Madam Nan emerged from the eastern room, having just seen Gu Jiao prepare some medicine for Gu Yan, which Madam Nan herself had then administered to him.
Observing the uneasy looks on the two people’s faces, Madam Nan vaguely guessed what was happening and said, "Things didn’t go smoothly?"
"Madam Nan, is there any other way to go to Yan Country? What about smuggling?"
"Smuggling?" Madam Nan was taken aback, "What’s that?"
"It roughly means to sneak in secretly."
Without a second thought, Madan Nan shook her head, "That’s impossible, too dangerous. It’s hard enough for one person to smuggle across, let alone with Gu Yan who is seriously ill."
"Is there really no other way?"
Madam Nan opened her mouth to speak.
Just in time, Master Lu came over, took her hand, and shook his head at her, frowning.
Madam Nan said, "I want to save Yanyan."
Gu Jiao and Xiao Hen looked at them peculiarly, not understanding how this statement was related to Gu Jiao’s previous question.
Master Lu let out a helpless sigh and said, "But they have no passage documents. The only way to take them to Yan Country is to mark them with slave marks."
In Yan Country, slaves are not considered people, only objects.
"Madam Nan... Are you from Yan Country?" Gu Jiao asked.
She had long known Madam Nan was no ordinary person, but she hadn’t expected her to be quite this extraordinary.
Madam Nan said, "I am not from Yan Country, but I can go to Yan Country."
That meant she was either from Shang Country or from some powerful force outside the Six Kingdoms.
Since Madam Nan chose not to clarify, Gu Jiao and Xiao Hen did not press the issue any further.
After all, who doesn’t have their secrets?
Madam Nan sighed, "My husband is right; without passage documents, it’s impossible to enter Yan Country. If I were to forcefully take you with me, the only way would be... to turn you into slaves."
In Yan Country, slaves are seen as very lowly; if someone powerful and influential takes a fancy to them, they can seize them by force at any time.
So, Master Lu had a point in stopping her.
She had acted impulsively just before, solely focused on getting Gu Yan to Yan Country without considering that if Gu Yan became a slave, he would not be eligible to enter the Medical Hall for treatment.
"Jiaojiao, I’m scared."
Little Jingkong, clutching his small pillow, walked out from the western room in a drowsy state.
He had fallen asleep, only to be awakened by a nightmare.
Xiao Hen, with a serious tone, said, "Are you really without, or are you pretending? Think again."
Little Jingkong was nearly asleep in Gu Jiao’s arms, murmuring, "No, I really don’t... My master never gave me any..."
Xiao Hen and Gu Jiao sighed almost in unison.
"Just that thing..." Little Jingkong mumbled in his drowsiness.
A glint appeared in Gu Jiao’s eyes, "What thing?"
"That... that..." Struggling to keep his eyes open and stay awake in Jiaojiao’s arms was really difficult, "Box... box..."
"What is he saying?" asked Xiao Hen.
Gu Jiao listened carefully and after a moment, she said to Xiao Hen, "Seems like he’s talking about a box... The last time Gu Changqing returned to the Capital, he brought a box for Little Jingkong! It was this big and had a lotus flower carved on top."
Xiao Hen went into the western room and dug out a little lotus box from a pile of Little Jingkong’s trivial items.
"Is this it?" Gu Jiao asked Little Jingkong as she took the box.
Little Jingkong was really struggling to stay awake, his eyelids battling painfully.
"Mhm..." he nodded in a haze.
"May I open it to look?" Gu Jiao asked.
"Give... give to Jiaojiao." He was half-asleep, yet remembering that whatever Jiaojiao liked was all hers, just like he himself belonged to Jiaojiao.
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