The Grand Secretary’s Pampered Wife Chapter 140.1

Chapter 140.1

Old Madame Gu usually asked people to take the peonies out for her to see and admire, and only when the weather was too cold would she personally make a trip to the greenhouse.
The distance between the Pine Crane Courtyard and the greenhouse was actually a little far, but Old Madame Gu was sitting in her sedan chair, safe from the wind and rain, so the trip was also comfortable.
The sedan chair soon arrived outside the greenhouse.
The confidant wet nurse lifted the curtain and helped Old Madame Gu alight the sedan chair.
Old Madame Gu noticed the wide open wooden door at a glance and his grayish eyebrows wrinkled up, "Who’s in charge of the greenhouse today? Won’t the flowers inside freeze to death if the door is opened like this?"
The confidant wet nurse quickly pointed out a servant to go in and take a look.
The servant went inside to have a look and then came out to report, "I don’t see the gardener anywhere."
This made Old Madame Gu even angrier. There was no gardener, which meant that the gardener left his post without reporting, and it was unknown how long he had been away, leaving the door wide open for an unknown time!
Old Madame Gu sent people to look for the gardener and entered the greenhouse with the help of her confidant wet nurse.
Gu Jiao was crouched on the ground, observing the flowers, and she was being blocked by the potted plant behind her. At that moment, she finished examining the flowers and stood up.
The sudden appearance of an extra person greatly frightened Old Madame Gu and her confidant wet nurse; they felt their hearts tremble!
"Who is it!?" Old Madame Gu asked in a stern voice.
Gu Jiao lightly turned her head.
Gu Jiao wasn’t dressed like a precious young miss, nor did she look like a servant of the estate. She didn’t look very old, just about the same age as Gu Jinyu.
Only looking at Gu Jiao's right face, she could be said to be as beautiful as a fairy, but she had a big red birthmark on her left face. Old Madame Gu expressed that she had never seen someone with such a disfigured face before!
Old Madame Gu's eyebrows jumped as she said, "Where did a wild girl like you come from? You actually dare to run into the greenhouse of the Marquis Estate?"
The confidant wet nurse and the servant girl at the side were also surprised. That’s right, where did this wild girl come from exactly? The Marquis Estate’s greenhouse wasn’t a vegetable garden where outsiders could enter as they pleased.
Could she be a relative of some servant in the estate?
But even if she was, she also didn’t have the right to burst into the Old Madame’s greenhouse.
Gu Jiao sized up Old Madame Gu and guessed her identity.
Gu Jiao looked at the white flowers in her hand, and then gazed back at the old woman Gu who seemed to have flown into a rage. Looking pensive, she let out an ‘oh’.
Old Madame Gu was bewildered.
Girl, what’s with your reaction?
Between revealing her identity and fleeing the scene, Gu Jiao chose the former. She walked towards Old Madame Gu to introduce herself.
However, Old Madame Gu thought she was going to assassinate her, thus she shouted in alarm, "Somebody come! Stop her for me!"
A crowd swarmed in and reached out to capture Gu Jiao.
Old Madame Gu kept retreating to avoid this terrible battlefield, a pity that she didn't keep her eyes on the surroundings as she retreated and accidentally bumped into the flower rack behind her.
She lost her footing and fell towards the flower rack. In a panic, she reached for another flower rack nearby to try to stabilize herself, but the flower rack was unable to withstand the weight and was pulled down by her at once.
Dozens of potted plants on the flower rack fell down with a crash, and Old Madame Gu, who didn’t have time to get away, was buried under the rubbles in an instant.
The confidant wet nurse gasped in alarm. The Old Madame was only out of her sight for a moment. How could something like this happen?
People couldn’t be bothered to catch Gu Jiao anymore as they turned around one after another to rescue Old Madame Gu.
Gu Jiao spread her hands innocently.
It wasn’t her fault this time, okay.
While people were in a flurry, Gu Jiao shook her head and took a bunch of the small white flowers out of the greenhouse.
Although the greenhouse was separated from Yao shi's courtyard by just a wall, the proper route was quite a long way.
Grannie Fang had to walk half the Marquis Estate before finally arriving outside the greenhouse. Seeing Gu Jiao coming out of the greenhouse, she called, gasping, "Eldest, eldest…"
Before she could call her out completely, she saw Gu Jiao easily climbing over the wall again, back to Yao shi's courtyard.
Grannie Fang who doubted life itself: "…"
Grannie Fang once again had to walk half the Marquis Estate and by the time she returned to Yao shi's courtyard, she felt that her old legs were no longer her own!
Grannie Fang held the pillar in the porch and gasped for breath.
Gu Jiao sat on the stone bench in the yard, playing with the bunch of white flowers she put on the stone table in front of her.
This flower was really beautiful, white in color and elegant in appearance, indeed looked pure.
"Grannie." Gu Jiao called and asked, "Who planted the flowers in that greenhouse?"
Grannie Fang waved her hand. She couldn't speak! She was too exhausted!
Gu Jiao didn't rush her either and simply asked a servant girl to pour her a cup of tea.
After drinking a few mouthfuls of hot tea, Grannie Fang finally regained her breath.
She staggered to Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao said, "Have a seat and then talk."
"Thank you, eldest young miss." Grannie Fang was a very disciplined person, but she really was too tired and couldn't keep standing. She sat down on the stone bench beside Gu Jiao and said, "The flowers in the greenhouse are planted by the gardeners of the estate. The gardeners plant whatever flowers the Old Madame likes. In general… Most of them are moutan peonies, but there are also some chinese peonies, clivia and water lilies. There are other flowers too, such as the midget crabapple. This servant hasn’t been to the greenhouse many times, and only heard all these from other servants in the estate."
Pausing briefly, Grannie Fang added, "However, Concubine Ling also grows flowers in the greenhouse, and she seems even better in taking care of the flowers than the gardeners. Now the Old Madame let her take care of the flowers."
Gu Jiao’s pupils contracted as she said, "I understand, where is she now?"
Grannie Fang realized something and asked, "Eldest young miss... Why did you ask about this all of a sudden? Is there anything wrong with the greenhouse?"
"There is indeed something wrong. As for who did it, we have to find out." Gu Jiao didn’t even bother thinking whether it was intentional or unintentional. She didn't believe there were so many coincidences in this world. Otherwise, Yao shi wouldn't have been poisoned in the villa.
Some people thought Yao shi was an eyesore and wanted to get rid of Yao shi.
Grannie Fang naturally thought of this too, but she didn't expect things to be related to the greenhouse.
"This servant shall go and inquire."
Grannie Fang went out to ask about Concubine Ling's whereabouts. As a result, she learned that Concubine Ling wasn’t at the estate at the moment. She made a trip back to her paternal home to visit her relatives.
"I'll come back another day." Gu Jiao took the flowers, saying, "Don't let Madame out for a few days."
"Yes!" Grannie Fang answered obediently.
She glanced at Gu Jiao, feeling deeply touched in her heart.
She might still not like some of the eldest young miss’s practices, but it was undeniable that when something happened to the Madame, it was always the eldest young miss who they could rely on.
Meanwhile, Gu Changqing returned to the Marquis Estate.
As soon as he entered the gate of the estate, he heard that something had happened to Old Madam Gu, so he headed to Old Madam Gu's courtyard.