Chapter 529 Triumphant Return (First Update)
Xiao Heng's shirt and pants were soaked with the hangover soup, so he had to change them all. When he turned around after changing, he subconsciously glanced at Gu Jiao, who was completely drunk on the bed.
Gu Jiao's sleeping posture is a bit... well, it's hard to describe.
Her face was flushed, she had kicked off the blanket, and her pillow was askew.
She lay sprawled out on the mattress, her head tilted to one side.
"Young master, everything's ready here," said Granny Fang from outside the door.
"Okay, I understand," Xiao Heng replied.
Xiao Heng came to the bedside and looked at Gu Jiao, who was sleeping in such an unusual posture for the first time, and felt inexplicably strange.
Then he looked at Gu Jiao's lips.
etc.
Was this girl drunk, or was she having a nightmare?
Why does it look like she drooled?
Xiao Heng took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her clean. Why did he always feel that this girl was smiling in her dreams?
Gu Jiao was too drunk to stay up all night, but the others played around until midnight. Then Xiao Jingkong and Gu Xiaoshun set off a string of firecrackers. It wasn't just their house; the whole alley was doing it.
Even so, Gu Jiao was not woken from her sweet dream.
My husband is so beautiful, with such a great figure, he's the most beautiful man I've ever seen in two lifetimes combined.
So beautiful! So beautiful!
While asleep, Gu Jiao hugged her small blanket and rolled around on the bed.
The next day, Gu Xiaobao was the first to wake up.
He was hungry and wanted to drink milk.
After Yao fed him, he didn't want to sleep anymore. The three-month-old baby couldn't sit up or crawl, so he could only lie down resignedly, and his clothes were especially thick.
However, Gu Xiaobao was used to it. He didn't cry or fuss, but just licked his fingers, letting Yao sleep a little longer.
Last night, the firecrackers were crackling and popping, but he was well-behaved the whole time. He was woken up by the firecrackers after falling asleep, but he didn't make a fuss. He just sucked his fingers and fell back asleep on his own.
When Yao woke up, Gu Xiaobao was still licking his fingers. Such a well-behaved child melted Yao's heart.
Madam Yao dressed neatly and went to the main room. Yu Ya'er and Granny Fang also got up, and soon Xiao Jingkong and Gu Xiaoshun in the house also got up.
The two sat in the main room in a daze, not knowing what Gu Xiaoshun and Xiao Jingkong had said. They both looked towards the door of the west room.
A moment later, Xiao Heng came out of the west room.
The two stared intently at his right foot. Gu Xiaoshun nudged Xiao Jingkong's arm with his elbow and whispered, "I didn't lie to you, did I? See, it's healed!"
I discovered it yesterday, but Gu Yan distracted me and I forgot about it. This morning, as soon as he got up, he pulled Xiao Jingkong aside to verify it.
Xiao Jingkong stared at his bad brother-in-law's right foot, observed it carefully for a while, nodded, and solemnly confirmed, "Yes, it's really healed."
"See? As soon as Jiaojiao came back, my brother-in-law was all better." Gu Xiaoshun calls Gu Jiao "sister" when they're together, but he calls Xiao Jingkong "Jiaojiao."
The title "Little Jingkong" has never been influenced by Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun, and can be said to have become powerful on its own.
"Brother-in-law!" Xiao Jingkong called out to Xiao Heng, walked over, and reached out to him, but couldn't reach him. He moved a chair over, climbed up, and stood on the chair, but still couldn't reach him.
“You, you come down a little,” he said.
"What?" Xiao Heng asked.
"Come down a little, I have something to tell you," said Xiao Jingkong.
Since it was the Lunar New Year, Xiao Heng decided to give the young monk some face. He bent down slightly and looked the young monk in the eye: "What's wrong?"
Xiao Jingkong reached out his little hand and solemnly patted his shoulder: "Brother-in-law, you have finally overcome the obstacle and become a normal person. I am so happy for you."
Unsolicited kindness is either a sign of malice or theft.
Xiao Heng squinted at the little guy and asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Xiao Jingkong thought for a moment and said honestly, "I want to raise the rent."
Xiao Heng: "..."
When Gu Jiao woke up, the whole family knew that Xiao Heng's legs had returned to normal. They all thought that Xiao Heng had only recovered this morning, so Yao Shi and Yu Ya'er didn't say anything to expose it.
