Chapter 90 Confession (First Update)

Xiao Liulang had no idea what the old lady was thinking, nor did he know where she got the wound medicine. But now was not the time to think about such things; Gu Jiao's condition was serious and she needed immediate treatment.

Although the two had shared a bed before, it was always with their clothes intact. But now, he had no choice but to lift her clothes up.

Xiao Liulang composed himself and gently turned her over so she could sleep on her stomach.

His long, jade-like fingertips trembled slightly as he hooked her warm undergarment and slowly lifted it a little.

The whip mark was extremely long, stretching from her barely visible right waist dimple all the way to her left shoulder.

He had to lift all her clothes up, revealing her entire smooth back.

Her hands rested on the pillow, her body pressed into the beautiful shape unique to a young girl.

To get a clear look at her injuries, Xiao Liulang lit an oil lamp in the room, but his gaze inadvertently fell on a place that shouldn't have been there.

His breathing quickened, and he hurriedly turned his face away, not daring to look around anymore.

After regaining his composure, he dipped his fingertip in the cool ointment and applied it little by little to the whip marks on her body.

She seemed to feel pain in her sleep, but only frowned slightly.

The whip marks were truly gruesome, unlike anything made by an ordinary whip.

She didn't seem like the type to be bullied, at least not now. Xiao Liulang couldn't help but wonder how she got this injury, and who she had offended.

Her complete indifference, as if it were commonplace, only made things more perplexing.

Although she had a tough life growing up, she wasn't constantly being beaten.

Xiao Liulang finished applying the medicine with a belly full of doubts, then found a clean strip of cloth to cover her wound, before taking off her clothes and covering her with a quilt.

After finishing all that, he was about to go back inside when he kicked something as he stood up.

There was a loud thud, like a box falling to the ground, and then the contents inside rolled all over the floor.

Xiao Liulang picked up the small wooden box and placed it on the table. He also picked up the things on the ground and put them on the table. Then he looked at the things piled up on the entire table and was a little confused.

"What are all these things?"

"And how can there be so many?"

These strange and unusual things covered the entire tabletop; I really don't know how a small, broken box could hold them all.

On the day Gu Jiao first fell into the water, he came to Gu Jiao's room looking for something, and he was absolutely certain that she didn't have this box at that time.

First, there were the inexplicable injuries, then the strange box. Just how many secrets does she hold?

Xiao Liulang glanced at the sleeping Gu Jiao with a complicated expression. He suddenly felt a little irritated, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was bothering him.

However, he didn't have the habit of investigating people's privacy. He didn't examine the medicines on the table, but put them back into the small medicine box one by one.

He was amazed when he finished packing it; what kind of box was that? It could hold so much!

Now he really intended to go back inside.

But perhaps he hadn't placed the medicine box properly, because it fell off the table with a thud.

The contents inside tumbled out again with a clatter.

Surprisingly, what fell out this time seemed to be different from what had just fallen out!

"Am I seeing things, or...?"

Xiao Liulang looked at the medicine on the ground strangely, doubting his own eyes for the first time.

He packed the things back, intending to overturn the box again to verify the contents. Suddenly, Gu Jiao on the bed turned over, pressing on her wound, and murmured in pain.

Xiao Liulang paused, suddenly realizing that rummaging through someone's trunk in the middle of the night seemed a bit inappropriate. He sighed, put the trunk back on the table, and turned to go back into the house.

The next day, Xiao Liulang got up very early.

Gu Jiao's high fever had subsided considerably, but she was still fast asleep because she was too tired.

Xiao Liulang didn't wake him up. He went to the kitchen to make breakfast, told the old lady what was going on, and then went to the academy to study.

Meanwhile, at the mountain villa, Madam Yao, who had been waiting all night, eagerly asked Lord Gu to bring her to the village.

The one who opened the door was Xiao Jingkong.

In the countryside, doors are usually not locked, but today Gu Jiao was sleeping, so Xiao Jingkong bolted the door to prevent anyone from disturbing her.

