Chapter 72

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Chapter 72: Title

“Gu-Mei-Sheng,” the woman called her name dreamily.

Gu Hengbo shivered, half leaning in the chair, her eyes barely open, looking like she was still asleep. She admitted that after arriving in Dongyin, she had seen countless beautiful women, but this one made her heart race, almost leaving her breathless.

The woman lifted her body slightly, gazing at Gu Hengbo with a faint smile. “Listening in on others’ intimate moments isn’t a good habit.”

Gu Hengbo remained slumped in her chair, feeling completely weak and finding it hard to sit up. “I didn’t mean to listen in. It was your noise that woke me up.”

The woman looked down at the person beneath her, a smile forming on her lips. Just seeing her profile made Gu Hengbo’s breath quicken. This was the first time she felt such a thing for another woman, and she was at a loss, quickly averting her eyes, hoping to pretend nothing was happening. If Lian Rong saw her like this, she would surely laugh at her.

Lian Rong?! Gu Hengbo suddenly recalled something, scooting up slightly to look at the woman on the bed. She opened her mouth to say something, but the woman’s next actions caused her to swallow her words.

Unfiltered moans echoed from the bed, and Gu Hengbo stared blankly as she witnessed a new round of intimate encounters. She could feel her throat tighten; this was a vivid display!

When Gu Hengbo saw the woman’s long, slender fingers buried between the legs of the woman beneath her, she could hardly bear to look, closing her eyes in horror because it was too ruthless.

“Open your eyes unless you want to try it too,” the woman said, her hands continuing their movements, not even glancing at Gu Hengbo as she spoke nonchalantly.

Gu Hengbo quickly opened her eyes, her brow furrowing at the sight of a chain in the woman’s hands. Why do beautiful women have such twisted tendencies?

The following scene made Gu Hengbo deeply realize that Lian Rong had indeed been very gentle towards her.

"Who are you?" Gu Hengbo asked calmly, regardless of how the nearly unconscious woman struggled beneath her.

The woman ignored her question and continued twisting away.

Gu Hengbo’s anger surged. "If you keep doing this, she will die."

After a moment of silence, the woman finally looked up at her. "Fine, then you can take her place. What do you say, Princess Rong?"

Gu Hengbo raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You must be the ‘host’ everyone is talking about, right? You’re not normal."

The woman slightly propped herself up and patted the injured woman’s backside, her voice icy. "Take your things and get lost."

The woman’s eyes glistened with tears as she whispered, "Qin Qixian."

"Get out!"

Gu Hengbo sat up straight and saw the battered woman stumbling out with her clothes. She tilted her head in confusion. This person was nearly tortured to death but still begged to stay. Is she out of her mind? And why did she run out without any clothes?

"Do you think I resemble that so-called host you mentioned?" A cold voice whispered near her ear, startling Gu Hengbo.

She looked up to see the woman standing in front of her. Having not seen her well from the bed, now that she stood before her, Gu Hengbo realized this woman was impressively tall, slightly thinner than Lian Rong. She gulped. "N-no, right?"

Seeing her panicked expression, the woman’s face softened slightly. "If I hadn’t saved you back then, you would have been dead, separated from the Lian family forever."

Huh?! "Who are you?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Qin Qixian."

Who is Qin Qixian? Gu Hengbo looked at her in confusion, genuinely not knowing.

Qin Qixian leaned closer until their noses nearly touched. Gu Hengbo could feel the warm breath on her face and shifted back slightly, feeling uneasy. This woman’s strange demeanor was even more unsettling than Lian Rong’s.

"The ruler of Nanyin, hasn’t Lian mentioned me at all?" It was simply absurd. She had given so many gifts; how could someone be so ungrateful?

Gu Hengbo felt a chill run down her spine at the woman’s gloomy expression. "No, she…she mentioned you, ah, so you are the Empress Nanyin?" It dawned on her, and she gasped.

Qin Qixian straightened up. "That filthy woman’s taste is still so low."

Gu Hengbo paused, suddenly understanding that Qin Qixian meant her. She quickly retorted, "If you think Lian Rong has bad taste, why don’t you marry her then? I think you two would make a perfect match."

"Excuse me?"

"Forget I said anything." Gu Hengbo felt a chill from the way Qin Qixian glared at her. This Empress really was…

Qin Qixian straightened her clothes and sat across from Gu Hengbo, glancing at her with mild indifference. "You will stay here for now. Once Lian Rong finishes her business, she will come to get you."

Gu Hengbo had many questions, but noticing the impatient expression on Qin Qixian’s face, she focused on what was important. "Lian Rong…is she okay?"

"That old woman is quite resilient; she won’t die."

Hey, can you not talk about her like that? Even though Lian Rong is indeed quite old.

"What about Lianqing and that princess from Xiliang? Are they okay? And what about guard Li? He wasn’t hurt, right? What were those women in white looking for? Why do they want me?" Those were the important questions.

"Are you done asking?"

Gu Hengbo nodded.

"Stay put. You aren’t allowed to go anywhere without my permission." If she got lost, would Lian be coming to demand her back? No way.

As Qin Qixian moved toward the door, a group of giggling girls (don’t get the wrong idea; they were maids) rushed in from outside. She turned to glance at Gu Hengbo sitting in the chair and said to them, "Keep a close eye on her. If she gets lost, you’d all better be ready to face the dungeons at Prince Rong’s residence."

"Yes!"

Gu Hengbo wanted to cry but had no tears. How was this any different from being imprisoned? She had no idea what was happening outside. However, it seemed that Lian Rong should be fine. Since she entered Prince Rong’s residence, she had not had a single peaceful day. Since that woman in white was not someone with the surname Qin, then there must be someone else behind this. That person had something her master wanted, and as far as she knew, she did not possess a single valuable item.

Gu Hengbo had been living in this Qin Qixian’s Mandarin Duck Pavilion for almost half a month. She spent her days cooped up inside, and that person did not allow her to step outside even once. She was only accompanied by a few maids, and calling it company felt forced. If she kept quiet, there was no problem, but as soon as she spoke, those brightly dressed maids would pounce on her like it was some kind of game, a sharp contrast to the maids in Prince Rong’s residence.

What was happening every day? Gu Hengbo rubbed her forehead. Hadn’t it been said that someone would come to pick her up soon? It had been so long, and Qin Qixian treated her like an inhuman, with no sight of anyone. Whenever someone would return, they were either drunk or stumbling around while kissing someone on their way to the bedroom.

Even though Gu Hengbo hadn’t gone out for nearly half a month, she seemed to have gathered some information from the maids’ gossip. It seemed that someone was getting married. She didn’t know how long they planned to keep it from her, but she was puzzled. Among all the women, who would want to marry Lian Rong and be left alone?

Then, another gossip revealed to Gu Hengbo that the Eastern Emperor had sent someone over. Originally, it was supposed to be a male concubine, but Lian Rong refused him. However, not wanting to decline the Eastern Emperor’s goodwill, he had to accept the “beauty” and made her a secondary princess since it was a gift from his own brother.

After these two days, Gu Hengbo almost fully recovered. She lazily lounged on the couch, listening to the gossip of the maids outside while cracking sunflower seeds, the sound echoing in the quiet room.