Chapter 476 The Drama Queen Baby (Two Chapters Combined)
The sudden crying left Gu Jinyu at a loss.
The old woman was also startled by the crying.
Anyone who didn't know better would think that Gu Jinyu was abusing the child, given how heartbreakingly she was crying!
Granny Fang was washing diapers, and her hands were wet, so she couldn't take the baby. She said to Gu Jinyu, "Put the young master in the cradle first."
Gu Jinyu frantically tried to put the baby down, but the baby was crying so hard that every cry sounded like someone was pricking him with needles. In her panic, Gu Jinyu lost her balance, stepped on the base of the cradle, tripped, and fell forward, dropping the baby she was holding.
"Ah—!" Her face paled!
She tried to grab the child, but it was too late; she fell hard to the ground.
She was sore all over from the fall; one can only imagine the terrible consequences of a newborn baby falling to the ground.
At the critical moment, a blue figure flashed in and caught the baby who was about to fall to the ground with lightning speed.
The little one was snuggled into a warm embrace, and the crying stopped abruptly.
The little guy opened his big, dark eyes wide and stared unblinkingly at the unfamiliar intruder.
Granny Fang breathed a sigh of relief: "Second Young Master!"
Gu Jinyu, enduring the pain, stood up, supporting herself on the cradle, and softly called out, "Second Brother."
Gu Chengfeng pinched the little guy's cheek, nodded to Granny Fang, looked at Gu Jinyu, and frowned, asking, "Do you know how to hold a baby?"
Gu Jinyu's eyes reddened with grievance: "I didn't mean to, I lost my balance..."
Gu Chengfeng was initially indifferent to Gu Jinyu; he neither liked nor disliked her, and mostly ignored her.
Looking at her now, for some reason, I always find myself comparing her to Gu Jiao, and I feel that Gu Jinyu is far inferior.
If Gu Jiao were in the room today, she would never have dropped the child.
Gu Chengfeng ignored Gu Jinyu. He put the little guy in the cradle, opened the swaddling clothes to check the diaper, and found that it was wet. He grabbed a clean diaper from the table and quickly changed the little guy's diaper.
The speed at which she changed diapers was so fast that even the old nanny was impressed.
The little guy seemed to be enjoying the change, his little eyes squinting in contentment.
Gu Chengfeng was wrapped in swaddling clothes even better than Granny Fang.
Who told him to have the hands of a master thief? The dexterity of those hands is no less than that of a top surgeon.
Of course, it was also because she always took care of Gu Chenglin when she was a child that she gained some experience in caring for him.
Seeing that the second young master was so good at taking care of people, Granny Fang felt relieved and went to wash the diapers. After she finished washing them, she carried all the diapers and clothes to the backyard to wash them.
Gu Jinyu glanced at Gu Chengfeng, who was playing with the little guy, and then at Granny Fang, who left without saying a word. She felt that something was wrong.
Granny Fang didn't talk much to Gu Chengfeng. At first glance, it seemed like she was being dismissive, but upon closer inspection, it seemed more like she was used to Gu Chengfeng's presence.
"Does Second Brother come here often?" Gu Jinyu asked softly.
Gu Chengfeng's fingers were firmly held by the little guy. He didn't dare to pull them out too forcefully, for fear of hurting the little guy. Hearing Gu Jinyu's words, he casually replied, "You've been here a few times, haven't you?"
Most of them came to buy hair growth products.
However, I did manage to get a few meals and play a few rounds of card games with her, losing some money to the old lady in the process.
Seeing Gu Chengfeng's helpless expression as the little guy caused him trouble, Gu Jinyu's eyes flickered, and she asked, "Second brother, are you here to see Mother too?"
Gu Chengfeng actually came to buy hair growth serum for Gu Chenglin.
He only learned that Yao had given birth to a son in the early morning when he saw Huang Zhong and Lord Gu's carriage at the door.
In terms of blood relations, this little guy is his half-brother.
It's... pretty ugly.
It's all wrinkled, like a little monkey.
"So ugly," he said disdainfully, not forgetting to poke the little guy's cheek with his fingertip.
Whether it was sensing Gu Chengfeng's disdain or being hurt by Gu Chengfeng's finger, the little guy suddenly poked his little mouth and burst into tears!
