Chapter 382 Imperial Edict (First Update)

What happened?

How come he went on a business trip and came back to find his granddaughter had already given birth?

No, it's gone again.

He had just become a great-grandfather when his great-grandson passed away...

No, no, no, that's off-topic!

How could he have a great-grandson?

Yuan Baolin isn't married yet, is she? That's Baolin's voice, he couldn't be mistaken, could he? Even if he was mistaken, the little Taoist nun holding the man's hand in front of him is still his little Taoist nun, isn't she?

He can't be blind, can he?

Chief Minister Yuan finally realized what was happening. He had not only heard it, but he had also caught them red-handed!

Who is this brat?!

Before leaving, Gu Jiao had already told Gu Changqing about the little Taoist nun's problem. However, hearing it from others was one thing, but hearing the little Taoist nun tell her herself in tears was another.

She held his hand, tears streaming down her face. The genuine grief of losing her son shocked Gu Changqing.

Just as he was too shocked to speak, a murderous aura suddenly shot out from behind him!

Gu Changqing turned her head sharply and saw Chief Minister Yuan standing at the door, furious. Gu Changqing's heart skipped a beat, and she almost instinctively pulled her hand back!

Unfortunately, it was too late. Chief Minister Yuan saw everything he was supposed to see and heard everything he was supposed to hear!

Chief Minister Yuan stormed into the room, his face contorted with murderous intent. He stood between the two men by the bedside, and Gu Changqing instinctively stepped back a few paces.

"Who are you?!" Chief Minister Yuan asked sternly.

The social circles in the capital are vast, and the Yuan family and the Marquis of Ding'an's residence rarely interacted. Chief Minister Yuan had only met the old Marquis in the Golden Palace.

Last time in Bishui Hutong, Gu Changqing was in the dark while Chief Minister Yuan was in the light, which led to Gu Changqing secretly seeing him, but he did not see Gu Changqing.

This is it, there's no way to clear my name now, even if I jumped into the Yellow River.

Gu Changqing bowed with a headache: "I am Gu Changqing from the Marquis of Ding'an's residence. I greet Chief Minister Yuan."

Chief Minister Yuan narrowed his eyes dangerously: "Gu Changqing... Gu Chao's grandson?"

"Yes." Gu Changqing cupped his hands, not daring to look directly at Chief Minister Yuan's face. This was the etiquette of a junior, and it was also because he was truly a little confused and guilty at the moment.

Then, Prime Minister Yuan thought of the last part of his words: "You know me?"

“...Yes.” Gu Changqing did not deny it.

Things have progressed to this point, and it's no longer possible to hide it.

Chief Minister Yuan wasn't stupid. There was something strange about what happened that day, but Yuan Baolin insisted that she was fine, so he didn't take it too seriously.

Looking back now, I'm afraid Yuan Baolin wasn't actually saved by that Madam Gu that day!

Chief Minister Yuan's eyes turned cold: "It was you? You took Baolin away? You took advantage of her vulnerability!"

The thought of his granddaughter escaping from the wolf's den of Prince An only to fall into the tiger's den of Gu Changqing, and being bullied to the point of having a child, made Chief Minister Yuan wish he could kill that brat on the spot!

Gu Changqing was speechless and unable to defend himself.

If it were someone else, they might have been able to refuse cleanly, but Gu Changqing wasn't that kind of person.

At this moment, the old Marquis also arrived upon hearing the news.

Upon hearing that his grandson had gotten someone pregnant, the old Marquis was so angry he was furious!

If this were any other young lady, the old Marquis wouldn't have believed it so easily. But the other party is the granddaughter of Chief Minister Yuan, and Gu Changqing's tacit approval clearly indicates that he is indeed entangled with this young lady.

He yanked out the whip and lashed it at Gu Changqing!

The young nun turned pale and choked back tears as she reached out to stop the old marquis: "Don't hit him! It wasn't his fault! It was me... I forced myself on him... I raped him..."

With a swift grab and a flick of his wrist, the old marquis lashed the whip back onto his own forehead: "...!!"

Yuan, the chief minister, also felt as if he had been lashed across the face by an invisible whip: "..."

And Gu Changqing, who, though exonerated, wished he hadn't been: "..."

Let's just smash our heads against a wall and kill him!

