Chapter 352: Damn it, it's that leek sickle again [Two-in-One]
Faced with Gong Xichou's probing questions, Zhang He responded with only a long silence, but judging from his expression, he clearly knew about the matter. No further explanation was needed; Gong Xichou understood, letting out a disdainful sneer.
"This is the Imperial Physician of the country? It's truly an eye-opener. He's nothing but a mediocre man who cares nothing for the lives of ordinary people and pursues fame and fortune! Do you really think that by sitting in charge of Lingzhou Yiru, you can salvage something?" Gong Xichou's words were barbed and pointed, causing Shen Tang to glance at him secretly, a hint of surprise appearing in his eyes.
The Gong Xi Chou she knew was someone who couldn't beat anyone on the battlefield, and couldn't argue with anyone off the battlefield; he was just a complete simpleton who suffered from his lack of education. But who would have thought he actually possessed such "eloquence"—he was quite good at roasting people.
Zhang He didn't take these words to heart.
But that doesn't mean others don't care.
Immediately, Zhang He's confidant, the head of the guards, couldn't help but stand up and speak a fair word for Zhang He.
"Although I am unaware of the grudges between this young master and my lord, it is true that my lord saved countless people in Lingzhou and protected the people of Yiru. My lord, as the Imperial Physician of the Medical Bureau, had no choice but to obey the king. Do you truly not know the consequences of disobeying the king's orders?"
The guard leader was Zhang He's confidant, having followed him for a long time, and knew some of the old stories.
Zhang He did not actively seek out the Gu worms.
As the Imperial Physician at the time, the most skilled physician in the Imperial Medical Bureau, could Zhang He possibly object to the order given to him by the King of Xin to research Gu worms? He was later subjected to a purge by the King to silence him, but he managed to escape with his life.
Can the extermination of the Gongxi clan be attributed to Zhang He?
Was the so-called sacred object something he deliberately discarded?
As for the epidemics in various places...
It couldn't possibly have been done by our lord, Zhang He.
That requires asking what the Xin royal family did.
Gongxi Chou's hatred was, in his eyes, an immature rage directed at others. It was clearly his lord who was too good-natured, patiently indulging such an unknown soldier in spouting nonsense without driving him away.
To this, Gong Xiqiu simply gave a meaningful sneer: "Yes, yes, whatever you say is right."
They completely disregarded the guard leader.
His gaze passed over him and landed directly on Zhang He.
"I have a word of advice that I hope your lord will remember—it's best not to delve into the secrets of the Gongxi tribe. Otherwise, even if I am the only one left in the Gongxi tribe, I will make you all know what regret is! It would be best if there was only one 'host' like Shao Chong under Gu Ren's command!"
Zhang He's usually impassive eyes finally showed a slight ripple: "Gu Ren? Gu Ziyi? Who do you think he has under his command?"
Gong Xichou said, "Why don't you go and ask him yourself?"
If you really ask, you'll most likely get a beating from Gu Ren.
Back then, both the Xin and Geng kingdoms were secretly researching Gu worms, attempting to use this trump card to dominate the Northwest, or even sweep across the entire continent. They both secretly conducted breeding research, implanting "Gu Mothers" into people of different ages and physical conditions.
This "Gu Mother" is different from the "Gu Worm" that causes epidemics.
The latter will awaken upon contact with Qi and blood, frantically absorbing the body's essence, Qi, and blood to begin laying eggs; it is a failed product of the former.
The former grows slowly, but can maximize and enhance potential, allowing ordinary people to gain strength comparable to mid-to-high-level martial artists. Once the host can no longer provide the "Gu Mother" with the necessary essence and blood, the "Gu Mother" will frantically exploit the host, completing the final transformation in the shortest time until it breaks free, and the "host's" life will come to an end.
It's hard to say whether Shao Chong was infected with a Gu poison in his childhood.
She was poisoned while still in her mother's womb.
