Chapter 176: Heartbeat Speeding Up

How long have you been working at the Hou Mansion"Chunliu replied honestly, "I am sixteen this year. I was bought back by the old mistress together with Xi Zhu four years ago. I served the old mistre...Suddenly being lifted off the ground, Meng Jinyao felt a sense of weightlessness that made her feel insecure. She instinctively reached out and hugged Gu Jingxi's neck. After a moment of stunned silence, she realized that she had been picked up by Gu Jingxi.

She opened her mouth slightly, wanting to say that she could walk on her own, but seeing the man's angry yet helpless expression, she pursed her lips again and nestled quietly against Gu Jingxi's arms without a word.

Gu Jingxi turned his eyes to the two maids standing aside, their souls frightened. He said in a low voice, "Where are the guest rooms Lead the way."

Qingqiu was the first to recover, hastily responding with a nod. But as a maidservant, she wouldn't dare walk in front of her master. She only pointed the way for him and, together with Ningshuang, followed behind him.

On the road, the atmosphere was silent.

Meng Jinyao quietly raised her head to glance at him several times. The man's expression was indifferent at this moment, and she couldn't see his joy or anger. She felt a little scared at this moment, and she weighed it carefully: "Husband, the person who could make you and Lord Qi go out together to pursue should be very important. Why don't you go back to your duties first"

Gu Jingxi's footsteps faltered upon hearing this. He lowered his gaze to look at the person in his arms. The small face, barely the size of a palm, was still pale, and fear lingered in her eyes, clearly terrified by what had happened. She had tripped near the wishing pool just now, and it looked like a bad fall. On the surface, there were no visible injuries, but she probably had some inside.

Thinking of this, his brows furrowed and he said softly, "You're not important.

Why is it important to find a wife for a prisoner Asking prisoners about their wives isn't essential. There are other comrades who can be questioned.

As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Jinyáo suddenly looked up at Gu Jingxi.

Four simple words, yet they stirred a thousand waves in Meng Jin Yao's heart. She stared blankly at the man's handsome face, his powerful heartbeat reaching her right ear. The thump-thump-thump resonated in her mind, making it buzz. Her own heartbeat quickened, its rhythm thrown into disarray.

Gu Jingxi noticed her gaze and smiled, asking, "What's wrong"

Meng Jin Yao shook her head gently, burying her face in the man's broad chest. She continued to listen to his heartbeat, inexplicably feeling a sense of peace. Her frantic heartbeat slowly calmed down and returned to normal.

She felt that something was wrong.

But it's undeniable that she felt a touch of joy at this moment, accompanied by an indescribable sensation. She wasn't averse to this unfamiliar feeling.

Gu Jingxi saw her bury her face in his chest, thinking she was still afraid. He couldn't help but chuckle, "Now you know to be afraid Just now you were very brave, and your plan was big too, even wanting to run away with someone."

Meng Jin Yao blinked her eyes, feigning death and refusing to respond.

Seeing this, Gu Jingxi pursed his lips and smiled, taking steady steps and continuing to walk with her in his arms.

Qing Qiu and Ning Dong followed behind them, listening to their conversation. It was obvious that the Marquis truly cared for his mistress. Because his mistress had been frightened, he had put aside his official duties to stay with her. This showed that in the Marquis's heart, his duties were less important than his mistress.

Back in the guest room, Gu Jingxi gently placed the person on a chair and asked softly, "Where are you hurt"

Meng Jinyao uttered a bewildered "Ah" without any comprehension.

Gu Jingxi asked again, "When you fell by the wishing pool, where did you fall"

Meng Jin Yao only then reacted, hurriedly moving her hands and feet. Perhaps the movement pulled at her wound, she hissed in pain, pointing to her right knee and elbow, and replied: "Here, and here."

Her eyebrows furrowed, her voice soft and tender, with a hint of grievance, like a child who had fallen and sought comfort from an elder.

Gu Jingxi's heart softened as he heard this. He softly said, "Let me take a look," then crouched down and lifted her skirt to examine her wounds.

Meng Jinyao's face turned pale, she just wanted to speak up and stop it, but then she thought about it, they were a married couple sleeping in the same bed anyway, there was nothing wrong with them being intimate.

Just as Gu Jingxi lifted her skirt, one hand gripping her right ankle and the other rolling up her pants leg to above her knee, it was clear that the spot on her knee had been bruised from the fall. However, the bruise wasn't serious.

Gu Jingxi saw that her injuries were not serious, so he put down her leg and looked at the wound on her elbow.

If you fall forward, your elbow injury will be much more obvious. In summer, clothing is thinner and there are visible scratches on the elbows.

She rolled up her sleeve, revealing a pair of white arms. On the inside of her elbows, she had scrapes that were bleeding and surrounded by redness. This wound on her hands, which were normally as flawless and smooth as snow-white lotus root, looked especially severe.

Seeing this, Gu Jingxi frowned and ordered, "Qingqiu, you go to the temple to ask for some wound medicine and gauze. Ningdong, go fetch a basin of water."

Two maidservants responded and immediately went to do it.

Meng Jin Yao saw that he was frowning, knowing that he was worried about her. She quickly smiled and said, "It's actually alright, it just hurts a bit. Compared to dying, this is nothing."

She wouldn't have said that if it wasn't for her. The moment she finished speaking, Gu Jingxi gave her a cold glare and reprimanded her in a low voice, "Next time, don't act impulsively. Do you know that if I hadn't acted in time tonight If I had just been a little slower, you would have become his soul under the sword"

Meng Jinyao lowered her head, not daring to retort. She had indeed been impulsive tonight. Thinking back on the scene of that cold and sharp sword flashing towards her, she couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.

Seeing that she hung her head and said nothing, like a child who had done something wrong, Gu Jingxi softened his tone: "Madam, next time you encounter danger, don't overestimate your husband. Remember not to act impulsively. Ensure your own safety before taking any further action, because even your husband can make mistakes."

Meng Jin Yao was as obedient as a child, nodding and replying: "I know."

Suddenly, Gu Jingxi saw bloodstains and scratches on her palms. He grabbed her hand and took a closer look, finding that both of her hands had scratches, with the right one more serious. There were also several crescent-shaped wounds on both hands, which were clearly inflicted by fingernails.

Although the wound oozed fresh blood, the little girl's fingernails showed no bloodstains, and the wound had already scabbed over. It was clearly not caused just now. The bleeding was only from a scrape when she fell. The little girl was fine when she went out this morning, so it must have been injured after she went out during the day.

Remember last time, he saw the young girl hurt herself with her nails. He was still thinking about Chengyu's death, overwhelmed by guilt and anger yet unable to seek revenge. He repressed his emotions and ended up hurting himself.

As he moved, Meng Jin Yao lowered her eyes and only then realized that her palm was also injured. She had already been hurt on the palm before, but she hadn't paid attention to the pain.

Seeing the man's brows furrow even tighter, clearly because of her injury, a warm current flowed through her heart. She said, "My husband, don't worry, it's really alright. I didn't even notice it myself, so it can't be too painful."

Gu Jingxi looked at her steadily, and asked in a gentle voice, "Madam, what happened today"pearly white teeth bit her lip, a pained and suppressed expression etched upon her face.Upon seeing this, Gu Jingxi was a little surprised and smiled gently: “It’s nothing. It's normal for children to...