The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1072 - 1072 519 Princess Ning An (Second Update)

Chapter 1072: 519 Princess Ning An (Second Update) Chapter 1072: 519 Princess Ning An (Second Update) Gu Jiao didn’t have enough medicine to save an entire village of people. If she had, she wouldn’t have tried to stop the plague from spreading at its source in the first place.

The IV drip Gu Jiao was using finished, and she removed the needle, packing up her medical supplies.

Medical Officer Tong said, “It’s time for dinner. I’ll go to the kitchen to see if dinner is ready.”

With that, he walked out.

But soon, he wheeled around and raced back in, his face stricken with terror. Slamming the door shut, he braced his back against it, “It’s bad! The Prince Consort is coming! He’s here to kill you!”

“Kill me?” Gu Jiao said.

Medical Officer Tong said anxiously, “I saw him holding a sword! If he’s not here to kill you, is he here to chop down trees?”

So, was the Prince at his wits’ end and finally decided to kill her to vent his anger?

Gu Jiao’s eyes grew cold as she said to Medical Officer Tong, “Step aside.”

Medical Officer Tong stammered, “I, I, I, of course I’ll step aside… I’m not going to block a sword for you…”

But his legs were so weak he couldn’t move…

Gu Jiao stood up and walked over to Medical Officer Tong.

She reached out her hand and took hold of Medical Officer Tong.

At that moment, outside the door, the silver-haired man also reached out and pushed on the door.

Just as the two were about to clash, a soldier’s urgent report suddenly came from outside: “Sir! It’s bad! The princess is injured!”

Gu Jiao heard the sound of hurried footsteps leaving from outside the door.

Medical Officer Tong stuttered, “Has he, has he gone?”

“Hmm.” Gu Jiao nodded and let go of the hand she had been about to use to pull him away, “He’s gone.”

Medical Officer Tong’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor, drained of strength.

“Someone’s coming!”

Suddenly, Gu Jiao said.

Medical Officer Tong scrambled to his feet and darted behind Gu Jiao!

Gu Jiao watched the firmly shut door warily, subtly gripping the silver needle between her fingers.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone outside gently rapped on the door.

Then a muted woman’s voice slowly rose: “I am Lianlian, the princess’s maid. The princess sent me here.”

Gu Jiao looked at Medical Officer Tong, who silently nodded in agreement.

Indeed, Princess Ning An had a maid named Lianlian, and this was her voice.

Gu Jiao went back to the table, took a mask from the first-aid kit and put it on. She donned her helmet too, and lowered the iron visor before she opened the door for Lianlian.

“Don’t come in,” Gu Jiao said.

Lianlian, stepping halfway through, halted.

It was unclear if it was because of the statement or the voice that said it.

Lianlian looked incredulously at the youth before her.

But the youth turned to Medical Officer Tong standing behind him and said, “You go outside and watch. If someone comes, call us.”

Medical Officer Tong left.

Lianlian, gazing at the armored youth with an imposing aura, opened her mouth to speak, “You are…”

“Did the Princess lead the Prince Consort away?” Gu Jiao cut to the chase.

This confirmed to Lianlian that the youth was actually a young lady.

Lianlian was so shocked she could hardly speak.

Weren’t they talking about a soldier from Zhan Country?

How did it turn into a young lady?

“Ah, yes, it was the Princess who led him away,” Lianlian managed to collect herself after a moment’s shock and responded to Gu Jiao’s question. “The Princess had heard that they had captured a soldier from Zhan Country, but the Prince’s men were watching too closely for her to come see you. Tonight, when the Princess saw the Prince Consort with a sword, she guessed that he might be here to kill you, and she didn’t have time to think. She sent me to get you out quickly. By the way, are you from the Gu Family army, or… the frontier defense forces?”

“Neither,” Gu Jiao said, “I came from the Capital City.”

Gu Jiao took out the token that was beneath her armor.

“Do you recognize it?” Gu Jiao asked.

Lianlian reached out to take it.

Gu Jiao said, “Don’t come closer.”

“Oh,” Lianlian backed away and took a close look for a while, her eyes lighting up, “It’s the token from Renshou Palace! The Princess has one just like it! Are you… sent by the Empress Dowager to rescue the Princess? Has Her Majesty the Empress Dowager… finally forgiven the Princess?”

Gu Jiao did not directly answer her question, but instead asked, “Has the Prince Consort been in contact with the Princess since he came up the mountain?”

Lianlian thought for a moment and then said, “The Prince Consort came to see the Princess once, but the Princess feigned illness and did not see him. The Prince Consort waited outside for a while before leaving.”

Gu Jiao nodded thoughtfully, then asked, “So, has the princess been feeling unwell lately? Like having a fever, chills, or coughing?”

Lianlian shook her head: “No, the princess has been pretending to be sick, but she’s not really ill.”

