The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 810 - 810 376 Mother (second watch)

Chapter 810: 376 Mother (second watch) Chapter 810: 376 Mother (second watch) “`

But when conversation reached this point, everyone knew it was time to end the topic.

Xiao Liulang went back to the next room.

Liao Quan came over from the corridor: “My lord.”

“Ah,” the old Master of Sacrificial Wine sighed, “why is he so stubborn?”

Liao Quan had already learned of Xiao Liulang’s identity, but he still didn’t quite understand what the old master meant: “Why does my lord say this?”

The Master of Sacrificial Wine waved his hand: “Never mind, it’s nothing.”

…

After Xiao Liulang returned to his own mansion, he plunged into the study. He casually shut the door behind him, didn’t light the candle, and just stood there alone in the endless night.

He understood what his teacher wanted to ask.

—Why didn’t you tell Princess Xinyang that you’re back?

Not telling Marquis Xuanping was somewhat excusable after all. Because the relationship between father and son was not close, and after all, there is always some strange repellence and friction between men. It wouldn’t be odd for a rebellious teenager and a libertine father to become enemies.

But what about Princess Xinyang?

That mother who held you dear to her heart, what has she done wrong? What crime has she committed to deserve this!

I used to think you avoided her because you were worried your own troubles were too great and would implicate her.

But she controls the Dragon Shadow Guard, who can harm her?

Why do this, Ahen, why!

Gu Jiao went to the kitchen to heat some water and prepared some late-night snacks, intending to see if the menfolk at home had all returned.

As she passed by the study, the door was closed and no candlelight shone through; she didn’t pay much attention and walked past.

But she hadn’t walked two steps before she turned back around.

It was intuition.

She didn’t knock on the door as she had in the past but gently pushed it open and walked in.

The faint candlelight from the corridor shone through, allowing her to see clearly the figure in front of the desk, seemingly shrouded in immense sadness.

She closed the door behind her with the back of her hand, and her figure was once again swallowed by the darkness.

But she knew where he was, she could hear his breathing.

She slowly walked over and stopped behind him.

Xiao Liulang did not turn around or speak.

She also did not speak.

—He must have known someone came in; his lack of response meant he didn’t want to talk.

Gu Jiao could not understand too many complex emotions, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t feel the emotions of others.

He was upset, very upset, very deeply so.

In Gu Jiao’s mind flashed the image of when she was sad because her aunt had forgotten her, and he embraced her gently to soothe her.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t tall enough to hug someone and bury their head in her chest like he could.

After thinking it over, she stepped forward, reached out her small arms, and gently embraced him from behind.

This way, it’s okay, right?

It was bound to make him less upset, right?

Gu Jiao initially hugged him lightly, but as she pressed her cheek against his slightly rigid back, perhaps because she was closer to his heart, she felt the sad emotions even more intensely.

She tightened her arms.

In the dark, Xiao Liulang endured the pain in his throat and lifted his hand, covering hers that was wrapped around his waist.

…

This time, like every other time, Gu Jiao comforted him considerately without questioning him. But Gu Jiao distinctly felt that after his emotions had slightly stabilized, when she withdrew to leave, he opened his mouth as if he had something he wanted to say to her.

“`

Gu Jiao paused for a second.

It wasn’t a long second, nor a short one; if he wanted to explain, he could have called out to her, and if he still decided against it, it wouldn’t have been too awkward between them.

In the end, he did not explain.

The next day, Gu Jiao got up early to help the housekeeper prepare breakfast for the family.

When Xiao Liulang came out of the west room, Gu Jiao was arranging the bowls and chopsticks. She bent her lips into a smile at him, “Morning.”

It was as if nothing had happened, the same as usual.

Xiao Liulang nodded in acknowledgement and greeted her in return, “Morning.”

Soon, Ahen also got up and went to the backyard to practice his martial arts. Not long after, Gu Xiaoshun and Gu Yan were up as well, and a lively morning began.

After breakfast, Xiao Liulang went to Hanlin Academy, Ahen followed the old Sacrificial Wine to Guozijian, and as for Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun, they naturally headed to Qinghe Academy.

