Chapter 27 [VIP]

Gu Zhizhuo: "..."

It's always like this! This person seems to have a good temper, but he's actually the most stubborn. Once he's made up his mind, no one can change it.

Patients who don't follow medical advice are the most annoying.

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

fragrant!

She hesitated for a moment, and before she knew it, she had finished half a plate of pine nuts. She wiped her hands with a handkerchief, straightened her face again, cleared her throat and said, "How about this, I'll make you a pill. After you take it, you will vomit blood and be on the verge of death within an hour."

She placed her hands on the stone table, leaned closer to him, and said softly, "My days are numbered."

After saying that, he gave a deliberately wicked smile: "Do you want some?"

Xie Yingchen nodded: "Yes."

He laughed and repeated, "I believe you."

Gu Zhizhuo's stern face couldn't stay expressionless anymore; the corners of her mouth turned up high, and she smiled like a flower.

Her eyes sparkled as she said, "This medicine will completely expel the residual poison from six years ago. However, your body is too weak, young master. Taking this potent medicine will cause you to vomit blood, feel weak, and your pulse will be almost imperceptible."

This was to explain to Huai Jingzhi.

Huai Jingzhi is an extremely cautious and suspicious person. If I don't figure him out, who knows what tricks he might pull, and it would be bad if I made things worse. Since he's not familiar with me, it's only natural for me to be wary and suspicious.

This is a powerful remedy.

It was also a risky move.

She needs to think carefully about how to use this medicine. She'll go to the abbot later to ask for some divination sticks and cast a fortune.

As the saying goes, "Medicine and the I Ching share the same origin." "Anyone who wishes to become a great physician must have a profound understanding of Yin and Yang, destiny, various schools of physiognomy, the five omens of tortoise shell divination, and the I Ching and Liu Ren divination, and must be proficient in all of these." (Note 1)

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

Gu Zhizhuo pondered the formulation in secret. This pill needed to be potent, yet it had to be as gentle as possible to avoid damaging one's vital energy...

She pondered 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 blankly at the compass, then subconsciously reached out and picked it up, her fingers trembling slightly.

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

She looked up at him: "Did you make this?"

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

Her heart was burning, and her eyes were stinging with tears. Gu Zhizhuo trembled slightly, her long, curled eyelashes trembling, preventing the tears from falling.

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

The young master was already on his deathbed, and with his last moments, he made that compass for her.

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

The young master then 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 reborn after I die, and then come find me, okay?"

The young master is dead.

She began to learn those techniques and arts from her master.

She tried very hard, and even Master Wuweizi said she had excellent comprehension and great talent. However, she still couldn't figure out where the young master would be reincarnated. She vaguely understood that the young master was afraid that she would be lost, blame herself, and be at a loss after his death, so he wanted her to find a goal for the rest of her life.

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

Later, until her death, fate finally smiled upon her, and she glimpsed a glimpse of heavenly secrets from the compass...

Gu Zhizhu ran his fingertips over every inch of the compass surface, then placed them on the Heavenly Pool, cherishing it greatly: "Thank you, young master."

Her big, dark eyes were filled with joy and excitement.

"I love so much."

Since her rebirth, she has always wanted to make a compass, but she just hasn't had the time.

This compass is slightly different from the one in her previous life, but when she holds it in her hand, it feels exactly the same as the one in her previous life, as if it were connected to her bloodline.

Xie Yingchen watched as she lovingly held the compass, her eyes and brows full of smiles, and even the slight annoyance he felt for being "disobedient" vanished.

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

Gu Zhizhuo responded, saying happily, "I'm very good at using a compass."

She raised her chin slightly, looking smug.

Qin Chen enthusiastically urged, "Miss Gu, come on, count one in."

Huai Jingzhi: "..." He could have asked about his master next! But Qin Chen messed everything up.

"What do you mean?"

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

That's a convoluted statement.

Gu Zhizhuo doesn't count. The young master specially made a compass for her, and he used the first divination to tell Qin Su's fortune? He's not worthy.

"Let me do a fortune telling for Aman."

Upon hearing this, Gu Zhizhuo solemnly picked up the compass with both hands and slowly turned the inner dial with his thumb.

Her gaze was fixed on the compass needle of Tianchi Lake.

When she was in the manor, she also did a simple divination for Aman, but the result was like a mirage, unclear and unrecognizable.

This is normal. The closer someone is to her by blood or in a relationship with her, the less she can see where her destiny is going, as if a veil is covering her eyes.

Therefore, this divination was about the past.

Qin Chen whispered to the young master who Aman was, and Xie Yingchen nodded. Seeing her furrowed brows, he asked, "How is it?"

As a former grandson of the emperor, Xie Yingchen had many teachers and studied a wide variety of subjects. He was not only well-versed in the Book of Changes, but also had some knowledge of divination and numerology.

