Chapter 918 Shy Little Bao (First Update)

After sitting on Yao's lap for a while, Gu Xiaobao began to look around.

Seemingly not seeing anything, he slid off Yao's lap.

"Xiao Bao is willing to walk now?" Yu Ya'er asked in surprise.

“I went there yesterday; he ran to open the door for his sister by himself.” Yao’s mood improved considerably when she mentioned the two children.

Gu Xiaobao walked unsteadily to the east room, pushed open the door which was half-closed by the wind, and peered eagerly inside.

Yao followed.

He turned around, shook his small hands at Yao, and said earnestly, "No."

"Nothing?" Yao asked with a smile.

Gu Xiaobao fell silent.

Gu Xiaobao went to look in the courtyard again, but couldn't find it. So, just like yesterday evening, he came to the courtyard gate, climbed over the high threshold with both hands and feet, and stood up to look around at both ends of the alley.

Madam Yao looked at him with a smile.

He turned around and shook his little hand again: "No."

He also made Granny Fang and Yuya laugh.

Yu Ya'er teased, "Didn't you say you didn't want your sister yesterday? Why are you looking for her now?"

Gu Jiao was still there before Gu Xiaobao fell asleep, but she was gone when he woke up, leaving Gu Xiaobao completely bewildered.

Madam Yao knew her daughter wasn't there, but she still let Gu Xiaobao search the house thoroughly... Well, today he's covered the distance that would have taken two months to travel.

Seeing his sweaty face, Madam Yao finally couldn't bear it and asked him, "Do you want a sister?"

Gu Xiaobao nodded.

...

The old Marquis and Gu Changqing did not interfere in Gu Jinyu's marriage.

Gu Changqing left the capital three days earlier than Gu Jiao. At that time, Lord Gu had just broken off the engagement between Gu Jinyu and Prince An.

The old Marquis was ordered to go to Chishui Pass last August. At that time, the Marquis of Changping had not yet returned to the capital to report for duty. When he returned from Yan State this month, the old lady Gu was already arranging Gu Jinyu's marriage.

Neither the grandfather nor the grandson said anything.

Steward Zheng led Gu Jiao and the grandmother and granddaughter to the flower hall, and then had someone invite Duke Anguo over.

These past few days have been tiring, and since Duke Anguo is not a military general, he couldn't hide his fatigue between his brows. But when he saw Gu Jiao, he instantly perked up.

"Godfather," Gu Jiao greeted him, "How are you feeling? Are you getting used to living here?"

"It's a habit," Duke Anguo said with a smile.

"Duke Anguo." The old Marquis and Gu Changqing also greeted him with cupped hands.

Since Duke Anguo was in a wheelchair and unable to get up to greet him, he could only bow with his hands clasped in greeting.

The grandfather and his grandson lived in the residence of the Duke of Anguo when they were in the Yan Kingdom. Even if the emperor did not speak, they would take the initiative to visit him.

"I do not see General Xuanyuan," Gu Changqing said.

Duke Anguo smiled and said, "He's in good spirits. Liaochen took him to the capital for a stroll. He said he wanted to see where you and Jingkong live."

Gu Jiao nodded.

Duke Anguo invited the three of them to sit down, and Gu Jiao sat beside him.

He looked at the old Marquis and Gu Changqing opposite him and asked, "Oh, by the way, His Majesty of Zhao Kingdom wasn't angry, was he?"

The fact that Gu Jiao and Xiao Heng's group went to Yan could be kept secret from the world, but not from the emperor. After all, the emperor was Xiao Heng's uncle, and after the wedding, Xiao Heng would have to bring his wife to the palace to pay his respects to him.

Gu Jiao can't keep wearing a mask forever.

The Emperor summoned the grandfather and grandson to the palace today to find out the whole story.

Regarding Gu Jiao, both of them truthfully recounted her actions—performing surgery on Gu Yan, becoming the commander of the Black Wind Cavalry, treating the Duke of Anguo and being adopted as his goddaughter, and the border war, among other things.

The emperor made no mention of the whereabouts of Empress Dowager Zhuang and the old Grand Master of Ceremonies. What the emperor knew was that one of them had resigned from his post and the other had gone to a temporary palace to recuperate.

The whereabouts of Marquis Xuanping, Tang Yueshan, the old Marquis, and Gu Changqing were also largely concealed.

The old marquis said, "His Majesty is not angry." He was just very shocked, and remained dumbfounded until they left.

Duke Anguo was also very surprised: "Your Majesty... is truly extraordinary."

If it were the retired emperor of Yan, he probably wouldn't be so magnanimous as to tolerate a daughter of a military family leading cavalry in another country.

Gu Changqing sincerely said, "Your Majesty is a benevolent ruler."

He wasn't suspicious.

This is a double-edged sword. He can unconditionally tolerate those he trusts, just like the former Consort Jing, and now his aunt and Gu Jiao.

"What about Aheng's background?" Gu Jiao asked.

Gu Changqing said, "Grandfather inquired indirectly and it seems that Princess Xinyang did not tell His Majesty the truth, so we didn't say anything and only said that he accompanied you to Yan."

This was, after all, a matter within the royal family, and it was inappropriate for them, as subjects, to interfere.

The group chatted in the flower hall for a while, and then the grandfather and grandson noticed that Duke Anguo had not rested well, so they took their leave.

