Chapter 444 The Grandfather of Scams (First Update)

After leaving the East Palace, Gu Jiao checked on Gu Chengfeng's learning progress.

Gu Chengfeng was inwardly opposed to it.

Gu Jiao took out a bottle of hair growth serum and easily solved the problem.

Having confirmed that Gu Chengfeng, the main prop, was not a problem, Gu Jiao then began to prepare to lure the Crown Prince into a trap.

First, she had to choose a time when the Crown Princess was alone, ensuring the Crown Princess had an alibi, so that she could successfully guide the Crown Prince to "catch the adulterer."

Coincidentally, in the evening Empress Xiao asked the Crown Princess to have dinner at Kunning Palace. Recently, there have been many things going on in the Eastern Palace, and Qin Chuyu has been brought back to Kunning Palace to be raised.

After the meal, Qin Chuyu was going to Renshou Palace to find Xiao Jingkong, and Empress Xiao asked the Crown Princess to accompany him.

The Crown Princess dared not refuse and went with Qin Chuyu.

The two little rascals were absolutely insane together, running wild from Renshou Palace to the Imperial Garden, and then from the Imperial Garden to Taiye Pond. The Crown Princess was ordered to keep an eye on Qin Chuyu, so she had no choice but to follow them.

But she couldn't keep up with the two little ones and soon lost them.

Chunying was the only one left by the Crown Princess's side, which made her easy to get rid of.

Gu Jiao walked over directly and said, "Could you do me a favor and take this over there for me?"

The Crown Princess frowned: "Why is it you again? Are you some kind of persistent ghost?"

Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow: "Will you help or not?"

If the Crown Princess were to ask Gu Jiao for help, Gu Jiao would definitely not help. But the Crown Princess is different; she has a persona and a status, so she has to help.

The Crown Princess glanced at Gu Jiao's basket and said to Chunying, "Help Doctor Gu carry this."

"Yes!" Chunying reluctantly took the basket and walked towards the pavilion with Gu Jiao.

Halfway there, Gu Jiao said to Chunying, "Just take it to Renshou Palace. I need to pick some more fruit."

Chunying choked. Wasn't it said that they would only take it to the pavilion? How come it's now the Renshou Palace?

“I’m worried about my Crown Princess being there alone.”

"How about I ask her to come pick fruit with me?"

"It's precisely because you called me that I'm worried," Chunying thought to herself, but dared not show it on her face.

This is the imperial palace. Qin Chuyu and the palace maids are nearby. Chunying knew Gu Jiao wouldn't dare to do anything reckless, so she picked up her basket and left.

Gu Jiao wouldn't actually ask the Crown Princess to pick fruit. She turned and headed towards the Imperial Study.

The Crown Prince is in the Imperial Study today, according to a message from Eunuch Qin.

When Gu Jiao arrived at the Imperial Study, the Crown Prince had just come out. He gave her a strange look and asked, "What are you doing here? What are you doing here?"

Is this some kind of place for someone like you, the Imperial Study?

The Crown Prince's impression of Gu Jiao was limited to her being Xiao Liulang's wife, ugly, raised in the countryside, a lowly female doctor, and somehow lucky enough to gain some favor from the Emperor and Empress Dowager.

In short, I don't think much of Gu Jiao.

Gu Jiao didn't mind the Crown Prince's attitude towards her at all. Now that he was out, it saved her the trouble of making up an excuse to bring him out.

"I... was just passing by," Gu Jiao said without changing her expression. "Is the Crown Prince returning to the Eastern Palace? I just ran into the Crown Princess near Taiye Pond."

The Crown Prince was supposed to return to the Eastern Palace, but upon hearing that the Crown Princess was at Taiye Pond, he changed his mind and headed directly there.

Gu Jiao was going in the same direction as him.

The crown prince frowned, and asked impatiently, "Why are you following me?"

Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow and said, "I didn't go with His Highness the Crown Prince. I'm also going to Taiye Pond. My younger brother is playing with the Seventh Prince near Taiye Pond."

The Crown Prince had also heard of Qin Chuyu's new friend, that little guy named Jingkong.

The crown prince frowned but said nothing.

The two entered the inner palace together. When they passed a rockery between Kunning Palace and Yongshou Palace, Gu Jiao suddenly stopped.

"Your Highness!" she called softly.

The crown prince was extremely impatient and asked her irritably, "What?"

"Shh~" Gu Jiao pressed her fingertip to her lips, making a shushing gesture, "There's noise behind the rockery, listen!"

The Crown Prince was not a cold-hearted person in general; he would not ignore what was happening around him. After hearing Gu Jiao's words, he frowned and stopped in his tracks.

Sure enough, he heard a noise coming from behind the artificial hill not far away.

That artificial hill was actually the former "crime scene," but the difference was that Gu Jiao chose a slightly different spot to eavesdrop than before.

The big tree where she and Princess Rui stood was too far from the artificial hill to hear clearly. Now she was standing on the path with the Crown Prince, half the distance from the artificial hill.

Unless the prince is deaf, he should be able to hear everything behind the artificial hill.

