The Grand Secretary’s Pampered Wife

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T/N: Posting tomorrowʼs chapter in advance. Merry Christmas to you all! :D

......

Gu Jiao and Gu Changqing returned to the Imperial Advisorʼs Hall around noon.

The two children had woken up and eaten at the post station, but they were still dirty all over, their faces and bodies smudged, making them look rather pitiful.

During the night, Gu Jiao couldn’t carefully examine their injuries. It was only after getting into the carriage that she noticed they both had varying degrees of bruises and scrapes from all the bumps and falls along the way.

Xiao Heng had been waiting at the entrance of the Imperial Advisorʼs Hall for quite some time.

Gu Changqing and Gu Jiao got off the carriage, still holding the children.

Xiao Heng walked over quickly and his gaze turned cold upon seeing the two children looking pitiful.

He looked at Gu Jiao and Gu Changqing, ”Are you both okay?”

”Weʼre fine.”

This time, Gu Jiao and Gu Changqing were mostly unharmed, but the two little ones had endured quite a lot.

”Let me carry him.” Xiao Heng reached out and took Little Jing Kong from Gu Changqing’s arms.

Little Jing Kong, for the first time ever, didn’t protest. Although his face looked grim, his body responded obediently.

He obediently lay against Xiao Heng’s chest, breathing in the familiar scent.

Since coming into their home at three and a half years old, two years had passed. In that time, he had grown deeply attached not only to Gu Jiao but also, from the bottom of his heart, to Xiao Heng.

It was like how a child might adore their mother the most but would still want their father around.

Xiao Heng looked down at the little one resting against his chest, “Were you scared?”

He didn’t even have the energy to act out.

”I wasn’t scared.” Little Jing Kong grumbled through his nose. ”I’m just tired.”

If he could still argue, then he must be fine.

Xiao Heng chuckled. “Alright, you’re tired. You get to rest today.”

”No homework.”

”Alright.”

”And more candy.”

”Sure.”

Little Jing Kong’s big, dark eyes rolled around mischievously.

It was rare for his “bad brother-in-law” to be this agreeable, so he decided to take the chance to negotiate a little extra benefit for himself.

But how could Xiao Heng not see through his little antics? He pinched his chubby cheek and said, ”Don’t push it, or I’ll confiscate what you’ve already got.”

Little Jing Kong’s face instantly turned dark.

Sure enough, he was a bad brother-in-law!

Xiao Heng suppressed the smile tugging at his lips and turned to Gu Jiao, ”I’ll take Jing Kong to bathe first. If anyone asks, I’ll say he acted heroically and saved my little (paternal) aunt, so I have to let this little benefactor stay at the Imperial Advisorʼs Hall for a few days.”

It was a solid excuse.

”One thing though, I’ve been wondering for a while—shouldn’t you call her ‘little (maternal) aunt’ instead?” Gu Jiao asked.

Xiao Heng smiled gently and replied, ”The Eldest Imperial Grandson’s surname is Shangguan. According to the customs of the Great Yan’s imperial family, those with the same surname address her as ʼ(paternal) auntʼ.”

Gu Jiao suddenly understood, “Oh, so that’s how it is. In that case, I’ll take the Little County Princess back to the imperial palace first.”

Xiao Heng looked at the Little County Princess, who was clinging to Gu Jiao’s neck, and said, ”No need. The Emperor is on his way.”

As if summoned, the Emperor arrived at that very moment.

The Emperor had heard that the Little County Princess had been sent back to the imperial palace, but when he didn’t see her, he decided to come to the Imperial Advisorʼs Hall to inquire. Upon learning that the Little County Princess was in Qilin Hall, he rushed straight over without another word.

”Your Majesty, please slow down!” Zhang Dequan was almost unable to keep up!

Your Majesty, aren’t you too old to act like you’re young?

Aren’t you afraid of tripping?

”Little Xue!”

The Emperor’s voice arrived before his figure.

The Little County Princess lifted her little head from Gu Jiaoʼs arms and looked eagerly toward the door.

The moment the Emperor rushed into the room, the Little County Princess burst into tears. “Waaah—Imperial Uncle… bad people tried to take me…”

Gu Changqing didn’t want to make an appearance, so after seeing Gu Jiao to the room, he left.

