Chapter 419 Confession (Two Updates)
Night fell heavily.
After a busy night in the cabinet, the three chief ministers finally finished their official duties.
The three of them came out of the cabinet, and Prince An got into his own carriage and returned to his residence.
The carriages of the Hanlin Academy were parked outside the cabinet, intending to take Ning Zhiyuan and Xiao Liulang home one by one.
Ning Zhiyuan was exhausted and really wanted to take the Hanlin Academy's carriage home, but his horse was still parked at the Hanlin Academy. If he didn't ride the horse back tonight, he wouldn't be able to come to the Hanlin Academy for his shift tomorrow morning.
Walking is too far, and hiring a horse-drawn carriage is too expensive.
Ning Zhiyuan sighed helplessly, "Forget it, I'll go back to the Hanlin Academy first and ride my horse back."
Xiao Liulang looked at him and said, "Don't ride a horse when you're tired."
Ning Zhiyuan waved his hand: "It's alright, it's not too far."
The carriage headed towards the Hanlin Academy.
"By the way," Ning Zhiyuan spoke again, "don't you think that Chief Minister Yuan values you quite a bit?"
"Is there?" Xiao Liulang asked.
Ning Zhiyuan said confidently, "Of course! Chief Minister Yuan only spoke three sentences to me and five sentences to Prince An today, which is less than what he spoke to you alone!"
Xiao Liulang didn't notice any of this.
Ning Zhiyuan continued, "Moreover, I've noticed that he keeps looking at you."
Xiao Liulang gave him a puzzled look: "Did you even do your job properly today?"
Ning Zhiyuan sighed again: "You and Prince An have done all the work. To be honest, I haven't done much."
Today, Chief Minister Yuan summoned them to the cabinet mainly to help organize some memorials concerning the laws of Zhao Kingdom. Zhao Kingdom has been established for two hundred years, and some of its laws were established at the beginning of the founding of the country. They were in line with the national conditions at that time, but they are not suitable for the present.
Almost every emperor of Zhao Kingdom would reorganize and revise the laws.
The emperor would not personally revise each one; the cabinet would draft them and then submit them to the emperor for review.
However, before the cabinet could draft the memorial, it needed to listen to the voices of the people. For the voices of the people to reach the emperor, they had to be reported by local officials one by one. What the three of them were doing today was to categorize and organize these reports into a standardized memorial.
Ning Zhiyuan was nervous and a bit inexperienced when he first entered the cabinet, unlike Xiao Liulang and Prince An who were calm, composed and experienced.
In fact, it was also the first time that Xiao Liulang and Prince An had come to the cabinet to help, but the two came from extraordinary backgrounds, had a lot of experience, knew how to deal with cabinet officials, and were able to keep the situation in check.
Ning Zhiyuan winked and said, "Hey? You mean... does Chief Minister Yuan have taken a liking to you? Does he want you to be his grandson-in-law?"
Xiao Liulang said calmly, "Don't talk nonsense."
Ning Zhiyuan said, "I'm not making this up! Wasn't there a rumor that the Grand Secretary Yuan's granddaughter was going to marry Prince An? But for some reason, the marriage didn't happen, and Prince An got engaged to the daughter of the Marquis of Ding'an. I observed carefully tonight, and the way Grand Secretary Yuan looked at Prince An was strange! He must be angry that Prince An abandoned his granddaughter after starting a relationship with her!"
Xiao Liulang was never interested in other people's affairs. He said calmly, "I'm married."
Ning Zhiyuan said, "I know you're married, but does Chief Minister Yuan know? Didn't that Minister of Justice come to you last time, wanting to marry his daughter to you?"
Xiao Liulang glanced at him and said, "You've been really free lately."
Gossip everywhere!
Xiao Liulang didn't take Ning Zhiyuan's words to heart, because regardless of whether Chief Minister Yuan really cared about him, it certainly wasn't for the purpose of marrying his granddaughter to him.
—Chief Minister Yuan and the old Marquis are already secretly discussing marriage.
...
Xiao Liulang returned to Bishui Hutong at midnight. To his surprise, he found a person standing at the door, dressed in a light-colored long robe, looking lonely in the cool moonlight.
Xiao Liulang only recognized him as Liu Yisheng, whom he had met once before, when he got closer.
Liu Yisheng is the last surviving member of the Liu family. In the capital, he is like a rat that everyone wants to kill, but at the same time, he is also Gu Jiao's patient.
