Chapter 233 Brutal (Second Update)

Tang Ming felt the icy rage emanating from Gu Changqing and was stunned on the spot.

Not wanting to wake Gu Yan, Gu Changqing didn't fight him. He sheathed his sword and left with Gu Yan.

It wasn't until Gu Changqing disappeared at the end of the street that Tang Ming was brought back to his senses by the cold rain.

Damn it!

Was he just threatened by Gu Changqing?!

Gu Changqing escorted Gu Yan back to Bishui Hutong, while Gu Jiao returned to the clinic.

She entered through the back door, went directly to her own courtyard, changed back into women's clothing, and then went to the main hall.

Shopkeeper Wang was taken aback when he saw her: "Eh? Where did you come from?"

"The back door," Gu Jiao said.

Xiao Sanzi followed behind without daring to utter a sound.

After seeing the patient upstairs, Dr. Song came down and greeted Gu Jiao.

Manager Wang handed over a cup of tea.

Gu Jiao took the drink and asked Doctor Song, "How is Jiang Shi's condition?"

"The weather changed suddenly, and I caught a chill. I had a high fever at noon, but after taking some medicine, it went down."

"He'd better not catch a cold right now, it could easily lead to complications," Gu Jiao said, pausing for a moment, "I'll go check on him in a bit."

"Okay," Doctor Song replied.

"Dr. Song! This patient said you prescribed a medicine for him, but he lost it and asked if he can still get the medicine." The apprentice was calling out to Dr. Song from the medicine cabinet.

Dr. Song: "I'll be right there."

Gu Jiao nodded.

Dr. Song went to the medicine counter.

There weren't many patients at the moment, and the clinic wasn't busy. Manager Wang invited Gu Jiao to the accounting office and told her about the aftermath of the medical dispute: "...Those guys are just petty thugs from the capital. They usually do nothing but stealing chickens and dogs. They're not from this area; they're from the west of the city. I promised them that as long as they revealed who was behind it, I wouldn't report it to the authorities. I was just trying to extort them; I never expected they would actually be acting under orders!"

Gu Jiao was not surprised by this.

"Are you in the same industry?" Gu Jiao asked.

Manager Wang said, "That's what I guessed too. They said there was a mastermind, and I thought, could it be the old boss... Huichuntang? But Miss Gu, guess what? They told me... it was a girl!"

Gu Jiao asked, "How old is the girl?"

Manager Wang nodded and recalled, "They said it was a young girl, sounding like she was in her teens. She was wearing a bamboo hat and a veil, so I couldn't see her face clearly, but her clothes were quite expensive. I was thinking, Huichuntang doesn't have any girls in their teens, and the Second Master's daughter is not even seven years old! But if it's a manager's daughter... then her clothes wouldn't be this expensive."

Manager Wang really couldn't guess who the girl was.

Gu Jiao stroked her chin: "Miss?"

The rain outside has stopped, but the sky is still overcast, and it looks like another heavy downpour could come at any moment.

The girls' school didn't dare to extend the class time and dismissed the students on time.

Li Wanwan's home was not close by, and unlike other young ladies who had carriages to pick them up, she had to get home before it rained again.

Clutching her violin case, she hurried out of the girls' school.

Perhaps because she was in such a hurry, she didn't notice a man getting off a carriage at the entrance of the clinic.

"ah--"

Li Wanwan bumped into the other person's arm.

In a music room on the second floor of the girls' school, a young girl stared intently at Prince An as he stepped down from his carriage, her eyes shining with admiration.

Suddenly, she saw Li Wanwan bump into the other person, and her eyes instantly turned cold.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" Li Wanwan apologized hastily.

Prince An didn't even glance at her. Wu Yang stepped forward and said to her, "It's alright, miss, did you hurt yourself?"

"No, no!" Li Wanwan didn't dare to look up at the two of them. Since they weren't going to pursue the matter, she quickly left with her zither case.

The girl's brows gradually relaxed, and as she looked at Prince An, her eyes shone with starlight once more.

She raised her hand and waved to Prince An.

Prince An did not see her and walked silently toward the clinic.

Suddenly, another daughter of a female student walked over.

"Prince An...?" Qianjin called out uncertainly to Prince An, who was about to enter the clinic.

Prince An turned to look at her and asked with a puzzled expression, "May I ask if there is something you need, young lady?"

The young lady covered her mouth excitedly: "Your poems are so beautiful! I've been collecting your poems since I was little! I even compiled them into a collection!"

Prince An smiled politely.

That's just how he is; he always acts like a gentleman to everyone.

The girl upstairs couldn't hear what the two were saying, but seeing them chatting and laughing, a surge of jealousy rose in her heart.