Gu Changqing has military duties to attend to and will be heading to Fengdu Mountain soon. He was just packing his luggage in the courtyard. If Gu Chengfeng hadn't said that Gu Jiao wanted to see him, he wouldn't have come at all.

That's good now.

It's not that you can't clear your name even if you jump into the Yellow River; it's that you can't get rid of it even if you peel off layers of skin.

After learning the whole story from his granddaughter, Chief Minister Yuan confirmed that the young man had not taken advantage of her at all; on the contrary, his granddaughter had taken advantage of him quite a bit. Chief Minister Yuan felt rather guilty.

He apologized to the old Marquis.

Of course, the old Marquis wasn't angry. No matter how you looked at it, this kid had the upper hand. He was a martial artist, and he could have easily knocked the other person unconscious with a single palm strike.

The fact that he didn't do that means he also had some feelings for Yuan Qianjin, right?

Good lad, no wonder he ignored all the marriage proposals we made for him before, it turns out he's secretly taken a fancy to the Yuan family's daughter.

This young lady from the Yuan family is truly outstanding, far surpassing the daughters of ordinary noble families.

Take this incident for example. If it were someone else, they wouldn't have had the courage to take all the blame on themselves and resolutely avoid making things difficult for Gu Changqing.

Little did the old Marquis know that the reason Gu Changqing didn't knock Yuan Baolin unconscious was because Yuan Baolin was under the influence of a powerful drug and had difficulty breathing. If she had actually passed out, she might have suffocated and died.

"I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first." Gu Changqing bowed to Chief Minister Yuan and also gave a slight bow to the old Marquis before turning and leaving the room.

The young Taoist nun chased after them.

"Don't worry, Miss Yuan, I won't agree to the marriage." He knew she didn't want to marry him.

"I won't agree either!" She knew he didn't want to marry her at all, and she couldn't let him bear the pressure alone.

Gu Changqing assumed that she had chased after him because of this matter, and now that things were clear, he should leave.

"Farewell." He turned and left.

"Wait!" the young nun called out to him.

Gu Changqing stopped and turned to look at her: "Is there anything else you're worried about, Miss Yuan?"

"I...I really..." The young nun touched her stomach with a dazed look in her eyes.

Gu Changqing's gaze swept over her small movements, he opened his mouth, sighed and said, "You're not pregnant... You can't get pregnant at that level."

The young nun frowned in confusion: "But I clearly..."

Gu Changqing had used up all her shamelessness in this life: "Pregnancy... requires the man's... cooperation."

The young nun muttered, "That's what it's written in the stories: if a woman is drugged and pushes a man down, she'll get pregnant!"

Gu Changqing asked strangely, "You're a Taoist nun, why are you reading erotic novels?" Erotic novels can be deadly.

Gu Changqing felt that this topic could not be continued, so he decided to leave.

The young nun suddenly glanced at Gu Changqing with pity: "Is it because you're impotent? That's what the story says: only when a man is impotent can a woman be childless."

Gu Changqing: "...!!"

Gu Changqing's fists clenched so tightly they cracked: "From now on... don't read those storybooks anymore!"

Gu Jiao was unaware that Gu Changqing's affair with the young Taoist nun had reached the ears of Chief Minister Yuan and the old Marquis, but Gu Chengfeng knew about it!

He hid in the big tree and actually watched a good show!

When Gu Jiao initially allowed his older brother to enter the courtyard but blocked him from entering, he sensed something was amiss. After eavesdropping for a while, he learned that his older brother, who seemed quite respectable, had secretly found him a wife!

Wow, that speed! No wonder he's the boss!

It's a pity that Ling's cousin will be heartbroken.

Ling Shuixian is obsessed with her elder brother and will not marry anyone but him. I heard that she has recently gone on a hunger strike at home.

Although Ling Shuixian was his cousin, he didn't actually like her. She was too spoiled and was not suitable to be the wife of the heir of the Ding'an Marquis's mansion.

The young lady from the Yuan family seems more composed than Ling Shuixian, but her ideas are a bit... well... hard to explain.

Never mind, as long as my brother likes it!

It's a pity that the girl left early and missed this good show.

"Oh dear!" Gu Chengfeng slapped his forehead. "I haven't gone to that girl to buy medicine yet!"

Gu Chengfeng used his lightness skill to go to Bishui Hutong.

