Chapter 825 The Tyrant's Darling Has Arrived! (Two Updates)
As Gu Jiao came out of Fengyuan, she caught a glimpse of a small figure peeking out from behind a big tree.
Gu Jiao walked over: "Jingkong?"
Xiao Jingkong was stunned for a moment, scratched his head and came out: "Ah, I've been discovered."
Gu Jiao patted his little head: "Were you waiting for me?"
"Hmm...hmm!" Xiao Jingkong hesitated for a moment, then nodded seriously in agreement.
He raised his tender little face, his big eyes blinking as he looked at Gu Jiao. His thick, curled eyelashes made him look like a little eyelash fairy.
"Jiaojiao, are you going to war again?"
With a pained and reluctant heart, he asked, "Why do you always have to go to war?"
Gu Jiao didn't know how to answer this question either.
She knelt down on one knee in front of him and suddenly realized that Xiao Jingkong had finally grown taller. Before, she could easily see the top of his head from this position, but now she could really look him in the eye.
I can watch you grow up.
very nice.
Gu Jiao removed a leaf that had fallen on his shoulder and said softly, "Everyone has their own responsibilities. Saving lives and protecting the country are all duties."
Little Jingkong seemed to understand, but after thinking for a moment, he clenched his little fist and said, "Then my duty must be to protect Jiaojiao! I want to learn martial arts! I want to grow up! So that I can go to war in the future! Jiaojiao won't have to go!"
Gu Jiao patted his little head and said with a smile, "War is not fun."
Xiao Jingkong frowned and said, "But fighting is hard, and I don't want Jiaojiao to suffer!"
Gu Jiao said, "I'm not tired."
Xiao Jingkong couldn't bear to part with her, and was so aggrieved that he almost cried.
Gu Jiao hugged him for a while before coaxing him back to his room to sleep.
Once the little one had fallen asleep, Gu Jiao took a carriage to the Imperial Preceptor's Hall.
In the bamboo grove, the Imperial Preceptor was playing chess in the main hall.
With the downfall of the Crown Prince and the Han family, the truth about the fake king came to light, and the Imperial Preceptor's Hall was naturally cleared and the blockade lifted.
Master Meng has passed away; the Grand Preceptor is now playing chess with himself.
The disciples who were on duty had gone to run errands, and Ye Qing knelt to the side, respectfully waiting for his master's instructions.
"I'm not playing anymore." The Grand Preceptor suddenly put the chess piece back into the chess box.
Ye Qing quickly moved over and sorted the black and white chess pieces, then put the chessboard back in place.
Just then, Yu He's voice came from outside the courtyard: "Master, Lord Xiao has arrived."
"Let him in," said the Grand Preceptor.
Gu Jiao entered the small bamboo house.
It was already late, and feather fan-shaped glass lanterns were hung under the eaves. The transparency of this glass was almost the same as that of the glass from the previous life, and it was clear that it far surpassed the craftsmanship of Liang Kingdom.
"When was it hung up? It looks really nice," Gu Jiao said.
"It was hung up for the Moon Worship Festival." Ye Qing invited Gu Jiao into the house. "It's usually hung up until the end of the month before being taken down."
The Moon Worship Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is a traditional custom in Dayan, which involves admiring the moon and hanging lanterns.
Gu Jiao knelt down opposite the Grand Preceptor: "Grand Preceptor, you've had a hard time descending to the mortal realm, yet you still celebrate such a folk festival."
The Imperial Advisor glanced at her speechlessly.
"Play a game of chess with me." He decided not to argue with her.
"Okay."
I'll play a game with you, considering how long I've misunderstood you.
Ye Qing took out the chessboard that she had painstakingly tidied up and rearranged it, then brewed a pot of fruit tea.
The fruit tea has a natural fruity aroma, but it's not too sweet, which suits Gu Jiao's taste perfectly.
"You play black," said the Grand Preceptor.
“Okay.” Gu Jiao did not refuse. She played black and made the first move, placing a stone at the small eye point in the upper right corner of the board.
The Grand Preceptor looked at the chess piece, his expression momentarily dazed.
"Why aren't you logging off?" Gu Jiao blinked and asked. "You don't mean you don't know how, do you?"
"Who says I can't do it?" The Grand Preceptor aloofly picked up a white piece and placed it on the chessboard.
"I'm here to pick up my first-aid kit," Gu Jiao said, "and also to say goodbye."
During this time, Gu Changqing secretly practiced the pirated assassin's manual in the intensive care unit. Gu Jiao turned a blind eye and kept the small medicine box in the secret room.
