Chapter 420 Reunion (Two Updates)
Since the other party has chosen Yuan Tang as a scapegoat, her life will not be in danger for the time being until Princess Rui comes forward to testify.
Gu Jiao left the Prince Rui's residence.
She boarded the carriage at the clinic.
They had only taken a few steps when the carriage was stopped.
It is Yuan Tang.
Yuan Tang approached the carriage, lifted the curtain, and said to Gu Jiao, "I spent the whole night back in the palace last night thinking about it, and the more I thought about it, the more something seemed off. You just asked me if I had anything to do with the Crown Princess of your Zhao Kingdom, and then I was being chased. Honestly, do you know something? Is this related to your Zhao Kingdom's royal family?"
Gu Jiao said calmly, "No comment."
If I tell you the truth, and you reveal your whereabouts that day, creating a perfect alibi, then Princess Rui will lose her value in testifying against you.
Princess Rui is in danger.
So for the sake of Princess Rui's safety, it's best to temporarily put you, the great Prince of Chen, through this difficult time.
Gu Jiao grabbed the curtain and smiled, "There might be assassins coming to kill you these next few days, so be careful."
After saying that, she lowered the carriage curtain and said to Xiao Sanzi, "Let's go!"
The carriage sped away!
Yuan Tang was so angry he jumped up and down.
"Hey! Explain yourself! Who exactly is trying to assassinate me, Your Highness!"
ah!
That girl!
It's so infuriating when someone only says half of what they mean!
Yuan Tang bristled and roared, "Girl! Don't think you can stay out of this! If that person wants to kill me, do you think he won't kill you too? You think you can escape? You've been on my side for a long time!"
Gu Jiao wasn't really sending Yuan Tang into danger. Since the assassination attempt failed the first time and they couldn't figure out Yuan Tang's true intentions, they probably wouldn't launch a second attack so quickly.
...
Before noon, Gu Jiao arrived at Sihai Villa.
The gathering lasts for three days, but the first and second days are the most important. I can return on the afternoon of the second day.
As expected, they ran into people from Huichuntang at the Chamber of Commerce. This was a very important Chamber of Commerce, and all the major owners were there. Gu Jiao then met the rumored stepson of the Hu family—Hu Hongtu, the Second Master Hu.
You can tell how high his parents' expectations are just from his name.
The second boss was ousted by his family, so don't expect Hu Hongtu to have any brotherly affection for him.
Hu Hongtu smiled at the second boss, making no attempt to hide the contempt and disdain in his eyes: "Big brother is here too? It seems that you learned quite a bit back when you were at Huichuntang."
That's really malicious. What do you mean by saying that the second master secretly learned a lot from Huichuntang? Does that mean the second master is an outsider and Huichuntang isn't his father's business?
Hu Hongtu may have forgotten that if it weren't for his appearance, the second boss would have been the first heir to Huichuntang.
Although Huichuntang is a century-old pharmacy, when the second owner's mother married into the Hu family, the Hu family was going through a crisis, and Huichuntang almost went out of business. It was only because the second owner's mother invested all of her dowry money into Huichuntang that it was able to be saved.
In the end, this unfortunate woman gained nothing. She died of a serious illness, leaving behind her young son to be bullied by others.
A person's weakness is only exposed when they are vulnerable. Now that he has a powerful backer, he is not afraid of Hu Hongtu's provocations at all: "I came here with real skills. If you're talking about stealing knowledge, aren't you the one who stole knowledge? I am the legitimate son of the Hu family!"
Hu Hongtu chuckled and said, "The former eldest son of the Hu family! Now you're nothing but a stray dog!"
The second boss sneered: "Is that so? Then we'll see. We'll see if it's me, this stray dog, who ends up killing you!"
The two brothers parted on bad terms.
Gu Jiao curiously admired the surrounding scenery.
The second landlord said, "I'm sorry you had to see this."
Gu Jiao said, "No, it's fine."
The more shameless Hu Hongtu becomes, the less ruthless they will be when they clash with him in the future.
Gu Jiao asked, "Do you need my help?"
The second landlord said arrogantly, "No need. I can easily crush a mere stepson!"
The Second Master is no longer the Second Master he used to be; he is now Niohuru Second Master!
Since the second master said so, Gu Jiao decided not to get involved in the feud between the brothers.
She stayed at the villa for one night, got to know many merchants from the capital through the second owner, and also demonstrated her superb medical skills to the Chamber of Commerce, proving the strength of Miaoshoutang.
She returned as scheduled the following afternoon.
She rushed back to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, which was the same as the Mid-Autumn Festival in her previous life—a wonderful day for families to reunite and admire the moon.
Last year, we couldn't properly celebrate the festival because of the autumn imperial examinations, but everyone is here this year.
Feng Lin and Lin Chengye arrived early in the morning, and Du Ruohan also came, but he went back after lunch, so Gu Jiao didn't run into Du Ruohan.
