witch doctor
The Fifth Prince talked a lot and drank a few more sips of tea.
"You must have disappointed Ayu, right? That's exactly what happened to Consort Rong back then. I often went to her palace and saw her face grow paler day by day until she couldn't even lift Mingyu anymore."
"However, perhaps the palace was not clean during those years. Even the Empress fell seriously ill and was cured by a witch doctor from the Southern Frontier. That witch doctor also treated Consort Rong and his diagnosis was consistent with that of the imperial physician."
A witch doctor from southern Xinjiang?
There are many poisonous plants in southern Xinjiang, many of which have never been seen in the Central Plains. It's normal that the doctors here can't tell anything from them.
Gu Yu seemed to remember something and asked, "When did the witch doctor from the Southern Frontier enter the palace? When did Her Majesty the Empress fall ill, before or after Consort Rong?"
"Let me think about it."
Jing Zichen rubbed his temples, and perhaps because of the long time that had passed, he remained silent for quite some time.
Gu Yu's calm eyes stared at him, waiting for him, making him blush.
He coughed lightly. "I remember now. Before Consort Rong gave birth, the Empress fell seriously ill. Father Emperor searched far and wide for famous doctors, and eventually found this witch doctor from the Southern Frontier to enter the palace. Soon after, Consort Rong gave birth. After giving birth to Mingyu, she was very weak. This witch doctor from the Southern Frontier also took Consort Rong's pulse once, but he just shook his head and said that he had no way to help her."
"After the Empress recovered from her illness, she rewarded the witch doctor with a large sum of money. The man then left the palace with gold and silver and disappeared without a trace. I guess he returned to the Southern Frontier."
"Since Your Highness often visits Consort Rong's palace, could you tell me about what her final days were like?"
Although he found Gu Yu's question strange, he patiently answered it because of his own little scheme. "Consort Rong's complexion was very pale, and it got paler day by day, a bloodless kind of pale. Actually, the consort was quite frightening back then, but she was too gentle, so I wasn't afraid of her."
"Then she had no strength. I remember that later she couldn't even lift her hands, and she ate very little. She also had a fragrance on her body, which was somewhat like the fragrance of herbs."
“These symptoms…” Gu Yu suddenly opened her eyes, “It looks like poisoning.”
"It can't be poisoning. If it were poisoning, the imperial physicians would definitely be able to tell."
"I once read about a poisonous plant in a medical book called 'Starry Night'. It is a rare flower in southern Xinjiang. The flowers are small and white, and the leaves also have white specks on them, hence the name 'Starry Night'. However, its roots and stems are poisonous."
"People poisoned by this substance will appear pale and weak, and then they will smell a fragrance because it will cause the blood in the body to decrease more and more until it is too little for the person to live, as if they have died from excessive blood loss."
"Its toxicity is extremely low; it would take years of continuous consumption for it to kill a person."
Jing Zichen raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected that there would be such a strange poisonous herb in the world, but why was it such a coincidence that Gu Yu happened to know about it?
"But that was fourteen years ago. Consort Rong's remains have long been placed in the imperial mausoleum. Even if she died of poisoning, how can we confirm that?"
Why is Gu Yu so familiar with the poisonous plants of southern Xinjiang?
Because when she was still Tang Qingning, she helped out at a small clinic, learning skills on the side while earning money for her family.
The owner of that clinic was not from the capital, and his methods of treating patients were much stranger than those of ordinary clinics. She paid close attention in her spare time and soon discovered that the owner's family actually came from the southern border region.
When the host family realized she knew, they didn't kick her out. Instead, they started teaching her some pharmacological knowledge.
At that time, she came into contact with a large number of strange and never-before-seen herbs and poisonous plants from southern Xinjiang.
What's more, the owners would also plant these things in the yard, including that poisonous weed called Stars.
So how could it be such a coincidence? Things from the southern border appeared openly in Shengjing City, yet few people knew about it.
There aren't that many coincidences in the world.
"This may require the help of the Fifth Prince. We need to find out if any of the palace servants from back then knew the inside story, and who was the one who wanted to harm Consort Rong. If the real culprit can be found, I'm sure Her Highness the Princess will be grateful to you."
Jing Zichen stroked his chin; he definitely needed to investigate.
Queen? Witch doctor?
He always felt that the truth behind this would be very interesting.
Putting aside his past relationship with Mingyu, just the fact that this matter is related to the Empress makes him want to find out what happened back then.