Little Jingkong peeked his round little head out from the crack in the door, looking curiously at Madam Yao and Lord Gu at the doorway.

He knew Yao; she was a beautiful female benefactor who frequently went to the temple to offer incense.

He also knew Lord Gu, the big bad guy who ordered him and Jiaojiao to be arrested!

They're actually together...

Xiao Jingkong thought about it seriously for a moment, then tilted his head and asked, "Female benefactor, were you also captured by him?"

Yao looked puzzled.

Lord Gu looked embarrassed: "..."

Last night, Madam Yao had asked Lord Gu to tell her a lot about Gu Jiao, but how could Lord Gu dare to tell her everything at once? At least he didn't say that he had someone arrest Gu Jiao and the little child next to her.

He later found out that the child was adopted by Gu Jiao from the temple.

She can barely support herself, yet she brings along a little burden. I don't know what this girl is thinking!

Yao didn't understand what Xiao Jingkong said, but she vaguely remembered that he was a young monk from the temple. She squatted down and looked at Xiao Jingkong gently at eye level: "I remember you. You are a young monk in the temple. What is your name?"

Little Jingkong blinked his big, dark eyes and said cutely, "My name is Jingkong! I'm not a little master anymore, I've gone down the mountain!"

Madam Yao patted his little head, which had grown a few tufts of hair, and said gently with a smile, "I've come to see Jiaojiao. Is Jiaojiao home?"

Xiao Jingkong exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, you know Jiaojiao too?"

Yao nodded: "Yes, I know her."

Xiao Jingkong lowered his head and said sadly, "You probably won't see her today. She's sick and can't see guests."

Madam Yao immediately became worried: "How did she get sick?"

“My aunt said she was too tired.” Xiao Jingkong thought for a moment and said with self-reproach, “It must be because raising me was so tiring.”

After all, I eat so much.

Lord Gu felt a little guilty. Was that girl injured by the whip he had given her yesterday?

He didn't dare tell Yao about this...

Yao looked at Xiao Jingkong pleadingly, her tone urgent but her voice soft: "Can I go in and see her? I promise I won't disturb her."

"I'm not sure if Jiaojiao wants to see you. Wait a minute, I'll go ask her." Xiao Jingkong closed the door, ran into the room, and came to Gu Jiao's bedside. He asked very softly, "Jiaojiao, the female benefactor from the temple has come to see you. Do you want to see her?"

Gu Jiao is fast asleep!

A moment later, Xiao Jingkong opened the door and said to Yao Shi, "Alright, Jiao Jiao didn't object, you can go in now!"

Ms. Yao entered the house, her voice brimming with excitement.

Lord Gu also wanted to go inside.

Little Jingkong stretched out a small hand to stop him: "You can't come in."

Lord Gu frowned: "Why?"

Little Jingkong raised his chin: "Jiaojiao didn't agree to let you in!"

Lord Gu was completely captivated.

Is it a question of whether she agrees or not? You heartless little monk, you didn't even ask her, did you?

Lord Gu said sternly, "Go ahead and ask her if you dare! I don't believe she can object!"

How can you object when the person isn't even awake?

Xiao Jingkong thought for a moment and said, "Okay."

Little Jingkong trotted into the house: "Jiaojiao, the big bad guy is coming to see you, do you want to see him?"

What is a big bad guy?

That girl is annoying on her own, but is raising a little monk this annoying too?

Lord Gu's face turned completely black!

Xiao Jingkong grabbed Gu Jiao's hand and shook it: "I know, you don't agree!"

He strode out arrogantly and said to Lord Gu with righteous indignation, "Jiaojiao has rejected you!"

Lord Gu: "..."

To prevent someone from trespassing, Xiao Jingkong simply moved a small stool to the doorway and sat there, glaring menacingly at Lord Gu.

Lord Gu: "What are you doing?"

Xiao Jingkong: "Staring at you."

Lord Gu: "Hmph, I won't go in!"

Xiao Jingkong: "Who knows?"

Lord Gu: "If you don't believe me, then bolt the door!"

