Chapter 653 Jiaojiao Takes Action (Two Updates)
The weather changed in an instant; before Gu Jiaoren even left the academy, a torrential downpour began.
Mu Qingchen stayed with her in the gatehouse to shelter from the rain for a while, and neither of them spoke.
Gu Jiao was always quiet, and Mu Qingchen didn't talk much either, but for some reason, he was more willing to speak in front of Gu Jiao.
But perhaps because he was reminded of painful memories, he didn't say another word after talking about his childhood playmates until Gu Jiao left.
When Gu Jiao returned home, night had completely fallen, and the kitchen was filled with the delicious aroma of food.
Mrs. Nan made scallion pancakes, and the whole yard smelled wonderfully crispy.
Gu Xiaoshun had already vividly recounted the exciting process of the polo match to Nan Shi Niang, Master Lu, and Mr. Meng. Unlike watching training sessions on weekdays, the atmosphere on the field was indescribable.
"In short, she's amazing! My sister is incredibly amazing!"
Everyone in the family was very happy. Mrs. Nan prepared a large table of delicious dishes, but no one ate first; they were all waiting for Gu Jiao to come back.
As soon as Gu Jiao entered the house, she saw her family sitting in the main room waiting for her. She looked at everyone and then at the food on the table. Instead of saying anything like "You don't need to wait for me next time," she said, "I'll come back earlier next time."
Mrs. Nan smiled and said, "It's alright. It was raining so hard just now, you didn't get wet, did you?"
Gu Jiao shook her head: "No, I took shelter from the rain at the academy for a while."
Nan Shi's wife said gently, "Go wash your hands and eat quickly."
"The water's here! The water's here!" Gu Xiaoshun carried a basin of water and ran into the house.
Gu Jiao washed her hands: "I'll go check on A Yan first."
Mrs. Nan smiled and said, "Okay."
Gu Yan was exhausted after watching the game all day. He went home and fell asleep as soon as he got up. Gu Jiao touched his forehead and took his pulse. After confirming that there was no major problem, she got up and left.
In the main room, Madam Nan said to Gu Jiao, "I've pickled some radishes. Next time you go into the inner city, take some with you to Liu Lang and Jing Kong. I used vegetable oil, so Jing Kong can eat them too."
Gu Jiao said, "Thank you, Madam Nan."
After dinner, Gu Jiao washed up and went back to her room to rest.
Gu Yan was exhausted after the day, and she was also quite tired. She soon fell into a deep sleep.
That night, she dreamed again.
However, it was neither a secluded mansion nor a bustling street, but rather located on the back of a mountain.
She saw the young Duke again.
She could only see his back, but she recognized him.
He was not alone; he was holding the hand of a little girl dressed in plain clothes.
The little girl was holding the hand of a chestnut-colored pony.
Before the two men were more than a dozen stacked graves, each with a blank tombstone.
The sky was gray, and a cold wind was howling all around.
The young Duke spoke up: "Yinyin, come and kowtow to your maternal grandfather and uncles. They all held you when you were born, and your name was given by your eldest uncle. They all love you very much."
"Why is there no name on the tombstone?" the little girl asked, pointing to the blank tombstone on the grave.
The young duke said, "Because I can't write my name."
The little girl asked, "Why? Did they lose their names?"
The young Duke said in a daze, "Yes, their names are lost. When Yinyin grows up, how about she finds back the names of her maternal grandfather and uncles?"
The little girl said, "Okay, when I find them, I'll carve my grandfather's and uncles' names on the tombstone!"
The young Duke looked into the distance: "Yes, it should be engraved on the monument. One day, the world will know that buried beneath this ground are the sons of Xuanyuan who protected the land of Great Yan."
...
Gu Jiao woke up in the middle of the night and the dream faded away, but this time she remembered more things than last time. In addition to the Duke, there were more than a dozen graves with blank tombstones.
Gu Jiao was quite puzzled.
The appearance of this grave is strange, and the appearance of the Duke is also strange. I saw him during the day and dreamed of him at night.
It's not like she just saw a good-looking guy and started having feelings for him.
Gu Jiao scratched her eyebrows: "Does this mean I... cheated on my husband?"
...
The Duke's mansion was brightly lit, and the servants were busy at work.
