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There was a clean food box in the carriage. Little San lifted the curtain, found the food box, and took it down.
Gu Jiao handed him a warm dried vegetable pancake wrapped in bamboo leaves, "Here."
Little San was startled, "Ah, I get one too?"
Gu Jiao said, "Eat it while it"s hot."
Little San chuckled and took the pancake, "Thank you, Gu girl!"
With the pancakes packed, Gu Jiao paid for them.
Little San took a bite of the warm pancake, gasping from the heat. With his other hand, he reached out and took the food box, "I"ll take it."
He carried the food box back onto the carriage.
"Gu girl, you should have one too while it"s hot. They"re the most delicious when they"re crispy. By the time you get home, they"ll become soft."
"Okay." Gu Jiao replied.
"Then..." Little San placed the food box inside, turned around, and jumped down from the carriage to get on the outer seat. But where was Gu Jiao"s figure behind him? He circled around the carriage and even looked under it. "Huh? Where is she? Boss, did you see my young miss?"
The bakery owner said, "Weren"t you just on the carriage together?"
"No." Little San lifted the curtain and confirmed that the carriage was indeed empty.
This was strange. The person was just talking to him moments ago, how could she disappear in the blink of an eye?
He stood dumbfounded in place, "Did I... did I just encounter a ghost?"
Gu Jiao also didn"t expect that she would be abducted in broad daylight while buying pancakes, and no one even saw it happen. She was being held in someone"s arm, squeezed against their waist.
This familiar posture, this familiar pattern...
The fear of having to break charcoal pencils again struck her heart once more.
Gu Jiao, with a cold expression on her face, decided to let go of her usual image and shout loudly in the street. But as soon as she opened her mouth, a strong gust of wind blew in her face, distorting her cheeks...
Gu Jiao was brought to Zhuque Street by Long Yi.
Long Yi didn"t need to use the back door, nor the front door. He descended directly into Princess Xinyang"s courtyard.
Gu Jiao looked at the blooming flowers in the courtyard, and the floodgates of her memory opened up.
She had been here before.
This was the first house behind the orange tree. She had mistaken the lady of this house for the tuberculosis patient mentioned by the scholar and had gone in to treat her for free.
Yes, for free, because no one paid for her medical fees.
Strange, why did Long Yi bring her here?
Soon she understood the reason. As Long Yi landed her down, she saw Princess Xinyang sitting in the house.
Gu Jiao understood everything.
No wonder she felt an inexplicable familiarity when she saw Princess Xinyang in the palace. It turned out that she had really seen her before.
So, the conversation she overheard in the restaurant near the underground arena that day was between Princess Xinyang and that court lady.
The court lady had gone to the underground arena to buy medicine from the pharmacist of the State of Yan, specifically for Princess Xinyang.
But why would it be a bottle of high-grade tonic?
Was the pharmacist of the State of Yan so incompetent that he couldn"t even provide a decent heart-protecting pill?
Gu Jiao naturally didn"t know that the high-grade tonic was called Hundred Flowers Pill, which the Crown Princess had bought from a swordsman of the State of Qing.
The Hundred Flowers Pill had gained a reputation for its miraculous effects, but in reality, it was just a tonic that replenished Qi and blood. Its health benefits were undeniable, but it would be difficult to use it for targeted treatment of myocarditis.
Yu Jin arrived at the door and made a gesture, signaling Gu Jiao to enter.
Gu Jiao calmly entered the house.
The daughter who grew up among the common people had been abducted all the way here and then encountered an imperial princess, yet she could maintain such composure. If it were anyone else, they would likely be amazed by Gu Jiao.
But Princess Xinyang remained calm.
In her hand, she held some handwritten notes with tidbits of information she had gathered from a teahouse in the commoner district.
She placed the notes on the table, one by one.
Gu Jiao glanced briefly at the notes and realized they were all related to her.
It seemed that Princess Xinyang had investigated her.
Princess Xinyang got straight to the point, saying, "Speak, why did you approach me?" She looked at Gu Jiao, and the threat in her eyes was evident. "You better tell the truth. I have limited patience, don"t force me to use torture on you."
This princess indeed had a strong demeanor.
Gu Jiao had nothing to fear since she had done no wrong. She calmly replied, "Princess, I believe there is a misunderstanding. I never intended to approach you."
Princess Xinyang poured the white pills from the porcelain bottle into a clean empty plate, "Is that so? Then what about this bottle of medicine? Don"t tell me it wasn"t you who switched it."
