Chapter 487: Advice

Chapter 487: Chapter 487: Advice

As the mother and daughter chatted and laughed, Gu Kaiyuan walked in, bringing a rush of cold air with him. "This blasted weather changes just like that. It suddenly got freezing."

Bai Suihe glanced outside. Hiding in the warm room, they hadn’t felt it at all. "The temperature dropped?"

"It’s a late spring chill." Gu Kaiyuan waited for the coldness on his clothes to dissipate a bit before walking further inside. "But once this cold snap passes, the temperature should stabilize."

"Have you finished your business?" Bai Suihe asked. "I’ve already prepared the item you wanted. Should I give it to you now?"

"That fast?" Gu Kaiyuan remembered Nanny Pang and wasn’t too surprised. "Then give it to me. I’ll have it sent out along with the rest."

"This drug has a fatal flaw. If it’s discovered in a short period of time, there’s an antidote for it."

Gu Kaiyuan paused. "So what if it can be cured? The other Princes can still use it to their advantage and make a huge fuss.

"Whether or not he has an heir isn’t the most important thing, but he definitely can’t have one right now."

What he wanted was to stall for time and weaken the Third Prince’s momentum, preventing him from hogging all the advantages like he did last time.

By the end of this year, if nothing unexpected happened, Gu Antong would get pregnant and give birth to his eldest son. His other principal and secondary consorts would also successively give birth to Imperial Grandsons, giving Rong Ruiyuan unparalleled prominence for a time.

This drug would serve as a smokescreen. If Rong Ruiyuan became infertile, who would benefit? It didn’t matter even if it was investigated; it would only muddy the waters further.

"What about the person you arranged?" Bai Suihe was more worried about this. If the investigation traced back to them, the mole they had so painstakingly planted would likely meet a grim end.

"Don’t worry. Once the drug is administered, I’ll have our person withdraw." Gu Kaiyuan was in dire need of capable people right now. Anyone he trusted to execute such an important task was a core confidant, so of course, he had made foolproof preparations.

Bai Suihe said, "Then tell our person to stay safe. If they can’t accomplish it, don’t force it."

Gu Kaiyuan gave her a complicated look. Bai Suihe was kinder than he remembered. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.

"I’ll pass on the instructions." Gu Kaiyuan sighed. If an opportunity didn’t present itself, safety would have to be the priority.

He had to hurry and deliver the item. After all, his agent would be hitting the road as soon as the city gates opened tomorrow morning; everything had to be set up beforehand.

Bai Suihe held Gu Xingyang, lost in thought. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have lethal poisons on hand. If she could, she would love to finish off Rong Ruiyuan and his faction in one fell swoop, but she couldn’t!

With their current capabilities, they couldn’t guarantee it would go perfectly. Having finally been given a second chance at life, she didn’t want Gu Kaiyuan to take any risky gambles.

The drugs they were using now weren’t fatal. When the time came, they would leave no trace behind, leaving their enemies to engage in infighting and internal attrition. That was the best choice.

"Mother, don’t be unhappy," Gu Xingyang said, reaching out a small hand to stroke Bai Suihe’s face.

"When I grow up a little more, I’ll personally help you take care of them."

Listening to her childish words, Bai Suihe pressed her face against the little hand. "Mother isn’t unhappy. I just feel a bit regretful that we can’t mete out swift justice."

Bai Suihe herself found this kind of tug-of-war extremely frustrating. But they still had to live their lives moving forward, so they could only take things slowly.

"When I grow up a bit more, I’ll take you treasure hunting," Gu Xingyang said, changing the subject. "I’m very amazing, you know! As long as they are within a ten-meter radius of me, no treasures can hide."

Bai Suihe caressed her little cheek. "Don’t mention these things to me. We all need to have our own trump cards in life. You must remember: sometimes, once you tell another person, it’s no longer a secret.

"In the future, even with your closest loved ones, you can never be completely unreserved."

Gu Xingyang answered obediently, "I know, Mother."

Bai Suihe didn’t know if she truly understood, but she could only teach her slowly over time.

Knowing that the temperature outside had dropped, she dismissed the idea of taking her out. Instead, she brought her into the inner chamber, laid her in her designated crib, and half-reclined nearby with a storybook in hand, beginning to read to her.

"Mother, these storybooks are a bit boring. I really miss a certain website right now. They have every kind of novel there, and you could never finish reading them all."

Piqued, Bai Suihe put down her book. "You even know how to browse websites?"

"Hehe, Mother, didn’t I learn that from you? By staying by your side, I learned whatever you learned."

"Then why are you still so childish?" Bai Suihe felt it didn’t make sense. She had gone to school for over a decade and had social experience. Since Gu Xingyang had been with her, she should have matured by now.

"But this is how I should be," Gu Xingyang blinked. "I’m still a baby right now. Of course I have to act like a baby."

Bai Suihe brought her face a bit closer. "Are you like this because you’re influenced by your physical body?"

"Mother is so smart! Otherwise, I wouldn’t sleep so much. It’s all because my body needs it. I have to be a good girl and grow tall."

Bai Suihe lightly tapped her cheek. "You do need to grow tall. So, be a good girl—eat until you’re full and sleep, then sleep until you wake up and eat. Do what a child should do and stop being so nosy every day."

Gu Xingyang smacked her lips. "But living as a baby like this is so boring! If I were actually ignorant and oblivious, of course I could do it. But eating and sleeping day in and day out is just so pathetic..."

Gu Xingyang was putting on an act again, but she was genuinely frustrated inside. Starting over as a baby had already deprived her of so much. Was her mother going to deprive her of her one tiny little hobby too?

Bai Suihe found her pitiful little expression endearing and softly comforted her. "Alright, alright. I know you’re bored. Next time there’s some drama, Mother will take you to see it."

"My mother is the best! If there’s drama like today’s again, you can’t leave me behind."

Bai Suihe said in exasperation, "What are you thinking? Are you expecting other people to suffer from domestic turmoil every day?

"After this incident with the Lin family, the inner courts of the various estates will definitely quiet down for a while."

Bai Suihe mentally reviewed Mrs. Lin’s actions. Sure enough, there was no shortage of clever people anywhere. If she thought these ancient people were stupid, she would be gravely mistaken.

Looking at how the woman had handled things, Bai Suihe admitted that even she couldn’t have pulled it off so flawlessly.

As long as Mrs. Lin stayed true to her intentions in the future, the Lin family would never escape her grasp.

But how could such a woman fall ill so easily just from Madam Gu’s intimidation?

Bai Suihe suddenly sat up straight. Gu Xingyang looked at her with wide eyes. "Mother, what’s wrong?"

"Do you think this was all deliberately orchestrated by Mrs. Lin?"

"Isn’t that perfectly normal?" Gu Xingyang replied. "If she didn’t scheme, she’d be the only one suffering in the end."

"That’s not what I mean. I’m saying, right from the very beginning... from that banquet..."

A sudden chill ran down Bai Suihe’s spine. If that were truly the case, it was absolutely terrifying.

"It shouldn’t go that far, right?" Gu Xingyang was also a bit unsure.

"Why wouldn’t it? These ancient people may be ancient, but they aren’t stupid.

"We were too full of ourselves before, falling right into someone else’s carefully laid trap."