Chapter 394 Jiaojiao's Might (Second Update)
The little incident involving the He mother and daughter didn't cause much of a stir in Bishui Hutong. The family quickly put the two of them out of their minds. Everyone had their own things to do and didn't have much energy to waste on unrelated people.
However, to prevent future troubles, Yao sent a letter to Yao Yuan, telling him about He's visit.
After that, the He mother and daughter indeed never visited again.
In August, the autumn heat was still intense, and the capital city remained as hot as in summer. The emperor almost went to the Summer Palace.
He didn't go, firstly because he was busy with official duties, and secondly because he was waiting for the progress of Eunuch He's investigation.
Eunuch He sent people to keep an eye on the Yong'an Marquis's residence, the maternal family of Consort Jing. After watching for a long time, they did not find any unusual activity. The Yong'an Marquis's residence was indeed not clean, but it was all dirty little things that had nothing to do with Consort Jing.
However, Eunuch He did not come away empty-handed; he discovered that Consort Jing was colluding with Yuan Tang, the hostage prince of Chen.
The last time the emperor was assassinated by Yuan Tang, it was because Consort Jing's spies in the palace leaked the emperor's whereabouts to Yuan Tang.
The emperor had long known that she had no maternal affection, but he had not expected her to be so ruthless. He clenched his fists: "Isn't she afraid that I will die at Yuan Tang's hands!"
Eunuch He guessed that Consort Jing had a backup plan; she wouldn't really let Yuan Tang kill His Majesty, and she would release the Dragon Shadow Guards at the crucial moment.
Her main purpose at the time was to frame the Empress Dowager and sow discord between her and the Emperor.
However, His Majesty did not expect to encounter the Little Divine Doctor, who saved him and even exposed the assassin Yuan Tang!
"Have all those eyeliners been removed?" the emperor asked coldly.
"Your Majesty, they have all been dealt with," said Eunuch He.
If this hadn't happened, who would have guessed that there were more than a dozen spies of Consort Jing in his Huaqing Palace, more than the Empress Dowager had planted around him!
This is also his fault for only keeping an eye on the Empress Dowager in the past, while never being wary of Consort Jing.
The emperor slapped his forehead: "You're so stupid, I could die!"
"What did you say, Your Majesty?" Eunuch He didn't hear clearly.
"Nothing much." The emperor lowered his hand. "Just those people, nothing else?"
Eunuch He didn't speak, but his gaze fell on Eunuch Wei's face.
Eunuch Wei's heart skipped a beat: "What are you doing!"
Eunuch He said cryptically, "If I remember correctly, Eunuch Wei was chosen by Consort Jing and sent to His Majesty's side."
Eunuch Wei's face changed drastically: "Old He! You can't stab me in the back like this!" He knelt down and looked at the emperor behind the desk, "Your Majesty, this servant is loyal to you and has no disloyal intentions!"
The emperor glanced at Eunuch He speechlessly, then said to Eunuch Wei, "Alright, get up. I didn't suspect you."
Eunuch Wei wiped away his tears and stood up: "Thank you, Your Majesty." He glared angrily at Eunuch He, "Hmph!"
These two... love to bicker with each other.
The emperor shook his head and continued, "What about the whereabouts of the other three Dragon Shadow Guards?"
“She won’t say,” said Eunuch He, then hesitated before adding, “This servant guesses they are no longer in the capital.”
After all, they had searched every place in the capital. Unless Consort Jing had killed and buried them, there was no way they could have left no trace.
But Consort Jing will not kill the Dragon Shadow Guards, nor can she kill them.
"Wait a minute." Eunuch He murmured, as if he had just remembered something, "There's still one place we haven't checked."
Xianleju.
Ordinary people cannot enter Xianleju. Of course, one can enter if they have an imperial edict, but Eunuch He does not think that is the wisest course of action.
He decided to sneak in secretly first.
As luck would have it, he ran into Gu Jiao just as he arrived at the back gate of Xianleju.
Gu Jiao and Eunuch He had met once in the county town.
"Huh? It's you." Gu Jiao recognized Eunuch He, the eunuch who accompanied the emperor when he first came to the county town's clinic to treat his venereal disease.
She wondered why a man could have such a feminine demeanor; it turned out he was her father-in-law.
Grandpa He also recognized Gu Jiao.
There was a slight unpleasantness at the time, and it was Eunuch He who was unhappy, since he was the one who was treated roughly.
Upon seeing Gu Jiao again, he naturally didn't give her a friendly look: "What brings Doctor Gu here?"
"I was just passing by," Gu Jiao said. "And why did you come here?"
