Chapter 41

◎Yang Tao almost became Jiang He's concubine [Second update]◎

Xue Lingyu didn't have a good impression of the Fifth Prince. She had heard a lot about his arrogant reputation when they were young ladies, and he always openly or secretly compared himself to other young masters from noble families, which made him really unlikable.

In particular, it was no secret that the Fifth Prince wanted to marry into the Jiang family as their legal husband, and he was the biggest hidden danger that Xue Lingyu was worried about.

Princes usually stay in the palace and rarely have the opportunity to leave. Xue Lingyu never expected to meet the Fifth Prince here; it was truly too much of a coincidence.

Seeing the Fifth Prince's expression, as if he had come specifically to find her, Xue Lingyu became cautious, subtly taking a few steps back and bowing to the Fifth Prince.

"Greetings to the Fifth Prince."

The Fifth Prince noticed the red jade hairpin in Xue Lingyu's hair at first glance, and a feeling of hatred welled up in his heart. Why could Xue Lingyu obtain what he longed for so easily?

Xue Lingyu stepped back, and the Fifth Prince stepped forward. His smile looked harmless, but it concealed a sinister intent.

"I didn't expect to run into you here." The Fifth Prince observed for a while, and only after confirming that Jiang He was not there did he completely relax and openly look at Xue Lingyu's hairpin. "It seems that Jiang He really dotes on you, giving you such an expensive hairpin so readily. But..."

The Fifth Prince suddenly grabbed Xue Lingyu's hand and whispered in his ear, "You can't have children now, but you'll have to watch Jiang He have a house full of children and grandchildren."

The Fifth Prince spoke with a smug look on his face; he was determined to see Xue Lingyu make a fool of herself.

Xue Lingyu frowned, feeling that the Fifth Prince's words seemed to be implying something.

"What do you mean by 'a house full of children and grandchildren'?"

The Fifth Prince laughed out loud, seemingly marveling at his own naiveté.

"You don't know yet, do you? Jiang He doesn't only have you. She also has a maid who's pregnant with her child. Because of your appearance, she was kicked out of the manor by Jiang He, and she's about to give birth now." The Fifth Prince said with a smirk, "What, do you want to go see Jiang He's child?"

The Fifth Prince's voice was extremely low, and only Xue Lingyu could hear it.

Like a bolt from the blue, Xue Lingyu's legs involuntarily went weak, and she only managed to stay upright thanks to Xue's support.

"What? Young Master Xue, do you not believe me? You are welcome to come with me to visit. I have no right to lie."

Although Xue Lingyu was very surprised and her palms were ice-cold, she still managed to maintain a degree of rationality.

He was originally struggling with how to create the perfect fake death subject, but now that the Fifth Prince has delivered himself to him, he can just go with the flow.

Moreover, the Fifth Prince had a strong motive, making it difficult for outsiders to suspect anything.

Xue Lingyu did not believe what the Fifth Prince said at this moment. The Fifth Prince had been pestering Jiang He for a long time. What if he just wanted to upset him?

Xue glared at the Fifth Prince several times. Although Jiang He had told him not to hit the Fifth Prince, he just couldn't stand the Fifth Prince!

“Alright, I’ll go with Your Highness to take a look,” Xue Lingyu readily agreed.

The Fifth Prince hadn't expected things to go so smoothly, but the sooner his plan was implemented, the more advantageous it would be for him.

As long as Xue Lingyu is gone, Jiang He will definitely agree to let him enter the Jiang family.

Yang Tao was secretly taken out of the palace and placed in a civilian house. His belly was already very big, and walking had become extremely difficult. Leaving the palace today had already exhausted him a lot of energy.

The fifth prince said that he could not give birth in the palace, as it would disrupt the fortune of his palace.

Having finally found a place to stay in a private residence, just as Yang Tao was about to breathe a sigh of relief, several men dressed as constables barged in and forcibly poured an unknown medicinal soup into his mouth.

"This is the labor-inducing medicine ordered by the Fifth Prince. You will give birth to this child outside the palace today!" Duke Wen said without any pity.

Yang Tao was given a labor-inducing drug and immediately felt discomfort in his abdomen. He said with a pained expression, "But my child is not even a month old yet... My lord, please, please speak to the Fifth Prince on my behalf..."

No one cared about Yang Tao's feelings; those sycophants were just waiting for him to lash out, ready to sacrifice their father for their daughter.

