Chapter 613 Top-Tier Drug Efficacy (Two Updates)
After Gu Changqing took Gu Yan out of the mansion, he rode his horse to escort Gu Yan back to Biyue Hutong.
The two rode together on one horse, with Gu Yan sitting in front.
The sixteen-year-old boy's physique couldn't block Gu Changqing's view. Gu Changqing gripped the reins tightly and held him in her arms.
Gu Yan's excitement had worn off, and he was actually a little sleepy. His thin body leaned against Gu Changqing's strong chest, and his little head began to peck at the ground like a chick pecking at rice.
Gu Changqing was both amused and annoyed, and freed one hand to wrap around his slender waist: "Now you know you're sleepy?"
"Hmm?" Gu Yan mumbled a sleepy "hmm," then immediately sat up straight, widened his eyes, and said very clearly, "I'm not sleepy!"
Gu Changqing saw through it but didn't say anything. He smiled and asked again, "How did you know those things?"
Gu Yan said smugly, "I found out, of course. I'm that smart!"
Gu Changqing laughed in exasperation and muttered, "He really has no modesty at all."
He didn't ask Gu Yan how he found out, because Gu Yan started pecking at rice again, but even without asking, he could guess a thing or two.
Zhuang Yuheng moved into Bishui Hutong, and Gu Yan must have inadvertently learned from him about the day Zhuang Yuheng was drugged by Zhuang Yuexi.
Zhuang Yuheng didn't suspect that Gu Jinyu's appearance was not a coincidence; he simply assumed that she was genuinely passing by, genuinely didn't understand, and genuinely cared about him.
Gu Yan, that shrewd little man, isn't so easily fooled.
He may not have found conclusive evidence, but he pieced together all the fragments of events and, combined with his understanding of Gu Jinyu, basically reconstructed the truth of that day.
To put it bluntly, it's all based on guesswork.
But judging from Gu Jinyu's reaction, he guessed correctly.
Gu Changqing looked down at Gu Yan, who had fallen asleep in his arms, and said with a wry smile, "With such a bright mind, why don't you use it for studying?"
...
The following day, Zhuang Yuheng packed his bags and boarded a carriage bound for the border region.
Empress Dowager Zhuang also came to Bishui Hutong to see him off. He was not an exiled person, but the frontier was inherently harsh. If he wanted to protect his younger sisters, he would have to suffer some hardships.
"If you can't take it anymore, come back. Beijing is your home."
Empress Dowager Zhuang did not say these words aloud.
Compared to going to the State of Chen as a hostage, Zhuang Yuheng's journey is far more arduous. It is not for his country or anyone's ambition, but to embark on a journey entirely of his own with a completely new identity.
He no longer relied on any power, nor did he receive any help; he had to start every step of the way from scratch.
"Here, take this." Xiao Heng took a booklet from the study and handed it to him. "Didn't you want to study that book from the Yan Kingdom? I've organized it and made some annotations."
It was a book about arithmetic in the Yan state, which originally had annotations. However, Zhuang Yuheng's Yan language was not very good, so Xiao Heng translated it into the Zhao language.
Xiao Heng's hands and feet have been inconvenient these past few days, which shows that the book was prepared long ago.
Zhuang Yuheng took the book and said to Xiao Heng in the wheelchair, "If you can start from scratch, so can I."
He now knew Xiao Heng's identity.
Strictly speaking, it was Xiao Heng's incident that inspired him. Since someone had accomplished this, it meant that this path was feasible. Xiao Heng was only fourteen years old when the incident happened.
If fourteen-year-old Xiao Heng can do it, what reason does he have not to!
Zhuang Yuheng said solemnly, "Wait for the day I return to the capital!"
Xiao Heng said, "We'll wait and see."
Empress Dowager Zhuang gave Zhuang Yuheng a brocade box.
Zhuang Yuheng only opened the door after he got into the carriage.
That was a hair ornament.
His twentieth birthday will probably be spent on the road; this is the coming-of-age ceremony his great-aunt prepared for him.
He wiped his reddened eyes and smiled through his tears: "Thank you, Auntie."
...
In the following days, Lord Gu devoted himself to the Ministry of Works. Gu Jinyu tried to find him several times, but couldn't even catch a glimpse of him.
Xiao Heng suffered only superficial injuries, and after a few days of rest, the bandages were finally removed. Xuanping Marquis was not so lucky; his wounds were deep and deep, and he disobeyed orders by riding a horse overnight, where he was hit by a large tree, causing his back injury to flare up again.
In short, even after Xiao Heng regained his freedom and returned to officialdom, he remained a miserable old man confined to a wheelchair.
We can't even play cards.
"Qin Fengwan".
He sat in the courtyard basking in the sun and called out to Princess Xinyang, who was helping Xiao Jingkong braid his hair on the other side.
Xiao Jingkong's little mushroom-shaped haircut can be tied into a small bun.
Princess Xinyang patiently applied the acupuncture needles to him, and he was happy to let her do it.
