Chapter 574 Jiaojiao and Long Yi (Two Updates)
Gu Jiao slept until the afternoon.
Long Yi had already been taken out by Xiao Heng, leaving only Gu Jiao in the room.
Gu Jiao sat up, looked at her bed, and pondered for a while.
"Hmm, I slept here by myself?"
Both the Imperial Academy and Qinghe Academy have classes today, but Gu Chengfeng has been busy helping Gu Jiao "punish evil and eliminate wickedness" and has asked for leave from the academy on the grounds of feeling unwell.
Originally, he only asked for one day, but he took it upon himself to change it to two days.
When Gu Jiao came out of the east room, he was chopping wood in the backyard. When he saw Gu Jiao, he stopped chopping wood and waved to her.
Gu Jiao walked over indifferently: "Is there something you need?"
Gu Chengfeng looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "Come here, I have something to tell you."
"What?" Gu Jiao didn't go over.
Gu Chengfeng clicked his tongue, put down the axe, and expertly wiped his hands with a rag. He then leaned close to Gu Jiao's ear and whispered, "It's just..."
Before he could finish speaking, a tall figure descended from the sky, grabbed him by the collar, and threw him away!
Gu Chengfeng, who was thrown and hung on a tree branch, looked completely bewildered.
Shrimp?
Gu Jiao grunted in confusion.
How did this guy offend Long Yi?
Before long, Xiao Jingkong returned from the Imperial College.
"My darling! I had an exam today!"
Xiao Jingkong ran to the backyard and handed his exam paper to Gu Jiao.
Unsurprisingly, it's another big A.
Gu Jiao rubbed Jingkong's little head: "Jingkong is great."
Xiao Jingkong lowered his head, fiddled with his fingers, and said shyly, "I want to kiss Jiaojiao."
Then he was grabbed by Ryuichi—
Gu Jiao watched the two figures disappear into the distance, and strangely touched her chin.
Just then, Xiao Heng returned from outside carrying a basket of eggs and handed it to Gu Jiao without changing his expression: "These are eggs from Granny Zhou, she said it's to thank you for curing her grandson's cold last time."
Gu Jiao gave him a deep look: "Really?"
"Ah, yes." Xiao Heng took the basket back. "I'll put it in the kitchen."
He brushed past Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao turned around, her gaze following him, and narrowed her eyes as she caught up: "Did you say something to Long Yi?"
"What did you say?" Xiao Heng calmly placed the basket on the stove, opened the small jar containing eggs, and put the eggs in one by one.
Gu Jiao asked, "Then why doesn't Long Yi let anyone get close to me?"
Xiao Heng, with his back to Gu Jiao, placed the eggs, a slight smile unconsciously playing on his lips. He turned his head back, his face returning to its expressionless state: "Is there?"
"Yes." Gu Jiao nodded.
Xiao Heng said without batting an eye, "Maybe Long Yi was just joking with them."
Gu Jiao thought for a moment and said, "Oh."
After Xiao Heng put out the last egg, he turned to look at Gu Jiao, who was leaning against the stove, deep in thought. The setting sun slanted in from the doorway, falling on her perfect profile and illuminating her long eyelashes.
Xiao Heng's eyes flickered: "That..."
"Hmm?" Gu Jiao looked at him in confusion.
“Here you are…” Xiao Heng pointed to her temple.
Gu Jiao raised her hand to touch it, but felt nothing.
Xiao Heng walked over, reached out his left hand (which had never held an egg before), and picked off a small leaf that had somehow fallen onto Gu Jiao's temple.
The two were very close, their breaths mingling in the quiet room.
Xiao Heng lowered his head and could almost kiss her forehead.
"What is it?" Gu Jiao looked up at him.
Xiao Heng stared blankly at the face so close to his, his heart pounding like a drum, and tilted his head to gently lean down towards her.
The next second, a dark shadow flashed by, and Xiao Heng was also taken away by Long Yi!
Xiao Heng: "?!"
Xiao Heng's "others"—except for me, are all "others".
Long Yi's "others" are all "others".
...
Gu Jiao went to the blacksmith's shop in the afternoon and handed him a blueprint.
The blacksmith looked at the strange blueprint and said with difficulty, "We've never made something like this before."
Gu Jiao asked, "Can you do it?"
