The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1237 - 1237 604 Surprise (first update)

Chapter 1237: 604 Surprise (first update) Chapter 1237: 604 Surprise (first update) Men really don’t discriminate by age when they act childishly. He purposely waited until the last second before the fuse ran out to throw it, and Gu Jiao simply couldn’t stop it in time. Accompanying the last crackle of firecrackers that night, Xiao Hen turned into a sooty black chicken.

With his hair standing on end and spewing black smoke from his mouth, Xiao Hen looked as if he had been struck by lightning.

Gu Jiao covered her eyes, “…”

In the courtyard of the Medical Hall, Hua Xiyao paced back and forth in the room, making Mo Qianxue dizzy.

“What are you doing, Hua Xiyao!” Mo Qianxue said impatiently.

Hua Xiyao shook her fan and looked toward the courtyard outside, saying, “I am waiting for news from Doctor Gu. I’ve given her so many tips, I wonder how the two of them are doing now?”

Mo Qianxue said in annoyance, “Really, you’re such a busybody!”

Hua Xiyao smiled, “How is this being a busybody? With the young master gone and Xianle Inn sealed, I’m all alone, the Official Government is still waiting for me to go to jail, Doctor Gu is the only big leg I have to cling to, and I need to hold on tight.”

Mo Qianxue said with irony, “Huh, I don’t know who it was who swore loyalty to the young master, and even accused me of being heartless and ungrateful.”

Hua Xiyao was not angry, and said with a smile, “I am not like you, I have never betrayed the young master from beginning to end. But with the person gone, surely you can’t expect me to die with him! One has to look forward in life!”

Mo Qianxue snorted coldly, “Easier said than sung.”

Hua Xiyao rolled her eyes, “I won’t argue with you, I’m off to wait for Doctor Gu! But with Doctor Gu preparing so many surprises for Master Xiao, I suppose they must be enjoying romantic moments under the moon by now, so happy that they’ve forgotten to return home.”

Mo Qianxue so wished she could sew Hua Xiyao’s mouth shut!

“Ah! Look who’s back!” Hua Xiyao saw a familiar figure flash past the back door of the Grand Hall and ran over, lifting her skirt and holding her round fan.

Mo Qianxue couldn’t help but stretch her neck to look outside.

Hua Xiyao entered the Grand Hall, grabbed a servant, and asked, “Where’s Doctor Gu? I just saw her.”

The servant blushed as Hua Xiyao grabbed his arm, “Doctor Gu is in the consulting room on the east side.”

Hua Xiyao didn’t pay attention to him and went into the consulting room where Gu Jiao was.

“Gu—”

She pushed open the door, and after uttering just one word, she choked.

Who is this… this… this little lump of coal sitting in the wheelchair?

“My dear, bear with it a little longer, it will be alright soon,” Gu Jiao squatted down to finish bandaging Xiao Hen’s injuries, which were mainly located on his left arm and left foot.

The left arm had been injured by the firecrackers and was now wrapped from hand to shoulder, turning into a mummy-like limb by Gu Jiao’s handiwork.

As for his left foot, it had been smashed and injured by a wooden post, which Gu Jiao only discovered after helping him to sit on a stone bench. He hadn’t walked at the time, so he didn’t immediately realize it.

It was only when he was about to return to the carriage after being blasted that he found his foot was also sprained.

Then there were some minor abrasions and scratches, which Gu Jiao also bandaged up and immobilized.

—Essentially another mummy-like leg.

Hua Xiyao’s body trembled.

Doctor Gu, an apology should be sincere, but yours is lethal.

Gu Jiao wheeled Xiao Hen back to Bishui Alley.

In the dead of night, the noisy alley was left with only the sound of footsteps and the creaking of the wheelchair.

Everyone at home had already gone to sleep. Without the bad brother-in-law around, little Jingkong decisively climbed into Huangfu Xian’s bed with his small pillow.

Because of Huangfu Xian, their house had been modified, and the wheelchair could easily be pushed through the door.

Gu Jiao pushed him to the door of the west room.

Thinking about what happened tonight, she felt quite sorry. She had promised to placate him, so how did it turn out like this?

She thought for a moment, bent down, and whispered in his ear, “Actually, I also prepared another surprise… ”

Before she could finish saying the word “surprise,” Xiao Hen resolutely pushed the wheelchair into the room. He turned the wheelchair around, closed the room door, bolted it, all in one go!

Then he turned back again, leaned on the wheelchair, and took a long breath, “Phew!”

No more surprises, a further shock might cost him his life.

Gu Jiao scratched her head.

Was he soothed or not soothed after all?

“Then… My dear, good night.”

She said good night to the west room, turned around, and went back to the east room.

Gu Jiao fell asleep quickly.

Since the dream about the Gu Family, Gu Jiao hadn’t dreamt for half a year, but tonight, her dreams returned.

She thought she would dream about someone she knew, but instead, it was people she didn’t recognize at all.

Or to be precise, she couldn’t make out the faces of those people at all.

It was a terrifying rainstorm that lasted for a whole day and night, causing a landslide and a mudslide. There happened to be a village at the bottom of the mountain, which was completely submerged.

Perhaps because it was a natural disaster, uninfluenced by human actions, neither delayed nor hastened, the disaster would strike the midnight of the day after tomorrow.

