Chapter 262 A brutal beating (First update)

Practice makes perfect. I've used sacks before, so I can probably use people this time too.

Before the Crown Princess could even shout, she was swept away in a flash!

The two female officials were clearly following behind the Crown Princess, but after turning a corner, the Crown Princess disappeared.

The Crown Princess did turn into the alley before the two of them, but surely she could have disappeared in the blink of an eye? So fast?

The two hurried to the carriage, lifted the curtain, and found it empty.

One of them asked the imperial guards, "Have you seen the Crown Princess?"

The imperial guard asked in surprise, "Isn't the Crown Princess with you?"

The lady-in-waiting said, "The Crown Princess just arrived! Didn't you see her?"

The imperial guard asked, "When did the Crown Princess arrive?"

The female official exclaimed urgently, "They clearly came over!"

The imperial guard scoffed, "Do you think I wouldn't know you're here?"

"you……"

“Forget it, Sister Ming.” Another female official surnamed Qing shook her head. “Stop arguing. Let’s hurry up and find the Crown Princess. Maybe she’s nearby and has gone to see someone.”

The female official muttered, "How could the Crown Princess possibly leave us behind to meet someone alone?"

The Qing official said, "Let's search first, then we'll split up and search."

The three of them split up to search, but it was a straight alley with no side streets, and there were many carriages parked there. They searched through the carriages one by one, but they could not find the Crown Princess anywhere.

"Did you really see the Crown Princess walk into the alley?" the imperial guard asked.

The female official asked anxiously, "The Crown Princess is right in front of us. She turned a corner. Where did she go if she didn't go into the alley?"

The imperial guard looked up suspiciously at the rooftops on both sides. Had they been kidnapped?

As night fell, the last rays of orange light from the sunset stubbornly lingered on the eaves and brackets, casting a dazzling glow.

With light steps, Gu Jiao, as agile as a swallow, glided down from the rooftop carrying a large sack and entered the orchard near Bishui Hutong through the back door.

The orchard is semi-open, and children from nearby alleys love to play there. If they pick fruit, they have to buy it by weight, which is cheaper than in the market.

Behind the orchard is a tool shed converted from a horse stable. It has been in disrepair for many years, leaking air and water, and is no longer in use.

Gu Jiao pushed open the door and casually tossed the sack inside, showing no mercy whatsoever.

The Crown Princess had been jostled around all the way, her intestines nearly bursting, when she suddenly fell to the ground, crying out in pain, "Ah—who are you?"

Gu Jiao didn't waste any more words with her and quickly removed the sack from her head.

After being jostled around in the sack the whole way, her hair came undone, her hairpins fell off, and she looked quite disheveled.

She instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes from the light, and finding it wasn't too glaring, she looked at the robber standing in front of her.

It turned out to be a woman, wearing a gaudy peacock feather mask.

A flicker of inexplicable surprise crossed her eyes: "Who exactly are you? What do you want?"

Gu Jiao casually walked up to her, looked down at her, reached out, grabbed her collar, lifted her up, and then slapped her hard across the face, slamming her against the wall.

Did she scare her husband with a cat?

hehe.

The Crown Princess had never been treated like this before. Although her family was insignificant compared to the Du family and the Duke of Luo's mansion, it was still a scholarly family. The girls in her family were all pampered and raised. After becoming the young marquis's fiancée, she was the center of attention, and everyone fawned over her.

The biggest grievance she suffered was being snubbed by other countries when she went to Liang, but that wasn't directed at her personally.

Being stuffed in a sack, carried like a chick, and slapped across the face—it's unbelievable!

“You…” She fell to the ground, looking coldly at Gu Jiao, trying to intimidate her with her powerful aura as the Crown Princess.

However--

Excuse me.

Gu Jiao grabbed the person, Duang! Duang! Duang!

One stroke after another, like driving piles, as if they wanted to plant her in the ground!

"You're crazy! I am—ah—"

"Your Highness—ah—"

"Gray—ah—"

The Crown Princess was beaten to the point of collapse, and she could no longer speak properly.

