Chapter 42 The Lost Child "You like that bodyguard?"...

Just as Li Jing was recovering, he heard Gu Shanyue call out Emperor Yong's full name and roughly shake the ailing Li Zhi without holding back. The noble emperor's head was shaken back and forth, creating a comical and absurd scene.

Li Jing let out a long breath, and after she had shaken him enough, he quickly stepped forward to rescue Emperor Yong.

"We've already shouted and shaken, so stop messing around."

Gu Shanyue stopped moving, her hand still gripping Emperor Yong's shoulder, her eyes fixed on Emperor Yong's loosened collar as he was being pulled apart.

The skin was covered with tiny red dots, even more densely than when Qi Baitong was poisoned that day.

"What are you doing? Why are you tearing off His Majesty's clothes?!"

Li Jing was shocked and hurriedly tried to stop her, but he couldn't stop Gu Shanyue. She directly stripped Emperor Yong of all his clothes. The seriously ill and unconscious emperor was naturally unable to resist, and his flesh covered with red spots was exposed to the sunlight.

Li Jing, who had been trying to stop him, stopped and stared at the red dots on Emperor Yong's body, his expression gradually becoming serious.

Gu Shanyue glanced at Emperor Yong in disbelief. He had also been afflicted by the Needle-Threading Gu? How could that be?

Despite obtaining more information, the fog in my mind only thickened, and the truth became increasingly elusive.

Senior Sister has always been prudent in her actions, so how could she suddenly be poisoned by such a Gu? Gu Shanyue had originally guessed that it was Emperor Yong, her husband, who had taken advantage of her unpreparedness to put the Gu in her mouth. But now Emperor Yong was also poisoned by the Gu. So who exactly put the Gu in Senior Sister's mouth?

Gu Shanyue couldn't figure out the answer, and when she looked away, Li Jing also froze in place, lost in thought.

"It seems you also know about the Needle-Threading Gu. Besides that, what else do you know?" Gu Shanyue asked directly.

Li Jing snapped out of his daze and saw Emperor Yong still lying there, his body exposed. He quickly put the clothes that Gu Shanyue had taken off on Emperor Yong and covered him with a blanket.

"Let's talk outside."

The two left Emperor Yong's bedroom and walked in the flower-filled imperial garden. The autumn wind was biting and the chrysanthemums stood proudly.

Gu Shanyue asked, "Why did the emperor fall victim to the needle-threading poison? Who administered it to him?"

Li Jing's expression was somber: "I don't know."

"Wasn't this Needle-Threading Gu burned in a fire back then? Who kept it and used it on the secret guards?" It's unbelievable that even the Empress and the Emperor were infected with the Needle-Threading Gu.

“All I know is that the fire did not destroy all the Needle-Piercing Gu worms. After the battle of the Blood Mirage, I returned from Liaodong, and the secret guards in the Inner Guard had begun to take Needle-Piercing Gu to control them. I raised objections at the time, but His Majesty ignored them.” Li Jing’s tone was slow and heavy.

"Since the emperor insisted on keeping this Gu worm, why would he poison himself?" Gu Shanyue said, her tone suddenly becoming subtle. "Or perhaps he didn't want to poison himself, and this situation was unexpected?"

The martial arts world is rife with evil and wicked practices; there are countless examples of people who tried to harm others but ended up being devoured themselves. If that's the explanation, it makes sense.

“No matter how much we say, it’s all speculation. The truth of this matter is probably known only to a very few people,” Li Jing shook his head, not rebuking Gu Shanyue for her disrespectful words, but instead bringing up another incident, “You stormed the palace just for the needle-threading Gu matter? Was it for that secret guard?”

He suddenly mentioned Qi Baitong, and Gu Shanyue raised an eyebrow: "You know him?"

Li Jing looked dignified, but he was quite easygoing when chatting. He even pointed out to Gu Shanyue, "Since you live in the Crown Prince's residence, your every move will naturally attract attention. Even though I have only just arrived in the capital, I know everything about what has happened to you since you came to Shengjing."

Gu Shanyue scoffed, "You guys are really boring."