Now that Gu Changqing has left, it's time for her to set off with her little medicine kit.
The Imperial Advisor snorted, "You still come to say goodbye to me? That's rare."
Gu Jiao left a comment: "Why not clarify?"
The Grand Preceptor paused for a moment, his hand holding the chess piece still.
The question seemed abrupt and left Ye Qing completely bewildered, but after a brief moment of thought, the Grand Preceptor understood what Gu Jiao was referring to.
“There’s no need,” he said.
The tragedy of the Xuanyuan family has already occurred, and it cannot be recovered by simply saying that I did not leak the information.
Moreover, it was indeed his oversight back then that allowed a spy from the State of Jin to infiltrate the Imperial Preceptor's Hall and become his most trusted disciple.
The Grand Preceptor didn't ask her how she knew the truth. After placing a piece, he said calmly, "Tianshan Pass and Yanmen Pass are not far apart. You may encounter the armies of Jin and Liang on your way. Be careful of Gongsun Yu of Jin and Chu Feipeng of Liang. Both of them are generals with outstanding military achievements."
In the dream, the Seven Sons of Xuanyuan, Daoist Qingfeng, and Mu Qingchen all perished at the hands of Gongsun Yu!
As for Chu Feipeng, he was also a tough opponent. He led a large army to besiege the Black Wind Cavalry, who were trapped in Liangshan. The Black Wind Cavalry fought to the last man, and finally all of them died under the arrow rain of Chu's army.
Even if the Imperial Advisor didn't say anything, she would pay extra attention to them.
The Imperial Advisor's words prove that he genuinely cared for her.
"I'll be careful," Gu Jiao said.
The Imperial Advisor was used to seeing her always leave people speechless, so her sudden docility left him at a loss for what to do.
"You lost," Gu Jiao said, looking at the chessboard.
Ye Qing was slightly taken aback and craned his neck to look at the chessboard between the two.
It's true, the Imperial Advisor lost.
Ye Qing was even more surprised.
Master's chess skills were superb, unmatched by Master Meng, yet he still lost to Xiao Liulang.
Judging from the battle on the chessboard, there was no situation where the master gave away a piece.
Therefore, Xiao Liulang's chess skills were truly superb.
Ye Qing looked at his master again. There was no surprise in his master's eyes, as if it was something he had expected.
Master...did you play chess with Xiao Liulang? Or did you learn about Xiao Liulang's chess skills from Old Master Meng?
Ye Qing was increasingly unable to understand the relationship between her master and Xiao Liulang.
Sometimes, he had the illusion that they had known each other for a long time.
Gu Jiao stood up: "Alright, the game of chess is over, I should go now. The safety of Shengdu—I'll leave it to the Imperial Preceptor."
The Grand Preceptor calmly replied, "Very well."
This was her third purpose in coming to the Imperial Preceptor's Hall: to get the Imperial Preceptor to promise to protect the overall situation in Shengdu.
Everyone left, and Shengdu became an empty shell.
The Grand Preceptor and Xuanyuan Li are good friends, and the Grand Preceptor Hall was founded by the Shadow Lord of the Xuanyuan family. No one can say for sure how much loyalty the Grand Preceptor truly has to the King.
Therefore, Gu Jiao needs his personal guarantee.
The Grand Preceptor stared intently at Gu Jiao: "I will defend Shengdu and wait for your return."
Gu Jiao waved her finger gracefully and stepped into the boundless night.
As the autumn wind rises, it blows into the purple bamboo grove, causing the glass lanterns under the eaves to gently rotate and sway.
In the study, the portrait of a general dressed in black armor and holding a red-tasseled spear was blown open with a snap.
This time, however, the person in the portrait has a face.
...
After leaving the Imperial Preceptor's Hall, Gu Jiao returned to the Duke's Mansion. After packing her things, she had to go to the military camp, as she would be setting off with the army the next morning.
Duke Anguo was waiting for her at the entrance of Fengyuan Courtyard, while Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun were also peeking at her from inside the house.
Duke Anguo came to say goodbye to Gu Jiao. Gu Jiao was going to the battlefield, and he was leaving as well. On the surface, he was going to negotiate, but in reality, he was there to cover for his great-aunt and great-uncle, and also to meet Xiao Heng's biological father.
He needs to meet his future in-laws to see what kind of people they are.
He had heard it all from Gu Chengfeng: Xiao Heng had married her under another person's identity, so strictly speaking, the marriage was invalid.