Xue Lingyu chose to go with the Fifth Prince to see the so-called midwife. Even if Ji Xue was unwilling, she had to go along. However, when they arrived at the door, the Fifth Prince's guards stopped Ji Xue.

Xue Lingyu was puzzled as to why the Fifth Prince would forbid Xue from entering the palace.

"This is Jiang He's guard." The Fifth Prince's words were clear: if Ji Xue wanted to destroy any evidence later, given his skills, it would be a piece of cake.

Xue Lingyu understood this principle as well; if Ji Xue wasn't around, it wouldn't be easy for him to discover any tricks he might pull.

He said in a coaxing tone, "Ji Xue, wait for me here. I'll be out in a bit. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

This last sentence was also addressed to the Fifth Prince.

The Fifth Prince snorted coldly and stepped through the gate first.

Ji Xue crossed her arms and pouted, looking somewhat dissatisfied.

Xue Lingyu coaxed again, "When I come out, I'll go to Ruyi Restaurant to buy you pastries, okay?"

Although she knew it was a lie, Xue Lingyu still had to say it.

Xue reluctantly agreed.

This was a long-abandoned house. Xue Lingyu followed the Fifth Prince into the inner courtyard, thinking along the way about what suitable opportunity to take the fake death medicine.

If he were to die in front of the Fifth Prince, the Fifth Prince would surely be terrified and would dispose of his body as quickly as possible to avoid being overheard.

But as soon as he stepped into the inner courtyard, he heard a very painful sound, which really sounded like a woman in labor.

Xue Lingyu's expression changed slightly.

The Fifth Prince was not in a hurry. Instead, he invited him to sit down and ordered his servants to bring him tea.

The Fifth Prince took a sip of tea and said leisurely, "You probably don't know this little servant's name yet."

He pointed inside and said, "That's the one inside. Her name is Yang Tao. She was pregnant with Jiang He's child, but Jiang He kicked her out because you wanted to come in. She was already three months pregnant at that time. Jiang He is really heartless. She said she didn't want the child and then just said she didn't want it."

Xue Lingyu only heard two familiar words: Yang Tao.

"Is that Yangtao inside?"

His shocked expression amused the Fifth Prince, who said with amusement, "Yes, so you knew too."

Xue Lingyu knew, of course, that Yang Le, who had betrayed him, was Yang Tao's younger brother, and that his death by poisoning was perhaps related to this Yang Tao.

Now that Yangtao has fallen into the hands of the Fifth Prince, it seems that the poisoning was most likely the work of the Fifth Prince.

"What evidence do you have to prove that the child in Yang Tao's belly is Jiang He's?" Xue Lingyu still didn't believe what the Fifth Prince said.

"Evidence? The child is evidence, but it depends on whether you can accept it." The Fifth Prince put down his teacup and looked at Xue Lingyu's face with a leisurely air. "That little servant has a foxy look on her face, completely different from you. Since you've heard of Yang Tao, you should know that he almost became Jiang He's concubine."

The Fifth Prince relentlessly pierced Xue Lingyu's heart, saying, "He should have been Jiang He's concubine, and you were just an accident."

The Fifth Prince spoke with great conviction, but Xue Lingyu still harbored thoughts of separation.

He secretly mixed the fake death drug into the tea, and once it dissolved, he could drink it.

The Fifth Prince wanted to see Xue Lingyu break down, but Xue Lingyu did not give him his wish.

Jiang He did indeed hide the fact that Yang Tao almost became Jiang He's concubine from him.

A note from the author:

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2022-01-24 20:24:16 and 2022-01-25 02:11:24!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: 42917773 (1 landmine);

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: 19657996 (5 bottles); 57028157 and Yanyu (1 bottle);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!

◎Latest Comments:

【Smugly pressing a paw emoji】

【Here it comes! Here it comes! Here it comes!】

[Bonus chapter for the author]

[The Fifth Prince is in danger! Hahaha]

The Fifth Prince is so disgusting!

[Nutritional Solution (1/1) Achievement Completed. There is a certain chance of it dropping as an update. Please keep up the good work!]

[Oh, if that's the case, then the female lead won't think Xue was trying to run away; she's just heartbroken and left. There's no misunderstanding. Yay! Yay!]

[The Fifth Prince is too ruthless...]

[Third update!!! The author is amazing!!! But I'm so anxious because I'm stuck here. I'll drink this nutrient solution and write another 33,000 words tomorrow! If you don't update, how am I supposed to buy more chapters? If I don't buy more chapters, how will I get the nutrient solution? What do you suggest?!]

-over-