Xiao Jingkong said seriously, "What if you climb over the wall? I'll have to keep an eye on you to prevent you from doing anything bad!"

Lord Gu: I am the Marquis of Ding'an in the capital. Has my reputation fallen so low that I need a little monk to keep an eye on me?

The two, one big and one small, stared at each other, facing off at the doorway.

At this moment, Yao was too preoccupied to care about her husband; her heart was completely occupied by Gu Jiao.

After entering the room, she couldn't wait to sit down next to Gu Jiao.

Gu Jiao's complexion was much better than last night, but she still had a sickly pallor.

As the saying goes, "When a child is sick, a mother feels the pain." Seeing her child so ill, Yao felt a pang of heartache.

Looking at the room where she lived, Yao's eyes reddened.

Yao held her hand again; the calluses and wounds on her hands made Yao's palms ache.

Yao could no longer hold back and began to sob silently...

The old lady took a nap in the house. When she woke up, she planned to go and check on Gu Jiao. But as soon as she entered the main room, she saw Xiao Jingkong sitting at the door like a small stone statue.

"Huh? Didn't they go out?"

The old lady was puzzled.

Don't underestimate Xiao Jingkong just because he's only three years old; he's actually very busy every day.

He continued his habit of doing morning and evening prayers at the temple. After getting up, he would always recite Buddhist scriptures in his mind, and after reciting them, he would go to the small woods behind the house to practice his skills.

One day, when the old lady came out, she saw him grabbing her feet with both hands and wrapping himself around a thick tree. The old lady almost thought she had seen a little snake demon!

He practiced the basics, and occasionally Gu Jiao would practice with him. When no one was with him, he would practice by himself, without any embellishment.

After he finished practicing his skills, he would go to see his friends in the village, come back for lunch, and help Gu Jiao with chores in the afternoon.

Right now is the time for him to go to the village and cause trouble for his friends.

Xiao Jingkong replied, "Jiaojiao is sick, I need to stay with her."

His schedule was not to be disrupted by anyone except Jiaojiao.

This answer was not unexpected. The old lady said "oh" and looked past him, her gaze landing on the strange man at the door.

"Who is this?" she asked casually.

Xiao Jingkong swallowed the words "big bad guy" because she had promised Jiaojiao not to tell her family that they had been kidnapped, so as not to worry her aunt and bad brother-in-law.

"Alone," Xiao Jingkong said disdainfully.

Old lady: How could I not recognize this person?

The old lady didn't think much of it and walked towards the door.

At this moment, Lord Gu also noticed the old lady walking towards him.

Lord Gu knew all about Gu Jiao's current situation clearly. He knew that she had adopted a little monk, picked up a crippled husband, and had an aunt who came to stay with them.

The aunt is from the groom's family.

No, she's already so poor herself, why does she keep bringing people home?

Will you end up as the Grand Secretary or the Empress Dowager?

Don't you have any idea of ​​your own capabilities?

Thinking of this, Lord Gu became furious.

However, when the old lady got closer and he saw her face clearly, he didn't just feel angry, he couldn't breathe at all!

"Too, too, too..."

Empress Dowager?

Lord Gu's knees buckled, and he tumbled head over heels onto the threshold, prostrating himself on the ground!

The old woman looked at the stranger who had fallen at her feet. Such a grand gesture upon first meeting. She stroked her chin and said, "...It's not necessary."

Xiao Jingkong turned his head and said, "He came to see Jiaojiao. The female benefactor has already gone in. I'll stay here and guard her to prevent her from going in!"

Not letting men into Jiaojiao's room was perfectly reasonable. The old lady didn't suspect anything and was too lazy to ask who Lord Gu was. She yawned and went to the backyard to eat melon seeds.

Lord Gu rubbed his head, which had almost been smashed off, and got up.

From his angle, he could clearly see the old lady sitting on a bench outside the back door of the main room. She was dressed in country clothes and had a headscarf wrapped around her head.

Looking at it this way, Lord Gu felt it wasn't quite right.

