Chapter 408 They Came Knocking (Two Updates)

Princess Xinyang fainted without any warning.

The servants in the courtyard did not panic out of worry; under Yu Jin's direction, everyone did their work in an orderly manner.

Princess Xinyang was carried to the bed by Yu Jin.

Gu Jiao hadn't realized that the seemingly weak Yu Jin possessed such strength. However, Yu Jin wasn't a martial artist, and this attack actually used all her strength.

She gasped for breath for a moment, a thin layer of sweat beading on her forehead.

"Lord Yujin, this servant will go and fetch a doctor," a maidservant said.

Yu Jin nodded at first, but then shook her head as if she had thought of something.

Then, she looked at Gu Jiao, who hadn't taken advantage of the chaos to escape, and asked with a focused gaze, "Dr. Gu, can I trust you?"

...

Dusk was falling in the west.

After finishing his official duties for the day, Xiao Liulang came out of the Hanlin Academy and immediately saw Xiao Sanzi pacing anxiously at the door.

Xiao Sanzi is the doctor's driver and often accompanies Gu Jiao on her house calls.

Xiao Liulang subconsciously looked behind Xiao Sanzi and saw only a quiet carriage with the curtains tightly closed, but his intuition told him that Gu Jiao was not in the carriage.

"Little Sanzi, what's wrong?" Xiao Liulang walked over and asked.

Upon hearing Xiao Liulang's voice, Xiao Sanzi turned around abruptly and exclaimed in a panic, "Brother Xiao, Miss Gu is missing!"

Xiao Liulang frowned: "When did you disappear? Where did you disappear?"

Xiao Sanzi was extremely anxious: "Just... just now..."

Xiao Liulang reassured him, "Don't rush, tell me slowly."

Xiao Sanzi knew he couldn't act like this. After all, he had met the emperor with Miss Gu, so he needed to stay calm, stay calm...

After calming down, Xiao Sanzi recounted what had happened in front of the shop.

Xiao Liulang frowned and said, "You mean she disappeared suddenly?"

Xiao Sanzi said, "It just happened so suddenly! I was holding the pancake in one hand and the food box in the other, and I told her to eat the pancake while it was hot, otherwise it would get soggy and not crispy. She said okay, but when I turned around to look at her, she was gone! No... I mean... she disappeared! I asked the couple who run the pancake shop, but they didn't see her either! I looked around... but I searched the whole street and I just couldn't find her..."

Xiao Liulang went to the crime scene.

"Where did you park your carriage?" he asked Xiao Sanzi.

Xiao Sanzi found a spot about half a zhang away from the shop, and while gesturing, he said, "Here! The horse stands here, and the carriage is here!"

After finishing Gu Jiao's order, the shop ran out of ingredients and closed down, and no more customers came.

Xiao Liulang carefully looked around the scene, then suddenly squatted down and picked up a broken piece of charcoal pencil.

Charcoal pencils are not a very good writing tool, and most people don't use them. Gu Jiao loves to use them, though. Her great-aunt gave her a purse with a special inner compartment for storing charcoal pencils, which she could take out and clean when they got dirty.

She usually puts one or two pieces inside.

However, the charcoal pencil in Xiao Liulang's hand was not the charcoal pencil that Gu Jiao usually used.

Her charcoal pencils have been treated to make them softer.

This charcoal pencil is for a specific person; he has only seen it in one place.

...

In the courtyard of Zhuque Street, Princess Xinyang slowly awoke.

Yu Jin had been watching over her. When she saw her open her eyes, she smiled slightly and said, "Princess, you're awake? How are you feeling?"

Princess Xinyang had fainted before, but this was the first time she had woken up feeling so relaxed, without dizziness or body aches, as if she had just taken a nap.

Yu Jin could tell from her complexion that she had recovered better than before. She smiled and said, "The princess fainted just now, and it was Doctor Gu who treated her with acupuncture."

As she spoke, she stood up, took a step back, and bowed, saying, "Your subject has acted without authorization; please punish me, Your Highness."

Princess Xinyang gave her a helpless look: "You know I won't punish you."

Yu Jin smiled.

Princess Xinyang asked, "Where is that girl?"

Yu Jin looked back and said, "In the courtyard."

In the brightly colored courtyard, under a large, leafy tree, someone was forced to work again, wielding a pen, his little face dark with anger.

