Chapter 661 Daughter (Second Update)
Gu Jiao has a problem: she gets sleepy whenever she recites poetry.
I could grit my teeth and persevere at the beginning, but towards the end I was so sleepy I was practically pecking at rice like a chick, and I didn't even know what I had written.
Even the purse was taken by Xiao Jiu herself.
Xiao Heng was both annoyed and amused when he read the rest.
He had thought those poems were her own heartfelt words, but now it seems they were copied from somewhere.
Looking at the last few notes with their crooked handwriting, it seems they were so tired from copying that they didn't even know where they were in the copying.
Xiao Heng was so angry he gritted his teeth: "What a waste of my excitement! I'll never fall for your tricks again, you little liar!"
She must have already fallen asleep, Xiao Heng did not reply.
Seeing that there was nothing more for her to do, Xiao Jiu flew back to the tree branch.
Xiao Heng still couldn't fall asleep.
It wasn't about the love poems; he wouldn't be so petty as to care about something like that.
It was some information he had found during the day that made him need to calm down and carefully sort it out.
Gu Jiao told him that the person behind Nangong Li was a descendant of the royal family, so he went to the most bustling teahouse in Shengdu and found a few storytellers to get a general understanding of the royal family's background.
I didn't find out much, but I do know a little about the Nangong family.
The close relationship between the Nangong family and the Crown Prince's residence was an open secret in Shengdu.
The Crown Prince of Zhao resided in the Eastern Palace, while the Crown Prince of Yan established his own residence outside the palace.
The Crown Prince of Yan was the second son of the king, and his mother was Consort Han.
The young master who prepared the viewing platform for him that day was none other than the Crown Prince's eldest son, Prince Ming.
Prince Ming and Han Che, a polo player at Pingyang Academy today, are cousins.
Although there is currently no evidence that the Crown Prince's residence instructed the Nangong family, the Crown Prince's residence remains the prime suspect.
So the question arises: who in the Crown Prince's residence is targeting him? And why are they targeting him?
...
The capital city was unusually hot and humid tonight, with no sign of coolness even after nightfall.
The Duke's mansion, which had been busy all day, gradually quieted down.
Mu Ruxin sat in the room, feeling somewhat annoyed.
"Bring some more ice," she said, frowning.
"Miss, what's wrong?" the maid asked, puzzled. There were already two basins of ice in the room; if she put any more in, she would catch a cold.
"I'm not happy!" Mu Ruxin said dejectedly.
Thinking about what happened at the academy, she felt more and more that Xiao Liulang was getting in her way at every turn.
She said irritably, "He saw this as a great opportunity to befriend the three deans, so he deliberately took all the seriously injured ones, leaving only a few of my servants with minor, insignificant injuries."
The maid didn't know how to respond to that.
"Never mind, go to sleep." Mu Ruxin put down her fan, got up, and went to bed.
The maidservant followed her over to lower the bed curtains and comforted her, saying, "Miss, he is just a student from a foreign country. You will soon become the Duke's adopted daughter. Let's see how he can compete with you then."
Mentioning this, Mu Ruxin sighed: "You know, we've been spreading the news for so long, the whole mansion knows, why haven't the Second Master and Second Madam made any move yet? Could it be that I've misunderstood the Second Madam's intentions?"
The maid said, "How could that be? The Second Madam was asking Miss those questions to test her reaction! I bet it's coming soon!"
Mu Ruxin lay down and said wistfully, "I have no parents. My master raised me. If I really become the Duke's adopted daughter, I will definitely take good care of him and make up for... his regret of losing his daughter!"
The Duke's courtyard.
The Duke had already gone to bed, but Lianqiao, being clumsy, accidentally spilled a bowl of tea all over the bed.
Lianqiao had no choice but to help the Duke into his wheelchair and find a mattress to change him.
The Duke opened his eyes, his hands resting on the armrests of his wheelchair.
The bedside table is on the right.
On the cabinet were the rouge that Lianqiao had just bought from outside, intending to bring back to her room.
She was playing with rouge when she absentmindedly knocked over the basin of water she was going to use to wipe the Duke's hands.
She was terrified and didn't even have time to close the rouge cap.
The Duke's right hand was only about two inches away from Rouge; he could touch her with the slightest movement.
However, for the Duke, who couldn't even control his blinking, moving his fingers precisely was extremely difficult.
The Duke stared intently at the box of rouge, and with great effort, he finally managed to touch it with trembling hands.
He dipped his finger in rouge, and with tremendous effort and trembling hands, wrote a crooked character.
...
The following day, Gu Jiao and Gu Xiaoshun went to Tianqiong Academy for class.
As soon as Gu Jiao entered the academy, she felt several inexplicable gazes directed at her.
"Mukuro!"
A student greeted her with a smile.
She doesn't know her.
"Mukuro!"
Another student greeted her with a big smile.
She doesn't know her.
What's going on?
Is everyone so enthusiastic after just one night apart?
"Mukuro!"
After being greeted by countless unfamiliar students, I finally met someone I knew.
Zhou Tong.
