End of Chapter 248 (First Update)
In the next room, Gu Jiao had just treated Xiao Jingkong's injuries. He didn't have any physical injuries, but his heart was broken.
He was heartbroken when his long hair, which he had grown for several years, was suddenly gone. He couldn't show it in front of others, but he couldn't hold back anymore when he was in Gu Jiao's arms. He sat up in a ball, looking aggrieved, with his little head drooping.
He pressed his little hands to his head, and said tearfully, "My hair... my hair is all gone again..."
Gu Jiao said, "It will grow. I'll make you a few more sesame balls later, and I'll also wash your hair with he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum) to make your hair grow faster."
"Mmm." Xiao Jingkong nodded coquettishly.
Gu Jiao looked at his bald head and asked, "Does it still hurt?"
The little guy actually used an iron head technique he'd never practiced before; it was absolutely terrifying!
"It hurts, I need to blow on it." Xiao Jingkong patted his little bald head.
Gu Jiao gently blew on it for him.
Little Jingkong nestled contentedly in Gu Jiao's arms, burying his head in the crook of her neck, bubbling with happiness.
Gu Jiao recalled the scene when she first brought the little guy back to the clinic.
At that time, the little guy didn't know that Ming'er had misunderstood their relationship and thought he was really the son of Princess Yu. He said to Princess Yu with difficulty and solemnity, "I'm sorry, although you are my mother, I still can't go back with you. I want to be with Jiaojiao. Jiaojiao took care of me, and I want to take care of Jiaojiao too."
Who really saved whom?
Gu Jiao kissed the little guy's bald head.
"Jiaojiao, did you just kiss me?" the little one asked softly, with a hint of anticipation.
"Yes, I kissed you," Gu Jiao nodded.
Little Jingkong was so shy that he grabbed Gu Jiao's clothes with both hands and buried his head in Gu Jiao's arms, turning himself into a little mimosa.
Meanwhile, in another room of the clinic, Prince Yu and Xiao Liulang were thanking Liu Yisheng, the hero who had intervened in the accident.
When Ming'er was knocked unconscious by a stick, Liu Yisheng happened to be nearby. Liu Yisheng did not know Ming'er, but he had seen Xiao Jingkong and Gu Jiao together from afar. This was something that Gu Jiao herself probably did not know.
Liu Yisheng was a frail scholar, so it was impossible for him to win a few rounds against the beggars, but he was Liu Yisheng.
With just the words "I, Liu Yisheng, am here," he seemed to wish that half the capital would come and beat him up.
He pointed at the middle-aged man and the flower seller named Lao Li: "These are my newly sworn brothers, my eldest and second eldest brothers. With them here, you all must not hurt me!"
Then Hanako got beaten up!
Liu Yisheng took the two children back to the clinic.
That's the whole story.
Xiao Liulang and Prince Yu had only heard of Liu Yisheng but had never met him. They knew he was a descendant of Consort Liu's maternal family and that he had suffered hardship in the capital due to Consort Liu and her family's misfortunes.
Unexpectedly, it was he who saved the two children.
Prince Yu personally presented a gift of gratitude: "Many thanks to Young Master Liu for saving my son. This is just a small token of my appreciation. I hope you will accept it."
Liu Yisheng was desperately short of money, so he didn't refuse and accepted it generously.
Prince Yu was very satisfied. He didn't like owing favors to others, so the fact that the other party accepted the gift meant that the other party had the same intention.
He couldn't help but glance at the other person a few more times: "I've heard about your situation in the capital. Would you be willing to go to Liang?"
The Liu family initially allied with the Chen Kingdom, not the Liang Kingdom. There wasn't a particularly sensitive political relationship between Liu Yisheng and Prince Yu's mansion. Even if there were, Prince Yu's abilities would have been sufficient to protect Liu Yisheng.
Liu Yisheng replied, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I... do not wish to leave yet."
Liu Yisheng is straightforward in both his speech and actions, which makes him much better than those hypocritical and polite young people.
Prince Yu didn't ask Liu Yisheng what was still worth staying for in the capital given his current situation. After expressing his gratitude, he went to the next room to visit Ming'er.