When he asked, Gu Zhizhuo said, "The divination shows that Aman's past was 'trapped'."

Trapped by stone, clinging to thorns. (Note 2)

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

Gu Zhizhuo rested his chin on his hand, staring at the compass, and said whatever came to mind: "Aman had a serious illness a year ago and then became mute."

“I took her pulse. Her muteness was caused by a fright, and the problem was in her heart, which corresponds to the word ‘困’ (trapped).

Xie Yingchen asked, "Can muteness be cured?"

“Yes.” Gu Zhizhuo nodded. “Silver needles can be used to unblock the Heart Meridian, but Aman is afraid of needles.”

She explained Ah Man's situation, then continued fiddling with the compass, saying, "So, I used the incense method, and it's been almost half a month now. Her pulse shows she's much better. It's just that we're still missing a little bit of a catalyst."

Xie Yingchen raised an eyebrow and asked, "Opportunity?"

The character "困" (trapped) on the table had dried completely, leaving no trace.

“Aman is too young; she may have forgotten that she can still speak.” Gu Zhizhuo spread his hands. “This is quite difficult.”

She is only three and a half years old. She couldn't speak for a year, and she still couldn't speak for another year.

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

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

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

However, Gu Zhizhuo only looked at the compass, without even raising his head, and reached out to take the teacup.

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

“Miss Gu,” Huai Jingzhi said softly, “did A-Man start to be afraid of needles after she became mute?”

Yes. She specifically asked her aunt about it later.

My aunt said that after Aman became mute, she consulted many doctors, and some doctors even suggested acupuncture. However, as soon as the doctor took out the silver needles, Aman suddenly became agitated and struggled desperately. It took several people to hold down such a small child.

The aunt had no choice but to give up and asked the doctor to leave. Unexpectedly, that very night Aman developed a high fever and convulsions, which terrified the aunt so much that she dared not use acupuncture again.

More than half a year later, because Aman's condition had not improved, her aunt made a tough decision and agreed to acupuncture. This time, the doctor even used calming incense to help Aman fall asleep. As soon as the first needle was inserted, Aman suddenly woke up with the same excitement, fear, high fever and convulsions as last time.

After Gu Zhizhuo finished speaking, he added, "Not only silver needles, but even embroidery needles are something Aman is afraid of."

My aunt always suspected that it was because of the ritual performed by Master Qingping, but that's impossible.

Those who cultivate the Tao value cause and effect. To harm a young child and burden oneself with such heavy karma for such a trivial matter as whether or not the Jing'an Marquis's family will have a son is clearly not worth it.

Qingping is just shrewd and pragmatic, not stupid.

Ultimately, he came here to gain worldly experience and incidentally amassed some wealth. He wasn't greedy for others, but for the powerful and wealthy. Well, he was greedy, but unfortunately, he lacked the five weaknesses and three shortcomings to hold onto his wealth, which brought him bad luck.

Huai Jingzhi said, "I remember when I was young and traveling to Liangzhou, I heard a saying in the countryside."

Gu Zhizhuo raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

Huai Jingzhi said unhurriedly, "If a family has not had a son for a long time, they will use a needle to take the heart blood of the little 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 almost tipped the teacup in her hand, spilling most of the tea, but she didn't even notice the tea splashing on the back of her hand.

Could it be that Ah Man's fear of needles is because her heart's blood was taken?

"Oh, right!" Qin Chen clapped his hands, "My stepmother was from Liangzhou!"

Ignoring the tea stains on his clothes, Gu Zhizhuo braced his hands against the stone table and asked in a trembling voice, "Anything else?"

Huai Jingzhi continued, "Some families would drown the little girl after taking her heart's blood, saying that the little girl occupied their fertility palace and only when she died could a place be made for the boys who would come later."

drowning!

Gu Zhizhuo's pupils suddenly contracted, and his face turned incredibly pale in an instant. No one except himself knew that Aman had drowned in her previous life!

After getting lost, he drowned in the river.

If Ah Man's death wasn't an accident, but rather caused by someone...

No!

Gu Zhizhuo clutched his chest.

At that moment, she was almost certain that the Qin family harbored such intentions.

Xie Yingchen poured the tea again without saying a word and handed it to her. Gu Zhizhu drank several mouthfuls in a row, and her complexion finally gradually improved.

She clearly remembered that Aman disappeared on the seventh day of the fifth lunar month. She accompanied her aunt and everyone in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion for three whole days to search for her. Her remains were found by the river on the tenth day of the fifth lunar month.

We must not let the Qin family get close to her!

Gu Zhizhuo clenched his fists tightly, his anger and hatred surging, his eyes filled with murderous intent, but he forcibly suppressed it.

Xie Yingchen reached out and took the silver pot off the small stove, extinguishing the fire, and said, "It's getting late. I'm afraid the Emperor is about to return to the palace. Miss Gu, you should go back first."

