Chapter 553 Merit (Second Update)
Strictly speaking, Gu Jiao can't be blamed for this.
People have conditioned reflexes. After spending several months with the old Marquis on the frontier and on the way back to the capital, Gu Jiao had gotten used to it and had long since equated seeing the old Marquis with wearing a mask.
Look, you put it on too early.
Without it, she could still be Gu Jiao; with it on... it's really hard to explain.
Gu Jiao glanced resentfully at the emperor in the room. He was good for nothing but dismantling disguises.
Why call her?
If you don't call her, her brother won't turn around, and she'll have some time to think.
...That was too hasty!
The emperor gave Gu Jiao a strange look: "Gu..."
"Little brother?"
The old Marquis stood up and walked towards Gu Jiao with a blank and uncertain look on his face.
He recognized the mask; it belonged to his younger brother. During a battle, the feathers on the mask fell off, and he personally asked someone to get two more peacock feathers to put on his brother's mask.
The newcomer was about the same size as his underling, the only difference being that he was wearing a woman's dress!
Gu Jiao's eyes darted around, and she grasped the old Marquis's hand, instantly getting into character: Big Brother!
The old marquis looked at those hands; that's how they recognized each other back at the border!
He looked into Gu Jiao's eyes again; they were eyes he recognized!
The old marquis suddenly became excited: "Young man! Is it really you?"
Gu Jiao nodded: Big Brother!
The emperor was even more bewildered.
Can anyone tell me what happened?
Why does Gu Chao call his granddaughter "little brother"?
Why did the little miracle doctor cast a kind look and make a small expression at the emperor?
The emperor was utterly bewildered!
Gu Chao held Gu Jiao's hand tightly and asked, "Little brother, why are you dressed like this?"
Gu Jiao's eyes darted around, she withdrew her hand, took out her small notebook, and quickly wrote: "Someone is chasing me, I need to disguise myself to avoid being targeted."
The old Marquis said indignantly, "Who dares to hunt down my younger brother? Is it because my military achievements are too great and have offended some people? How about this, younger brother, you move to the Marquis's residence, and I will protect you!"
Gu Jiao thought to herself, "That won't do. How can I secretly cause trouble if I move to the Marquis's mansion?"
Gu Jiao wrote solemnly, "Brother, rest assured, everything is under control."
The old marquis thought about his brother's skills and nodded thoughtfully. Within the capital, unless they faced the Dragon Shadow Guards, no one could hurt his little brother.
Even if you can't win, you can always run away!
The emperor was stunned by this unique brotherly reunion.
The old marquis, as if remembering something, asked in confusion, "By the way, young man, how did you end up in the palace?"
Gu Jiao finished writing without changing her expression, then held up the notebook: "His Majesty summons me!"
emperor:"……"
Is it acceptable to falsely convey an imperial edict in front of me?
The old Marquis, holding Gu Jiao's hand, entered the imperial study and bowed to the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, you summoned my sworn brother here to reward him, right? I knew Your Majesty was a wise ruler, always fair in rewards and punishments! It was my sworn brother who led my unfilial grandson to infiltrate the prefect's mansion and rescue me! It was my sworn brother who fought valiantly against Grand Marshal Tang, protecting the banners of Zhao and the border cities! It was my sworn brother who treated the plague, and it was my sworn brother who wiped out the remnants of the previous dynasty! I hope Your Majesty will not mistakenly reward the merits to someone else!"
emperor:"……"
The reason the old Marquis knew that his younger brother had done those things was mainly because he asked Gu Chengfeng every day where his younger brother had gone.
Gu Chengfeng couldn't fabricate anything out of thin air, so he had to tell him about Gu Jiao's whereabouts, such as Gu Jiao going to Lingguan City, Gu Jiao saving plague patients, and Gu Jiao accidentally destroying the lair of the remnants of the previous dynasty.
However, Gu Chengfeng didn't use "your granddaughter," but rather "your brother."
The old Marquis was seriously injured and had been lying in the hospital room. His information mainly came from Gu Chengfeng, and since Tang Yueshan and Gu Changqing did not reveal it, Gu Jiao's secret identity was kept tightly under wraps.
"Your Majesty, I have heard some of the rumors circulating in the cabinet and among the people, saying that Princess Ning'an has rendered great service on the frontier and should be granted the title of Protector-General Princess. I do not mean any disrespect to Princess Ning'an, but I simply do not understand what this 'merit' means! I was imprisoned in the Prefect's mansion at the time, and I know the situation there very well. Princess Ning'an did not collude with my second grandson. It was he who risked his life to break into the Prefect's mansion, it was he who led my second grandson to escape from Lingguan City, and it was he who joined forces with Grand Marshal Tang to fight off the pursuers. My safe return to Yuegu City is all thanks to my sworn brother!"
