Chapter 462 The Knot in the Heart Resolved (First Update)

In the east room, thanks to Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun's vivid explanations and gestures—Gu Yan mainly explained and Gu Xiaoshun mainly gestured—Gu Jiao finally understood the ins and outs of the incident. Gu Jiao knew a little about Xiao Liulang's background, but judging from the conversation between the mother and son, there were other hidden details about Xiao Liulang's background and the fire four years ago.

Gu Jiao felt that the arsonist should not be Prince Ning, at least not the one who burned "Xiao Heng" to death.

Princess Xinyang and Prince Ning must have both considered arson, but neither succeeded. The former hesitated and stopped in time, while the latter was probably nipped in the bud by Princess Xinyang before it even started.

So who could it be?

Why do this?

Xiao Heng was just a carefree young man. If one had to say who he offended, it would probably be those who were jealous of his talent or the Zhuang family. However, given the power of Marquis Xuanping and Princess Xinyang, no one should have the guts or ability to harm their son.

In particular, the Imperial Academy was originally the territory of the old Chancellor and Xiao Heng; otherwise, how could Princess Xinyang have discovered the Prince of Ning's arson in time?

Consort Jing once poisoned Xiao Heng, but that was because the palace was Consort Jing's territory. Furthermore, since then, Princess Xinyang and Marquis Xuanping have protected Xiao Heng very well, so ordinary enemies have no way to harm him.

Therefore, that fire was not set by an ordinary enemy.

As for whether it was revenge against Marquis Xuanping or Princess Xinyang, Gu Jiao felt it was neither.

Judging from Princess Xinyang's act of sending Xiao Heng away, the person targeted by the other party was likely Xiao Heng himself.

That person or force seriously threatened Xiao Heng's safety, and Princess Xinyang had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure so that Xiao Heng could survive.

Judging from the Marquis of Xuanping's repeated probing of Xiao Liulang, Princess Xinyang was even keeping it from him.

Although there wasn't much trust between the couple, Xiao Heng was his own son, and his feelings for Xiao Heng were genuine. There could only be one explanation for Princess Xinyang's actions—it was a force that even the Marquis of Xuanping's mansion might find difficult to deal with.

Could it be... the power of the superior nation?

The world was divided into six states: Yan, Jin, and Liang were the superior states, Zhao, Zhao, and Chen were the inferior states, and there was also the Turks, who were not recognized by the six states.

Since arriving here, the farthest Gu Jiao has traveled is the capital. She knows very little about the other countries and cannot immediately guess which country is more likely to be powerful.

But Xiao Liulang once said that his birth mother was a female slave from the Yan state.

Without any tokens or words, Xiao Liulang's birth mother left nothing that could trace his identity.

...

That evening, Princess Xinyang stayed for dinner.

"Actually, I can cook too. During these years in Fengdu, I had nothing to do, so I learned a few signature dishes from the chef at the manor."

She is a vegetarian and all her cooking skills are related to vegetarian cuisine.

She wanted to show off her cooking skills to her son, so she made a cold dish of shredded vegetables, a steamed red date and glutinous rice dish, and a stir-fried wild mushroom dish.

The presentation was much better than Xiao Liulang's; the color was enticing, and the aroma was so tempting that it made one's mouth water.

Everyone eagerly took a taste, and then they all felt a tremor from their very souls!

Oh my god!

This is absolutely awful!

Now we finally know where Xiao Liulang's terrible cooking skills came from!

Xiao Jingkong and Long Yi were so disgusted by the food that they rolled their eyes and stuck out their tongues!

It's worth mentioning that Gu Jiao gave Long Yi a new mask that covered the upper half of his face, leaving his mouth and chin exposed so he could eat anytime, anywhere.

Yu Jin also showed off her cooking skills. Fortunately, her cooking was authentic, and the fear of being dominated by Princess Xinyang's cooking skills gradually subsided with the delicious food.

After the meal, the old chief priest called Xiao Liulang... now he should be called Xiao Heng, to the next room.

He returned late and was still unaware of how the mother and son had inexplicably recognized each other.

Princess Xinyang was led by Xiao Jingkong to visit his vegetable garden, as well as his fledgling eagle and seven chicks.

“…This is Xiao Wu, this is Xiao Liu, this is Xiao Qi, and this is Xiao Jiu.” After Xiao Jingkong finished introducing them one by one, Xiao Ba walked over proudly and said, “This is Brother Yan’s Xiao Ba.”

Then he bent down and tied a bright red flower on Xiao Ba's hair.