Zhang He's face darkened as if he had thought of something: "I truly knew nothing about this matter. If I had, I wouldn't have faced such a deadly situation back then. I am certainly not a great philanthropist. Helping the common people of Lingzhou was indeed intended to win their hearts, but I am absolutely not as heartless as you, Gongxi Langjun. I still have some basic ethics as a doctor... Please be careful what you say!"
As the Imperial Physician, deeply trusted by the King, and with significant progress in his research on Gu worms, his future seemed bright. Rumors circulated that he had been secretly executed, but the truth remained unknown—he had cultivated the first batch of "Gu Mothers" and hoped to use condemned prisoners as hosts, but his colleagues advised the King to secretly capture a group of ordinary commoners.
The king of Xin was swayed by sweet words.
Zhang He disagreed.
I cannot possibly associate with them.
So, in a moment of impulse, he chose to resign and put down his official post.
This led to his death.
Fortunately, he was prepared and managed to escape. Afterwards, in order to save his life, he had to travel to various places and live under an assumed name.
After several years of seclusion in Lingzhou, the situation changed again. The Xin Kingdom became increasingly corrupt and decadent, while the Geng Kingdom gradually rose to power. Zhang He's mind began to stir. He had always been a man who valued fame and fortune greatly; otherwise, he wouldn't have failed the imperial examinations three times.
In the end, he only managed to get ahead by joining the medical department.
He was unwilling to spend his whole life cowering and timid.
Seeing that he was getting old, he still hadn't found the best time to leave his secluded life. Then, he encountered a filial daughter with her critically ill mother. This daughter had originally planned to commit suicide with her mother, but unexpectedly stumbled upon his secluded small clinic. From the daughter, Zhang He learned that a great plague had broken out in Lingzhou.
The officials in Lingzhou were passing the buck and shirking their responsibilities.
They kept the matter tightly under wraps.
It wasn't until the truth could no longer be concealed and was reported to the Xin Kingdom's court that the court dispatched medical officers to rescue the person.
The result was as expected.
These increasingly incompetent medical officials failed to discover that the source of the plague was the water source. Not only did they fail to cure the infected commoners, but they also lost most of their own lives. In order to stop the spread of the plague, the Lingzhou prefecture concentrated all the infected commoners in one city.
Let it live or die on its own.
When Zhang He learned of this, his heart pounded like a drum.
He felt his chance had finally come.
Perhaps this incident can help him turn things around.
Thus, Zhang He ventured out of seclusion, undeterred by the dirt, fatigue, and stench, carrying his medicine chest alone into the city teeming with patients, pleading with local noble families for medicinal herbs. The more difficult the families were to obtain, the more Zhang He's reputation among the common people soared.
He then won a medical duel with the medical officers of the Medical Bureau.
It took a full month before the city walls were opened.
Zhang He also became famous in one battle.
He believed he had done nothing wrong. Regardless of a person's initial intentions, whether for the people or for fame, the outcome was the same.
He could tolerate Gong Xichou's accusations and anger, but he couldn't tolerate a stain that wasn't his. Seeing that Gong Xichou remained silent, Shen Tang voiced his doubts: "Is what Lord Zhang said true?"
Zhang He pointed to the heavens and said, "There is not a single falsehood in this."
Shen Tang was puzzled.
Could it be that Zhang He truly possessed some integrity?
He didn't do Shao Chong's thing.
"Epidemics caused by Gu worms in various regions..."
"It wasn't me!"
Zhang He was vaguely impatient.
"Who could it be?"
Zhang He said, "I don't know."
He dropped out of that project too early; who knows what kind of mess he came up with afterward, and—
"It's not just Tianhai, Heyin, Shangnan, and other places; even the common people under my jurisdiction have been infected with a similar 'epidemic.' Fortunately, it was discovered in time, and the news was kept under wraps. If it really were me, why would I go to all this trouble just to absolve myself of responsibility?"
Zhang He's reputation was built on the support of the common people, which also attracted many talented individuals. If he lost the hearts of the people, his foundation would be unstable. Why would he destroy his own bulwark?