Gu Chengfeng shuddered: "Not ugly at all! You're very beautiful!"
The little guy sobbed and pouted.
"Second brother, my little brother likes you a lot." Gu Jinyu said enviously, "He cries when I hug him, and nothing I do can comfort him."
"A newborn baby doesn't know anything about liking or disliking." Though he said this, Gu Chengfeng unconsciously raised an eyebrow. Did the little guy like him? Did the little guy like him? Did he really like him?
"Ahem." Gu Chengfeng said in a serious tone, "It must be because you don't know how to hold him properly, making him uncomfortable."
What's so great about the little guy liking him?
He's not even his biological brother!
He doesn't care about his liking at all!
Gu Jinyu was stunned for a moment: "Then, how do I hug you?"
"Like this." Gu Chengfeng gently picked up the little guy and demonstrated it to Gu Jinyu.
Gu Jinyu thought to herself, "That's exactly how I hugged her just now."
Gu Jinyu refused to believe it and decided to hug him one more time.
As a result, the little guy started crying as soon as he was in her hands, but he stopped crying as soon as Gu Chengfeng took him, which made Gu Jinyu extremely embarrassed.
Even more embarrassing things were yet to come.
Gu Jinyu hugged him, and he peed.
Gu Jinyu hugged him again, and he pooped.
Unfortunately, she didn't know how to change diapers, and she couldn't clean the little guy's bottom properly, which made him cry loudly.
Finally, even Gu Chengfeng couldn't stand it anymore and took the child from him, saying, "Alright, you can go now. This is none of your business."
Gu Jinyu was no longer the pampered young lady she once was. She had been to orphanages and done hard labor, but she had never taken care of such a young child before, and she was truly at a loss.
Besides, she didn't know if it was just her imagination, but the child seemed to dislike her!
This dislike of being at home was completely confirmed when the three little men returned home. Gu Chengfeng took the child to the west room, and the three little men took turns trying to coax him, but the little guy was very lazy and basically ignored everyone.
But I won't cry.
She doesn't cry no matter who hugs her, except Gu Jinyu.
When Madam Yao woke up, Lord Gu had already been summoned to the yamen. Gu Jinyu, with red and swollen eyes, sat by her bedside.
Seeing Gu Jinyu's aggrieved and hurt expression, she couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
With tears welling up in her eyes, Gu Jinyu said, "My younger brother doesn't like me."
Yao said, "How could he not like you?"
What do such a young child know about liking or disliking?
Gu Jinyu said aggrievedly, "It's true, he cries as soon as I hug him, but he doesn't when other people hug him."
“That must be because you don’t know how to hold her.” Yao’s statement was exactly the same as Gu Chengfeng’s.
Madam Yao had Granny Fang bring her son from the west room, fed him, and then handed him to Gu Jinyu: "Try again."
Gu Jinyu gave it a try.
An incredible thing happened: the little guy who had been wailing as soon as he was in her arms suddenly became extremely quiet.
Madam Yao smiled and said, "See? Isn't this great?"
Gu Jinyu stared in disbelief: "But just now..."
Madam Yao said, "You must have been holding me uncomfortably just now."
Gu Jinyu swears that's really how she hugged her!
He felt so good! He just wanted to cry!
Gu Jinyu bit her lip.
Seeing Gu Jinyu's aggrieved and angry expression, yet her restraint, Yao sighed softly and said earnestly, "Jinyu, I know you harbor resentment. Yan'er didn't like you when he was little; he would cry whenever you approached him. But that's because the aura of his older sister had changed, and you were a stranger to him, making it difficult for him to accept. Your second brother was born under different circumstances than Yan'er. When he first came into this world, Jiaojiao was his older sister, and so are you. As long as you treat him sincerely, he will treat you as his own sister. You must not hold any prejudice against your second brother because of Yan'er."
"Mother, I didn't!" Gu Jinyu was truly speechless with bitterness. When had she ever harbored any prejudice against her second brother? It was clearly her second brother who disliked her.
"I'm going out for a bit." Madam Yao needed to use the restroom, and with the help of Granny Fang, she went to the latrine.
