Chapter 410 Mother and Son Reunion (Second Update)
There was clearly a trace of a master's aura coming from the place where the woman's exclamation came from. After covering Princess Rui's mouth, Gu Jiao gave her a look.
Princess Rui opened her eyes wide and nodded.
They were on a small path between Renshou Palace and Kunning Palace. The surrounding scenery was beautiful, and there were many things to cover them, which was good for concealing their figures. It was for this reason that the other party chose this place.
Gu Jiao was not yet clear on what the other party wanted to do. She only knew that if she pulled Princess Rui away now, no matter which way they went, they would be seen by the people behind the artificial hill.
Gu Jiao simply pulled Princess Rui and quietly went around to a large tree behind them.
Princess Rui took Gu Jiao's hand and wrote on her palm with her fingertips: "Shouldn't we go and see what happened?"
Gu Jiao shook her head and wrote in her palm, "There's a master." She paused, then added, "He didn't have any murderous intent."
In other words, he didn't want to kill that woman.
Princess Rui nodded thoughtfully.
The artificial hill was directly opposite the big tree, less than twenty steps away. The two of them held their breath.
With Gu Jiao's abilities, she could conceal her aura very well, while Princess Rui could not do so for the time being. She could only try to slow down her breathing, but perhaps the woman's breathing was too tense and rapid, which suppressed Princess Rui's aura and prevented the expert from noticing.
The sounds of conversation could still be faintly heard from behind the artificial hill.
"It's you? You... how did you get here? What did you do to Chunying?"
Upon hearing this name, Princess Rui's temples throbbed a few times.
Gu Jiao looked at her with a puzzled expression.
She took Gu Jiao's hand and wrote in her palm: "Chunying is the Crown Princess's personal lady-in-waiting."
Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow, so the woman who spoke was—
Both the woman and the expert lowered their voices, making them sound different from their usual voices. Therefore, it was difficult to tell from the tone of their voices whether they were the person she was thinking of.
But there's no rush, they'll be coming out from behind the rockery soon anyway.
The conversation continued.
"It only put her to sleep; it will automatically release after half an hour."
Gu Jiao: Hmm, she wants to learn too.
She put her husband to sleep, and then did this and that.
The expert's voice was that of a man.
Woman: "I think you've gone mad! This is the palace! In broad daylight... Aren't you afraid of being discovered?!"
The voice sounded somewhat angry.
The expert sneered, "Since you always avoid me, I have no choice but to resort to this tactic."
"Don't come any closer!"
The woman shouted.
Several hurried footsteps came from behind the artificial hill, which must have been the woman staggering backward as she dodged a master.
Unfortunately, she couldn't retreat very far; Gu Jiao heard her back hit the artificial hill.
The expert seemed to have compromised: "Okay, I won't come over. Don't hurt yourself."
The woman said coldly, "What exactly do you want to do?"
The expert smiled knowingly: "Don't you know what I want to do?"
"you……"
"Look how scared you are. Don't worry, I don't want to do anything today. I just came to tell you..."
Gu Jiao and Princess Rui didn't hear the next sentence clearly; it seemed the expert whispered it in the woman's ear.
Immediately afterwards, a crisp snapping sound came from behind the artificial hill.
Princess Rui blinked in disbelief. Had she been slapped?
Gu Jiao nodded, it sounded like it.
After that slap, there was no more talking coming from behind the artificial hill. The expert must have left. The woman's panting could still be heard.
Neither Gu Jiao nor Princess Rui left; both wanted to see who the woman behind the artificial hill was.
The two waited anxiously, and after what seemed like an eternity, the woman finally emerged from behind the artificial hill.
Princess Rui took a closer look and quickly covered her mouth!
Why is it her?
Gu Jiao had already guessed it, so she didn't react much.
Just then, the maidservant who had been left in the Imperial Garden by Princess Rui, not seeing Princess Rui return for so long, couldn't help but come looking for her.
"Your Highness! Your Highness, you're here!"
Princess Rui could no longer hide, so she braced herself and stepped out from behind the big tree.
Gu Jiao also stepped out.
"Your Highness." The little maid bowed to Princess Rui. She hadn't met Gu Jiao before, so she hadn't greeted her. But when she saw the woman coming out from behind the rockery, she quickly bowed and said, "Crown Princess!"
Princess Rui's lips twitched; this was truly embarrassing...
Princess Rui naturally wouldn't admit to eavesdropping on the Crown Princess's conversation. She cleared her throat and said to Wen Linlang with a forced smile, "Is the Crown Princess also going to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager? I just came from the Empress Dowager's palace and ran into Doctor Gu on the way. I was just about to invite Doctor Gu to sit in the Imperial Garden and take my pulse to see if I'm carrying a boy or a girl."
These words struck a chord with the Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess and the Crown Prince have been married for almost two years, and the Crown Prince dotes on her alone. Unfortunately, she hasn't conceived at all, which is making Empress Xiao extremely anxious.
