Chapter 276 A Sheep Enters the Tiger's Mouth (Second Update)
Granny Fang prepared dinner, and the family went to the main room to eat.
Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun were eating at Master Lu and Nan Xiang's place, so there was no need to wait for them.
Although my great-aunt wasn't there, my great-uncle was, so the atmosphere at the dinner table was still quite pleasant.
My great-uncle's eye was swollen, but they didn't dare ask what happened.
After dinner, Gu Jiao helped Granny Fang clear the dishes, Xiao Jingkong went to walk the chickens, and Xiao Liulang went back to his room to study the book that he thought was unlikely to be the official book of the Yan Kingdom.
Even with translations and annotations, it's not easy to fully understand and apply them.
It took Gu Jiao more than ten years to go from elementary math to advanced math. While this was certainly related to the pace of education, the educational resources in her previous life were also much larger and more systematic. Xiao Liulang was just figuring things out as he went.
The imperial examinations didn't test arithmetic, so he hadn't spent much time on arithmetic before. It was like a liberal arts student suddenly getting a high-level mathematics textbook.
Gu Jiao: Starting tomorrow, I'll give my husband six walnuts to eat.
The family went about their own business while waiting for Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun to return home.
In the past, the two of them would arrive home around 3:45 PM, and at the latest, no later than 5:45 PM.
By 7:45 PM, Yao could no longer sit still.
Whenever she heard footsteps outside, she would turn her head to look.
As the footsteps faded away, she would sigh inwardly.
Another quarter of an hour passed, and finally the sound of a carriage came from the doorway.
Little Jingkong had already finished his little bath and was lying in bed when he heard the noise. He quickly climbed out of bed, put on his shoes, and ran out, shouting, "I'll do it! I'll do it!"
The May night was slightly cool.
He was wearing only a thin nightgown. He pulled open the courtyard gate with force, looked up, and exclaimed, "Hey? Big brother!"
The visitor was Gu Changqing.
A carriage slowly drove past behind Gu Changqing; it turned out that the carriage noise he had just heard came from it.
Gu Changqing arrived on horseback, but dismounted as he entered the alley and led his horse inside.
Looking at the little guy who had come all the way to open the door for him, Gu Changqing suddenly felt very good. He looked at the little nightgown the boy was wearing and asked, "Are you going to sleep?"
Xiao Jingkong nodded, "Mm." Then he shook his head, "I'm waiting for Brother Yan and Brother Xiao Shun!"
Gu Changqing turned his head and looked at the end of the alley: "Have they been studying this lately?"
Xiao Jingkong shook his head: "No, it's just that it's so late today!"
"Have Brother Yan and Brother Xiaoshun returned?" Yao asked from the courtyard.
My family members all speak in the manner and tone of Xiao Jingkong.
Little Jingkong turned around and said, "Big brother is here!"
Yao's attitude toward Gu Changqing was much more lenient than before, but there was no real motherly love or filial piety between the two; they simply treated each other as familiar guests.
"Are you worried about Ayan?" Gu Changqing asked Yao.
Speaking of Gu Yan, the two had some common topics. Yao sighed, "Yes, he used to stay up this late. I'm worried that he might have been delayed on the way... and it didn't rain today."
Gu Changqing took the game off the saddle and placed it on the stone table, saying to Yao Shi, "I'll go look for it."
Mrs. Yao gave him a grateful look: "Will this delay you tomorrow...?"
"No," Gu Changqing said.
Seeing that he answered so readily, Yao was relieved and said, "That's good, that's good."
"I'm going." Gu Changqing didn't even have time to say goodbye to his sister and brother-in-law before turning around and leaving the house.
Gu Jiao watched as Xiao Liulang finished a math problem and realized it was getting late. She went outside and asked, "Haven't Yan'er and Xiao Shun come back yet?"
Madam Yao said, "The young master went to find them."
"Gu Changqing has been here?" Gu Jiao looked at the prey on the table. Xiao Jingkong was standing on a stone bench, rummaging through the rabbits and pheasants inside.