Xiao Jingkong and Ming'er, the son of Prince Yu, an envoy from Liang, encountered human traffickers. It was Liu Yisheng who bravely took the two children back to the clinic.
Prince Yu gave him a large sum of money as a token of his gratitude, which he accepted.
But when Xiao Liulang went to thank him, he refused.
He said, "Dr. Gu treats my illness by either reducing or waiving my consultation fee. I owe Dr. Gu a favor, so I can't accept your gift as a thank you."
These words left a deep impression on Xiao Liulang regarding Liu Yisheng.
"What are you doing here?" Xiao Liulang asked as he stepped forward.
Liu Yisheng had seen Xiao Liulang as soon as he entered the alley. He had considered avoiding him, but ultimately he stayed.
He opened his mouth: "I..."
His sleeves weren't long, and Xiao Liulang noticed his bandaged hand at a glance, with faint traces of blood seeping through the bandage.
Xiao Liulang said, "It's so late. If you need treatment, you can go to Miaoshoutang. There are doctors on duty there at night."
Liu Yisheng didn't come here for treatment.
However, he also found it difficult to explain to Xiao Liulang what he was there to do.
He didn't want Xiao Liulang to misunderstand.
Just as he was struggling with how to phrase it, another carriage stopped at the other end of the alley.
Gu Jiao got off the carriage and walked towards her home.
She saw two handsome men standing at the door, facing each other in an eerie atmosphere, and for a moment she was stunned by their beauty.
This scene is just too pleasing to the eye.
Xiao Liulang stared at her intently, with a hint of inquiry in his eyes. He had thought she would have already gone to bed by now, but it turned out she had just returned.
Moreover, her clothes... are clearly not the ones she wore when she left home this morning, nor are they any of the clothes she owns.
Liu Yisheng's eyes were no less scrutinizing than Xiao Liulang's. Gu Jiao was unconscious when she was kidnapped, but now she seemed to have recovered completely.
Just as Yuan Tang said, that expert had no ill intentions towards Gu Jiao, and was probably someone Gu Jiao knew.
"Husband," Gu Jiao called to Xiao Liulang, "what are you two doing standing here so late?"
"Ask him." The person whose identity had been revealed was finally in a better mood and said to Liu Yisheng, "Come in and sit down."
Liu Yisheng replied, "No, I just want Doctor Gu to take a look at my injuries. I'll be leaving in a bit."
Xiao Liulang stopped pressuring him. He turned and went into the courtyard, lighting all the lanterns in the yard.
Gu Jiao's gaze fell on his right hand: "Your hand..."
Liu Yisheng looked at her right hand, which was wrapped in gauze: "I'm fine."
Gu Jiao asked, "It's stitched up?"
Liu Yisheng looked at her in confusion: "You stitched it up, don't you remember?"
Gu Jiao seemed to remember something: "...I think I have a vague recollection of it."
Liu Yisheng pursed her lips: "Do you...do this often? I mean, lose consciousness."
Gu Jiao shook her head: "Not often, tonight is a special case."
Liu Yisheng opened her mouth, but hesitated to speak.
He ultimately didn't ask.
He said, "I've taken your medicine box and basket to the clinic."
When the expert took her away, he only took her and not the things on the ground. He first went to the clinic to inquire about her whereabouts and residence, and handed the basket and medicine box to the second boss.
Gu Jiao smiled and said, "Thank you."
Gu Jiao examined his injuries. She was worried that she might not have done a good job of stitching them up under those circumstances, but it turned out that her muscle memory was too strong, and the surgery was perfect.
Gu Jiao gave him some instructions and told him to come to the clinic tomorrow to change his dressing.
Liu Yisheng suddenly looked at her intently and asked, "What about you? Are you really alright? That expert..."
“He…” Gu Jiao thought for a moment and said, “He is my husband’s friend.”
We can't reveal Long Yi and Xiao Liulang's identities, so let's just call them friends for now.
Liu Yisheng was completely relieved: "Then I'll take my leave."
Liu Yisheng walked out of Bishui Hutong and came to Xuanwu Street, where an inconspicuous-looking carriage was parked.
Several guards were lying in ambush around the carriage.
Yuan Tang sat in the carriage.
After dealing with that group of secret guards, Yuan Tang immediately returned to the palace and summoned experts from the Chen Kingdom.
It's just that the other party was perhaps too scared to fight back that night because of Gu Jiao and that masked expert.
Liu Yisheng boarded the carriage.
