Chapter 73 The Mission is Halfway Done... A soft, aggrieved voice...
She thought that having the medical book would make things much easier, but now that Gu Xiangzhi has taken the book away, she's back to square one.
She didn't know why Gu Xiangzhi was so insistent on sending her to a political marriage, not even giving her a chance to explain.
Without medical books, she could only experiment step by step, which inevitably took up a lot of time.
She was so worried that she couldn't sleep all night. Song Ai and Cuiwei were concerned about her and stayed by her side the whole time.
As dawn broke, Song Ai saw that Cuiwei was still asleep on the bed. She gave Cuiwei a look, signaling her to keep an eye on her, and then went to the kitchen.
As soon as Song Ai left, Cuiwei frowned, watching her retreating figure with a worried look in her eyes.
Before long, Yu Nie got up from the bed.
Cuiwei was overjoyed. She lifted the layers of curtains and rushed to help the person.
Yu Nie had gotten up from the bed. He hadn't slept all night, but his dejected expression from the previous night was gone.
"Princess……"
After a night of deep thought, her voice regained its spirit as she spoke, touching Cuiwei's cheek: "I'm fine. Did I scare you last night?" She looked at Cuiwei with an apologetic expression.
Cuiwei shook her head: "Princess, you don't need to worry about me. It's just that our medical book has been taken away by Supervisor Gu. What are we going to do?"
This is the most important thing. After pondering for a moment, Yu Nie lifted his foot and walked out.
To get the medical book back, she had to negotiate with Gu Xiangzhi.
It's unusual for a junior supervisor of the Imperial Horse Administration to be so concerned about a princess's marriage.
She thought about everything last night and went through it all carefully.
He cared so much about who told her who was initially chosen for the marriage alliance. This shows how important this was to him.
In addition, on the way back to her yesterday, Huan Xun told her that the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs originally had no one to choose from. When he was frowning, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs went to the Imperial Horse Administration to seek advice from his friend, the Grand Supervisor of the Imperial Horse Administration. That is why Shunhe's name appeared on the Emperor's desk.
It's not hard to deduce that the Imperial Stables and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs must have mentioned Shunwa's existence. Thinking even deeper, it's possible that the Imperial Stables even recommended her.
Based on Gu Xiangzhi's behavior, this inference is highly likely to be true.
Even if she knew that Zhao Huashu was chosen before her, so what? Why did he care so much that she wouldn't go for the marriage alliance because of an accident?
With the Gao family as her backer, even if something happens to Hua Ruo, she won't be chosen for a marriage alliance; the only option left is Zhao Huashu, who has recovered from a serious illness early.
so……
Yu Nie's deduction had already formed: Gu Xiangzhi was actually so concerned about the marriage alliance because of Zhao Huashu.
In this way, everything he did can be explained.
Knowing where the "lesion" is, Yu Nie plans to treat it accordingly.
She originally didn't plan to tell anyone that she intended to cure the Jie people's scurvy in exchange for them breaking off the engagement.
In order to retrieve the medical book, she had no choice but to reveal her entire plan to Gu Xiangzhi.
She came to the door in her nightgown and looked at the lush pear tree in the courtyard. The lotus flowers in the water vat were blooming beautifully, pink and delicate.
Outside the open inner courtyard gate, the pond water was crystal clear, and countless koi carp swam freely in it.
Yu Nie spoke up, responding to Cui Wei's worried expression: "I need to find Gu Xiangzhi to retrieve the medical book. We'll go to his residence now."
Seeing that she thought he wasn't in the mansion, Cuiwei spoke up: "Princess... Eunuch Gu has been staying in the front courtyard since last night. He said that he will personally protect your safety until you get married."
I never imagined he was so cautious.
Yu Nie finally understood; calling it protection was less accurate than monitoring. She didn't even have a chance to refuse, as there were already Imperial Horse Administration personnel stationed at the stable. His excuse was perfect, without any loopholes.
Cuiwei told her about getting the medical book back, her heart filled with anxiety: "I think even if we go to him, given Supervisor Gu's personality, he won't give in easily."
Yu Nie had actually considered this problem last night.
This time, she only asked him to return the medical book.
If he didn't believe her, she promised that if the plan failed, she would accept her fate and marry him. After all, his eyes were always on her; where could she possibly run to?
