It's not really Gu Jiao's fault.
People have conditional reflexes, and after spending several months with the old Marquis on the frontier and on the way back to the Capital City, Gu Jiao naturally got used to putting on the mask whenever she saw him.
Now, she was wearing it prematurely.
Without it, she could still be Gu Jiao, but with it on... she truly couldn't explain herself properly.
Gu Jiao cast a resentful glance at the Emperor in the room, incompetent at everything but unmasking people first.
Why did he have to call for her?
If he hadn't called, she wouldn't have turned back, and she would have had a bit more time to think.
...How rash!
The Emperor gave Gu Jiao a puzzled look: "Gu... "
"Little brother?"
The old Marquis stood up, walking toward Gu Jiao with a face full of confusion and uncertainty.