The second wife was sweating profusely as she managed everything inside and outside the house.
"Has the medicine that Miss Mu asked for been prepared been brewed?"
"Has the porridge for Second Master been prepared?"
Give me the paper money, I'll burn it myself!
The Duke fell ill with a persistent high fever, causing chaos throughout the Duke's mansion. Although Mu Ruxin was there to treat the Duke, the Second Madam secretly burned some paper money for the ancestors, asking them to bless her elder brother with peace and safety.
Master Jing stood like a startled quail at his elder brother's door, unsure whether to go in or leave.
To be honest, my older brother's illness is his fault.
On his way back to the manor, he encountered the courtesan parading through the streets, and he... well, he took a few more glances, which delayed his return to the manor, and as a result, he was caught in a downpour.
The carriage was soaked through, and he and his elder brother were both drenched.
His martial arts-trained body can withstand it, but his elder brother will suffer.
After burning the paper money, the second wife returned and glared fiercely at her husband: "It's all your fault!"
Master Jing said awkwardly, "It's my fault, it's my fault, this is indeed my fault."
He really didn't expect it to rain. If he had known, he wouldn't have watched the courtesan parade through the streets, or even if she were taking a bath!
The second wife was annoyed with him, but she couldn't help feeling sorry for him. She said with a hint of resentment, "The porridge is ready. Go and eat some before you come back."
Master Jing sighed, "I can't eat. I'll stay here and watch over things. I'll leave when my elder brother is alright."
The second wife said, "It's no use for you to stay here; you can't help Miss Mu at all."
Master Jing thought for a moment and said, "Then... I'll go and kowtow to our ancestors."
He turned and left.
The second wife watched his retreating figure and shook her head helplessly.
Inside the house, Mu Ruxin was treating the Duke.
She didn't like having outsiders watching when she treated patients; the only other person in the room besides her was her personal maid whom she had brought from the State of Chen.
The maid had some knowledge of pharmacology and usually assisted her, acting as her medicine boy.
"A three-edged needle." Mu Ruxin sat on the edge of the bed and held out her hand to the maid.
The maid handed over a brand new three-edged needle.
The Duke's high fever persisted, so Mu Ruxin used a three-edged needle to prick the Duke's Dazhui acupoint and let out a few drops of blood.
After finishing, she treated the Duke's wounds and turned him over to lie flat.
"Go and expedite the medication administration."
"I just urged them, and they said it will be ready soon."
Mu Ruxin didn't say anything more.
I woke her up in the middle of the night; she was exhausted.
Just as she was about to ask her maid to pour her a strong cup of tea to refresh herself, she heard a faint sound.
She frowned and looked at the Duke, who seemed to be talking in his sleep while unconscious.
She bent down and listened carefully to what the Duke had to say.
"Miss, is the Duke speaking?"
"Shhh."
Mu Ruxin made a shushing gesture.
She listened for a while, then sat up straight and said to the maid, "He seems to be calling a name, Yinyin."
Mu Ruxin hesitated for a moment, then took the Duke's pulse again and checked the temperature of his palm.
The moment her finger touched him, the Duke reflexively grabbed it.
"Miss!" the maid exclaimed in surprise.
The Duke called out that name: "Yinyin... Yinyin..."
"The medicine is ready..." The second madam personally carried the medicine over, and as soon as she pushed open the door to enter the room, she saw her eldest brother grabbing Mu Ruxin, and she paused in her steps.
"Second Madam," Mu Ruxin greeted calmly, then withdrew her hand.
To be more precise, it was more like the Duke took the initiative to let go of her hand.
He seemed to realize he had grabbed the wrong thing.
But the second wife couldn't see these subtle movements.
The second wife was stunned for a while before stepping forward with the bowl of medicine: "How is the Duke's condition...?"
"I have already administered acupuncture to the Duke. Let's wait and see," Mu Ruxin said.
"Ah." The second madam pursed her lips, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards the Duke's hand.
Mu Ruxin explained, "I was just taking the Duke's pulse."
The maidservant hurriedly explained to Mu Ruxin, "It was the Duke who arrested my young lady! The Duke kept holding my young lady's hand and calling out... Yinyin! Who is Yinyin? Don't tell me he's mistaken my young lady for someone else..."