Gu Zhizhuo knew that the young master had noticed her anxiety and wanted her to go back first.

There's no need for formalities with you, young master. Gu Zhizhuo simply said, "I'll be going now."

She stood up, smoothed her dress, and said, "By the way, young master, after you go back today, you should get sick first, and don't go to see the Emperor alone tomorrow."

Xie Yingchen did not ask why, but simply said gently, "I remember."

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

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

Throughout the journey, Qingmei had some unspeakable feelings.

She suspected that Miss Gu might have forgotten that she was actually a member of the Eastern Depot, and a secret agent at that!

It was one thing for her to accompany him on such a private meeting with Gongzi Chen, but to openly plot the threat to the Third Prince to jump into the pond and instigate Gongzi Chen to feign illness right in front of her was simply beyond words.

Just now, Qingmei even wondered if she should take the initiative to avoid it.

Even if Miss Gu deliberately kept it a secret, she could still find out, but she shouldn't have kept it from her.

What if I never use my skills and they get rusty?

Qingmei's thoughts were a jumbled mess, and before she could figure it out, they had already arrived in the capital.

Gu Zhizhuo first went to Baijitang to ask Manager Su to find some medicine for her. She hadn't decided on the prescription yet, but the principal and assistant herbs were crucial and hard to find, so she had to start looking for them first.

Then I went and bought some cinnabar talisman paper.

She plans to buy everything she needs and then stay home for the next few days, staying with Ah Man until the seventh day of the fifth lunar month.

Upon returning to the mansion, as usual, he first went to Ronghe Hall to pay his respects. However, when he arrived at Ronghe Hall, he learned that Madam Gu had been summoned to the palace by the Empress early that morning.

"You've entered the palace?" Gu Zhizhuo raised an eyebrow.

So suddenly?

"yes."

Granny Zhu didn't try to flatter her, and replied in a serious tone, "Just after 9 a.m. today, a lady from the Empress's side came to the palace. The Empress summoned the Grand Madam and the Eldest Aunt to the palace for a chat. After the Grand Madam and the Eldest Aunt finished their formal attire, they left the palace around 9 a.m.

It was the hour of Si (9-11 AM), which was shortly after she arrived at Taiqing Temple.

Gu Zhizhuo's heart skipped a beat. The palace not only called her "Grand Madam" but also "Aunt." Something was not right.

It is extremely rare for a summons from the palace to be issued on the same day. Moreover, since the aunt is a married woman, if the Empress wanted to see her, she should have been summoned from the Earl of Jing'an's residence.

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

Thinking about it, Gu Zhizhuo asked repeatedly, "Where's Aman? Was she brought into the palace too?"

"The young lady is with the madam."

Ah Man was in the mansion. But for some reason, Gu Zhizhuo became even more flustered, her heart pounding in her chest.

Without asking any further questions, she hurried out through the east and west passageways and rushed to the main courtyard. However, Madam Ji was not there; she had gone to the garden. Gu Zhizhuo had no choice but to go to the garden, asking the servants along the way. Finally, she found Madam Ji and Gu Yan at Shuiyun Pavilion.

Gu Yan was a robust-looking boy with delicate features. He ran around Shuiyun Pavilion with a slingshot in his hand, occasionally shooting glass beads at the birds. Because he was young and his aim was poor, he would throw glass beads at them when he missed, which startled the birds and made them fly around and hide in the tree canopy.

There wasn't a single bird left around, and Gu Yan stomped her foot unhappily.

Gu Zhizhuo frowned. Gu Yan was not yet six years old and had not yet moved to the front yard, so he lived with Ji Shi in the main yard.

Since her rebirth, she has deliberately avoided seeing Gu Yan because she is unsure how to face him.

In his previous life, Gu Yan inherited the title and the vast Zhenguo Duke's mansion. Gu Zhizhuo should have been grateful, grateful that the Gu family bloodline still existed. Ha, what happened next? Not long after, Gu Yan publicly declared that his grandfather indeed harbored rebellious intentions and secretly raised a private army, that his father colluded with bandits in the northern frontier to embezzle the imperial army's funds, and that the men of the Gu family who had died on the battlefield for generations had surrendered during wartime and deserted in the face of battle, deserving of their deaths!

Upon seeing Gu Yan again after a lifetime, a complex and indescribable emotion welled up in her heart.

"Zhuo'er," Madam Ji called out to her with a smile.

Lady Ji was a widow, dressed only in a plain-colored dress, and even with light makeup, her beauty was still captivating.

Gu Zhizhuo looked around and, not seeing Aman, stepped forward to greet her: "Mother."

She wanted to ask Aman, but suddenly her brow twitched, and she looked at the chaise lounge where Ji was sitting. There, a colorful bird lay on the chaise longue, barely alive, its fate unknown.