The family now owned two carriages; Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun took one, and Xiao Liulang and the others got into Liao Quan’s carriage. Liao Quan first dropped off the elder and the youngster at Guozijian and finally took Xiao Liulang to Hanlin Academy.

Gu Jiao headed to the Medical Hall, where she received a reply from Xue Ningxiang.

It had been half a year since the last letter from Xue Ningxiang, but after reading the contents, Gu Jiao understood why Xue Ningxiang’s response had taken so long to arrive.

Xue Ningxiang’s mother-in-law had passed away, just three days after Zhou Erzhuang returned home.

Gu Jiao had once examined Xue Ningxiang’s mother-in-law and knew she suffered from age-related decline; her entire body’s organs were failing, beyond what medicine could reverse. It was already difficult for her to hold on until her son returned to see her one last time.

She passed away in her sleep, peacefully.

Zhan Country had a mourning period regulation, which required that if an elder in the family passed away, the family members had to mourn at home for at least one and a half to three years. Zhou Erzhuang was just a soldier and not on the official mourning roster.

Nevertheless, the funeral for his mother had to be properly managed. Zhou Erzhuang had his comrades ask for leave and stayed in the village to bury his mother properly.

This had happened in the spring, and now summer was almost over. By all accounts, Zhou Erzhuang should have returned. But then, another major event occurred—the head of Tianxiang Academy, Master Li, unexpectedly proposed marriage to Xue Ningxiang.

At this point, Gu Jiao was truly surprised.

Xue Ningxiang and she weren’t on terms of sharing everything, but Xue Ningxiang had never mentioned anything about Master Li.

Of course, there was a full explanation in the letter.

As it turned out, while she and Xiao Liulang had still been in the countryside, Master Li had already met Xue Ningxiang several times and had even been chased by the dog-tailed boy, calling him “Daddy.”

The dog-tailed boy was just learning to speak and didn’t quite understand the meaning of daddy, probably thinking all men of a certain age were called that.

That was Gu Jiao’s own interpretation.

Xue Ningxiang didn’t explain in detail, only mentioning that later, the old Lady Li encountered the dog-tailed boy and, being of an advanced age and not very lucid, mistook him for her own grandchild.

Master Li was a good person, acquainted with Xiao Liulang’s family, and had helped Xue Ningxiang out before. Not wanting to upset the old lady, Xue Ningxiang let the misunderstanding continue.

Who would have thought that from that point on, things spiraled out of control. The old Lady Li asked for her grandchild every couple of days, and even began to treat Xue Ningxiang as her daughter-in-law…

Master Li told Xue Ningxiang not to misunderstand, and she really didn’t, never expecting him to formally propose a marriage agreement…

By this point, Gu Jiao knew that trouble had arrived.

And sure enough, the latter part of the letter detailed a conflict that had arisen between Zhou Erzhuang and Master Li, with Zhou Erzhuang even getting into a fight with Master Li.

Zhou Erzhuang was a soldier while Master Li was a scholar; it was easy to imagine who was at a disadvantage in that fight.

Gu Jiao had long recognized Zhou Erzhuang’s feelings for Xue Ningxiang, but because she lacked the opportunity to discover Master Li’s intentions, she only learned of them today.

It was not difficult to explain why Xue Ningxiang’s writing had improved so much, and her literary flair had advanced by leaps and bounds, no longer requiring someone else to write the letters for her.

Now Xue Ningxiang was in quite a predicament, saying that she wanted to shave her head and become a nun, yet she couldn’t bear to leave the dog-tailed boy.

Gu Jiao could vaguely understand Xue Ningxiang’s dilemma; the tolerance for women in this era was very low. Xue Ningxiang, being a widow, was already criticized for remarrying. Moreover, whether her choice was the ill-matched Master Li or the ethically controversial Zhou Erzhuang, she was backed into a corner.

No matter how you looked at it, it was a losing move.

Unless she could withstand the gossip, which clearly she couldn’t, or she wouldn’t have considered leaving secular life.

The last part of the letter mentioned Medicine Mountain. The clearing of Medicine Mountain was complete, and the medicinal herbs Gu Jiao had specified were already planted under the leadership of Luo Lizheng.

Gu Jiao tapped her fingertips on the table a few times and, with the letter in hand, went to the Imperial Palace.

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