Chapter 360 Poaching (Second Update)
The next day, before dawn, everyone in the family got up early.
Gu Jiao used to be the first to get up, but today when she stepped out of the house, she found Yao Shi, the old priest, Granny Fang, and Yu Ya'er all gathered in the main room.
Not only that, but Eunuch Qin also came.
What's going on?
"Good morning," Gu Jiao greeted.
Everyone sighed as they looked at the "birthmark" on her face.
Gu Jiao: Why do you all look so disappointed? Has my status in the family become so low? Don't you even care to see me anymore?
The group exchanged knowing glances, and so after Gu Jiao drank a bowl of nourishing soup, Xiao Liulang also had a bowl of nourishing soup in front of him at breakfast.
Eunuch Qin emphasized, "It's venison soup; it's very good for men!"
Xiao Liulang: "..."
Xiao Liulang felt a lump in his throat, unable to swallow or swallow it.
Last night, when someone lay down, he really thought she was ready to tease him to the end. Out of conscience, he hesitated for a moment, and then he heard someone snoring softly from below.
He was completely stunned!
He was the one who got flirted with, he was the one who couldn't get what he wanted, and in the end, he was the one who got misunderstood... Where can he go to seek justice?
Xiao Liulang drank the venison soup with a dark expression.
Eunuch Qin returned to the palace with a smile to report back.
After a day and a night of arduous travel, the officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Hanlin Academy finally arrived in the capital this morning. The Minister of Revenue dared not delay and, dragging his nearly broken legs, went to report to the Emperor.
He didn't make any accusations against Xiao Liulang, nor did he deliberately erase Xiao Liulang's merits. Firstly, there was a Hanlin official accompanying him to record the journey, and secondly, Marquis Xuanping was standing in the Golden Palace.
That's right, this guy who never attends morning court and always sleeps in is surprisingly here today.
The Minister of Revenue did not have a bad impression of Xiao Liulang. However, he had received instructions from Grand Tutor Zhuang to give the credit to Prince An as much as possible, and as for Xiao Liulang, who had neither merit nor demerit, he did not need to be mentioned.
But... the Minister of Revenue, recalling his near-broken leg experience, had no doubt that if he dared to say a single word about Xiao Liulang, the Marquis of Xuanping could dislocate his leg right in front of His Majesty.
The Minister of Revenue reported the facts truthfully.
Both Xiao Liulang and Prince An performed admirably and made contributions. Although the Minister of Revenue intended to give Prince An more opportunities to make contributions, Xiao Liulang had actually done far too much in the countryside.
The emperor thought it was a good idea. Both of them were pillars of the Zhao Kingdom. Among the three top scholars, the first and second scholars had already begun to make their mark in the Six Ministries, while the third scholar was still unknown.
However, this cannot be rushed. After all, Xiao Liulang and Prince An both have powerful backers, so they are not worried about being suppressed once they stand out. Ning Zhiyuan's background is weaker, and he still needs to hone his qualifications in the Hanlin Academy.
The emperor bestowed a calligraphy piece upon both Xiao Liulang and Prince An, instructing Eunuch Wei to deliver them to the Hanlin Academy shortly.
After the court session, the emperor returned to Huaqing Palace.
"Your Majesty." A young nun approached carrying a food box, bowed to him, and said, "The Empress Dowager has personally prepared some snacks and asked me to deliver them to Your Majesty. By the way, the Empress Dowager also asked me to inquire about Your Majesty's well-being these days. She hasn't seen Your Majesty for several days and is very concerned about you."
The emperor was slightly taken aback.
yes.
He hadn't visited his mother for several days.
This was something that would have been impossible before.
As long as his mother was in the palace, he would go to pay his respects to her every day.
Is he still angry that his mother concealed her relationship with Gu Chao?
Although his mother ultimately chose him, he still had a knot in his heart.
"Your Majesty, if there's nothing else, this humble nun will take her leave now." The little nun handed the pastries to Eunuch Wei, who was standing to the side, and then turned and left.
The emperor glanced at the food box in Eunuch Wei's hand.
Eunuch Wei understood, opened the box, and said, "Your Majesty, it's jujube paste pastry."
This was his favorite dessert, and Consort Jing learned how to make it from the imperial chef so that she could make it for him herself.
He recalled the days when he, Consort Jing, and Ning'an were ostracized after Empress Dowager Zhuang was banished to the Cold Palace. On his birthday, there wasn't even a decent hot dish. So his mother went to the tree to pick dates and made a date paste pastry with the crisp dates.
It didn't taste particularly good, but it was the best taste he remembered from that time.
The emperor picked up a piece of jujube paste pastry and took a bite.
It was also made with crisp dates. Memories flooded his mind, and he sighed deeply: "Go to the nunnery and tell Mother that I will have dinner with her tonight."
“…Yes,” Eunuch Wei replied.
The second landlord recently hired another doctor, or more precisely, poached a doctor from Huichuntang. He had been kicked out of Huichuntang, and everyone was waiting to see him make a fool of himself, but he led Miaoshoutang to rise in the capital.
As Miaoshoutang's business grew, countless doctors secretly wanted to join him. After careful selection, he chose a doctor surnamed Miao.
