Chapter 445: 224 Grandparent and Grandchild Meet (First Update)_2
“You can tell His Majesty that I’m doing well here.”
Just as the Empress Dowager finished her sentence, Gu Jiao knocked on the door.
The conversation in the meditation room abruptly ended.
The Empress Dowager asked, “Who is it?”
“It’s me.” Gu Jiao said.
Recognizing Gu Jiao’s voice, the Empress Dowager gently said, “It’s Miss Gu. Please come in.”
Gu Jiao pushed open the door of the meditation room and stepped inside.
The figure inside saw her and widened his eyes, “You…”
The divine physician?
“Eh? It’s you?” Gu Jiao looked at Eunuch Wei.
Eunuch Wei had accompanied the Emperor when he visited the Medical Hall once, during the incident where the Emperor was bumped into by Xiao Jingkong.
Gu Jiao, unaware that he was the Emperor, only knew him as Chu Yu’s father, seeming to be some high-ranking official at court.
As for Eunuch Wei, with his ordinary steward’s attire, Gu Jiao considered him only a servant of Chu family.
It appears that it might not be the case.
“Do… you know each other?” The Empress Dowager asked, looking at them perplexedly.
Eunuch Wei mentally cursed his bad luck, how could he run into the Divine Physician here? Just now, he and the Empress Dowager were talking, did the Divine Physician overhear it? Did she guess his true identity?
He was the Emperor’s attendant. If his identity as a eunuch was guessed, wouldn’t that put the Emperor at risk too?
An idea struck Eunuch Wei, he turned to the Empress Dowager and answered: “His Majesty once sent me to accompany Lord Chu to the Medical Hall to visit the accident victims. Miss Gu is a physician at the Medical Hall, and we’ve met.”
“Lord… Chu?” The Empress Dowager hadn’t heard of this Lord Chu.
“He’s a new official appointed by His Majesty.” Fearing this lie would not stand up later, Eunuch Wei quickly changed the subject, “What brings Miss Gu here?”
The Empress Dowager gently smiled and said, “She is the young physician I was telling you about.”
Lost for words, Eunuch Wei fell silent.
What kind of fate was this? The divine physician’s treatment reached even the Empress Dowager?
“Ahem,” worried that the longer he stayed, the more likely he would be found out, Eunuch Wei told the Empress Dowager, “The hour is late, I have to return to the palace and report to His Majesty. I’ll come visit you again another day.”
Eunuch Wei then hurriedly took his leave.
Gu Jiao gave Eunuch Wei a glance, didn’t say anything, and started the follow-up check-up for the Empress Dowager.
She took out her stethoscope.
When she last checked the Empress Dowager’s chest, her lungs were full of rales, but now they were normal.
Gu Jiao then took Empress Dowager’s pulse, which was much smoother than before.
“How do you feel?” Gu Jiao asked.
The Empress Dowager smiled and said, “After taking the medicine you gave, I got much better. I had attacks only twice on the second day and almost none at all on the third day.”
Gu Jiao wasn’t surprised by the result. Since the medicine from the research institute was excellent and even exceeded similar efficacy in the advanced medical world of her former life, she must keep it ready: “Keep that spray handy, in case your asthma attacks again. Use it right away if it does.”
“Alright,” The Empress Dowager agreed, and looked at Gu Jiao lovingly, “Thank you for your efforts to see me.”
Gu Jiao responded, “I did receive the treatment fee from Princess Rui.”
The Empress Dowager looked confused at first, then understood what Gu Jiao meant. Seeing the serious expression on Gu Jiao’s face, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“You are quite an interesting child.” The Empress Dowager couldn’t stop laughing. Looking at the clear sky, she said, “The sun is out now. Miss Gu, do you need to rush back? If not, would you accompany me for a walk outside? I haven’t been able to get out when I get sick, I’ve been cooped up inside for a long time.”
“Alright,” Gu Jiao wasn’t in a hurry to go back.
The Empress Dowager put on a cloak and walked out of the courtyard with Gu Jiao.
The nunnery isn’t big, only a few steps and it ends, so the Empress Dowager led Gu Jiao out of the nunnery.
The bluestone path in front of the nunnery was well laid; Gu Jiao noticed on her way here that even the path leading to the Puji Temple wasn’t as well-laid.
