The Prime Minister’s Darling - Chapter 1429

Chapter 1429: 696 Slap in the Face (Second Update) Chapter 1429: 696 Slap in the Face (Second Update) The weather was stifling hot, and after being congested for a quarter of an hour, the carriage finally began to move slowly.

The traffic was severe in the first half, but as they approached the National Master Hall, it became smooth sailing. It turned out that most of the people queuing up to meet the National Master had been persuaded to leave by the disciples of the hall, leaving only a dozen or so die-hards.

Gu Jiao’s carriage stopped opposite the National Master Hall.

She hopped down from the carriage and took the Chess Sage’s token, walking towards the entrance.

One of the disciples of the National Master Hall was persuading the dozen civilians who refused to leave, “Master National Master is only seeing three visitors today and has already seen two. If any of you have an invitation card, please present it quickly; if not, please return, and it’s not too late to come to the National Master Hall on another day once you have one.”

Oh, an invitation card is needed as well.

Gu Jiao touched her chin thoughtfully.

The disciple from the National Master Hall had never seen Gu Jiao before but still asked politely, “Young Master, do you have an invitation card?”

“I don’t have an invitation card, just this.” Gu Jiao handed the Chess Sage’s token to the disciple of the National Master Hall.

The disciple took it, looked at it with astonishment, and said, “Young Master, please come inside.”

Someone beside them was displeased, “Hey! Why does he get to go in?”

“Yeah! He doesn’t have an invitation card either, does he? We’ve been waiting so long, if anyone should go in, it should be us first!”

The disciple from the National Master Hall explained, “This young master holds the token of Chess Sage Master Meng, a distinguished guest of the National Master Hall. Anyone he recommends can enter directly. Now, as today’s three spots are filled, please everyone go back.”

“This is just great! Waited here for so long for nothing!”

“Exactly! If I had known, I wouldn’t have come!”

“He looks so shabby, who knows if his token is fake?”

The disciple from the National Master Hall shook their head helplessly, seemingly worried about the grumbling and said, “Young Master, don’t take it to heart. They don’t have the National Master Hall’s invitation card, so they wouldn’t have been able to enter anyway. It’s nothing to do with you.”

Gu Jiao said, “Oh, I’m fine.”

What a considerate young man.

“Please follow me, Young Master,” the disciple from the National Master Hall said as he led Gu Jiao inside.

The moment the two turned to walk in, a carriage suddenly arrived from behind. The carriage came to a halt, and a girl in white, lifting her skirts, jumped down from it.

She seemed to be in a hurry.

“Please wait a moment.”

She called out to the disciple from the National Master Hall.

Gu Jiao, hearing the familiar voice, turned her head along with the disciple.

“It’s you?”

The other party saw Gu Jiao and was taken aback, “Why are you here?”

Looking at Miao Ruoxin who appeared in haste, Gu Jiao said, “Why can’t I be here?”

Miao Ruoxin glanced at the majestic and solemn plaque above and said with a slightly knitted brow, “This is the National Master Hall, not a place you should be.”

The disciple from the National Master Hall inquired, “May I ask what matter the young lady has?”

Miao Ruoxin was much more polite when speaking to the disciple from the National Master Hall and said genially, “I’m here to request an audience with the National Master, and I have an invitation card.”

With that, she took out a golden invitation card from her wide sleeve.

The disciple immediately recognized it as a genuine invitation card from the National Master Hall, but he still apologetically said, “I’m sorry, miss, but you’re a step too late. Our National Master is only seeing three visitors today, and this young master is the last one.”

“He is… he’s just a person from a lower kingdom! How does he have the qualification to meet the National Master!” Miao Ruoxin raised the invitation card in her hand and said, not only to the guiding disciple of the National Master Hall but also to the other two disciples guarding the entrance, “Look carefully, this is an invitation card from the Chess House, personally bestowed by the National Master! It should be the highest-level invitation card! Regardless of where this man got his invitation card from, he has no right to be ahead of me!”

Indeed, the invitation cards had a ranking system, with gold cards being first class, silver cards second and blue cards third.

Only gold cards were personally stamped by the National Master, and those usually entitled to receive a gold card were members of the royalty. The Chess House had been fortunate enough to get one, and it had always been treasured as a precious item.

Miao Ruoxin herself had gone to great lengths, curing the heir of the Chess House of his cough, to exchange for this gold card.

Even if the heir of one of the top ten families came today, they wouldn’t be able to cut ahead of her!

The disciple from the National Master Hall frowned slightly and asked, “May I know which country’s citizen you are?”

Miao Ruoxin was caught off guard.

The tone of the disciple from the National Master Hall cooled a few degrees, “You are a Chen Country person, aren’t you? Your Yan Country speech is heavily accented with Chen Country, while this young master–I didn’t pick up an accent from the other countries.”

Miao Ruoxin’s mouth twitched slightly.

