The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1346 - 1346 655 taels of the second watch_2

Chapter 1346: 655 taels of the second watch_2 Chapter 1346: 655 taels of the second watch_2 Just when she arrived at the entrance of the Embroidery Building, a carriage suddenly came by, stopping beside her.

The person inside the carriage didn’t speak, but as the night breeze lifted a corner of the curtain, a familiar scent wafted over. Without a second thought, Gu Jiao jumped onto the carriage.

Inside, a large figure and a small one sat in darkness, without the carriage being lit; the young one had already fallen asleep in someone’s embrace, while the adult looked spirited, not betraying a hint of tiredness.

Gu Jiao sat down beside him, “Why haven’t you left?”

Xiao Hen smiled faintly and curled the corner of his lips, “What about you? Why did you come back?”

Waiting for you.

Looking for you.

One didn’t know she would return, the other didn’t know he hadn’t left, but both rushed back without a second thought.

“Nangong Li didn’t see you, did he?” Gu Jiao asked.

“No.” When Gu Jiao threw stones at Nangong Li, Xiao Hen had already sensed something amiss. He didn’t turn back, but took young Jingkong’s hand and walked quickly into the shop.

He hadn’t actually seen Gu Jiao; he had only seen Nangong Li, but he knew that no one but Gu Jiao could have diverted Nangong Li’s gaze.

“Are you injured?” Xiao Hen inquired.

“No,” Gu Jiao replied. “They didn’t catch me.”

With the help of thin moonlight and the candlelight cast from the street, Xiao Hen examined Gu Jiao from head to toe, then spread out the palm of her hand, his fingertips gently sliding over it to check for any concealed wounds.

Assured that she was unharmed, he hummed in acknowledgment.

Then, he didn’t withdraw his hand but rather held Gu Jiao’s small one, his fingertips caressing her palm soothingly.

A girl’s hands are always soft, small, and delicate—a single large palm of his could cover it completely.

Gu Jiao watched her hand held by his, feeling the inadvertent intimacy he conveyed.

She was well aware of herself; hers was a hand smeared with blood, which had rummaged through mountains of corpses and decapitated lives.

His hand was pure, so clean that Gu Jiao didn’t even want a speck of dust to mar it.

Now, that pure hand was holding hers tightly, as if… it was pulling her out of a sea of bloody corpses.

“Jiaojiao.”

The murmurings of young Jingkong’s dreams interrupted the brief tranquility within the carriage.

Gu Jiao withdrew her hand held by Xiao Hen, caressed young Jingkong’s back, and noticed he was sweaty. As she pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his brow, she said to Xiao Hen, “Two things.”

Xiao Hen, looking at her withdrawn hand, furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly.

Gu Jiao continued, “The person behind the scenes wanting your life is from the Dayan royal family.”

“The Dayan royal family?” Xiao Hen murmured.

“And,” Gu Jiao added, “Chang Jing is the young master of the Dark Night Organization.”

“He is actually the young master of the Dark Night Organization.” This news was shocking too. Xiao Hen had always thought Chang Jing was just a common shadow guard.

“What is the Dark Night Organization?” Gu Jiao had long wanted to ask.

“An assassin Organization that doesn’t belong to any country.” Xiao Hen didn’t know much either; he paid more attention to Court affairs and only occasionally heard about matters of the Jianghu.

After a moment, the carriage stopped in front of the Inn where Gu Jiao and the others were staying.

Gu Jiao hadn’t mentioned where she lived after getting on, but if someone truly cared, they could find out about Tianqiong Academy by any means necessary.

So there is no such thing as being powerless in the world; it’s all about whether the heart is willing or not.

Gu Jiao had always been the one to see Xiao Hen off, walking tens of miles to send him to town for classes when in the countryside, and in the capital, always seeing him off to the Guozijian and Hanlin Academy.

Suddenly being escorted back by Xiao Hen, Gu Jiao felt strangely unaccustomed.

She fidgeted with her little ear, “Well, I should go then.”

Xiao Hen gently tugged at her sleeve, “Just like that, you’re leaving?”

Gu Jiao, who could knock out a cow with a mallet, was grasped by someone’s slender, jade-like fingertips and looked over, confused, “Hmm?”

Xiao Hen lifted his head, the moonlight shining on his handsome, jade-like features, a slight smile on his lips, “Isn’t there another matter?”

Gu Jiao earnestly replied, “The Dayan royalty as the schemer behind the scene, Chang Jing’s identity as the master of the Dark Night Organization—those are two matters.”

Xiao Hen looked at her with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, “Those are all pieces of information. Informing me is just one matter.”

“Eh…” Can he quibble like that?

Xiao Hen’s fingertips slid down her sleeve and grasped her cool fingers, gently pulling her into a standing position as he stood up himself.

The carriage was not tall, so he had to bend over. With one hand, he held Gu Jiao’s hand, and with the other, he supported himself beside her, looming gently over her.