"You're a master, a dignified Dragon Shadow Guard of Zhao Kingdom, the most awesome martial arts master in the world, why do you like it when people slap you in the face?"

Gu Jiao said resentfully, not forgetting to break a charcoal pencil in half.

Then she sensed that this big shot was even happier!

...It's quite confusing.

When Princess Xinyang came out accompanied by Yu Jin, what she saw was a big boy and a little girl squatting on the ground picking up a pen.

Yu Jin had been guarding Princess Xinyang's bedside the whole time, and had no idea that the two of them were like this. Yu Jin couldn't help but burst out laughing again.

“Princess,” she said, “Long Yi hasn’t played with anyone in a long time. The last time he did this was when the young marquis was still a child…”

Princess Xinyang interrupted her calmly: "Yujin, he is dead. Don't mention him again."

Yu Jin lowered her eyes: "...Yes."

Gu Jiao struggled with her pen until she was in despair, and only ended her business for the day when her stomach started growling.

Yu Jin invited Gu Jiao to stay for dinner, but Gu Jiao declined.

She's been gone for so long, Xiao Sanzi must be worried sick. Xiao Liulang probably knows she's missing too. She needs to go back right away.

Out of respect for the thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum, she didn't intend to accept payment for the consultation, but Yu Jin insisted on giving it to her, so she accepted it.

Consider it a reward for spending the whole night writing!

Gu Jiao put the one hundred tael silver note into her purse.

Compared to Marquis Xuanping, who only gave her a copper coin, Princess Xinyang was incredibly generous.

Gu Jiao was kidnapped by Long Yi when she arrived, so we can't let Long Yi kidnap her back now.

Yu Jin thoughtfully had a carriage prepared.

"I send you."

As soon as she finished speaking, a little maid came over with small, quick steps: "Lord Yujin, it seems that the peony won't survive."

"Which one?" Yu Jin asked.

"The one the princess loves the most," the maid said.

Gu Jiao, understanding and considerate, said, "Lord Yu Jin, please go and take care of Peony. There's no need to see me off."

Taking care of Peony wasn't something that needed to be done in a short time, but Yu Jin could tell that Gu Jiao didn't care for such formalities, so she smiled and said, "Alright, then take your time. The carriage is right at the door. Just tell the driver where you want to go."

"Okay." Gu Jiao replied, bid farewell to Yu Jin, and went to the main gate of the courtyard.

The gate was ajar, opening inwards.

The moment Gu Jiao opened the door, she saw Xiao Liulang raising his hand to knock.

The two of them paused simultaneously.

Gu Jiao hadn't expected him to find this place, Xiao Liulang hadn't expected the door to open by itself, and Gu Jiao to come out at this moment.

Are you alright?

What brings you here?

The two spoke in unison.

Xiao Liulang was still panting, his forehead covered with fine beads of sweat, showing how arduous and anxious his journey had been.

He glanced at the courtyard behind Gu Jiao.

Gu Jiao's eyes flickered. She stepped over the threshold and closed the courtyard gate: "Let's go."

Yu Jin heard an unfamiliar male voice and, feeling uneasy, went over to take a look, only to find that Gu Jiao had already left with Xiao Liulang.

Yu Jin asked the coachman, "Where is Madam Gu?"

The driver said, "Someone came looking for her just now, and she went with him."

Someone came to see her?

She was kidnapped by Long Yi. Who could guess that Long Yi had kidnapped her here?

Yu Jin was completely baffled. She followed for a few steps and arrived at the corner of Zhuque Street, only to see a carriage driving into the night.

On the quiet street, Xiao Sanzi drove the car with a sigh of relief.

He finally found Miss Gu, and he no longer had to live in fear.

Brother Xiao is really amazing; he guessed right away that Miss Gu was coming to Zhuque Street.

By the way, how did he guess it?

The same question flashed through Gu Jiao's mind, but unlike Gu Jiao, she quickly figured out the answer.

No wonder he was able to stop Long Yi from killing her, and no wonder Long Yi pinched his face.

Long Yi was indeed confirming something, and he had already completed the confirmation.

In this way, it makes sense that Long Yi is suddenly so close to him.

Although Gu Jiao was unwilling to equate being forced to break a pen with intimacy, if someone else had slapped Long Yi in the face with a pen, it would probably be the person who broke the pen instead of a few charcoal pencils.