The Crown Princess gave Princess Rui and Gu Jiao a deep look. Perhaps she was provoked by Princess Rui's words, because she didn't ask anything else, but simply said, "I was just about to go and pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. Since Princess Rui has already gone, I won't invite you to come with me."
As she spoke, she suddenly looked at Gu Jiao and said, "Doctor Gu is more like someone from the palace than Princess Rui."
Princess Rui was a royal daughter-in-law, but since Prince Rui had already come of age and married, and moved out of the palace to live separately, Princess Rui could no longer live in the palace.
Gu Jiao, however, came and went as she pleased, staying whenever she wanted.
Gu Jiao said casually, "There's nothing I can do, someone spoils me."
Crown Princess: "..."
Gu Jiao didn't exchange pleasantries with Princess Rui for long before the two headed towards the Imperial Garden.
Princess Rui turned to look at the servants following far behind her and whispered, "Who do you think that man could be?"
Gu Jiao looked at her strangely: "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Who is the royal family's daughter-in-law between us? Do you really think that just because she visits the palace a few more times, she knows the palace's population better than she does?
Princess Rui thought for a moment and said, "The only princes still living in the palace are Consort Mu's fourth prince and Consort Shu's fifth prince. The sixth and seventh princes are still young, so it's definitely not them."
Gu Jiao asked, "Why must it be a prince?"
"Could it be His Majesty?!" Princess Rui was terrified!
Gu Jiao: "..."
What are you thinking...?
It couldn't be His Majesty. His Majesty doesn't know martial arts. Besides, the relationship between the Crown Princess and that man seems a bit ambiguous.
The two parted ways in the Imperial Garden. Princess Rui returned to Prince Rui's residence, while Gu Jiao went to Renshou Palace to give her great-aunt the candied fruit that her great-uncle had personally made. She also solemnly announced that she could eat one more piece every day.
Meanwhile, Xiao Liulang finished lecturing to the officials taking make-up exams all day long. Today's topic was mainly the law.
It's truly pathetic that an official directly under the Six Ministries couldn't even recite all the laws and regulations of the Zhao Kingdom.
It is a tragedy for both the officials and the imperial court.
The carriage from the examination hall took Xiao Liulang back to the Hanlin Academy.
As they passed the bakery, Xiao Liulang thought of the dried plum and vegetable cakes that had gone soggy and lost their texture the night before, and also of the disappointed look on Gu Jiao's face. On a whim, he stopped the carriage there.
Xiao Liulang said, "Go back to the examination hall; the Hanlin Academy is just ahead."
"yes."
The coachman drove the carriage away.
The pancake stall was set up right at the entrance.
Xiao Liulang walked over and said to the proprietress who was busy working alone in front of the stall, "I want ten dried plum vegetable cakes."
The proprietress said, "There's only one left."
"Then..."
"I'd like a preserved plum and vegetable pancake."
Xiao Liulang's words rang out almost simultaneously with another voice.
A female customer suddenly appeared beside Xiao Liulang. The proprietress looked at Xiao Liulang, then at the female customer, and asked, "This is the last one. Which of you will buy it?"
“I’ll buy it,” Xiao Liulang said firmly.
He didn't look at the female customer, but she looked at him curiously.
Before she could even look, her money bag fell to the ground with a thud!
Xiao Liulang finally glanced at her, and it was this glance that froze the arm of Xiao Liulang that was handing copper coins to the proprietress.
“You are…” Yu Jin grabbed Xiao Liulang’s arm!
"I'm not him, you've mistaken me for someone else." Xiao Liulang looked away, placed the copper coin on the table, took the cake, and left.
Yu Jin's expression changed: "Wait a minute!"
"Hey! Sir! You've given too much!" The proprietress shouted at Xiao Liulang, holding up two copper coins.
Xiao Liulang, leaning on his cane, quickly walked into the alley next to him.
When Yu Jin chased after him, he had already hidden in another shop.
Yu Jin searched the vicinity for a long time but couldn't find Xiao Liulang. In the end, she left with disappointment and dejection.
Xiao Liulang breathed a long sigh of relief.
Thankfully, they weren't discovered.
He came out from behind the small compartment of the clothing shop. Perhaps he had walked too fast while hiding from Yu Jin, because his perfectly good left foot twisted and he stumbled forward.
Just then, a customer across the street finished selecting fabric and turned to walk this way.
Xiao Liulang was caught off guard and bumped into her shoulder, falling to the ground in a sorry state, his cane also slipping from his hand.
The maidservant exclaimed in alarm, "Princess! How are you?"
Princess Xinyang waved her hand dismissively: "It's alright."
She looked at the Hanlin official who seemed to have tripped over her, her gaze lingering on the back of his head, and asked, "Sir, are you alright?"
Today is the last day of double rewards, so hurry up and use your monthly passes if you have any.
(End of this chapter)
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