Chapter 101 Mutual Appreciation

Shang Yuji said softly, "Moonlight Pearl."

Without warning, Lan Yuanzhi's heart skipped a beat. Her lips parted several times before she repeated, "Moonlight Pearl..."

Nothing happened; everything seemed calm and peaceful.

Just as she was about to relax, she saw Jiang Xi remove the hairpin from her hair and use the sharp corner to scratch the raised flesh on Lan Yuanzhi's wrist, from which a thin line of blood flowed.

The person who had seemed unharmed suddenly hunched over, clutching her collar tightly. Her heart pounded, and her breathing became labored, as if water were flooding her mouth and nose, suffocating her. Instantly, a series of heart-wrenching coughs erupted, each one seeming to be squeezed from the depths of her chest. The sudden change startled the others, who stood up. Lan Yuanzhi hurriedly covered her mouth and nose with the hand clutching her collar. A warm rush rose in her throat, and the next moment, blood stained half her face and palm. Shang Yuji took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to her. Lan Yuanzhi took it during a break in the coughing, but after only a moment, the muffled coughing resumed.

The cough worsened, and red blood soaked the entire handkerchief, turning the corner of the white pear blossom branch a bloody red.

Zhou Chaoyun's face was solemn as he stared intently at the cut on his wrist.

The raised flesh undulated as if breathing, which was actually the Gu worm taking effect. It was disturbed by Jiang Xi, and the Gu worm was forced to take its life. The Gu worm was being lured away from the body by the Gu master outside the body. The two commands were in conflict. The worm had no thoughts, and in the end, it was summoned by the powerful Gu master outside the body. It crawled out along the torn flesh.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, a dark red worm stained with blood crawled out of the wound, paused tentatively in place, and then, summoned, crawled onto Jiang Xiqu's outstretched palm. Sensing that Aji disliked the worm, Jiang Xiqu deliberately used an old handkerchief as a pad when taking it, preventing direct contact between the worm and him.

After the secret-word Gu crawled into her palm, it stopped moving and quietly lay in the middle of the handkerchief. Jiang Xi casually folded it and placed it on the table next to her.

As the Gu worm left her body, the cough that seemed to threaten her life gradually weakened, but after what had just happened, her body was still suffering from lingering injuries. Lan Yuanzhi tightly gripped the blood-stained handkerchief in her hand, her shoulders trembling, and she covered her chest to calm her breathing.

The three breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the Gu worm's life was no longer in danger.

Jiang Xi took out a new, unused handkerchief and pressed several acupoints on Lan Yuanzhi's arm with his fingers. After a while, thin streams of black blood seeped out along with red blood. Once the black blood was drained, he released the acupoints and used the new handkerchief to bandage the wound to stop the bleeding: "The Secret Word Gu itself contains poison. If it stays in the body for too long, it will accumulate Gu poison. It must be expelled first, otherwise it will affect the subsequent healing."

"It's normal to be weak for a month or two. Just take good care of yourself and you'll recover in a month or two."

After saying that, Jiang Xi went to confirm that it was okay, then got up, picked up the handkerchief wrapped with the secret word Gu from the table, and walked briskly to Shang Yuji's side.

The scene before her was still somewhat dazzling. Lan Yuanzhi supported herself and said in a weak voice, "Thank you for saving my life, young lady."

Jiang Xi hurriedly hid the handkerchief wrapped with insects. Aji disliked it and couldn't be allowed to see it, so she replied in her haste, "No need."

—No, his original intention was not to save people. This was something that Aji wanted to do, and he only did it for Aji's sake.

He noticed from the beginning that Lan Yuanzhi had a Gu curse, but he didn't say anything. Other people's affairs were none of his business. He quietly waited for Aji to finish talking so they could go home together.

But Aji seemed very troubled. He didn't know if revealing the existence of the Gu worm would help. He only wanted to keep Aji from being upset, so he revealed the existence of the Secret Gu.

If it works, great; if not, he'll find another way to make Ah Ji happy.

As for the white pear blossom handkerchief, it was given to him by Aji. Since it was Aji who made it, he had no further thoughts about it.