But if he wouldn't even give her this small chance to save herself, she had a backup plan.
Then tell him frankly that when the emperor arrives, she will reveal the truth in public, saying that she is just a substitute and was forced by the Imperial Stables to impersonate the princess.
He shouldn't even think about using other people's lives to blackmail her. She would tell him that Huan Xun would protect everyone at Lingbao Temple and all innocent people. At worst, what would it matter if she died?
At that time, the emperor will choose another person to send to the Jie tribe for a marriage alliance. As for who he will choose next, he knows in his heart.
She thought to herself that, given Huan Xun's status as a close advisor to the emperor, Prime Minister Gu would surely have to weigh the pros and cons.
“It’s hard to give in…” Her eyes were filled with determination: “But I think… he won’t risk the people he cares about.”
Upon hearing this, Cuiwei did not stop her.
When Song Ai returned from the kitchen, there was not a single person left in the entire bedroom.
*
Yu Nie packed her things simply, crossed the half-embankment lake, and headed towards the wing room where Gu Xiangzhi lived in the front yard.
A carriage stopped at the entrance, and Zhao Huashu got out of the carriage.
Outside the door, Gu Xiangzhi, who had been out early in the morning, bumped into Zhao Huashu.
Yu Nie stood behind the screen wall, watching the two talking outside the door.
After bowing respectfully, Gu Xiangzhi turned to leave.
Zhao Huashu had something to say to him privately, so she took half a step forward and called out to him, "Junior Supervisor Gu?"
Gu Xiangzhi didn't even turn his head, his back to Zhao Huashu; "Princess Jingyi, I have important matters to attend to and cannot stay any longer. Please make yourself at home."
He was utterly heartless and continued to go inside.
Afraid that he would see her eavesdropping, Yu Nie quickly moved inside.
A soft, aggrieved voice rang out: "Brother Xiangzhi..."
There was no one else around, only their two personal maids and attendants.
The term "brother" is quite intimate, and it really surprised Yu Nie that a princess would call such a eunuch.
She secretly went to look again and saw Zhao Huashu lifting her skirt and chasing after her. The two of them stood at the door.
Although they were outside, there was no physical contact between them, but what they said made Yu Nie certain of their relationship and why Gu Xiangzhi cared so much about the "marriage alliance".
Zhao Huashu said, "Does Brother Xiangzhi intend to never speak to me again?"
She was filled with grievances: "I know Mother shouldn't have pressured you, threatened you with your past, and made you help me escape the marriage alliance. But we grew up together, and you are the closest person to me. I was young then, and I didn't mean to tell Mother the secret you told me."
"She only threatened you because of me." Her eyes reddened. "Brother Xiangzhi, you... still won't forgive me?"
Gu Xiangzhi still didn't turn around, his gaze sweeping over the slender figure halfway down the screen wall: "The past is the past, why should the princess dwell on it? Besides, what threat did the princess speak of? Isn't it because you're sick that you can't go to the borderlands?"
“Holding on…” Zhao Huashu cried even harder.
His words were impeccable, showing no sign of sentimentality: "It seems the princess is in a bad mood. If His Majesty sees her like this later, he will inevitably ask about it..."
He glanced at her and said, "Chunying, why don't you take your mistress back to the palace to rest? Otherwise, if something goes wrong, can you take the blame?"
Chunying was Zhao Huashu's personal maid.
Upon hearing Gu Xiangzhi's words, she quickly stepped forward to comfort Zhao Huashu, suggesting they come another day.
Zhao Huashu was reluctant to leave, but she knew that he didn't want to see her.
She had originally come to give Yu Nie a round fan that she had embroidered herself, but under his firm attitude, she had no choice but to turn back.
After hearing the whole story, Yu Nie was surprised to find that the marriage alliance was so complicated. She also never imagined that someone like Gu Xiangzhi would have something on him.
The sound of the carriage driving away drifted in from outside. Yu Nie was still deep in thought, wondering what secret Consort Cui held in his hands.
Unexpectedly, a voice came from the other side: "If you keep hiding, what else are you trying to eavesdrop on?"
She was taken aback, then turned and exchanged a glance with Cuiwei.
Since she had already been exposed, she decided not to hide any longer and stepped out from behind the screen wall.