Shen Tang frowned, looking worried.
Because her current identity is "an envoy sent by the Prefect of He County", Shen Tang's reaction was misunderstood by Zhang He.
"The envoy need not worry too much."
Shen Tang: "What do you mean?"
Zhang He said, "Such a grand scheme couldn't have been without a purpose. We'll just have to wait for the right moment for the murderer to reveal his true colors."
Shen Tang: "..."
She dislikes passive defense at all.
But there's no other good solution right now.
Zhang He insisted that he had nothing to do with this matter and that it didn't seem like he was faking it. "How about we have Gu Chi come and take a look later?"
"Who knows when we'll have to wait..."
Zhang He guessed, "It shouldn't be too long."
Putting aside the inherent lethality of the Gu worms themselves, their additional effect of "plague" is no joke. If the situation drags on too long, and all the common people die, what will the mastermind behind it all be after?
Zhang He had some vague suspicions in his mind.
I guess the other party also wants to follow the same path as me.
When ordinary people are suffering in dire straits and are desperate and helpless, a savior descends from the sky, giving them a glimmer of hope for survival. At that time, the people will be grateful from the bottom of their hearts and worship him as a god.
Zhang He's rise to power has proven that this path is feasible.
But what if ordinary people aren't suffering in dire straits?
Then we should find a way to create a situation of "deep water and scorching heat".
Zhang He did not voice these speculations.
He hasn't completely cleared himself of suspicion yet.
It's better to avoid trouble.
Seeing that she couldn't get any information out of him, Shen Tang had no choice but to give up for the time being.
She said, "Lord Zhang, I have one more thing to ask."
"Please speak, messenger."
"It's like this..."
Having learned of the clues about the "Gongxi Clan's Sacred Object," Gongxi Chou planned to secretly send someone to the place Zhang He mentioned to search for tomb raiders in the vicinity, hoping to find the sacred object by following the clues.
Shen Tang's trip was not only to find out the "real culprit of the epidemic," but also to discuss business and promote cooperation.
He Yin was too poor; he lacked everything.
Because of Zhang He's presence, the study of medicine has flourished in Lingzhou Yiru, and the medicinal herb business from the surrounding counties has gathered here. Shen Tang wants to negotiate a good price with Zhang He to purchase a batch of high-quality medicinal herbs.
It's the same old saying.
He Yin was too poor; he lacked everything.
When the seasons change, colds are common among ordinary people, and Fu Gu Medical Clinic sometimes runs out of medicine to the point that it can't even gather enough for a single dose.
The apprentices usually studied pharmacology with Dr. Dong and had to go into the mountains to collect herbs every few days, making it difficult for the clinic to stay afloat. So Shen Tang turned his attention to Yi Ru and asked her to bring in more.
Zhang He: "..."
Herbal medicine business...
This was something he hadn't anticipated.
He assumed the envoy from the River Governor's residence was there to test the possibility of an alliance between the two families, with the aim of deepening cooperation. It's no wonder Zhang He guessed this way; what good could Wu Xian and Gu Ren, who lived near the River Governor's residence, possibly be? Forging an ally was the real priority.
There is mutual restraint and checks and balances, because only when a few parties have the ability to overturn the table can the situation be temporarily balanced.
Unexpectedly—
They're here to discuss the medicinal herb business.
Or perhaps it's about discussing business with the Prefect of Yiru County...
Zhang He thought for a moment, then revealed his leek knife.
What is a "monopoly"?
Monopoly means he sets the price, Shen Tang listened.
Gu Chi did not follow Shen Tang inside.
It wasn't that he didn't want to, but Zhang He was overly wary and only agreed to see Shen Tang and Gong Xi Chou. Gu Chi was bored and could only pass the time by listening to the gossip of officials and commoners near the administrative office, which actually allowed him to learn quite a bit of juicy gossip. Just as he was enjoying himself, a particularly abrupt, conspicuous, and irritable greeting pierced his mind like a sharp blade.