The Empress Dowager savored the surrounding scenery, walking slowly: “What do you think of the scenery here, Miss Gu?”
“It’s all right.” Gu Jiao was not particularly interested in the scenery.
Empress Dowager Jing smiled, “I think it’s quite nice, better than the Imperial Palace. So many young ladies are desperately longing to enter the palace, but once they get in, they will spend a lifetime hoping to leave.”
Gu Jiao believed that Empress Dowager Jing was explaining her conversation with the old master.
Gu Jiao was not a gossipy person.
Whether Empress Dowager Jing explained or not, Gu Jiao would keep it to herself.
However, their conversation did reveal a fact—Empress Dowager Jing was not in the nunnery of her own volition, at least the Emperor perceived so. The Emperor wanted to bring her back but was hindered by something unknown, seemingly about to be accomplished.
Lost in thought, Gu Jiao noticed that Empress Dowager Jing, who was standing next to her, suddenly stopped.
Peripherally, she noticed the Empress Dowager’s body stiffening slightly. Gu Jiao turned her head to look at her, then looked in the direction she was staring at.
A burly old man in plain clothes had somehow arrived on the path.
Having risked life and death in the organization in her previous life, Gu Jiao sensed the hidden killing intent in him in a split second.
This plain-clothes old man… has killed people.
And probably not just a few, or he wouldn’t have such a sharp killing aura.
He soon noticed them, and his steps faltered, too.
Do they know each other?
A hint of complexity flashed through the old man’s eyes as he walked up and greeted Empress Dowager Jing, “Honorable Empress Dowager.”
Empress Dowager Jing unconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand, but her voice didn’t reveal much of change, “Lord Hou, there’s no need for formalities.”
Upon hearing the name Lord Hou, Gu Jiao didn’t jump to the obvious conclusion, figuring there were numerous lords in the Capital City.
Meanwhile, Lord Hou didn’t pay much attention to Gu Jiao, treating her as a simple maid beside the Empress Dowager.
Empress Dowager Jing gathered herself and asked, “Is Lord Hou here to pay homage?”
Lord Hou kept his eyes downcast, without glancing at Empress Dowager Jing, “There was an incident at the Suo Bridge recently, it has just been repaired. I came to take a look.”
Suo Bridge was under Lord Gu’s charge to renovate, and it should have been Lord Gu to inspect it once completed, but hadn’t Lord Gu been severely injured by his own father? So, Lord Hou came in his stead.
Although Empress Dowager Jing tried to look calm, any observant person could feel that something was off about her, “Then, you may go and take care of your business.”
Once again, Lord Hou paid his respects, without a sidelong stare, “May Her Highness the Empress Dowager take care.”
“Mhm.” Empress Dowager Jing nodded steadily.
Lord Hou turned around and left.
Empress Dowager Jing watched his receding figure, a hint of melancholy flashed in her eyes. Then she turned to look at Gu Jiao beside her, smiled, and said, “Let’s go back. I’m a bit tired.”
After escorting Empress Dowager Jing back to the nunnery, Gu Jiao boarded a carriage back to the medical hall.
The driver was Xiao San Zi.
Xiao San Zi asked, “Miss Gu, are we heading straight back to the medical hall?”
“Uh-huh.” Gu Jiao responded with a nod.
“Alright, Miss Gu, hold tight!” Xiao San Zi whipped the horses, “Get up!”
The carriage left the nunnery, passed by the temple, and then the Stone Arch Bridge.
The beautiful scenery along the way reminded Gu Jiao of her days in the countryside.
They hadn’t traveled far when another carriage started following them.
Wherever Gu Jiao’s carriage went, the other one followed, no matter how many turns they took.
At first, they thought the other party was also heading to the city area, but when Xiao San Zi stopped his carriage at the tea shed and let them pass first, they didn’t.
When Xiao San Zi set off again, they followed from a moderate distance.
Gradually, even Xiao San Zi began to sense that something was not quite right, “Miss Gu, why is that carriage always following us?”
At this point, they were about to enter the bustling city area. Once they passed through a narrow alley, they would reach Chao Yu Street. At the end of Chao Yu Street was Chao Yu Archway, and after turning a corner beyond the archway, they would be on Xuanwu Avenue.
“Stop in the alley up ahead.” Gu Jiao said indifferently.