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

It's Aman's favorite.

A few days ago, my aunt took Aman to the bird market to pick out a bird. Aman looked around but didn't want any of them, except for this one. Even though the bird didn't pay attention to her, she would happily squat down and preen its feathers every day, and she also prepared a lot of delicious food to coax it to come every day.

How could this be...?

The bird twitched its legs, and Gu Zhizhuo lifted it up with both hands. After a quick check, he found that the bone in its left wing was broken, as if it had been hit. Gu Zhizhuo then glanced at the marbles that had rolled all over the ground.

Thankfully, it wasn't a fatal injury. If we take it back and heal properly, he should survive. Otherwise, Ah Man would be heartbroken.

"mine!"

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

No manners. Even the younger Aman knows that she should greet her older brothers and sisters first.

Gu Zhizhuo deliberately gave him the cold shoulder, only asking Ji Shi, "Mother, where is Aman?"

"Zhuo'er." Madam Ji smiled gently. "Are you looking for Aman? She..."

"Ah Man went back to her own home!"

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

Gu Zhizhuo: "What did you say?!"

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

Before his hand could even touch him, Gu Zhizhuo slapped the back of his hand.

Snap!

She asked again, "Where is Aman?"

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

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

Ji reached out to hug her son, but Gu Zhizhuo pressed down on Gu Yan's shoulder without hesitation. She deliberately didn't loosen her grip, and Gu Yan, whether out of fear or pain, burst into tears.

Madam Ji hurriedly pulled her away, and the maids nearby also panicked and ran over.

"Who dares to touch me!" Gu Zhizhuo's face hardened, and he said coldly, "I'll call the slave traders here today."

"When Mother entered the family, she only brought three families with her. Now, all the maids and servants around you are servants born into the Gu family. The slave contracts are not in your hands, Mother."

Ji's delicate body trembled slightly, filled with both shame and anger.

The servants hesitated, glancing at each other, none daring to be the first to step forward.

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

Seeing that Madam Ji hadn't come to his rescue, Gu Yan stopped crying, sniffled, and said angrily, "She's just going back to her own home!"

"She wouldn't let me shoot birds, so I had the Qin family take her away. It's her fault for not letting me shoot birds."

Gu Yan's words were incoherent, but there was one thing Gu Zhizhuo understood—

The Qin family took Aman away.

"Go on."

Gu Zhizhuo suddenly increased the pressure on his hand, and Gu Yan immediately screamed in pain, saying in a shrill voice, "It was I who asked the Qin family to take her away. Who told her to live in my house and refuse to give me the bird?"

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

The wet nurse was with Gu Yan all the time, so she knew best what Gu Yan had done.

The wet nurse instinctively looked at Madam Ji, who was frantically hugging Gu Yan to check if he was injured, completely oblivious to anything else.

Gu Zhizhuo reached out to Qingmei, who was stunned for a moment before resignedly handing over a dagger that she had been hiding in her sleeve.

The dagger was drawn, sheathed, and in the next instant, it was pressed against the wet nurse's neck. The movement was swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation. Gu Zhizhuo pressed the dagger down, and a line of blood immediately appeared on her neck.

"Please spare me, young lady."

The wet nurse knelt down and said tremblingly, "Just after noon, the Lady of Jing'an came to our door..."

"Minniang!" Ji's beautiful, plum-like eyes turned somewhat cold.

"Speak." Gu Zhizhuo pressed the dagger down again, then glanced coldly at Ji Shi.

The wet nurse closed her eyes and said in one breath, "The Grand Madam and the young lady went to the palace, and the lady met with the Lady of Jing'an. The Lady of Jing'an said that she had come to take her cousin back, but the Grand Madam had repeatedly told her not to. The Lady of Jing'an refused to leave and insisted on seeing her cousin."

“My cousin wasn’t there at the time. She had to feed the birds and went back to my eldest aunt’s courtyard before noon. The fourth young master offered to bring my cousin over, so I went with him.”

"The Fourth Young Master saw a particularly beautiful bird in the eldest aunt's courtyard, the one you're holding." The wet nurse watched her blood drip onto her clothes, her body trembling, and said, "The Fourth Young Master used a slingshot to shoot it, and the bird fell down. The young lady saw it and ran over and pushed him. The Fourth Young Master was very angry and told the young lady to get out."

"The young lady went to pick up the birds while crying. In a fit of anger, the fourth young master ordered all the maids and servants in the courtyard to be locked up, and even ordered the servants to take the young lady out and give her to, give her to the Lady of Jing'an."

The wet nurse cautiously looked at Gu Zhizhuo's furious face and said, "Later, the Lady of Jing'an took the young lady away."

A note from the author:

Note 1: Sun Simiao, *Emergency Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold* (Chapter on the Study of Great Physicians)

Note 2: The Book of Changes