Gu Jiao invited Master Lu and Nan Xiang's wife early in the morning. The two arrived in the afternoon, almost one after the other, at Bishui Hutong.
"Master Lu, Madam Nanxiang!" Xiao Jingkong warmly invited the two into the courtyard. His eagle and seven chicks, each adorned with a large red flower, formed a welcoming array in the courtyard, which was quite a ceremonial affair!
Nan Shi's wife adored this little guy. She smiled and said, "You must be Jingkong, right?"
“Yes, Madam Nan!” Little Jingkong said cutely.
The two, one big and one small, chatted happily. Little Jingkong enthusiastically introduced his chicks and fledglings to Nan Shi Niang, and of course, he didn't forget to introduce Gu Yan's puppy as well.
"That's Xiao Ba, he's a bit timid."
Little Ba suddenly straightened his male dog-like back.
It's not timid at all!
It's the bravest herding dog in Beijing, isn't it!
"Woof!"
The big yellow dog that the Zhao family next door had just raised rushed in.
Xiao Ba immediately lost his composure, grabbed the dog's head with his paws, and cowered behind the flock of chickens!
Nan Shi's wife really likes this place.
The smile in her eyes never disappeared from the moment she entered the room.
Seeing Nanxiang like this, Master Lu felt very gratified.
Xiao Jingkong thoughtfully introduced the small vegetable garden in his home to Nanxiang's wife, proudly telling her that he was the one who watered the vegetable garden.
Nan Xiang was so amused by the little guy shaking his head that she wished she could steal him back right away!
Through Xiao Jingkong's introduction, Nanxiang and Master Lu also met Feng Lin and Lin Chengye.
Surprisingly, the four of them got along very well.
Lin Chengye felt inferior and embarrassed because he thought he was a stutterer.
Nan Xiang smiled, but instead of comforting him, she directly removed her veil.
Lin Chengye and Feng Lin were both taken aback. Then, Lin Chengye blurted out a complete sentence: "It's okay. Actually, you are very beautiful, Madam Nan."
Feng Lin suddenly patted Lin Chengye on the shoulder: "Hey! Little Lin, you've stopped stuttering!"
Lin Chengye: "I, I, I don't... I don't stutter..."
Ugh, still stuttering!
However, this interruption dispelled the last trace of unease in everyone's hearts. No one would laugh at Lin Chengye's stuttering, nor would anyone mock Nan Xiang's disfigured face.
It was at this moment that Xiao Liulang stepped into the courtyard; he had just gone to Granny Zhou's small wine shop to buy wine.
When Nanxiang last came over, only Gu Jiao was at home. Xiao Liulang had never met Nanxiang before, but he knew that Nanxiang and Master Lu would be coming, so the wine was specially prepared for them.
"Liu Lang is back!" Feng Lin waved to Xiao Liu Lang.
Lin Chengye hurriedly got up and ran over to help Xiao Liulang carry the wine jar over.
Feng Lin introduced with a smile: "Sixth Brother! This is Master Lu, and this is Master Nanxiang."
Xiao Liulang: No, you really don't consider yourself an outsider.
Feng Lin said to the couple, "Master Lu, Madam Nan, he is Xiao Shun's brother-in-law!"
Master Lu greeted Xiao Liulang amicably.
Nan Xiang's expression was somewhat strange. She kept staring at Xiao Liulang's face, making Master Lu, who was standing to the side, feel embarrassed.
He tugged at Nan Xiang's sleeve and whispered, "Why are you staring at her like that?"
Nan Xiang said blankly, "I feel like... I've seen him somewhere before."
Master Lu chuckled: "How could you possibly have seen him? He's Xiao Shun's brother-in-law, from the county town, and you've never been there. However, I heard he looks a lot like the late Marquis Zhaodu. Did you see Marquis Zhaodu when you first entered the palace?"
Nan Xiang shook her head: "No, not in the palace..."
It's not in the capital either.
Nan Xiang stared intently at Xiao Liulang, trying hard to recall where she had seen him before.
"Ahhh! My book! My book is gone! You naughty girl!"
Xiao Jingkong's wailing came from the study.
Xiao Jingkong is good in every way, except he's not very good at tidying up; you can always hear him looking for things all day long.
Xiao Liulang didn't hear their hushed conversation. He only noticed that Nan Xiang was staring at him, but as the host, he couldn't say anything.
"Madam Nan, Master Lu, excuse me for a moment." After saying goodbye, he went to the study to help Xiao Jingkong find something.
If we don't help him find it, the little guy will go crazy and the whole family will be in turmoil.
This was their first proper Mid-Autumn Festival in the capital. The old chief priest personally cooked, with Granny Fang and Yuya assisting him. They prepared a large table of their signature dishes: spicy lamb spine hot pot, hand-pulled lamb, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, braised pork hock with rock sugar, fried lotus root slices, cold tofu skin salad, crucian carp and tofu soup, vegetarian three delicacies, hairy crabs, and several kinds of seasonal vegetables.