After arriving in Shengjing, she did nothing but eat, drink, and have fun; what's there to pay attention to?

Li Jing leaned closer and suddenly asked, "So, you really like that bodyguard and decided not to be the Crown Prince's concubine?"

Gu Shanyue: "..."

"What nonsense are you talking about? What prince's concubine? By seniority, I'm his aunt."

Li Jing waved his hand: "What's a little aunt? Over there with the barbarians, they could marry a concubine."

Gu Shanyue remained expressionless: "...I'm not a barbarian."

Li Jing chuckled. This girl was highly skilled in martial arts, and she was also impulsive, straightforward, and serious. She was even more amusing than she had been back then.

"Do you remember when Consort Wu first arrived at the palace, you came to keep her company, and I even bought you candy?"

When he mentioned his senior sister, Gu Shanyue's eyebrows twitched slightly. Thinking of the distant past, when his senior sister was still alive, the memories were always bright and clear, filled with fragrance.

“I remember you gave me the spiciest ginger candy, and I threw it in your face. My senior sister dragged me to apologize to you, and then made you apologize to me, but you refused. Your wife apologized to me on your behalf. She combed my hair and bought me candied hawthorns and poria cocos cakes.”

Gu Shanyue's gaze softened, and her voice carried a sense of ethereal beauty, as if she were immersed in a wonderful moment.

Li Jing had only mentioned it casually, and so many years had passed that he could hardly remember it anymore. He never expected that Gu Shanyue, who was only about ten years old at the time, would remember it so clearly.

Every single detail matched perfectly, even the smallest things, and it stirred up memories deep within his mind.

“Yes, ever since that year…” Li Jing’s smile faded slightly, and he shook his head. “Ever since that incident, Madam has been depressed. It wasn’t until Lady Wu entered the palace and befriended her that she slowly recovered her spirits. I have always been very grateful to Lady Wu.”

Gu Shanyue knew what Li Jing was hesitating to say. The Pingliao King's family had no heirs to this day. More than twenty years ago, the Queen Consort gave birth to a son, but unfortunately, the world was in chaos at that time, and the infant child was lost in the midst of the turmoil and was never found again.

If it were someone else, they might have avoided the topic, but Gu Shanyue always spoke her mind.

"Not even a single clue?"

Li Jing rarely talked about this matter in public, perhaps because Gu Shanyue was Wu Shanyu's child, and he always found it difficult to be wary of her.

“Very rare. Back then, during the war, when we moved our base, the enemy came to harass us and we lost our children. The situation was too chaotic. Over the years, I have gone back to that base countless times to search, but to no avail…”

Speaking of this, the mighty general's straight back seemed to bend slightly, and his face showed a hint of pain and aging.

Because of this lost child, he and the princess never had any more children. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that he was able to gain the trust of the suspicious Emperor Yong.

How absurd! Li Jing could only manage a bitter smile.

Gu Shanyue pondered for a moment: "Besides the old base, have you searched other places?"

Li Jing was taken aback. Many people would sigh with regret and offer comfort upon hearing this, but to his surprise, Gu Shanyue was still earnestly pressing for more questions.

"We've searched, we've searched all the surrounding cities many times, but there's still no news..."

Gu Shanyue shook his head and said without hesitation, "Not only the surrounding cities, but I don't know which enemy force you fought against back then. But if you lost your child during the enemy's invasion and couldn't find the body, perhaps someone kidnapped the child as revenge. You can search according to the geographical distribution of the enemy's origins at that time, and maybe you can find new information."

In the world of martial arts, grudges and grievances are intertwined, and many people lie in wait for decades, only to seek revenge.

Gu Shanyue had seen many such things before, and in her eyes, this was more like a form of revenge.

Li Jing's eyes widened as he listened, as if enlightened, as if years of silt had suddenly been cleared.

The long-dormant and hopeless idea has been rekindled, and perhaps... this time it can really work!

"I'm going right now! I'm going right now!"

Li Jing walked a long way with unsteady steps, then turned back: "Thank you. If I really mean it, really mean it... I will reward you with a thousand pieces of gold!"

