The Prime Minister's Darling

Madam Yao had already moved back to Gu Yan’s courtyard, having awoken shortly after Gu Yan had left.

Indeed, she hadn’t managed to keep an eye on her son, and Madam Yao shook her head in resignation.

Her insistence on not letting her son leave wasn’t solely out of concern for his physical health. She also worried whether her daughter had fully come to terms with her own origins, and whether her son’s hasty visit might unsettle her.

When she learned that Gu Yan had decided to stay in her daughter’s village, oddly enough, Madam Yao was relieved.

If her daughter was willing to accept Gu Yan’s presence, it meant she didn’t feel intruded upon and might have already accepted her true identity.

However, Room Lady worried: “Madam, the conditions in the village are quite poor. How could the young master, who is used to a life of riches and comforts, adapt to living there?”

Room Lady could be somewhat obstinate and annoying in her ways, but her loyalty to Madam Yao and Gu Yan was genuine. As for Gu Jiao, Room Lady didn’t really hold her in high regard at the moment.

Madam Yao smiled and said, “Jiaojiao will take good care of him.”

Room Lady retorted, “He won’t get used to the food.”

Gently Madam Yao replied, “Jiaojiao is a doctor, she knows more than we do about what Yanyan can and cannot eat. Moreover, I’m sure he would enjoy anything she makes.”

Room Lady was skeptical: “She’s just a little herb girl who happened to treat you a couple of times. That doesn’t prove her medical skills are exceptional.”

Madam Yao clasped Room Lady’s hand, tenderly and solemnly saying, “Room Lady, you don’t know Jiaojiao yet. Once you do, you’ll like her too.”

Room Lady shook her head inwardly.

They were servants; their likes or dislikes towards the young master didn’t matter. As the daughter of the lady, Room Lady would see Jiaojiao as her young mistress in the future. Any past grievances, she would make amends for. But Jiaojiao’s heart seemed too cold to them, and Room Lady feared that her lady wouldn’t warm it up.

When Lord Gu came looking for Madam Yao, she was packing things.

Lord Gu asked in confusion, “What are you doing?”

Madam Yao replied, “Preparing a few sets of clothes for Yanyan to take with him.”

Her tone was relatively soft.

She was still unaware of Lord Gu’s altercation with Gu Jiao. Being a person not prone to tattle-taling, even if she was, she wouldn’t expose her conflicts with Lord Gu to Madam Yao. Madam Yao suffered from a severe case of anxiety and depression; and as a doctor, Gu Jiao would avoid riling her up.

Now that Madam Yao had reconciled with her daughter, her mood improved, hence her demeanor towards Lord Gu was also more amiable.

Lord Gu felt consoled, but after comprehending the meaning of her words, his mood plummeted: “You are sending clothes for Yanyan? Do you truly intend for Yanyan to stay there?”

“Can’t he?” Madam Yao retorted.

“Ah…” Lord Gu stammered, on the verge of argument but halted himself. As Madam Yao had finally ceased displaying a cold demeanor towards him, he decided not to test his luck. Smiling, he replied, “He can. I was just concerned that Yanyan wouldn’t adapt to living away from you.”

“That might be true.” Madam Yao agreed.

To this, Lord Gu rejoiced. However, his joy was short-lived as he heard Madam Yao murmur, “Maybe I should move there too.”

Lord Gu: “…!!”

Hold on!

How can you move there too?!

“Never mind, I shouldn’t be hasty. I might scare her away.” Madam Yao’s prior experiences suggested that her daughter wasn with her…”accepted her yet.”

Lord Gu let out a sigh of relief.

But before he could fully relax, he heard Madam Yao say, “Or… shouldn’t I ask her first?”

Lord Gu immediately shook his head, looking like one of those drum-dolls!

Suddenly, Lord Gu had an idea. He grabbed the portrait from the table and said to Madam Yao, “Oops, she has been suffering alone for so many years before we appeared in her life. It won’t be easy for her to accept us. Showing up all of a sudden might scare her. Let Yanyan persuade her for a few days! If you truly miss her that much, you can just look at her portrait!”

“The way you’ve put it seems somewhat reasonable.” Madam Yao truly missed her daughter. The portrait was on the table. She could look at it day and night, but it was never enough.

Madam Yao’s gaze fell on the portrait of her daughter, her expression softened.

“Lord Gu,” Madam Yao suddenly spoke, “What is that red mark on Jiaojiao’s face? Is she ill?”

She had wanted to ask this question for a long time, but it was not appropriate to ask when she was a stranger to Gu Jiao. After recognizing her, she hadn’t had the chance.

Lord Gu replied, “She’s not ill. According to her family, it’s a birthmark that has been there since birth. It wasn’t so noticeable when she was little, but as she grew up, the birthmark expanded.”