Chapter 526 The Beloved Darling (Two Updates)

Today is Xiao Jingkong's fifth birthday, if he was indeed born on New Year's Eve.

It's already very brave of a five-year-old to have this intention.

"Fighting will hurt," Gu Jiao said. "There will be bloodshed and injuries."

Xiao Jingkong's expression suddenly became tense: "Then... Jiaojiao, are you hurt?"

Gu Jiao was speechless for a moment.

I was just trying to scare you and make you back out, so why are you focusing on me?

A warm feeling flowed through Gu Jiao's heart.

It was a feeling I had never experienced in my previous life, but I experienced many of them after coming here.

Gu Jiao patted his little head, and shook her head with a smile in his bewildered and helpless eyes: "I'm not hurt."

"Phew~"

Little Jingkong let out a long sigh of relief. After he finished, he patted his little chest and said in a very manly way, "I'm not afraid of pain, nor am I afraid of getting hurt or bleeding!"

I'm afraid there won't be Jiaojiao.

He lowered his head, his tiny fingers intertwined.

Xiao Jingkong grew up in the temple from a young age. The abbot, his master, and his fellow disciples all treated him very well. However, there are some things that cannot be made up for in the temple.

Gu Jiao filled the void in his life little by little.

Gu Jiao could never imagine just how important she was to him.

Gu Jiao smiled and said, "Jingkong is really brave."

Little Jingkong was flattered by the praise and raised his chin, saying, "Of course, I'm the bravest little man in the family!"

Gu Yan scoffed.

Little brat.

After cuddling with Gu Jiao for a while, Xiao Jingkong felt comforted and happily went to the backyard to practice his skills by climbing a tree.

With that little gossip gone, the room became quiet, and Gu Yan sat down by the bed.

Now, only the three little men remain in the house. Xiao Jingkong's fighting power alone is equivalent to that of a regiment, and the three of them combined are not as troublesome as him.

The atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious for a moment.

Gu Jiao sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the little baby Gu Yan was holding, and hummed in agreement, saying, "This is... a little brother? He's grown so much?"

"Gu Xiaobao, call me 'sister'!" Gu Yan said to Gu Xiaobao, looking down at him.

Perhaps because he heard his own name, Gu Xiaobao paused in sucking his finger, looked up at Gu Yan, and then looked at Gu Jiao in front of him.

Gu Jiao was undoubtedly a stranger to Gu Xiaobao.

However, Gu Xiaobao has a very good temper. He usually doesn't cry or make a fuss. When neighbors come over, he'll hug and pinch them, and he's very considerate.

Gu Yan placed Gu Xiaobao in Gu Jiao's arms. He didn't cry. He just opened his big, round eyes and his little mouth full of drool, staring at Gu Jiao without blinking.

Gu Xiaobao is chubby, with two heavy lumps on his face, making him look like a little lucky baby.

Looking at his adorable and silly appearance, Gu Jiao couldn't help but laugh.

Gu Xiaobao is three months old now, and he does recognize people quite well. For example, he likes Yao Shi the most, and then his wet nurse, since they provide milk.

When there was no milk to drink, Gu Xiaobao would suck his own fingers.

However, perhaps because he had never met Gu Jiao before, Gu Xiaobao was a little confused, so much so that he forgot to suck his own fingers.

The next second, he stuffed his most beloved little index finger, which even Gu Yan was reluctant to give away, into Gu Jiao's mouth.

The three little men didn't occupy Gu Jiao for long, because when the little monk went to the backyard to practice his kung fu, he deliberately yelled, "Jiao Jiao is awake!"

So Yao, along with Granny Fang, Yuya'er, and the old priest, all put down their work and came over.

Gu Jiao dressed neatly, washed up, and went to the main room.

Madam Yao and the old chief priest sat at the table watching her. Granny Fang and Yu Ya'er stood behind Madam Yao. Granny Fang kept wiping away her tears and cried even harder than Madam Yao.

"Granny, the young lady has returned," Yu Ya'er whispered.

Granny Fang choked up and said, "I know, I'm just happy. I've been waiting and waiting for so many days, and finally they're back, aren't they? Finally, we can have a good New Year."

When Gu Jiao was lying inside, Granny Fang wasn't so emotional yet, but when she saw Yao Shi holding Gu Jiao's hand with red eyes, she immediately couldn't hold back anymore.

