Chapter 775 The Domineering Aunt (First Update)
Gu Jiao first went to Xiao Heng's place to see Xiao Jingkong. The two little ones had played all night and were already asleep from exhaustion.
Because the king was suffering from a headache and was resting in a side room of the Qilin Palace, the little princess did not return to the palace either. The two little ones lay on the bed and slept soundly.
Gu Jiao bent down and touched Xiao Jingkong's forehead, then touched the little princess's, and whispered, "Thank you, Xiao Xue."
If it weren't for the young princess's unexpected arrival of the king ahead of time, which bought Gu Changqing half an hour for rescue, Gu Changqing would have been a cold corpse by the time they finished fighting the crown prince.
Although Gu Changqing is still not out of danger, at least she has been given a chance to be saved.
The little princess naturally couldn't hear what the teacher was saying; she was sleeping soundly, her little mouth opening and closing as she happily snored.
Gu Jiao returned to her room, fetched water from the side room to wash her hair and take a bath, and changed into some dry clothes.
Just as I finished fastening my belt, there was a knocking sound at the door.
"It's me."
Xiao Heng said.
Gu Jiao went over and opened the door for him.
She had just taken a bath and was wearing a loose nightgown. It was late at night, and her black hair was casually wrapped around her head with a cloth. A strand of hair slipped out and hung down on her left cheek.
Her hair was as black as ink, and water droplets at the ends seemed to fall but not quite.
Her skin was crystal clear and delicate, and the red birthmark on her cheek was as beautiful as a peach blossom.
Xiao Heng had only come to see her, but the scene before him was too much of a shock.
His breath caught in his throat, and his Adam's apple bobbed.
Gu Jiao looked down at her clothes; she was dressed very conservatively and there was no accidental exposure.
Xiao Heng cleared his throat, forcing himself to calm down, and handed her a bowl of hot ginger soup to cover up his lapse in composure: "This ginger soup was just made in the kitchen. You were caught in the rain, so drink some to avoid catching a cold."
"Oh." Gu Jiao reached out to take the ginger soup.
"I'll come," Xiao Heng said, then paused, "Is it convenient for me to come in?"
"It's convenient." Gu Jiao stepped aside and gestured for him to come in.
Xiao Heng carried the ginger soup into the house.
Gu Jiao had just taken a bath in the side room, and the air was filled with a faint, cool scent of soapberry flowers and her captivating youthful fragrance.
Xiao Heng had to exert a great deal of effort to keep his mind from wandering.
Gu Jiao pushed open the window. The rain had stopped, and the damp scent of earth and grass filled the yard, which was refreshing.
"Drink the ginger soup," Xiao Heng said.
"Okay." Gu Jiao walked over, sat down on the stool, picked up the bowl, and gulped down the brown sugar ginger soup. "Did you put sugar in it?"
“You didn’t—” Xiao Heng’s gaze swept over her flat stomach, and he said calmly, “Well, you did put in a little.”
Gu Jiao's period is coming soon, but she doesn't even remember it herself.
Gu Jiao responded with an "oh".
Okay, so you remembered it again.
Xiao Heng pulled up a stool and sat down in front of her: "How are your injuries?"
Gu Jiao held out her hand: "It's all over now."
Her injuries healed quickly; the scabs on her palms, which had been raw and bloody from the reins, had fallen off, and she barely felt anything during the surgery.
"Your leg," Xiao Heng said again.
During the day, my legs are so weak that I have to use a wheelchair.
While a person can unleash boundless potential in a crisis, they will still feel doubly exhausted and powerless afterward.
Gu Jiao looked at her legs, which had suddenly become unresponsive, and frowned slightly: "It would have been better if you hadn't said anything, because now that you've mentioned it, it's a little bit..."
Xiao Heng didn't know whether to be angry or laugh.
He bent down and placed Gu Jiao's legs on his own, his long, jade-like fingers gently kneading them.
His massage felt so good that Gu Jiao couldn't help but squint her eyes in enjoyment, like a kitten that was being petted and wanted to yawn.
Xiao Heng smiled at her, then hesitated, as if he had thought of something.
Gu Jiao noticed his expression and asked, "Is there something you want to ask me?"
Xiao Heng thought for a moment and nodded: "Indeed... I have some doubts."
Gu Jiao asked, "About the operating room?"
Xiao Heng said, "That's right."
Gu Jiao could roughly guess that what she had shown today was beyond the comprehension of this time and space. It was a miracle that they didn't ask on the spot. Gu Chengfeng couldn't help but ask again when he entered the secret room for the second time.
He's quite capable; he's held back until now.
"What are your thoughts?" Gu Jiao asked.
