The scumbag was secretly having an affair, while I was openly having an affair with the prince.

Chapter 87 Death in the Fire

Gu Simo lay on the ground, staring at them weakly and blankly, as if she couldn't believe the changes in them.

Now in the Grand Secretary's residence, Madam Li shouted without restraint, "You think we brought you back to treat you like royalty? You're dreaming!"

"What...what exactly do you want to do?"

"What are you doing?" Li squatted down in front of her, grabbed her neck and forced her to raise her head, and said with a mocking smile, "It's obvious that you've fallen for the second son of the Ye family, so you probably don't want him to die, right?"

"What...what do you mean?" Gu Simo still looked puzzled.

"To tell you the truth, we have an antidote that can save your lives. It all depends on how smart and obedient you are!"

"You have...you have an antidote? Could it be...you're the ones who poisoned us?" Gu Simo stared at Gu Yong in disbelief. "Father...why would you do this?"

Gu Yong tightened his grip on the whip, glared at her fiercely, and threatened, "I'm asking you now, do you want to work for the Gu family?"

"What...what are you going to do?"

'Snap!' The whip suddenly lashed out at her.

Immediately following was Gu Yong's angry shout, "Just do what I tell you to do! If you dare ask another question, I'll beat you to death!"

Gu Simo trembled and shrank back, pleading, "Father... have mercy..."

Madam Li stood up and took Gu Yong's hand. "Master, it's not too late to ask questions before you fight." Then, she looked down at Gu Simo and asked directly, "Gu Simo, do you want Ye Shijun to live?"

“…Yes.” Gu Simo nodded without hesitation.

"Then would you be willing to work for the Crown Prince?"

"Help...help the Crown Prince with some tasks...do...do what tasks..."

"Don't worry about what we do. As long as you do as we tell you from now on, we will not only give you and Ye Shijun the antidote, but we will also never blame you again."

Gu Simo pleaded through her tears, "As long as you can give me the antidote and guarantee that Shi Jun and I will live, I'll do anything you ask!"

Upon hearing this, Li looked at Gu Yong.

The couple both smiled.

However, Madam Li continued, "You are only in the initial stages of the poisoning. Even if you die, it will be half a month from now. In these half a month, as long as you do what we asked you to do, we will give you the antidote."

Gu Simo was clearly not so easily fooled; she bit her lip and stared intently at them.

But she clearly had no other choice but to open her lips and nod, "Okay!"

Gu Yong and Li Shi went to great lengths to get her to obey. Seeing that she had given in, the couple exchanged glances again. Li Shi changed her harsh expression and squatted down in front of her, saying with heartache, "Good Mo'er, you've suffered these past few days. I'll have someone bring you some medicine to treat your injuries, and I'll also boil some medicine to relieve the poison. After you take it, you won't feel so bad."

"Thank you so much, Second Madam..." Gu Simo said, tears welling up in her eyes.

A short while later, Gu Yong and Li Shi left the backyard.

Gu Simo continued to lie on the ground.

Half an hour later, a gorgeous figure entered the room.

"My dear sister, why did you decide to come back today?" Gu Shiya walked up to her, squatted down, and sized her up with a click of her tongue. "It seems that you, the second young mistress of the Ye family, are not doing so well!"

Gu Simo only glanced at her indifferently and didn't say anything.

Gu Shiya covered her mouth and chuckled, "You think marrying into the Ye family will bring you wealth and luxury? A cheap life is a cheap life, yet you still want to climb the social ladder. How laughable!"

Perhaps finding the room too smelly, she didn't intend to stay long. After tossing a medicine bottle at Gu Simo, she got up and left.

Gu Simo continued to lie on the ground and even took a nap.

No one came to see her again until it got dark.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard a strange noise coming from the window behind her.

She then jumped up, ran quickly to the window, and opened it.

"Little sister, why are you here?"

Ye Shishu didn't say much to her, and directly stuffed the heavy object he had taken a liking to into the room through the window.

This heavy object was no ordinary thing; it was a female corpse found in a mass grave.

This was something she had instructed Ye Shijun to do long ago.

Without wasting any time, she quickly exchanged clothes with the female corpse. Touching the copper lock her mother had left her around her neck, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then took off the lock and put it around the female corpse's neck.

She busied herself inside, while Ye Shishu worked outside. After she finished arranging the female corpse, Ye Shishu also poured oil around the house.

Once the fire started, it spread rapidly, and the entire row of seven or eight houses was quickly engulfed in flames!

When the servants on night duty discovered the fire, flames were already hanging from the eaves and beams, making it impossible to salvage anything inside.

When Gu Yong and Li heard that the stables were on fire, they rushed over in alarm.

Even Gu Shiya was startled awake from her sweet dream and rushed over.

The raging fire and billowing smoke were so choking that people dared not approach, let alone put out the fire.

The entire government could only stand at a distance, dumbfounded, watching the fire rage on.

After dawn.

The fire was finally extinguished.

Just as Gu Yong had ordered his servants to search for Gu Simo's body, the gatekeeper rushed in to report, "Master, Madam, General Ye and the two young masters have arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Li couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, who leaked the news so quickly!"

Gu Yong glared at the burned-out row houses and said irritably, "So what if they're here? It's not like we set the fire!"

He was just filled with hatred. That worthless bastard hadn't even done anything for them yet, and he was already dead!

Just then, the servants found Gu Simo's body in the ruined house and ran to Gu Yong and Madam Li, presenting a piece of the body: "Master, Madam, the eldest young lady has been burned to a crisp. This was taken from her body."

Li did not recognize it.

But Gu Yong excitedly grabbed the brass lock, gritting his teeth and saying, "That really is that scoundrel!"

He was very familiar with this brass lock!

It was made by him for Gu Simo's mother in his early years before he entered officialdom.

At that time, he was penniless and relied entirely on Gu Simo's mother working for a wealthy family to support him in taking the imperial examinations. To express his gratitude, he commissioned someone to make a copper lock and gave it to Gu Simo's mother.

After Gu Simo was born, her mother put this copper lock on her body...

As the Ye family father and son entered the backyard, they overheard the servants' conversation. Supported by his father and brothers, Ye Shijun excitedly lunged at Gu Yong, snatched the copper lock, and then cried out to the heavens in a hoarse voice—

"Mo'er—"

Ye Gengxin pointed at Gu Yong and his wife excitedly, "Is this how you take care of Mo'er? You actually took care of her until she was in a fire!"

Ye Shiting wasn't idle either, joining in the condemnation of Gu Yong, "I'd heard before that Miss Gu wasn't favored, but I didn't expect it to be true! Lord Gu, even tigers don't eat their cubs, how can you, as a father, be so heartless? Mo'er is now a member of our Ye family, if you have any grievances, you can come at our Ye family, why did you have to burn Mo'er alive?"