"Shut up!" Mu Ruxin said coldly.
The maid shut her mouth.
The second madam looked at the Duke, then at Mu Ruxin, and said incredulously, "Duke, did you really... call me Yinyin just now?"
Mu Ruxin frowned and nodded.
In her view, that was indeed the case; there were only her and her maid in the room, and the Duke had only captured her, calling her Yinyin.
"Please leave the medicine here for now. I'm going out for a bit."
After speaking, the second wife lifted her skirt and quickly went to the small ancestral hall of the Duke's mansion.
Master Jing was kneeling on the ground, kowtowing devoutly to his ancestors.
"Stop kowtowing! Stop kowtowing! I need to talk to you!" The Second Madam pulled Master Jing out.
"What's wrong?" Second Master Jing looked at her, completely bewildered.
The second wife said with bright eyes, "Eldest brother has spoken."
Master Jing remained calm: "Didn't I tell you before that my eldest brother can call me Yinyin?"
The second wife said, "That's not it. My elder brother was just holding Miss Mu's hand and calling her Yinyin. He mistook Miss Mu for Yinyin!"
Master Jing waved his hand: "How could that be? Yinyin has been gone for so many years."
“Of course I know Yinyin is gone, but didn’t my elder brother break this place?” The second madam pointed to her head. “Perhaps he doesn’t remember at all.”
Master Jing shook his head decisively: "No, my elder brother wouldn't forget."
The second wife said, "Alright, alright, let's pretend that eldest brother remembers. I'll ask you, did eldest brother only get better after Miss Mu came to our mansion? Did eldest brother only call out for Yinyin that night after Miss Mu saw him?"
Master Jing kept thinking back, "It seems...yes."
"Just now, my eldest brother grabbed her and called her Yinyin again!" The second madam emphasized this matter again.
"What do you want to say?" asked Master Jing.
The second wife smiled mysteriously: "What I want to say is that my elder brother wants a daughter. Miss Mu is about the same age as Yinyin. If my elder brother really likes her, it wouldn't be a problem to adopt her as his daughter."
“This…” Second Master Jing hesitated.
The second wife said, "If Miss Mu calls him 'Father,' perhaps we can wake up my eldest brother."
Master Jing frowned: "Wait, didn't you not believe in talking to your elder brother? When Mu Qingchen's classmate suggested it, you kicked him out as a quack."
The second wife retorted, "Can't I believe it now?"
Master Jing raised an eyebrow: "Oh."
Then his five hundred taels of consultation fee weren't wasted.
The Second Madam's respect for the Duke was well-intentioned. Since marrying into the Duke's mansion, she had never suffered any mistreatment or hardship. Whenever her family encountered any problems, her eldest brother would proactively ask the Second Master to provide financial assistance to her family without her having to ask.
She genuinely hoped her older brother would wake up.
“But the young lady might not be willing,” said Master Jing.
The second wife smiled and said, "I'll go and sound her out first."
Soon, the second madam went to the Duke's room, called Mu Ruxin to the courtyard, and quietly explained Yinyin's identity to her: "She is my eldest brother's daughter."
Mu Ruxin nodded: "I see."
The second wife said with a smile, "You are about the same age as my elder brother's daughter. These days you have been by my elder brother's side, which must have reminded him of his daughter."
"The daughter of the Duke's mansion is of noble status, and Ruxin dares not compare herself to her." No matter how arrogant Mu Ruxin was, she would never compare her status to that of a daughter of a noble family in a prestigious country.
"Have you asked about Miss Mu's mother yet?" the second madam said.
Mu Ruxin said sadly, "My parents passed away early, and it was my master who raised me."
"What a miserable life." The second madam held her hand and patted it gently. "If Yinyin were alive, she would be about your age now."
...
After the second madam left, the maid asked Mu Ruxin, "Miss, what did the second madam mean? Why did she suddenly say so many strange things to you?"
Mu Ruxin glanced at her hand, which had just been grabbed by the Duke, and said calmly, "Who knows?"
The following day, a rumor spread like wildfire through the Duke's mansion.
Several young maids were sweeping and cleaning in the garden.
Maid A said, "Have you heard? The Duke wants to adopt Miss Mu as his goddaughter!"