Xiao Heng recalled the question Gu Chengfeng had asked her in the corridor—whether she was a deity—and said, "I almost thought you were a celestial fairy using the magic of the Nine Palaces of the Clouds."
Gu Jiao laughed: "That's not magic, it's science."
Xiao Heng was slightly taken aback, and looked at her with confusion: "Science?"
Gu Jiao carefully chose her words and said, "The universe has multiple dimensions, and each dimension has its own space. Perhaps a car is speeding past us, but because of the different spatial dimensions, we cannot see each other."
Xiao Heng seemed to understand, but not quite.
However, he did read the entire book of the Yan State's official documents and absorbed a lot of mathematical knowledge that did not belong to this time and space. Compared to Gu Chengfeng, who could not digest such information at all, his level of acceptance was much higher.
"Can you tell me about it?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
Gu Jiao said, "Of course, let me think about where I should start to tell you."
The difference between them is not their identities in two different time periods, but their philosophical and scientific worldviews from childhood to adulthood. Gu Jiao decided to start with the Big Bang, the origin of the universe.
She tried to omit the technical jargon and described a unique cosmic feast to him in the simple tone of a storyteller telling a baby story.
Even so, there were still many things that Xiao Heng couldn't immediately understand, which he secretly kept in mind.
He wasn't the kind of person who would deny the existence of something just because he hadn't seen it. Compared to the rigid, formulaic writings of the imperial examinations, what Gu Jiao said piqued his interest.
“Some people don’t quite agree with the Big Bang theory,” Gu Jiao said.
"What do you think?" Xiao Heng asked.
"Whatever, I'm not interested anyway," Gu Jiao said.
Xiao Heng: "..."
If you can remember so much even when you're not interested, wouldn't it be incredible if you were?
Seeing him deep in thought, Gu Jiao said, "I'll stop here for today. Take your time to process this, and I'll continue another day."
"Mm." Xiao Heng nodded.
Gu Jiao said, "I should go see Gu Changqing. Oh, right, there's something I've never quite understood."
Xiao Heng asked, "What is it?"
Gu Jiao paused for a moment and then said, "Gu Changqing said that the Crown Prince... no, he is no longer the Crown Prince. Shangguan Qi already knows that I am not the real Xiao Liulang. Why doesn't he expose me in front of the King?"
Xiao Heng had also carefully analyzed this point of doubt. He said, "Because exposing you only proves that you are a bad person, but it cannot absolve him of the crime of regicide. These are two completely different things. Even if he insists that you are a spy sent by Shangguan Yan, what evidence do you have? He cannot produce any evidence, so it becomes another empty slander against Shangguan Yan."
Gu Jiao suddenly realized: "I see."
Xiao Heng continued, "There is another very important reason: you don't have a powerful backer. It's more advantageous for the Black Wind Cavalry to fall into your hands than into the hands of other aristocratic families. It will be easier for them to take it back in the future."
Gu Jiao hummed in agreement: "So he was actually using me too. Shangguan Qi is more cunning than I thought."
Xiao Heng smoothed a stray strand of hair from her temple and gazed at her with tenderness and determination: "He will one day understand that you, whom he has looked down upon, are his most invincible enemy."
“Speaking of enemies,” Gu Jiao frowned, “it is strange that the Crown Prince has a master who can injure Gu Changqing. Gu Changqing has never seen him before.”
Xiao Heng pondered for a moment: "It is indeed strange. If that person is so capable, why wasn't he allowed to participate in this selection? He should be a more suitable candidate than Gu Changqing."
Gu Jiao stroked her chin: "I'll find an opportunity to go to the Crown Prince's residence to investigate the situation."
“I will go and investigate,” Xiao Heng said. “I am the eldest grandson of the emperor. Once the emperor wakes up, I will find an excuse to go to the Crown Prince’s residence and see who this person who injured is.”
-
The news of Shangguan Qi's removal from the position of Crown Prince reached the palace that very night.
Consort Han was copying Buddhist scriptures in her room when she heard this terrible news. Her brush fell to the ground, clattering onto the half-finished scripture.
The entire Buddhist scripture was destroyed in an instant.
Consort Han knelt on the cushion, turned her head and coldly looked at the little eunuch kneeling at the door: "Say what you just said to me again! What happened to my son!"
The young eunuch, his forehead touching the ground and trembling, cried out, "Reporting to, reporting to Your Majesty, the Second Prince attempted to assassinate the King in the Imperial Preceptor's Hall. The King was furious and punished him... The Second Prince... has been deposed from his position as Crown Prince!"
Consort Han crumpled the Buddhist scriptures under her hands into small balls: "Nonsense! How could the Crown Prince possibly assassinate His Majesty!"
The young eunuch said fearfully, "This servant...this servant only just heard the news."
Consort Han said sternly, "Go! Summon the people around the Crown Prince!"
