Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Two Updates in One

Gu Zhizhuo: “…”

It's always like this! This guy seems good-tempered, but he's actually the most stubborn. Once he's made up his mind, no one can change his mind.

The most annoying thing is patients who don't follow doctor's advice.

She angrily picked up the pine nuts he had peeled, put them in her mouth, and bit them hard.

fragrant!

She pondered over and over again, unknowingly finishing half the plate of pine nuts. She wiped her hands with a handkerchief, put on a stern face again, cleared her throat and said, "How about this, Master? I'll make you a pill. After you take it, you'll be vomiting blood and dying within an hour."

She pressed her hands against the stone table, leaned closer to him, and said quietly, "You're not going to live long."

After saying that, he smiled maliciously and said, "Do you want it?"

Xie Yingchen nodded: "Yes."

He just smiled and repeated, "I believe you."

Gu Zhizhuo's expression could no longer remain stern. The corners of his mouth turned up high, and he smiled like a flower.

Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, "This medicine will purge all the remaining poison from six years ago. However, my lord, your body is too weak. If you take this strong medicine, you will vomit blood and become weak, and your pulse will almost disappear."

This is to explain to Huai Jingzhi.

Huai Jingzhi was a cautious and suspicious person. If he didn't figure things out, who knew what tricks he might come up with, and it would be disastrous if he ended up making things worse. He wasn't familiar with her, so it was natural for him to be wary and suspicious.

This is a strong medicine.

It's also a risky move.

She needed to think carefully about how to use this medicine. She would go to the temple master to ask for some counting sticks and have a divination.

As the saying goes, "Medicine and I Ching share the same origin," "Anyone who wishes to be a great doctor must thoroughly understand yin and yang, fortune-telling, physiognomy, the five omens from burning tortoise shells, and the Zhou Yi and Liu Ren. They must all be thoroughly familiar with these." (Note 1)

Using divination to assist medical treatment can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Gu Zhizhuo secretly pondered the combination of the two drugs. This pill needed to be strong, but also had to be as gentle as possible to avoid damaging the vital energy...

She was wondering whether she should add a little cinnabar, and a small golden compass was pushed in front of her.

"Consultation fee." He said with a smile.

She stared at the compass in a daze, then subconsciously reached out to pick it up, her fingers trembling slightly.

The compass felt slightly cool to the touch, only slightly larger than her palm and could fit into her sleeve pocket.

She looked up at him: "You did it?"

Xie Yingchen nodded: "Take a look, is it still handy?"

Her heart felt hot and there was an unstoppable bitterness in her eyes. Gu Zhizhuo trembled his long eyelashes slightly to prevent the tears from rolling down.

In her previous life, shortly before his death, the young master also gave her a compass that he made himself.

The young master was already at the end of his life, and he used his last moments to make that compass for her.

At that time, she devoted herself to her medical skills, but she could only watch the young master decline day by day. She hated her own powerlessness.

The young man asked her if she believed that some people could be reincarnated.

She said she believed it.

The young master smiled and handed the compass to her, saying, "Calculate where I will be reincarnated after I die, and come find me, okay?"

The young master is dead.

She began to learn those medical techniques and numerology from her master.

She tried very hard, and Wuweizi Zhenren also said that she had excellent understanding and was very talented. However, she still could not calculate where the young master would be reincarnated. She also vaguely understood that the young master was afraid that she would be confused, blame herself, and be at a loss after his death, so he wanted her to regain her life goals.

This was the young master's sincere wish for her before his death.

Later, just before her death, the heavens finally showed her favor, and she glimpsed a glimpse of the secret from the compass...

Gu Zhizhuo stroked every inch of the compass's surface with his fingertips, landing on the Tianchi Lake, cherishing it very much: "Thank you, sir."

Her big black eyes were full of joy and excitement.

"I love so much."

Ever since her rebirth, she had always wanted to make a compass, but she just couldn't find the time.

This compass is a little different from the one in the previous life, but when she holds it in her hand, it seems exactly the same as the one in the previous life, and is connected to her blood.

Xie Yingchen watched her holding the compass lovingly, with a smile in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows, and even the slight annoyance caused by his "disobedience" disappeared.

"Did Miss Gu study Taoist medicine?" Huai Jingzhi asked.

Gu Zhizhuo responded and said happily, "I'm very good at using the compass."

She raised her chin slightly, looking proud.

