The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1398 - 1398 678 Knocked through

Chapter 1398: 678 Knocked through Chapter 1398: 678 Knocked through After her afternoon visit to Tianxiang Pavilion to change Gu Chengfeng’s dressing, Gu Jiao didn’t get home until the sky was very dark.

As she reached the street that intersected with her own alleyway, she spotted Horse King and Elder Meng.

Unlike the other horse at home, Horse King needed to be taken out for a stroll every day; otherwise, it would throw a tantrum in the backyard and bully the other horse.

When Horse King saw Gu Jiao, it decisively stopped accompanying the old man.

It bit its reins and galloped towards Gu Jiao, then presented the reins to her.

It wanted to be walked by Gu Jiao.

…

The rain in the outer city arrived earlier and was heavier than the inner city, leading to a torrential downpour. Gu Jiao and Elder Meng took shelter in a restaurant with a stable for horses.

They took shelter for more than two hours, and it was already dark.

“The rain has stopped,” Gu Jiao observed, looking out the window.

Elder Meng stood up, “Then let’s hurry back before it starts again.”

Gu Jiao hummed a response, “I’ll go get the horse.”

The stable was next to the restaurant’s backyard, and Gu Jiao led Horse King out.

She didn’t pay attention to the hoofbeats getting louder from the street; the road was wide enough that there was no need to move aside for anyone.

Yet just as Gu Jiao led Horse King to the restaurant’s entrance, a child suddenly darted out from inside.

The child was about to run under the horse’s hooves when Gu Jiao leaped forward, grabbing the child and rolling to the other side of the street.

The horse’s hooves came down heavily on the very spot Gu Jiao had snatched the child from, splashing water everywhere!

The rider evidently saw the child dash out too and reined in the horse with all his might. Despite running so fast, if Gu Jiao hadn’t made that dive, the child would have already died under his hooves.

He coldly eyed the drenched young man and child, saying viciously, “Don’t court death next time!”

Several of his companions caught up, one of them said, “Let’s go now, we don’t want any delays.”

“Hmph!” He grabbed the reins and lashed the horse with his whip, and the steed sped away in a cloud of dust.

“My son! My son!”

A woman from the restaurant stumbled over, frantic.

Gu Jiao handed the child to her.

While rolling in the water, Gu Jiao had protected the child with her body; other than his clothes being soaked, he was unharmed.

“Thank you, Young Master! Thank you so much!” The woman clutched her child, thanking Gu Jiao repeatedly.

Without a word, Gu Jiao crossed the street with a calm expression and approached Elder Meng, “Let’s go.”

Elder Meng glanced curiously at the figures disappearing at the end of the street, “Strange, it’s so late. What is the Crown Prince’s household up to? Isn’t that the direction of the southern city gate of the outer city? Are they leaving Shengdu?”

Gu Jiao said, “Were those people just now from the Crown Prince’s household?”

Elder Meng nodded, “Yes, they are from the Jinyiwei guards.”

Although they weren’t wearing the Jinyiwei uniform, he had seen one of them at the Crown Prince’s palace.

Gu Jiao paused, then spoke, “Their eyes had a murderous intent, they are heading out to kill someone.”

As a former assassin, she was well-acquainted with such a state.

“To kill?” Elder Meng frowned, looking again in the direction the riders had gone, but they were moving so fast that their figures had long vanished from the street.

“That direction seems to be…”

The Imperial Mausoleum.

The next day, the skies cleared.

Gu Jiao and Gu Xiaoshun went to the Academy for classes.

After winning another competition, Gu Jiao keenly felt the enthusiasm of the Academy’s students. From the moment she entered the Academy’s gates, it felt like walking on a flower path.

“Sixth Brother!”

“Sixth Brother!”

“Sixth Brother, you were exceptionally cool!”

Gu Jiao looked at the people lining the path to greet her.

…It really wasn’t necessary.

Master Wu knew the students had worked hard in the competition and didn’t make them stay for training today. Gu Jiao and Gu Xiaoshun returned home early.

Just as they reached their doorstep, a little sticky rice dumpling came hurtling towards them.

“Jiaojiao!”

Gu Jiao caught him with one hand, “Jingkong. Eh, you’re getting faster.”

Little Jingkong looked up, his face adorably earnest as he said, “That’s because I practice my exercises every day!”

He then greeted Gu Xiaoshun, “Brother Xiaoshun!”

Gu Xiaoshun pinched his face.

Gu Jiao held his little hand as they walked inside, glancing around the central hall as they went.

“Stop looking, Xiao Hen hasn’t come,” said a familiar voice. Gu Chengfeng swaggered out from inside.

He glanced at little Jingkong, who was being led by Gu Jiao and hopping along, and said, “It was me who went to the inner city to pick him up.”

Little Jingkong immediately said earnestly, “Jiaojiao, I didn’t have class today! I didn’t skip school!”

Gu Jiao nodded, trusting his words.

With Xiao Hen there, he wouldn’t let you skip school.

“Are you healed?” Gu Jiao asked Gu Chengfeng.

“Jiaojiao, I’m going to find Little Shiyi!” Little Jingkong tilted his head and said.

Gu Jiao patted his little head, “Go ahead.”

Little Jingkong waved his small hands as he ran off, “Little Shiyi! I’m here!”