Madam Yao tried her best to remain composed. Holding back her tears, she touched her daughter's cheek and said, "You've lost weight."

Her face was red from the cold, no longer as fair and radiant as it had been in the capital, a testament to the hardships she had endured during those three months of wind and sand.

Madam Yao was heartbroken and asked Gu Jiao about her experiences at the border. Gu Jiao only said that everything was fine, the war was over, the city had been recaptured, the border of Zhao Kingdom had been secured, and the old Marquis and Princess Ning'an had been rescued.

The text doesn't mention how many soldiers died, what price was paid, how many people were displaced, or how many times she escaped death.

Knowing her daughter's tendency to only share good news and not bad, Madam Yao didn't press her further. She smiled, wiped away her tears, and said, "It's the New Year, let's not talk about this. It's good that you're back. Are your grandfather and two brothers alright?"

Gu Changqing was ordered to go north, and everyone in the capital knew this. Although Gu Chengfeng had sneaked out, he had caused Lord Gu to be punished. When Lord Gu investigated later, he realized that the boy had gone north to find the old Lord Gu.

Gu Jiao nodded: "They are all fine."

All three were injured, but they have all recovered well.

Gu Chengfeng was the most resilient and the first to recover.

Gu Changqing's injuries are no longer a big problem. Now only the old Marquis needs to recuperate carefully and will rehabilitate with Tang Yueshan after returning to the capital.

Madam Yao glanced at Gu Xiaobao, who was being shaken back and forth by Gu Yan, and said gently to Gu Jiao, "When your grandfather returns, let's go to the mansion to see him."

"Um."

You must visit your sworn brothers!

Mrs. Yao and her daughter had so much to talk about that she didn't stop until Gu Xiaobao got hungry and she took Gu Xiaobao to breastfeed her.

The old chief priest also inquired about the situation at the border, and he was not as easy to fool as the others at home.

He had been exiled to the frontier for five years because of Zhuang Jinse, and he knew how miserable it was there.

"Alas, I feel sorry for you." The old chief minister sighed earnestly, "You have no idea how much that boy Aheng misses you. He comes to the palace every few days. The ministers think he is eager to climb the ranks, but in fact, he is just trying to find out news from the border."

Xiao Heng had just come out of the study when he overheard the old chief priest's words, and Gu Jiao happened to look at him. He was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to go forward or retreat.

He cleared his throat and said, "I was just concerned about military affairs."

Gu Jiao: "Oh."

The old chief priest then inquired about the remnants of the previous dynasty: "Are Prince Yi and his consort really dead?"

Gu Jiao nodded.

The prince consort was killed by Gu Changqing, and Prince Yi died of illness.

The previous dynasty's power should be considered completely disintegrated at this point.

The old chief priest asked, "What's going on with Chen? How did Yuan Tang escape from the capital and surrender to the Gu family army? Their forces are stronger than the Gu family army's, so there's no need for them to surrender without a fight. Could there be some kind of conspiracy?"

It's no wonder the old chief priest was so suspicious and cautious; everything that happened in Chen was just too unbelievable. Besides, Xiao Heng hadn't told the old chief priest that it was he who released Yuan Tang from the capital.

As for the relationship between Yuan Tang and Gu Jiao, the old chief priest was even more unaware of it.

"Surrender" is the Zhao Kingdom's version of events; in reality, the two armies had reached a truce and ceased fighting.

Chen's army outnumbered Gu's by 40,000, but Chen's morale was lower than Gu's. Furthermore, Chen was embroiled in serious internal strife, and the war losses had depleted the national treasury, so they could not afford to continue fighting.

The old chief priest pondered for a moment: "And what's going on with the Rong family? Their own sister is an imperial concubine, yet they're helping Prince Bo?"

Gu Jiao said, "Because the king does not intend to make Consort Rong his empress."

The brocade box Yuan Tang gave to Gu Jiao contained a letter explaining the Rong family's reasons for turning against them. It turned out that the Chen king's esteem for the Rong family and his affection for Consort Rong and her son were merely a facade. He had secretly written an imperial edict to make Consort Zhang the empress and to appoint Consort Zhang's son as the crown prince.

Consort Rong told the Rong family about this news. Consort Rong's original intention was to hope that her father and brother could make a decision for her, whether by coercion or bribery, to make the King of Chen withdraw his order and make her the Queen.