Princess Xinyang did not want to pay attention to Marquis Xuanping.
Marquis Xuanping raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't always show how close you are to children in front of me. Your hints won't work. I will not have children with you."
Princess Xinyang was furious. She grabbed a basket from the ground and slammed it down on his head!
Marquis Xuanping, who had been covered in a basket of insults: "..."
"Qin Fengwan".
"Take the basket away."
"Qin Fengwan".
"You're being insolent."
"Qin Fengwan, Qin Fengwan?"
Gu Jiao has been busy with something at home lately, requisitioning both the front and back yards of the old priest's house, and constantly running to the blacksmith's shop, getting covered in dust and dirt every day.
Today she returned from the blacksmith shop, washed up, changed into dry clothes, and went next door.
It was time for Huangfu Xian to begin his rehabilitation.
Today, Huangfu Xian will officially throw away his crutches and stand up by holding onto the railings on both sides.
Huangfu Xian sat in his wheelchair, too afraid to move.
Gu Jiao came up to him, keeping a distance where she could hug him with one arm, and said, "Don't be afraid, try standing up."
Huangfu Xian hesitated.
Huangfu Xian was shy, so he usually didn't have many people around when he trained. Yu Ya'er and Liu Quan deliberately avoided going to the backyard.
Gu Jiao said, "If you hesitate any longer, Xiao Jingkong will be here soon."
Thinking of the little mushroom, Huangfu Xian gritted his teeth.
He didn't want the little mushroom to look down on him, nor did he want to disappoint the little mushroom.
He took a deep breath and gripped the two rows of railings in front of him with both hands.
Gu Jiao looked at him and said, "Stand up, Huangfu Xian."
Huangfu Xian tried to pull on his arms, but his legs wouldn't obey him.
"I...I can't stand up."
When he was using crutches, he could walk several steps on the ground. How come he can't even stand up after losing his crutches?
This is a psychological dependence, and Gu Jiao needs to help Huangfu Xian break it.
Gu Jiao said again, "Huangfu Xian, stand up."
Huangfu Xian put all his strength into it, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged out. However, as soon as he stood up a little, his stump felt like it was being pricked by needles.
He slumped back into his wheelchair, drenched in cold sweat: "No! I...I can't stand up!"
Gu Jiao stared at him intently, saying nothing more, but repeating again, "Huangfu Xian, stand up."
"Huangfu Xian, stand up."
"Stand up."
Huangfu Xian's thoughts drifted back to that snowy night when his mother placed him in a snow pit she had dug out, using her frail body to shield him from the swirling snow.
"Xian'er, live on..."
Huangfu Xian's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. He gripped the armrests of the wheelchair tightly, gritted his teeth, and used the strength of his arms to support his body as he slowly stood up.
With a snap, he placed one hand on the right railing, and then placed the other on the left railing.
His arms began to tremble slightly from the immense force he was exerting, and he gradually shifted his weight to his legs.
One inch, two inches, three inches...
He gradually got out of the wheelchair.
The pain from the severed limbs contorted his facial features.
He almost fell back down.
“You’re already halfway there!” Gu Jiao said.
Huangfu Xian gritted his teeth again and stood up in one go!
The excruciating pain inside his chest nearly killed Huangfu Xian; his back was soaked in cold sweat, yet he did manage to stand up.
“Very good.” Gu Jiao said calmly, “Now, let go of your left hand.”
Letting go is not the goal; the main point is to prevent him from relying on his arm strength again.
Huangfu Xian's Adam's apple bobbed as he slowly raised his left hand.
Gu Jiao quickly placed her hand under his palm, but did not touch it: "Now, try letting go of your right hand."
"I..." Huangfu Xian was extremely nervous. After losing his left arm, he was supporting himself entirely with his right arm, and he felt great pain in his stump.
But after hesitating for a moment, he forced himself to let go.
Gu Jiao gently held his hand.
He stood up entirely on his own.
He looked at his legs in disbelief, then at Gu Jiao in front of him: "I...I can stand...ah—"
He lost his balance and fell forward!
Gu Jiao caught him in time.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
"I told you I wouldn't let you fall." Gu Jiao made him stand back and placed his hands on the railing. "But you're bound to fall sometime in the future."
This is simply about building your confidence to stand up.
"Yes!" Huangfu Xian nodded.
Once he got over that hurdle, he wasn't so afraid anymore. It still hurt, but he knew how much it would hurt, and he had a better understanding of the situation.
“There was no bone-grinding pain,” he said.
Gu Jiao said, "Let's talk about that after you've walked a few steps."
As expected, Huangfu Xian was proven wrong.
This hurts so much! Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge. At least they used anesthesia during the bone-shaving procedure.
Gu Jiao thought that his pain was partly psychological, which was normal.
On the first day of formal rehabilitation, the focus was on adaptation. Gu Jiao didn't let him practice for too long, and after less than half an hour, she had him back in his wheelchair.