Gu Shanyue waved his hand: "I understand, go ahead."

Li Jing left in a mess; it was just a new suggestion, and the child hadn't even been found yet, but it made him so happy.

Gu Shanyue thought of his senior sister and understood him a little better; some people are indeed very important.

Unfortunately, this trip failed to yield the answer, and it remains to be seen when the emperor will awaken.

Gu Shanyue leaped into the air, flying over several rooftops.

Li Yuheng, who was knocked unconscious by her, should be awake by now. If she doesn't go back, who knows what he'll start to overthink.

Thinking this, Gu Shanyue turned back to the Crown Prince's residence. The stage had not yet been dismantled, and the male and female leads were still singing on stage.

As soon as Gu Shanyue landed in the garden, Li Yuheng, who was being supported by Bai Yan, rushed over, his face pale: "Sister, you're finally back! If you hadn't come back, I would have followed your example and stormed the palace."

Gu Shanyue hummed in agreement, walked around behind him, and used her fingers to pull back his collar to take a look. There was a large red patch, with his skin showing signs of purplish-blue.

She frowned slightly: "Remember to apply the medicine, and don't stop me next time."

Li Yuheng pouted: "How dare I stop her? Now my sister is going to lay a hand on me too."

Gu Shanyue said frankly, "If you don't stop me, I won't take action."

Li Yuheng was speechless for a moment, then quickly asked, "I heard you ran into the Imperial Uncle, are you alright? Were you hurt?"

He looked nervous and touched Gu Shanyue's arm and shoulder, but Gu Shanyue brushed his hand away: "He can't hurt me."

"That's good," Li Yuheng breathed a sigh of relief, a slight smile appearing on his face, before hesitating, "Then Father..."

"The emperor is ill, he can't be woken up even by shaking, and we can't ask him anything," Gu Shanyue said, her tone inevitably carrying a hint of frustration.

Li Yuheng's expression changed slightly: "Is this really the case? No wonder Father didn't see anyone yesterday."

"Alright, you can go back and rest now."

As Gu Shanyue was speaking, he was about to turn and leave when he caught sight of Qi Baitong kneeling in front of the stove not far away, silent as a statue.

"Qi Baitong," Gu Shanyue called to him.

The white tung tree trembled slightly, as if the grass leaves were shaking off the dew and awakening, raising its face in the afterglow of the twilight.

Gu Shanyue then realized something was wrong, her gaze focusing on his swollen left cheek and the broken, blood-streaked corner of his mouth.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you kneeling here?"

Gu Shanyue strode over, while Li Yuheng lagged half a step behind, coldly eyeing Qi Baitong with a threatening look in his eyes.

Qi Baitong shook her head slightly and stood up: "It's nothing."

Gu Shanyue grabbed his chin and lifted it up, his messy black hair sliding back to reveal his entire face, which clearly bore a red handprint.

Who hit this?

Seeing that Gu Shanyue was relentless, Li Yuheng winked at Qi Baitong from behind her, his narrowed eyes full of intimidation and ferocity.

"I got hurt by accident." Qi Baitong turned her face away and lowered her eyes.

He was not afraid of physical torture, nor was he afraid of Li Yuheng. He did not testify against Li Yuheng because he knew that he was far less important to Gu Shanyue than Li Yuheng.

If he were to speak ill of Li Yuheng, Gu Shanyue would likely resent his overreaching behavior.

After all, that pearl he carefully treasured originally belonged to Li Yuheng.

He is merely a substitute, a fake; how can he compete with the genuine article for the owner's attention?

Even if he didn't say it, Gu Shanyue wasn't stupid.

A bright slap mark was visible on his face. Apart from Li Yuheng's men, who else in this mansion would dare to touch him?

Gu Shanyue turned around, and Li Yuheng immediately stopped staring at Qi Baitong and smiled at her, looking gentle and handsome.

Gu Shanyue remained unmoved, her brows furrowed with impatient anger: "You're the one who ordered him to be beaten. Didn't I tell you not to touch him?"