Qin Chen excitedly urged, "Miss Gu, come quickly and count as one."

Huai Jingzhi: "..." Originally, he could have asked about his master next! But Qin Chen messed it up.

"What is it?"

"Who is the biological father of my brother's son?"

This is a roundabout way of speaking.

Gu Zhizhuo didn't count. The young master made a compass specifically for her, and he used it to tell Qin Su's first hexagram? He wasn't worthy.

"I'll calculate it for Ah Man."

Having said this, Gu Zhizhuo solemnly held up the compass with both hands and slowly turned the inner disk with his thumb.

Her eyes were fixed on the magnetic needle of Tianchi.

When she was in the mansion, she also gave Ah Man a simple fortune telling, but the fortune telling was like a mirage, unclear.

This is normal. The closer the blood or relationship is to her, the less she can see the direction of fate, as if there is a veil in front of her eyes.

So, in this divination, she was calculating the past.

Qin Chen whispered to Gongzi who Ah Man was. Xie Yingchen nodded. Seeing her frown, he asked, "How is it?"

As the former grandson of the crown prince, Xie Yingchen had many teachers and learned a wide range of subjects. He was not only familiar with the "Book of Changes", but also had some knowledge of hexagrams and numerology.

When he asked, Gu Zhizhuo said, "The hexagram shows that Ah Man's past was 'trapped.'"

Trapped by rocks, stuck by thorns. (Note 2)

Xie Yingchen dipped his finger in water and wrote the word "困" (trapped) on the table.

Gu Zhizhuo rested his chin on his hand, staring at the compass, and spoke whatever came to his mind: "A-Man had a serious illness a year ago, and has been mute since then."

"I've taken her pulse. Her muteness is due to a shock. The symptoms are in her heart, which fits the description of 'trapped'."

Xie Yingchen asked, "Can muteness be cured?"

"Yes." Gu Zhizhuo nodded, "You can use silver needles to dredge the heart meridian. It's just that Ah Man is afraid of needles."

She explained Ah Man's condition and continued fiddling with the compass, saying, "So, I've been using the incense fumigation method for almost half a month, and her pulse is much better now. But she's still missing a little bit of a trigger."

Xie Yingchen raised his eyebrows and asked, "Opportunity?"

The word "困" on the table has dried up, leaving no trace.

"A'man is too young. She might have forgotten that she can speak." Gu Zhizhuo spread his hands. "This is quite difficult to deal with."

She was only three and a half years old. She couldn't speak for a year and still couldn't talk for another year.

Xie Yingchen poured a cup of tea for Gu Zhizhuo and pushed it in front of her.

Huai Jingzhi saw Gu Zhizhuo pick up the tea bowl very naturally, without any restraint.

Huai Jingzhi knew that the young master had a little-known habit. He would subconsciously place things a little to the left. When this cup of tea was pushed over, it was also slightly tilted to the left.

However, Gu Zhizhuo only looked at the compass without even raising his head. He stretched out his hand and took the tea bowl.

Huai Jingzhi looked at the two of them with great interest. His own young master was just sitting there, with a reserved temperament, and his every move was steady and noble, completely different from when he was in the palace. He looked very relaxed, and spoke to Gu Zhizhuo with his head tilted, his expression gentle and focused.

"Miss Gu," Huai Jingzhi said softly, "Did Ah Man start to be afraid of needles after he became mute?"

Yes. She later specifically asked her aunt about it.

My aunt said that after Ah Man became mute, he consulted many doctors, and some doctors even suggested using acupuncture. However, as soon as the doctor took out the silver needle, Ah Man suddenly became emotional and struggled desperately. It took several people to hold such a small person down.

The aunt had no choice but to give up and asked the doctor to leave. Unexpectedly, that night Ah Man had a high fever and convulsions, which scared the aunt half to death and she dared not use acupuncture again.

It was not until more than half a year later that Ah Man showed no improvement, so my aunt made up her mind and agreed to acupuncture. This time, the doctor even used tranquilizing incense to help Ah Man fall asleep. However, as soon as the first needle was inserted, Ah Man suddenly woke up with the same excitement, fear, high fever and convulsions as last time.

After Gu Zhizhuo finished speaking, he added, "Not only the silver needle, but even the embroidery needle is scary to Ah Man."

My aunt has always suspected that it was caused by the ritual of Master Qingping, but this is actually impossible.

