Chapter 778 Reunion
Empress Dowager Zhuang paused in her act of picking up the silver notes.
The rain was heavy and the wind was strong; if Empress Dowager Zhuang looked up, she couldn't even open her eyes.
She squatted stiffly on the rain-soaked ground, like an old country woman picking vegetable seedlings on the edge of a field.
She paused only briefly before continuing to collect the banknotes.
I must have missed Jiaojiao too much and misheard.
With such heavy rain, how could Jiaojiao possibly be here?
"Aunt?"
It was another familiar voice, this time directly above her head.
The boy, dressed in a straw raincoat and wearing a bamboo hat, knelt down on one knee beside her.
Empress Dowager Zhuang still couldn't lift her eyes, but she caught a glimpse of that ugly red-tasseled spear, the braid, the big red flower—it was all too familiar.
However, Empress Dowager Zhuang suddenly stopped looking up.
She lowered her head and brushed the hair that was hanging haphazardly over her cheeks in the rain, trying to straighten it and make herself look less disheveled.
She even moved her numb toes, seemingly trying to adopt a less awkward squatting posture.
Gu Jiao tilted her head and looked at her: "Auntie, is it really you? What brings you here?"
This time, the aunt no longer spoke in a questioning tone. She was truly certain that she had met the person who was least likely to appear in the Great Yan Kingdom, and the person she had always been thinking about.
The old lady felt wronged all of a sudden. She was robbed in the street, suffocated in the carriage, battered by wind and rain, and fell so many times that she couldn't get up, but she didn't feel wronged at all.
But Gu Jiao's words, "auntie," instantly shattered all her strength.
Her eyes reddened.
Like a child who has been bullied outside and has finally been found by their parents.
Her little mouth twitched, her nose stung, and she said in a tearful voice, "Why did it take you so long—I've been waiting for you all day—"
Gu Jiao was instantly at a loss, and said blankly, "I, I... I walked a little slowly on the road. I will pay attention next time. I will not take a carriage. I will ride a horse. I will ride the Black Wind King."
The old lady didn't understand what the Black Wind King was. She squatted on the ground, clutching the silver notes, sobbing aggrievedly.
"I did not cry."
She said stubbornly.
"Uh, yes, Auntie didn't cry." Gu Jiao quickly took off her raincoat and draped it over Empress Dowager Zhuang.
"I don't need it, you wear it." Empress Dowager Zhuang said, not only refusing Gu Jiao's raincoat, but also taking off her bamboo hat.
Gu Jiao stopped her.
With Gu Jiao's strength, stopping a little old lady was no problem at all.
She tied her straw hat and raincoat tightly, making it impossible for Empress Dowager Zhuang to take them off.
Seeing this, Empress Dowager Zhuang stopped making futile struggles. She sniffed and pointed to a silver note in front of her, saying, "This is the last one. My legs are numb."
Gu Jiao picked up the silver notes and handed them to Empress Dowager Zhuang.
After receiving the silver notes, Empress Dowager Zhuang did not immediately put them away. Instead, she handed them to Gu Jiao along with the other silver notes in her hand, saying, "Here, these are for you."
Many years later, when Gu Jiao was on the battlefield, she would always recall this scene—on a rainy day, her aunt, who had traveled thousands of miles and was in a sorry state, squatted down and picked up the flying silver notes one by one, just to hand them to her intact.
In her previous life, when she lived in a dormitory, she never understood why her roommate's mother would travel from such a distant countryside, taking several buses to the city, suffering from severe motion sickness, just to deliver a jar of pickles to her daughter who lived in the dormitory.
She thought she understood that kind of feeling.
Gu Jiao carried her great-aunt to a restaurant near the alley, and then came back and carried the old priest there as well.
"We need two side rooms," Gu Jiao said.
The old chief priest was lingering around the entrance of Lingbo Academy, which had already attracted the attention of the nearby shops. The innkeeper originally wanted to check the identities of the two elders, but Gu Jiao directly showed the token of the Imperial Preceptor's Hall.
The shopkeeper instantly tensed up: "Please, sir! Please, madam! And please, young master!"
"Bring two buckets of hot water," Gu Jiao ordered.
The shopkeeper hurriedly replied, "Yes! Yes! Coming right away!"
Empress Dowager Zhuang glanced at the shopkeeper whose attitude had suddenly changed: "What kind of token do you have that's so effective?"
I was worried that my children would struggle financially for various reasons, but it seems that things are not quite as I expected.
"The token from the Imperial Preceptor's Hall," Gu Jiao said truthfully.
Empress Dowager Zhuang calmly hummed in agreement.
He was still caught up in the excitement of reuniting with Gu Jiao and hadn't realized what the Imperial Preceptor's Hall was.
Although the two elderly people had brought luggage, it was all soaked by the heavy rain.
After seeing the two elders off to their respective rooms, Gu Jiao went to a nearby clothing shop and bought several sets of dry clothes. She herself had spare clothes in the carriage.
Gu Jiao came today to pick up Xiao Jingkong, but unexpectedly the little guy went to the palace with the little princess.
