Antidote

Gu Hanying remained in the capital, and since the new emperor was busy reforming the government, he didn't pay much attention to the matter.

He had met the new emperor several times with Gu Jin, but he had never learned what he wanted from this seemingly easy-going emperor.

What exactly is Gu Yu plotting with this new emperor? Has his daughter done something foolish? Is she in any danger?

He paced back and forth in his study and wrote a letter to Xu Qiu, but Xu Qiu was indifferent and did not reveal any useful information.

Gu Yu stayed in the courtyard every day, occasionally going out of the mansion, but she would return quickly. The imperial physician's diagnosis was not good either. She was already weak, and now she also had depression.

Gu Hanying was anxious but couldn't find a solution.

That day, he heard that Gu Yu had gone to the imperial prison. He raised an eyebrow, and the strange feeling in his heart urged him to follow her.

Gu Yu carried a food box and didn't bring anyone else. It seemed like she was just visiting a prisoner, except that the prisoner was not an ordinary person, but Sun Gu, who had been convicted.

After waiting for so many days, Sun Gu's crimes have been determined, and he is just waiting to be executed in the autumn.

Gu Yu was afraid that she would die before Sun Gu, so she wanted to see him off first.

The jailer quickly brought the person to her. Although she hadn't told the Emperor about this beforehand, as soon as she entered the imperial prison, someone would surely deliver the news to him.

However, Gu Yu was no longer afraid; she was determined to see Sun Gu leave before she went to hell.

“I remember you. You are Xu Qiu’s wife, the daughter of the Duke of Ying, Gu Yu.” Sun Gu had been in prison for more than two months. His hair was disheveled and his face was dirty and disheveled.

Even though he turned to ashes, Gu Yu could still recognize him.

"Prime Minister Sun, how about we have some food and wine first? I'd like to have a chat with you." Seeing his wariness, Gu Yu said softly, "You're to be executed in just a few days. Even if I have a grudge against you, I won't wait a few more days."

"What would you like to talk about?" Sun Gu sat down on the bench opposite Gu Yu.

"Did you ever imagine this day would come?" Gu Yu finished setting out the food and wine, and poured herself a cup of wine. "Since we're going to die anyway, might as well die with a full stomach. The food in the prison isn't exactly good, is it?"

Gu Yu drank her wine by herself, her expression calm and composed, unlike that of a young lady in her early twenties. "I have a deep connection with Miss Tang. Wasn't it you who had her tortured in the hall and thrown back to Yunxian Pavilion?"

"So that's what it is." Sun Gu sneered. "I didn't expect Miss Gu to still remember this old friend. It was so many years ago. Miss Gu is here to kick me when I'm down and mock me."

"The adults have done so many bad things, I never thought they would still remember her."

Sun Gu laughed loudly, "How could I not remember? She treated me like a noble lady for a year, while I toyed with her like a plaything for a year. How could I forget the look on her face when she glared at me in the high hall? She looked like a vengeful ghost."

He reached out and picked up the food and wine, saying, "I never expected that in the end, someone would actually come to see me off because of her. Should I thank her? Miss Gu must be quite pleased to see such a villain in such a sorry state."

"Indeed gratifying." Gu Yu smiled faintly. "Prime Minister Sun has done so many evil deeds, he must not believe in ghosts and gods, right? But have you ever thought about karma, retribution, or being resurrected?"

Sun Gu's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Because I am Tang Qingning."

She looked at him with the same pitiful expression she had when they first met. Although her face was different, her expression overlapped with Tang Qingning's.

Sun Gu stared wide-eyed in shock, seemingly too frightened to speak, only feeling a sharp pain in his abdomen.

"This food is poisoned..." As he spoke, poisonous blood spilled from the corner of his lips, staining his already filthy prison clothes even more.

"Heaven has given me a chance to drag all of you who killed my family down to hell." She smiled gently. "Prime Minister Sun, do you think I will cherish this opportunity?"

"Hahahaha..." Sun Gu knew he was about to die, but he still laughed.

"Tang Qingning, Tang Qingning, do you still remember what I said when I first met you? I said you resembled someone from my past, and you really do. You look just like me when I was young..."

The image of Gu Yu in Sun Gu's mind became increasingly blurry. It wasn't Gu Yu or Tang Qingning who killed him, but himself, his younger self.

His hatred of evil and his stubbornness ultimately led to the death of his wife and the destruction of the version of himself he hated most.

He originally did not believe in karma and retribution, because his most hated enemy was able to retire to his hometown, gain a reputation for integrity, and have many children and grandchildren.

But now, Tang Qingning, who should have been dead, appeared before him. He believed it.

