The Prime Minister Claims She's Pregnant - Chapter 32

The guards had been down there for a long time without a sound. Gu Jinse instinctively grabbed the rope, and with the collective effort of the others, they hauled the men out in one breath.

Those pulled out were all corpses.

Ming Yi’s expression changed drastically. She covered her nose and mouth, grabbing Gu Jinse to pull her several steps back. Meanwhile, the guards who had handled the ropes began to vomit uncontrollably.

Gu Jinse, being further away, had no immediate reaction. Ming Yi immediately commanded, “Find Chi Mei. Put on face masks and cover your mouths and noses. Seal off the Huo Manor and interrogate Huo Ji.”

Gu Jinse cursed inwardly, but seeing Ming Yi shielding her behind her back made her heart warm instantly. Ming Yi pressed a handkerchief into her hand, and the two retreated urgently. Not only did they move back, but the other guards also scrambled away.

In an instant, the lakeside was filled with an atmosphere of extreme nervousness.

The poisoned guards collapsed on the ground, twitching. When their companions tried to help them, Ming Yi barked a sharp reprimand: “Do not go forward!”

“Chancellor!” “Chancellor!”

Several cries of distress rang out. Seeing their long-time comrades dying before their eyes filled them with immense grief. Ming Yi remained as steady as Mount Tai, repeatedly forbidding anyone from approaching while never losing sight of Gu Jinse.

A moment passed, and Gu Jinse’s face turned pale; her vision grew blurred. Ming Yi instinctively wanted to keep her distance to avoid the poison, but a surge of tenderness overrode her caution, and she reached out to touch her.

Gu Jinse avoided her touch and said, “Stay away from me.”

“It is too late for that,” Ming Yi said, her voice thin and cool.

“You were so strict when advising others just now, but when it comes to yourself, you can’t follow your own rules?” Gu Jinse asked.

Ming Yi looked at her. Gu Jinse’s face was nearly transparent, as if her vitality were slowly draining away. “Because their lives belong to their parents, but my life is my own. I have the right to control my own existence. They do not.”

“Ming Yi, why don’t you just say you are an orphan and be done with it?” Gu Jinse let out a cold laugh. she looked up at the bright moon, and her heart suddenly grew peaceful. she never expected she would be so calm when facing death.

A dozen bodies lay before her. Just a moment ago, they were talking and laughing, and she had been reminding them to be careful. The contrast between then and now brought a massive shock to her system.

The bright moon hung in the sky just as it always had, seemingly unchanged by the tragedy.

Gu Jinse took a deep breath. Her chest felt congested, her breathing grew difficult, and her head began to swim. She gazed at Ming Yi and said blankly, “Chancellor Ming, what exactly does Huo Ji want? Is A-Gui already gone?”

The girl’s voice seemed to drift from a great distance, so weak and powerless. Ming Yi suddenly panicked. For a fleeting moment, her heart twisted violently, just as it had years ago when her mother closed her eyes and never woke again.

She suppressed her terror and grasped Gu Jinse’s hand. “A-Se.”

“Hmm?” Gu Jinse looked up. Seeing Ming Yi’s nervous expression, she smiled inexplicably. What a melodramatic plot, she thought. But then, life was lived through melodrama; one either had a dull life or one filled with ups and downs and eternal unrest.

Ming Yi was pale, her breath trembling, yet the look in her eyes was incredibly gentle. “Do you want to sleep?”

“No. I want to watch Huo Ji die. I think we fell into his trap. From the moment we first met in front of the silver bank, we were ensnared.” Gu Jinse felt guilty. She had been so proud of herself, yet in the end, she had simply walked into the enemy’s snare.

How foolish.

Ming Yi said nothing more, quietly waiting for Chi Mei to arrive.

After what felt like an eternity, Chi Mei finally appeared. She first handed two scented sachets to the Chancellor and Official Gu, then gave several more to the high-ranking officers. Finally, she began to check Gu Jinse’s pulse.

“It is toxic gas. Those who inhale it suffer respiratory arrest and immediate onset of the poison. Official Gu was further away, but I cannot be certain I can find an antidote,” Chi Mei muttered to herself.