So only Xiao Liulang and Liu Yisheng remained in the room.
Xiao Liulang naturally wanted to express his gratitude. He had recently earned some money writing articles for others, which he planned to give to Gu Jiao. It wouldn't hurt to use it as payment for now.
In addition to the payment, he also took two books that Feng Lao had left him, and put them in the brocade box.
But to his surprise, Liu Yisheng refused.
"Why?" Xiao Liulang looked at him in confusion.
Liu Yisheng looked at Xiao Liulang and said, "Doctor Gu treated my illness by either reducing or waiving the consultation fee. I owe Doctor Gu a favor, so I cannot accept your gift of gratitude."
Xiao Liulang took another look at Liu Yisheng—aside from being a little pale, he had handsome features, red lips and white teeth, and was indeed a good-looking man.
So, one Prince An wasn't enough, so Liu Yisheng came along?
Xiao Liulang's eyes suddenly turned cold!
Liu Yisheng: "..."
Ming'er's injuries were quite serious. That blow almost broke his spine, but although his spine was saved, his spleen ruptured.
After Xiao Jingkong fell asleep in Gu Jiao's arms, Gu Jiao put Xiao Jingkong on the bed, pulled the blanket over him, and turned to go next door to check on Ming'er's condition.
Ming'er has also fallen asleep.
Princess Yu's eyes were red and swollen. Ever since Ming'er told her not to cry after she said that her younger brother had been found, her tears had not stopped.
It's heartache, it's self-blame, but it's also a sense of satisfaction and happiness in being deeply loved.
The pain of losing her child seemed to fade away. Looking at the child who had almost lost his life for her, she suddenly felt that being his mother was the greatest honor of her life.
“Miss Gu, thank you so much this time… thank you for saving Ming’er again…” Princess Yu stood up to thank Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao stopped her from bowing and shook her head slightly: "No need to thank me, the one who truly saved him is you."
During Gu Jiao's surgery, Ming'er experienced a critical situation of severe bleeding and needed an emergency blood transfusion.
Unfortunately, Ming'er had the extremely rare Rh-negative blood type, and no one present matched his blood type except for Princess Yu.
It was Princess Yu who gave Ming'er a second life.
Gu Jiao said solemnly, "From now on, your blood will flow in his veins too."
Princess Yu nodded, her voice choked with emotion, and bent down to touch Ming'er's forehead with her own, two hot tears falling.
Even without this, he will always be her son.
...
Ming'er is recuperating in Gu Jiao's courtyard.
After school, Xiao Jingkong would come to the clinic to keep him company. Clearly, the two who had gone through the ordeal together had become true brothers in adversity.
Even though Xiao Jingkong already knows he is not his biological brother, it does not hinder the revolutionary friendship that has developed between the two.
Ming'er speaks Zhaoguo dialect very well, but Xiao Jingkong's Liangguo dialect is still lacking. Ming'er often tutors him.
With the language environment, Xiao Jingkong's Liang dialect has improved a lot.
On this day, Xiao Jingkong accompanied Ming'er to bask in the sun in the courtyard.
Ming'er suddenly said to Xiao Jingkong, "I want to be a general when I grow up. What about you?"
Xiao Jingkong thought for a moment, then said seriously, "I want to study and become the top scholar!"
Ming'er said dejectedly, "If only you could be a general too! If our two countries ever go to war, I would retreat thirty miles for you!"
Xiao Jingkong was successfully led astray by him. He imagined himself leading troops and patted his chest, saying, "Then I won't kill your soldiers!"
April arrived in the blink of an eye, and Ming'er's injuries gradually healed, while the negotiations between the two countries came to an end.
Although Prince Yu no longer demanded the child, he did not take back the glassmaking technique; instead, he gave it to Zhao Kingdom as an equivalent exchange.
As for unequal bilateral trade, there is not much room for compromise. Favor is favor, and politics is politics. Besides, the favor is Gu Jiao's personal behavior and has nothing to do with the court.
Prince Yu is an excellent politician. He would never act impulsively on a whim. The glassmaking technology was already his biggest concession. Even this was done without prior consultation, and he would be scolded by the king when he returned.