"Please stay at my residence tonight, sister-in-law. I will send someone to inform my second brother."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Lan Yuanzhi replied, catching her breath.

They all understood that if Ruolan Yuanzhi returned looking injured and weak, it would likely arouse Zhou Ao's suspicion. It would be better for her to stay overnight at the Princess's residence and rest before returning.

Xuanqing then spoke up, "Although the deathly aura of the lady has faded, it remains. It seems that even if the lady returns to the manor, she will still die there."

Shang Yuji said in a deep voice, "Can the inevitable death situation two days from now be resolved?"

"It's resolved." Xuan Qing looked at Lan Yuanzhi's pale face again and confirmed.

It seems that Lan Yuanzhi died from the secret speech poison. She did not know who 'Moon Pearl' was, unless they conspired and she overheard it, which would have caused her to die suddenly without warning.

"We can stake out the Second Prince's house in two days; maybe we can overhear what they're plotting," Shang Yuji suggested.

Zhou Chaoyun exclaimed, "Brilliant! It's a brilliant plan."

Ah Yi brought over warm water and carefully wiped away the bloodstains that Lan Yuanzhi had been stained with.

Shang Yuji had an idea: "Madam's predicament is not yet completely resolved. I have a plan. I wonder if we should give it a try?"

“Please speak, my lord.”

"I wonder if Madam still cherishes the memories of the past?"

"I've wanted to escape that quagmire for a long time."

Shang Yuji smiled and looked at the Princess: "This matter requires Your Highness's mediation. I hope Your Highness will speak to me on this matter."

She could save her, but she needed to consult with the eldest princess. She couldn't unconditionally help her political enemy's wife in front of her superior; otherwise, it would be disastrous if she planted a seed of enmity in her superior's heart.

The two walked to the covered walkway and made sure that Lan Yuanzhi, who was under the pavilion in the garden, could not hear them before they spoke.

As for Jiang Xi in the pavilion, Xuan Qing and A Yi? Martial arts practitioners have good hearing, and fortunately, all three are considered to be on the same side, so whether they can hear or not is irrelevant. As long as Lan Yuanzhi can't hear, that's enough.

"Does Your Highness wish to save Lady Lan's life?"

Zhou Chaoyun made no attempt to hide his feelings and said bluntly, "I want to save them, but I can't do it for nothing. It would be even better if they could work for me."

Shang Yuji could see that the eldest princess was worried about Lan Yuanzhi's life or death, but it was not out of concern for close friends and relatives, but more like a feeling of mutual respect and sympathy for her.

"Since Madam Lan's life is in danger if she stays in the Second Prince's residence, why not take her out and get her away from the Second Prince's residence?"

"You mean..."

"A clever trick, a switcheroo," Shang Yuji laughed. "Didn't you say that Madam Lan would die in two days? Why not use this death as a pretext, but not by poison, but by a fire? When the Second Prince's residence is in chaos, we can take the opportunity to bring her out. The nameless 'Miss Lan' can then be at Your Highness's beck and call."

Having read so many novels about faking death, she finally had the chance to try it herself, so it was definitely worth the effort.

Zhou Chaoyun pondered, "It's worth a try. I'll send someone to eavesdrop on their plot and then bring my younger brother and sister-in-law out with me."

Suppressing the urge to fan herself with a fan, Shang Yuji added, "I will go with Qiushui then, and that Secret Word Gu must also perish in the fire, otherwise it will be easy for people to suspect Madam Lan's body."

After discussing for a few more minutes about how to accommodate the people stolen from the Second Prince's residence, Zhou Chaoyun suggested hiding them at the Princess's residence. It's easiest to hide someone in the dark, and if Zhou Ao comes looking for them, it will be easier for them to make arrangements. More importantly, it will be easier for Zhou Chaoyun and Lan Yuanzhi to interact, and it will also be easier to coax Lan Yuanzhi to do things for her.

Not wanting the four people under the pavilion to wait too long, the two returned to the pavilion after roughly finalizing their plan.

As soon as I stepped onto the steps, four pairs of eyes looked over.