The two families still need to discuss the marriage arrangements carefully.
The two didn't say much about parting. Gu Jiao gave him some instructions on rehabilitation on his journey, and he told Gu Jiao to take good care of herself.
Gu Jiao said, "I will. I'm waiting to see you stand up."
A smile flickered in the eyes of the Duke of Anguo, and he wrote on the armrest: "Definitely."
I will definitely stand up and send you off on your wedding in style.
So you must come back safely.
...
Neither Gu Yan nor Gu Xiaoshun wanted to leave.
The two young men said they wanted to stay in Shengdu and wait for Gu Jiao to win the battle before returning to Zhao together.
Gu Jiao disagreed: "If I leave, your brother-in-law will leave, and your great-aunt and great-uncle will leave too. Who will take care of you? Not to mention Master Nan and Master Lu, it's already a great favor that they came all this way. We can't trouble them any further."
Gu Yan said, "We can take care of ourselves!"
For the first time, Gu Xiaoshun disobeyed his sister: "That's right! We're adults now!"
Gu Jiao pinched their cheeks: "Adults? They're still green as beards, hmph."
Gu Yan: "I'm only half a day younger than you!"
Gu Jiao had made up her mind; the three little men had to go back to Zhao Kingdom with their great-aunt and great-uncle.
Gu Yan said with a frustrated look, "If you don't want us to stay, at least take this with you."
After saying that, he took out a mechanism box and placed it on the table.
"And mine too." Gu Xiaoshun took out his as well.
These were the life-saving hidden weapons that Master Lu had made for the two of them. Last time, they secretly placed them by Gu Jiao's pillow, but Gu Jiao put them back.
Gu Jiao squinted at the two of them: "You two have even learned how to negotiate? Who taught you these talking techniques?"
If they had asked her to accept this from the beginning, she definitely would have refused.
But they made an even more outrageous request first, which made this small request seem insignificant in comparison.
Gu Yan raised an eyebrow and snorted: "No one taught him, he's self-taught and exceptionally talented."
Gu Jiao's lips twitched. It seems you two have been eavesdropping on our mischief these past few days. You've learned all these little tricks!
Gu Jiao eventually accepted it.
Only in this way can they feel a little more at ease.
After packing her things, Gu Jiao went to her aunt's house one last time.
My great-aunt is asleep.
Gu Jiao didn't wake her up. She walked over and gently placed a jar of pickled candied fruit on her aunt's table.
Then she went to the bedside and whispered in her sleeping aunt's ear, "You can only eat three a day, no more. I'll come back after you've finished them all."
The August night was slightly chilly.
After pulling the blanket up for her aunt, Gu Jiao tiptoed out of the room.
The armor made a scraping sound, so she quickly pressed it down, glanced back at her aunt, let out a soft breath, and turned to close the door.
In the darkness, Empress Dowager Zhuang slowly opened her eyes.
Her eyes reddened.
A tear rolled down her cheek, and she closed her eyes as if nothing had happened.
...
At the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), the Black Wind Camp began to break camp.
Fifty thousand cavalrymen are about to embark on their westward journey.
The imperial edict to set out on the expedition was issued only three days ago, but Gu Jiao had ordered the troops to prepare to break camp ten days in advance. Therefore, everything was already prepared. Among all the armies, the Black Wind Camp was the most unhurried and orderly.
Gu Jiao arrived at her tent, where Hu Shiye was already waiting. Upon seeing her, Hu Shiye walked over with small, quick steps.
Even as the weather turned cooler, he still kept the palm-leaf fan in his hand.
He cupped his hands in a salute and said, "Sir, the six commanders just came to report that the three battalions have all assembled and are ready to receive your orders at any time."
Gu Jiao said, "Take me to see it."
Master Hu hurriedly replied, "Yes."
All the training grounds were occupied by warhorses and cavalry, with 10,000 vanguard troops, 25,000 assault troops, and 15,000 reserve troops.
The reserve battalion mainly consisted of supplies, logistics, medical personnel, and backup Black Wind Cavalry.
Due to the disparity in troop strength, even some Black Wind Cavalry members under the age of three were brought along, the youngest being only two and a half years old.
The horse trainer's face darkened when he saw Gu Jiao approaching.
Clearly, he strongly opposed this arrangement.
Master Hu coughed lightly and explained, "There's no other way. There's too much baggage. In order to maximize the combat effectiveness of the adult horses, the foals have to pull the supplies."