"It's you? You... how did you get here?"

That's the Crown Princess's voice.

"I didn't want to come either, but I had no choice."

This is not the voice of Prince Ning.

Prince Ning is seriously injured and is currently recuperating at his residence. It would be a miracle if he could come here.

"I think you've gone mad! This is the palace. You come to see me in broad daylight, aren't you afraid of being discovered!"

"Don't worry, I'm very skilled in martial arts, so no one will find out."

"Go away."

"I'll leave after delivering the message to my master. He wants you to remember that you are his woman and to remember your place! Don't always hide from him. If there's a next time, he can't guarantee he'll be able to protect your relationship forever."

Are you threatening me?

"I've delivered my message, I'm leaving."

"Wait! How...how badly is he injured?"

A tone of concern and worry.

"If you're truly worried about your master, why don't you go and visit him yourself? You haven't seen him in so long, don't you miss him?"

She sighed bitterly, "What's the use of thinking about it? Do you think I can just leave this deep palace whenever I want? What if people become suspicious?"

"Don't worry, as long as you want it, Master will arrange it for you."

Actually, the conversation ended there when they asked about the injuries. The following lines were improvised by Gu Chengfeng; he added random lines again.

Gu Jiao had been observing the Crown Prince's expression the whole time. The Crown Prince didn't react at all when he heard the first two sentences, but he frowned slightly when he heard the third sentence.

When he heard the words "leave after delivering the message to the master," his brows furrowed even more, clearly showing some anger.

No, this is all the reaction you get after being cheated on?

Isn't something a little off?

Given the Crown Prince's feelings for Wen Linlang, he should have drawn his sword and rushed forward long ago. He should have either killed Wen Linlang or the adulterer, or killed them both.

However, it didn't happen.

Gu Jiao asked curiously, "Your Highness, did you recognize that person's voice just now?"

The Crown Prince scoffed, "How could I tell? I don't recognize him!"

Gu Jiao opened her mouth: "You... don't recognize him? Don't you think that voice sounded familiar?"

Like the Crown Princess, isn't she?

"Familiar?" The Crown Prince thought for a moment, then said, "Oh, it does sound a bit like Linlang's voice, but it's still far from it."

Gu Jiao: ...How did you figure that out?

Or is it that this man's trust in the Crown Princess has become so blind that it is unshakable?

"Besides, Linlang would never betray me," the Crown Prince said.

As expected, it was the latter.

Your Highness, you are truly blind and truly cuckolded.

The original plan was for the Crown Prince to hear Wen Linlang's voice and suspect that she had an improper relationship with a man outside the palace, and then Gu Jiao would secretly throw out a few false pieces of evidence pointing to Prince Ning.

Once the crime of having an affair with the Crown Princess is proven, Prince Ning will be powerless to reverse the situation.

Who could have predicted that the Crown Prince would be such a useless teammate?

Gu Jiao didn't want to talk to him anymore.

The Crown Prince said coldly, "I must go and see who is defiling the inner palace here!"

Go away, go away, there's no way you'll even see it!

The Crown Prince, of course, couldn't see it. After Gu Chengfeng finished his performance, he used his lightness skill to leave.

The Crown Prince clenched his fists: "Damn it, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly!"

Gu Jiao rolled her eyes.

The first plan fell through.

This matter soon reached the ears of Prince Ning.

Ever since Prince Ning was beaten up by Gu Jiao, he has secretly sent people to keep an eye on Gu Jiao's movements.

Prince Ning was drinking his medicine when he heard this, and he narrowed his eyes: "...She really took the Crown Prince to catch them in the act?"

Qi Fei said, "It must be catching someone in the act of adultery. She found someone with exceptional ventriloquism who can imitate the Crown Princess's voice. That person is wearing a mask, and I don't know who he is."

Prince Ning sneered: "With such meager skills, you dare to fight me? Keep an eye on her!"

"yes!"

During the past few days of keeping an eye on Gu Jiao, Prince Ning has made significant progress.

Before they knew it, the end of the month had arrived. Prince Ning had recovered from his injuries and went to the palace to pay his respects to the emperor.

Gu Jiao and the Crown Prince were also present.

Gu Jiao came to take the emperor's pulse, while the crown prince came to report to the emperor on the progress of his investigation into Xiao Liulang's whereabouts over the past few days.

After so much time, there was still no news of Xiao Liulang, and both the Crown Prince and the Emperor began to speculate whether Xiao Liulang had met with misfortune.

As Gu Jiao visited Huaqing Palace more frequently, the Emperor realized that she was also anxious to know Xiao Liulang's whereabouts.

The emperor dared not tell Gu Jiao his suspicions, fearing that Gu Jiao would be upset and unable to bear it.

Because of Xiao Liulang's matter, the emperor was heavy-hearted and showed little joy when he saw the recovered Prince Ning.

"Your subject is fine now. I will be able to go out with my second brother to find Xiao Xiuzhuan in a little while."