Gu Jiao had already brought Xiao Jingkong back from the Imperial College. Xiao Jingkong was playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football) with some friends in the backyard and alley, while Gu Jiao was drying herbs in the front yard.

Gu Chengfeng told Gu Jiao about the subsequent developments between Gu Changqing and the little Taoist nun: "At this rate, we should be able to have a sister-in-law soon!"

we.

This was the first time he had used such a word.

He had always known that the Gu Jiao in front of him was not the real Gu Jiao Niang, so he was quite surprised by those two words that came out of his mouth.

Fortunately, Gu Jiao didn't seem to notice his inappropriate choice of words at all. Gu Jiao hummed and turned the medicine in the sieve over: "They're quite a good match."

Gu Chengfeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling relieved that Gu Jiao hadn't chased after him with all sorts of nonsense, like asking him how he used "us" or whether he was eager to be his brother!

"Of course they're a perfect match!" He quickly steered the conversation towards the two of them, worried that Gu Jiao might realize what was going on. "One is the heir of a marquis's family, the other is the daughter of the Yuan family—they're not alike at all..."

He wanted to say, "Unlike you and Xiao Liulang, one is a noble lady from a noble family, and the other is a poor country boy."

The words were on the tip of my tongue, but then I realized they weren't quite right.

This girl is not a noblewoman from a noble family.

Who knows where she came from, what her background was like in that faraway place, or what kind of parents she had?

This girl... seems to be in a bit of a predicament...

Gu Jiao was unaware of the wild imagination he was having; she continued drying the herbs.

"By the way, where's my brother's medicine?" Gu Chengfeng asked.

Gu Jiao had already taken it out and put it in her purse; she took it out and handed it to him.

Gu Chengfeng reached out to take it, but Gu Jiao suddenly withdrew her hand: "Give me the money."

Gu Chengfeng had a toothache: "You just took a thousand taels from me last time!"

Gu Jiao spread her hands: "That's the money for the previous bottle of medicine."

Gu Chengfeng was so angry he jumped up and down: "Go ask around outside! Which medicine sells for as much as yours?"

Gu Jiao put the medicine back into her purse, patted the purse, and said, "Then, go to whichever store has the cheapest price."

Gu Chengfeng completely lost his temper.

Of course he tried other people's medicines, but not only did they not work, they also destroyed the hair stubble that Gu Chenglin had finally managed to grow. After that, he never dared to try any medicines from outside again.

Gu Chenglin wore a hat to school every day, which was really uncomfortable in the hot weather.

Gu Chengfeng said resentfully, "I don't have that much silver on me today." He took out his money pouch and poured out the loose silver and copper coins into his hand with a clatter. "Look, it doesn't even add up to two taels. I'm very poor lately."

Gu Jiao remained silent.

Gu Chengfeng continued to play the victim: "Unlike you, I don't just have to do some work every day. I have to study during the day and can only take on some jobs at night, but there haven't been many jobs lately."

Gu Jiao nodded: "That's pretty terrible."

"Right?" Gu Chengfeng complained about being poor while secretly glancing at her.

"Here's what we'll do: you go run an errand for me, and I'll give you a 10% discount on the medicine! That means I'll reduce the cost by 10%!"

Gu Chengfeng's face darkened.

Shouldn't the standard approach be, "Go run an errand for me, and I'll give you this medicine"? Why is it only 10% less?

...

The Imperial Examination Hall.

After a day of invigilating the exams, Xiao Liulang returned to the Jingyi Pavilion with many other invigilators.

This is where they will rest this time. Their activity range is from Jingyi Pavilion to the examination hall. They are not allowed to wander around anywhere else.

The Jingyi Pavilion was heavily guarded, firstly to prevent anyone from colluding with the examiners to cheat, and secondly to protect the safety of the examiners.

He only proctored the exams, not graded them; it was physically tiring, but not mentally exhausting.

The meals were delivered to the examiners' rooms by special personnel. He had just returned to his room when the meals were brought over by the guards.

Xiao Liulang opened the door, came to the doorway, and reached out to take the food box: "Thank you."

As he picked up the food box, he glanced at the guard without thinking.

The guard withdrew his hand and turned to patrol.

Xiao Liulang frowned suspiciously. Was this the guard who brought him food in the morning and at noon? Had the person who brought him food for dinner been changed?

Xiao Liulang took the food box into the house.