Eunuch He said calmly, "This servant is ordered to investigate Xianle Residence."
Gu Jiao looked him up and down in his night clothes: "You're planning to... climb over?"
He Gonggong didn't say a word, but answered her question with his actions—he took out a black cloth and covered his face.
Gu Jiao grunted, "I think you'll get kicked out."
As soon as he finished speaking, Eunuch He, who had used his lightness skill to leap into Xianle Residence, was indeed kicked out by the expert inside.
Gu Jiao looked down at Eunuch He, who was slumped on the ground like a dead fish, and smiled, saying, "Ten taels of silver, and I'll take you inside."
Eunuch He turned his face away.
I do not accept it.
Grandpa He climbed over the wall from a different spot.
Grandpa He climbed over the wall at a different location.
Grandpa He climbed over the wall at who-knows-how-many different places.
A quarter of an hour later, Eunuch He limped up to Gu Jiao, his face dark, and resignedly took out ten taels of silver.
Gu Jiao didn't take it, but raised an eyebrow: "Twenty taels."
Eunuch He was shocked and furious: "You clearly said ten taels just now!"
Gu Jiao shrugged: "The price has gone up now."
Eunuch He: "..."
In order to complete the task assigned by the emperor, Eunuch He finally gave her a twenty-tael silver note in humiliation.
This is considered public expense. At worst, I can go back and tell His Majesty that I spent fifty taels, and in this way I will still earn thirty taels.
Gu Jiao was on her way to make a house call near Xianleju today. Xiao Sanzi's carriage was parked across the street. Gu Jiao went to the carriage, changed into men's clothing, and put on a mask.
She made Eunuch He take off his night clothes and put on ordinary clothes for going out. Then she took out a token and led Eunuch He into Xianle Residence.
"Why do you have the token of Xianleju?" Eunuch He asked suspiciously.
Gu Jiao thought for a moment, then said seriously, "Because I'm amazing?"
Eunuch He: "..."
Eunuch He entered as Gu Jiao's servant; he couldn't leave Gu Jiao behind and had to have her come along.
“I’m going over there.” He pointed to the east wing, where there were more people and it would be easier to hear news.
Gu Jiao smiled and said, "Then we'll have to raise the price."
He Gonggong endured the humiliation and took out another ten taels!
Gu Jiao put away the silver notes and led Eunuch He to the east side of the first floor.
Gu Jiao wasn't a regular at Xianleju, but every time she appeared, she became a favorite of Mo Qianxue, so almost all the girls at Xianleju remembered her.
Along the way, many girls exchanged flirtatious glances with her.
With her hands behind her back, Gu Jiao had a carefree and irreverent look that made her even more appealing to girls.
Grandpa He disliked her, but he couldn't get rid of her, which was quite frustrating.
Eunuch He underestimated the taciturn nature of the guests and girls at Xianleju. As a servant, no one was willing to talk to him. Left with no other choice, he turned to Gu Jiao again and said, "Can you find out something for me?"
Gu Jiao looked at him with a smile: "Asking questions is a separate business."
Eunuch He's lips twitched so hard he almost flew up, and he pulled out ten taels of silver!
"Ten taels isn't enough."
Eunuch He gritted his teeth and took out another ten taels!
Gu Jiao accepted the silver note: "What do you want to ask?"
Grandpa He took out two origami portraits: "Ask them if they have seen the people in the portraits?"
Gu Jiao: "Bringing props will incur an extra charge."
Eunuch He: "..."
In the end, Eunuch He was squeezed out of 100 taels of silver, and the remaining 50 taels were paid on IOUs.
There are four portraits in total. One of them features a mask, while the other three do not.
Gu Jiao recognized the portrait as belonging to the Dragon Shadow Guard at a glance.
Strange, why is the Emperor investigating the Dragon Shadow Guard? Have they disappeared? Three of them have gone missing?
The Dragon Shadow Guards' masks are consistent, which suggests that it's uncertain whether they showed their true faces or wore masks at Xianleju.
Gu Jiao wasn't sure if Eunuch He was certain that the Dragon Shadow Guards were connected to Xianleju, or if he simply wanted to conduct a thorough search.
She didn't ask.
Mo Qianxue didn't come out to see her today, so she boldly guessed that Mo Qianxue wasn't in Xianle Residence.
She took the portrait and went upstairs.
She didn't put too much effort into choosing a girl; some people just came to her.
"Oh, young master, it's been a long time."
A beautiful woman in a pink embroidered fairy dress walked gracefully towards Gu Jiao, her face partially obscured by a folding fan.