The blacksmith said, "I can make it, but... it might not look as good as your drawings."
Gu Jiao said, "Let's do it first and then talk about it."
"Hey!"
After leaving the blacksmith shop, Gu Jiao went to the clinic.
She opened the small medicine box, looked at the full stock of emergency medications, and frowned: "Still no material for the socket. Do I really have to go and cut resin?"
Just as she was muttering to herself, the second landlord rushed into her yard in a panic: "Little Gu! Something terrible has happened!"
Gu Jiao came out of the house: "What happened?"
The second shopkeeper said fearfully, "I don't know! Just now, a patient who was being treated at our clinic turned out to be an officer in the Imperial Guard. Then his subordinate reported that something had happened in the palace, and the Empress wanted him to go to the palace immediately!"
The Imperial Palace, Bixia Hall.
Princess Ning'an, who was slapped down the steps by Princess Xinyang yesterday and was covered in bruises, is now holding Qin Chuyu hostage with a dagger.
Beside and behind her, ten experts stood ready to prevent anyone from snatching Qin Chuyu back from her.
A large number of imperial guards were lying in ambush outside the Bixia Palace, and archers were also on high alert.
Princess Ning'an looked at Empress Xiao without fear and said, "Don't make any rash moves. It's a small matter if you kill me, but no one can guarantee that I won't accidentally slit your son's throat when I fall down."
Empress Xiao never expected that Princess Ning'an would be willing to fight to the death with them so soon. She could no longer hide it, so she simply stopped bothering with the fearless pretense.
Empress Xiao had to admit that ordinary people could not be as decisive as Ning An.
This woman is truly incredibly audacious!
After being placed under house arrest in Bixia Palace, Princess Ning'an began to secretly assess the possibility of turning the tide. Princess Xinyang had demonstrated absolutely invincible strength in the Golden Palace. The emperor doted on her, but Xinyang was not going to indulge her.
It was only a matter of time before she was exposed.
Rather than waiting to be killed, we should take the initiative and catch them off guard!
"Mother, I'm scared... Waaah..."
Qin Chuyu was so frightened that he burst into tears.
Empress Xiao's heart was broken. She wished she could tear this woman, who didn't even spare her child, to pieces!
What would I do if my brother were here?
My brother would definitely say, "Stop crying. Aren't you ashamed that a man's eyes are leaking urine?"
"Stop crying!" Empress Xiao took a deep breath and said sternly, "You are a prince! Hold back your tears!"
Qin Chuyu was taken aback at first, then cried even harder: "I can't hold it in... Waaah..."
Empress Xiao was both angry and heartbroken. She suppressed her emotions and looked coldly at Ning An: "What exactly do you want?"
Princess Ning'an said coldly, "Prepare a carriage and send us out of the city! No one is allowed to follow us, or I will die with your son!"
Eunuch Su looked at Empress Xiao with concern.
Empress Xiao clenched her fists: "...Prepare the carriage!"
Princess Ning'an said calmly, "Lian'er, bring Xian'er out."
Lian'er, who was standing to the side, was stunned by the scene. She looked at Princess Ning'an as if she were seeing her for the first time, her eyes red with tears.
Princess Ning'an roared, "What are you standing there for! Go now!"
Lian'er swayed, and a tear the size of a bean fell from her eye.
"...Yes, yes."
She returned to the room in a daze, and came to the bedside, choking back tears, "Young master, young master..."
She called out a few times, but Huangfu Xian did not respond.
She reached out and touched Huangfu Xian's forehead, her expression changing drastically: "Princess! The young master is ill! His head is burning hot! Quickly, fetch the imperial physician for him!"
Empress Xiao quickly comforted her, saying, "Ning'an, let's talk this out. The child's health is the most important thing. I'll get you an imperial physician first, and you can let Xian'er treat the illness."
"No need!" Princess Ning'an glanced coldly at a master beside her. "Go and help."
The expert entered and quickly wrapped Huangfu Xian in a blanket and lifted him into a wheelchair.
Huangfu Xian, pale-faced, was pushed out.
"The carriage!" Princess Ning'an pressed her dagger against Qin Chuyu's neck.
"Ah!" Qin Chuyu cried out in a shrill voice!
Empress Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Su Qi'an, prepare a carriage for Princess Ning'an! It should be the kind that Xian'er can ride in."