Yuan Tang raised an eyebrow and asked, "How is she? Is that girl alright?"
Liu Yisheng said, "It's nothing."
Yuan Tang leaned back lazily against the cushion behind her: "I told you she would be fine. That expert was very careful when he rescued her, just like the way I always look at my cousin."
Liu Yisheng really wanted to kick this shameless guy off the carriage.
Yuan Tang patted his palm with his folding fan: "But speaking of which, who is that expert? When did such a powerful figure arrive in Zhao Kingdom?"
Liu Yisheng said coldly, "Instead of worrying about this, you should think about your own situation. You're being hunted down and you're dragging others down with you."
The "other person" Liu Yisheng was referring to was not herself, but Gu Jiao.
Yuan Tang said, "I know, it's my fault that my cousin lost his finger. I will investigate this matter thoroughly, and I will definitely find that bastard and chop off his finger to avenge my cousin! Does it hurt, cousin? Here, let me warm it up for you!"
As he spoke, he actually grabbed Liu Yisheng's right hand and tried to blow air into it.
Liu Yisheng was so shocked by him that she decisively distanced herself from him by a full half carriage!
Gu Jiao is the type of person who only reports good news and not bad news. No, she doesn't even report good news. She's not good at talking to others about her daily life and experiences.
Perhaps due to the influence of her childhood, she realized that no one would want to hear her stories anyway, so she gradually stopped talking about them. It was as if this would create a preconceived notion—that you don't know about me not because you don't care about me, but because I refuse to tell you.
Even as he grew up, he didn't change his personality.
Back then, it was Xiao Liulang who kept digging into Consort Jing's affairs, and with various incompetent teammates exposing their true colors one after another, she had no choice but to confess.
Xiao Liulang wouldn't bother with Liu Yisheng, after all, Liu Yisheng was just one of his patients, and it would seem petty of him to argue with a patient.
Xiao Liulang went to the kitchen to boil water for Gu Jiao, making quite a commotion.
Gu Jiao followed him in, sat down on the small stool next to him, and turned to look at him: "You seem unhappy."
Xiao Liulang: "I didn't."
Gu Jiao: "Are you jealous?"
Xiao Liulang: "I'm not that petty."
Gu Jiao: "Oh."
Xiao Liulang: "Who's prettier, me or him?"
Gu Jiao: "..."
After taking a bath, Gu Jiao went to the backyard to pour water, and found that Xiao Liulang was still awake.
He stood in the courtyard, bathed in the bright moonlight and starlight, his handsome features as if he were waiting for her.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Gu Jiao put down the wooden basin, turned around and asked.
Xiao Liulang walked over, raised his hand, and placed his warm palm on her head.
Gu Jiao was slightly taken aback: "Why..."
"I don't know." He lowered his hand. "I just suddenly wanted to pat your head."
It seems like you need it, but I can't quite put my finger on why.
Gu Jiao blinked, stared at him for a long time, then shook her head and leaned forward: "Then, touch it again."
Like a well-behaved child waiting to be patted on the head.
Xiao Liulang chuckled softly: "Alright."
...
The next day was the day Gu Jiao had agreed to attend the Chamber of Commerce gathering with the second boss, but due to this sudden change, Gu Jiao had to confirm one thing first.
Gu Jiao told the second boss to go first, and she would go over later after she finished dealing with her business.
"Okay, remember to be here before dinner."
After the second master finished speaking, he got into a carriage and went to Sihai Villa in the eastern suburbs of the capital.
Gu Jiao went to Prince Rui's mansion.
Prince Rui has gone to handle official business; only Princess Rui remains at the residence.
Upon hearing that Gu Jiao had arrived, Princess Rui was so excited that she personally grabbed the hem of her skirt to greet her.
She didn't need to worry about Gu Jiao being upset; she could run... uh, no, she could walk very fast.
She arrived at the gate of the Prince's mansion and said with a smile, "You've finally come! The Prince said that when you escorted me back to the mansion last time, he invited you to come and keep me company more often, but I've been waiting for so long and you haven't come! What brings you here today?"
Gu Jiao's gaze passed over Princess Rui and landed on the corridor not far away, where two hidden guards were standing.
She had never seen Princess Rui before.
Gu Jiao asked, "Were those two people sent by Prince Ning to protect you?"
Princess Rui and Gu Jiao talked about everything, and Gu Jiao also told her about how Prince Ning had sent people to protect her.