Empress Dowager Zhuang married the late emperor at the age of thirteen and was immediately named Empress Virtuous upon entering the palace. She dominated the harem for decades and ruled from behind the curtain for seventeen years. Although she did not bear any children for the late emperor, she was the one who put the current emperor on the throne. Her position was unshakeable in both the harem and the court.

Ordinary people rarely get to see Empress Dowager Zhuang.

Lord Gu had the honor of seeing her twice. Once was at the palace banquet during the Ghost Festival. He only caught a glimpse of her figure from afar, but Empress Dowager Zhuang's domineering phoenix aura overshadowed even the emperor standing beside her.

On another occasion, when he entered the palace to visit the pregnant Consort Shu, he stumbled upon Empress Dowager Zhuang's imperial carriage.

He stepped aside and bowed to Empress Dowager Zhuang.

He only dared to glance at it, but the sharp gaze almost made him unable to breathe on the spot.

Empress Dowager Zhuang was no good person; otherwise, she wouldn't have been secretly cursed as a poisonous empress or a demon empress.

Apart from resembling Empress Dowager Zhuang in appearance, the old lady in front of me has no trace of her aura.

"Grandma, are you sneaking some more snacks?" Xiao Jingkong suddenly noticed something was off about the old lady's voice as she cracked melon seeds. Turning around, he saw that she had somehow picked up the jar of candied bayberries.

The old lady decisively turned her back and shoved Xiao Jingkong across the back of the head: "Don't talk nonsense! Where did I do that?"

As he spoke, he grabbed a large handful and stuffed them into his purse.

By the time Xiao Jingkong came to confiscate the jars, she had already secretly hidden quite a few.

Lord Gu took everything in, becoming even more convinced that this person was a glutton, not the ruthless Empress Dowager Zhuang!

Inside the room, Gu Jiao slowly woke up.

She could have woken up earlier, but Yao made a curtain to cover the window so that she could sleep peacefully.

The dim light made it easy to sleep, and Gu Jiao slept until noon.

She opened her eyes and found someone sitting by her bedside, and alarm bells immediately went off in her head!

She pulled the dagger from under the pillow, wrapped it around the other person's neck, pressed the tip of the blade against his neck, and pulled him into her arms!

“Jiaojiao, it’s me!” Yao said.

Gu Jiao paused slightly upon hearing the familiar voice, her wariness fading as she removed the dagger and released her: "Madam Gu?"

That sudden movement had startled Yao so much that she broke out in a cold sweat.

She turned around, composed herself, and reached out to touch Gu Jiao's forehead: "How are you feeling?"

Gu Jiao subconsciously turned her head away from her hand.

Yao paused for a moment, then said awkwardly, "Did I scare you?"

The room was dimly lit, and Gu Jiao didn't notice the redness and swelling in her eyes, but she did see the blood vessels on her neck.

It was something she did when she took her hostage.

She had a high fever, and my strength wasn't as precise as usual, so I accidentally injured her.

But her first reaction wasn't to pay attention to her own injuries, but to focus on Gu Jiao.

Gu Jiao looked at her with a complicated expression.

Noticing Gu Jiao's gaze, Yao covered her wound with a handkerchief and smiled, "I'm fine, Jiao Jiao, how are you feeling?"

She asked a second time.

Gu Jiao thought for a moment and then answered her, "I'm fine too. What brings Madam Gu here?"

"I've come to see you," Yao said, walking to the window and pulling back the curtains. Strong sunlight instantly shone through the window paper.

Gu Jiao closed her eyes slightly, and after a moment her eyes adjusted to the light, she said, "Madam Gu has just been poisoned and should rest in bed."

Yao's gentle gaze fell on her small face: "I know that I came here today because I have something to say to you."

Gu Jiao looked at Yao Shi and suddenly noticed glistening tears in her eyes.

Yao walked step by step to her, took her hand, and carefully stroked her thin face.

Her body was very frail, but this time she carried immense strength: "Jiaojiao, I am your mother."

(End of this chapter)