She went over and picked him up, went to the well to fetch water to wash her hands, and then carried him back into the room. "Go to sleep, and don't get down again."
"Okay." Little Jingkong obediently replied.
"Haven't you gone back yet?" Xiao Liulang asked Gu Jiao as she passed by the study.
Gu Jiao said, "Not yet, I'll go check. You stay home and keep an eye on Jingkong, make sure he doesn't run around."
Ordinary people can't keep an eye on Xiao Jingkong; when she's not around, the child gets incredibly naughty.
Sure enough, no sooner had Gu Jiao left than Xiao Jingkong scurried out of the west room.
Xiao Liulang stood expressionless at the door, looking down at him.
Xiao Jingkong thought for a moment and made a final struggle: "I need to pee."
-
The place where Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun learned their skills was in the north of the city. It wasn't a wealthy area, but it wasn't poor either. It was a beautiful place with pleasant scenery.
There are two routes from Bishui Hutong to that side. One is to go through Chang'an Avenue and onto Baishi Street. This route is more bustling and is the one that Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun often take.
Another route goes from Xuanwu Street to the end, then onto the official road. The further you go, the fewer people there are, and the closer you get to the main road.
The two usually take this road when they go there, but they don't take it when they come back because it's too dark and they're afraid of having an accident.
But just to be on the safe side, Gu Jiao and Gu Changqing went down both routes.
Gu Changqing went to the official road, while Gu Jiao went to Baishi Street to look for him.
At this time, Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun were indeed on Baishi Street. The reason they were late for returning home was because the wheels of their carriage broke.
There happened to be a teahouse nearby, so Liu Quan invited the two of them to sit there for a while while he went to find someone to repair the carriage.
The two were getting bored sitting in the teahouse when they saw a vendor selling candied hawthorns. Remembering that Xiao Jingkong and his aunt loved them, they went to buy some for them.
"But how do we give it to Auntie?" Gu Xiaoshun asked.
"Let's send it to her!" Gu Yan said.
"Oh." Gu Xiaoshun thought it was feasible, so he asked for a few more skewers. "My aunt can't come out all the time, so I'll buy a few more skewers. She can eat one a day."
Gu Yan nodded and reached into his purse.
Just then, a thief rushed over, bumped into Gu Yan, and stole Gu Yan's purse.
Gu Yan touched his waist: "Oh no! My purse!"
The two quickly put down their candied hawthorns and chased after the thief.
After only a few steps, the thief was caught. A tall and imposing figure trampled the thief underfoot, and the surrounding people cheered.
The two went to the thief to retrieve their purses, but Gu Yan suddenly felt two undeniable gazes fall upon him.
He looked up and saw a dashing-looking man sitting in a private room on the second floor of a restaurant.
The man had strong features and a burly build; he stared intently at Gu Yan.
When their eyes met, he raised his glass and smiled at Gu Yan.
Gu Yan frowned.
He didn't like that kind of laughter; it made him feel uncomfortable.
“Found it, let’s go!” Gu Xiaoshun said to Gu Yan.
"Hmm." Gu Yan ignored the man and returned to the teahouse with Gu Xiaoshun, but Liu Quan had not yet returned.
The two waited idly when suddenly the young, strong man who had captured the thief approached them, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "My master wishes to befriend you two young gentlemen. Would you do me the honor?"
"Who is your master?" Gu Xiaoshun asked.
"That one," the young, strong man pointed to the restaurant across the street.
It was the man who had just raised his glass and smiled at him. Gu Yan frowned and turned his face away.
Gu Xiaoshun glanced at it and said, "I don't know him, and I don't want to make acquaintances with him."
The young man was taken aback, clearly not expecting such a straightforward refusal: "You two probably don't know my young master's identity. My young master is actually..."
"Hey! The carriage is ready!" Gu Xiaoshun spotted the carriage outside and pulled Gu Yan, saying, "Brother Yan, let's go!"
The two men boarded the carriage without looking back, giving the young warrior no chance to prove himself.
I thought I could finally get home safely, but the carriage broke down halfway there.