As soon as she left, the little one in her arms pouted!
Gu Jinyu, holding the little one, stood up abruptly: "Mom! He's crying again!"
Madam Yao and Granny Fang returned.
The little guy opened his mouth wide and yawned.
Yao said, "He was just yawning."
Gu Jinyu retorted, "No, he was clearly about to cry just now!"
Mrs. Yao sighed, "He is very well-behaved."
He's not a good boy!
He's so annoying!
Gu Jinyu was speechless. She swore she hadn't misjudged; the little guy was indeed about to cry!
But he stopped crying as soon as Yao came back!
...
At this moment, Gu Jiao was unaware of Gu Jinyu's repeated setbacks with the little guy. She had just come out of the clinic. Several critically ill patients who had fought at the casino yesterday had just passed the critical stage and were now being cared for by Doctor Song and Doctor Lu.
She went to the Liu family's house.
Liu Yisheng was surprised to see her.
"Is it convenient to go in?" Gu Jiao asked.
"Ah, that's convenient." Liu Yisheng stepped aside and opened the courtyard gate wider.
A white figure darted out and pounced into Gu Jiao's arms.
"Hmm, Xiao Shi." Gu Jiao hugged the heavy white cat, "You've gotten fatter again."
Little Ten meowed.
It's not fat, it's not fat at all!
"Why did you come here today?" Liu Yisheng asked.
"I'm here to see Yuan Tang," Gu Jiao said.
"Did you hear that, cousin? She's here to see me!"
With a cheerful voice, Yuan Tang swaggered out of the main room, fanning himself with a folding fan.
He stopped in front of Gu Jiao, tapped the white cat's head with his folding fan, and snorted, "You heartless little thing, why aren't you so enthusiastic when I come here?"
Little Eleven buried his head in Gu Jiao's arms and gave Yuan Tang a big slap on the butt!
Liu Yisheng looked at Yuan Tang with a slightly cold gaze.
Yuan Tang ignored her cousin's sharp glare and smiled at Gu Jiao, saying, "Speak, what do you want to see me about? It's best if it's not about men and women, otherwise my cousin will get jealous. I promised my cousin that I only have him in my heart."
Liu Yisheng really wanted to kick this annoying guy out!
"It's important business," Gu Jiao said.
Yuan Tang looked relieved: "Shall we talk in the yard or inside?"
A tone as if he were the master of the house.
"Either is fine," Gu Jiao said.
There were no outsiders in Liu Yisheng's family, only a mute servant and an elderly nanny, both of whom were trustworthy.
Today is a clear and crisp autumn day, perfect for sunbathing in the yard.
The group eventually sat down on the stone bench, with Yuan Tang and Gu Jiao facing each other, and Liu Yisheng between them.
Liu Yisheng didn't sit down immediately. He went into his room and brought out a plate of fresh tangerines.
Upon seeing the plump, bright orange tangerines, Yuan Tang's eyes widened: "Cousin, you're so biased! Did you have so many delicious things all this time? I've been here for so long and you haven't brought any out!"
After he finished speaking, his handsome face immediately turned extremely resentful.
He said to Liu Yisheng, "Peel one for me, and I'll forgive you."
Liu Yisheng did indeed peel a tangerine, but it wasn't for him.
"Granny, here you go."
Yuan Tang: ...That hurts!
Gu Jiao also peeled an orange and fed some to Xiao Shi. She had never raised a cat before and didn't know if other people's cats would eat oranges, but Xiao Shi did eat it.
"Hey, didn't you say you needed to talk to me about something? What is it?" Yuan Tang's voice was muffled as her cousin's words stung.
Gu Jiao asked, "Are you aware that your Chen Kingdom's army is marching southwest?"
A flicker of wariness flashed in Yuan Tang's eyes: "Why are you asking this?"
Gu Jiao fed the white cat on her lap another segment of orange: "I'm telling you, do you even know?"
Yuan Tang gave Gu Jiao a deep look, opened his folding fan and fanned himself, raising an eyebrow and saying, "Although I am here as a hostage, I also have spies. There was a mutiny among the soldiers on the border of Chen Kingdom, and my royal uncle led the army to quell the rebellion."