Just like lunchtime, it consisted of two dishes and a soup: a plate of braised pork with radish, a plate of cold tofu salad, a bowl of vegetable and egg drop soup, and two large, thick steamed buns.

Xiao Liulang took out the food one by one, and when he brought out the bowl of egg drop soup, his eyes paused slightly.

The days in the seventh month of the lunar calendar are not so long anymore. The sun has already set, and the sky is a bluish-gray. The light inside the house is a bit dim, but it's still passable for eating. Most people wouldn't turn on the lamp.

Xiao Liulang frowned as he looked at the bowl of egg drop soup. He lit an oil lamp and turned the wick to its brightest setting. He could see that two or three floating scallions were faintly covered with some strange powder.

At first glance, this powder looks like a condiment, but Xiao Liulang has cooked before. It's one thing if the food is bad, but he can recognize all the condiments.

Xiao Liulang picked out the scallions. The scallion flavor was too strong and masked the taste of the powder, but the powder itself was already suspicious enough.

If Xiao Liulang hadn't had such good eyesight, and if he hadn't been familiar with the ingredients, he probably would have already mistaken it for a bowl of ordinary egg drop soup.

Xiao Liulang not only didn't drink the egg drop soup, but also didn't touch any other food.

Gu Jiao had packed some fruit and dried meat in his bundle. Just as he took it out, a figure leaped in through the window.

"Who is it?" Xiao Liulang asked warily.

"It's me!" Gu Chengfeng, dressed in black, removed his mask.

He didn't actually want to reveal his identity, but how could he convince him if he didn't?

A hint of surprise flashed across Xiao Liulang's eyes, but it wasn't too surprising.

Since Gu Jiao went out with him in the middle of the night, he couldn't just be an ordinary, weak scholar.

"Here you go!" Gu Chengfeng tossed a bundle to Xiao Liulang.

When Xiao Liulang opened it, he found a box of exquisite and delicious pastries, still slightly steaming, clearly freshly made.

Gu Chengfeng scoffed, "How sour! So what if he can't come back for a few days? Is it really necessary for him to sneak into the examination hall in the middle of the night to deliver snacks to him?"

Xiao Liulang looked at the various emoji-themed snacks in the box and chuckled softly.

Gu Chengfeng rolled his eyes in sarcasm!

He hadn't even eaten dinner before rushing over to bring snacks to Xiao Liulang. When he saw the food on the table, he rolled up his sleeves and picked up a steamed bun.

Xiao Liulang hurriedly said, "Wait! You can't eat it!"

Gu Chengfeng took a bite: "I've already run errands to deliver snacks to you, can't I even have a steamed bun?"

Xiao Liulang said, "No, it's possible that someone drugged him."

Gu Chengfeng quickly spat out the steamed bun in his mouth: "Pah! Pah! Pah! Someone poisoned the examination hall?"

Yes, how could someone have poisoned the examination hall?

Ordinary people wouldn't dare to get their hands inside the examination hall; if they did, it would be for cheating. Who would poison the examiners?

As Xiao Liulang pondered, Gu Chengfeng suddenly said, "Could it be Baiyao? Was it that old hag? Or maybe it's Heiyao... No... Giving you Heiyao or Baiyao wouldn't work..."

Xiao Liulang asked, puzzled, "What black medicine and white medicine?"

Gu Chengfeng quickly covered his mouth.

Oops, I let it slip!

Xiao Liulang stared at him intently, his gaze neither cold nor frightening, but possessing a sharpness that left no room for escape.

Gu Chengfeng scratched his head: "Forget it, forget it. I've already said it. You can ask that girl later, and she'll know I let it slip!"

"What exactly is going on?" Xiao Liulang asked.

Gu Chengfeng sighed and recounted how Gu Jiao had tricked him into going to the nunnery to steal the black and white medicines. Then, through Xiao Liulang's subtle and persuasive questioning techniques, he also explained that the emperor had been poisoned by the black and white medicines.

Finally, as the saying goes, "Pulling out the radish brings out the mud along with it," and the imperial edict was also pulled out.

Xiao Liulang: "Imperial edict?"

Everyone has different priorities. For Gu Chengfeng, the emperor's use of Chinese medicine was the most surprising thing, but what shocked Xiao Liulang the most was the imperial edict in the hands of Consort Jing.

Because he had seen that imperial edict.

(End of this chapter)