Ming Yi did not dare ask questions, nor did she dare interrupt the pulse reading.

Chi Mei treated everyone equally: she checked Gu Jinse’s pulse and prescribed medicine before moving on to the other patients. As she turned, she reminded Ming Yi, “Chancellor, stay away from her. It might be contagious.”

Gu Jinse took the initiative to move away from Ming Yi, speaking in a small voice: “You are twenty-seven and I am seventeen. If you die along with me, it is a very poor bargain.”

“Is your math that bad? You’ve got it backwards,” Ming Yi snapped, glaring at her.

Gu Jinse stuck out her tongue. Her head spun again, and she said instinctively, “Don’t tell my mother.”

“I can promise you that, but you must go to the Chancellor’s Manor to be treated.” Ming Yi watched the girl, seeing how even in her weakness, she still thought of Madam Gu. It was a true display of filial piety.

“No, I want to see Huo Ji.” Gu Jinse was stubborn. She clenched her fist, trying to look strong. “I am perfectly fine. You stay here and preside over things; I am going to see Huo Ji.”

Ming Yi could not dissuade her. She assigned over a hundred men to follow her and then asked Chi Mei about Gu Jinse’s actual condition.

“She is poisoned. She won’t die immediately, but I cannot neutralize the toxin yet. Finding Huo Ji might be a way,” Chi Mei said, her back aching from the workload. “This toxic gas is potent. I will find a way to clear the air in the basement. There is definitely something down there.”

Huo Ji might have been plotting against Gu Jinse, or perhaps he was protecting whatever was hidden in the basement.

Gu Jinse endured her discomfort to see Huo Ji.

Huo Ji was bound to a wooden frame, having already undergone torture. In the past, Gu Jinse might have criticized Ming Yi for being unjust. Now, she felt these lashes were far too light a punishment for him.

Dismissing everyone else, she walked up to him. He suddenly laughed, baring his teeth in a hideous grin.

The Ministry of Justice prison was gloomy, the candlelight dim. Gu Jinse’s shadow stretched long. Huo Ji looked at her beautiful face and spoke first: “Gu Jinse.”

Gu Jinse remained silent. Huo Ji laughed loudly, causing the wounds on his neck to crack open and bleed profusely. Gu Jinse flinched and took a step back. Huo Ji laughed again and said, “I met Gu Jinhuan last year. He is so different from you. He couldn’t take his eyes off pretty women. You look identical, but your temperaments are worlds apart.”

Gu Jinse held her breath and asked, “What is it you truly want to do?”

“Gu Jinse, you took Gu Jinhuan’s name. I never told anyone. Have I not been good to you?” Huo Ji stared at her, his gaze sinister.

Gu Jinse trembled. She said coldly, “I don’t need you to be good to me. You killed so many young girls. What were you trying to achieve?”

Huo Ji’s hands were bound, his body immobilized, yet his eyes seemed ready to pop out of his head. Gu Jinse took a breath. “You wanted to use their lives to trade for your daughter’s life, didn’t you?”

Huo Ji’s face changed. He struggled, making the iron chains rattle as if he were trying to break free. “Gu Jinse, Gu Jinse, you will die soon. When you die, she will live!”

“When you die, she lives!” “When you die, she lives!”

Gu Jinse’s expression shifted. As she suspected, the basement was a trap specifically for her. She took a deep breath and said, “Everyone has their own fate. You should have focused on the Huo family. Their lives were in your hands. To trade twenty lives for one daughter—how cruel can you be?”

“They deserved to die, and so do you! You will be dead soon!” Huo Ji shouted maniacally, laughing up at the ceiling in triumph.

“Was your daughter born on the eighth day of the sixth lunar month last year?” Gu Jinse suddenly asked. She didn’t understand the Five Elements, but perhaps sixteen years was a cycle, all occurring during the “Yin” hours.

Huo Ji sneered. “What if you know?”