The familiar swearing and cursing, followed by inquiries about ancestral origins.
Well, let's still inquire about Zhang He's ancestral home.
Gu Chi raised an eyebrow.
He straightened his wrinkled sleeves and stepped forward.
He clasped his hands in a salute and said, "My Lord."
Shen Tang's cursing voice abruptly stopped.
Gu Chi asked, "Seeing that you look unhappy, Master, is your trip not going well? Or did Zhang Yongqing make things difficult for you?"
Shen Tang's face turned ashen with anger.
"It's more than just difficult! Why doesn't he just rob someone?!"
Damn it!
Do they all think she's a sucker?
Wu Xian was cut off, Zhang He was cut off?
Don't chives need rest?
Shen Tang recalled Zhang He's face, which immediately insisted on a high price, and was instantly furious, his head practically steaming!
Gu Chi: "..."
Gong Xichou couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Shen Tang glanced at him, and he stopped laughing.
He then came up with a really lame excuse.
“Mama, you and Mr. Gu go ahead with your work. I’ll hurry and find someone to go there and inquire, so we can retrieve the sacred object as soon as possible.”
Having said that, he made a hasty escape.
The horse's rear end disappeared at the end of the long street.
Gu Chi asked curiously, "What sacred object?"
Shen Tang: "Let's get in the car and talk about this, it's a coffin."
She shared all the details of the day with Gu Chi, including how the Gongxi tribe's possession of a precious treasure led to their annihilation. But what was even more ridiculous was that the Xin and Geng kingdoms were so ignorant of its value that they buried the human race's most treasured sacred object as if it were an ordinary corpse.
Gu Chi's keen senses were triggered.
He looked at Shen Tang: "A coffin?"
Shen Tang was stunned for a moment before she understood the meaning in Gu Chi's eyes—speaking of coffins, wasn't she the one who woke up in a coffin?
But—
The timing is wrong.
She didn't know when the Gongxi tribe was wiped out, but guessing it must have been more than ten years ago, right? A corpse buried in the tribe's territory, even if it was just stuffed in on the eve of the extermination, would still be fresh and warm. After more than ten years, it should have rotted into a skeleton.
However, Shen Tang only woke up in the Shen residence more than half a year ago.
There are so many years between the two.
Even if she were a resurrected corpse, a person in a vegetative state would suffer from muscle atrophy, weakness, and inability to get out of bed after lying in bed for more than ten years. Has she beaten up enough people in the past six months?
Shen Tang raised her hand and smelled her own flesh.
A faint scent of wood can be detected.
"Smell it, this meat is still fresh."
Gu Chi: "...I just think it's a coincidence."
"Even with the most coincidences, I couldn't possibly be that corpse. If you were to say that the corpse came back to life and quickly gave birth to me, that would be somewhat possible, and the logic would make sense. In that case, that coffin could be considered an inheritance, and it would be reasonable for me to lie in it." Shen Tang pinched her chin, suddenly amused by her own wild imagination, and slapped her thigh. "Hey, if that were really the case, wouldn't the handsome guy be furious?"
The sacred object buried deep underground gave birth to a daughter.
Is it a loss of humanity or a decline in morality?
Gu Chi: "..."
Shen Tang finished laughing and the smile faded from her eyes.
My mood suddenly became heavy.
"Speaking of which, Gongxi Chou's background is truly tragic. But how did the Gongxi clan get involved with the Gu calamity of the Wu Kingdom a hundred years ago? And how did it attract covetousness and lead to the tragedy of their extermination?"
A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.
This birth chart applies everywhere.
The Gongxi tribe was also extremely unlucky.
She had only intended to chat and vent, but she hadn't expected Gu Chi to be so knowledgeable about gossip, practically a walking encyclopedia: "Does my lord know who founded the Wu Kingdom? What is the Wu Kingdom's royal family crest?"
Shen Tang: "..."
ヾ(■_■)
Once I hold out until the end of March, I'll save up some manuscripts and then cut them up.
(End of this chapter)
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