Gu Jiao's little fists pounded her from sunset to nightfall, successfully turning her head into a pig's head.

Gu Jiao blew on her little fist: "I've really had a tough time, I'm so tired."

The Crown Princess, with her crooked nose and crooked mouth: "..."

Who really has it tough?

Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside, followed by the half-closed door being kicked open, and the imperial guards beside the Crown Princess rushed in.

He glanced at the Crown Princess, who was disheveled and looked completely different from the others, and a vein throbbed on his forehead: "Stop! Let go of the Crown Princess!"

Gu Jiao clapped her hands: "Oh."

The expert didn't care whether the other party was a girl or not, and rushed over to fight Gu Jiao. Every move he made was a killing move, and the two were instantly entangled in a fierce battle.

The imperial guards will soon realize that stopping Gu Jiao was their biggest mistake of the night.

In fact, Gu Jiao had already beaten him enough and was ready to leave. If the palace guards hadn't fought with Gu Jiao, they could have taken the Crown Princess away immediately.

Unfortunately, the two started fighting.

As expected of a master of the Imperial Guard, Gu Jiao initially found it difficult to defend herself. However, after several dozen moves, Gu Jiao gradually improved and slowly managed to tie the fight with him. In a short while, she even seemed to gain the upper hand.

Judging from this, even a top-level imperial guard probably wouldn't be able to subdue this girl.

Whether she could control her or not, Gu Jiao was too lazy to beat up the Crown Princess again. But the Crown Princess didn't think so. She believed that if she didn't leave now, she would definitely be beaten again later. So, while the palace guards were holding Gu Jiao back, she used all her strength to escape.

She was lucky; despite her desperate escape, she ran into Qin Chuyu, who was playing in the orchard.

Qin Chuyu, Xiao Jingkong, and Xu Zhouzhou shook off the eunuch and the servants of the Xu family and ran to a big jujube tree. Xiao Jingkong loved eating the jujubes from this tree the most, but unfortunately there were no jujubes at the moment.

But there's a big bird's nest.

"I'll climb up first," Xu Zhouzhou said.

He was the youngest son of the Minister of War. He had practiced martial arts since childhood and was not too spoiled. He was a nimble tree climber and reached the top in no time.

Xiao Jingkong quickly climbed up the tree.

In the end, only Qin Chuyu remained.

Qin Chuyu was chubby and spoiled. He couldn't even climb a slightly taller stool, let alone a tree.

"Oh dear, you're doing it like this!" Little Jingkong hurriedly demonstrated on top of him, "Hold on with your hands, cross your legs, move your hands first, then your feet, stick your little bottom out, and you'll be up there!"

Qin Chuyu tried twice and actually climbed up a little bit.

Just then, the Crown Princess appeared. She was usually a very calm person, but people's fear of the unknown can always overwhelm their reason. Gu Jiao didn't want anything, she just kept beating her, which made her feel terrified and she didn't even care about her own demeanor and status.

When she saw Qin Chuyu, it was like seeing a lifeline; she rushed towards him, crying out, "Xiao Qi—"

Qin Chuyu had finally climbed a few feet high when he turned his head and saw a pig's face. He cried out in fright, "A ghost!"

He kicked the other person in the face!

The Crown Princess's only intact nose was kicked crooked by Qin Chuyu, and blood was flowing freely from her nose!

Qin Chuyu was terrified: "Ahhh! I can't take it! I'm going to fall!"

Qin Chuyu's limbs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

Seeing this, Xiao Jingkong and Xu Zhouzhou quickly climbed down to help him.

The Crown Princess endured the excruciating pain, covering her bleeding nose, and said, "Xiao Qi, it's me! I'm your sister-in-law! Where are your servants and carriage? Quickly leave with your sister-in-law!"

In her excitement, she forgot to conceal her royal status with Qin Chuyu. Fortunately, Xiao Jingkong and Xu Zhouzhou couldn't understand her either, so they just kept talking about Sister Huang and Sister Hong!