Horse King, who was grazing in the backyard, suddenly bristled and shuddered!

She immediately went to the millstone and harnessed it.

It was going to grind the mill!

Their conversation continued.

Gu Chengfeng raised an eyebrow and said, “My injury hasn’t been a problem for a while, didn’t you see it yesterday?”

Indeed, Gu Jiao had found that his recovery was nearly complete when she went to change his dressing yesterday.

Gu Jiao said, “It’s good that you’re here, I’ll remove the stitches from your wound in a bit.”

Gu Chengfeng: “…”

Gu Chengfeng was pushed into the house, where Gu Jiao removed his stitches without any resistance from him.

His martial arts skills had also improved significantly over the year, but they paled in comparison to this girl’s rate of progress.

How did this girl manage it? Her skills were different every day.

Gu Jiao put down the scissors and began to tidy up.

Gu Chengfeng spoke with a sense of pride, “Aren’t you going to ask how I got into the Inner City?”

Come on, praise me for my competence, praise me!

Gu Jiao said, “Oh, ‘Flying Frost,’ the Capital City’s number one thief, sneaking a child out is no big deal.”

Gu Chengfeng: What do you mean sneaking a child out! Is that the kind of person he is!

But to be fair, entering Yan Country was the hardest part, and it was almost impossible to sneak in undetected. The checkpoints outside Shengdu’s Outer City were strict, but once you got in, you weren’t checked all the time.

After all, those who should be blocked were already blocked outside.

Gu Chengfeng felt there was no sense of achievement in using rhetoric on Gu Jiao because she would never pick up the cues he threw out; she was the queen of killing the conversation, the chat terminator.

“Xun Fengxian got me a new identity as well as an Inner City talisman,” Gu Chengfeng said.

Gu Jiao looked puzzled; even Gu Chengfeng had an Inner City talisman now?

“I want one too,” she said.

“Do you know how to perform operas?”

She didn’t.

“Do you know how to tell stories?”

She didn’t either.

“Or can you play music?”

She could do that.

“In front of a bunch of lecherous men, and you are not allowed to start a fight.”

Gu Jiao: “…”

She wanted to fight.

Gu Chengfeng knew it would be like this; he waved his hand and said, “Enough, I actually have something important to discuss with you today.”

“Go ahead,” Gu Jiao said, as she placed the used cotton swabs into a designated basket.

Gu Chengfeng said casually, “These past few days at Tianxiang Pavilion, I have inadvertently learned some information.”

Saying it was inadvertent was an understatement; he had racked his brains, used every trick in the book, and risked his life to gather that intelligence.

“I’m listening,” Gu Jiao replied, putting used gauze into the same basket. These items would all be burned later.

Gu Chengfeng said, “The people from the Nangong Family were responsible for the assassination attempt on Xiao Hen in Zhan Country last time, right?”

“Yeah, didn’t you know?” Gu Jiao had not hidden the details of that incident from him.

Gu Chengfeng continued, “But do you know that the Nangong Family is very close to the Crown Prince’s mansion, with Nangong Li being one of the Crown Prince’s confidants?”

In Gu Jiao’s mind flashed the conversation she overheard between Nangong Li and the Shopkeeper at the Pawnshop—

“His Highness is very angry, saying why even such a minor thing couldn’t be handled well.”

“This is not a minor thing! I’ve lost an arm!”

So, the ‘His Highness’ the Shopkeeper referred to was the Crown Prince of Yan Country?

Was it the Crown Prince of Yan Country who wanted Xiao Hen dead?

Why would the Crown Prince of Yan Country do that?

What was the relationship between Xiao Hen and the Imperial Family of Yan Country?

Gu Chengfeng said, “Both the Nangong Family and the Han Family are part of the Crown Prince’s camp, but their relationship doesn’t seem very harmonious.”

He had suffered a lot at the hands of the Han Family, and it was inevitable that he would gather information about them when making inquiries.

He continued, “I’ve heard that the two legitimate sons of the Han Family were beaten up one after another; could it have been done by the Nangong Family?”

Gu Jiao said, “No, it wasn’t.”

Gu Chengfeng asked curiously, “How can you be so sure it wasn’t the Nangong Family?”

After pondering for a moment, Gu Jiao honestly replied, “Because I was the one who did it.”

Gu Chengfeng’s mouth twitched, as expected, this girl still had guts to spare…

“Is there any other news?” Gu Jiao asked.

Gu Chengfeng thought for a moment and shook his head, “It seems there’s no other useful information for now.”

The information he had gathered at Tianxiang Pavilion wasn’t insignificant, but most of it was gossip about noble families, good enough to talk about over meals, but not of much value.

“Oh, wait a minute.”

Something suddenly came to him, and he said thoughtfully, “There is one big piece of news; the Princess is coming back. It’s said that the ruler has allowed her return.”

“The ruler, the Princess.” Gu Jiao’s hands stilled as she organized the first-aid kit.

Seeing her pause, Gu Chengfeng couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”

Gu Jiao said, “The Princess might not return so easily.”

Gu Chengfeng inquired, “Why is that?”

Looking at the medicines in the first-aid kit, Gu Jiao replied, “I encountered an assassin from the Crown Prince’s mansion last night; if the Princess is coming back, then it’s probably to kill her.”