Unexpectedly, Prince Bo came to the door at this time. He came to ask for the marriage of his only son to Rong Yao's legitimate daughter. As long as he became the king, Rong Yao's legitimate daughter would be the rightful crown princess.

In addition, he granted the Rong family a great deal of power and fiefdom, much more generously than the ruler of Chen.

Ke Rong's family had had enough of living at the mercy of others. Rather than always supporting others to become emperors, they decided to become emperors themselves!

Consort Rong also has a young son who is not yet five years old. It doesn't matter that Yuan Tang is dead; they will support the five-year-old Ninth Prince to ascend the throne.

Then they can have the Ninth Prince abdicate in favor of the Rong family, so that the Rong family can also rule the world.

Prince Bo's approach to the Rong family was tantamount to seeking help from a tiger, and he ultimately died by Rong Yao's sword.

After this incident, the king aged ten years overnight and never mentioned making Consort Zhang his empress again.

Yuan Tang did not force the king to make him the crown prince. Yuan Tang simply told the king with absolute certainty that he was determined to take the crown prince position, whether the king gave it to him or he took it himself.

The king had Prince Bo poison him, leaving him barely alive. How could he possibly fight against the rising star, Yuan Tang?

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Yuan Tang will next travel to Zhao as the Crown Prince of Chen.

After listening to Gu Jiao's explanation, the old chief priest sighed deeply: "There is no blood ties in the imperial family, no matter which royal family it is. But this Yuan Tang... is truly remarkable."

Fortunately, they weren't enemies.

Mentioning Yuan Tang reminded Gu Jiao of the things Yuan Tang had asked her to bring to Liu Yisheng.

"I'm going out for a bit," Gu Jiao said.

"Jiaojiao, where are you going?" Xiao Jingkong ran in, covered in sweat.

Gu Jiao looked at his flustered appearance and didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Weren't we practicing martial arts? Were you eavesdropping on our conversation the whole time?"

"I wasn't eavesdropping, but you guys were so loud." Xiao Jingkong rubbed her hands together guiltily.

Okay, I was eavesdropping a little.

But he didn't do it on purpose, and he couldn't understand it anyway.

He was worried that Jiaojiao would suddenly leave without saying goodbye again.

When Gu Jiao returned, she naturally had to go to the palace to let her aunt know that she was safe. She had thought about it and decided that after letting her aunt know that she was safe, she would go to Liu Yisheng's place to give him Yuan Tang's gift.

"Jiaojiao, can I go with you?" Xiao Jingkong asked cutely.

"Okay." Gu Jiao ruffled his little mushroom head.

His hair was so soft, it felt so good to rub it.

Little Jingkong stretched his little head over: "If Jiaojiao likes it, she can keep rubbing it."

It's okay if you rub it until it's bald.

Xiao Heng walked over, leaning on his cane, and said without changing his expression, "I happen to have a memorial from the Ministry of Rites to present to His Majesty. Let's go to the palace together."

The old chief minister's lips twitched. "It's the New Year, and I'm submitting a memorial to His Majesty. Can I be any more ridiculous?"

Unfortunately, only the old chief minister understood the court affairs; his family members did not.

"Why does my bad brother-in-law have to go too?" Xiao Jingkong suddenly felt a little resentful.

When the three of them got into the carriage, they were surprised to find that there were already three people sitting inside: Gu Yan, Gu Xiaoshun, and three-month-old Gu Xiaobao.

Gu Jiao: "..."

The strange tails have multiplied again...

However, in the end, Yao managed to stop all the small tails, for no other reason than that the carriage was not big enough to hold so many people.

It wouldn't be fair to let any of the little tails come down, so we decided not to let any of them go.

Xiao Heng, by using the formal pretext of submitting a memorial to the emperor, perfectly avoided being kept at home by Yao.

Four small faces watched expressionlessly as the two got into the carriage.

However, no one expected that before Gu Jiao and Xiao Heng could set off, their aunt's carriage arrived.

Auntie hadn't received news of Gu Jiao's return yet. She had come to celebrate Xiao Heng and Xiao Jingkong's birthdays. With Gu Jiao gone, the two little ones must be heartbroken. So she used the excuse of illness to cancel all the palace banquets.

"It's Auntie! Auntie's here!"

As soon as Xiao Jingkong's voice came out, Xiao Heng and Gu Jiao got off the carriage.

