The Prime Minister's Darling

Chapter 64: 64 Marquis

Gu Yan couldn’t stay in the small restaurant for long because the guards from the Marquis Residence came looking for him.

Gu Yan didn’t let them disturb Gu Jiao, and he quietly bid her farewell.

As she watched his retreating figure, Gu Jiao felt a slight tug at her heartstrings. —— He was handsome and from a prestigious family, gentle as jade and polite. Why would heaven torture such a perfect and obedient boy?

The polite and obedient boy lost all sense of humor as soon as he got into the carriage of the Marquis Residence, his harsh temperament was all out, his eyes turned icy cold, and he was like a completely different person than who he was in front of Gu Jiao.

The man in black who was knocked unconscious by Gu Jiao had returned to Gu Yan’s side with his companion. Both of them tried their utmost to make themselves inconspicuous, and they didn’t even dare to breathe loudly.

They had seen the unabashedly shameless side of their young master. Was he capable of maintaining this obedient facade in front of the Marquise and the Marquis as well!?

Who was that annoying devil who was always so irritable!?

Strictly speaking, the two subordinates had failed in their duty today, yet their young master didn’t blame them, showing he was in an exceptionally good mood. Considering this, would it be the right time to relay the news to him then?

“Haven’t left yet, got anything else?” Gu Yan asked with distaste.

The two exchanged a glance, and in the end, the man in black who was knocked unconscious spoke up, “The Marquis is on his way here.”

Gu Yan’s aura turned cold all of a sudden.

After a pause, he stretched out his hand: “The paintings.”

The two quickly handed over a priceless antique painting in their possession each.

Gu Yan grabbed them and promptly tore them to shreds!

Meanwhile, Gu Jiao was also preparing to leave.

The dishes served today were delicious, so Gu Jiao bought a portion of Candied Pork Hock and a bowl of Braised Lion’s Head. She paid a fifty wen deposit and asked the shopkeeper to pack them in two jars to take home.

Just as she was carrying the jars out of the restaurant, a rider on horseback raced past. He was whipping his horse, rudely dispersing the crowd on the street.

An old woman, trying to avoid his whip, stumbled and bumped into Gu Jiao’s jars.

Gu Jiao’s jars fell to the ground, shattering with a loud crash. The soup and pork sprinkled all over the ground and were immediately trampled on by a panicked auntie.

“Oh dear——”

The auntie’s foot slipped, and she almost fell. Gu Jiao stepped forward and pulled her aside.

The old woman, realizing what had happened, immediately apologized to Gu Jiao: “I’m sorry, miss. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

It wasn’t her to blame for this incident; the real culprit was the man who had been recklessly riding his horse on the street.

Unaffected by the chaos he had caused and not even sparing a glance at Gu Jiao, the man was about to whip the horse again when Gu Jiao grabbed his whip.

Then, without giving him a chance to argue, she yanked him off his carriage unceremoniously.

The man fell hard on the ground, losing control of his horse, which galloped away.

He was a martial artist, so the fall didn’t injure him too much, it was just a minor injury. However, he was furious. Who would dare to throw him off his horse in public!

He charged at Gu Jiao, who held the whip in her hand, and with just one swing, she sent him flying.

He crashed into a carriage behind him.

The carriage wobbled violently. A young girl inside couldn’t keep her balance and hit her head against the carriage wall, letting out a cry of pain: “Ah——”

At that moment, the carriage came to a halt. The man that Gu Jiao had smacked down seconds ago was scrambling to his feet in fear, kneeling by the side of the carriage, he begged, “I have committed a fault! Please, my lord, punish me!”

Gu Jiao furrowed her brows in confusion. Marquis?

Inside the carriage, the Marquis was supporting his daughter, Jin Yu, who had bumped her head. Worried, he asked, “Jin Yu, are you all right?”

Jin Yu’s forehead was red, a minor injury. Compared to any of Gu Jiao’s numerous old and new wounds, this was nothing. But what could you expect from someone who had been pampered her whole life?

She has never suffered or been wronged in any way.

Gu Jinyu covered her forehead, looking pitifully at the Marquis with tears welling up in her eyes: “It hurts.”

“Let me look at it.” Once the Marquis lifted her hand to inspect her reddened forehead, his anger flared.

He threw the curtain back forcefully, looking icily at the kneeling guard: “What happened?!”

The guard pointed at Gu Jiao, explaining, “I was leading the way ahead when she confiscated my whip, yanked me off my horse, and whipped me until I collided with the Marquis’s carriage.”

The bystanders, who were trembling in fear at the Marquis’s anger, dropped to their knees, all except for Gu Jiao, who stood defiantly in the open.

The Marquis’s icy gaze made its way to Gu Jiao’s face.

It was a face that you wouldn’t wish to lay eyes on a second time, her eyebrows and eyes were cold. The blood-red birthmark made her skin appear unusually fair, adding a hint of wildness to her flagrant allure.

Her eyes were cold and sharp, not shrinking away from the Marquis’s gaze.

She was dressed like a rural villager, not much younger than Jin Yu, yet she carried such a terrifying sharpness in her eyes.

The Marquis snapped, “You’ve quite the nerve!”

Whether it was beating up his guard in the street, or refusing to kneel before him, she was undoubtedly audacious!

However, Gu Jiao did not falter under his reprimand; instead, she strode forward, whip in hand.

The guard abruptly stood up, drawing his sword to block her path.

Without even batting an eyelid, Gu Jiao whipped his sword back into its sheath!

Everyone was stunned!

The Marquis was dumbstruck too.

Gu Jiao walked up to the carriage, unphased by the crowd that was buzzing around her.

She held out her hand to the Marquis.

The Marquis frowned, “What for?”

Gu Jiao calmly stated, “A jar costs fifty coins, candied pork hock sixty coins, braised lion’s head forty coins, and I will need to order another set from the shopkeeper which is an additional hundred coins. That brings the total to two hundred and fifty.”

The Marquis: “…”

Feeling like he was being mocked.

The Marquis glanced at the mess on the floor, then towards the guilty guard. His face lowered in realization, and everything became clear to him.

The Marquis coldly snorted, “My man was certainly at fault, but aren’t you being too arrogant, young lady? Aren’t you afraid that I will order your execution?”

Gu Jiao glanced at him, seeming to contemplate his words seriously, then stated a moment later, “Two hundred and forty-nine coins.”

“…” The Marquis was completely bewildered – what on earth was going on?

Gu Jinyu recognized Gu Jiao. She tugged at the Marquis’s sleeve, gently shaking her head at him.

The Marquis furrowed his brows, speaking to Gu Jiao, “My daughter has pleaded on your behalf, therefore I will spare you!”

With that, he tossed Gu Jiao a silver ingot, let down the curtain, and ordered his coachman to drive off.

Gu Jiao only stated the amount of two hundred and forty-nine coins. He had given her more than what she asked for.

Gu Jiao broke off a small piece from the silver ingot, casually tossing the rest back into the Marquis’s carriage.

The silver ingot hit the Marquis squarely on the head, causing a bump to form immediately!

The Marquis: “!!!”