To be honest, the emperor was quite surprised by the result. There was no doubt that Liang Kingdom had come to take a cut. Back then, a single water-powered drainage technology had been exchanged for three mines of varying sizes from Zhao Kingdom. In comparison, this year's move was rather lenient.
The world was divided into six kingdoms: Yan, Liang, and Jin were the superior kingdoms, while Zhao, Chen, and Zhao were the inferior kingdoms. There was also a Turkic state, but none of the six kingdoms recognized it as a separate entity.
In recent years, the State of Chen has maintained good relations with the State of Jin, and its relations with the other states have not been too bad. The State of Zhao cannot afford to lose its relationship with the State of Liang, otherwise it will become isolated and helpless.
By the end of early April, the Liang envoy's journey in the capital had also come to an end.
The emperor personally saw off the Liang envoys in the Golden Palace, after which the crown prince and the Marquis of Xuanping escorted the Liang envoys out of the capital.
Before setting off, Ming'er went to the clinic.
He has had his stitches removed. Although he can't jump around much, his recovery has been quite fast, and he can get out of bed and move around without any problems.
He came to say goodbye to his younger brother.
"If you ever go to Liang Kingdom in the future, remember to visit me at Prince Yu's residence. I'll treat you to something delicious!"
After learning that Xiao Jingkong had an insatiable appetite, Ming'er categorized him as a foodie.
Xiao Jingkong: Actually, the real foodie in the family is my great-aunt.
"This is for you!" Ming'er gave her most beloved little curved knife to Xiao Jingkong.
This is no ordinary scimitar; it was a gift he picked up during his first birthday celebration. People in Liang Kingdom value gifts from a baby's first birthday celebration very much and generally don't give them away easily.
Xiao Jingkong was actually a bit confused. He was a scholar, so what did he need a knife for? He wouldn't be able to use it later.
However, since it was Ming'er's brother's kind gesture, he happily accepted it, and then planned to give Ming'er's brother a gift in return.
To avoid the same situation as his brother Ming'er, he opened his small box and let his brother Ming'er choose for himself.
"Pick whatever you like!"
Xiao Jingkong's things were mostly broken and tattered, and placed in a mess. Gu Jiao had tidied them up, but Xiao Jingkong messed them up again in just a few days. For Ming'er, a prince who was used to gold, silver and jade, it was a complete disaster.
Ming'er suddenly felt a lot of sympathy for her younger brother.
My younger brother's family is too poor; they can't even afford a decent toy.
When he returns to China, he will definitely send his younger brother the best toys.
In order not to hurt her younger brother's self-esteem, Ming'er resisted the urge to quickly close the box and chose the most inconspicuous little box instead.
He decided not to take any of the larger, junk items inside, thinking that his younger brother might be able to exchange them for some money later.
Ming'er felt that giving him only a curved sword wasn't enough, so he asked the eunuch, "Do you have any silver on you?"
“Yes, I brought it,” the eunuch said.
"Give it to me! Give it all to me!" Ming'er robbed the eunuch of his silver, took out a yellowed old piece of paper from the box, put the silver note in, and kept the box for her younger brother, just in case the box could be sold for some money.
Afterwards, Ming'er reluctantly bid farewell to Xiao Jingkong.
After that, the family embarked on their journey back to the Liang Kingdom.
The visit of the Liang Kingdom's envoy had a huge impact on the Zhao Kingdom, but for the common people, it only provided them with more topics of conversation. Of course, in the near future, they might personally experience this change.
This year, Zhao Kingdom held its spring imperial examinations, and the two sides inevitably discussed the issue of the imperial examinations. Liang Kingdom's imperial examination system was much more complete than Zhao Kingdom's, not only because Liang Kingdom had a military examination, but also because Liang Kingdom did not test the eight-legged essay, but instead included mathematics, law, agriculture, and astronomy.
This greatly broadens the comprehensive abilities of talents. If we were to use Gu Jiao's words from her previous life, it would be roughly equivalent to taking both arts and science exams together, meaning that it's not only arts students who have a future.
Of course, the Four Books and Five Classics still account for the largest proportion.
