Chapter 13: Men and Women Should Keep Their Distance
Old Madam noticed how Wang momo’s face blanched with an expression of despair and felt even more miserable. But she managed to smile and say, “Since Your Royal Highness has entered the bridal chambers, we should take our leave.”
Despite Wang momo’s reluctance, the princess had already finished her wedding vows (with Gu Xinglang’s brother as a stand-in) and was effectively married. What else could she do? She only cursed Consort Zhao and her successive generations in her heart before leaving with Old Madam, glancing back every few steps with reluctance.
Yu Xiaoxiao stood waiting by the bed awhile until she realized nothing was happening. Then she asked, “Am I just going to stand here?”
Only then did Gu Xinglang lift the red wedding veil off her head. Yu Xiaoxiao had been shrouded in darkness for most of the day, so at first the light made her uncomfortable. She rubbed them with her hands before studying her new husband. Gu Xinglang was considered one of the top five handsome pretty men in all of Fengtian Dynasty. Yu Xiaoxiao, who felt that normal humans were already good-looking enough, found him pretty swell.
Gu Xinglang was studying Yu Xiaoxiao as well. Just like the rumors said, Princess Linglong was a beauty with flowerlike features and a moon-like face. She had yet to reach adulthood, but as things stood, she was set to grow tall and slender in the future. Still, Gu Xinglang mused with a bitter smile, Her Royal Highness seems dazed, and her eyes are cold. I suppose she’s dissatisfied with me.
“You,” Yu Xiaoxiao felt like she should say something.
“You should leave while you still have the chance,” Gu Xinglang said at the same time.
“W-what does that mean?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked cluelessly.
Gu Xinglang looked at her and said, “Many thanks to the princess for saving my entire Gu Clan. However, I’m already a useless cripple. Your Royal Highness can simply take this wedding as an expedient measure to save my family. There’s no need to treat it seriously. Princess, if Gu Xinglang has another life, I’ll definitely repay your infinite grace.”
Yu Xiaoxiao digested Gu Xinglang’s words for a long time before she asked, “Are you saying we should ‘cut the knot as smoothly as we tied it?’”
“Ah?” Third Young Master Gu felt that something sounded off about her words.
“I know it was Consort Zhao’s father that ruined you. You don’t need to fear,” Yu Xiaoxiao comforted, “I can put her to death at any minute.”
P-put her to death at any minute? Gu Xinglang was astonished. Is it alright for a 13-year-old princess to say such things? Isn’t the eldest princess supposed to be an exemplar of virtues and morals? Could a virtuous person ever say that?
“What did the doctors say about your injuries?” Yu Xiaoxiao was now pointing at Gu Xinglang’s legs.
Gu Xinglang didn’t hide the truth, but admitted, “They’re incurable.”
“The imperial physician told me that your legs were improving, ah.”
Gu Xinglang smiled bitterly.
Looks like Consort Zhao’s already bribed the imperial physicians. I should have tossed that damn woman to her death after all. Yu Xiaoxiao pursed her lips. It wasn’t nice feeling like you’d been played by someone else.
At this moment, the windows on the left opened a crack. Soon enough, two little boys tumbled into the room. Once they crawled up from the ground, it was to run to the bed on their short, stubby legs.
“Third Auntie,” the bigger boy looked at Yu Xiaoxiao with a face full of tears. “Third Uncle’s a good guy.”
Yu Xiaoxiao glanced at Gu Xinglang. What’s going on?
Gu Xinglang looked at his two nephews and sighed helplessly. “They’re my oldest brother’s sons.” Then he turned to the children and asked, “Xun’er, Jin’er, why did you run into my rooms?”
“Third Auntie,” six-year-old Gu Xun (顾旬) tugged at Yu Xiaoxiao’s hand. “You’ll stay, right? My Third Uncle’s a good guy. We, our family–our family has money, so we won’t go to the prisons anymore.”
The little boys that resembled two round meatbuns were both standing in front of Yu Xiaoxiao with teary expressions. She felt them a little hard to bear. She hadn’t even said anything about leaving yet, so how did they know she meant to bolt?
Gu Xinglang sighed. The two little ones must have overheard his eldest brother and wife talking. Looks like eldest brother knows too. Forcing the princess to stay with me is simply asking too much of her.
“Why are you always sighing when you’re still so young?” Yu Xiaoxiao said as she reached for Gu Xinglang’s trouser hems. She’d like to see just how bad his injuries were. “You guys are already lucky enough to have no zombies here.”
Gu Xinglang and the two mini meatbuns were all confused. What are ‘zombies?;
Yu Xiaoxiao rolled Gu Xinglang’s trousers up to his knees and saw the yellow pus seeping out from the white bandages beneath. She knit her brows and asked, “Your injuries are festering?”
Gu Xinglang flushed at the sight of Yu Xiaoxiao’s hands on his legs. “Y-you can’t.” He was a military man, but he’d never seen such a brazen girl like her. Could any girl just go touching a man’s legs? “M-men and women–men and women should keep their distance,” he stuttered.
Yu Xiaoxiao completely ignored Gu Xinglang’s words as she began to neatly unwrap his bandages. “If they’re festering, don’t bind them up like this. It’s not good to muffle the injuries all the time.”
Gu Xinglang’s leg wounds were very neat. Someone had sliced through his flesh, which was now red and swollen with pus. It was a horrific sight, but Yu Xiaoxiao only viewed them with doubt. The cuts shouldn’t be deep enough to sever his tendons.
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