The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1257 - 1257 613 Outcomes (Two Updates)

Chapter 1257: 613 Outcomes (Two Updates) Chapter 1257: 613 Outcomes (Two Updates) But speaking of Gu Changqing, he took Gu Yan out of the residence and rode on horseback to send Gu Yan back to Bishui Alley.

Both of them rode the same horse, with Gu Yan sitting in the front.

The figure of the sixteen-year-old boy could not block Gu Changqing’s line of sight; Gu Changqing gripped the reins tightly with both hands, encircling him in his arms.

Gu Yan’s excitement had faded, and now he truly felt a bit sleepy, his slender body leaning against Gu Changqing’s sturdy chest, his little head bobbing up and down as if pecking like a chicken.

Gu Changqing was both amused and exasperated, freeing one hand to wrap around his slender waist, “Feeling sleepy now?”

“Hmm?” Gu Yan murmured drowsily with a hum, then immediately straightened up, opening his eyes wide and said with great clarity, “I’m not sleepy!”

Gu Changqing saw through it but said nothing, just laughed and asked, “How did you find out those things?”

Gu Yan said proudly, “Investigated, of course. I’m so smart!”

Gu Changqing laughed at this, muttering, “And not modest at all.”

He did not ask how Gu Yan had investigated because Gu Yan had started nodding off again, but even without asking, he could guess a thing or two.

Zhuang Yuheng had moved into Bishui Alley, and Gu Yan probably found out about the incident of Zhuang Yuheng being drugged by Zhuang Yuexi inadvertently through him.

Zhuang Yuheng did not suspect that Gu Jinyu’s appearance was not coincidental, simply taking her for someone who genuinely passed by, who genuinely did not understand, and who was genuinely concerned for him.

But Gu Yan, the cunning lad, was not so easily fooled.

He might not have found definite evidence, but he pieced together all the fragments of the events, coupled with his understanding of Gu Jinyu, and roughly reconstructed the truth of that day.

Frankly, it was all guesswork.

However, judging by Gu Jinyu’s reaction, his guess was spot on.

Gu Changqing looked down at Gu Yan who had fallen asleep in his arms and said with mixed emotions, “With such a brilliant mind, why not apply it to your studies instead?”

…

The next day, Zhuang Yuheng packed his luggage and set off in the carriage headed for the frontier.

The Empress Dowager also came to Bishui Alley to see him off, and although he was not being exiled, the frontier was a harsh place, and if he wanted to protect his sisters, he couldn’t avoid enduring some hardships.

“If you can’t bear it, come back. The Capital City is your home.”

The Empress Dowager did not voice these words.

Compared to being sent to Chen Country as a hostage, Zhuang Yuheng’s journey was indeed more significant, as he was not doing it for the sake of family or anyone’s ambition but was starting a journey entirely his own with a new identity.

He would no longer rely on any power, nor would he receive any help; every step he took had to be started from scratch.

“Here, take this,” Xiao Hen said as he handed over a booklet from the Study Room, “Didn’t you want to study that book from Yan Country? I’ve organized it a bit and added some annotations.”

It was a book about the Arithmetic of Yan Country, which already had annotations, but since Zhuang Yuheng was not proficient in the Yan language, Xiao Hen had translated it into the language of Zhan Country.

Xiao Hen had been physically incapacitated these past few days, which showed that the book had been prepared in advance.

Zhuang Yuheng took the book, and said to Xiao Hen in the wheelchair, “If you can start from scratch, so can I.”

He had learned of Xiao Hen’s true identity.

Strictly speaking, it was Xiao Hen’s situation that had inspired him; if someone else could accomplish this, it meant the path was feasible, and Xiao Hen was only fourteen when he faced his ordeal.

If a fourteen-year-old Xiao Hen could do it, what reason did he have not to succeed!

Zhuang Yuheng solemnly declared, “You just wait for the day I return to the Capital City!”

Xiao Hen replied, “I’ll be watching.”

The Empress Dowager gave Zhuang Yuheng a brocaded box.

Zhuang Yuheng only opened it after he had boarded the carriage.

It was a coronet.

He would probably have to spend his twentieth birthday on the road; this was the coronet gift his aunt had prepared for him.

He wiped away the tears forming in his eyes and broke into laughter, “Thank you, Aunt.”

…

In the following days, Lord Gu plunged into his work at the Ministry of Works, and Gu Jinyu wanted to see him several times but failed to even catch a glimpse of him.

Xiao Hen had suffered superficial injuries and finally managed to remove the gauze after several days of recuperation, but Xuanping Hou was not so fortunate. His wounds were deep enough to expose the bone, and riding through the night on horseback in disobedience, followed by a blow from a tree, led to the recurrence of an old injury to his waist.

All in all, even after Xiao Hen regained his freedom and returned to Officialdom, he remained a pitiable Da Bai, confined to his wheelchair.

He couldn’t even play cards.

“Qin Fengwan.”

He was sitting in the Courtyard soaking up the sun, calling out to Princess Xinyang on the other side, who was helping Jie Kong tie his hair.

Jie Kong’s little mushroom head now had enough hair to tie a small tuft.

Princess Xinyang patiently did it for him, and he was happy to let her.