The crown prince rubbed his temples, wondering why the topic had veered off course. He could only cough lightly and try to get back on track.
"By the way, let's talk about Princess Wu. What did you find out?"
Song Xibai didn't want to talk to him, but this was important, so she reluctantly turned her head back.
"Your Highness, you know that Princess Wu loves flowers and plants, right? Among her dowry was an extremely famous shop that specializes in purchasing flowers and trees from the southwest, and sometimes it also imports some unique items."
"southwest?"
The crown prince astutely grasped the key point.
Song Xibai nodded and shared his guess: "The Gu in the Sixth Prince's body is not an ordinary thing; at least, it is not common in the Central Plains. Your Highness should have someone investigate there; they should be able to find something."
"Princess Wu is a great opportunity. Your Highness may not know that before she got married, Princess Wu disguised herself as a man and went to the southwest with a merchant caravan!"
Song Xibai continued.
The Crown Prince looked surprised: "Is that so? You must be able to talk to her about this! But why would she tell you such a secret?"
"She didn't say, so of course I'm just guessing!"
Song Xibai said with a smile.
Actually, it's quite simple. During a casual chat, Song Xibai mentioned the strawberries and fresh vegetables that Princess Wu had once sent him, and sighed, "The climate in the capital is rather cold, unlike the south, where it's spring all year round, and you can eat fresh vegetables anytime and see flowers blooming all year round."
Princess Wu immediately replied, "If Your Highness likes them, I'll have someone send you some bonsai. I own a shop that deals in flowers and trees."
Then Song Xibai showed interest and asked a lot of questions.
This test revealed the truth.
You see, this isn't the information explosion era of her previous life, where you could find everything online. People mostly get their information through word of mouth. And what you hear from others is completely different from what you see with your own eyes.
Princess Wu knew a great deal about Yunnan and Guizhou, and even knew about the local chieftains.
The crown prince pondered for a long time.
"The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is not as simple as it appears..."
Song Xibai kicked him: "I'm talking to you about the Gu worms! Why are you doubting the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion? What's more important right now?"
"What you say makes sense, I will have someone investigate."
The crown prince immediately stood up and had someone summon Yue Zhuangtou.
When Yue Zhuangtou entered with a solemn expression, he was clearly stunned when he saw Song Xibai sitting to the side.
The Crown Prince noticed his gaze and pointed at Song Xibai as he spoke.
“Commander Yue, Consort Xi knows your identity.”
Yue Zhuangtou's expression suddenly changed, his face full of disapproval.
The Crown Prince continued, "From this moment forward, the safety of Consort Xi is of paramount importance, do you understand?"
Yue Zhuangtou glanced sideways at Song Xibai, his face tense, but he still accepted the order.
Song Xibai scrutinized his gaze, thinking to herself: This Yue Zhuang Tou is probably thinking I'm a vixen, isn't he?
But at least he's better than Yoshihime; even if he doesn't approve, he won't disobey his master's orders.
As expected of the commander of the secret guards, his professionalism is truly exceptional!
Song Xibai didn't express his opinion either; he left this matter to the Crown Prince. What kind of Crown Prince would he be if he couldn't even keep his subordinates in check?
Afterwards, the Crown Prince whispered a few words to the head of the Yue family, emphasizing Song Xibai's role. The head of the Yue family showed slight surprise, but at least his gaze towards Song Xibai became more serious.
"Your Highness, please put it down. I will instruct the others to protect Consort Xi with their lives."
The crown prince nodded in satisfaction and waved for him to leave.
Afterwards, Song Xibai and the Crown Prince went to the guest room again.
The sixth prince was still asleep. Dingxiang moved a small stool and sat by the bed. When she saw the two of them come in, she hurriedly got up.
"Xixi, come quick! The Sixth Prince's condition is very bad!"
Song Xibai took the Sixth Prince's pulse, and her brows furrowed even more.
"Although the Gu worms are gone, his body has deteriorated even more, and his internal organs are showing signs of decay."
The crown prince's expression tightened: "What's going on?"
"I don't know much about Gu worms, only some basic common sense. Usually, Gu worms are mother worms, and the child Gu worms are controlled by the mother Gu worms. If the mother Gu worm dies, the child Gu worms will also die. Therefore, Gu worms are often used to control disobedient subordinates."
"The one inside the Sixth Prince is clearly a 'child worm'. The 'child worm' has been residing in his body for some time, and his body has adapted to the presence of the worm. If we rashly imprint the worm, his body will naturally not be able to withstand it."
"No wonder you only told me to put the Gu worms into the bamboo tube and not to kill them!" Dingxiang muttered to herself.
"Is there any way to cure him?" the prince asked again.
Song Xibai nodded: "There is a way to treat it, but it's a bit troublesome. Dingxiang, come and help me, I need to administer acupuncture."
As he spoke, Song Xibai rolled up his sleeves and pulled a needle case from his waist.
She has two sets of needles, and this time she took a simple set with her, which could be rolled up and tucked into her belt.
Upon hearing that acupuncture was to be administered, a strange expression appeared on the prince's face.
He grabbed Song Xibai, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked.
"Where should we insert the needles? We don't need to...cough cough...we don't need to take off our clothes and pants, right?"
Song Xibai was taken aback at first, and it took her a beat to realize what the Crown Prince was worried about. She then slapped his hand away in an annoyance.
"Your Highness has time to think about these useless things. You might as well have someone guard the room. Also, order someone to boil water and prepare a medicinal bath."
The Crown Prince immediately summoned Yue Zhuangtou and ordered him to bring two trusted men to guard the entrance. He also instructed Eunuch Feng to prepare hot water and other necessities.
Dingxiang was worried, so she took Song Xibai's prescription and went out with Eunuch Feng.
Song Xibai had already sat down by the bed and was carefully examining each of her silver needles.
"If Your Highness has nothing else to do, why don't you come and help? Turn the Sixth Prince over."
The Crown Prince had never done this kind of work before, but since Dingxiang wasn't around and he didn't feel comfortable letting anyone else into the room, he rolled up his sleeves, went over, and took off the Sixth Prince's clothes, revealing half of his back.
Song Xibai held her breath and concentrated, inserting five needles into his back in succession, then turned around and inserted several needles into his chest and abdomen.
The sixth prince was initially drowsy and unresponsive, but when Song Xibai began to twist the needle's end, he suddenly began to tremble violently.
"pain!"
The prince held his arm tightly, preventing him from moving.
Song Xibai's expression was solemn, his hands moving swiftly, twisting, turning, lifting, and flicking.
Soon, the sixth prince broke out in a sweat, his face turned pale, then black, and it took a long time for him to regain his composure.
Half an hour later, Song Xibai carefully removed all the needles and exhaled.
"Have someone give him a bath! It should only take about 45 to 50 minutes."
The prince tenderly wiped away her sweat.
"I have already instructed my men to prepare, so you don't need to worry. Go back and rest!"
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