Gu Jiao removed the white pith from the orange: "Suppressing a rebellion? What a convenient excuse."
In the dream, the Chen army did not march southwest until after the New Year. In February, they captured Princess Ning'an and the old Marquis. In March, they captured Gu Chengfeng. In April, Gu Changqing led 100,000 Gu family soldiers north. In May, the border was still covered in snow. In June, 80,000 Gu family soldiers were wiped out.
It's only October now.
It seems that it has indeed been brought forward again.
Yuan Tang frowned: "What do you mean?"
Gu Jiao glanced at him regretfully and sighed, "It seems you don't know yet."
That look made Yuan Tang frown even more: "What don't I know?"
Gu Jiao withdrew her gaze and continued peeling the orange pith: "The two countries are about to go to war, and you, as a hostage, will soon lose your value."
Yuan Tang snapped his folding fan shut: "You're talking nonsense!"
Both sentences are nonsense!
The reason why the State of Chen sent its prince to the State of Zhao as a hostage was to show the State of Zhao its determination to surrender and seek peace. If they dared to send troops to the State of Zhao again, the State of Zhao would definitely kill Yuan Tang.
When Marquis Xuanping raised an army against the State of Chen, he first rescued Prince An before launching his attack.
However, the Chen army had already advanced towards the Zhao border, while there was no movement in Yuantang, indicating that Yuantang had been abandoned by the Chen.
Or to be more precise, he was abandoned by his royal uncle from the state of Chen.
Even Yuan Tang, who was usually good-tempered, couldn't help but feel a bit angry at this moment: "Hey, don't take advantage of our friendship to spout nonsense and sow discord between me and my father!"
Gu Jiao spread her hands: "It has nothing to do with your father, the emperor. It's your uncle who is plotting a rebellion. You can no longer be the crown prince of Chen."
Upon hearing that it wasn't his father, Yuan Tang subconsciously felt a little less resistant, but he still frowned and asked, "Which of my royal uncles?"
Gu Jiao said, "How would I know which of your royal uncles led the troops to quell the rebellion?"
She actually knew, but she wanted to know if Yuan Tang knew.
Yuan Tang hesitated for a moment, then suddenly became agitated: "Are you talking about my uncle, Prince Bo? Impossible! He is my father's half-brother, the one he trusts most! No one could possibly rebel against him!"
"Really?" Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow.
Yuan Tang firmly believed that his royal uncle would not rebel: "Besides, my maternal grandfather and eldest uncle are going with me this time. Even if my royal uncle wanted to rebel, they would not sit idly by."
Gu Jiao said "Oh," and then asked, "What if they conspire with your royal uncle to rebel?"
Yuan Tang looked at Gu Jiao as if she were an idiot: "Why would my maternal grandfather do this? What benefit would it bring him?"
Ignoring his disdain, Gu Jiao calmly said, "This is a matter for your Rong family."
If it weren't for Prince Bo and the Rong family, how could the Gu family army have suffered such a huge loss?
Yuan Tang thought Gu Jiao was talking complete nonsense: "I don't believe it! Where did you hear this rumor from?"
"Believe it or not." Gu Jiao stopped there. Her original purpose in coming here was not to make Yuan Tang believe anything, but to confirm whether her dream had come earlier than expected.
She achieved her goal; out of a sense of morality, she gave him a well-intentioned reminder.
If he believes her, great; if not, she should think of another way and stop paying attention to him.
"How is your finger?" Gu Jiao asked Liu Yisheng, who was standing to the side.
Liu Yisheng's eyes flickered, and she said, "Much better."
"Let me see." Gu Jiao held out her hand.
Liu Yisheng hesitated for a moment before placing the reattached finger into her palm.
She gently pinched the stitched wound: "Does it still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore."
It's a little... itchy.
Liu Yisheng lowered her eyes.
Gu Jiao hooked his finger, testing his strength. Liu Yisheng clearly understood that she was just a doctor, but this gesture was still a bit too intimate for him.
He paused for a moment, his breath caught in his throat.
"Does it hurt?" Gu Jiao asked.
"No, no," Liu Yisheng quickly denied.