The emperor sighed. He had just recovered from his serious injuries and should have been resting in bed, but he did not refuse Prince Ning's suggestion. He really wanted to find Xiao Liulang as soon as possible, even if it was just a corpse.

"By the way, did you catch the assassin who attacked you last time?"

Prince Ning glanced at Gu Jiao without leaving a trace. Gu Jiao showed no sign of guilt. Prince Ning's lips twitched, and he said to the Emperor, "Replying to Father, there is none for the time being."

The emperor said coldly, "Continue the investigation. To attempt to assassinate a prince right under the emperor's nose—is this not an act of defiance?"

Prince Ning said, "This matter has been handed over to the Jingzhao Prefecture. I believe we will have news soon."

Gu Jiao's expression remained unchanged. She withdrew her hand from taking the emperor's pulse and said, "Your Majesty, you have been experiencing excessive liver fire lately, so you should eat a lighter diet."

Eunuch Wei said, "His Majesty hasn't been able to eat much lately! Miss Gu, please try to persuade His Majesty, this old servant's words won't work!"

Wei Gonggong is truly the best teammate; they have such great chemistry even without rehearsing their lines!

Gu Jiao sighed and said, "Then why don't I stay and have dinner with His Majesty later? It will also be a good time to celebrate Prince Ning's recovery."

Prince Ning gave Gu Jiao a deep look.

Unaware of the undercurrents between the two, the emperor nodded and said, "Alright, you two brothers can stay for the meal as well." After a pause, he added, "Call Xiao Qi as well."

Eunuch Wei smiled and said, "His Highness the Seventh Prince has a class today at the Imperial Academy."

The emperor chuckled and slapped his forehead: "I was so busy I forgot."

Gu Jiao said, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager really likes the flower cakes I make, so I'll make some for you to try as well."

The emperor smiled and said, "Good."

Shortly after lunch, Gu Jiao's flower cakes were ready. She personally carried the steaming hot flower cakes to the study. The flower cakes were served on delicate little plates, accompanied by dried and fresh flowers, and looked extremely appealing.

"Your Majesty." Gu Jiao picked up a flower cake and handed it to the Emperor, then handed another one to the Crown Prince.

Knowing Gu Jiao's culinary skills, the emperor ate it without saying a word.

The prince was somewhat disdainful; how delicious could something made by a country girl be?

He glanced at his father, the emperor, and then forced himself to eat it.

Just one bite and he felt completely refreshed.

This girl's cooking skills are amazing!

Prince Ning was sitting far away, so Gu Jiao handed it to him last.

Prince Ning took it but didn't touch it.

Gu Jiao asked, "Why isn't Your Highness Prince Ning eating? Is it because you dislike my cooking?"

Prince Ning smiled and said, "How could that be?"

As he spoke, he picked up the flower cake and slowly took a bite.

"Is it delicious?" Gu Jiao asked.

"It tastes very good," Prince Ning said gently.

He said that, but the moment Gu Jiao turned around, he took out a handkerchief and, under the guise of wiping his mouth, spat it out without leaving a trace.

Ha, what a trivial skill!

After lunch, Prince Ning cupped his hands to the emperor and said, "Father, it's getting late. I'll go find Scholar Xiao now."

The emperor nodded: "Go then."

Although the father was very worried about his son's health, since his life was not in danger, finding Xiao Liulang's whereabouts was the top priority.

Since Prince Ning had already gone to find people, the Crown Prince naturally couldn't fall behind. He stood up, cupped his hands to the Emperor, and said, "Father, I'm going too."

"Yes. Be careful on your journey." The emperor was a little worried that the expert who had secretly injured Prince Ning might come back.

“Your Majesty, I’m going back too,” Gu Jiao said.

The emperor nodded: "Alright, go ahead."

Gu Jiao left Huaqing Palace with a small basket on her back. She first went to Renshou Palace to say goodbye to her aunt, who packed her some snacks from the imperial kitchen.

Gu Jiao took some snacks and left the palace. To her surprise, Prince Ning was waiting for her at the palace gate.

"Doctor Gu, His Highness Prince Ning requests your presence," Prince Ning's coachman said politely to Gu Jiao as he approached.

Gu Jiao glanced sideways at Prince Ning's carriage. Prince Ning lifted the curtain of the carriage window and gave Gu Jiao a gentle smile: "Doctor Gu, are you afraid that I might harm you if you don't ride in my carriage?"

Gu Jiao didn't say anything and strode onto the carriage.

Unlike ordinary women who pay attention to their demeanor, she exudes a youthful spirit in every gesture.

Prince Ning smiled faintly: "I truly admire Doctor Gu's courage."

Gu Jiao found a seat next to Prince Ning and said nonchalantly, "I should be saying that to Prince Ning."

"Oh?" Prince Ning looked at her with amusement. "You just managed to sneak up on me once by luck? That was only because I wasn't on guard. If we really fought, you wouldn't be my match."

Gu Jiao didn't say anything.

Prince Ning took it as tacit consent.

After the carriage had traveled for a while, Gu Jiao suddenly asked, "Your Highness Prince Ning, don't you feel unwell anywhere?"

(End of this chapter)