Chapter 1005: 476 Drama King Baby (two chapters combined)_4 Chapter 1005: 476 Drama King Baby (two chapters combined)_4 Yuan Tang, upon hearing that it was not his imperial father, subconsciously felt less averse, but still frowned and asked, “Which uncle of mine?”

Gu Jiao said, “How would I know which uncle of yours is leading troops to suppress the rebellion?”

In fact, she knew, but she wanted to find out whether Yuan Tang was aware.

Yuan Tang pondered for a moment, then somewhat bristled, “Are you talking about my Uncle Prince Bo? Impossible! He shares the same mother with my imperial father and is the brother my father trusts the most! He would never rebel, no matter who else might!”

“Is that so?” Gu Jiao raised her eyebrows.

Yuan Tang firmly believed that his uncle would not rebel, “Besides, with my maternal grandfather and eldest maternal uncle going with him, even if my uncle were to think of rebelling, they would not just sit by and watch.”

Gu Jiao uttered an “Oh” and then said, “What if they conspired to rebel with your uncle?”

Yuan Tang gave Gu Jiao a look as if she were a fool, “Why would my maternal grandfather do such a thing? What benefit would that bring him?”

Unfazed by his disdain, Gu Jiao calmly stated, “This is a matter concerning your Rong Family.”

If it wasn’t for Prince Bo and the Rong Family, how could the Gu Family army have suffered such a loss?

Yuan Tang felt that Gu Jiao was spouting nonsense, “I don’t believe it! Where did you hear these rumors?”

“Believe it or not, that’s up to you,” Gu Jiao concluded, for her real purpose in coming here was not actually to make Yuan Tang believe anything, but to verify whether her dream had somehow come true in advance.

Her goal had been achieved; out of a sense of duty, she gave him a kind warning.

If he believed it, good; if not, she would think of another approach and stop concerning herself with him.

“How is your finger now?” Gu Jiao looked toward Liu Yisheng, who stood beside her.

The light in Liu Yisheng’s eyes shifted as he replied, “Much better.”

“Let me see,” Gu Jiao reached out her hand.

Liu Yisheng hesitated for a moment before handing over the finger that had been reattached, placing it in the palm of her hand.

She gently squeezed the stitched wound, “Does it still hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

It was a bit… ticklish.

Liu Yisheng cast his gaze downward.

Gu Jiao tugged at his finger, testing his strength. Liu Yisheng was aware that her identity was only that of a physician, and yet, this gesture felt unusually intimate to him.

He found his breathing hitch for a moment.

“Does it hurt?” Gu Jiao asked.

“No, no…” Liu Yisheng quickly denied.

“Mm, it’s healing well,” Gu Jiao didn’t think much of it. After releasing Liu Yisheng’s hand, she bent down to pet her cat, stroking it until both of her eyes squinted in pleasure.

Watching Gu Jiao like this, basking in the sunlight, Liu Yisheng found the young girl dazzingly beautiful, not diminished in the least by the birthmark on her face, living openly and boldly as the sun blazes fiercely in the sky.

Satisfied from petting the cat, Gu Jiao stood up and left.

On the way, she pondered the lingering threat from the former dynasty and the maritime crises.

These events had occurred almost simultaneously, which did not seem to be coincidental to her–rather like someone purposely instigating trouble on the island first to lure away Marquis Xuanping, and then subsequently targeting the Marquis Residence of Ding’an and the Gu Family army.

This was a grand conspiracy against Zhan Country–decimating the Gu Family’s army was akin to severing an arm of Zhan Country. Still, Gu Jiao had an inkling that there was more to it than met the eye.

The actions taken against Old Marquis and Gu Chengfeng, as well as the amputation of Gu Changqing’s legs, seemed not simply about destruction but also carried a sense of profound vengeance and insult.

Had the Gu Family offended the remnants of the former dynasty?

Empress Dowager Jing was a remnant of the former dynasty, but her death didn’t seem to be the fault of the Gu Family, did it?

For the moment, Gu Jiao couldn’t figure out the key to the issue.

Of course, the so-called vengeance and insult might just be her own misconception.

She didn’t know if the remnants of the former dynasty were really in collusion with the maritime bandits. She hoped not, because if there was no collusion, the maritime bandits would not have advanced their timing, allowing Marquis Xuanping time to head north.

If Marquis Xuanping ventured north, the morale of the Chen Country’s army would drop by at least half.

Regrettably, reality is often cruel.

That very night, an urgent dispatch of eight hundred li arrived from Nanhai City–bandits in Nanhai City had started a riot, the island was lost, the Commander-in-chief of the naval forces had been killed, and they begged for support from the central government.

When the news reached the Imperial Palace, both the Emperor and Gu Jiao were in the Renshou Palace.

The Grand Empress Dowager and the Emperor didn’t avoid Gu Jiao, allowing her to hear the report of the guard, as well as their opinions on the matter.

The Emperor, at a loss, said, “With Commander Liao dead, the naval forces are like a dragon without a head. The deputy commanders are too young and unable to control the situation, while the experienced generals at court are not very familiar with naval affairs.”

“Didn’t Marquis Xuanping spend several years with the naval forces?” the Grand Empress Dowager remarked.

“Ah, yes,” the Emperor seemed to have just remembered, “In his youth, he followed his uncle to take up a post in Nanhai City and rose to the rank of Commander-in-chief in the naval forces.”

If Marquis Xuanping had remained in Nanhai City, he could actually have been promoted to Commander-in-chief of the naval forces, but instead, he had returned.

He did it to marry Princess Xinyang.

Yet nobody expected that what seemed to be a fine marriage engagement would turn out to be the mess it was now.

“Actually…” the Emperor hesitated, before revealing Gu Changqing’s whereabouts, “Gu Changqing is near Fengdu Mountain, no more than a ten-day journey from Nanhai City.”

Gu Changqing had gone to Fengdu Mountain to take command of the thirty thousand Forbidden army troops secretly trained by the Old Marquis–a lifeline for the imperial family, originally intended for use against the Grand Empress Dowager, which was now unnecessary.

Still, they wouldn’t be mobilized lightly either.

The Grand Empress Dowager didn’t ask what Gu Changqing was doing in the Fengdu Mountain area, she just continued on the topic of Nanhai City, “He lacks naval experience and his credentials are too shallow to command respect.”

Indeed, the navy and the army were quite different. Gu Changqing was an outstanding land force general, but his tactics might not be suitable for naval warfare.

Moreover, the navy, unlike the army in the Capital City, was trickier to manage–full of slippery operators accustomed to acting one way while believing another, expert in bringing others down with them using sly tactics that were difficult to call out. It truly required someone like Marquis Xuanping, a bully and scoundrel, to show them what it means when the path becomes an inch higher and the devil rises a yard taller!

The Emperor nodded, “Mother speaks the truth.”

Gu Jiao, listening on the side, understood that Marquis Xuanping’s journey south had become an inevitability.