Eunuch Su went to prepare a special horse-drawn carriage.
The skilled guards carried Huangfu Xian, wheelchair and all, onto the carriage, while Princess Ning'an escorted Qin Chuyu onto the carriage as well.
"Lian'er, come up here," she said.
Lian'er sat down with tears in her eyes.
Ning An lifted the curtain and said to Empress Xiao, "No one is allowed to follow us. If anyone is caught doing so, I will chop off one of their fingers!"
...
"The Seventh Prince has been kidnapped? Which city gate did he leave through?" Xiao Heng asked Eunuch Qin, who had come to deliver the news.
Eunuch Qin said, "According to the news sent back by the guards stationed in the city, it is the west gate."
"West Gate." Xiao Heng got up and started searching.
Gu Jiao tacitly handed over a map.
Xiao Heng nodded: "Thank you."
He spread out the map and pointed to the official road outside the west gate, saying, "Cangbei Trail, Cangbei Mountain, Phoenix Pavilion... Their horses should be tired by the time they reach Phoenix Pavilion. There is a post station near Phoenix Pavilion. If they need to change horses, they might stop here."
Gu Jiao asked, "What if they don't change horses?"
Xiao Heng frowned: "If we don't change horses, it will be a bit troublesome."
Dealing with Ning An isn't difficult; it's just that she's a heartless and ruthless woman. If pushed too far, she might actually do something to harm Qin Chuyu.
Moreover, there's also the injured Huangfu Xian. If a real fight breaks out, it will be difficult to guarantee the safety of the two children.
It's very unsafe to take action on the road, and it's easier to find weaknesses if they stop.
The night was dark and the wind was high.
A carriage sped along the official road outside the west gate, with nine skilled warriors riding fast horses following behind and in front of it.
The skilled driver said, "Princess, we have entered Cangbei Mountain. Five miles ahead is Phoenix Pavilion Post Station, which is the only post station in this area. The horses are almost exhausted. Should we go to the post station to change some horses?"
Qin Chuyu had cried himself to sleep and was being held in Lian'er's arms.
Princess Ning'an said, "Let's not change horses, let's keep going, someone is waiting for us ahead."
This means that even if it kills a horse, it will never stop.
"Yes!" the skilled driver replied.
"Cough cough cough!" Huangfu Xian coughed and slowly opened his eyes. "My stomach hurts... I need to use the restroom..."
"Just bear with it for now."
"I can't stand it... I... Ugh—" Huangfu Xian said, then suddenly vomited something.
Princess Ning'an frowned, glanced at the filth on the ground with disgust, and said impatiently, "Go to the post station!"
The carriage stopped at the post station.
"Lian'er." Princess Ning'an winked at Lian'er.
Lian'er understood and pushed Huangfu Xian out of the back door of the carriage.
The carriage is dirty and needs to be cleaned.
Princess Ning'an woke Qin Chuyu up, and Qin Chuyu wanted to cry as soon as he woke up, but his voice was already hoarse from crying all the way, and he couldn't cry anything anymore.
The group disembarked from the carriage.
Princess Ning'an said to Qin Chuyu, "You should also go to the latrine, otherwise there won't be a place for you to pee on the way!"
Qin Chuyu had urinated several times along the way, and each time he had to use a water bottle to catch it. Princess Ning'an was almost suffocated by the stench.
Princess Ning'an sent a skilled fighter to accompany the three of them.
"Young master, I'll help you," the expert said.
The latrine outside had no special facilities, so Huangfu Xian was unable to use the toilet by himself.
“Okay.” Huangfu Xian did not refuse.
The expert carried Huangfu Xian into the urinal.
Lian'er and Qin Chuyu stood shivering in the cold wind, whether from the cold or from fear, it was hard to tell.
A short while later, Huangfu Xian's fierce voice came from inside the latrine: "Don't touch me here! If you dare to touch me again, I'll kill you!"
The experts not far away all shook their heads; their young master was just that kind of unpredictable person.
Unbeknownst to everyone, beneath that sharp shout lay the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground and a muffled groan of pain.
The expert had already collapsed in the outhouse, with Huangfu Xian lying on top of him, his face covered in splattered blood.
"Lian'er, come in."
He said it calmly.
"Hey!"