Qianjin slapped her forehead: "Oh dear, I forgot my poetry collection in the classroom! Your Highness, please wait a moment, I'll go get it. There are a few lines of poetry that I don't quite understand, and I'd like to ask Your Highness for clarification!"

After saying that, she quickly returned to the girls' school.

Her classroom was on the second floor.

By this time, most of the students from the girls' school had left, and the attic was empty; even the sound of her footsteps seemed to echo.

She pushed open the door and entered, immediately noticing the poetry collection on the table covered with a handkerchief. She breathed a sigh of relief, carefully folded the handkerchief, and gently held the poetry collection in her arms.

Prince An was still waiting for her, and she quickly walked out of the classroom.

Just as she was about to go downstairs, a slender hand reached out from the darkness, slowly reaching towards her back, about to push her down.

Suddenly, Zhuang Mengdie came running over from the lobby on the first floor, lifting her skirt: "Who is it?"

Qianjin paused in her steps.

The hand behind her back was swiftly withdrawn, and its owner hid behind the wall.

The young lady was startled by the sudden voice. She composed herself and said, "Miss Zhuang, it's me."

It was pitch black, and Zhuang Mengdie couldn't see her clearly, but she confirmed her identity by her voice.

Zhuang Mengdie said disappointedly, "It's Miss Zhang. Have you seen my sister?"

Ms. Zhang shook her head: "I didn't see it."

Zhuang Mengdie stamped her foot in frustration: "Honestly! Where did you go? You said you'd wait for me! You went to the restroom and came back and you're gone!"

As Miss Zhang watched Zhuang Mengdie walk away cursing, she somehow sensed a danger. She mustered her courage and looked back, but saw nothing.

Feeling uneasy, she quickly called out to Zhuang Mengdie, "Miss Zhuang, may I come with you?"

"Hurry up!" Zhuang Mengdie said impatiently.

"They're here." Miss Zhang hugged the poetry collection tightly and quickly went downstairs.

It wasn't until she left the girls' school and looked at the bustling streets that Miss Zhang's unease gradually dissipated.

Prince An ultimately did not see Gu Jiao; Gu Jiao went home, and the two missed each other completely.

Prince An sat back in his carriage with regret.

Gu Jiao went to the Imperial Academy first to pick up Xiao Jingkong and bring him home. Xiao Liulang had evening classes, so he didn't come back with them.

The atmosphere at the Imperial Academy has been incredibly tense lately, even Gu Jiao, a complete novice, could feel it. It seems everyone is a bit unsure about meeting the Emperor.

The palace examination was originally scheduled for early April, but it was reportedly postponed to late April due to the visit of the Liang Kingdom's envoy.

The people of the capital had a different level of awareness than those in the countryside. Their daily conversations weren't about whose chickens had laid eggs, whose sows had given birth, or when the millet and wheat were ready to be harvested. They were very concerned about current affairs, and even Grandpa Zhao next door knew that another envoy had come to the capital.

In ancient times, due to the inconvenience of transportation, foreign exchanges were naturally not as frequent as in the previous life, but they still occurred every two or three years.

The world is divided into six kingdoms. The Liang Kingdom belongs to the Upper Three Kingdoms, while the Zhao Kingdom belongs to the Lower Three Kingdoms. The Liang Kingdom's status is much higher than that of the Zhao Kingdom, which explains why the court attaches great importance to the visit of the Liang Kingdom's envoy.

However, none of this has anything to do with Gu Jiao.

Gu Jiao led Xiao Jingkong back to Bishui Hutong.

"Jingkong, school's out? Your sister's coming to pick you up!" Aunt Liu teased little Jingkong as she hung clothes out to dry at the door.

Little Jingkong skipped and hopped, saying, "Yes! Aunt Liu, Jiaojiao picked me up from school!"

Xiao Liulang led Xiao Jingkong home, but Xiao Jingkong always hung his head, unwilling and resentful, looking as if he had been forcibly dragged away by the servants.

When Gu Jiao took his little hand and led him home, he became energetic, jumping and skipping around, looking like a little kid who was going to drag Gu Jiao back to their hideout!

He was incredibly arrogant.

Gu Jiao also greeted Aunt Liu and brought Xiao Jingkong into the house.

The old chief priest was not here today, and Granny Fang had also gone out to buy fabric and clothes for the family. Madam Yao was in the room making knots and waiting for Gu Yan, and she fell asleep while waiting.

Xiao Jingkong quietly pushed open a crack in the door, poked his little head out to peek, and saw that Yao was asleep, so he didn't disturb her.