“I will find your daughter,” Gu Jinse said with a slight smile. “It doesn’t matter if you won’t give me the antidote. I will send your daughter down under that rockery as well. Her body is weak; I’m sure she’ll be dead within moments. Or, once she dies, I will grind her bones to ash. Either way, I am going to die, so I might as well take someone with me as a cushion. It doesn’t matter to me. After I die, the Gu family line will still thrive; my father can still have more children.”

“Gu Jinse!” Huo Ji screamed, his entire body struggling. The veins on his forehead bulged. “I will report you for disguising yourself as a man to take the exams in your brother’s place!”

“Is that so? Do you think you’ll ever see the Emperor again?” Gu Jinse laughed gently. “I will make the entire Huo family join you in death. I will dig up the graves and whip the corpses. I’ll have your father’s body unearthed and hung from the city gates to rot in the sun day and night. Huo Ji, you can die, but your father will never find peace.”

“Gu Jinse, how can your heart be so vicious? All you Gus deserve to die!” Huo Ji shook with rage.

Gu Jinse sneered. She never thought she would one day say such venomous words. Since Huo Ji was superstitious, she attacked his weakness to provoke him.

Exhausted, she hurried out of the prison. Back at the carriage, Tun Tun brought her medicine. “The temperature is just right.”

Gu Jinse was weary. She drank the herbal soup from Tun Tun’s hand, her head growing even dizzier.

“Tun Tun, tell the Chancellor to find Huo Ji’s daughter. Tell her to be quick.”

“Alright, I understand,” Tun Tun nodded.

Gu Jinse leaned against the carriage wall and drifted off to sleep.

In her dreams, Gu Jinse was fed more medicine. In her muddled state, she seemed to see her mother, then Ming Yi. She didn’t know how long she slept in that haze, but when she woke, the sky was still black.

The candles flickered, the light hazy. Beside her was a face marked by youthful exhaustion but a gentle expression. Gu Jinse opened her eyes. “Chancellor Ming.”

Ming Yi smiled. “You’re awake. The toxic gas in the basement has been cleared. Nineteen corpses were found hidden down there.”

“What about Huo Ji’s child?” Gu Jinse pressed.

Ming Yi said, “The basement was connected to another hidden room. The child was inside; she was already dead. The ‘Yin’ energy on Huo Ji’s body came from that child. Huo Ji couldn’t accept his daughter’s death and tried to trade lives for hers. He set up the Five Elements path in that basement, and you were meant to be the final ‘gate’ for her soul.”

“Huo Ji has gone completely mad. His brothers are dead, his daughter is dead; the psychological shock was too much for him.”

Gu Jinse breathed a sigh of relief, closing her eyes and yawning. “As long as it’s over.”

“Gu Jinse, let’s get married sooner. I’ve set the date for three days from now.” Ming Yi suddenly spoke, her eyes flickering.

Gu Jinse snapped her eyes open again. The woman across from her was gentle and dignified, wearing a simple green dress that felt refreshing in the summer heat. Having just woken up, her mind was still a bit jumbled. “Is this a ‘Chongxi’ (a marriage to ward off bad luck)?”

“What is a ‘Chongxi’?” Ming Yi asked, feigning ignorance.

Gu Jinse looked at her. Everyone loves beauty, and looking at this beautiful woman made her heart feel much better. But she felt tired and weak. she had to say, “I’m tired. I don’t want to talk about this.”

Chongxi? How superstitious, she thought.

Gu Jinse hid under the covers. Ming Yi said with a smile, “I don’t feel tired. A-Se, tell me, do you disagree?”

“I disagree,” Gu Jinse said from under the blanket, her heart feeling a bit sour.

Ming Yi suddenly said, “A-Se, since meeting you, my luck has improved quite a bit. Your luck has worsened, though. With you here, my career has been very smooth.”

Gu Jinse remained silent.

“A-Se, I have already spoken with your mother. The wedding date has been moved up. It is useless to object; we have already agreed. The Emperor will also return to preside over our wedding.” Ming Yi smiled, her tone gentle as if she were discussing ordinary household matters. Feeling content, she continued, “A-Se, I never expected the Emperor would actually return.”