Ultimately, it's a happy occasion.
After thinking about it all night, Yao calmed down. When she first learned that her daughter had married a lame scholar from the countryside, she was heartbroken.
Her daughter was, after all, a noble lady from a marquis's family. If she had been raised by her side since childhood, she would never have married a poor man with a disability.
She had thought that way before.
She accepted it for two reasons: first, she had never raised her daughter and had no right to interfere with her daughter's choices; second, she was deeply impressed by Xiao Heng's character and personality.
She comforted herself, thinking that her daughter might not necessarily be better off marrying a more outstanding man. As long as her daughter was happy, she had no regrets.
However, the surprise her son-in-law gave her was simply too great.
Not only did he pass the provincial examination in Youzhou and enter the Imperial Academy, but he also stood out in the imperial examinations and became the youngest new champion in Zhao State.
His only regret was his leg ailment, but now even that has disappeared.
How could Yao possibly bring herself to confront Xiao Heng and settle scores with him?
As for her daughter concealing the fact that she had narrowly escaped death several times at the border, she felt more heartache than blame.
The young couple were unaware that their crisis of being exposed had quietly passed.
When Gu Jiao came out of the east room, she found Xiao Jingkong sitting alone on the threshold of the front yard. He was small and had a neat mushroom-shaped haircut. At first glance, he really looked like a lonely little mushroom growing in the snow.
Gu Jiao walked over, bent down to look at him, and said, "Jingkong, what are you doing here?"
Xiao Jingkong turned around and looked at Gu Jiao, saying, "I'm waiting for Master."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jiao remembered that Xiao Jingkong's master would celebrate his birthday with him every year. He came last year as well, but did not meet with anyone else. He left Xiao Jingkong a birthday gift—a property deed from the Liang Kingdom—before leaving.
Gu Jiao sat down next to Xiao Jingkong and asked, "Didn't your master come last night?"
"Hmm." Xiao Jingkong nodded, looking a little downcast.
Gu Jiao patted his little head and said, "This year, Zhao Kingdom had a lot of snow. Your master is old and may not be able to go out, or he may have been delayed on the road."
Because Xiao Jingkong always referred to him as "Master," Gu Jiao's impression of him to this day is that of a hunchbacked old man with a white beard.
In this kind of weather, it would be difficult for even a strong young man to travel, let alone an elderly person.
Xiao Jingkong thought about it seriously and realized that it wasn't impossible. Compared to him, his master was indeed quite old.
So his master might really have been delayed by the heavy snow.
"Do you miss your master?" Gu Jiao asked.
"Hmm... just a little bit." Xiao Jingkong is an honest child.
Gu Jiao paused for a moment, then asked, "Why don't you write another letter to your master?"
Xiao Jingkong pouted in disgust: "No, he didn't reply to the letter I wrote to him last time."
The more he acts childishly, the more he cares about his master. He is a very sentimental child. His master took him in and raised him until he was three years old. In his heart, his master is like a father.
Gu Jiao said to Xiao Jingkong, "Then how about this, when I reply to Ningxiang, I'll ask her to go to the temple and inquire for you whether your master is well and whether he has gone out."
“...That works too.” Xiao Jingkong did not refuse.
Gu Jiao smiled and asked, "What's your master's name?"
Xiao Jingkong said, "Liaochen."
Gu Jiao nodded thoughtfully: "Judging from his Dharma name, he must be a highly accomplished monk."
Xiao Jingkong recalled for a moment, then spread his hands and said, "I don't know if I attained the Dao, but my master was indeed quite accomplished."
Gu Jiao then mentally reshaped the image of the other person, changing it from a little old man with a white beard to a big old man with a white beard.
Gu Jiao finished writing the letter that afternoon. The post stations in Zhao Kingdom were open all year round. However, during the New Year period, letters were sent slowly, so it was not too late for Gu Jiao to send them to the post station a few days later.
On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, the long-awaited news of Gu Jiajun's return to Beijing finally arrived.
The heavens were kind; after three days of heavy snow, the weather cleared up on the seventh day, and golden light shone upon the earth, bringing an auspicious sign to the imperial city.
Upon hearing the news of the army's return, the people lined the streets and city gates early in the morning to wait, creating a bustling and enthusiastic crowd.
The Imperial Guards had to use their bodies to block the excited crowd, who could not break through and could only crane their necks.