"Ahhh! Don't come any closer!" Qin Chuyu was so frightened by the Crown Princess's ghostly appearance that he retreated repeatedly on the ground.

Xiao Jingkong was a clever child. Based on his rich life experience, he instantly came to the conclusion: "Brother Xiaoqi, Brother Zhouzhou, she's a flower seller!"

The kidnapper who abducted him and Ming'er's brother used the same tactic!

Pretend to know them, say they are their children, and take them away without anyone suspecting anything!

Xu Zhouzhou thought Xiao Jingkong's words made a lot of sense, and since this was indeed not the imperial sister-in-law in Qin Chuyu's memory, the three of them unanimously concluded that this was a child abductor.

This is intolerable!

The three little kids, bursting with a sense of justice, grabbed sticks and gave the beggar a good beating.

So, after being beaten up by Gu Jiao's little fists, the Crown Princess was then ganged up on with small sticks by the three scoundrels from the Imperial Academy.

Qin Chuyu was the one leading the charge; where could they possibly seek justice?

Meanwhile, Marquis Xuanping was unaware of the Crown Princess's tragic fate. He boarded the carriage to return to his residence, driven by Chang Jing.

Halfway through the journey, he suddenly ordered Chang Jing to stop the carriage.

"Chang Jing," he said.

"Hmm?" Chang Jing turned around and lifted the curtain to look at him.

The carriage was dimly lit, but candlelight and moonlight from the street filtered through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the increasingly mature and handsome face of Marquis Xuanping, sculpted by the years.

Chang Jing has face blindness and can't see what's so attractive about this person.

Marquis Xuanping sighed, "Is there anything you're afraid of?"

Chang Jing thought about it seriously for a moment, then shook his head: "No."

Marquis Xuanping looked at him suspiciously: "Nothing at all?"

Chang Jing lowered his head: "Cockroach."

Marquis Xuanping: "..."

You, the top assassin of the Dark Night Sect, are actually afraid of a few cockroaches?

"It's dirty," Chang Jing explained, sounding aggrieved.

When Chang Jing was very young, he once found several cockroaches in his food. Someone had deliberately disgusted him, and it really disgusted him. Ever since then, whenever he sees a cockroach, he will think of the fact that he ate them, and his scalp will tingle.

Marquis Xuanping raised an eyebrow and said with some pride, "At least Aheng is afraid of cats, which makes him more capable than you."

Chang Jing's lips twitched. What sense of existence are you trying to find in this?

On another note, Marquis Xuanping really didn't expect that Aheng would be afraid of cats. Upon reflection, he realized that he was a terrible father, not even knowing his son's taboos.

After hesitating for a moment, Marquis Xuanping made up his mind and said, "Don't go back to the manor yet. Go to Biyue Alley. Also, find me a cat."

Chang Jing quickly found a stray cat by the roadside. Marquis Xuanping picked up the pitiful little stray cat, frowned, and wondered if this thing could test whether he was Aheng.

Gu Jiao and Xiao Jingkong hadn't returned home by nightfall, so Xiao Liulang decided to go out and look for them. As soon as he crossed the threshold of the front yard, he saw a familiar carriage parked at the door.

Marquis Xuanping sat on the outer seat of the carriage, holding the stray cat with disdain in his hand.

He had made up his mind to use the cat to test Xiao Liulang, but the moment Xiao Liulang stepped out the door, he instinctively stuffed the cat into Chang Jing's arms and used his large body to block Chang Jing.

He moved too fast; Xiao Liulang didn't see the cat, only that his behavior was strange.

Xiao Liulang ignored him and left the alley expressionlessly.

Chang Jing looked at the stray cat that had suddenly been shoved into his arms and asked, "Aren't you going to test it anymore?"

Marquis Xuanping sighed: "No more testing." At least there's no need for this kind of testing.

"Why?" Chang Jing asked, puzzled.

Marquis Xuanping sighed, "I'm afraid he might really be Aheng."

Chang Jing looked at the stray cat in his arms, then at Marquis Xuanping: "Isn't it good that it belongs to Young Master Aheng?"