“Sister Ayu, you’re right. I’ll go check. But it’s been fourteen years. It’s hard to say whether anyone who knows the inside story is still alive.”
"It's already very kind of Your Highness to be willing to help. Thank you, Fifth Prince."
Gu Yu curtsied and thanked him, then saw the Fifth Prince off with Gu Jin.
Gu Jin remained mostly silent throughout, looking thoughtfully at his younger sister, "When did A-Yu become interested in medical books?"
“A long illness makes one a good doctor, haven’t you heard that, brother? But right now I’m just reading medical books, not yet at the point where I can treat people,” Gu Yu sighed.
Speaking of this, Gu Jin thought of his younger sister's health and asked with concern, "How have you been lately?"
"My head still hurts a bit." Gu Yu rubbed her head. "But I heard that Miss Xu mentioned a small clinic near Zuo'an Gate in the capital. Apparently, the doctor there uses very strange methods, but they are very effective. I'd like to go and have a look."
"I will send someone to fetch the doctor."
"No, no, no." She quickly waved her hand and refused, "That doctor has a strange temper and never comes to the door to see patients. Even the powerful and wealthy in the capital have to come to his door to visit him. I will go in person."
When the topic of events from fourteen years ago came up today, she wanted to personally visit the old friend and find out why this witch doctor from the southern border had stayed in the unfamiliar city of Shengjing.
After thinking it over, she changed her clothes, told Gu Jin, and went to Zuo'anmen in person.
Zuoanmen was located in the southeast corner of Shengjing City, far from the inner city and the powerful and wealthy. Most of the people living around it were commoners and scholars who were short of money.
Gu Yu suddenly remembered that the secluded courtyard where Dongfang Hongyao and Wei Cong had stayed was also nearby. She had only heard about it from others and had never visited it herself.
"Doctor, I have a headache."
As Gu Yu stepped into this familiar clinic, long-sealed memories slowly began to resurface.
"Dr. Nan, what kind of herb is this? I don't think I've ever seen it in any books before..."
The handsome young man curiously reached out and touched the small, white flowers planted in the herb field.
"It's called the stars."
The man called Doctor Nan was only in his early twenties, thin, and his indifferent eyes swept over his movements.
"Stars, what a beautiful name. What ailment is it used to cure?"
"Poisoning."
"Huh?" the boy asked, puzzled. "If it's harmful, why plant it in the medicinal herb field?"
Dr. Nan stopped talking and just flipped through the dried herbs in his hand. "I'll give you a few books. Memorize them by next month."
"good."
He nodded, took the oddly packaged booklet, and went home...
"Please extend your hand, miss."
Doctor Nan's light-colored eyes swept over Gu Yu, pulling her back from her wandering thoughts. "Long-accumulated resentment, knotted in the chest, deficiency of both qi and blood, and imbalance of yin and yang..."
"I'll give you the prescription. Please make sure you take the medicine on time, Miss."
“Okay.” Gu Yu’s eyes flickered. “I heard that the doctor’s surname is Nan. That’s a very rare surname. You’re not from the Central Plains, are you?”
Dr. Nan responded calmly, his pen still writing the prescription.
"Dr. Nan, I know you never come to patients' homes, but my aunt has recently fallen ill. Could I describe her symptoms and see if you can tell what's wrong with her?"
"Diagnosing a patient and taking their pulse requires observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. If I cannot see the patient in person, I cannot confirm the diagnosis."
Gu Yu said with difficulty, "But my aunt is extremely weak, her face is frighteningly pale, and she can no longer stand up. She can only stay in bed and recuperate. We've consulted all the doctors in the area, and even the imperial physicians have come to see her, but they still can't find the cause..."
Doctor Nan paused, pen in hand. "Has anything unusual happened at her residence recently?"
"There's nothing unusual, except that my uncle took a concubine who isn't from the Central Plains, I think..."
She paused for a moment, then said, "She's from the Southern Frontier. I noticed that her eyes are the same color as yours, Doctor Nan, which is why I asked where you're from."
“I am indeed from the Southern Frontier,” Doctor Nan asked. “Does she have flowers growing in her yard?”
"It's planted with flowers and plants, and they're all strange kinds of flowers and plants. When my aunt took me to see it last time, I couldn't recognize any of them."