Maid B asked, "Who told you that?"
Maid A: "Never mind what I heard, just tell me if you believe it or not!"
Maid B: "I don't believe it!"
Maid C leaned closer: "It's absolutely true! I heard it all! The Duke was holding Miss Mu's hand and calling his daughter's name!"
The maid Ding also came over: "The Duke is awake?"
Maid A: "She only wakes up when Miss Mu is with her."
Maid B: "So it seems Miss Mu is going to be the daughter of our Duke's mansion? She's a bit arrogant, I don't really like her."
Maid A: "Do I need to like it? It's enough that the Duke likes it!"
...
Gu Jiao knew nothing about what had happened at the Duke's mansion. She had been extremely busy these past few days, training morning and evening and going to school during the day.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was the sixth day.
The second round of polo matches took place the following day.
Last time, they didn't have enough funds, so they had to stay at the academy and get up early on the day of the competition to get there.
The academy allocated a prize money this time, and Master Wu booked an inn in the inner city for them to stay there tonight.
That way, I won't have to get up before dawn tomorrow and waste my energy on the road.
The contestants need to enter the venue in advance, but the audience does not. Therefore, Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun will still go tomorrow morning. Dean Cen has a spacious and comfortable carriage and will take good care of them.
The group entered the inner city in a grand procession.
The inn that Wu Fuzi chose was called Crescent Moon Inn, about two miles away from Lingbo Academy.
After getting off the carriage, Mu Chuan saw that it was this inn and immediately said with a hint of resentment, "This place is so far from Lingbo Academy!"
Master Wu coughed lightly and said, "It's only two li, not far! We'll get there in no time!"
The main problem is that the academy only provided enough silver to book this inn, and recently, due to the polo tournament, all the nearby inns have raised their prices.
"This inn is so shabby," Mu Chuan said with disdain.
The pampered young master of the Mu family said that even when his mother punished him by making him experience the hardships of ordinary people, he had never stayed in such a dilapidated inn.
"Ahem! It looks simple from the outside, but it's quite nice inside." As Wu Fuzi spoke, he stepped over the threshold, and with a clang, the plaque in the main hall fell down.
Master Wu: "..."
"Fourth Brother, let's go home," Mu Chuan whispered to Mu Qingchen.
Mu Qingchen glanced at Gu Jiao, who had already taken her bundle and gone upstairs, and said indifferently, "Go back yourself if you want."
After saying that, he also went upstairs.
"Hey! Fourth Brother—"
Master Wu arranged for them to have superior rooms, one room per person, on the second floor. Master Wu himself didn't even have a room as good as theirs.
Gu Jiao's room was between Mu Qingchen's and Mu Chuan's. Mu Chuan walked over carrying a bundle and said, "Xiao Liulang, I'll switch rooms with you."
He wanted to be next to his fourth brother.
Gu Jiao had no objection.
Mu Chuan got his wish and moved in next door to Mu Qingchen.
When Mu Qingchen came to find Gu Jiao, she was met with Mu Chuan's smug face.
Mu Chuan smiled broadly and opened his arms wide: "Fourth Brother! Are you surprised or not?"
Mu Qingchen: "..."
Dinner was served in the main hall. To ensure the safety of all the polo players, the martial arts master tasted each dish first to make sure it was non-toxic and harmless before letting the waiter serve it.
We need to arrive very early tomorrow, and after dinner, everyone went back to their rooms to rest.
Master Wu stood guard in the corridor, forbidding anyone from going out for a stroll.
The room was a bit stuffy, so Gu Jiao opened the window to let in some fresh air.
Her room faced the street, and standing by the window, she could see half of the street's night view.
The splendor of Shengdu's night scene far surpasses that of the capital of Zhao Kingdom.
She gazed quietly at the endless stream of people, when suddenly she saw a familiar figure.
The night was dark, and the distance was vast, but she was certain she wasn't seeing things!
She stared at his portrait countless times, trying to picture his expression in her mind.
That's him.
Nangong Li, who lost an arm!
Nangong Li just came out of a shop and stepped into the Nangong family's carriage.
Gu Jiao narrowed her eyes dangerously, then leaped from the second floor!
(End of this chapter)
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