Liu Quan said, "Forget it, let's not fix it for now. I'll hire a carriage to come over. You guys go home first."
No sooner had they finished speaking than an incredibly luxurious carriage pulled up beside them.
"Is the carriage broken?" A deep, chuckling male voice asked as the curtain was lifted, revealing a resolute face.
Gu Yan was incredibly annoyed when he saw it was him!
The man jumped off the carriage, squatted down to inspect the broken wheel, and said, "It's unusable. If you don't mind, I'll take you back. Where do you live?"
"This..." Liu Quan thought to himself, upon hearing the familiar tone, "Could it be that he knows Xiao Shun and Gu Yan?"
But when he turned around and saw that Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun both looked like they didn't want to talk to him, he understood and cupped his hands and said, "No need to trouble you, young master, we'll go back ourselves."
“There’s no car rental shop around here.” The man clapped his hands and laughed. “My brother is also a student at Qinghe Academy. I saw them wearing the academy uniforms and they seemed to be going the same way as me, so I thought I’d give you a ride. But it’s right for you to be cautious. Go straight ahead, turn east at the third intersection, and there’s a car rental shop about two miles away. Go there to rent a car.”
After saying this, the man took his leave.
Liu Quan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had misunderstood the person. But oh well, he would rent a car himself to avoid troubling them.
Liu Quan went to rent a car.
Gu Xiaoshun and Gu Yan stayed in the carriage to wait.
The two of them waited and waited until they fell asleep.
When Gu Xiaoshun woke up, he found that Gu Yan was gone!
Gu Changqing went to Nanfeng Residence.
"They set off an hour ago, haven't they arrived home yet?" Nan Xiang asked, frowning.
She was wearing a veil, so Gu Changqing couldn't see her hideous face, but even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.
Gu Changqing said, "Perhaps it has arrived by now. I will go back and look for it again."
Gu Changqing was returning from Baishi Street when he ran into Liu Quan and Gu Xiaoshun.
"Where is Gu Yan?" he asked.
"No, it's gone!" Gu Xiaoshun said anxiously.
"What happened?" Gu Changqing asked.
Gu Xiaoshun recounted what had happened along the way.
Gu Changqing narrowed his eyes slightly: "What does that man look like?"
Gu Xiaoshun described it in detail, and Gu Changqing's face instantly turned cold: "Tang, Ming!"
That's right, the person who wanted to befriend Gu Yan was Tang Ming, the captain of the Tiger Mountain Camp. Now he was no longer a captain; after his uncle became the Grand Marshal of the Army, he immediately appointed him as his deputy.
His rank is now higher than that of Gu Changqing, who is a captain.
He was deeply amazed the moment he saw Gu Yan at the restaurant.
When he first met Gu Yan, Gu Changqing had covered him completely with a cloak, only revealing a pair of long legs and a hand with fair skin. Therefore, he did not recognize that Gu Yan was the beautiful young man that Gu Changqing had once held in his arms.
In addition, the old chief priest was a very low-key person, and the carriage he rode in was also low-key and looked ordinary, not at all like the mode of transportation of a wealthy family. Therefore, he did not think that Gu Yan was a person who was not easy to offend.
Gu Yan lay on the soft bed, his breathing slightly rapid due to the drug, his cheeks flushed and an alluring blush appeared.
The boy was tall and slender, with a small but delicate Adam's apple.
Tang Ming had ravaged so many young men, but he had never seen such a stunning beauty.
He just looked at it and felt his soul being stolen away.
Gu Yan slowly woke up, still under the effects of the drug, making it difficult for him to move.
His heart skipped a beat, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw that face he had seen countless times that night. A strong sense of disgust suddenly rose in his heart!
Tang Ming, however, smiled.
She truly is a beauty; even when she's angry, she's so alluring. Those slightly reddened corners of her eyes really captivated him.
Tang Ming raised his hand. Due to his years of martial arts training, his palms and fingertips had thin calluses. He only lightly touched Gu Yan's face, and a red mark quickly appeared on her delicate skin.
Tang Ming's eyes lit up with desire.