Marquis Xuanping said bitterly, "No, if it were him, he would be frightened by this cat."

Understanding complex emotions is a killer's weakness. Just as Gu Jiao couldn't understand Yao Shi's choices in relationships, Chang Jing couldn't understand Xuanping Hou's cautiousness in front of Xiao Liulang.

Chang Jing asked, "Do you still want this cat?"

Marquis Xuanping said calmly, "No, get rid of all the stray cats in the manor as well."

The two female officials eventually found the Crown Princess, who had been mistaken for a beggar, in the orchard. The Crown Princess was beyond recognizable. When the female officials saw that Qin Chuyu was the one who led the beating, they were completely at a loss for what to do.

It's impossible to order an arrest. It's true that the Crown Princess is the Emperor's daughter-in-law, but Qin Chuyu is still the Emperor and Empress's biological son.

Furthermore, it's too embarrassing to be beaten up like this, if word gets out, what will become of the Crown Princess's reputation?

In the end, the two female officials took the Crown Princess away... uh, no, they dragged her away, under the pretext of taking her to report to the authorities.

After returning to the palace, Qin Chuyu boasted to his father that he had chased away a beggar, which earned him high praise from the emperor.

The Zhuang Mansion.

The doctor removed the stitches from Prince An, changed the dressing for the last time, gave him a few words of advice to rest in bed, and then took his medicine box and left.

The servants escorted the doctor out of the mansion.

Grand Tutor Zhuang gave him a wink, and Wu Yang understood. He went out of the house and closed the two doors from the outside.

Prince An sat up against the headboard, pulled the blanket over his injured leg, and calmly said, "It's getting late, Grandfather, you should rest early too."

Grand Tutor Zhuang's eyes turned slightly cold as he said, "Marquis Xuanping has gone too far. I will avenge you sooner or later!"

Prince An lowered his eyes, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Easier said than done? He is His Majesty's brother-in-law, and also His Majesty's elder brother-in-law. He holds military power and commands a large following. Who can do anything to him?"

Grand Tutor Zhuang's eyes grew even colder: "If the Empress Dowager were still in court, how could Marquis Xuanping have the right to stir up trouble!"

When Empress Dowager Zhuang was mentioned, Prince An did not refute her.

She was indeed a woman of great strategic vision, who controlled the government of two dynasties. While the Marquis of Xuanping was still playing in the mud, she was already the most favored empress in the six palaces.

Even the most capable person can make a mistake. How did he end up contracting leprosy?

Grand Tutor Zhuang said coldly, "You've misjudged Xiao Liulang. I'm afraid he recognized the Empress Dowager long ago, and his purpose in approaching her from the beginning was not pure. It's hateful that we were all kept in the dark, and we even persuaded His Majesty to reopen the Imperial Academy in order to get him to bring the Empress Dowager into the capital. Fortunately, the Imperial Academy has not yet fallen into His Majesty's hands, and there is still room for recovery. But no matter what, the Empress Dowager cannot continue to remain in their hands."

This time, he did not refute his grandfather's words.

However, as if he had thought of something, he remained silent for a moment before asking, "What does Grandfather intend to do?"

Grand Tutor Zhuang dusted off his wide sleeves: "Let's come to the Empress Dowager's door openly and honestly to acknowledge her!"

In Bishui Hutong, an old lady had just finished a game of cards. She pushed the card table aside and said, "That's enough for today, I'm not playing anymore!"

The neighbors, still wanting more, went home.

That's right, even though I lost money, I still had a lot of fun playing.

This is mainly due to the old lady's winning strategy. She doesn't play cards with the same people every day, nor does she always take advantage of just one person. For example, if Aunt Zhao lost yesterday, she will let her win a little today. Everyone thinks it's normal to have both wins and losses.

But if you look closely, they lost their own money and won their companions' money; no one actually won their money back from the old lady.

The old lady stretched and went next door to check on Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun.

Gu Yan lazily lay down on the bed and fell asleep, while Gu Xiaoshun sat on a small stool and obediently did woodworking.

The old lady was very satisfied.