They were in the adjacent room to Shangguan Yan’s, and aside from the Little County Princess, the room only had Gu Jiao, Xiao Heng, and Little Jing Kong.

The Emperor, seeing the two pitiful children, was instantly enraged!

Gu Jiao, unbothered by his anger, added fuel to the fire, “This morning, the Little County Princess had an asthma attack. It was very serious.”

The Emperor looked at the Little County Princess, who was gasping and sobbing.

The Little County Princess was crying so hard, she could barely speak, nodding slightly, ”I couldn’t breathe... it was so uncomfortable...”

The Emperor, distressed, asked her, “Are you still having trouble breathing now?”

The Little County Princess choked back her sobs and shook her head, “Not anymore… my teacher gave me medicine…”

The Emperor instructed Zhang Dequan to take the two children next door for some food.

Then, with a complex expression, he turned to the slightly disheveled Gu Jiao and asked in a deep voice, “You’re the one who found the Little County Princess?”

Gu Jiao answered bluntly, ”Yes.”

The Emperor looked at her with suspicion and asked, ”How did you find her?”

You suspect me of staging this?

Gu Jiao replied, ”I have a falcon. It found her.”

The Emperor was half-convinced, ”Your falcon can track people?”

”It’s trained.” Gu Jiao said.

It’s a lie, Gu Jiao thought to herself.

“I’ve seen that falcon,” Xiao Heng interjected, “The two children have seen it too. The falcon recognizes them.”

The Emperor still had considerable trust in Shangguan Qing, so he didn’t dwell on the matter further. Instead, he asked Gu Jiao, “What about the people who abducted the Little County Princess?”

”We didn’t see them.” Xiao Heng spoke up first.

Gu Jiao remained composed and added, “Yes, we didn’t see them. The two children escaped from where they were being held and ran into the forest. I found them there.”

”Zhen understands.”

The Emperor then went next door to question Little Jing Kong and the Little County Princess.

The Little County Princess was only four years old. The clues she could provide were limited. All she could recall was being caught again and again, but she couldn’t remember what those people looked like.

Little Jing Kong, on the other hand, remembered the vendor and the man in black, and also recalled the appearance of Master Dong and the others. However, Xiao Heng had just instructed him to say that he didn’t remember or couldn’t see clearly.

Zhang Dequan spoke up, “Your Majesty, the children are still young and have been through such a terrifying ordeal. It’s normal for them not to remember clearly.”

The Emperorʼs expression darkened as he left Qilin Hall.

Gu Jiao watched the Emperor’s receding figure and asked Xiao Heng, “Why do you want me and Jing Kong to keep quiet about everything?”

Xiao Heng took her hand, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Because even if we spoke, there wouldn’t be enough evidence. It might even lead those powerful families to turn against us.”

Gu Jiao asked, “So we just let it go like this?”

Xiao Heng adjusted the hair at her temple, “No. The Little County Princess has suffered so much this time, almost losing her life. The Emperor won’t let it slide. Those who’ve been scheming behind the scenes will soon realize they’ve overestimated their own abilities.”

......

In the library pavilion, third floor.

The Emperor and the Imperial Advisor were seated across from each other, drinking tea.

The Imperial Advisor poured tea for both the Emperor and himself, ”Your Majesty, are you truly going to do this?”

The Emperor replied seriously, ”Yes.”

The Imperial Advisor gave a faint smile, lifting his tea cup to take a sip. ”It was agreed from the beginning that the Imperial Advisorʼs Hall would not interfere in court affairs, not engage in power struggles, nor get involved in family matters.”

The Emperor spoke earnestly, ”Zhen... is not commanding you as the ruler of a nation, but asking you as an old friend to do this favor.”

The Imperial Advisor paused in his tea-drinking and looked up. ”Ye Qing.”

Ye Qing stepped forward and cupped his hands in salute, ”Disciple is here.”

The Imperial Advisor asked, ”What time is it?”

Ye Qing respectfully answered, ”Just past noon.”

The Imperial Advisor said calmly, ”By the hour of youshi, I want to see the mastermind behind the abduction of the Little County Princess.”

Ye Qingʼs expression grew serious, ”Disciple understands!”

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Description:

In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.

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From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.

***

Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.

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Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, ”The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?”

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Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, ”Donʼt abandon me, alri—”

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Jiang Baiyan: ...?

He hasnʼt finished his lines yet though…