Chapter 280 Dormant Gu
Before Mu Qing could say anything, Hu Xiner, who had just returned from the palace carrying books, immediately rolled her eyes.
She walked directly up to the two of them and took the initiative to speak for Mu Qing: "I knew about this a long time ago. My husband went to attend an appointment with Chu Taibao today! Do you think he is like you, idle all day long and doing nothing?"
The second half of her sentence was addressed to Yin Li.
Yin Li was so angry that she kept fanning herself: "Silly girl, I'm doing this for your own good, helping you keep an eye on your husband. Why are you so ungrateful?"
"You're helping me keep an eye on my husband. Why does that sound so wrong?" Hu Xin'er pondered. "Are you attracted to my husband because he's handsome? Are you planning something bad?"
Yin Li opened her eyes wide, her hands trembling. "You, listen to what you are saying? How could I be interested in this ugly bastard?"
Hu Xin'er still had doubts: "You are an old man who has not married for over 200 years. Who knows if you like men or women?"
Yin Li was almost suffocated by her: "Get lost!"
Hu Xin'er suddenly burst out laughing: "I was just teasing you, I just wanted to remind you not to bully my husband while I'm away!"
While bickering, the two of them walked into the Wanjuan Pavilion with Mu Qing.
Hu Xiner looked at Mu Qing with a smile: "Based on the current progress, I think we can restore the library to its original state soon!"
Mu Qing nodded: "That's good."
Seeing that he looked a little strange, Hu Xiner pulled him to a corner.
Yin Li also wanted to follow, but was glared at by Hu Xin'er, so she could only fan herself angrily.
He thought with dissatisfaction, this time the library's operation was clearly a team of three people, so why was he, the core figure, the dignified master of the Wanjuan Pavilion, a handsome and unparalleled beauty, being excluded?
"It's absolutely abominable!" he said angrily.
There were still many people in the Wanjuan Pavilion moving the books. They were all royal workers. When they saw that Yin Li was in a bad mood, they immediately quickened their pace.
A new porter, not knowing what was going on, whispered, "Hey, who's that young man? Why are people so afraid of him?"
The person who was moving the books with him didn't answer him immediately. Instead, he walked outside and whispered, "That's Mr. Yin Li, the head of the Wanjuan Pavilion. When he gets angry, he likes to take it out on others, so everyone stays away."
Yin Li's ears moved slightly and he heard the discussion coming from outside. He picked up a brush from the desk and threw it over.
"Swoosh!" The two porters only heard a quick and sharp sound of wind, and a brush flew past between them.
The two were so scared that they ran out quickly.
In the corner, Hu Xin'er asked with a smile, "How was your appointment today? I've heard that Chu Taibao is a good man, but I haven't had the chance to meet him. We should both find a chance to thank him for taking care of you."
As she spoke, she observed Mu Qing's expression and noticed that when he mentioned Chu Taibao, Mu Qing's eyes revealed an uncontrollable sadness: "There is no chance."
Hu Xin'er's heart skipped a beat: "How could this be? What happened? As long as we are alive, we can always meet each other."
She spoke more and more quietly, and she realized something.
Mu Qing raised his head and looked straight at her: "Xin'er, we will never see him again."
Hu Xiner's smile disappeared.
After Mu Qing dismissed all the workers in the pavilion, he showed the shriveled bones.
After seeing the insect corpse lying quietly in the middle of the cloth, Yin Li's expression immediately became nervous. He stepped forward, grabbed the cloth, and tightly wrapped the insect corpse inside.
After confirming that the insect corpse inside would not fall out, he looked at Mu Qing and asked, "Where did you get this thing?"
Mu Qing knew that Yin Li could help him in this matter, so he didn't act as arrogant as before.
He changed his attitude and explained the situation truthfully: "Chu Taibao was poisoned by the Crown Prince. When I went to keep the appointment, he was already dying. He gave this to me before he died."
Yin Li asked with a hint of disdain, "There was a bone-eroding substance in the Crown Prince's study. Did Chu Taibao steal it?"
He felt that this Chu Taibao was simply too stupid. The prince's study was so heavily guarded, how could he steal something so easily?
Mu Qing suppressed the urge to punch him: "No, he was discovered by the Crown Prince when he went in to investigate, and the Crown Prince forced him to drink the poisoned wine."
"Then where does this bone-eroding thing come from?" Hu Xin'er and Yin Li asked in unison.
"According to Chu Taibao, this was his son's last belonging," Mu Qing said solemnly, "His son died suddenly a few years ago."
"I've heard mother talk about this before," Hu Xin'er nodded. "Taibao Chu's son was originally a top martial arts scholar, but he died suddenly during the marriage negotiation. Afterwards, everyone said that the girl was unlucky for her husband. Mother was very sad about it for a long time."
Yin Li frowned and asked, "Did Chu Taibao tell you how his son died?"
Mu Qing shook his head: "He died before he could even say anything."
"Where is the body? What kind of poison was he poisoned with? Who helped him escape from the prince's pursuit?" Yin Li's mind was working quickly at this time, and he was calm and composed, unlike his usual self.
Mu Qing answered them one by one: "He fled to the Guanyin Temple in the south of the city. The head monk there seemed to be friends with him, but he refused to tell me anything. I buried his body in the hills behind the temple."
He paused. "Chu Taibao said he was poisoned, but his pulse and appearance of death showed no sign of poisoning. I also tried using silver needles, but it looked like he had a sudden heart attack."
Speaking of this, he suddenly remembered that before Chu Taibao died, he held his heart tightly with one hand.
He mentioned this detail, and Yin Li tapped the fan in his hand and said thoughtfully, "It seems that the Chu family also needs to be thoroughly investigated."
Mu Qing sighed: "I didn't tell the Chu family about this news, I just left some silver in front of their door."
The two of them communicated in remarkable sync, speaking so fast that Hu Xin'er couldn't even get a word in. She could only prick up her ears and concentrate on digesting the huge amount of information.
Hearing this, she suddenly said, "After Master Chu's sudden death, the Chu family fell into despair. Although he was later employed by His Majesty, things haven't been going well in the past two years. Mother once saw Madam Chu selling her gold hairpins."
Yin Li originally thought that Mu Qing's behavior was a bit too soft-hearted, but after thinking about it, she decided to keep her mouth shut.
Hu Xin'er broke the silence: "Yin Li, why are you so nervous? Hasn't that Bone Erosion been dead for a long time? Could it still be poisonous?"
Yin Li explained, "This insect isn't actually dead. It's just been away from the human body for too long and has entered a dormant state. It eats away at bones through blood. As soon as it senses blood, it becomes activated and begins to drill into the human body!"
Hu Xiner caught a glimpse of blood on Mu Qing's hand and her face turned pale with fright.
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