"Xiao Shun." Zhou Tong stopped in front of Gu Jiao and the other person, and greeted Gu Xiao Shun with a smile.
Gu Jiao: "Is something going to happen today? Why is everyone acting like that?"
Zhou Tong: "How so?"
"Sixth Brother!" The seventeenth unfamiliar student greeted Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao gestured with her eyes: "Just like that."
Zhou Tong watched the student's departing figure, then smiled knowingly: "You mean everyone knows you? What's so strange about that? Don't you remember you won the game yesterday?"
Gu Jiao said, "That doesn't mean they all know me."
It's not like everyone went to watch the game.
Zhou Tong chuckled and grabbed her wrist through his sleeve: "You'll see when you come with me!"
Gu Xiaoshun grinned, "Hey, let go of my sister!"
Zhou Tong led Gu Jiao to the academy's bulletin board, where it was already crowded with students.
"Sixth Brother is here!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, and the people who had been surrounding the notice board suddenly scattered, making way for Gu Jiao.
This treatment caught Gu Jiao a little off guard.
Zhou Tong didn't stand on ceremony with them, cheerfully pulling Gu Jiao to the front and pointing to the notice board, saying, "Look!"
Gu Jiao stared intently at it.
The left side of the bulletin board displayed yesterday's match results and high praise for the athletes, while the right side featured individual portraits of each athlete, except for Gu Jiao, who was riding a horse.
She held the reins in one hand and the golf club in the other.
It was mostly her back view; she turned her head to reveal half of her profile.
Her right cheek, free of birthmarks, was exposed. Her clothes fluttered, and her hair ribbon flew across her face, exuding an indescribable heroic and dashing air. Even next to the handsome and otherworldly Mu Qingchen, she was in no way inferior.
Gu Jiao looked at the dashing young man and almost didn't recognize herself.
Is this how others see her?
Zhou Tong said, "It was a collaborative effort; we worked on it all night."
Gu Jiao then noticed the dark circles under Zhou Tong's eyes, and looking at Zhong Ding and the others who were posting portraits, she saw that they all had heavy dark circles under their eyes.
This was an experience Gu Jiao had never had in her previous life.
In her past life, she always ranked first in exams and won countless awards in competitions, but no one could get close to her.
Or perhaps she simply didn't want to get close.
Her identity destined her to have no friends.
"How did our painting turn out?" Zhou Tong asked expectantly.
Gu Jiao's gaze swept over Zhou Tong, Zhong Ding, and everyone who had gone to the competition yesterday. Everyone looked at her, their eyes revealing a mixture of anticipation and trepidation.
"It's alright," Gu Jiao said.
Everyone smiled with relief.
They were students of the civil service examination, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. But for some reason, they only felt they had accomplished their task after Gu Jiao personally acknowledged their paintings.
"Don't you have classes?" Gu Jiao asked casually.
Zhou Tong smiled and said, "Let's...go to class!"
Gu Jiao turned around and walked away coolly.
After taking a few steps, he said casually, "Draw a few more pictures; the walls in the house look a bit bare."
...
Sky Dome Academy hasn't been this glorious in a long time. Despite its reputation as a royal academy, that glory was from many years ago.
The last time their academy produced a top scholar was seventeen years ago. Since then, not only has it not produced a top scholar, but it hasn't even produced a second or third-place scholar.
He was neither good at academics nor at martial arts, and he was often laughed at.
Now, having won two polo matches in a row and defeated two powerful academies, they are extremely proud and elated.
Dean Cen was also quite pleased. He called Gu Jiao and Mu Qingchen to his duty room and praised them: "...These two matches were indeed well played, showcasing the level of our Sky Dome Academy. But don't be arrogant. Train hard and strive to bring glory to the academy in the next match!"
Mu Qingchen and the other three cupped their hands in a respectful gesture.
Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow and said, "That's it?"
Dean Cen was taken aback.
Gu Jiao said, "How about something more practical? Like... a bonus?"
Dean Cen: "..."
"Ahem!" Dean Cen coughed lightly, his expression unchanging, and said seriously, "The academy is currently short of funds. Next time you win, we'll all contribute together!"
Gu Jiao grasped the key point: "So what if you lose and don't get it?"
Dean Cen: "Ahem! You brat, can you stop talking about money all the time? How can someone who has studied the classics be so obsessed with money?"
Gu Jiao asked, "So, should we give it to them or not?"
Dean Cen: "..."
He asked if it was too late to refuse.
On the way back to Mingxin Hall, Mu Qingchen asked Gu Jiao, "Are you short of money?"
Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow: "I guess so. You have a way to make money?"
Mu Qingchen said, "I can lend it to you. How much do you want?"
"No need to borrow," Gu Jiao waved her hand. She wasn't short of money; she was just being prepared.
Gu Yan will be undergoing surgery next month, which may cost a lot of money.
Gu Jiao said earnestly, "If you have any ways to make money, call me. I won't treat you unfairly; I'll let you be the middleman and earn some of the difference!"
Mu Qingchen: "..."
(End of this chapter)
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