The Prime Minister’s Darling

Chapter 69: Good Luck 69

“Why didn’t you just say that you could carry it earlier? You appeared so indecisive. Were you trying to determine which hand to use?”

Marquis Gu felt that if he were to die young, it would certainly be because of this annoying brat.

Thinking about how his own daughter was gentle and adorable then looking at this girl, she was absolutely insufferable!

Thank goodness she’s not his daughter!

Gu Jiao, completely unaware of Marquis Gu’s inner monologue, led the way with the wolf on her back and swiftly exited the forest.

Arriving at the foot of the stairs, she pointed upward, saying, “Follow these stairs up, and you’ll see the temple.”

With that, she turned to ascend the mountain.

Marquis Gu called out to her: “Wait, aren’t you going to lead me up?”

Gu Jiao halted, turned around to face him, and asked in bewilderment, “Why would I lead you up?”

“You…” Marquis Gu briefly lost his breath. He took a deep breath and asked insincerely, “Why do you think I bought your wolf? Do you think I would throw it away immediately after buying it?”

Gu Jiao thought for a moment, then answered seriously, “Because you’re a fool with too much money?”

Marquis Gu felt as if he was about to vomit blood!

Ahhhh!

What kind of infuriating brat is she!

He originally found his son Gu Yan quite irritating, but ever since he met this girl, he’s started to appreciate his son a touch more!

In the end, Maricus Gu was unable to coerce Gu Jiao into guiding him. Truthfully, he already knew how to climb the mountain upon seeing these stairs; he just couldn’t swallow his pride and wanted to order this girl around. However, she was completely unresponsive–

Marquis Gu was understandably upset, but he couldn’t really resort to violence against a girl, especially if there was a high likelihood he would lose in a physical confrontation…

“Next time, if this Marquis sees you again, we’ll be settling old and new accounts together!”

Gu Jiao didn’t even bother to respond, leaving him behind as she sauntered down the mountain!

Marquis Gu clutched his chest, which felt like it was about to burst, and only after calming his emotions did he start to hobble up the mountain.

He went straight to the head monk and introduced himself.

The head monk looked at the blood-stained man before him. He almost thought he was some desperate bandit and was about to call his disciples for an eighteen Arhats formation to eradicate the bandit…

“Oh, it’s Lord Ding’an, please pardon this humble monk for not receiving you earlier,” the head monk said awkwardly.

The Marchioness was a regular at the temple, but this was Marquis Gu’s first visit, so the head monk did not recognize him.

Marquis Gu spoke calmly, “You need not be formal, monk. I came here today because I wanted to inquire about something.”

The head monk looked behind him, “Did you come here alone, Marquis?”

Marquis Gu replied, “Yes.”

How could he have gotten lost if he wasn’t alone?

It actually was quite strange that he didn’t dismount his horse. When he reached the foot of the mountain, he had already been given directions to go up. However, because he was riding a horse, it would have been inconvenient for him to climb the stairs, so he thought about taking a shortcut through the forest.

Unexpectedly, he fell into a trap which not only trapped him but caused his horse to disappear too. In the end, he had to honestly climb the mountain by foot.

With the unexpected information from Gu Yan, the head monk knew this was important and instructed his disciples to guard the gate without allowing anyone near it: “You can speak now, Marquis.”

Marquis Gu said directly: “My wife gave birth here on that night. So, I want to know, were there other women that night who also gave birth here at the temple?”

An ominous premonition rose from the pit of the head monk’s stomach: “Why do you ask, Marquis?”

Marquis Gu said flatly: “You don’t have to worry about why I’m asking. You just have to answer me, ‘yes or no?’.”

After mulling it over, the head monk pinched the Buddha bead in his hand: “…Yes.”

Marquis Gu tightened his grip on his chest: “Can the monk tell me where that child is now?”

The head monk shook his head: “I don’t know. That benefactor only came once and did not leave a name. She came down the mountain a couple of days after giving birth to a daughter.”

Marquis Gu was not surprised to hear it was a daughter. After all, if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t have been possible for them to have made a mistake in the first place.

A thought occurred to him, and he asked: “Did the woman appear wealthy?”

The head monk shook his head again: “No, she had patches on her clothes.”

He had only seen the female benefactor from a distance and didn’t even get a good look at her face. He only vaguely remembered her wearing extremely humble clothes.

Many people came to donate to the temple, and the reason he remembered her was mainly because she had climbed the mountain to donate while heavily pregnant.

No one expected a downpour to start in the afternoon, and she, along with the Marquise, had no choice but to spend the night in the temple.

Who started labor first wasn’t quite clear, but the Marquise had people looking after her. The female benefactor, however, was all on her own in the Meditation Room. It wasn’t until the midwife arrived that they realized she was about to give birth as well.

It was an extremely chaotic night.

Especially because the head monk himself was tricked into drinking alcohol…

Recalling the past was unbearable, and the head monk gathered his thoughts, clasping his hands together saying, “Amitabha.”

Marquis Gu was silent.

He had imagined that the child might not have been taken by a respectable family like theirs, but he didn’t anticipate that it would be a family so poor that they had to wear patched clothes.

What kind of child would such a family raise? He didn’t dare to think about it.

One only needs to look at Jin Yu to know that upbringing matters more than birth. She was raised excellently in the Marquis Residence, so one can infer that the family in which one grows up is the most important.

Could a child who’s grown up among commoners and villages truly become a well-mannered lady worthy of the Marquis Residence?

However, the child’s situation is indeed quite tragic. Even if he decided not to recognize her, he won’t ill-treat this child, who, after all, is part of the Marquis lineage.

He would compensate her in other ways.

After ending his conversation with the head monk, Marquis Gu stood up to leave: “…The reason for my visit to the temple today, I hope you will not divulge to anyone.”

Although the head monk didn’t know why Marquis Gu was secretly investigating that woman’s child, he nodded in agreement.

Marquis Gu then left to return to his residence.

The journey without the horse was truly agonizing.

Especially since one of his feet had swollen up like a pig’s hoof.

After much difficulty, he reached the foot of the mountain, and with the last bit of his energy exhausted, he sat on the last step, panting heavily.

Suddenly, he felt a shadow looming overhead as though a colossal entity was encompassing him.

He put his hand on the dagger at his waist and cautiously lifted his head, only to see a plump, tall horse.

This horse looked familiar…

Wait, isn’t this the horse he lost earlier?

The next second, he noticed someone sitting on the horse with an even more familiar face, and also a wolf in front of them.

“Is that you?” exclaimed Marquis Gu, standing up in surprise!

It was Gu Jiao’s first time riding a horse from ancient times. It was a peculiar feeling. Sitting atop the magnificent horse, her petite body suddenly exuded an aura of a king overlooking his kingdom!

She tugged at the reins in her hand, looking down at Marquis Gu from her lofty position, and firmly nodded, “Yes, it is me.”

Marquis Gu: “…”

Marquis Gu looked at her mount in bewilderment: “Where did you get the horse?”

Gu Jiao answered honestly: “Found it.”

A dark line appeared on Marquis Gu’s forehead. She just happened to find a horse? Just how lucky could she be?!