People who practice Taoism attach great importance to cause and effect. It is not worth it no matter how you look at it, to hurt a young child and bear such a heavy cause and effect, and destroy your own Taoism for decades, for a trivial matter like whether the Jing'an Marquis's family can have a son.

Qingping is just smooth and utilitarian, not stupid.

After all, he came here to gain experience in the world, and by the way, he was greedy for more money. If he didn't covet others, he would covet the powerful and wealthy. It's okay to be greedy, but he has five disadvantages and three shortcomings and can't keep his wealth, so he is unlucky.

Huai Jingzhi said, "I remember when I was young and studying in Liangzhou, I heard a saying among the people in the countryside."

Gu Zhizhuo raised his eyebrows and looked at him.

Huai Jingzhi said slowly, "If a family has never had a boy, they will use a needle to draw the heart blood of the girl in the family, use the heart blood to draw a talisman, burn it into talisman water and give it to the man to use, so that he can give birth to a son."

What?! Gu Zhizhuo nearly tipped over the tea bowl in her hand, spilling most of the tea. She didn't even notice it splashing onto the back of her hand.

Could it be that Ah Man is afraid of needles because he had his heart blood taken?

"That's right!" Qin Chen clapped his hands, "My stepmother is from Liangzhou!"

Gu Zhizhuo ignored the tea stains on his clothes. He leaned his hands against the stone table and asked in a trembling voice, "What else?"

Huai Jingzhi continued, "Some families would drown the girl after taking the heart's blood. They said that the girl occupied their family's fertility palace, and only when she died could a place be made for a future boy."

drowning!

Gu Zhizhuo's pupils suddenly shrank, and his face turned incredibly pale in an instant. Except for himself, no one knew that Ah Man had drowned in her previous life!

After getting lost, he drowned in the river.

If Ah Man's death was not an accident but man-made...

No!

Gu Zhizhuo covered his chest.

At this moment, she was almost certain that this was what the Qin family had in mind.

Xie Yingchen refilled the tea without saying a word and handed it to her. Gu Zhizhuo drank several sips in succession, and her expression finally gradually relaxed.

She clearly remembered that Ah Man disappeared on the seventh day of May. She accompanied her aunt and everyone in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion to search for three days, and found the body by the river on the tenth day of May.

The Qin family can't be allowed to get close to her!

Gu Zhizhuo clenched his fists tightly, anger and hatred surging in his eyes, murderous intent overflowing, but he forced himself to suppress it.

Xie Yingchen raised his hand to take the silver kettle off the small stove, put out the fire, and said, "It's a bit late. I'm afraid the emperor is going back to the palace. Miss Gu should go back first."

Gu Zhizhuo knew that the young master had seen through his anxiety and asked him to go back first.

There was no need to be polite with the young master. Gu Zhizhuo said, "I'll be leaving first."

She stood up, smoothed her dress, and said, "By the way, my lord, when you go back today, take a break. Don't go to see the emperor alone tomorrow."

Xie Yingchen didn't ask why, but just said gently, "I remember it."

Gu Zhizhuo called Qiongfang and the others, lifted her skirt, and hurried away.

The horses were parked outside the mountain gate, and as soon as they left Taiqing Temple, they headed straight for the capital.

Along the way, Qingmei was speechless.

She wondered if Miss Gu had forgotten that she was actually a member of the Eastern Depot and a secret agent at that!

It would have been fine if he had asked her to accompany him in such a private matter as meeting with Gongzi Chen, but he even openly planned to threaten the Third Prince to jump into the pond and instigate Gongzi Chen to fake illness in front of her. She was at a loss for words.

Just now, Qingmei even thought that she should take the initiative to avoid it.

Although, even if Miss Gu deliberately concealed this kind of thing, she would be able to find out, but she shouldn't have concealed it from her.

I never use my skills, what if I become rusty?

Qingmei thought about it in a mess, but before she could figure it out, she had already arrived in the capital.

Gu Zhizhuo first went to Baijitang to ask Manager Su to find some medicine for her. She had not decided on the prescription yet, but some of the main and auxiliary medicines were crucial and hard to find, so she had to start looking for them first.

Then he went to buy some cinnabar talisman paper.

She planned to buy everything she needed, stay at home for the next few days, and stay with Ah Man until the seventh day of May.

As soon as he returned home, he went to Ronghe Hall to pay his respects as usual. However, when he arrived at Ronghe Hall, he found out that Madam Gu had been summoned to the palace by the Queen early in the morning.

