actions are utterly arrogant. I implore Your Majesty to punish him severely."
Shen Quan, who was on the side, saw Prime Minister Jiang step forward and immediately knelt on the ground as well.
"Father, yesterday Gu Chen cut off my finger. Luckily, with timely medical treatment, it was reattached. I also request Father to make the decision."
The officials immediately began whispering among themselves upon hearing this.
"This Regent truly has no regard for anyone."
"How can someone like this be the Regent?"
"We'll request the Emperor to severely punish him and strip him of his title later."
The Emperor coughed, and the court immediately fell silent. The Emperor looked at Gu Chen and asked,
"Is what they said true?"
"Yes!"
Upon hearing Gu Chen admit his guilt, Grand Tutor Yan immediately stepped forward, eager to avenge himself on Gu Chen. He couldn't miss this opportunity.
"Your Majesty, the Regent is so violent and cannot bear this great responsibility. Please, Your Majesty, severely punish the Regent."
"Am I allowed to finish speaking? Or are you so eager to punish me?"
Hearing this, the Emperor was no longer as worried as before. Since Gu Chen said this, there must be something more to the matter.
"Regent, speak quickly of the cause."
"Your Majesty, may I ask the officials a few questions?"
"Granted!"
"Gu Chen wishes to ask, if a man covets your wife, would you endure it?"
"If a man drugs your wife, attempting to do evil, would you endure it?"
"If your wife's sister colludes with a man to lure her sister to a restaurant and drug her, would you endure it?"
"If all of you can endure this, then sentence me. If you cannot endure it, then what crime has Gu Chen committed?"