The Prime Minister's Darling novel Chapter 873

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Chapter 873: 402 Dragon Shadow Guard (Second Update)_2

The borderlands were far away, and furthermore, investigating the remnants of the former dynasty and settling Princess Ning An also required some time.

Gu Jiao looked at him, seemingly waiting for a more specific answer.

He continued, "If it’s quick, I’ll be back by spring; if it’s slow, I could be back within a year."

"That long." Gu Jiao wrote. "I’ll treat you to a meal to see you off!"

Lord Hou laughed heartily, "Good! By coincidence, I still have one last move to teach you. You were too hasty with that move you used on the arena earlier. Next time you face that situation, do it like this..."

The two of them ate for a full two hours, with Lord Hou mainly providing guidance to Gu Jiao. While she might have grown impatient listening to others, she found his advice truly engaging.

Lord Hou felt he could teach her a bit more, but unfortunately, it was getting late, and little brother Gu had to go back, while he needed to start preparing for his departure from the capital.

Lord Hou wouldn’t let his brothers pay for the meal; he went downstairs to settle the bill himself.

As long as the old man didn’t act like her grandfather, he was quite charming. Gu Jiao thought for a moment and handed him the small token from her waist.

Lord Hou looked puzzled: "What’s this for?"

He was asking what she intended to do with it, not what it was.

Clearly, he recognized the token.

Gu Jiao hadn’t thought too much about it; she picked up her little notebook and swiftly wrote, "My first expert token, I’m giving it to you!"

Lord Hou asked, "Are you really willing to give me something so precious?"

One had to win ten matches to get such a token, and it was his first expert token in life. Lord Hou knew all too well how significant this token was to him.

Lord Hou thought too much.

Gu Jiao felt that she was about to get a second-level expert token, so this one... it didn’t matter if she gave it away.

The main thing was that she didn’t want to spend silver to buy him a gift to see him off.

Seeing that she was sincerely giving it to him... Well, was it not sincere? Without spending a dime, Lord Hou gladly accepted it.

"It’s getting late; time to head back," he said with a smile, standing up.

But suddenly Gu Jiao remembered something and wrote in the notebook, "Right, the friend you mentioned last time..."

Mid-sentence, she crossed it out and rewrote, "The friend you talked about last time, the one who wanted to elope with the woman he admired, why was there no follow-up?"

This was something the old man had brought up to her openly, so it wasn’t prying into his privacy.

Lord Hou stiffened slightly, in a place Gu Jiao couldn’t see, his hands clenched the arms of the chair: "No more eloping."

"Why?" Gu Jiao wrote.

Lord Hou opened his mouth, looked out the window with difficulty, and said, "...She’s gone."

Gu Jiao: Oh.

Gu Jiao didn’t ask any further.

Gu Jiao hadn’t come by carriage today. Lord Hou offered to escort her, but naturally, she couldn’t reveal where she lived. She shook her head, declining, indicating she had other matters to attend to.

Seeing that Gu Jiao didn’t seem imprudent, Lord Hou gave a few words of caution before stepping into his carriage and leaving.

In early August, Tang Yueshan was ordered to travel to the borderlands. The official reason was to act as an imperial envoy to bestow upon Princess Ning An the title of First-rank Lady of Peace and Stability of Zhan Country and upon her consort the title of First-rank Marquis of Martial Peace.

The emperor also entrusted Tang Yueshan with a substantial amount of rewards and supplies for the soldiers to survive the winter on the border.

In fact, the rewards and supplies were secondary; the escort of troops that accompanied them was the key.

Lord Hou was incognito among the entourage, joining as a staff member from Tang Yueshan’s household.

On the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Gu Jiao went to the underground Martial Arts Arena again.

She was now a first-level expert and could fight opponents two ranks higher than herself. She didn’t know if she should consider herself lucky today; her first opponent turned out to be a third-level Turkic swordsman.

The Turkic people had exceptionally strong physiques, and as soon as he entered the arena, Gu Jiao felt an unusual pressure.

Indeed, the higher she got, the stronger the experts she faced.

Gu Jiao threw a probing punch to test the other’s strength. She was forced to retreat several steps, accidentally biting her lip hard enough to bleed.

Gu Jiao smiled. Interesting.

Next, Gu Jiao intended to execute her real skills, but before she could make a move, a dark figure leaped onto the platform like a specter. So fast that no one saw exactly what happened, the Turkic swordsman was kicked away in one sweeping move!