Dr. Nan explained, “There is a flower that only grows in the southern border regions, called Starry Night. The flowers are small and white, and the leaves also have white spots. When it blooms, it is as bright as stars, hence the name. Its roots and stems are poisonous, slightly poisonous. If people eat it for a long time, they will have the same symptoms as your aunt. The cause of the illness cannot be found. The face will be as pale as paper, and there will be no strength. It will also have a strange fragrance.”
As expected, Gu Yu got the answer she wanted.
The picture book that Doctor Nan gave her was full of strange flowers and plants from the southern border, including both poisonous and medicinal herbs. It took her a month to memorize it.
"You mean that concubine harmed my aunt?"
"It should be."
Dr. Nan wrote out the prescription and handed it to Qiuju, who was standing next to her.
"What if my aunt has been dead for fourteen years? She had these kinds of symptoms before she died."
Gu Yu observed Doctor Nan's expression and continued, "He died in the palace fourteen years ago."
Before Qiuju could even take the prescription from Doctor Nan, it fell to the ground. "What does Miss mean?"
"My surname is Gu, I am Gu Yu of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion, no, now I should be Gu Yu of the Duke of Ying's mansion..."
She is now completely certain that Doctor Nan is related to the incident involving Consort Rong fourteen years ago. Judging from his age, he is not that witch doctor, but rather a descendant of that witch doctor.
Why did the mysterious witch doctor disappear, while the Southern Doctor, who inherited the witch doctor's mantle, remained in Shengjing City?
“I’m investigating the death of Consort Rong fourteen years ago. I think her appearance before her death is too suspicious, right? Doctor Nan, Fanxing is a poisonous herb in the southern border region, and coincidentally, a witch doctor entered the palace fourteen years ago.”
Let me think about it...
She looked at Doctor Nan's miserable expression with composure.
"That witch doctor is related to you, isn't he? He's definitely dead. If he's working for the Queen, she's unlikely to spare his life after it's done."
"I..." Doctor Nan's lips trembled, as he tried to say something in his defense.
"Let me finish speaking first. I'm not here to interrogate you, Doctor Nan."
Gu Yu continued, "You're not reconciled, are you? You want revenge, don't you? Otherwise, I can't understand why you stayed in Shengjing?"
"Yes, Miss Gu, you're right. I can't find any way to refute you, but I don't understand. We've only just met, yet you seem to know me very well."
Her eyelashes trembled, and her gaze was fixed on Gu Yu.
Nan Yun frowned and asked again, "Miss Gu, is this the first time we've met?"
She realized then that there were traps everywhere in Gu Yu's fabricated story.
"Why did you come directly to my clinic to ask me about Fanxing? It's as if you heard about Consort Rong's symptoms before her death and immediately determined that it was caused by Fanxing's poison."
"Well?" Gu Yu squinted. "Because I know someone who worked for you. You gave her a picture book, right? I've seen the contents of it."
"No wonder." Nan Yun sighed. It turned out that the cause and effect of some things had been sown long ago.
Her accidental act of kindness backfired. "Arrest me then," she said, stretching out her hands.
Why should I arrest you?
Gu Yu asked curiously, "That witch doctor wasn't you, was it? You look to be no more than twenty years old. Besides, I don't think the witch doctor is the culprit. The culprit is the one who wanted to harm Consort Rong. The witch doctor was just a tool being coerced."
How can a knife be guilty? The guilty one is the person who uses it.
"Then why did Miss Gu come to see me?"
"If you want to know the truth and you want revenge, I can help you, Dr. Nan."
“But…” Nan Yun said, “that’s the Empress.”
"You and I may not be able to make things difficult for the Empress, but someone will surely make her receive the punishment she deserves. Consort Rong has a daughter, Princess Yuning, who is the Emperor's most beloved princess..."
"If she knew the truth, do you think there would be a different ending?"
"So, tell me the story from fourteen years ago."
"good."
Nan Yun had lived in Shengjing City for more than ten years, thinking that the past would be buried and that she would keep her grandfather’s hatred and secrets until she died. However, she did not expect that a clever and naive young lady would expose her secrets.
"Fourteen years ago..."
"Wait a minute, Dr. Nan, I need to call someone else."
The somber look on Nan Yun's face vanished instantly, replaced by a hint of embarrassment and annoyance. "Miss Gu, this isn't the kind of opera you usually listen to!"
“I know,” Gu Yu said calmly. “That’s why I want to help you. The more people there are, the more help we can provide.”
"Qiuju, go see if Lord Dongfang has returned. If he has, please come along."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com