Empress Dowager Zhuang's lips twitched. This little monk is doing so well? He's even allowed to visit the Great Yan Imperial Palace?
"Then why are you carrying weapons?"
As expected of the Empress Dowager, she has a very sharp eye.
Gu Jiao scratched her head: "I've got a lot of enemies lately, so I need to protect myself."
Empress Dowager Zhuang sat in the bathtub behind the screen and calmly hummed in agreement.
It was as if she was saying, "This is the right way to do it. She knew things wouldn't be peaceful, and she arrived just in time."
When Empress Dowager Zhuang and the old Grand Master of Ceremonies had finished tidying up, Xiao Heng also arrived.
When Gu Jiao went downstairs to buy clothes, she asked the coachman to return to the Imperial Preceptor's Hall and ask Xiao Heng to come to this restaurant.
Xiao Heng was unaware that his great-aunt and the old priest had arrived. When he entered the side room, he was so surprised to see the two elders sitting upright in their armchairs that he could not close his mouth.
Opportunities to see Xiao Heng lose his composure like this are rare.
Gu Jiao sat next to her aunt, watching him with a leisurely air, a slight smile playing on her lips.
She clearly enjoyed her husband's bewildered expression.
It took Xiao Heng a while to recover from his shock. He hurriedly went inside, closed the door, and bolted it shut.
"Auntie, teacher," he greeted in surprise.
The old chief priest coughed lightly: "Calling someone 'teacher' or something like that would easily reveal my identity."
"Grandpa," Xiao Heng changed his address.
The old priest seemed satisfied as he picked up his teacup and took a sip with a composed expression.
Xiao Heng was utterly shocked. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, yet the two elders were indeed truly present in the capital of the Great Yan Dynasty.
Xiao Heng took a deep breath, suppressing the lingering shock in his heart, and asked the two elders, "Grandma, Grandpa, why did you come to Yan?"
The old chief priest asked in a pretentious tone, "Are you asking about the reason, or the method?"
Xiao Heng said, "Please don't nitpick over the words."
"Before answering your question, tell me what's going on with your face?" the old priest asked, looking at the beauty mark under his right eye.
This beauty mark was originally removed by Princess Xinyang.
Xiao Heng touched the beauty mark under his eye and said, "It's painted on."
The old priest asked, "Why are you drawing this?"
Xiao Heng said, "I'll tell you the details in a bit. First, tell me how you and your aunt came here."
The old chief priest straightened his expression: "Isn't it because I don't trust you? You've been gone for so long, and you haven't even sent a single letter."
We've only been away from Zhao for a little over three months, while you set off a little over a month ago, and you've only waited two months. Even Jiaojiao's wars have taken longer than that.
"What's the method?" Xiao Heng asked.
The old priest dusted off his wide sleeves and said with a hint of pride, "Your great-uncle forged an employment document for Lingbo Academy."
Xiao Heng: "..."
You don't need to emphasize your great-uncle.
As for why the old chief priest knew what the employment document of Lingbo Academy looked like, it was because Elder Feng had received it before. Elder Feng's talent was underestimated in Zhao Kingdom, and major academies in Yan Kingdom were vying for him. At least six academies in Yan Kingdom sent invitations to Elder Feng, including Lingbo Academy in Shengdu.
Unfortunately, they were all rejected by Elder Feng.
The old chief priest had seen those documents and forged a copy based on his memory.
Unfortunately, Lingbo Academy's anti-counterfeiting measures were so good that it took him more than a month to successfully imitate them.
No one else could replicate this at all.
Gu Jiao leaned against her great-aunt and listened quietly to the master and disciple talking. She rarely got this close to anyone, and it looked like she was nestled in her great-aunt's arms.
At this moment, she was neither the Black Wind Cavalry commander fighting bloody battles nor the young miracle doctor saving lives; she was simply her great-aunt's beloved daughter.
Empress Dowager Zhuang was not the type to get close to people, but when Gu Jiao was by her side, she could let down all her guard.
Of course, she didn't cling to Gu Jiao in her arms; that wasn't her style, nor did it suit Gu Jiao's personality.
The feelings between the two transcended mere intimacy; it was a tacit understanding where they could burn their lives for each other.
This conversation mainly took place between Xiao Heng and the old chief priest.
Aunt and Gu Jiao listened from inside the house, watching the master and apprentice start to argue and glare at each other, while enjoying this long-lost intimacy and peace.
Both of them thought it was really good.
It's so good to have my aunt around.
We found Jiaojiao, that's great.
...
"Alright, we've finished discussing our business. Now it's your turn," said the old chief priest.
He didn't mention the hardships of the journey, but even Xiao Heng and Gu Jiao had a difficult time traveling, let alone the two elderly people who were getting on in years.
"Alright, alright, what's the situation on your end?" The old chief priest was most afraid of sudden emotional outbursts, so he hurriedly urged Xiao Heng to share information about Shengdu.
Their situation was a bit complicated, and Xiao Heng couldn't explain it at the moment, so he could only start by discussing his and Gu Jiao's current identities.
"What? You replaced Shangguan Qing and became the eldest grandson of the emperor?" The old chief priest was shocked. It turned out that his and Zhuang Jinse's arrival in Sheng was not the biggest shock. It was Xiao Heng's background that was the real shock!