"Hmm, you're recovering well." Gu Jiao didn't think too much about it. She let go of Liu Yisheng's hand, lowered her head to pet her cat, and her eyes narrowed with enjoyment as she petted it.
Looking at Gu Jiao, Liu Yisheng saw that the girl was radiant and beautiful in the sunlight. She was not timid in the slightest because of the birthmark on her face. She lived openly and honestly, just like the most blazing sun in the sky.
Gu Jiao got up and left only after she had finished petting the cat to her heart's content.
On the way, she kept thinking about the remnants of the previous dynasty and the pirates at sea.
The two events occurred almost simultaneously, and it always felt like they were not accidental. It was as if someone deliberately stirred up trouble on the island first to distract Marquis Xuanping, and then attacked Marquis Ding'an's mansion and the Gu family army.
This is a grand conspiracy against the Zhao Kingdom. Destroying the Gu family army would be like cutting off one of Zhao Kingdom's arms. However, Gu Jiao had a feeling that things were not so simple.
The actions those people took towards the old Marquis and Gu Chengfeng, as well as the act of cutting off Gu Changqing's legs, were not merely about destroying them; they were more like an act of intense revenge and humiliation.
Did the Gu family offend the remnants of the previous dynasty?
Consort Jing was a remnant of the previous dynasty, but her death doesn't seem to be the fault of the Gu family, does it?
Gu Jiao hadn't figured out the key point yet.
Of course, it's also possible that the so-called revenge and insult were just her illusions.
She wondered if the remnants of the previous dynasty had truly colluded with the pirates at sea. She hoped they hadn't, because if they had, the pirates wouldn't have started causing trouble at sea so sooner, and Marquis Xuanping would still have time to head north.
If Marquis Xuanping marches north, the morale of the Chen army will drop by at least half.
Unfortunately, reality is always cruel.
That very night, an urgent message arrived from Nanhai City – bandits had broken out in Nanhai City, the islands had fallen, the naval commander had been killed, and the imperial court was urgently requested to provide assistance.
When the news reached the palace, the emperor and Gu Jiao were both at Renshou Palace.
Neither the aunt nor the emperor tried to hide it from Gu Jiao, allowing her to hear the guards' report and their opinions on the matter.
The emperor was at a loss and said, "With Governor Liao killed, the navy is leaderless, and the vice admirals are too young to control the situation. The court does have a few experienced generals, but they are not very familiar with the navy."
"I remember that Marquis Xuanping served in the navy for a few years?" Empress Dowager Zhuang said.
"Ah, yes." The emperor seemed to have just remembered as well. "When he was young, he went to Nanhai City with his uncle to take up his post and rose to the position of general in the navy."
If Marquis Xuanping had stayed in Nanhai City, he could have risen to the rank of Admiral of the Navy, but he returned instead.
It was to bring Princess Xinyang back with him.
No one expected that such a good marriage would end up like this.
"Actually..." The emperor paused, then revealed Gu Changqing's whereabouts, "Gu Changqing is near Fengdu Mountain, only ten days' journey from Nanhai City."
Gu Changqing went to Fengdu Mountain to take over the 30,000 Imperial Guards secretly trained by the old Marquis. They were the royal family's lifeline, originally intended to deal with Empress Dowager Zhuang, but now there was no need for them.
However, it won't be used easily.
Empress Dowager Zhuang did not ask Gu Changqing what he was doing in the Fengdu Mountain area. She simply continued on the matter of Nanhai City, saying, "He has no naval experience and his qualifications are too shallow, making it difficult for him to win people's respect."
There is a great difference between the navy and the land forces. Gu Changqing is an excellent land force general, but his combat style may not be suitable for the navy.
Besides... the local army, the navy, is much more cunning than the army in the capital. They often do things insincerely, drag people into trouble, and use underhanded methods that are hard to talk about. Only a tyrant and rogue like Marquis Xuanping can show them what it means to be one step ahead of the devil!
The Emperor nodded: "What the Empress Dowager says is absolutely right."
Gu Jiao listened from the side and understood that the Marquis of Xuanping's southward journey was now a certainty.
Chinese New Year is just a few days away, so hurry up and cast your monthly votes this year, they'll be old by next year! ╭(╯^╰)╮
(End of this chapter)
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