She stopped in front of him, keeping a certain distance: "The entrance is only this big. I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation. I just came to get my medical book back." She finished speaking in one breath without even taking a breath.
He glanced at her, walked past her, and headed towards the side room on his right.
She quickly caught up with him, her voice filled with an urgent plea: "Since you said it was to protect Hua Shu, then you should give me the medical book."
Seeing that he didn't stop, she had no choice but to reveal the plan she had been keeping hidden in her heart:
“I want the medical book not to find a way to feign illness to avoid marriage. I want to use it to cure the Jie people’s scurvy. If I can cure their chronic disease, it might become a bargaining chip for them to cancel their engagements. Then, no one will have to be sent away for a political marriage.”
Finally, he stopped just as he was about to step across the threshold.
After a moment of silence, he turned around, his gaze fixed intently on her face, his tone carrying a barely perceptible inquiry: "You... can cure their illness?"
"Of course I can." She looked up, her eyes filled with certainty.
All she had to do was look up in the medical book which fruit had the highest ascorbic acid content, and then find a way to preserve the ascorbic acid from that fruit.
To convince him, she took a step closer and stood in front of him, with a touch of stubborn confidence: "You can read the words in medical books, so can I. This alone is enough to prove that I am not an ordinary person, and that I have some abilities that others cannot match."
She paused, then added, "That book was written by Lady Dugu Loujun, and it's called 'The Medical Book of Dugu.' Am I right about all of this?"
His face was as dark as ink, his emotions hidden in that deep shadow, revealing nothing of his feelings.
Her heart was in turmoil. Had her rash remark just now been a gamble that paid off, or had it touched a nerve?
The surroundings fell silent instantly, and the two stood facing each other, neither of them speaking first.
Gu Xiangzhi's gaze lingered on her face for a long time, as if he were weighing the truth or falsehood of all her words.
After a long pause, he slowly opened his lips, his voice devoid of emotion: "Who taught you to recognize these words?"
Her throat tightened; she certainly couldn't tell the truth, so she could only reply, "It was Lady Dugu. She lived in Huaiyuan for a while, and she taught me these words back then."
She had initially thought he had suffered the same fate as her, but now it seemed that might not be the case, so she made up a plausible excuse.
She spoke half-truths and half-lies, without revealing any flaws, hoping only to convince him.
"And what about you?" She wanted to find out if he, like her, came from another place.
Gu Xiangzhi didn't look at her, but stepped into the room and said lightly, "She also taught me."
At that time, he was wandering from his hometown to Jian'an when he caught a cold and almost died. It was Dugu Loujun, who was out gathering herbs, who saved him and allowed him to survive.
Later, she told him she was going on a long trip. Half a month after her return, he waited at home but she didn't come back. So he went out to look for her, but he was kidnapped by a group of thieves and sold into the palace, where he became a eunuch. He never saw her again after that. He was seven years old at the time.
Now, more than ten years later, when he hears the name of an old friend again, his face remains expressionless.
Upon learning that he knew Dugu Loujun, she thought of trying to establish a connection with him so that he would stop targeting her.
She followed him in: "Gu Xiangzhi, since we are both disciples of Lord Dugu Lou, I can let bygones be bygones for the unpleasantness of last night. Can't you be a little more soft-hearted for the sake of our fellow disciples?"
Seeing that he remained silent, she conceded again, "If you really don't want to give me the medical book, then... then you can turn to the page about treating scurvy and let me see the treatment methods written there. Is that alright?"
He sat behind his desk and looked up at her.
It was clear that she wasn't feigning illness through medical books to escape the arranged marriage.
He lowered his gaze; there was no reason for him not to give her a chance to try.
Besides... besides...
He recalled Huan Xun's words when he went to the Jiheng Prefecture that morning to inquire about the assassination case from the previous night.
The mastermind behind last night's assassination attempt was the Gao family, and Huan Xun openly released the prisoners alive, an act that served as a warning. Huan Xun's actions clearly indicated that he wanted to tell all the powerful families who intended to sabotage the marriage alliance that Princess Shunhe was backed by him, Huan Xun.
Under these circumstances, anyone who wants to harm her will have to think twice about the consequences.