Eunuch Qin also got off the carriage. He lifted the curtain for Empress Dowager Zhuang, who bowed and walked out. Halfway out, Eunuch Qin's hand trembled, and the curtain fell down with a snap, slapping Empress Dowager Zhuang in the face!

Empress Dowager Zhuang: "...!!"

The one surnamed Qin!

Slapping my face during the Chinese New Year!

Do you and your bunch of little turtles have a death wish?

Empress Dowager Zhuang wants bloodshed today!

"Miss Gu!" Eunuch Qin was dumbfounded!

Empress Dowager Zhuang flung open the curtain, her rage—intending to sacrifice a whole pond of Qin Gonggong's little turtles—vanished the moment she saw Gu Jiao!

"Qin Huai." Her gaze fell on Gu Jiao's face as she called out the name of Eunuch Qin.

"Oh, Your Majesty!" Eunuch Qin snapped out of his daze.

Empress Dowager Zhuang slapped him hard on the forehead!

Eunuch Qin: "?!"

"Does it hurt?" Empress Dowager Zhuang asked.

"This servant...this servant dares not feel pain," said Eunuch Qin, trembling with fear.

Empress Dowager Zhuang dusted off her sleeves and let out a long sigh: "That means it hurts. Good, it's not a dream."

Eunuch Qin: "..."

“Auntie.” Gu Jiao walked over.

When Empress Dowager Zhuang came to Bishui Hutong, she always dressed like an old lady, showing no trace of the extravagance of an empress dowager. Even the carriage she rode in was no different from those of ordinary people.

The stool is a bit steep, so someone has to hold it for you.

Eunuch Qin quickly stretched out his arm.

Empress Dowager Zhuang gave him a disdainful look.

Eunuch Qin's eyes flickered, and he wisely stepped aside.

Gu Jiao helped Empress Dowager Zhuang down.

Before even entering the courtyard, Empress Dowager Zhuang began to scrutinize Gu Jiao at the entrance.

Gu Jiao's changes were obvious. She was never a pampered girl who stayed at home. She had to go through wind and rain and put herself through a lot of hardship. Even so, when she returned from a trip to the border, Empress Dowager Zhuang almost didn't recognize her.

Needless to say, I've lost weight, gotten tanned, and my cheeks are red from the cold; my lips are also a bit chapped.

She was in the prime of her youth, and in Empress Dowager Zhuang's eyes, she was still beautiful and spirited, and she possessed a strength that was no less than that of the men of Zhao.

Empress Dowager Zhuang had imagined countless ways she would reprimand Gu Jiao upon her return, but when she actually saw her, she found herself unable to utter a single reproach.

A thousand emotions welled up in her chest. She took a deep breath, fighting back tears, and patted Gu Jiao's hand: "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back..."

Gu Jiao took her aunt's hand.

Empress Dowager Zhuang said nothing more, but simply held Gu Jiao's hand tightly.

Just as Empress Dowager Zhuang was immersed in the intense emotions of regaining Gu Jiao, another carriage suddenly drove up into the alley.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a majestic figure stepped out, bowing deeply.

He spotted Empress Dowager Zhuang at the door and was taken aback: "Mother? Mother, weren't you recuperating at Renshou Palace? Why did you secretly come to Biyue Alley?"

Empress Dowager Zhuang choked, glancing at him sideways: "Didn't you say you were going into seclusion to pray for the soldiers? Then why are you here in Biyue Alley?"

"What was I doing..." The emperor was about to say that he had sneaked out for some fresh air when he saw the small figure that Empress Dowager Zhuang had hidden behind him.

He opened his eyes wide and walked over: "Little Divine Doctor? You're back?"

"Yes, I'm back."

"Are you... are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Gu Jiao said.

The emperor, seeing that she was alright and full of energy, was overjoyed and said, "It's so good that you're alright! You've finally returned safely, and the Empress Dowager will never ignore me again!"

Empress Dowager Zhuang's lips twitched and her face darkened. Didn't she realize that blaming you for sending Jiaojiao to the border was just an excuse? I simply didn't want to talk to you!

The emperor was completely oblivious to his mother's disdain. He was overjoyed, firstly because his mother was finally going to pay attention to him, and secondly because the little miracle doctor had returned safely.

The border region won a victory this time, and the young miracle doctor deserves much credit for it.

He should reward her handsomely!

(End of this chapter)