Although she had guessed some things, and she felt that with his intelligence, it was impossible for him not to realize that she had guessed, she didn't press the issue because he didn't say anything.

However, she still had to explain why she appeared on Suzaku Avenue.

“Yesterday I removed stitches for a scholar named Xu. He asked me to treat one of his aunts, and he even paid for the consultation. But I went to the wrong place and accidentally wandered into Princess Xinyang's courtyard, mistaking Princess Xinyang for his aunt…”

Gu Jiao briefly described the process of changing the medicine, but she didn't mention that Long Yi made her break the pen, nor did she mention that Princess Xinyang misunderstood her and almost used the late emperor's bestowed golden whip to whip her little bottom.

It's a bit embarrassing.

"Princess Xinyang took the medicine I gave her, and it worked very well. That's why I had Long Yi take me there just now to treat her!"

She spoke casually, omitting all the dramatic misunderstandings and details.

But Xiao Liulang had spent more than ten years with Princess Xinyang, so how could he not know what kind of person she was?

Perhaps he couldn't understand it back then, but now, looking back, many details are quite different from what he remembered.

Princess Xinyang was never a simple woman.

If she really wanted to hire someone to treat her illness, she would have sent a grand procession in a sedan chair. The fact that Long Yi kidnapped her was probably because he had become suspicious of her.

Fortunately, it was all a misunderstanding.

He couldn't stop her from seeing Princess Xinyang, because he couldn't stop her.

This isn't something she can simply disappear from whenever she wants. If Princess Xinyang gives the order, Long Yi will search high and low, and find her.

But Ryuichi wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her, would he?

Just as he never allowed anyone to hurt him.

Back home, the pancakes were already cold. Gu Jiao sighed. They were such delicious pancakes, what a pity.

It was late at night, and everyone in the family was asleep. The two of them washed up and went back to their rooms.

Xiao Jingkong lay sprawled on the bed, snoring softly.

Looking at him, Xiao Liulang was reminded of his childhood self and the former princess's residence.

Memories flashed through my mind like frames of a painting; memories I thought I had long forgotten were surprisingly clear in the night.

Xiao Liulang closed his eyes, trying to squeeze these memories out of his mind, but found that the harder he tried, the more violently the memories surged.

"Mother~"

Suddenly, Xiao Jingkong, who was standing to the side, spoke up in a daze.

Did the little guy dream that he had a mother?

Xiao Liulang's thoughts were interrupted, and he pulled down Xiao Jingkong's clothes to cover his little belly.

Little Jingkong rolled over, snuggled into his arms, and babbled incoherently in his sleep.

Xiao Liulang raised his long, slender, jade-like fingertips and poked his little head to the side.

Little Jingkong rolled over and then rolled back a moment later.

Xiao Liulang poked again.

He rolled away again.

In the end, he stopped trying to snuggle into Xiao Liulang's arms. Instead, a little foot suddenly appeared and shoved right into Xiao Liulang's face!

Xiao Liulang: "..."

After being tormented by Xiao Jingkong, Xiao Liulang had no time to think about anything else. The strange memories in his mind also faded away, and he slept soundly in the latter half of the night.

The next day, before dawn, he went to the Hanlin Academy.

He arrived earlier than Kong Mu, who gave him a strange look: "Xiao Xiuzhuan last night... could it be that he didn't go back?"

“I’m back,” Xiao Liulang said.

After finishing his business, Xiao Liulang went to his office.

Kong Mu muttered to himself, "So early... I had a fight with my wife and she kicked me out..."

The results of the six ministries' assessments were released, and a large number of officials were placed in the category of those who needed to retake the exams. The Hanlin Academy took on the important task of lecturing to these officials.

A large portion of the officials who took the make-up exams were not from the imperial examination system, but rather from families that granted their positions through the merits of their ancestors. One can imagine how poor their exam skills were.

It's not that none of the officials who received their positions through family connections were well-read; it's just that if someone had genuine talent and ability, they wouldn't need family connections to become an official, they could become one on their own. For example, the former young libationer, and the current editor Zhuang.

Those who know they have the potential to become officials through nepotism and still study diligently are a minority.

