The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1344 - 1344 654 taels of the second watch_3

Chapter 1344: 654 taels of the second watch_3 Chapter 1344: 654 taels of the second watch_3 Nangong Li’s eight guards converged from different directions, ultimately pinpointing this carriage.

The coachman was absent.

The guards exchanged a wary glance with one another, and one of them called out, “Who’s in the carriage? Come out!”

Mu Qingchen gave Gu Jiao a look, gesturing with his eyes for her to pull open the hidden compartment under the seat.

Gu Jiao did as instructed and found a set of brand-new women’s clothes that seemed to belong to Su Xue from their style.

“If you don’t come out now, we will take action!” the guard said coldly.

Gu Jiao slipped on Su Xue’s clothes over her own.

To be honest, it was a bit small, but it still managed to cover her modestly when bunched up over the uniform of Tianqiong Academy.

Mu Qingchen’s original intention was for Gu Jiao to change into the clothes directly. He was unaware that the person beside him was female and naturally did not see any inconvenience in changing clothes. However, seeing Gu Jiao force the clothes on over her uniform, he held no suspicions, thinking only that Gu Jiao had misunderstood his meaning.

He lifted the curtain slightly, just enough to cover Gu Jiao and reveal only himself.

Not everyone had seen Young Master Qingchen, but his attire was extraordinary, and he carried himself with an aristocratic aura, causing the guards to hesitate momentarily.

Mu Qingchen declared his identity: “I am Mu Qingchen. Who are you?”

“So it’s Young Master Qingchen.” The guard who had been shouting earlier gave a bow and said, “My apologies.”

Young Master Qingchen’s name was well-known in Shengdu. While some might not have seen him, there was no one who hadn’t heard of him.

Mu Qingchen turned the tables: “Answer me, who are you?”

“I… we…”

The guard hesitated. Nangong Li was traveling incognito, and all his guards were not wearing the Nangong Family’s uniform, so naturally, he dared not disclose Nangong Li’s identity without permission.

“They are my men.”

The voice of Nangong Li suddenly emerged from the other end of the alley.

His carriage slowly approached, causing the guards to immediately make way to either side.

The carriage stopped ten paces away, and the coachman opened the curtain for Nangong Li.

Nangong Li sat in the carriage, exuding a commanding presence as he and Mu Qingchen regarded each other.

“Master Mu, long time no see.”

Mu Qingchen greeted him politely yet with a detached manner: “So it is General Nangong. I have heard that General Nangong was seriously injured, but you seem to have recovered well.”

The recovery was an empty courtesy; his face was pale, clearly suffering intense pain at every moment.

Nangong Li did not indulge in verbal sparring, but cut to the chase, “I am in pursuit of an assassin. I lost sight of the killer here. Have you, Young Master Qingchen, seen anything?”

“I have not,” Mu Qingchen said, unflinchingly.

Nangong Li gave Mu Qingchen a deep look: “It seems there’s another person in Master Mu’s carriage?”

After all, Nangong Li was an expert, and discerning an additional set of breaths in the carriage was no challenge for him.

Mu Qingchen replied, “It’s my younger third sister. She caught a cold and yet insisted on visiting me at the Inn. I’m just about to take her back home.”

“Oh?” Nangong Li seemed skeptical.

Mu Qingchen opened the curtain further, allowing Gu Jiao to show herself.

Gu Jiao let down her hair and lightly tied it at the back of her head with a hairband. She also donned a veil, hiding the birthmark on her face and revealing only a pair of eyes that were calm and composed.

Mu Qingchen said to Gu Jiao, “This is General Nangong.”

The implication was for Gu Jiao to pay her respects to Nangong Li.

But how could Gu Jiao bow to such a man?

Gu Jiao looked towards Nangong Li and asked in her own female voice, “Does General Nangong have any business?”

Her tone was a bit arrogant.

Mu Qingchen nearly choked!

Nangong Li had been observing Gu Jiao and did not notice Mu Qingchen’s astonishment. Failing to detect any flaws, he excused himself with a “sorry to have disturbed you” and left with his guards.

Once they had gone far enough, Mu Qingchen turned to Gu Jiao as if he had just seen a ghost, exclaiming, “You, you just now…”

“Oh.” Gu Jiao switched back to her young male voice, unabashedly admitting, “I like operas and have learned a little.”

Hearing the familiar young male voice, Mu Qingchen heaved a sigh of relief.

For an instant, he had almost believed his classmate was a girl!

Mu Qingchen looked into her clear eyes, belatedly realizing his heart was racing. He steadied himself and said, “You, you should not dress up like this again… It will lead to misunderstandings. And don’t use that kind of voice either.”

Gu Jiao responded, “You’re the one who asked me to change.”

Mu Qingchen was at a loss for words.

With the veil on and her long hair cascading down, those cold and beautiful eyes seemed to magnify infinitely in his mind.

Mu Qingchen dared not look any longer. He hurriedly changed the subject, asking, “Why did General Nangong say you’re an assassin? Did you actually try to assassinate him?”

Gu Jiao replied, “No, I just threw a stone at him.”

Mu Qingchen asked in confusion, “Why?”

Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow, “His son bullied me. I was angry!”

Mu Qingchen: “…”