Zhou Chaoyun went ahead and explained their plan to Lan Yuanzhi. After Lan Yuanzhi agreed, she asked A-Yi to take her to the east wing to rest. She had vomited blood and had been struggling for a long time.

Before leaving, Lan Yuanzhi turned back and said to the three people who were still staying under the pavilion, "There is one more thing. When he was drunk, he said that he wanted to find a person named 'Jiang Xiqu', who could help him... I don't know who he is, so I hope Your Highness will be careful."

Everyone present naturally knew who "Jiang Xiqu" was. After a moment of strange expression, Zhou Chaoyun said in a normal tone, "Thank you for reminding me, Ayi. Remember to get your sister-in-law a new outfit."

"yes."

After everyone left, Zhou Chaoyun turned around, glanced at the graceful Madam Zhen, and explained, "My second brother came looking for you last winter, but we don't know why. He has also made contact with Jiang Jinfu, so please be careful."

In her previous letter, Zhou Chaoyun had reminded Zhou Ao that he seemed to be looking for Jiangxi, but she had stopped him.

Shang Yuji hadn't thought deeply about it then; she just wanted them to escape far away so that they wouldn't be able to find her and Jiang Xi and everything would be fine. But now, those words had taken on a different meaning.

She paused for a moment, glanced at the Princess and Xuan Qing, and seeing that neither of them seemed amiss, lowered her eyes and replied, "Yes."

Of course she knew how Jiang Xiqu had helped Zhou Ao; she was the benefactor who helped him ascend to the throne, and the source of his incredibly powerful military support.

But how did Zhou Ao know this?

...Could it be that he foresaw his own ascension to the throne?

Like her, can one also see the future?

If that were true, he would surely have discovered that Jiang Xi had been taken to Yangzhou by her, but he was unaware of it, seemingly unaware that Jiang Xi had gone to Yangzhou, and even unaware of her existence. Fu En in Yangzhou was his subordinate, but Fu En's reason for targeting Hui Gu and A Cuo was that the Second Prince needed a Gu practitioner from the Southern Frontier, not because he suspected her and Jiang Xi...

Unless he knew that it was Jiang Xiqu who hadn't gone to Yangzhou, but had instead worked for him from the very beginning.

What he actually possessed were memories from his past life, which is why he was deceived by the subordinates of the Princess who impersonated Jiang Xiqu, and why he couldn't find them because the Princess had erased their whereabouts.

If the above conjecture is true, then what is going on?

It was she who remembered the contents of the original text and the prophetic dream, and it was Zhou Ao who recalled his memories of his past life.

The most distinctive feature of her and him is that one of them was reborn into Da'an, but was not a native soul of Da'an in her previous life; the other eventually ascended to the throne and held power over the world.

But now, he is a key figure in both factions.

"..." The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. She raised her eyes and glanced at Xuan Qing. He could predict the fate of the world, and he was the most talented Taoist master in Longhu Mountain, as Xuan Ming was certain. He definitely knew something. She would ask him after she left the mansion.

Xuan Qing sensed something and happened to meet the gaze of Miss Shang. The corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, trying his best to show a kind side.

With a raised eyebrow, Zhou Chaoyun's gaze was deep and mysterious. This Master Xuanqing had been in her residence for more than two months, and she had never seen him so proactive in putting on an approachable image. She had always thought that the master had the air of an unfathomable sage, which was why he kept people at arm's length.

It turns out it was simply because they weren't Shang Yuji.

It makes sense, Shang Yuji always mentioned in her letters that she had met a master, who was pleased with her and then revealed to her things that ordinary people could not know...

Having witnessed Master Xuanqing's different attitudes towards Shang Yuji, Zhou Chaoyun thought to himself: Could it be that what he said is all true?

But from another perspective, the biggest consensus in the manor is that Shang Yuji himself is a mysterious master. It makes sense that masters appreciate and respect each other.

Unbeknownst to Shang Yuji, the strange disguise had become even thicker.

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Author's Note: I saw some young readers guessed some of it correctly before, hehe, so perceptive! (Author scratches head)

I bet you didn't guess the most important part, right...? [Please][Please][Please]