"Yes, yes!"
The little eunuch scrambled out of the room.
"No need to call anymore, it's true."
Accompanied by a deep voice, a man in a black cloak stepped out of the night.
Consort Han gave a wink to the chief eunuch beside her.
The chief eunuch understood and led two trusted palace maids out of the hall, closing the hall door from the outside.
Consort Han glanced at the man, her expression no longer as disdainful as she had in front of the servants, but given the magnitude of the incident, she couldn't offer him a pleasant look.
"You've arrived," she said calmly. "What exactly happened?"
The man in black robes sat down cross-legged opposite her: "He's a troublesome fellow."
Consort Han was slightly surprised: "There aren't many guys who can make you feel troubled."
The man in black robes sighed slowly: "It was that advisor from the Crown Prince's residence. It was my oversight that I failed to kill him with one sword, allowing him to escape. The Crown Prince went to capture him, but fell into Shangguan Yan's trap."
Consort Han asked, "Was it Shangguan Yan who did it?"
The man in black robes said calmly, "It could also be the eldest grandson of the emperor. In any case, the mother and son are both there. It wasn't a flawless plan, but it took a very careful calculation of human nature. In addition, the Imperial Preceptor's Hall also played a very interesting role in this incident."
Consort Han frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
The man in black robes said, "Given the Grand Preceptor's status, he could have stopped the Second Prince from entering the Grand Preceptor's Hall to search, but he didn't. I think he did it on purpose."
Consort Han said incredulously, "Are you saying that the Imperial Preceptor colluded with Shangguan Yan? That's impossible! Shangguan Yan and the Xuanyuan family have ended up in this state all thanks to the Imperial Preceptor!"
The man in black robes sighed and slowly said, "Your Majesty, the most impossible things in the world are the most unexpected. You are blinded by your own involvement, while I, as an outsider, see things clearly, so you probably won't believe me even if I tell you. If the King had even the slightest suspicion about the role played by the Imperial Preceptor's Hall, I'm afraid he wouldn't have deposed the Second Prince from his position as Crown Prince on the spot."
After calming down, Consort Han snorted coldly and said, "So what? No matter how far the Imperial Preceptor's influence extends, can it reach me? I don't care what deal Shangguan Yan made with the Imperial Preceptor behind the scenes. As long as she dares to reclaim her status as a princess, I have ways to deal with her!"
The man in black robes kindly advised, "Shangguan Yan is different from what she was a dozen years ago. Your Highness must not be careless."
Consort Han scoffed, "She's just a mere princess. Even her mother, Empress Xuanyuan Hanyan, was defeated by me! The Empress couldn't even defeat me, so why does she think she's so great as a princess?"
The man in black robes raised his teacup: "Your Majesty's skill is undoubtedly the best in the six palaces."
Consort Han sneered: "When it comes to palace intrigue, I've never lost!"
The moon is bright and the stars are few.
A dilapidated carriage rattled and swayed until it reached the city gate of the outer city of Shengdu.
The guards stationed at the city stopped the carriage: "Stop! Who goes there!"
The coachman stopped the carriage.
A stern-faced old man, exuding an air of sainthood, lifted the curtain of the carriage and handed over the documents in his hand: "Please make an exception for us, young man, we need to hurry into the city."
The guard opened the document and glanced at it: "You're a teacher at Lingbo Academy? How did you get out of the city?"
The old man chuckled and said, "Ah, I went back to my hometown to visit my relatives."
"The city gates are closed!"
Another guard inside the city shouted sternly.
Generally, once the city gates are closed, no one is allowed to enter the city anymore.
The old man slipped him a money pouch.
The guard weighed it in his hand; the weight was quite satisfactory.
He discreetly slipped the money pouch into his pocket and said solemnly, "A lot has happened in Shengdu recently, and everyone coming to Shengdu is subject to strict checks. In principle, we should also check your travel permit for returning home, but the guards who check travel permits went off duty a quarter of an hour ago. However, I see that you are getting on in years and it is inconvenient for you to be out in the open, so I will do you a favor! Wait, who else is in the carriage?"
The old man said calmly, "It is my wife."
The guard glanced into the curtain.
There was an old woman dressed simply, holding a jar of candied fruit and munching on it.
"What are you looking at!" The old lady glared at him fiercely.
The guard was taken aback by the reprimand.
They need to check the household registration. Just because they say they're a couple doesn't mean they're a couple.
Just then, the old lady felt an itch on her back and wanted to scratch it.
As soon as she raised her hand, the guard saw the little old man beside her instinctively cover his head!
Guard: "..."
Uh... you can't develop this skill without being exploited for decades.
No need to investigate anymore, he would have cut off their heads if they weren't a couple!
(End of this chapter)
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