Princess Xinyang thought of the peacock feathers on Gu Jiao's mask, and her eyelids twitched again. What kind of aesthetic sense do these two siblings have!

"Princess! This is for you!"

Suddenly, as if by magic, Xiao Jingkong produced a flower and very gentlemanly presented it to Princess Xinyang, saying, "Only such a beautiful flower is worthy of someone as beautiful as you."

This little one's mouth is truly sweet.

But why do these flowers look so familiar...?

Has Long Yi gone and wreaked havoc on her greenhouse again?!

Picking flowers from Princess Xinyang and presenting them to her—that's quite an act!

Afterwards, Xiao Jingkong invited Princess Xinyang to his west room and proudly showed her his homework. Apart from the messy handwriting, there was almost no mistake.

The reason his handwriting wasn't neat enough was that he was too young and lacked wrist and hand strength. In addition, Gu Jiao didn't let him write too many words, fearing it would affect his development.

He is a very smart child.

When Xiao Heng came over from the next room, he saw Xiao Jingkong showing off and being arrogant to Princess Xinyang.

He only acts this way with people he likes; he always acts aloof and distant with people he doesn't like.

For example, when Gu Jinyu came to his door, he never paid any attention to her.

Of course, while Xiao Jingkong was showing off, he also did a lot of badmouthing of his brother-in-law, which made Princess Xinyang suppress her laughter.

When Xiao Jingkong said helplessly, "Really, Princess, you might not believe it, but my bad brother-in-law is already eighteen years old and still wets the bed! And after he wets the bed, he blames it on me! How can adults be so insensible these days?"

Princess Xinyang was laughing so hard she almost cried.

Xiao Heng's handsome face turned completely black.

Little monk, you feel uneasy if it's not dark by the time it gets dark, right?

"Have you finished practicing your Chen Guo calligraphy copybook?"

Have you memorized the ancient poems of the Liang Kingdom?

Have you read the Three Character Classic of Yan?

Xiao Jingkong snorted and pouted, "Jiaojiao said I can do it tomorrow."

Xiao Heng raised an eyebrow: "Oh, so did you tell Jiaojiao what homework you have tomorrow?"

Xiao Jingkong cleverly concealed his tutoring assignment for tomorrow in order to take a break today.

The little guy blinked guiltily.

Ultimately, the fear of being discovered by Jiao Jiao and being disappointed in him prevailed.

Reluctantly, he jumped off the chair, tiptoed to pick up the book on the table, and went to do his homework at his great-uncle's place.

Princess Xinyang still had a smile on her lips.

She hadn't laughed like that in a long time; the little guy reminded her of Ah Heng when he was young.

“Jingkong is just like you were when you were a child,” she said with a smile.

Xiao Heng snorted and said, "I'm not as arrogant as him."

Princess Xinyang said, "Oh, who is it that memorized a poem and then ran to the Golden Palace to show off?"

Xiao Heng's expression suddenly froze, and a shameful memory burst forth from the depths of his consciousness—a cute little dumpling followed behind the emperor, using both hands and feet to climb up the steps one by one, panting heavily, until the hat on its head was askew.

He stood up, awkwardly adjusted his crooked hat, looked at the large group of civil and military officials, and said in a childish voice, "I...I'm going to recite a poem. Today's poem is..."

That's not him!

He denies it! He doesn't remember! He doesn't!

...

Princess Xinyang stayed until late at night before leaving, and Xiao Heng escorted her to the door.

She had said everything she needed to say, and with Xiao Heng's intelligence, he had probably already guessed what she shouldn't have said, but she was still somewhat uneasy.

Just before boarding the carriage, she gave Xiao Heng a deep look and said, "Now you..."

“I understand.” Xiao Heng nodded knowingly. “Don’t worry about the future, I will handle it.”

He cannot reveal his identity to the public yet, but one day, he will appear openly and legitimately in front of everyone as Xiao Heng!

He will catch the mastermind behind the poisoning and arson against him, whether it is an individual or a force, and no matter what hardships he has to endure, he will not back down or run away again.

If it was a mountain, he carved it out!

If it was a river, he filled it in!

Even a small mayfly can shake a tree!

Princess Xinyang looked at the determination in Xiao Heng's eyes and finally realized that he had grown up. Over the past four years, she had worried about his situation countless times and regretted her decision countless times. Especially when she learned that Xiao Su had contracted leprosy shortly after leaving the capital, and that Xiao Heng had taken care of him for two years without ever leaving his side, her heart almost stopped beating.