"Entering the palace?" Gu Zhizhuo raised his eyebrows.

So sudden?

"yes."

Nanny Zhu didn't try to be ingratiating, but replied in a serious tone, "Just after the Si hour today, an aunt from the Empress's household arrived at the palace. The Empress summoned the Dowager and the eldest aunt to the palace to speak. After putting on their make-up, the Dowager and the eldest aunt left after a little after the Si hour."

It was the Si hour, which was shortly after she arrived at Taiqing Temple.

Gu Zhizhuo's heart skipped a beat. Not only did the palace call her "Madam," but also "Aunt." This didn't seem right.

It was rare for someone to be summoned by the palace that day. Furthermore, my aunt was already married, so if the Empress wanted to see her, she should have gone to the Marquis of Jing'an's residence to summon her.

Could it be that Lady Jing'an went to the palace to file a complaint?

Thinking of this, Gu Zhizhuo asked repeatedly, "Where's Ah Man? Was she brought into the palace as well?"

"My cousin is with the lady."

Ah Man was in the house. But for some reason, Gu Zhizhuo became even more panicked, his heart seemed to be about to jump out of his throat.

She didn't ask any more questions and hurried out of the east and west halls and rushed to the main courtyard. However, Ji was not in the main courtyard. She said she went to the garden. Gu Zhizhuo had to go to the garden again and asked the servants along the way. Finally, she met Ji and Gu Yan at Shuiyun Pavilion.

Gu Yan was a chubby boy with delicate features. He ran around Shuiyun Pavilion with a slingshot, shooting glass beads at birds from time to time. He was young and his aim was poor, so when he missed, he started throwing glass beads, scaring the birds so much that they flew in all directions and hid in the treetops.

There was no bird around, and Gu Yan stamped his feet unhappily.

Gu Zhizhuo frowned. Gu Yan was less than six years old now and had not yet moved to the front yard. He lived in the main yard with Ji.

Since her rebirth, she has been deliberately avoiding seeing Gu Yan because she doesn't know how to face him.

In his previous life, Gu Yan inherited the title and the vast Zhenguo Mansion. Gu Zhizhuo should have been grateful that the Gu family still had blood. But what happened next? A few years later, Gu Yan publicly declared that his grandfather had indeed harbored rebellious intentions and secretly raised private soldiers, that his father had colluded with bandits in the northern border to embezzle the imperial court's military funds, and that generations of men in the Gu family who had died on the battlefield had surrendered during wartime and deserted the battlefield, deserving death.

After a lifetime, when she saw Gu Yan again, a complex and indescribable emotion filled her heart.

"Jie Zhuo." Ji called her with a smile.

Ji was a widow, wearing only a plain dress, and even her light makeup could not hide her charming figure.

Gu Zhizhuo looked around, but didn't see Ah Man, so he stepped forward and greeted her: "Mother."

She wanted to ask Ah Man, but suddenly her eyebrows moved. She looked at the beauty chair where Ji was sitting. A colorful bird was thrown on it, dying, and it was unknown whether it was dead or alive.

Gu Zhizhuo was very familiar with this bird. It was the one that would fly to his aunt's yard at noon every day to preen its feathers.

It’s Ah Man’s favorite one.

A few days ago, my aunt took Ah Man to the bird market to pick out birds. Ah Man looked around and didn't want any of the birds, so she just liked this one. Even though this one didn't pay attention to her, she still happily squatted in front of it every day to comb its feathers, and she also prepared a lot of delicious food to coax it to come every day.

How could it be...

The colorful bird twitched its legs, and Gu Zhizhuo lifted it up with both hands. After a quick inspection, he found that the bone of its left wing was broken, as if it had been hit. Gu Zhizhuo then took another look at the marbles that had rolled to the ground.

Fortunately, it was not a fatal injury. If he was taken home and taken good care of, he should be able to survive. Otherwise, Ah Man would be very sad.

"mine!"

Seeing that Gu Zhizhuo had taken his "prey", Gu Yan immediately ran back and stretched out his hand to her: "Give it to me."

There are no rules. Even the younger Ah Man knew that he had to bow first when meeting his brothers and sisters.

Gu Zhizhuo deliberately ignored him and only asked Ji Shi, "Mother, where is Ah Man?"

"Zhuo'er." Ji smiled gently, "Are you looking for Ah Man? She..."