Killing her again would not be as simple as killing a pawn in a political marriage, or a powerless princess.
Perhaps... Gu Xiangzhi thought, perhaps he could give Huan Xun some face. They were both close ministers of the emperor and had a common enemy at the moment. There was no need to escalate the situation to the point of drawing swords and making things awkward.
As long as she's not faking illness to escape, everything is negotiable.
He stared at her, and Yu Nie became extremely nervous, wondering what he was going to do next.
But his gaze lingered on her face for only a moment before he raised his hand, tore off two pages from the medical book about treating scurvy, and threw them to her: "Take them back."
Seeing that he was still wary of her, she felt nothing else, but when he tore up her medical book, Yu Nie felt a surge of anger rush to her head, and she wished she could pounce on him and argue with him immediately.
But given the current situation, she could only suppress her surging anger and bend down to pick up the two thin sheets of paper from the ground.
He gritted his teeth and said to him, "Thank you, Junior Supervisor Gu."
"Now that you've got what you wanted, Princess, why aren't you leaving?" He had already picked up the memorial on the table to read, completely disregarding her presence.
She wasn't so oblivious; after glaring at him, she turned and left the room.
*
Having just obtained the method to treat scurvy, Yu Nie couldn't resist unfolding the pages and examining them closely on the way back to her bedchamber.
Although Cuiwei couldn't read the words, she followed closely, her eyes scanning the paper covered with writing, as if she could discern some of the meaning.
To everyone's surprise, after reading the contents of the paper word by word, Yu Nie's brows furrowed tightly, his steps involuntarily halted, and an unconcealable solemnity crossed his face.
"Princess, will the method above work?" Cuiwei asked.
Yu Nie exhaled and walked to the lakeside, her delicate eyebrows furrowed. She fanned herself with her hand, as if trying to dispel the vexation in her heart.
A sharp-eyed palace maid noticed this and quickly stepped forward, gently waving her round fan.
"I don't know if it's because it's been so long, but I can't see the specific methods anymore," she said.
"What? Does this mean all our efforts will be for nothing?" Cuiwei never expected that the method she had painstakingly obtained would turn out like this.
With her hands on her hips, Yu Nie pondered silently for a while, but she wasn't actually that pessimistic.
"Although the later methods are not clear, Lady Dugu mentioned that the three fruits of jujube, prickly pear, and guava contain high levels of ascorbic acid."
To ensure the medicine is more effective, she has to select the fruit with the highest ascorbic acid content, but this has already saved her a lot of trouble.
Since there were no guavas available this season, only two fruits were left for her to experiment with, which saved her a lot of time.
Cuiwei still looked somewhat confused.
She turned to look at her and said, "Quickly go and take out the sour jujube and the prickly pear from the fruit you bought. I want to see which one is more suitable for medicinal use."
“It’s the princess.” Cuiwei didn’t understand her actions, but she carried out the order quickly.
She had only taken two steps when she hesitated and turned back: "But... His Majesty is coming in the afternoon. If the princess wants to prepare that medicine, shouldn't she wait until the afternoon?"
"No need to wait any longer."
As soon as Cuiwei finished speaking, Song Ai's voice came from behind her.
Yu Nie looked up and saw Song Ai leading two palace maids closer.
Song Ai bowed and said, "Just now, someone from the palace came to tell us that His Majesty is unwell and cannot visit the princess today. In addition, the Jie envoy is also unable to come because of his special duty."
"However, His Majesty has issued an edict that a star-gazing banquet will be held in the palace in a few days, inviting all officials to appreciate the celestial phenomena of the Qixi Festival, and requesting that the princess attend."
Yu Nie asked, "The mourning period for the late emperor is not even three months over, yet a banquet is being held in the palace?"
Song Ai lowered his head: "That is why His Majesty specifically declared that there would be no music or dance performances, only star observation."
This is a good thing for Yu Nie.
She nodded and gave Cuiwei a wink, who understood and went to prepare the things she needed.
Song Ai overheard their conversation and learned from other palace servants that she had gone to see Gu Xiangzhi.
He asked, "Has Supervisor Gu made things difficult for Your Highness again?"
Yu Nie shook his head from side to side.
Seeing her reaction, Song Ai felt relieved and asked again, "Your Highness asked Cuiwei to buy those fruits the other day. Is it for an important purpose?"