Are all disciples from the National Master Hall so freakishly skilled? Even able to discern accents.

Miao Ruoxin, her identity as a lower-caste person exposed, felt a wave of shame and irritation.

She glared fiercely at Gu Jiao.

Why does nothing good ever happen when she encounters this person from Zhan Country? She hadn’t even settled the score for him slapping her and dislocating her arm, yet here he was, trying to snatch away her chance to meet the National Master!

She wouldn’t let him succeed no matter what!

“You have her show the invitation! If hers is a gold invitation like mine…”

Miao Ruoxin had only got halfway through her sentence when a disciple from the National Master Hall presented the Token that hadn’t been returned to Gu Jiao, saying with neither servility nor overbearing pride, “This Young Master holds the Token of Elder Meng, who is a distinguished guest of the National Master Hall. His Token has far more qualification than the gold invitation in your hand!”

Miao Ruoxin’s pupils shrank sharply, “Impossible! How could he have Elder Meng’s Token! It must be fake!”

Miao Ruoxin hadn’t come alone; another carriage was parked behind hers.

A refined-looking man, in his early forties, thin with a small goatee, descended from the carriage.

He walked over with his hands clasped behind his back, an air of aloofness on his face, “Luckily I came today, or I wouldn’t have known someone was using Chess House’s name to swindle around!”

Miao Ruoxin hurriedly turned to greet him, her tone soft, “Master Geng.”

The disciple of the National Master Hall furrowed his brows at the man, “May I ask who you are?”

Miao Ruoxin smiled faintly, “You keep saying that Elder Meng is a distinguished guest of your National Master Hall; do you not recognize this man as Elder Meng’s direct disciple, the esteemed Master Geng Yuehua?”

Elder Meng was a Chess Saint, and his chief disciple was respected and addressed as Master by the people.

The disciple of the National Master Hall cupped his hands in greeting, “So it’s Master Geng, I have long admired you.”

Geng Yuehua glanced at Gu Jiao and said bluntly, “I don’t know this person at all, and the Token he’s holding…”

Is real!

Geng Yuehua, upon seeing the Token clearly, showed an even more surprised expression than Miao Ruoxin.

Miao Ruoxin asked, “Master Geng, what’s wrong?”

“You… you…” Geng Yuehua held the Token in his hand, turning it over and over to confirm, “It’s indeed the Teacher’s Token, but how could it be in your hands! Where did you steal it from!”

“I didn’t steal it,” Gu Jiao said.

Miao Ruoxin said mockingly, “If you didn’t steal it, then where did this Token come from? It’s common knowledge that Elder Meng has gone missing, his whereabouts unknown, so how did his Token just happen to appear with you?”

The bystanders who had already started to walk away, hearing Miao Ruoxin’s voice, turned back and lined up as if to watch a play.

Seeing that more people had gathered, Miao Ruoxin became even more eager to humiliate Gu Jiao, “Do I need to remind everyone that you are a habitual offender, posing as a physician to swindle in the Duke Residence, and I discovered just in time! Otherwise, the Duke himself would have suffered at your hands!”

The onlooking bystanders began to whisper amongst themselves.

“Goodness, she’s so young yet so shameless!”

“To deceive even a good man like the Duke, how heartless can he be!”

“He even stole the Chess Saint’s Token! The National Master Hall should take care of this! They’re actually planning to bring such a person to meet the National Master!”

“Exactly!”

Miao Ruoxin lifted the corners of her lips in satisfaction, “Xiao Liulang, admit it, you stole the Token!”

Geng Yuehua also spoke coldly, “I’ve never seen you before! The Chess Saint could never have given his Token to you! You’d better confess truthfully, otherwise–”
“Otherwise what?”

A cold and indifferent elderly voice came from the back of the crowd.

Geng Yuehua’s body stiffened as he turned to look at the newcomer.

The crowd parted way unconsciously, as Elder Meng walked over with a grave expression.

Neither Miao Ruoxin nor the others had seen Elder Meng before; he appeared to be an utterly ordinary old man by his clothing and appearance.

Miao Ruoxin spoke with arrogance, “Who might you be? I advise you not to meddle in affairs that don’t concern you. The gentleman here is the Chess Saint’s chief disciple, the current master of Chess House…”

Elder Meng stopped beside Gu Jiao and shot Geng Yuehua a mocking glance, “Master?”

Geng Yuehua’s face turned pale, “Hold your tongue!”

Miao Ruoxin was taken aback.

Master Geng… was scolding her?

She had cured his many years of stubborn cough, he had treated her as an esteemed guest, and today he even personally escorted her to the National Master Hall.

Why would he suddenly–
Geng Yuehua broke out in cold sweat, wiped his brow with his sleeve, and bowed deeply to Elder Meng, stuttering without being able to speak a word.

So arrogant before, now so lost.

Elder Meng commanded sternly, “Kneel down!”

Geng Yuehua fell to his knees with a thud!