"You saw them?" Princess Rui looked back and said in surprise, "They were secret guards. They only paid their respects to me once when they came to the manor, and after that I couldn't sense their presence at all."
"I came to see you," Gu Jiao said, continuing what she had just said.
"Come in and have a seat!" Princess Rui took Gu Jiao's hand and led her into the mansion.
Prince Rui was not a very favored prince, and the mansion he was assigned was rather unsatisfactory, less than half the size of Prince Ning's mansion. He also saw few servants along the way.
Princess Rui seemed unconcerned and happily invited Gu Jiao into her courtyard.
Her room already contained quite a few baby clothes, some of which she made herself out of boredom, and some of which were given to her by her family.
“My sister stayed for a few days, but she was too noisy, so I asked her to leave.” Princess Rui sat down with Gu Jiao and called a maid to serve tea to Gu Jiao, while she herself drank warm water.
Princess Rui's younger sister is Du Xiaoyun, the Crown Princess's number one fan. Gu Jiao has been persuaded by Du Xiaoyun to buy her things several times.
But speaking of noise...
Gu Jiao glanced at Princess Rui and said, "Aren't you two arguing just the same?"
"Try this." Princess Rui pushed a plate of osmanthus cake on the table in front of Gu Jiao. "You have no idea how miserable I was when I was locked up the past two months. I even learned how to make desserts!"
Gu Jiao took a bite and was surprised to find it quite good.
"Is it delicious?" Princess Rui asked.
"It's delicious," Gu Jiao said.
Princess Rui's eyes crinkled into two crescent moons with laughter.
Gu Jiao came today mainly to confirm a few things with her: "Who did you tell about the Crown Princess's secret rendezvous with someone behind the rockery, and about your suspicion that Yuan Tang is that man?"
Princess Rui said frankly, "I only told you, Prince Rui, and my elder brother! Hmm... my sister-in-law was in the carriage, so she might have... overheard a little bit. Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
Gu Jiao said, "Yuan Tang has been assassinated."
"What? He... was assassinated? How could this happen? Who wanted to kill him?" Princess Rui's expression turned serious.
After a long pause, she suddenly slammed her hand on the table. "I know! It was Wen Linlang! She must have been worried that if things were exposed, she would be implicated, so she simply decided to kill Yuan Tang!"
Gu Jiao: ...Your prejudice against the Crown Princess is unusually deep.
It must be said that Princess Rui's speculation gave Gu Jiao another idea—from the perspective of motives, the Crown Princess is a suspect.
Upon careful recollection of their conversation, it becomes clear that the man was the one who took the initiative to approach the Crown Princess, and the fact that the Crown Princess slapped him suggests that the man had most likely verbally offended her.
Whether out of anger or to eliminate any future trouble, the Crown Princess might indeed kill Yuan Tang.
However, Gu Jiao felt that the man was also highly suspicious.
After all, it's not something everyone would think of to make Yuan Tang take the blame, nor is it feasible under all circumstances.
Killing someone to take the blame won't help.
But it's different if it's Yuen Tong.
In terms of status, appearance, and talent, Yuan Tang is a perfect match. Would it be convincing to tell a random passerby that this is the man the Crown Princess is having an affair with?
Moreover, Yuan Tang had already been "finally judged" by Princess Rui.
Gu Jiao quickly thought of something else: she was also present when the other party assassinated Yuan Tang, and she even killed so many of their assassins. How would the other party view her relationship with Yuan Tang?
Could the other party have already guessed that she knows about Yuan Tang being wrongly accused of being the man behind the fake mountain?
If it were her, she would have been able to guess it anyway.
After all, Princess Rui had visited Yuan Tang at the clinic after "recognizing" her. Given their relationship, it was impossible for Princess Rui not to tell her the gossip that Yuan Tang was the adulterer.
That very night, she was with Yuan Tang, making it hard to doubt that she went to Yuan Tang to verify the truth.
"Miss Gu, what's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" Princess Rui became uneasy when she saw Gu Jiao suddenly fall silent.
Her personality wasn't actually that unlikable, it's just that she was always going against Wen Linlang. Too many people liked Wen Linlang, so it was inevitable that they wouldn't get along.
"You don't like Wen Linlang too, do you?" she asked tentatively.
Gu Jiao shook her head: "I like you."
Princess Rui was immediately delighted. She took Gu Jiao's hand and said tenderly, "I like you too!"
Prince Rui, who had just reached the door, was overheard this confession: "..."
Suddenly I feel like there's something green on the top of my head...
(End of this chapter)
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