The Tang family's affairs now seem very distant.

At that time, Tang Simiao discovered that the exam questions had been leaked. She went to Gongsun Li's residence to confirm that the exam questions were real, and then wrote a report to impeach Gongsun Li.

However, Sun Gu saw the question book and suppressed it before presenting it to Gongsun Li. If Gongsun Li were to be punished for this, the Crown Prince, as Gongsun Li's student, would certainly suffer damage to his reputation.

Gongsun Li eventually compromised and chose to change the test questions at the last minute.

However, the changes to the exam questions and the leak of the questions could not be kept from Emperor Shengyuan, and all the blame was directed at Gongsun Li. The Crown Prince knelt for three days and three nights to plead for his teacher, willing to be punished and sent to Bianjing in order to protect Gongsun Li's reputation.

Emperor Shengyuan ultimately compromised, prioritizing the imperial family's reputation above all else. Then, on the day of the imperial examination, the Ministry of Rites declared that the questions submitted by Tang Simiao were fake, a frame-up against Gongsun Li.

Shen Xiuwen incited the upright officials to seize the opportunity to speak out, praising Gongsun Li for his advanced age and tireless dedication, arguing that if this false accusation was not severely punished, the demonstration would be impossible. According to the laws of Dasheng, false accusation constitutes a crime, and the entire Tang family was convicted.

Sun Gu's consciousness became increasingly confused. At first, he hated power and the high-ranking officials who fought for power and profit. Later, he was assimilated into one of them and used the power he had won to consolidate his position.

Power and wealth are like an addiction; once you're hooked, no one can escape them.

He lay on his back on the ground, his eyes wide open, staring upwards, his death unresolved.

Gu Yu coughed a few more times. She originally wanted to laugh out loud, but her vision went black and she vomited a few mouthfuls of blood.

Crimson blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Even though Gu Hanying was terrified by their conversation, he was jolted awake and quickly stepped forward to support Gu Yu's limp body.

The daughter in his arms had the same quiet and beautiful face as always, but he heard her say that she was Tang Qingning.

He couldn't worry about that now; his daughter had fainted, and he needed to find a doctor for her.

Gu Hanying quickly picked up Gu Yu and ran towards the nearest clinic, crying, "Ayu, wake up!"

"Ayu, hang in there a little longer, your father will find a doctor for you."

"Ayu, don't scare your father."

Gu Hanying's panicked thoughts were now even more jumbled up with fear. No matter who Gu Yu was, all he wanted now was for her to wake up.

When they arrived at the clinic, he carefully reached out and checked her breathing. Although it was faint, she was still breathing.

The doctor at the clinic took Gu Yu's pulse and frowned. "Miss, she has been poisoned."

"What kind of poison? Can it be cured?"

Gu Hanying wondered if it was the same poison as Sun Gu's, put in the wine, and that both of them had drunk the wine.

"It's not a recent poison, but a slow-acting poison that will take some time to take effect."

Thank goodness, thank goodness, he patted his chest, relieved that she hadn't intended to die with Sun Gu.

"Can it be cured? Is there an antidote? What rare and precious herbs do you need? I can give you any of them."

The doctor shook his head. "I can only diagnose that it's a slow-acting poison, but I don't know exactly what it is. We need to find the person who poisoned it and ask them."

So what exactly happened? Why did Gu Yu say she was Tang Qingning? And why was she poisoned?

The answers to all of this will only be known when Gu Yu wakes up.

But... wasn't it the poison she was recently ingested? The imperial physicians in the palace are certainly more skilled than doctors in the countryside, so why couldn't they diagnose it? They were the ones who had the most contact with Gu Yu.

Is this poison related to that person in the palace? Why would the new emperor want to kill Gu Yu when he seemed so deeply in love with her and wanted to marry her?

Gu Hanying sent someone to take Gu Yu back to her residence and invited the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau to examine her again. Sure enough, the physicians did not say anything about poisoning.

They only said that Gu Yu was frail and probably wouldn't live much longer.

Gu Hanying sneered, "You don't need to pretend with me anymore. Go back and tell your master that I know everything. My daughter has been poisoned. I want to ask him why he did this. If he doesn't send me the antidote, I won't let this go."

"This, this, this..." Doctor Zhang trembled again and again. How could he dare to say such treasonous words?

"Just tell the truth. At worst, you'll harm my daughter and cut off my head too. I've fought for my family and country for so many years, and this is the end I get. I have nothing to say."

Gu Hanying waved his sleeves and left, while Imperial Physician Zhang, his legs weak, returned to the palace trembling and saw the new emperor.

Jing Zichen put down the workbook in his hand and rubbed his temples wearily. "How...is she?"