Xiao Shun is a smart kid.

She didn't ask much of Gu Yan; she just wanted him to be alive.

Yao was doing embroidery, while Liu Lang and his two companions were out doing something, and it was already dark when they still hadn't returned.

The old lady was hungry, so she went to the kitchen to find something to eat.

Granny Fang went to the embroidery tower to fetch clothes; the old priest will cook dinner tonight.

The old master cooked a few simple home-style dishes, stewed a pot of asparagus and chicken soup, and fried a few brown sugar glutinous rice cakes.

Next, I prepared a special meal for Xiao Jingkong: lily bulb and egg custard, tofu and vegetarian meatballs, and stir-fried vegetables and vegetarian shrimp.

"Have the children returned yet?" the old priest asked, his tone familiar and his address natural, just like when he talked about his own children with Grandpa Zhao and Aunt Zhao.

"Not yet." The old lady started looking for food.

"Here." The old priest seemed to have known she would be hungry, and took out a small dish of brown sugar glutinous rice cakes that he had prepared separately. This dish of glutinous rice cakes was sprinkled with white sesame seeds, which none of the children liked.

The old lady didn't think anything was wrong. She held the plate, sat down on the small stool, and started slurping her food.

One person was busy at the stove, while the other ate behind it. The oil in the pot sizzled, and the whole house smelled of ghee and scallions.

Knock knock knock!

There was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Yao put down her embroidery and walked outside.

The old priest strode out of the kitchen and said to the pregnant Yao, "I'll do it, I'll do it!"

"Ah, okay." Madam Yao obediently went back to her room.

The gate to the courtyard was actually ajar, so the person was probably not a neighbor; otherwise, they would have just pushed the gate open and entered.

"Who is it?" he asked as he opened the wooden door.

He spotted Grand Tutor Zhuang at the door, his brow twitched, he slammed the door shut, smeared some plaster on the wall and smeared it on his face, then opened the door again and asked in a strange voice, "Who is it? What do you want?"

Grand Tutor Zhuang gave him a strange look, clearly puzzled by his actions of opening and closing the door. Then, seeing that his face was covered in dirt and his clothes were simple, he immediately mistook him for a servant in the courtyard and stopped giving the old chief priest a second glance.

Otherwise, if you look at it a few more times, you can still barely recognize one or two of them.

Grand Tutor Zhuang said calmly, "Call your old lady out; I need to speak with her."

The old chief minister had planned everything meticulously, but he hadn't anticipated that Grand Tutor Zhuang would personally come to his door, preventing Empress Dowager Zhuang from recognizing the Zhuang family.

Before Empress Dowager Zhuang lost her memory, her most beloved descendant was Prince An. When Prince An went to the State of Chen as a hostage, Empress Dowager Zhuang was so angry that she couldn't eat for several days and nights and even fell ill.

Now that Liu Lang has taken the title of the new top scholar that should have belonged to Prince An, if she is awakened to her memories by the Zhuang family, Liu Lang will be in big trouble.

The old chief priest puffed out his chest and said, "What old lady? Who are you? You've got the wrong person! Get out of here! If you don't, I'll report you to the authorities!"

"A mere lackey dares to block my master's path! Get out of the way!" The guard beside Grand Tutor Zhuang stepped forward and shoved the old Grand Tutor aside without any mercy.

The old priest stumbled and almost fell to the ground, but fortunately a hand reached out and caught him in time.

He turned his head and saw that the wicked empress who brought ruin to the country had appeared.

The old lady didn't even glance at the guard; her cold gaze fell on Grand Tutor Zhuang's face.

She was dressed in simple clothes, with no extra hairpins or jewelry on her head, yet her noble aura seemed to emanate from her very bones, causing even the old chief priest she was supporting to shiver.

This was the most chilling encounter I'd ever had with her in all the time we'd known each other; it was even more ferocious than when she came at me with a knife to rob me of my savings.

Just 3 votes away from breaking 1,000! Look at my longing eyes!

Continuing with 10,000 updates today.

(End of this chapter)