Gu Jiao remembered her—the second sister of Xianleju who had tried to seduce her but was slapped by Mo Qianxue. She was called the second sister because her status in Xianleju seemed to be very high, second only to Mo Qianxue.
What was her name again?
flower……
"Xi Yao greets you, young master." She gave a graceful bow.
Gu Jiao's gaze lingered on her for two seconds, as if pondering some possibility. After a moment, she took out a small notebook and wrote: "Miss Xi Yao, there's no need for such formalities."
Hua Xiyao straightened up, concealing her eyes and brows with her hand, and gave a charming smile: "Is young master here to see Sister Qianxue?"
As she spoke, a look of regret appeared on her face. "What a pity, Sister Qianxue has gone out with guests and we don't know when she'll be back. If you don't mind, young master, would you mind keeping you company?"
Gu Jiao nodded.
good.
Hua Xiyao was extremely surprised.
The man who slept with Mo Qianxue so easily fell for another woman. Isn't this speed of infidelity too much of a slap in the face for Mo Qianxue?
"I'm afraid Sister Qianxue will get angry," Hua Xiyao said, biting her lip in a teasy tone.
Gu Jiao quickly wrote: "Don't be afraid, even if the sky falls, I will take care of it for you."
Hua Xiyao chuckled and reached out to take Gu Jiao's hand, but Gu Jiao inadvertently avoided it.
Hua Xiyao's eyes flickered slightly: "What? Sister Qianxue can touch it, but I can't?"
Gu Jiao: I'm afraid I won't be able to resist hitting you.
Gu Jiao wrote: "It's hot, and my hands are sweaty. I don't want to dirty your delicate hands."
Eunuch He's lips twitched. How could a woman be more eloquent than a man!
Grandpa He wasn't allowed to enter the house; he could only stand guard outside.
He felt this was a bit risky. That girl named Xi Yao didn't seem like a good person at all, and this was her territory. What if she exposed herself soon, and he had to go and rescue her himself?
The thought had just flashed through my mind.
creak—
The door opened.
Grandpa He looked at Gu Jiao in shock: "You were...you were kicked out?"
Gu Jiao glared at him: "What are you thinking about? Are you done asking?"
Eunuch He glanced inside incredulously and saw that all the maids in the room had fainted, but Hua Xiyao hadn't. Her condition was very strange, as if she had lost her soul.
Rumor has it that the maids at Xianleju also know martial arts, and they are all experts. How did all these experts fall down? He didn't hear any fighting!
Also, she asked, how did she ask?
Gu Jiao certainly wouldn't tell him that she had used anesthetics and hallucinogens, the same hallucinogens used on the servant who interrogated Tang Ming last time. However, she hadn't expected that Hua Xiyao, who seemed quite capable, would have such weak willpower and would find out the truth so quickly.
Gu Jiao found a secluded corner, took out the portrait, pointed to the mask on it, and said, "Three people wearing this kind of mask have come to Xianleju. I'm not sure if they are the three people in the portrait. They have never taken off their masks."
Eunuch He was almost certain that the three people were His Majesty's missing Dragon Shadow Guards.
Unexpectedly, they actually got involved with Xianleju!
"Where did they go?" Grandpa He asked.
"The frontier," Gu Jiao said.
Eunuch He frowned suspiciously, then gasped, "The...frontier? Isn't that—"
"Young Master!"
A woman's voice suddenly came from the end of the corridor.
The two immediately stopped talking.
A young woman dressed in green walked towards Gu Jiao. Her face was not too unfamiliar; Gu Jiao had seen her at Xianleju, but Gu Jiao had never spoken to her.
The woman in green approached Gu Jiao and bowed. "Young Master, please don't take what Miss Xi Yao said to you earlier to heart. Sister Qianxue didn't go out to entertain guests. She has indeed been away from Xianle Residence for some time, but she wasn't doing anything to betray you. She is..."
She looked around, lowered her voice, leaned closer to Gu Jiao, and whispered, "Sister Qianxue has gone out of the capital to handle matters for the head of the household."
"When did you go?" Gu Jiao asked.
The woman in green looked at the words on Gu Jiao's notebook, thought about it carefully, and shook her head, saying, "I don't remember the exact date, but it's been a while. I guess Sister Qianxue should be back soon."
Mo Qianxue is not in the capital, nor is the Dragon Shadow Guard; they both left not long ago. Could it be a coincidence?
If so, that's too much of a coincidence.
If not, did Mo Qianxue also go to the border region?
Are there any monthly passes left?
Look at my longing eyes! (⊙o⊙)
(End of this chapter)
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