"A'man went back to her own home!"

Gu Yan suddenly said this and stretched out his hand a little closer: "Give it to me!"

Gu Zhizhuo: "What did you say?!"

Seeing that she had no intention of giving the bird to him, Gu Yan jumped up and tried to snatch it from her.

Before he could reach out and touch it, Gu Zhizhuo slapped him on the back of his hand.

Bang!

She asked again: "Where is Ah Man?"

The back of Gu Yan's hand was slapped red, and his delicate face was filled with astonishment and anger. He shouted angrily: "Gu Zhizhuo, I hate you!"

"Zhuo Jie'er!" Ji's expression suddenly changed, and her usually gentle face was almost distorted for a moment. "What are you doing?"

Ji reached out to hug her son, but Gu Zhizhuo pressed Gu Yan's shoulders without any hesitation. She deliberately did not release the force. Gu Yan didn't know whether he was afraid or in pain, and he cried out "Wow--".

Ji hurried to pull her, and the maids nearby also panicked and ran over.

"Who dares to move!" Gu Zhizhuo's face turned stern and he said coldly, "I will call the human traffickers today."

"When mother entered the family, she only brought three families with her as her companions. Now, all the maids and servants around you are from the Gu family. The slave contract is not in your hands, right, mother?"

Ji's delicate body trembled slightly, feeling both ashamed and angry.

The servants looked at each other hesitantly, and no one dared to be the first to speak out.

Gu Zhizhuo stared at Gu Yan intently: "Speak."

Seeing that Ji Shi didn't come to save him, Gu Yan stopped crying, sniffed, and said angrily, "She just went back to her own home!"

"She didn't let me shoot birds, so I asked the Qin family to take her away. It was her fault for not letting me shoot birds."

Gu Yan's words were confusing, but Gu Zhizhuo understood one thing——

The Qin family took A Man away.

"Go on."

Gu Zhizhuo's grip suddenly intensified, causing Gu Yan to scream in pain. "It was me who asked the Qin family to take her away. They made her live in my house and refused to give me the bird," he squeaked.

Gu Zhizhuo's patience with Gu Yan was extremely limited. She pushed Gu Yan to the ground and pointed at Gu Yan's wet nurse and said, "You say."

The wet nurse followed Gu Yan all day long, so she knew best what Gu Yan had done.

The wet nurse subconsciously looked at Ji, who was hugging Gu Yan in panic to see if he was injured, and didn't pay attention to anything else at all.

Gu Zhizhuo stretched out his hand towards Qingmei. Qingmei was stunned for a moment, then resignedly handed over a dagger that had been hidden in her sleeve.

He took the dagger, unsheathed it, and the next moment, he placed it against the nurse's neck. His movements were as smooth as flowing water, without a trace of hesitation. Gu Zhizhuo pressed the dagger downwards, and a streak of blood immediately appeared on the neck.

"Miss, spare my life."

The nurse knelt down and said tremblingly, "Just after noon, the wife of the Marquis of Jing'an came to visit..."

"Minniang!" Ji's beautiful eyebrows turned a little cold.

"Speak." Gu Zhizhuo pressed the dagger down again, then glanced at Ji with a cold look.

The wet nurse closed her eyes and spoke in one breath, "The Madam and the aunt went to the palace, and the Madam went to see the wife of the Marquis of Jing'an. The wife of the Marquis of Jing'an said she was here to take the cousin back. The Madam repeatedly warned her against it, but the Madam refused to leave. She insisted on seeing the cousin."

"My cousin wasn't here at the time. She wanted to feed the birds, so she went back to my eldest aunt's yard before noon. The fourth young master offered to bring my cousin over, so I followed him."

"The fourth young master saw a particularly beautiful bird in the eldest aunt's yard. It's the one you hold in your hand." The wet nurse clearly saw her blood dripping onto her clothes. She trembled and said, "The fourth young master used a slingshot to hit the bird, and it fell. The cousin saw it and ran over to push him. The fourth young master was very angry and told the cousin to get out."

"My cousin went to pick up the bird while crying. The fourth young master was furious and ordered all the maids and servants in the courtyard to be locked up. He also asked the servant to carry my cousin out and give her to the wife of the Marquis of Jing'an."

The nurse cautiously looked at Gu Zhizhuo's furious face and said, "Later, the wife of the Marquis of Jing'an took my cousin away."