He knew that Gu Yu had gone to the imperial prison today and then fainted there. In the end, he was the one who owed her. Sun Gu deserved to die anyway, and it was fine if he died out of fear of punishment.

However, he was somewhat afraid of news about Gu Yu.

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Yingguo...he...he knows. He knows about Miss Gu's poisoning. He said...he said he wants me to ask Your Majesty for the antidote. If there isn't an antidote, cut off his head too..."

Physician Zhang knelt before the new emperor, his voice trembling. Although the new emperor seemed easy to talk to, he was a ruthless killer.

"How is she now?" he kept repeating the same question.

"Your Majesty, Miss Gu's poison has penetrated deep into her lungs and internal organs, and it has been there for the past two days. Miss Gu's health was already weak, and even if she hadn't been poisoned, she wouldn't have lived much longer."

"What if I provide the antidote?"

Even with proper care, he might not live more than a few years.

Jing Zichen closed his eyes. The dragon's saliva incense in the Hall of Mental Cultivation burned out before his voice came, "...Give her the antidote."

"Yes." Physician Zhang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and finally withdrew from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

*

On the exquisite and luxurious canopy bed, Gu Yu's face was deathly pale, all color drained from her body.

Qiuju held a bowl of dark medicine in her hand, but she couldn't get it into her mouth no matter what she tried, even with a spoon in her right hand.

"What should I do? What should I do?" Chunyue paced anxiously by the bedside. "I can't get the medicine down..."

Qingfeng hurriedly pushed open the door. "Lord Xu has come to the manor. He wants to see Miss."

Qiuju's eyes were red. "Miss hasn't woken up yet, so who are you asking questions here?"

After saying this, she placed the medicine bowl on the table and took a handkerchief to wipe away her tears.

"Just bring them in. Why worry about anything else at this point? Maybe Lord Xu has a solution," Chunyue quickly said.

Soon, Xu Qiu, looking haggard and disheveled, stepped into the boudoir. He was dressed in a blue robe, which was covered in dust. "What happened?"

Chunyue said, "Miss has been poisoned, so she is currently unconscious. The Imperial Medical Bureau has prepared an antidote and sent it over, but Miss cannot drink it now."

"Give me the medicine, I'll feed her." Qiuju handed him the soup bowl and spoon.

He tilted his head back and took a sip, then bent down and pried open her teeth to pass the medicine to her.

Gu Yu frowned, seemingly tasting the bitterness in her mouth. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids were too heavy. She groggily opened one slit, and the figure in front of her seemed somewhat familiar.

It's so bitter.

The medicine tastes so bitter.

She resisted, not wanting to swallow, but was fed to her throat. She opened her mouth and bit down, and the person, clearly hurt, let go of her with a hiss of pain.

"Madam, what a cruel heart you have."

Gu Yu drifted off to sleep again, probably knowing who this person was. He then fed her the medicine, which she swallowed with difficulty.

Qiu Ju and Chun Yue had already turned their backs when Xu Qiu bent down. They exchanged a glance, pretending not to know anything.

Fortunately, by the time Xu Qiu put down the soup bowl, the medicine inside was already empty. "Why is this medicine so bitter? She doesn't like bitter tastes, no wonder she couldn't be fed it."

"What happened to your young lady? How did she get poisoned?"

Qiuju wept, "I don't know either, but Miss knew she didn't have long to live, so she didn't want to be a burden to Lord Xu. It's not that Miss has no feelings for Lord Xu."

As she spoke, her knees buckled and she knelt down. Chunyue knelt down with her. "Lord Xu, I beg you, please don't blame Miss. If you can, please come and see Miss more often."

"If I resented her, I wouldn't have come to see her."

Xu Qiu glanced at the sickly Gu Yu and softened his heart. Originally, his heart wasn't that hard when he met her.

"Where is the Duke? I'd like to speak with him."

“In your own courtyard, I will lead you there.”

As Xu Qiu stepped out of the room, he noticed a tree had been moved to the courtyard, now only bare branches and leaves remained, its blossoms faded. "Is this a hibiscus tree?"

"It's a hibiscus tree. It was planted around this time last year, and I didn't expect it to actually survive. It bloomed in early summer, but Lord Xu came back late and didn't see it. It was a sea of ​​white blossoms. Miss loves to sit in the courtyard and look at the tree."

Chunyue spoke of this with a slight smile on her face.

"I hope you're feeling better, Miss..."

Xu Qiu glanced at the tree and her heart softened completely. She did have feelings for him, because of the tree he planted.

Fortunately, she didn't marry the fifth prince; fortunately, she didn't enter the palace. Everything was still in time.