The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 959 - 959 442 Growing Up (Ten More Episodes)

Chapter 959: 442 Growing Up (Ten More Episodes) Chapter 959: 442 Growing Up (Ten More Episodes) Gu Jiao returned to Bishui Alley, where Gu Yan’s hidden guard A told her that someone had been there that day, a master who was likely another hidden guard, who had lingered in the alley for a while, primarily watching their house.

“Was it again someone from Young Master Mingyue?” Gu Jiao asked.

Young Master Mingyue was the one who had bought the golden abacus from Little Jingkong. It was clear that he was intentionally getting close to Little Jingkong and had once sent men to follow them in Bishui Alley.

After being caught by Gu Jiao, they hadn’t shown up for a long time.

“It wasn’t the same person as last time,” said the hidden guard A.

Gu Jiao uttered an “Oh.”

Then, without a second thought, it must be Prince Ning’s men.

It must be Prince Ning sending someone to scout for Xiao Liulang’s whereabouts, as Prince Ning also wanted to know if Xiao Liulang had been found and was possibly already hidden in their house.

“Did he discover Xiao Liulang?” Gu Jiao said again.

The hidden guard A replied, “No, the young master has been in the study all day and didn’t come out; that person waited for a while but left without success.”

Gu Jiao nodded somewhat satisfactorily, “Stay alert, don’t let Xiao Liulang be detected these next few days.”

“Yes!”

Gu Jiao went to the study room, opened the first aid kit, and took out gauze and antiseptic to change Xiao Liulang’s dressing.

She felt the surgery was very successful, yet this fellow had a precedent—his foot surgery was also successful, but he couldn’t walk. Gu Jiao worried that he might be affected by some psychological factors, causing his hand to be unable to write.

Gu Jiao pondered whether to tell him that Princess Xinyang wasn’t the arsonist from that year. She hesitated for a moment but felt the timing wasn’t right and the evidence wasn’t sufficient.

Xiao Liulang was extremely insecure about whether Princess Xinyang still had feelings for him, and he might think it was just Yujin or her trying to console him.

Some things had to be told to him by Princess Xinyang herself.

Emotional matters should be approached slowly. It was still best to first handle the big hidden danger of Prince Ning; his lethality was no less than that of Consort Jing.

At least, the aunt wasn’t siding with Consort Jing.

Thinking of the aunt, Gu Jiao let out a soft sigh.

Autumn rain had continued in the Capital for several days, and the weather had turned cooler all at once. Gu Jiao put on her autumn clothes.

Generally speaking, girls wouldn’t grow much taller after reaching Kuishui, yet she was still growing.

Xiao Liulang was growing too.

“The sleeves are getting shorter,” the Yao Family noticed during a meal that the sleeves of both no longer covered their wrists, “Let me let down the hem sewed inside for you later.”

Actually, it wasn’t just the two of them. Gu Yan was also growing significantly. He had started to experience voice change.

His voice change came later than Gu Xiaoshun’s. It was unknown whether it was later than Xiao Liulang’s because when Xiao Liulang was brought back to the village, he was already sixteen or seventeen years old, well into the voice change. Just recently, his voice change had come to an end.

Maybe it was because Gu Jiao naturally saw her husband in a favorable light, but she never thought Xiao Liulang’s voice during his voice change sounded bad. Now it was becoming even more pleasant: low and mellow, clean, with a hint of youthful magnetism, very enticing when alone.

—She never considered the possibility that Xiao Liulang was intentionally seducing her.

“Have a steamed bun,” the Yao Family passed Gu Yan a carrot and lamb bun.

“I don’t want it,” Gu Yan was picky about his food.

“Eh?” Xiaoshun widened his eyes, his hand holding his little spoon paused mid-air, “Brother Yan, your voice sounds so strange!”

Gu Xiaoshun and Xiao Liulang had also gone through voice change, Gu Xiaoshun still was. But since Xiaoshun had been like that when he arrived at their house, there was no abrupt change. In contrast, Gu Yan’s voice had shifted from a young boy’s voice to this new tone, a significant leap.