Lian'er led Qin Chuyu inside.
Upon seeing the scene inside, Lian'er's eyes widened in shock, while Qin Chuyu screamed in disbelief, "Ah—!"
Fortunately, his voice had already become hoarse, so he couldn't make a sound.
"Young Master, what happened to you?" Lian'er quickly squatted down and looked at Huangfu Xian, whose face and hands were covered in blood, with concern.
Huangfu Xian held Lian'er's hand tightly and said weakly, "Lian'er, take him away."
Lian'er shook her head fearfully: "I...I can't take it with me...I don't know the way...I can't outrun them...It won't work..."
Huangfu Xian suppressed the dizziness that was constantly rising in his head: "You can do it, Lian'er... The people from the palace will be here soon... You run east... If the court people want to chase after you... and don't want to be discovered... they will take that road... I will tell them... that you killed this person... that you took Qin Chuyu west... they will come after you... so you must hurry..."
"And what about you, young master..."
"I'm her own son... I'll be fine... Hurry up and leave... It'll be too late if we stay any longer..."
Lian'er's tears streamed down her face. She gritted her teeth and carried Huangfu Xian on her back: "If we're going to go, we'll go together!"
Huangfu Xian closed his eyes briefly: "Let's go together... We can't escape..."
Qin Chuyu dashed out!
Lian'er turned pale with fright!
Just as she was about to chase Qin Chuyu back, she saw Qin Chuyu push the wheelchair outside over.
His legs were trembling, and his hands, which were pushing the wheelchair, were shaking.
Huangfu Xian gave a weak, cold laugh: "So afraid of me... and you still want to take me with you... Aren't you afraid I'll eat you on the way..."
Qin Chuyu's teeth chattered, and he cried out in a hoarse, silent voice, "You... if you really want to eat... just... just a small bite... don't eat too much... I'm afraid of the pain..."
"Why did it take so long?" Princess Ning'an pressed her aching forehead in the cleaned-up carriage. "Let's go see what happened."
A skilled fighter went to the latrine in the backyard.
The wheelchair is still there.
The curtains in the latrine were tightly closed.
The expert shouted into the room, "Are you all done yet?"
No one responded.
The expert frowned, strode over, and yanked open the curtain.
"Princess—they're gone!"
On the rugged mountain path, Lian'er carried Huangfu Xianshen on her back, walking with uneven steps, while Qin Chuyu followed behind them, panting heavily.
"Forward...to the left..."
"right……"
"Further ahead..."
Huangfu Xian weakly pointed the way for Lian'er; he was about to collapse.
Lian'er asked anxiously, "Young master, which way should we go now?"
Towards...east...
"Young master! Young master!"
"They're there!"
Princess Ning'an's skilled fighters have caught up.
"Hurry up!" Lian'er led Qin Chuyu, randomly chose a mountain path, and ran forward with all her might.
But how could they possibly be a match for those people?
As they passed a wooden bridge, the group of people used their light-footed skills to block their way, and the way they came was also blocked by several people.
The river flows swiftly beneath the wooden bridge.
If you accidentally fall in, you will be swept away by the river instantly.
A skilled fighter shouted, "Lian'er, how dare you kidnap the young master!"
"I..." Lian'er looked at the experts on both sides in horror, and tried to remain calm, saying, "Don't come any closer! Otherwise, I'll jump down with the young master!"
"How dare you!" The expert charged at Lian'er with his sword drawn.
Lian'er was so frightened that she dared not move.
At the critical moment, a figure so fast that it was almost a blur emerged from the night and suddenly appeared behind the expert, kicking him down!
He fell into the water and was swept away by the turbulent waves without even struggling.
Gu Jiao left the eight experts to Long Yi and walked towards Lian'er and the other two in the center of the wooden bridge.
Lian'er's eyes welled up with tears: "Doctor Gu!"
She carried Huangfu Xian on her back and led Qin Chuyu towards Gu Jiao. However, there was ice in the ditch of the wooden bridge. She accidentally stepped on it, slipped, and fell to the ground!
Gu Jiao reached out and grabbed, but only managed to grab her; Huangfu Xian, who was on her back, fell off.
Without a second thought, Gu Jiao leaped into the river and tightly embraced Huangfu Xian before plunging into the rushing water.
(End of this chapter)
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