Chapter 5: Trading for Freedom

November 30th, 2022 Author: Yao Qiqi

The captain of the guards was about to draw his sword when he saw Gu Yunru use her hairpin to stab someone. However, he heard the prince groan and wake up.

“Your Highness, are you alright? I deserve to die!” The Chief Guard hurried forward, half-kneeling to help the man up.

“Am I having a relapse?” The man was now awake, his voice weak and his lips pale.

“It’s good that you’re awake, Your Highness. Someone, bring His Highness’ wheelchair,” the captain of the guards said, avoiding the issue of his relapse.

The people below quickly brought a beautifully designed, precious material wheelchair and helped the man onto it.

On the other side, Gu Yunru watched in astonishment. She had just taken his pulse and found that he was perfectly healthy with no pathological problems. Why did he need a wheelchair? Was he just idle?

Her stunned gaze was too obvious. The man in the wheelchair looked at her coldly, his voice dark and hoarse as he spoke with a hint of icy air. “Who are you?”

“My surname is Gu, and I am the daughter of the Gu family.” Gu Yunru replied perfunctorily before looking at the man in front of her with interest. “Excuse me, may I ask, when I took your pulse just now, I found that you had no pathological problems. So, may I know why you are sitting in a wheelchair? Is it a personal preference?”

“Insolent! Who gave you the audacity to speak to the Prince like that?” The captain of the guards was quite irritable and drew his sword, holding it against Gu Yunru’s neck without a second thought.

Gu Yunru: “…” Prince Zhao? Her fiancé?

“Qingfeng, stop being rude.” Prince Zhao yelled and fixed his gaze on Gu Yunru’s face. Suddenly, a wicked and cold smile appeared on his face, as he slowly said, “By coincidence, when I came down from the mountain, I happened to see the daughter of the Gu family, who recently won the highest rank in the imperial examinations, having a secret meeting. Where did you come from, Miss Gu?”

Highest rank in the imperial examinations? Secret meeting? Gu Junyao was impressive. She took responsibility for the engagement and even married herself off quickly.

“In response to Your Highness, I am Gu Yunru, the legitimate daughter of Gu Yanzheng. My mother died early, and after my father remarried, I was raised on his estate. I heard that His Majesty gave me a marriage order, and that is why the Gu family has taken me back.” Gu Yunru had no love for the Gu family, so she sold them out without hesitation.

“Your Highness, what the Emperor granted was a marriage, but it takes the audacity of the Gu family!” Qingfeng, being a smart person, understood the situation with just a few words from Gu Yunru. His face turned red with anger and he said, “No, I must go to the Emperor and expose their trickery!”

“Please calm down, my friend. Please calm down,” Gu Yunru quickly stopped Qingfeng and analyzed the situation clearly, “I know that the person your Prince wants to marry is not me, and I don’t dare to aim so high. I inquired and found out that my younger sister is highly skilled in medicine, and the Emperor’s intention for granting this marriage is for her to cure Prince Zhao’s leg. But I just examined your Prince’s pulse, and he has no pathological problems. No matter how high the medical skills, it is in vain.”

“You’re talking nonsense. If there is no problem with his body, why can’t my Prince stand up? You don’t understand medicine at all!” Qingfeng got angry, pointing at Gu Yunru and scolding her in a cold voice.

“Hey, can you please let me finish?” Gu Yunru rolled her eyes at him and continued, “I’m also a member of the Gu family, and I understand medicine. Is your Prince suffering from long-term insomnia? Does he often have headaches that cannot be relieved by any medicine? Does he often get angry for no reason, even hurting himself?”

Qingfeng was speechless, his face turning from red to white, and finally surrendered under Gu Yunru’s confident gaze, muttering, “Yes, that’s true.”

“Then that’s it. Has your Prince searched for doctors all over the place, but cannot find the cause of his leg problem?” Although Gu Yunru was talking to Qingfeng, her gaze was fixed on Prince Zhao, who had an extraordinary appearance with his long eyebrows and bright eyes, thin lips and high nose, and a face like jade, but it was a pity that he looked a little pale.

“You…have you sent someone to spy on me?” When Prince Zhao heard this, his eyes flickered and a dark color emerged.

Gu Yunru: …

She was too difficult! What kind of logic was this? The thought process of these ancient people is truly strange!

“Prince Zhao, I have been living in my village for more than ten years. I have only returned to the capital for three or four days, and even fell into the lake and lay in bed for two days. Even my wet nurse agreed to this marriage on my behalf, and Madam Gu took it over. Do you think I have the ability to spy on you?” Gu Yunru felt so weak and helpless, patiently explaining the situation.

Prince Zhao waved his hand and a masked black-clad person flew out from some corner, coldly ordering, “Go and investigate her.”

Gu Yunruo thought to herself, “Is it really okay to question me so blatantly in front of her like this? At least he is my fiancé in name, can our engagement still proceed smoothly?”

“Your Highness, what about the basic trust between people?” Gu Yunruo shouted, “I’ll be honest with you. Your illness is probably a mental one. I can help you cure your legs, but you have to promise me that you’ll keep our engagement after your legs are healed. How does that deal sound to you?”

Upon hearing this, Prince Zhao’s face became cold once again, and that devilish and stern smile that he had just shown reappeared on his face as if he had heard a joke.

Gu Yunruo was about to introduce her strengths and try to promote this deal that could buy her freedom, but before she could react, Prince Zhao suddenly struck out with the whip he had used to hit people earlier. The whip in his hand was like a swimming dragon, straight towards Gu Yunruo’s waist, and it entangled around her.

Prince Zhao saw that the whip had entangled her and he exerted force, pulling Gu Yunruo towards him, and she fell into his arms.

“Ah—If the deal doesn’t go through, then at least let our sense of righteousness prevail! Don’t use force, don’t use force—,” Gu Yunruo was so frightened that she opened her eyes and met Prince Zhao’s handsome but cold face. She immediately surrendered and begged for mercy in a low voice.

“How did you learn medicine if you’ve been living on a farm?” Prince Zhao extended his well-defined hand, lifted Gu Yunruo’s chin, and asked in a low voice.

Although he was very good-looking and his voice was full of magnetism and unique pleasantness, Gu Yunruo felt that the hand holding her chin was very cold, and his eyes were full of suspicion and killing intent.

If she didn’t answer to his satisfaction, Gu Yunruo believed that he would definitely snap and release her chin.

She took a deep breath and quickly thought to herself. Since he has a mental illness and can’t walk because of it, it shows that he is a very sensitive and suspicious person…