The voice change had ended for Xiao Liulang, so his voice had indeed changed, but not as drastically as suddenly entering a voice change period.

As a result, Xiaoshun hardly noticed the change in their bad brother-in-law’s voice, but immediately picked up on Gu Yan’s.

Gu Yan was still not quite used to his new voice and felt a bit excited and embarrassed. He cleared his throat and grabbed a pork bun to stuff into his mouth, “Eat your food!”

Xiao Jingkong wanted to slog it out, but suddenly bit into the sugary heart of the Steamed Bun, he instantaneously thought that eating piggie buns was more interesting than probing into Brother Yan’s new voice.

Today, the sky cleared up, and it was rare for both Qinghe academy and Guozijian to have a holiday.

Gu Jiao took a few of the little men from her family to visit their great-aunt in the palace.

Xiao Jingkong was a regular visitor at Renshou Palace, while Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun visited less, as they were people who needed to attend special classes and couldn’t afford to be injured.

The group, as always, breezed through palace entry, their tokens gathering dust.

The Empress Dowager was frazzled from reviewing petitions when a palace maid accidentally knocked her beloved Liuli lantern into an ink stone, dirtying the entire lantern. The maid, trembling, knelt down.

Eunuch Qin couldn’t bear to look.

Bad luck, and I cannot save you.

Just then, a report came from Jade: “Miss Gu and a few young masters have arrived!”

Eunuch Qin felt Empress Dowager’s murderous air extinguished in an instant; he hurriedly signaled the little maid with his eyes, you’re lucky, now scram!

Gu Jiao brought a jar of milk dates she had made herself, with no added sugar, just the natural sweetness of the dates, which her great-aunt could eat a few more of without worry.

The Empress Dowager was quite satisfied with their visit.

The Empress Dowager sat with Gu Jiao under the porch eating milk dates, while the three boys played in the courtyard. Gu Xiaoshun wasn’t always serious about lumberjacking; he had his mischievous moments, like right now.

He even proposed climbing a tree to raid a bird’s nest.

This idea was enthusiastically endorsed by the tree-climbing fanatic Xiao Jingkong, but Gu Yan objected.

He couldn’t climb up there.

The Empress Dowager watched leisurely as the three squabbled. Gu Yan, with his silver tongue, outwitted both the little carpenter and the little monk, eventually coaxing the little carpenter to join his side—going fishing.

Gu Yan smirked with triumph, “Little monk, are you coming or not?”

Xiao Jingkong stomped his feet with his hands on his hips, “I don’t want to! ‘Thinking farts’!”

“Ahem.” The Empress Dowager choked on the sudden “thinking farts,” nearly needing rescue once again.

Gu Yan’s eyes slightly narrowed, “Kid, you’ve learned to swear now? Who taught you?”

From Xu Zhuzhu!

Nonsense, nonsense!

Xiao Jingkong stuck out his tongue, made a face, and dashed off like smoke!

Gu Jiao looked quizzically at the Empress Dowager, “Great Aunt, you didn’t teach him that, did you?”

The Empress Dowager said with righteous indignation, “How could I ever teach him such words! Is there no trust left between people!”

She had only said it accidentally once, and the little son of the Ministry of War happened to hear it; she hadn’t taught him, the little rascal learned it on his own!

Renshou Palace now resonated with the voices of all three young men. The Empress Dowager used to be intolerant of noise, but after spending some time both in the countryside and in Bishui Alley, she had developed a tolerance for noise.

Additionally, the Empress Dowager noticed that Gu Yan’s voice had changed.

Humph, the brat was finally growing into a man.

Xiao Jingkong and Gu Xiaoshun wanted to eat Fresh Flower Cakes, so Gu Jiao took a basket and went to the Imperial Garden to pick flowers.

By a stroke of luck, the Crown Princess was also there.

She was also picking a few flowers, not to eat, but for flower arranging.

Gu Jiao ignored them and went on her own to select the fresh flowers she needed.