Gu Jiao had originally planned to take Duke Anguo out for a stroll, but now she had given up on that idea. She squatted down beside the wheelchair, looked up at Duke Anguo's handsome face, and said, "Father, please rest well. I will come to see you again tomorrow. When you are feeling better, we will go to the capital for a visit."

Duke Anguo smiled indulgently: "Alright."

The three of them left.

Duke Anguo then ordered his servants to bring his walking stick: "Let's go to the garden."

Steward Zheng quickly stopped him: "Oh my goodness! You can't work so hard!"

They all thought that the Duke was exhausted from the long journey, and that was true. The journey was indeed arduous, but the Duke was not afraid of hardship. He got up before dawn and practiced walking in the garden.

With a determined look in his eyes, Duke Anguo said, "I don't want to see her off in a wheelchair. I want to stand up and personally escort her to the bridal sedan chair."

...

The three of them left the Duke's mansion.

It would be a lie to say that the old Marquis and Gu Changqing had no qualms about Gu Jiao marrying as the daughter of the Duke's family, but it wouldn't be entirely true that they were too bothered.

Having gone through life and death together, they knew exactly what kind of person Gu Jiao was.

She had no desire to climb the social ladder.

Besides, Gu Jiao grew up in the countryside and never ate a single grain of rice from the Marquis's mansion. It's her freedom to choose whom she wants to acknowledge.

It's impossible to truly bind her with worldly rules, otherwise she wouldn't have been so audacious as to become sworn brothers with the old Marquis.

She is powerful, far stronger than anyone else appears.

"Jiaojiao, where are you going? I'll take you." Gu Changqing asked.

He knew his sister wouldn't go to the Marquis's residence, so he didn't suggest that she come over for a visit.

"I need to go to the palace," Gu Jiao said truthfully.

Gu Changqing said, "Alright, Auntie misses you a lot. Take my carriage."

"Go early and come back early, there are still things to do," the old Marquis casually instructed.

"What's the matter?" Gu Changqing looked at his grandfather in confusion. After winning the battle, His Majesty granted him and his grandfather a whole month's leave. He would be very free after that, wouldn't he?

The old Marquis said solemnly, "Come with me to the residence of Chief Minister Yuan."

Upon hearing the name of the chief minister, Yuan, Gu Changqing's expression froze.

He almost forgot that he had staged a play with Yuan Shikai's granddaughter in order to find an excuse to "disappear" from the capital.

Gu Jiao glanced at the man with a smug look, and said with a slight smile, "Since that's the case, don't bother seeing me off, lest Miss Yuan keep waiting. I have a carriage, I'll be going now!"

After saying that, she got into the Duke's carriage.

Gu Changqing closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on, and turned to look at the old Marquis: "Grandfather, I..."

The old marquis strode forward with his hands behind his back: "Your things are ready, get in the carriage!"

Gu Changqing gritted his teeth: "Don't you already know that my trip to Jiangnan to find the phoenix and propose marriage was just a cover-up?"

As agreed, if he couldn't find the phoenix, he wouldn't have the face to ask the young nun from the Yuan family for her hand in marriage. The young nun was heartbroken and returned to the Buddhist order, never to marry again.

"Fine, I'll go. There's no phoenix here anyway."

Gu Changqing boarded the carriage without fear.

As soon as I sat down, I saw two birdcages on the floor, each containing a spirited phoenix.

Gu Changqing: "?!"

Old Marquis: Ha, you're still too green to compete with your grandfather!

...

Gu Jiao arrived at the palace only to realize that she had forgotten to bring her Renshou Palace token.

The guards at the palace gate were new and had never seen Gu Jiao before.

Gu Jiao thought about sending someone to inform them when, just then, the family's carriage drove towards them.

"Miss!"

It was Yuya'er's excited voice.

Gu Jiao lifted the curtain and turned her head to look: "Yu Ya'er? Uh... Xiao Bao?"

Yu Ya'er carried Gu Xiaobao as she stepped down from the carriage.

Gu Jiao also hurriedly got off the carriage: "Why did you all come here?"

Yu Ya'er smiled and said, "After Xiao Bao woke up, he looked for you everywhere. Madam said that Miss would definitely go to the palace, so she asked me to take Xiao Bao into the palace first."

The little guy will still look for her.

Gu Jiao unexpectedly pinched Xiao Bao's cheek.

Gu Xiaobao had a cold and aloof expression.

"What's wrong?" Gu Jiao asked with a slight smile.

Gu Xiaobao turned his little body around and buried his head in Yu Ya'er's arms.

Yu Ya'er said silently to Gu Jiao, "I'm angry."

Gu Jiao chuckled and picked up the little guy.

Xiao Bao struggled a couple of times with a particularly arrogant air, but couldn't break free, so he used his little hands to cover his face.

He just wouldn't let Gu Jiao see him.

Gu Jiao was amused by him and laughed out loud.

She remembered that the first time she left Xiao Jingkong to go up the mountain, Xiao Jingkong had the same reaction when she returned home.

What did she do back then?

"Okay, I was wrong today. I apologize. Can you forgive me?"

I need a kiss to forgive you!

Gu Jiao nodded meaningfully and gave Gu Xiaobao a kiss on the cheek with great experience!

Gu Xiaobao still didn't remove her little hands from her face.

Gu Jiao: "Huh? It didn't work?"

Gu Xiaobao was incredibly shy.

(End of this chapter)