Xiao Heng added, "I forgot to mention, Shangguan Qing is Xiao Qing, the son of my mother and father."
The old chief priest pondered, "The son of Princess Xinyang and Marquis Xuanping? Is that child still alive?"
“Yes,” Xiao Heng said, “my mother brought him to the State of Yan.”
The old chief priest was a little overwhelmed: "Your mother is—"
Xiao Heng answered seriously: "The former Crown Princess of Great Yan, Shangguan Yan."
Therefore, the woman brought back to the capital by Marquis Xuanping was not a female slave of the Yan Kingdom, but a princess of the royal family.
Is Marquis Xuanping really that lucky?
Empress Dowager Zhuang, being someone from the palace, was more perceptive and accepting of such matters than the old Grand Master of Ceremonies, and her reaction remained relatively calm.
But when Xiao Heng brought up Gu Jiao's matter, she couldn't remain calm.
The adopted son of the Duke's mansion, commander of the Black Wind Cavalry, and the public enemy of the ten great families—
Empress Dowager Zhuang's lips twitched.
She said, "How could this girl not cause trouble?"
Look at her, she's practically turned Shengdu upside down.
—Or, I'll rely on my own strength.
Xiao Heng and the old chief priest talked for a full hour before they finally finished exchanging all the information.
The two elders fell silent.
These little guys have been messing around and doing all sorts of crazy things, they're already too shocked to keep up, they need time to process it all.
Although Xiao Heng and Gu Jiao have achieved many victories so far, in the eyes of the experienced Empress Dowager Zhuang and the old Grand Master of Ceremonies, the youngsters' tactics are still not perfect. They act on impulse and lack a rigorous organization and plan.
Back then, Empress Dowager Zhuang and the old Grand Master of Ceremonies fought fiercely, from the imperial court to the harem, from the harem to the officialdom, and even indirectly affected the battlefield.
These two little devils' methods are nothing.
Empress Dowager Zhuang snorted, "If you had only Aheng's tricks back then, I would have exiled you three thousand miles away and never let you return to the capital!"
The old chief priest scoffed, "If you had acted like Jiaojiao back then, I would have made you spend your life in the cold palace long ago!"
Xiao Heng and Gu Jiao: "..."
You two can argue all you want, but can you please not drag us into it?
Don't we have any pride?
Besides, you didn't have to hide your identities back then, so of course you could fight each other however you wanted!
Let's try sending you to the State of Yan to live in anonymity!
I'm so annoyed.
The young couple turned their faces away.
"Ahem." The old chief priest succumbed to Empress Dowager Zhuang's deathly gaze. "Aheng, where are you staying now?"
...
Half an hour later, a carriage drove into the Imperial Preceptor's Hall.
The heavy rain had just stopped when Yu He came out of the west corridor carrying a bowl of herbal medicine. She immediately saw Xiao Heng and Gu Jiao leading an unfamiliar elderly couple into the Qilin Hall.
He asked in confusion, "Your Highness, Young Master Xiao, who are they—"
Xiao Heng said calmly, "They are Young Master Xiao's patients. They came from the outer city after hearing about you. They had nowhere to go because of the heavy rain, so I took the liberty of bringing them here first. I will inform the Imperial Advisor later."
Yu He hurriedly replied, "No need, it's nothing. My master instructed that His Highness the Grand Preceptor's Hall should be treated as his own home, so there's no need to be so polite."
After all, Your Highness, you have never been polite to the Imperial Preceptor.
This isn't the first or second time you've brought your cronies from the underworld to stay overnight; bringing two normal patients this time is quite a surprise.
Xiao Heng had no idea that Shangguan Qing was so improper, and he thought the Imperial Advisor was just being polite.
Recently, the inner city has been under strict surveillance. Xiao Heng and Gu Jiao were worried about leaving the two elders at the inn, so they temporarily took them back to the Imperial Preceptor's Palace.
However, the Imperial Preceptor's Palace was not a place to stay for long. As soon as it was light the next day, Xiao Heng set off to find a suitable house.
The Qilin Hall has many side rooms, but the dozen or so rooms in the east corridor are only occupied by Xiao Heng, Gu Jiao, Shangguan Yan, Xiao Jingkong, and a few servants, leaving many rooms empty.
Since they were a married couple, it would be strange for them to live in two separate rooms, so Gu Jiao only had the servants prepare one room.
Looking at the spacious room, the old chief priest nervously said, "Well, well, I'll be sleeping on the floor tonight."
"Hehe." Empress Dowager Zhuang rolled her eyes and went to Gu Jiao's side.
"Your Highness, Changsun!"
Four palace servants who were sweeping the corridor bowed to Xiao Heng in unison.
Xiao Heng nodded slightly: "You can go ahead and get busy."
"Yes." The four continued working.
Empress Dowager Zhuang had just arrived at Gu Jiao's room.
She glanced at the two palace maids and two eunuchs who were sweeping and cleaning.
His gaze fell on one of them, and his brows furrowed slightly.
(End of this chapter)
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