“Do you know how much I hate him?”

The weak person under the blanket poked her head out. Upon seeing the remarkably calm and gentle expression on Ming Yi’s face, her heart suddenly ached.

“I hate him, yet I continue to uphold him. A-Se, I think that one day, I will kill him with my own hands.”

Gu Jinse was so terrified that she scrambled up from the bed. “Are you insane?”

“You are recovered now. Get up and drink your soup; I was only joking,” Ming Yi said with a smile. She reached out to caress the girl’s cheek. “While you were asleep, I drafted an agreement. Take a look. If it is acceptable, just sign it, and we shall be allies.”

Despite calling her an “ally,” Ming Yi’s hand continued to wander affectionately. Gu Jinse turned pale with indignation. “I will not marry you! This is nothing but a bully’s contract.”

Ming Yi replied indifferently, “Your mother has already consented. With the command of parents and the words of a matchmaker, you have no room for refusal.”

Gu Jinse: “…” So angry!

Ming Yi patted the patient’s head, leaving the room satisfied, while the person left on the bed swung her fists at the air in frustration.

After her boxing session with the shadows, Chi Mei entered to check her pulse. Gu Jinse hurriedly asked, “Am I about to die?”

Chi Mei was startled. “Why would you ask such a thing?”

“If I weren’t dying, why would your Chancellor be in such a rush to get married?” Gu Jinse grabbed her hand, pressing for an answer.

“This subordinate does not know,” Chi Mei replied. “The Huo family matter is settled. Chancellor Ming has allowed the Yu family of Jinling to take over the role of Imperial Merchants. Madam Gu is very pleased, and I heard your maternal uncle will also be arriving in the capital. You should be happy as well.”

Gu Jinse’s brows twitched upward. “I won’t die, right?”

Chi Mei nodded.

Gu Jinse finally felt at ease. During the following days of recuperation, she ate and drank heartily. Within a few days, she felt her spirit and physical strength fully restored.

She wasn’t allowed to lift a finger for the wedding preparations; Ming Yi handled everything personally. During this time, Consort De paid a visit.

Gu Jinse had been staying at the Chancellor’s Manor to recover and was preparing to return to the Gu residence that afternoon. Hearing that Consort De had arrived, she felt it inappropriate to hide in the bedroom and allowed a maid to assist her to greet the guest.

Just as she reached the corridor, she saw four or five incredibly beautiful maids. In the modern world, their “head-turn rate” would have been a hundred percent.

She caught only a glimpse before the maids all looked toward her simultaneously, their faces blooming with shy, flower-like smiles.

Gu Jinse: “…” Electrifying me so openly… this feels very wrong.

She quickly avoided their gaze, covering her eyes as she hurried past them. Behind her, the maids chorused, “Official Gu has arrived.”

Slightly embarrassed, Gu Jinse stepped over the threshold and bowed to Consort De.

Seeing the handsome young man, Consort De looked pleased. “Official Gu has cracked a major case this time; His Majesty will surely bestow a great reward. I heard your health has been poor, so I have specially selected two maids trained in medicine to give to you. You must take care of your body, especially since you are so young.”

Ming Yi looked displeased, and the girl opposite her was stunned, seemingly failing to understand. It made sense; the Gu household was a “clean” one Gu Zhi took no concubines, so Gu Jinse had no idea what “sending women” implied.

Ming Yi remained silent, quietly waiting for the girl to react.

Gu Jinse finally snapped out of it. Remembering the winks from earlier, she got goosebumps. “Are you… asking me to take concubines?”

“Official Gu, you have misunderstood my intention,” Consort De explained. “To be honest, I am the Chancellor’s maternal aunt. I came to see if the arrangements here were inadequate. As you know, the Chancellor is busy and may not be able to attend to everything.”

Gu Jinse had a sudden realization. “Oh! You’re that maternal aunt, the one who stepped over your own sister’s corpse to become Consort De after driving her to her death, and then haven’t moved an inch in rank for years.”

