Rebirth: So what if my husband is a little crazy? He loves me.

Chapter 88 The Player

Ying'er dressed up specially. When she arrived at the Shen residence, the Crown Prince was playing chess with Master Shen in the study. She was asked to wait in the East Flower Hall.

After waiting for about half an hour, the Crown Prince finally walked in. He quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Highness."

"You're the only one who came?" Li Heng noticed that she was clearly not in a good mood, so he walked straight past her and sat down.

Ying'er turned around and replied, "Miss said that Lord Gu is injured and needs to stay at home to take care of him, so she instructed me to come and pay my respects to you."

“She seems to be paying more and more attention to other men lately.” Li Heng’s eyes were full of indignation.

I thought we could catch up and get closer after not seeing each other for so long, but I didn't expect Shen Li to not even come. Her heart has changed completely.

"That's right. Although I'm recovering from my injuries, I've heard from the servants that the two of them are now sharing a bed, and they've been inseparable since they were injured."

Ying'er stated her opinion: "In my opinion, this is definitely not an act. Miss Shen has truly fallen in love with Gu Chang'an."

Li Heng had already guessed it, but his face still turned pale when he heard this. This fickle woman!

"Your Highness, please calm down. Don't upset yourself." Ying'er quickly comforted him upon seeing this.

Having been somewhat prepared, Li Heng calmed down relatively quickly, refusing the tea she offered and continuing to ask, "In your opinion, do they have any secret contact with the Prince of Yi?"

Zheng Yanran's visits to the Gu family were far too frequent. Moreover, Consort Zheng and Prince Yi had been sending gifts to the Gu family quite often, and their interactions were much more frequent than before.

"I didn't notice anything," Ying'er said truthfully. "I've been bedridden for a while, but I will definitely keep a close eye on them for Your Highness in the future."

She had already mentioned her injury twice, and Li Heng couldn't pretend he didn't hear her, so he pulled her into his arms and comforted her.

"Keep a close eye on them for me, and you'll get your share of the rewards, hmm?" Li Heng whispered in her ear.

"Your Highness, rest assured." Ying'er's face flushed, and her resolve grew stronger.

She was already His Highness's woman. When His Highness inherited the throne in the future, he would surely be able to make her a concubine based on her merits. At that time, her fate and that of her family would be completely different.

Shen Li, a self-proclaimed talented woman, still has to obediently become her stepping stone.

"Give this to Shen Li." Li Heng handed her a sachet: "She'll know what to do once she sees what's inside."

This was also a test of his loyalty to Shen Li.

He cannot keep disloyal people around him, otherwise he might be assassinated and die without even knowing how.

"Yes," Ying'er replied.

After leaving the Shen residence, she still felt a little smug as she walked down the street, thinking about her future glory and wealth. What did it matter that she came from a poor family? As long as she had the means, she could still rise to the top.

As she was thinking, a large hand suddenly reached out from the alley and pulled her inside.

Her scream was choked back by that hand.

She saw a burly man with a full beard and a robust build in front of her. There were four such men around her, two of whom were blocking the alley entrance with their bodies. There was no way she could escape.

"Girl, don't try to negotiate, or this knife won't discriminate." The burly man said, pressing a sharp knife against Ying'er's waist.

Ying'er nodded repeatedly. When the man moved his hand away, he first caught his breath before glaring at her and saying, "Who are you people? You even dare to rob me? I am a servant of the Gu family of the Dali Temple. If I stab you with this knife today, none of you will escape."

She had worked her way up in the palace and had seen all sorts of cannibalistic scenes. These men were clearly organized thieves, not lunatics. They were only after profit and wouldn't kill easily.

"Wow, this girl's got some nerve," the burly man in the lead laughed. "No wonder she's been in the palace; you can't scare her like that."

"You know my background?" Ying'er instantly realized that things were complicated.

Knowing her background, the people who dared to touch her couldn't be ordinary petty thieves. Suppressing the panic in her eyes, she asked, "Who exactly are you people, and what do you want?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than a man was brought out from the depths of the alley, his hands bound, his face bruised and purple from being slapped, but she recognized him at a glance.

"elder brother?"

"Xiao Hong, Xiao Hong, hurry up and give them the money, or they'll kill your brother!" Zhao Dayou saw Ying'er and immediately ran over, knelt down, hugged her leg, and started crying: "Only you can save your brother now."

Ying'er felt uncomfortable upon hearing this name from home. It wasn't that she didn't want to sever ties with her family, but if she did, she feared she would be accused of being unfilial, and she simply couldn't bear the thought of causing a scene.

"Didn't I just send you some silver ten days ago? How come you owe money again?" Ying'er said with exasperation, "Isn't one hundred taels enough for you to lose?"

"Little sister, I promise I'll never gamble again once I get the money. You save your brother this once, and I swear to you..."

"Shut up." Ying'er was tired of hearing this, so she immediately interrupted him and asked the burly man, "How much money does he owe you?"

“Girl, you’re generous. It’s not much, just five hundred taels.”

"Five hundred taels?" Ying'er's face turned pale. "Why did you lose so much!"

“This is a lot for others, but with the Shen family’s gold mine, you can easily take some and it will be enough for us to live on for the rest of our lives,” Zhao Dayou persuaded.

Ying'er felt utterly helpless. It wasn't that she hadn't saved this money, but after giving it away, she didn't have much left and still had to ask Shen Li for help.

Although she had only been with Shen Li for a little over a year, she knew that Shen Li didn't have a clear concept of money and would give it to anyone who asked.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The Gu residence.

"What's wrong? Why are your eyes swollen from crying after you went out? Who bullied you?" Shen Li immediately asked Ying'er with concern.

"Miss," Ying'er knelt down directly in front of Shen Li, "This servant has no face to say it."

She kowtowed so firmly that Shen Li and Gu Chang'an on the couch exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with a smile that only hunters could understand.

"My brother is a compulsive gambler and owes a thousand taels of silver. My mother is also bedridden, so we really can't afford to pay him back." Ying'er began to cry, "Miss, could you lend me some money to tide me over? I will repay you even if I have to work like a slave in the future."

"What are you saying?" Shen Li helped the man up herself and said simply, "One thousand taels, right? I'll give you two thousand taels. Go back and find a good doctor for the old man to see. Come back when he's feeling better."

"Thank you for your great kindness, Miss." Ying'er didn't want to go back, so she said, "Just find two old women at home to take care of me. I'll go check and come back to serve you, Miss."

"That's nonsense. I'm not short of people to take care of you. On the contrary, your mother is seriously ill and hasn't seen her daughter for years. If I keep taking you, wouldn't I become a bully?"

"It's settled then. I'll have Lian Qiao take you back. Just let me know if you need more money," Shen Li said firmly.

Ying'er couldn't refuse, since she might not get the money if she said it wasn't that serious, so she had no choice but to agree.

"That's right, but come back soon after you've finished." Shen Li looked rather reluctant to part.

Ying'er no longer suspected anything, and after giving her the brocade pouch, she went with Lianqiao.

Shen Li blinked as she watched the person's departing figure. She had learned something new; so this was how money could be used.