The system of hereditary officials had obvious drawbacks, but it had a long history. The late emperor had tried to abolish it during his reign, but it was met with joint opposition from civil and military officials. However, the late emperor was stubborn and refused to budge until his death, which strained the relationship between the emperor and his ministers. His former subordinates were loyal to him, but at the same time, they hoped that he would retract his decision.

After Empress Dowager Zhuang began ruling from behind the curtain, she reinstated the hereditary official system, giving civil and military officials a way out. However, she also made a condition—to establish assessments for the Six Ministries.

An assessment is conducted every three years. If the candidate fails the assessment, they must retake it. If they fail the retake twice, they will be demoted. If they are demoted twice, they will be stripped of their official position.

It is worth mentioning that those who receive a demerit must participate in the next round of assessment, regardless of whether they are drawn by lot or not.

The brilliance of this system lies in the fact that it includes a considerable buffer period. If you fail the exam, you can retake it, and if you fail the retake, you can take it again after three years. You don't lose your official position immediately.

In addition, Empress Dowager Zhuang said, "Like father, like son. All of you are wise and brave, truly the pillars of our Zhao Kingdom. Could it be that the children you have given birth to are all worthless?"

The combination of flattery and provocation left the court officials speechless.

The six-department assessment system was thus adopted.

While this system did not completely eliminate the practice of hereditary officials, it minimized the drawbacks it brought.

Today, the Hanlin official scheduled to give a lecture at the Examination Hall is Xiao Liulang, and the Examination Hall will arrange for him to be picked up and dropped off by carriage.

Before the carriage arrived, Xiao Liulang carried a water jug ​​to the backyard to fetch water.

Ning Zhiyuan happened to be washing his brushes at the ink pond when he saw him and greeted him with a smile: "Sixth Brother! So early!"

“You’re here early too,” Xiao Liulang said.

Ning Zhiyuan sighed, "I was just afraid of being late, so I left early. Besides, you don't live far away."

As the two were talking, Scholar Han came over.

Ning Zhiyuan exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, I didn't expect Lord Han to be here so early too."

The two men bowed to Scholar Han.

Scholar Han nodded and looked at Xiao Liulang, asking, "Are you going to give a lecture at the examination hall today?"

“Yes,” Xiao Liulang said.

“No need to go,” said Scholar Han. “You will come with me to Wenhua Pavilion in a little while.”

Xiao Liulang's fingertips twitched.

Wenhua Pavilion was a library built by Princess Xinyang.

Scholar Han gave Xiao Liulang this opportunity because he valued him highly. Seeing that Xiao Liulang didn't speak, he took it as a yes.

But before he could take a step, Xiao Liulang said, "Lord Han, I would like to go to the examination hall to give lectures."

What do you mean by wanting to lecture at the Imperial Examination Hall?

Is it really acceptable to haggle with your boss like this?

Scholar Han turned around and looked at him seriously, saying, "Do you know what the Wenhua Pavilion is? And what kind of opportunity is this?"

“I want to go to the Imperial Examination Hall to give lectures,” Xiao Liulang said, emphasizing each word.

Han Xueshi frowned.

Xiao Liulang glanced at Ning Zhiyuan and said, "Let Editor Ning go to Wenhua Pavilion. I still want to go to the Examination Hall."

He mentioned going to the examination hall three times, and even if Scholar Han wanted to promote him, he wouldn't give him another chance.

“Come with me,” Han Xueshi said to Ning Zhiyuan.

Ning Zhiyuan followed Han Xueshi, gesturing exaggeratedly at Xiao Liulang as they walked, silently saying—"You really gave me such a good opportunity?"

"What are you doing?" Han Xueshi stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him.

Ning Zhiyuan stopped what he was doing in a second: "It's nothing, just stretching."

Scholar Han led Ning Zhiyuan out of the Hanlin Academy.

Xiao Liulang waited another half hour before the people from the examination hall arrived. But just as he was about to get into the carriage, the coachman from the Hanlin Academy rushed over anxiously: "Something terrible has happened, Compiler Xiao! Compiler Ning has had an accident! You must go to the Wenhua Pavilion quickly!"

The purpose of marking "one update" and "two updates" is not to emphasize the word count, but to let everyone know whether we need to wait for more updates.

If it's marked as "one update," you can check back during the day. If it's marked as "two updates," then that's all for today.

(End of this chapter)