He tiptoed down the steps and came to Gu Jiao. He covered his mouth with his small hand and whispered, "Jiao Jiao, Madam is asleep."

"Mmm," Gu Jiao responded, then asked him, "Do you have any homework?"

"I'm done!" Xiao Jingkong said softly, shrugging.

Gu Jiao rubbed his little head: "Then play by yourself for a while, I'll go cook."

"Mmm!" Little Jingkong nodded obediently.

He is a sensible child and would never pester Jiaojiao to play with him all the time, especially since he does have his own things to do.

Yan-gege took the day off today.

...That's strange, why did he need to take leave?

In short, Xiao Jingkong has to clean up his own messes.

Xiao Jingkong took his own little shovel, scooped up a handful of sand, and began cleaning up the chicken droppings and Xiao Jiu's bird droppings in the yard.

Because it's been so long since I last shoveled anything, I've become rusty with the work.

It took Xiao Jingkong ages to finish shoveling the chicken droppings in the yard: "Ugh, I'm exhausted!"

Because of the rain, the chicks had been kept in their cage for a while. Now that the rain has stopped, Xiao Jingkong decided to take them for a walk.

The route for Xiaojingkong free-range chickens has been expanded from Bishui Hutong to the orchard, mainly because there is plenty of grass in the orchard, where the chickens can eat insects and other things, which can save on chicken feed at home.

He is a thrifty and hardworking good boy!

The seven chicks lined up in formation and marched out the door with great pride, followed by a puppy and a fledgling eagle.

Generally speaking, birds can fly and hop, but they shouldn't walk.

However, the fledgling eagle walked incredibly well!

No wonder he was raised by a chicken!

As for Hachiko, it has also successfully upgraded. It is no longer a good-for-nothing puppy; it is now a noble herding dog!

It will definitely protect its little master and its little master's chickens!

Hachi held its head high and walked with an air of indifference!

When the little chicken wandered into the orchard, two drops of rain seemed to fall from the sky.

"Alright, let's go home!" Xiao Jingkong said to his little army.

Seven chicks and a fledgling eagle turned the corner in an orderly fashion and followed behind Xiao Jingkong, walking back in perfect unison.

Suddenly, Xiao Jingkong felt a darkness above his head, and a fragrant breeze wafted over him.

Because of his small stature, the first thing he saw was at eye level: a white skirt, spotless and immaculate.

Then he raised his little head and saw a veiled hat.

The girl in the straw hat bent slightly, making the fragrance even more intoxicating.

The fragrance smells wonderful, but Xiao Jingkong still prefers the scent on Jiao Jiao's body.

He looked at the girl who had suddenly blocked his way with a strange expression, but out of politeness, he still asked her, "Excuse me, what can I do for you? Why are you blocking my way?"

The girl in the straw hat asked softly, "Little one, do you know which house Xiao Liulang lives in?"

Xiao Jingkong looked her up and down.

...Actually, you can't see anything clearly; she's covered herself up too much.

"Who are you?" Xiao Jingkong asked.

The girl in the straw hat didn't answer him. Instead, she took out a hand from behind her back, holding a string of candied hawthorns, and gently coaxed, "If you tell me where Xiao Liulang's house is, I'll give you the candied hawthorns."

Xiao Jingkong loves to eat candied hawthorns.

But Xiao Jingkong wasn't in a hurry to ask for it. He thought for a moment and said seriously, "Give me the candied hawthorn first, and then I'll answer you."

"Okay." The girl in the straw hat smiled and generously handed him the candied hawthorn.

Xiao Jingkong took the candied hawthorn: "I don't know."

The girl in the straw hat was taken aback: "What?"

Xiao Jingkong innocently replied, "My answer? I don't know where he lives!"

You really don't know?

This is Jiaojiao's home. The bad brother-in-law is just a temporary brother-in-law; he hasn't officially started working yet! How is he supposed to know where the bad brother-in-law's hometown is?

Little Jingkong licked his candied hawthorn and slurped away.

The girl in the straw hat trembled with anger.

Actually, what she wanted to find out was Gu Jiao's whereabouts. However, she thought that women were generally not the heads of households, so she asked for the man's name instead.

"You little brat, you dare to play me for a fool?"

Her eyes turned cold, and she reached out and coldly grabbed Xiao Jingkong's shoulder!

Xiao Ba jumped up in fright, stood upright against the wall, and covered his eyes with his paws!

In the blink of an eye, the fledgling eagle spread its much-grown wings and took flight.

The ferocity inherent in the gyrfalcon was fully unleashed at this moment. Instead of pecking at the girl's hand, it aimed directly at her straw hat!

(End of this chapter)