The rhythmic clatter of hooves and armor echoed from afar, resounding loudly under the clear sky, instantly conjuring up images of clashing swords and galloping horses on a battlefield.
"It's the Gu family army! The Gu family army is back!"
A tall, burly man shouted loudly.
The crowd stirred, and the people who were already dissatisfied with being blocked on the roadside pushed and shoved each other forward. The imperial guards used all their strength and gritted their teeth to prevent the people from rushing out.
Although the flames of war had not spread to the capital, the people still received a lot of news from the border through the official reports of the court. When they heard that the old Marquis and the princess of the court had fallen into the hands of the enemy, they almost thought that the tragedy of Zhao Kingdom losing to Chen Kingdom ten years ago and sending Prince An as a hostage was about to be repeated.
But Gu's army won!
They not only defeated the remnants of the previous dynasty and the army of Chen, but also protected the princess of Zhao.
They recaptured the lost city in the shortest possible time and annihilated the invading enemy army at minimal cost.
They are soldiers of the Zhao Kingdom, heroes of the Zhao Kingdom!
Tang Yueshan's leg injury had basically recovered, and he took the lead at the forefront. Before leaving Beijing, he still had some fat on his stomach, but it was gone after the battle. He had lost weight, but his spirits were very good.
He was dressed in dark armor, broad-shouldered and burly, exuding a powerful aura.
Behind him was Gu Changqing, also riding a fine horse. Gu Changqing wore a silver armor that gleamed coldly, and the white cloak behind the armor fluttered in the wind. He wore a helmet, and the iron mask on the helmet was lowered.
The people could only see his cold, piercing eyes and his dashing figure.
Everyone in the capital knows that the heir of the Marquis of Ding'an is handsome and elegant, but he was too unapproachable when he served as a captain in the army, which earned him the reputation of a cold-faced devil.
Yet it was this cold-faced Yama who protected the land and rivers of their Zhao Kingdom.
A loud shout erupted from the crowd.
"I heard that Prince Gu is not married yet."
"What, you want to marry your daughter off to him?"
"It's not that it's impossible."
Your daughter is only three years old!
"..."
"Huh? Who's that person?"
A young man pointed to another young man in silver armor behind Gu Changqing and asked.
"When did the Gu family army produce such a young general again?"
Those who could walk behind Gu Changqing should have a high status in the Gu family army, but when the Gu family army left the city, they also came to see them. The two commanders on the left and right and several adjutants were all much older than Gu Changqing.
This young man was clearly younger than Gu Changqing, and there was still a hint of youthful immaturity between his brows.
The people guessed for a long time but still couldn't figure out who he was.
Finally, one of the imperial guards standing in front of the people couldn't help but speak up, saying, "It's the second young master of the Marquis of Ding'an's mansion."
"The second young master of the Marquis of Ding'an's mansion?"
Everyone was surprised.
Isn't the Marquis of Ding'an's mansion only home for one son who knows martial arts? It's said that the other sons didn't pursue martial arts, and the youngest fourth son is even a sickly child.
"Oh my! That person looks like Gu Chengfeng!"
At this moment, a student from Qinghe Academy recognized his classmate.
As luck would have it, Gu Chenglin was standing right next to him.
Upon learning that his grandfather and brothers were coming back, he couldn't wait to be at home and went to the city gate ahead of time to greet them. He knew that his second brother had also gone to the frontier, but he didn't think that his second brother would go to fight.
He thought his second brother had gone there because he was worried about his grandfather, and that he couldn't be of any help at all.
"Oh my god... Chenglin, that, that person... could it really be your second brother?" The student from Qinghe Academy tugged at Gu Chenglin's sleeve, unable to believe his eyes.
The murderous aura and heroic spirit emanating from the other party were too shocking, completely different from the Gu Chengfeng in my memory.
No, no, no, it can't be Gu Chengfeng. I must be seeing things. Gu Chengfeng isn't that powerful.
His classmates might not recognize him, but Gu Chenglin would never mistake him.
The young soldier who was qualified to walk alongside his elder brother and receive the people's praise was clearly his second brother!
Gu Chenglin felt like he had been hit with a thousand points of damage.
It turns out that his older brothers are both so capable, while he's the only good-for-nothing.
Gu Chenglin: No, there's also Gu Yan!
Gu Yan [with a world-weary face]: Don't mention your Master Yan.
(End of this chapter)
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