In fact, Tang Ming is not bad-looking. He is resolute and handsome, and young and promising. Over the years, many people have followed him willingly.
Unfortunately, Gu Yan is not one of those people.
Gu Yan felt a wave of nausea and, with his last remaining strength, he roared, "You... get out of here!"
Such a roar has absolutely no deterrent effect.
Tang Ming smiled. The feel was too good. He was no longer satisfied with just touching the other's face. With a flick of his fingers, he opened Gu Yan's clothes.
Her skin was as smooth as porcelain.
Tang Ming suddenly leaned down and took a deep breath into Gu Yan's neck: "You smell so good."
Gu Yan looked at the top of the man's head with disgust, enduring the man's breath: "You...are...looking for...death!"
These words made Tang Ming pause for a moment.
He raised his head and looked at Gu Yan with a leisurely air: "So you're a little wild horse, huh? I love taming unruly wild horses. After a bowl of medicine, you'll be begging me for help!"
"I am... the son of the Marquis of Ding'an..."
"The Marquis of Ding'an?" Tang Ming laughed uncontrollably. "How could the son of the Marquis of Ding'an ride in such a dilapidated carriage? Why don't you just say you're the son of the Marquis of Xuanping?"
The title of Marquis Xuanping is much more prestigious than that of Marquis Ding'an. If this is truly the son of Marquis Xuanping, Tang Ming would not dare to touch him.
As for the Marquis of Ding'an—
Tang Ming's expression darkened when he thought of Gu Changqing.
That's a tough opponent.
However, he didn't remember Gu Changqing having such a young brother, unless... he was that stepmother's son.
Gu Changqing was at odds with his stepmother, and consequently, he also disliked his stepmother's two children.
Gu Changqing wouldn't care whether his younger brother lives or dies!
So whether he is or not is not important.
Seeing that his status as a member of the Marquis of Ding'an's family was not working, Gu Yan said with difficulty, "The...Empress Dowager...will kill you..."
Tang Ming looked at him with amusement: "Oh? Why would the Empress Dowager want to kill me?"
Gu Yan: "The Empress Dowager... is my... great-aunt..."
Tang Ming was taken aback at first, then looked up and laughed heartily: "The Empress Dowager is your great-aunt? The Empress Dowager is your great-aunt? I don't know you, but I do know the Empress Dowager! I know the Empress Dowager's family members better than you do!"
He had met all the members of the Zhuang family, including the Jade Prince An.
Unfortunately, Prince An was the Empress Dowager's favorite and the grandson of Grand Tutor Zhuang. Given his status, he couldn't afford to offend him.
Gu Yan glared at him. The drug was very strong; he was already almost asleep after only saying a few words. He tried hard to stay awake: "If you... don't let me go... the Empress Dowager... the Empress Dowager really... will kill you!"
"Hahaha!" Tang Ming laughed arrogantly. "Whether the Empress Dowager will kill me, I don't know. Let me tell you who I am first. I am the nephew of the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces. My uncle is the Empress Dowager's confidant. The first thing the Empress Dowager did upon returning to the capital was to promote my uncle from General of the Cavalry to Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces, giving him military power even above that of the Marquis of Xuanping! Do you think the Empress Dowager will kill me? Just because she touched a mere scholar like you?"
Gu Yan had completely lost the strength to speak.
His resistance just now made his face flush even more, which Tang Ming found extremely pleasing.
He lifted Gu Yan's chin: "Be good, don't be afraid, I will take good care of you. After taking this medicine, you won't feel any discomfort."
As he spoke, he took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket and poured a dark red pill into his palm.
Gu Yan gritted her teeth.
Unfortunately, even if he hadn't been drugged, his meager strength was still no match for a master like Tang Ming.
Tang Ming grabbed his chin, forcing him to swallow the pill.
Gu Yan struggled desperately, but all her efforts were in vain.
After swallowing the pill, his consciousness gradually faded.
Tang Ming smiled triumphantly, pulled down the curtain, and tore clothes to shreds on the ground...
(End of this chapter)
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