"My sworn brother defended the city and fought against the enemy, and it was also my sworn brother who saved me and the princess! Princess Ning'an put righteousness before family, and her national integrity is truly admirable. Your Majesty wishes to confer upon her the title of Princess, and I have no objection. However, the title of Protector of the Nation... is not something that everyone can bear!"
As the old marquis spoke, disregarding how dark the emperor's face had become, he lifted his robe, endured the pain, knelt down on one knee, and solemnly said, "Your humble servant humbly requests Your Majesty to confer upon Brother Gu the title of Marquis Protector of the Nation!"
emperor:"……!!"
What is all this nonsense?!
The emperor struggled to resist the urge to expose Gu Jiao's disguise. Perhaps due to his age, he became quite talkative, and the old marquis went on and on, but the gist of it all was that he wanted to grant his sworn brother a marquisate.
The emperor's lips twitched. "You really do share blessings and titles!"
After the old Marquis took his leave, Gu Jiao remained in the Imperial Study, blinking her big eyes.
The emperor took a sip of the calming tea, glanced at her, and said, "Don't even think about it. I won't grant you a marquisate!"
Gu Jiao: "Oh."
The emperor put down his teacup: "I said no, and I mean no!"
Gu Jiao shrugged: "Oh."
The emperor took a deep breath and asked, "What brings you to me?"
"Here you go." Gu Jiao took out a memorial from her bosom.
The emperor could tell from the handwriting that it was written by the old chief priest. He casually flipped through it and placed the memorial on the table.
Gu Jiao said goodbye and turned to walk outside.
The emperor watched her nonchalant little figure as she walked away, clenched his fist, and gritted his teeth, saying, "I am the emperor, and my word is law! If I don't bestow a title, I don't bestow a title!"
Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow: Oh.
...
Medical clinic.
Mo Qianxue was still not allowed to get out of bed, so she leaned against the headboard and braided a red rope, feeling bored.
Xiao Jiangli came to work at the clinic. She looked at the red string in Mo Qianxue's hand and said, "Sister Mo, that's not how you braid a red string!"
Mo Qianxue choked for a moment, then said, "How can it not be? I think you just made that up!"
Xiao Jiangli handed her the red rope she had braided: "You need to hook your middle finger around this line, and then wrap your index finger inwards, not outwards."
Mo Qianxue muttered, "Why is it so complicated?"
It's much harder than learning martial arts!
Xiao Jiangli said understandingly, "If Sister Mo doesn't want to make up this, we can play something else."
Mo Qianxue stubbornly insisted, "No, I want this one!"
Xiao Jiangli sighed, "Alright then, I'll take it apart and re-weave it for you from the beginning."
God knows this is the eleventh time Xiao Jiangli has taken it apart.
Mo Qianxue's hands, which were praised by the head of the household as the masters of hidden weapons, couldn't even weave a single rope. Mo Qianxue herself was quite angry!
"Sister Mo, watch closely."
Xiao Jiangli stopped sitting on the stool and instead lay on the bed, holding up the red rope with two fingers. Just as she tied a knot, a hidden weapon broke through the window and shot straight at Xiao Jiangli's shoulder.
Mo Qianxue's eyes flickered, and she caught the hidden weapon in a flash!
Unexpectedly, the hidden weapon contained sleeping powder. Xiao Jiangli inhaled it into her mouth and nose, and soon fell asleep on Mo Qianxue's body.
This dosage is useless for Mo Qianxue.
Mo Qianxue threw the hidden weapon back out the window.
There was a muffled thud; the hidden weapon had struck something.
Soon, the window was pulled open from the outside, and Hua Xiyao leaped in.
She pulled the hidden weapon from the handle of her fan and said slowly with a smile, "I was just joking with you, sister. Why are you so angry? If I really wanted to kill her, I wouldn't have used sleeping potion, but poison."
"What are you doing here again?" Mo Qianxue asked coldly.
Hua Xiyao shook her fan and smiled charmingly, "I've come to tell you, sister, the three-day deadline is up. When exactly are you planning to make your move on her?"
Mo Qianxue said without changing her expression, "Go and tell the young master that once my injuries have healed, I will naturally have the strength to fight again."
Hua Xiyao sneered: "It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. Are you planning to stay in bed until next year? Could it be that you're too soft-hearted to do it? You're living the life of a noble lady here, without having to be a courtesan or fawn over those stinky men. You must be... hopelessly addicted to this kind of life, right?"
Mo Qianxue retorted without any politeness, "When have I ever tried to please those stinky men? Don't try to apply your Hua Xiyao's methods to me!"
Hua Xiyao's face darkened: "Young Master told me to tell you that the plan has changed. Within three days, lure her out of the capital!"
(End of this chapter)
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