Gu Jiao did not deny it, "Indeed, I replaced the medicine inside the bottle. But let me say it again, Princess has misunderstood. I was entrusted to treat a tuberculosis patient on Zhuque Street, but I entered the wrong house and mistakenly took you for that patient."
Princess Xinyang looked at Gu Jiao and said lightly, "I don"t have tuberculosis."
Gu Jiao replied, "I know. The medicine I gave you was not for treating tuberculosis. You have myocarditis, commonly known as a heart condition. My younger brother also has a heart condition, though yours isn’t as severe as his. If you take the medicine I gave you carefully, you can recover in a few months."
Princess Xinyang responded, "You"re the first person to claim that my illness can be cured."
Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow, "And you"re the first person who still suspects me of having ulterior motives despite being treated by me."
Princess Xinyang snorted coldly, "You have a silver tongue. Don"t think I will let you off easily. I will verify the truth of your words."
"Please go ahead." Anyway, Gu Jiao didn’t lie.
The fact that Aunt Sun had tuberculosis wasn’t a secret on Zhuque Street. Gu Jiao hadn"t even mentioned the family"s ident.i.ty, but Princess Xinyang"s subordinates had already found out.
They followed the trail and discovered the involvement of Scholar Xu"s family. Scholar Xu and Aunt Sun"s daughter had developed a mutual affection, so Scholar Xu had secretly sought the services of a physician from Miraculous Hands Hall to treat Aunt Sun.
As a result, Scholar Xu had caused a scene at Miraculous Hands Hall today, claiming that the physician at Miraculous Hands Hall had taken the medical fees without treating the patient.
It was later discovered that he had given the wrong directions to the physician.
He then invited the physician to Aunt Sun"s house for treatment once again, leaving behind several different medicines.
These medicines looked different from those in ordinary pharmacies but were similar to the heart condition medicine Princess Xinyang had received. It was evident that they came from the same physician"s hands.
"How about it? I didn"t deceive you, did I?" Gu Jiao crossed her arms, finding her own chair to sit on since no one offered her a seat.
She really didn"t treat herself as an outsider.
Yu Jin couldn"t help but want to laugh.
Princess Xinyang"s expression remained cold, "Even if the medicine switching incident was a coincidence, you clearly met Long Yi, and yet you lied to me in the palace."
How could she be so sharp?
She even guessed this?
Gu Jiao calmly responded, "Evidence, Princess. You cannot falsely accuse me for a second time.."
Princess Xinyang"s voice turned colder, "If you haven"t met Long Yi and haven"t used any means against Long Yi, how could Long Yi have let you in?"
Gu Jiao thought for a moment and replied seriously, "Because I"m adorable?"
Princess Xinyang: "..."
Yu Jin couldn"t help but chuckle.
Princess Xinyang"s expression grew even colder. "Don"t think that just because you"re the daughter of the Marquis Ding"an Estate, and you have the favor of His Majesty and the Empress Dowager, I won"t dare to touch you. Yu Jin, bring me the whip."
Yu Jin opened his mouth as if trying to dissuade her, "Princess..."
"Bring it." Princess Xinyang said expressionlessly.
Yu Jin sighed ruefully and went to the study to fetch Princess Xinyang"s golden whip.
Princess Xinyang said coldly, "This golden whip was bestowed by the late Emperor, it can be used to beat even the current Emperor. It would be considered a favor to you to be whipped by it."
Gu Jiao: Well then, I will fight back!
But what no one expected was that Princess Xinyang wouldn’t have a chance to use her whip as Long Yi quickly intervened, standing in front of Gu Jiao.
Princess Xinyang didn"t expect Long Yi to go this far for Gu Jiao. She was slightly taken aback, and then her gaze turned icy, "Step aside."
Long Yi didn"t move.
In truth, Princess Xinyang didn"t really intend to whip Gu Jiao. She wasn"t that cruel. She just wanted to scare her and make her obedient.
But Long Yi took it seriously.
How familiar this scene was.
"You step aside!"
A certain little mischievous imp hid behind Long Yi, "Long Yi, don"t step aside! My mom will beat me!"
"Long Yi, if you don"t move, I"ll hit both of you!"
"Long Yi, take me away quickly! Bring me back when my mom has calmed down!"
The image buried deep in her memory pierced into her mind like a needle, and Princess Xinyang"s whip fell to the ground.Raz P."s Thoughts
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