It was either not contagious, or it was in the incubation period.

Gu Jiao felt the likelihood of it not being contagious was quite high, especially since she had not been close to the consort at all, and the consort hadn’t insisted on getting close to her, so the possibility of transmission through breath or droplets was almost zero.

“By the way, what is your name?” Lianlian asked.

“Gu Jiao,” she replied.

Lianlian asked, “So should I call you Miss Gu or Little Brother Gu?”

“As you wish.” It was just a title; Gu Jiao didn’t care.

Lianlian scratched her head and said, “When we are out fighting wars, I might as well call you Little Brother Gu, right? Little Brother Gu, you better come with me quickly. The princess can’t hold him off for long, the consort will come to kill you soon!”

The consort had intended to kill her, and of course, Gu Jiao had to leave, but she couldn’t leave alone.

She had to take Princess Ning An with her.

Gu Jiao turned around and went back inside: “You take the Medical Officer over now, and don’t let the consort run into her. Then, quickly get the princess’s things ready, we will be preparing to descend the mountain soon.”

Lianlian instinctively followed her in, but as her foot touched the ground, she remembered Gu Jiao’s orders and coughed lightly, stepping back out, “No, I can’t disobey the princess’s orders. She asked me to leave you behind, and she will be angry if I don’t.”

Gu Jiao opened the first-aid kit and took out a few masks: “Being angry is better than dying here, and besides, if I don’t want to leave, you couldn’t take me away.”

Lianlian said quietly, “Are you really good at fighting? If I tried to take you by force, would you knock me out?”

Gu Jiao: “…”

Lianlian cleared her throat and said earnestly, “I get it, I can’t beat you. I’m going to report back to the princess now!”

Gu Jiao gave the masks to the Medical Officer, instructing her to have the princess and everyone else who needed to be taken away wear them later on.

“What about you?” the Medical Officer asked.

“I’m going to get some things,” Gu Jiao said.

In the past few days, through the descriptions from the Medical Officer, Gu Jiao had almost mapped out the terrain here. Two hundred steps to the east was the residence of the King of Zhan Country.

The residence of the King of Zhan Country was just thirty steps north of where Princess Ning An and the consort lived.

Gu Jiao avoided the patrolling guards and sneaked into the King of Zhan Country’s courtyard.

Perhaps not wanting too many soldiers to be infected by the King of Zhan Country, the heavy guard usually stationed there had been partly withdrawn, which conveniently aided Gu Jiao.

The Medical Officer had not been inside the residence of the King of Zhan Country, so she couldn’t brief Gu Jiao on the specific layout.

Gu Jiao stumbled into the King of Zhan Country’s bedroom, where he was resting, with only two Medical Officers kneeling outside the screen, boiling medicine for him.

Gu Jiao tiptoed to the side of the King of Zhan Country’s bed.

Gu Jiao drew her dagger, but after taking his pulse, she put it away again.

His illness was beyond cure, and it would be a waste of her effort to do anything more.

Gu Jiao searched the room for a while and emerged from the King of Zhan Country’s quarters after about a quarter of an hour.

At that time, the consort also happened to come out of his courtyard, carrying a sword as he walked towards the small building where Gu Jiao was detained.

Gu Jiao had to take Princess Ning An away before he discovered her escape and came back.

The time left for her was running out.

And she still needed to find her Red-Tasseled Spear.

Gu Jiao snuck into the courtyard of the consort and Princess Ning An.

“Little Brother Gu! Little Brother Gu!”

It was the Medical Officer’s voice, deliberately kept low.

Gu Jiao turned her head and walked toward the Medical Officer, who was at the corner.

At this moment, the Medical Officer didn’t care about propriety between men and women, and as he was also much older than Gu Jiao, he pulled her behind a large tree and whispered, “Have you really thought this through? Do you truly intend to take the princess down the mountain? If you take the princess, the consort will not let you go! He will catch up soon! The princess can’t escape, why not leave by yourself?”

Despite the conflict between the consort and the princess, it was because the consort had betrayed her and the court, not the other way around. The consort couldn’t let her go from his heart.

He wouldn’t allow anyone to take her away.

Gu Jiao looked at him calmly and asked, “Do you have any possessions to take with you?”

“Ah?” The Medical Officer was taken aback.

Weren’t they talking about the princess? How did it shift to him?

Gu Jiao said, “If not, just go and wait for me by the princess’s side.”

“You…” The Medical Officer realized something, his breathing hitched, and he stared at Gu Jiao in a daze.

But Gu Jiao did not dwell on it and went to find her Red-Tasseled Spear.

She was in luck, the second room she entered was the consort’s study.

Her Red-Tasseled Spear was impressively hung on a rack displaying weapons, but the small braid at the spearhead had been undone, and the large safflower on the spear’s body was gone!

Gu Jiao narrowed her eyes slightly, and her gaze grew steadily colder.