If it had been during the day, perhaps people could have been alert, but at midnight everyone was asleep, and not a single person from the village managed to escape.

After waking up, Gu Jiao went straight to Xiao Hen’s west room.

Xiao Hen had just woken up.

Men tend to experience a certain shy phenomenon when they wake up in the early morning, especially young men in the prime of life.

Under normal circumstances, Xiao Hen would calmly wait for it to subside before lifting the blanket and getting out of bed.

Who knew Gu Jiao would suddenly knock on the door, “My lord, are you awake? I have something to tell you.”

Xiao Hen glanced at his boastful appearance and was sent into a flutter of panic, “Wait, wait a moment!”

“My lord, it’s a bit urgent,” Gu Jiao said, “I’m coming in.”

Xiao Hen, flustered and at a loss, grabbed a pillow and covered his legs with it, staring solemnly at the door bolt.

The door bolt! The door bolt!

Was he supposed to open the door for her?

Wouldn’t that mean—

Xiao Hen looked at the door bolt, then at the pillow covering there; standing up would give him away, but staying put would prevent him from opening the door—

Click!

The door bolt fell off.

Gu Jiao looked innocent as she said, “I didn’t do it on purpose!”

Xiao Hen’s mouth twitched as he turned his face away and murmured softly, “I almost forgot her skills; I was actually worried she couldn’t open the door…”

Gu Jiao stepped inside, looking at him from the side of the bed, “How are your injuries? Is there anywhere that’s very painful or uncomfortable?”

Xiao Hen subtly pressed down on the pillow on his legs and said earnestly, “No, there’s nothing wrong, by the way, what was the urgent matter you mentioned earlier?”

Gu Jiao stated directly, “There’s going to be a heavy rain in Pingcheng Prefecture City, and there’s a high likelihood it will trigger a landslide and mudslide, putting the nearby villages at risk.”

“Pingcheng Prefecture City is a hundred miles away, how do you know it’s going to rain there?” Xiao Hen knew she understood how to read the sky, but she couldn’t observe that far, could she?

Gu Jiao pondered and said, “Would you believe me if I said I dreamed about it?”

Xiao Hen: “…”

Gu Jiao took out a map of Zhan Country and pointed to the area where the disaster would occur, “Right here.”

Xiao Hen frowned and pondered for a moment before nodding, “I understand, I will enter the palace and inform His Majesty, asking him to dispatch someone to evacuate the villagers as soon as possible.”

Gu Jiao said, “The rain will start at noon, and we need to beat the time before midnight tomorrow.”

That would be the time when the landslide brought forth the mudslides.

Gu Jiao then said, “It’s best to use homing pigeons to send the message.”

If someone traveled by land, they would be caught in the torrential rain halfway.

“Alright,” Xiao Hen agreed.

Though he didn’t know how she had come to her observation, Xiao Hen trusted her.

Gu Jiao tidied up the map, preparing to leave. Before leaving, she suddenly glanced at the pillow on Xiao Hen’s legs and said casually, “It’s just a physiological reaction, no need to cover it up.”

Xiao Hen’s eyes flickered.

Gu Jiao, “Don’t press it too hard.”

Xiao Hen: “…!!”

…

At breakfast, the whole family knew about the state of Xiao Hen’s injuries.

Xiao Hen said he hurt himself by accident, and strangely, no one was surprised.

After all, his misfortune was not a matter of a day or two. They’d been wondering why Xiao Hen hadn’t had any bad luck for quite some time, thinking perhaps his luck had changed?

Everyone looked at him and nodded in unison.

That was more like it, the familiar Sixth Master.

After breakfast, Xiao Hen took Liao Quan’s carriage to the palace.

On the way, he encountered Yujin, who was out shopping.

Yujin did not know Xiao Hen was going to the palace with urgent business. She recognized Liao Quan and called a halt to Xiao Hen’s carriage.

“Young Master Marquis.”

The two carriages coming from different directions stopped on the street, Yujin lifted the carriage curtain, and said to Xiao Hen, “Off to the palace so early? What happened to your arm? And what about your leg?”

Xiao Hen’s arm and leg were both wrapped in thick bandages.

Xiao Hen said casually, “I’m fine, just took a fall. I have to see His Majesty to report an urgent matter.”

Yujin, with worry in her voice, said, “You’re injured like that, you shouldn’t go. Let me report to Princess Xinyang.”

Princess Xinyang could also see His Majesty.

Xiao Hen said, “There’s no time. Pingcheng Prefecture City is about to experience torrential rains, which are very likely to lead to landslides. We must evacuate the villagers at the foot of the mountain quickly.”

Yujin’s brows furrowed, “Pingcheng Prefecture City? Isn’t that Prince Liang’s fiefdom?”

Xiao Hen nodded, “That’s correct.”

Yujin’s expression changed suddenly, “Oh no!”

Xiao Hen looked puzzled, “What’s wrong?”

Yujin gripped the carriage window tightly, “The Marquis has gone to Pingcheng Prefecture City!”

Xiao Hen knew that Marquis Xuanping had left but didn’t know his destination, “What’s he doing in Pingcheng Prefecture City?”

“He…”

Yujin looked around, then whispered, “He’s gone to assassinate Old King Liang!”

Xiao Hen’s expression changed as well; the location of the landslide was right on the road that led to King Liang’s estate!