But when the moment actually arrived, she realized that every step she had taken had been worthwhile.

All the suffering he has experienced will become his indestructible armor.

Ah Heng, your mother is so proud of you.

After Princess Xinyang's carriage left, Xiao Liulang returned to the courtyard. He closed the gate, bolted it, and turned around to see a person sitting on the swing set.

The crescent moon is like a hook.

The moonlight gently fell on her shoulders, and her flowing skirt swayed softly in the night breeze.

Xiao Heng glanced at her small figure as she walked away. It was late at night, and everyone was asleep, making the night exceptionally quiet.

He lowered his voice: "Aren't you going to sleep?"

Gu Jiao gripped the swing ropes with both hands, tilted her head to look at him, her eyes sparkling like the starlight of the Milky Way: "Are you happy?"

Xiao Heng was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized that she was referring to his reunion with Princess Xinyang. He hummed in agreement, "I'm happy."

Gu Jiao released her left hand and moved to the right to make room for him.

This swing was built for Xiao Jingkong. He requested that it be made bigger, but since he is small, it is only a slightly larger single-seat swing.

Xiao Heng sat down next to her, their bodies pressed tightly together, which provided a unique warmth in the cool night breeze.

"Thank you," he said.

"Huh?" Gu Jiao looked at him, puzzled.

Thank you for pulling me out of the mire, thank you for pushing me to the capital, and thank you for forcing me to confront the past I dared not face, and finally to meet the truth.

He was too ashamed to say these words, but looking at her tenderly, he changed the subject: "You seem happy too."

Gu Jiao shook her head: "If you're happy, I'm happy!"

Touched by his tenderness, Xiao Heng raised his hand and gently touched the top of her head.

She seemed to really enjoy being patted on the head, and nuzzled her head against his palm.

Her hair exuded a faint scent of floral soap, each strand radiating a silent invitation, as if saying, "You've washed your hair, feel free to touch it."

Xiao Heng couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Gu Jiao was momentarily stunned by his smile.

He doesn't laugh often, but every time he does, it's so powerful it makes your heart stop.

Gu Jiao stared blankly at him, a twisted idea suddenly flashing through her mind—she wanted to hide him away, lock him in her own cage, the kind where no one could find him!

Hmm.

She's so bad.

"Jiaojiao." His voice interrupted her thoughts.

Gu Jiao blinked: "Hmm?"

Xiao Heng turned to the side and looked at her intently: "Is it hard being with me?"

Gu Jiao shook her head: "It's not hard work."

Xiao Heng added, "But perhaps it will be tough in the future."

Gu Jiao said earnestly, "I'm not afraid of hard work."

A hint of emotion flashed in Xiao Heng's eyes as he gently tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ear.

Gu Jiao lowered her eyes and fiddled with her fingers: "Then, do you want to kiss me?"

Xiao Heng was taken aback, his hand, which was gathering her hair, froze in mid-air.

“No,” he said seriously.

"Oh." Gu Jiao's face fell visibly.

Xiao Heng almost burst out laughing. He suppressed the mischievous smile in his eyes, raised his hand and gently supported her fair neck, cradling the back of her head with his large palm. He said in a hoarse voice, "Jiaojiao, close your eyes."

Gu Jiao obediently closed her eyes.

He gently held her head and lowered his head to kiss her soft lips.

Unlike his previous half-hearted attempts, this time he wanted more.

"Jiaojiao," he whispered, his lips brushing against hers.

"Hmm?" The scorching breath made Gu Jiao's cheeks burn, and her little face turned as red as a ripe shrimp.

"You're so good to me," he murmured gently, pressing his forehead against hers.

"I also think I'm really great."

Xiao Heng chuckled, his laughter pleasant and magnetic, his shoulders trembling slightly.

He pulled her slender waist into his arms and kissed her again, his kiss tender and lingering, a sweet scent filling the air.

Little Nine on the roof shyly covered its head with its wings.

As dawn broke, Xiao Heng got up as usual. He first went to the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and then opened the wardrobe and took out his Hanlin official robes.

Now that he has appeared in the palace, there is no need for him to continue playing the disappearance game.

He's going to work at the Hanlin Academy.

As he straightened his official robes, he vaguely sensed that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He went to the backyard to wash up.

Yu Ya'er was airing out the quilts when she saw him and greeted him, "Good morning, son-in-law."

"Good morning." Xiao Heng nodded and walked past her.

Yu Ya'er continued airing the quilts, but suddenly, she abruptly turned to look at Xiao Heng: "Young Master! Your leg—"

(End of this chapter)