His medical skills are good, but more importantly, his character is impeccable.
It took the second landlord a long time to persuade Doctor Miao.
After Dr. Miao arrived, he took on a lot of house calls, so Gu Jiao wasn't as busy.
Gu Jiao went to play chess with the old beggar today, but to her surprise, the old beggar was not there.
Gu Jiao waited for a while but no one came, so she put on a mask and went to the martial arts school instead.
"Young Master Gu!"
A middle-aged man with a large belly and a ruddy complexion called out to her.
Gu Jiao looked at him, her eyes asking – Is something wrong?
Her attitude was not warm; in fact, it could be described as indifferent.
However, the other party did not mind. Anyone who had witnessed Gu Jiao's martial arts knew how irritable she was, and that she was already giving face by being willing to communicate with him.
The middle-aged man chuckled, "Young man, I've watched every one of your matches. You're very bold, your fighting style is arrogant, and you've improved a lot. Forgive my bluntness, but this kind of small martial arts school is no longer suitable for your strength. How about trying somewhere else?"
So they came here to undermine us.
Gu Jiao looked at him, took out her notebook and wrote: "Are there any decent experts in the place you mentioned?"
Listen to this arrogant tone!
However, he liked it very much!
This young man certainly has the right to be arrogant.
The middle-aged man laughed and said, "Of course there are, but I don't know if you dare to go?"
Gu Jiao wrote calmly, "Could it be the underworld?"
"Hahaha!" The middle-aged man was amused by Gu Jiao's arrogance and humor. "Don't worry, young man. How could I bear to send such a good prospect like you to a place like that? Enough talk, I'll take you there directly!"
After leaving the martial arts school, Gu Jiao told Xiao Sanzi to go back first, and then she took the middle-aged man's carriage to a brothel in the north of the city.
This was Gu Jiao's first time visiting the north of the city.
Bishui Hutong is located in the southern part of the city, while the Ding'an Marquis's residence is in the southeast. Her clinic area is mostly in the area from the south to the east of the city.
Everything here felt unfamiliar to Gu Jiao, yet there was a strange attraction to it.
Gu Jiao followed the middle-aged man through the embroidered building and arrived at a dye house, beneath which was an underground martial arts arena.
From the middle-aged man, Gu Jiao learned that the martial arts arena did not have a name, and people usually only referred to it as the Narcissus Embroidery Building.
The martial arts arena was enormous, almost four times the size of Taihe Martial Arts School. If Gu Jiao hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed that someone had built such a massive underground facility right under the emperor's nose.
In the center of the martial arts arena were four fighting platforms, just like in a martial arts school, while around them were countless side rooms, the middle-aged man of whom did not say what they were for.
The middle-aged man pointed and said, "Do you see those houses with gourds hanging on their doors? Don't go in."
"Why?" Gu Jiao asked with her eyes.
The middle-aged man explained, "Those are the houses of experts. If you barge in recklessly, you'll be beaten to death."
Therefore, it is permissible to kill people here.
Martial arts competitions were taking place on all four arenas. Compared to the Taihe Martial Arts Hall, the fights here were much bloodier and more violent, with a pungent smell of blood filling the air. Gu Jiao felt her blood boiling.
The violent impulses are stirring again.
Gu Jiao suppressed her murderous urges and, led by the middle-aged man, arrived at an accounting office on the east side.
"Hey, look who Old He has tricked this time!" A young man who was organizing the ledgers looked up and gave Gu Jiao a meaningful look. "Such a young master, Old He, how can you be so heartless? Aren't you afraid he'll get beaten to death?"
Therefore, people can die in the arena.
Gu Jiao gained a clearer understanding of the underground martial arts arena.
"Place fifty taels of silver as collateral first!" the young man said to Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao frowned. "You want money again?"
"I'll pay for it! I'll cover the cost for you, young man!" The middle-aged man generously pulled out a fifty-tael silver note and slapped it on the table.
The young man's gaze towards Gu Jiao became even more intriguing: "To get Old He, that tightwad, to pluck feathers for you, it seems you have some skill. Alright, I'll take good care of you and try my best not to let you die too soon."
"Can I look around?" Gu Jiao wrote in her notebook.
Old He said, "Okay! But remember what I just said, don't go near the house with a gourd hanging on the door."
Gu Jiao nodded.
She left the accounting office.
The sound of the young man and Old He talking could be heard behind them.
"Seriously? You really want this kid to go to a fight? He's even skinnier than me! And he's mute! Don't you remember the lesson from last time? You brought back someone who claimed to be a master, and he got killed with a single punch!"
"Trust my judgment this time. Don't assign too strong a player for the first match; let him practice first..."
As Gu Jiao walked further away, their conversation was gradually drowned out by the shouts from below the dueling platform.
Gu Jiao was just looking around on her first day here, but she didn't expect to see an acquaintance here.
A person wearing a black cloak walked past, completely covered up so that their face could not be seen. However, the hood of the cloak fell off the moment the person opened the door.
Gu Jiao looked closely, and it was her?
Let's have a quiz! Who is this person?
a. Crown Princess
b. Consort Jing
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(End of this chapter)
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