The emperor thought this imperial examination system was quite good. He was fond of astronomy and mathematics, and perhaps the Zhao Kingdom could emulate it in the future.
The old marquis has officially resigned from his post, and the matter of receiving envoys is no longer his concern. He has been recuperating quietly in his residence these days.
After getting drunk last time, the old Marquis remembered what he had promised at the dinner table. He was filled with remorse. How could he have acted so impulsively and told his son to call someone "Dad"?
That young guy is really something, how can he have such a strange hobby at such a young age?
But a gentleman's word is as good as his bond, and Gu Chao is a man of his word; he absolutely cannot break his promise!
Therefore, on the first day after Lord Gu recovered, the old lord stepped into his room with a friendly expression.
This was the first time Lord Gu had seen his father since he had been beaten up by him, and he was quite surprised.
He cupped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "Father!"
"Hmm." The old marquis cleared his throat deeply and asked, "How are your injuries? Have you fully recovered?"
Is his dad here to show concern for him?
Lord Gu was flattered and said, "I'm much better! I'm sorry to have worried you, Father. It's all my fault."
I'm not worried about you.
The old marquis coughed lightly again and said, "I've come... to tell you something. I... have found you a father."
Well?
Lord Gu was completely bewildered.
No, I could understand finding me a mother, but what's with finding me a father? Have you become so tasteless as you get older? What's with this disrespect for elders?!
The old marquis realized he had misspoke and quickly corrected himself, saying, "I've given you a father."
This isn't much better than the previous statement. That's why they say military generals are clumsy with words. If the old chief priest were here, he would definitely have a hundred ways to say it beautifully and clearly.
"I've become sworn brothers with him! By seniority, you're his son, so you have to call him 'Dad'!"
The old lord simply took the man to see his brother.
Gu Jiao told the old Marquis that her surname was Gu, but she used to be surnamed Li at the martial arts school. She made a mistake a few times afterward, and she got tired of hiding her surname, so she just kept using the surname Gu.
There are many people with the surname Gu in the capital. The old Marquis not only did not suspect anything, but also felt that the two were very destined to be together—both had the surname Gu and had even become sworn brothers. Such a connection was hard to find even with a lantern!
The old Marquis and Gu Jiao communicated through the Taihe Martial Arts School. They would leave letters and replies at the school. The old Marquis left a letter for Gu Jiao, inviting her to meet at the teahouse the next evening. He would bring his unfilial son.
Gu Jiao quickly replied to him.
The letter contained only one word: Okay.
After finishing her work at the clinic, Gu Jiao changed into a young master's outfit, put on a flamboyant peacock feather mask, and happily went to the teahouse!
Today, someone will be calling me "Dad".
Gu Jiao waited quietly in the teahouse's private room, her legs dangling restlessly in front of the chair, a little excited.
The old Marquis was a punctual man, and he didn't keep Gu Jiao waiting for too long.
He led Lord Gu to the second floor of the teahouse.
"Young Master Gu is right here," the waiter said with a grin.
"Gu? Father? Your sworn brother also has the surname Gu?" Lord Gu felt something was off!
The old marquis glared at him: "Don't offend them later."
"I know, I know, how could I dare offend your sworn brother?" The old marquis said this all the way, as if he was afraid that he was being ignorant and might do something wrong to the man.
What a joke! He's a marquis, after all, and has been navigating the officialdom for many years. How could he not know how to deal with people?
It's just calling someone "Dad," isn't it?
Godfather and adoptive father are both fathers; they're his father's brothers, so it's not a loss to call them that!
creak—
The old lord pushed open the door and said in a refreshed manner, "Brother Gu, your elder brother is here!"
"Little brother?" Shouldn't I call him "older brother"?
Lord Gu had imagined a little old man about the same age as his own father, but when he entered the house, he saw a young boy as white as jade.
The young boy was also wearing a flashy peacock feather mask.
Lord Gu was completely dumbfounded!
He's going to call this kid... "Dad"?
Gu Jiao could hardly contain her excitement. She sat up straight, opened her eyes wide, and looked at Lord Gu.
Shout! Shout!
(End of this chapter)
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