Consort De’s expression grew mortified. She trembled with a hatred beyond belief. “Official Gu, what nonsense are you speaking? I shall tell His Majesty to punish you for the crime of great irreverence!”

“No, no, no, this official was wrong,” Gu Jinse apologized, feigning a grievance. “I only heard it from others. They say that years ago, His Majesty and the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, the wife of General Weiyuan were in love. Later, after you drove the eldest daughter to her death, His Majesty felt guilty toward the Zhao family and took you in as a replacement for her. Isn’t that just stepping over her corpse to become a Consort?”

Chancellor Ming kept these things hidden because she didn’t want to bother with them, but Gu Jinse was different.

Consort De stared at her in disbelief, forgetting even to be angry. For a moment, she didn’t know whether to believe it or not, so she turned to look at Ming Yi. Ming Yi sat as steady as Mount Tai, showing no intention of stopping Official Gu from speaking.

In an instant, Consort De slumped into her chair. Gu Jinse let out a pitying sigh. “Consort De, you are indeed beautiful, but compared to the eldest Zhao daughter my mother-in-law you are still a bit lacking. Otherwise, why would His Majesty seize another man’s wife rather than wanting you?”

Ming Yi pursed her lips and took a sip of cool tea. “Consort De, you should leave,” she said calmly. “If this matter is brought before His Majesty, you will lose even the last shred of his favor.”

Gu Jinse nodded vigorously. Right, right, right! Otherwise, you won’t even be able to be a body double anymore.

“I don’t believe it!” Consort De slammed the table and stood up. “His Majesty’s affection for me is deep and sincere. Your mother was the one who degraded herself; how dare you slander the Emperor!”

Gu Jinse sighed. The Emperor is a total dog; why would you believe a dog’s words?

She kept that thought to herself, knowing it was a one-way ticket to being scolded. She clamped her mouth shut. Ming Yi’s heart was in turmoil, but she felt compelled to speak. “That box of pearls was sent to the Zhao family after my mother died. I act with arrogance and His Majesty constantly grants me favor, do you really think it’s because he likes me?”

No. It was a heart full of guilt.

Consort De’s face turned white, her lips trembling. She looked like a fallen leaf in the wind. Gu Jinse added a final blow: “Consort De, you are nothing but a substitute for your sister.”

“Enough! I won’t listen to your nonsense! Slandering the Emperor is a capital crime! I… I will report this to His Majesty!” Consort De grew hysterical, her hair ornaments swaying. A murderous glint appeared in her eyes as if she wanted to swallow Ming Yi whole. “Ming Yi, don’t you dare speak such big words about your mother. A person who degrades herself is shameful, shameful!”

Gu Jinse put on a stern face. “There’s no point in questioning the Chancellor here. Why don’t you go and ask His Majesty yourself? Just ask him: ‘Do you still remember the eldest daughter of the Zhao family?’ It’s just one simple question. What are you afraid of?”

“She is afraid that once the truth is out, even the last of her favor will vanish. She is terrified,” Ming Yi cut in.

Gu Jinse agreed wholeheartedly and nodded. “That makes sense. Consort De, since your health is poor, you should take those two ‘health-regulating’ maids back with you. I am in excellent health.”

Consort De was frozen with rage, unable to utter a single word. She swept out of the room in a fit of pique.

Gu Jinse smiled. Believing in the Emperor’s love is like asking a sow if it can climb a tree.

Having vented her frustration, she felt relieved. However, as her breathing evened out, her head suddenly felt heavy. She touched her forehead; it was spinning. Ming Yi stepped forward to support her. “I’ll take you home. In two days, we shall be married.”

“Chancellor, I really feel like you’re holding a ‘Chongxi’ wedding,” Gu Jinse sighed helplessly. The “beauty’s nest” was laced with arsenic and poison, yet she had fallen right into it.

Ming Yi gave a cold laugh. “I would never marry a dying person.”

Gu Jinse wanted to argue, but Ming Yi took her hand. “Official Gu, I’m taking you home.”

“You were calling me A-Se just a moment ago, and now you’ve changed again,” Gu Jinse grumbled.