The two-and-a-half-year-old horse was already capable of working, but this was no ordinary work; it was a long-distance raid, fraught with unknown dangers.
They may go and never come back.
The foals were excited, bouncing and leaping behind the horse king, unaware of what awaited them.
Gu Jiao took a deep look at the ponies that were jumping around and said, "Keep the ponies under three years old."
Horse King: "...!!"
The horse trainer looked at Gu Jiao in surprise.
Gu Jiao seemed oblivious to his gaze, patted Ma Wang's neck, and turned to inspect the other camps.
She could feel the unfamiliar looks people were giving her. Even though she had taken the position of commander, she had not been truly accepted and recognized by them.
They obeyed her orders not out of respect for her, but simply because obeying orders was their duty.
Gu Jiao finished her inspection at dawn.
After autumn arrives, the darkness of the night fades less, but the sky remains pitch black.
Gu Jiao and Black Wind King stood in the howling wind. She patted the armor on Black Wind King's horse and asked softly, "Are you ready, boss?"
The sixteen-year-old Black Wind King unleashed his full power and fighting spirit.
The warhorses on the training field sensed the Black Wind King's fighting spirit, as if they were instantly summoned with boundless fighting will; their eyes and breathing were different.
The cavalrymen looked at their mounts with some surprise.
This situation... has never occurred before.
However, this is not the most shocking thing.
Then, the newly appointed Commander Xiao took something off Black Wind King's saddle and reached out to Hu, the advisor beside him.
"Bring the flagpole."
Gu Jiao said.
"Yes, yes!
Hu Shiye hurriedly handed over the prepared empty flagpole with both hands, "Sir, here you go. You mentioned it to me last time, and I've already prepared it."
He didn't really understand why the adults wanted a flagpole.
The banners of the Great Yan Kingdom were already being carried by the vanguard cavalry, weren't they?
The next second, Gu Jiao snapped open the cloth in her hand!
No, that's not cloth!
It's a banner!
Black border, white background, with an eagle soaring through the sky in the center!
"The eagle...it's the eagle flag!"
Within the cavalry ranks, someone couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
The Flying Eagle was originally the emblem of the Black Wind Camp, and later it gradually evolved into the emblem of the entire Xuanyuan family, while the Flying Eagle Flag also became the command flag of the Xuanyuan family.
Since the Xuanyuan family was destroyed, all the Flying Eagle Flags have also been destroyed.
Gu Jiao attached the banner to the flagpole, gripped the flagpole with both hands, and nimbly mounted her horse.
She didn't say a single unnecessary word; she simply shouldered the banner of the Xuanyuan family with a resolute look in her eyes.
The eyes of the former subordinates of the Xuanyuan family all welled up with tears.
A sixty-year-old general, sitting on horseback, suddenly burst into tears.
"Wenren Chong, we're leaving, what are you looking at!"
Outside the reserve camp, a soldier reminded Wenren Chong, who was staring blankly into space.
Wenren Chong did not answer.
He stared blankly at the boy on horseback.
The boy's shoulders were still very tender, but he resolutely took up the banner of the Xuanyuan family.
He shouldered a burden too heavy for his age; he was going to defend the land that the Xuanyuan family had protected with their blood.
And what am I doing?!
Wenren Chong, what are you doing!
"Wenren Chong, stand up! Don't lose to me! I'm only sixteen. Aren't you ashamed to lose to me?!"
"Wenren Chong, I, Xuanyuan Sheng, am not someone who looks up to just anyone. You'd better not betray my trust!"
"Wenren Chong, do you even have eyes?! An arrow is practically aimed at your head! Don't you know how to dodge?!"
"Wenren Chong...fight your way out...don't...die here..."
Wenren Chong's memories surged, and for a moment he couldn't distinguish between Xuanyuan Sheng and the boy on horseback.
The Xuanyuan family's banner fluttered in the wind under the sunlight, making a strong, resonant sound.
Gu Jiao said solemnly, "All Black Wind Riders, listen to my command! We will accompany the Crown Princess on this expedition, ordered to quell the rebellion! The risks of this journey are unknown, and our lives are uncertain. Those who do not wish to go may stay! I will not punish them!"
Not a single person stayed!
Gu Jiao withdrew her gaze, raised the commander's flag high in her hand, and her eyes were full of murderous intent: "Let's go!"
This part was a bit difficult to write; I was stuck in writer's block and suffered from insomnia to the point of questioning my existence.
Want a couple of monthly passes to cheer me on?
(End of this chapter)
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