She was going to conduct an experiment in the inner courtyard later, and it would be impossible to do so discreetly.
A thought flashed through her mind, and she casually said, "It's been so hot and humid these past few days. I was thinking of using the herbal soup that the nuns at the temple in Shuoyang made to relieve the heat for everyone."
Song Ai originally wanted to stop her, worried that she would get tired. But when she looked up and saw the joy on her face, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue and simply nodded slightly.
That's considered agreement.
When everyone returned to the inner courtyard, Cuiwei had already arranged the items she needed.
On a square table were two disks, one containing prickly pear and the other containing sour jujube.
In ancient times, there were no color charts, but it was theoretically easy to determine which acid was the most acidic.
She had someone bring her juice made from woad grass, which she had bought from a herbal medicine shop. She then crushed prickly pear and jujube into juice and dripped each into a bowl containing the woad grass.
Acids react with blue; the stronger the acid, the redder the color.
Cuiwei and her group watched from the side. They saw that the bowl containing prickly pear juice, which had been dripped with the same amount, gradually turned deep red, while the bowl containing jujube juice remained light pink.
Everyone stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were seeing.
This one result wasn't enough, so to be on the safe side, she began a second experiment.
She opened the container and had Cuiwei prepare the ash from the ash-treated seaweed and the leftover rice water from breakfast.
Seaweed ash is produced in the south and is often used in medicine to treat goiter, also known as thyroid enlargement.
She was unaware that seaweed ash had this effect until Cui Miaochang treated a wealthy man's neck. She then learned that seaweed ash contains a large amount of iodine and can be used to extract iodine solution.
Some Taoist priests also use it to refine elixirs.
The process of turning seaweed into iodine solution is not complicated, but it requires precision.
After the seaweed ash has been ashed, it needs to be soaked in warm water for about half an hour to obtain a pale yellow filtrate. Then, aged vinegar is poured into it, and saltpeter is added and heated.
After a short while, a certain amount of iodized solution can be obtained.
While the saltpeter was heating, she filtered half a bowl of clear rice water by hand, then asked Cuiwei to bring a clean piece of white paper and spread the rice water on it.
Her sudden outburst left everyone present dazzled and astonished.
Cuiwei asked, "Is this really going to work, Princess?"
Yu Nie tightened the straps on her arms: "Don't worry, it'll definitely work."
She smiled at her: "I'm a professional."
Cuiwei was immediately relieved and helped her spread rice water on the paper.
Song Ai looked at the table full of food and was surprised, but she didn't show it on her face. She just quietly observed her every move.
Once the sound of the saltpeter heating stopped, Yu Nie covered his mouth and nose, picked up the medicine pot-like vessel, and poured the extracted iodine solution into a small porcelain cup.
In the hot weather, the white paper that had been smeared with rice water dried up very quickly, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Yu Nie first dipped a brush in jujube juice onto the paper, then added two drops of iodine solution made from seaweed ash. The blue parts of the white paper only faded slightly.
Seeing this, she used the same method, adding prickly pear juice, and the blue color quickly faded.
If it remains blue, it is neutral or weakly acidic; if it completely fades, it is a strong acid.
Everyone felt it was like a magic trick and exclaimed how amazing it was.
Just when everyone thought it was over, Yu Nie didn't stop. He threw the rusty iron block into the remaining two kinds of juice and observed the changes in the iron block.
According to chemical principles, high concentrations of ascorbic acid can reduce rust, turning the solution green. This was the theory she derived from a small experiment she did for fun.
After a short while, she saw that the rust was removed by the prickly pear juice, and the iron block coated with jujube juice hadn't even changed color much.
The results of the three experiments are already quite clear.
It undoubtedly has the highest content of rosacea. Using it to treat scurvy among the Jie people is the fastest-acting treatment.
"How is it? Princess, are we a couple?" Cuiwei asked, leaning closer to her.
Yu Nie nodded, and handed the bowl of prickly pear juice to Cui Wei: "Make more prickly pear juice and put it in bottles."
Song Ai asked, "What does the princess need all this juice for?" After all this time, she had realized that she wasn't making a medicinal soup.
With her mission accomplished, Yi Nie felt much happier: "I want to give this to someone very important."
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