Of course, we didn't forget that Xiao Jingkong's Yuexi is a vegetarian, and he also has hairy crabs... steamed buns made with flour and tofu skin.
"Let's eat in the courtyard, and enjoy the moon!" Feng Lin said.
Xiao Jingkong was the first to agree.
Feng Lin and Lin Chengye went to move tables. There were too many people, and one table wasn't enough, so they put two together.
Gu Jiao didn't participate in the cooking; she made mooncakes in her great-uncle's small kitchen, where Xiao Liulang was also present.
He's not a great cook, but he's good at chopping wood, starting fires, and carrying water.
Xiao Liulang had never eaten mooncakes before, but he could tell that Gu Jiao had made a kind of pastry with fillings. The fillings were very rich, including five-nut filling, red bean paste filling, and salted egg yolk and lotus seed paste filling.
"Can you make jujube paste?" he suddenly asked.
"I've never done it before, but it should be possible," Gu Jiao said. "It's just that we don't seem to have any red dates at home."
“I’ll go buy it!” Xiao Liulang stood up and said.
Gu Jiao gave him a strange look. "I've never seen you like eating jujube paste that much before."
"Okay." Gu Jiao nodded.
Xiao Liulang went to the nearby market and bought red dates. Under Gu Jiao's guidance, he washed them, pitted them, and mashed them into date paste.
Without an oven, the mooncakes could only be steamed, and the taste was quite different from the mooncakes of her previous life. However, Gu Jiao put a lot of thought into the molds, and the mooncakes she made included round ones, flower-shaped ones, and some with very cute patterns and words.
When Xiao Jingkong saw the adorable little pig head on his mooncake, he excitedly squealed with delight!
Gu Jiao picked out a few sugar-free mooncakes and put them into the food box: "These are for my great-aunt."
Empress Dowager Zhuang was to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival in the palace and could not leave.
Gu Jiao planned to send her to the palace later.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Liulang volunteered to take on the task: "I'll deliver it to my aunt."
Gu Jiao glanced at him and said, "Okay."
"Jiaojiao! Jiaojiao! Come and see!" Little Jingkong, having discovered something new, dragged Gu Jiaojiao outside.
When Gu Jiao returned to the kitchen, Xiao Liulang had already taken the mooncakes and gone out.
Besides the few sugar-free options that were sold out, the jujube paste ones were also taken.
The entire Zhuque Avenue was filled with a festive atmosphere.
However, the courtyard behind the peach tree was unusually quiet and deserted.
Because it was so quiet, the sounds of laughter and chatter from the other houses could be heard clearly.
The windows were wide open.
Princess Xinyang and Yu Jin sat facing each other by the window, with a sumptuous feast laid out on the table between them.
Yu Jin opened a plump crab and said with a gentle smile, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, so the princess will not be eating vegetarian food. This is a crab sent from the palace. Would the princess like to try it?"
“It’s made for you to eat,” Princess Xinyang said.
Yu Jin sighed.
The sounds of children playing and adults laughing and joking came from next door, making their side seem even more desolate and lonely.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the silent courtyard gate.
Who is it?
The maid who was washing clothes in the courtyard asked.
She was met with another series of knocks on the door.
"Coming, coming!" The little maid put down the clothes she was washing, stood up, dried her hands on the towel on the clothesline, went to the door, opened the courtyard gate, and asked, "Who is it?"
"Huh? Where did everyone go?"
The maid peeked out and looked around, making sure she didn't see anyone. She scratched her head in confusion: "I clearly heard someone knocking on the door."
Just as she was about to close the courtyard gate, she suddenly noticed a food box placed at the entrance.
"Huh? Who put this there?"
She muttered to herself.
"What happened?" Yu Jin asked the strangely behaving maid from under the eaves.
The maid turned around and said to Yu Jin, "Lord Yu Jin, someone knocked on the door just now and left a food box here."
Yu Jin was a very cautious person. She came to the door and looked at the tightly closed food box. Instead of opening it immediately, she called Long Yi and asked him to open it.
"Be careful, there might be hidden weapons inside," Yu Jin said.
She didn't know if Long Yi could understand her.
But ultimately, there's no hidden weapon in this world that can ambush Long Yi.
Long Yi opened the food box, and a rich aroma of jujube paste wafted out.
Yu Jin was stunned. What she saw inside were not hidden weapons at all, but rather novel and unique pastries.
The princess loves to eat jujube paste cake.
But almost no one knows about it.
"What's wrong?"
Princess Xinyang walked over with a calm expression.
The young maidservant quickly bowed and gave a salute.
Yu Jin took the food box from Long Yi's arms and handed it to her, saying, "I don't know who put this here."
Princess Xinyang picked up a mooncake with jujube paste filling and stared at it for a long time.
The maidservant asked cautiously, "Should we throw it away? Could someone have poisoned it?"
(End of this chapter)
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