At this point, there wasn't a single dry spot on Huangfu Xian's body.
"Young master, I've prepared the hot water." Lian'er smiled and came out of the house after they finished practicing.
Huangfu Xian looked at Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao said, "Go take a shower, don't catch a cold."
"Mm." Huangfu Xian nodded.
Gu Jiao turned to go back to her own side, but Huangfu Xian suddenly called out to her, "Dr. Gu, thank you."
Gu Jiao nodded.
Gu Jiao left her great-uncle's backyard and entered her own backyard, where she saw her great-aunt sitting in the passageway.
She looked towards the rehabilitation area from her great-aunt's perspective and immediately understood what her great-aunt had been looking at.
"Not playing cards anymore?" Gu Jiao asked with a slight smile.
"Hmph, let's go fight now." Empress Dowager Zhuang raised her chin and walked outside. "Liu Cuihua! We're one short for mahjong!"
Empress Dowager Zhuang was in a good mood today and let the neighbors win a few more coins while playing cards.
Gu Jiao returned to the east room.
Little Jingkong didn't go to class today. He went to play with Princess Xinyang. Now he came running in with his little tufts of hair on his head, calling out, "Jiaojiao, jiaojiao!"
Gu Jiao turned to look at him.
He held his little head up to Gu Jiao: "Jiao Jiao, look!"
Gu Jiao pinched his little bun: "It looks good."
In a few months, I'll be able to tie my hair into a little bun.
Little Jingkong was both happy and shy: "The princess styled it for me!"
Gu Jiao praised, "You did a really good job."
Xiao Jingkong said, "Jiaojiao."
Gu Jiao said, "Hmm?"
"Um... um..." Xiao Jingkong lowered his head and fiddled with his fingers, "Do you still have that really delicious drink?"
He regretted it after giving both bottles he found to Princess Xinyang; he should have kept one for himself.
Gu Jiao tidied up the small medicine box: "What's something delicious to drink?"
Xiao Jingkong started peeking into the small medicine box: "It's blue and tastes sweet and sour."
Gu Jiao understood: "We're out of calcium supplements."
That one only appeared twice and then disappeared.
Xiao Jingkong was disappointed. He looked at the medicine box, which indeed didn't have the small blue bottles, and asked in confusion, "Why are there only two bottles this time? Didn't we usually have so many?"
Now it was Gu Jiao's turn to be puzzled. The oral liquid was sold by the box, with ten bottles in a box. Where did the two bottles come from?
"It's just...it's just..." Xiao Jingkong scratched his little tuft of hair and still told Gu Jiao about finding the little blue bottle under the bed.
Gu Jiao was absolutely certain that no calcium supplement had appeared in the first-aid kit during this period, but if anyone insisted on mentioning a blue medicine... then it could only be Illusion No. 1!
Gu Jiao asked Xiao Jingkong which day he found the baby, and Xiao Jingkong said it was the day he sent the baby away.
Gu Jiao paused for a moment: "Should we send him to Princess Xinyang, or return him to his parents?"
Xiao Jingkong exclaimed, "His parents have come looking for their child!"
That was the day Psychedelic Number One appeared!
Did she accidentally drop two bottles on the ground when she put the medicine back?
Gu Jiao closed the small medicine box: "Where did you put the medicine?"
He definitely didn't drink it, otherwise Xiao Jingkong wouldn't still be standing here perfectly fine.
Xiao Jingkong said, "The princess was very sad that day, and I wanted to comfort her, so I gave it to her."
Gu Jiao felt as if an arrow had pierced her heart!
Wait a minute, Princess Xinyang probably hasn't drunk it yet either, otherwise something bad would have happened long ago.
Xiao Jingkong slurped his saliva: "Jiaojiao, is there any more? I really want to drink it."
Gu Jiao rubbed his little head: "No, but I'll save it for you if I get one in the future."
"Okay!" Xiao Jingkong was an obedient child. Gu Jiao said there wasn't any for the time being, so he could wait until later.
"By the way, where is the princess?"
"She's gone."
"I'm leaving..." Gu Jiao glanced at the increasingly unruly little medicine box on the table, resisting the urge to smash it flat with her fist, and said to Xiao Jingkong, "I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back soon."
Little Jingkong replied cutely, "Okay, Jiaojiao!"
Although several days have passed without incident, that kind of medicine is still a ticking time bomb. If you don't know it, it's fine, but if you do know, you'd better retrieve it immediately.
Gu Jiao didn't even take a carriage; she rode a horse directly to Zhuque Street.
Yu Jin was watering the flowers in the front yard when she saw Gu Jiao dismount at the door. Her eyes lit up and she said, "Jiao Jiao is here?"
"Aunt Yu Jin." Gu Jiao handed the reins to the maid at the door and walked into the courtyard, asking, "Is the princess here?"
"The princess has gone to the cloth shop." Yu Jin originally wanted to go with her, but she tripped and fell when she entered the house, so Princess Xinyang told her to rest at home.
Gu Jiao asked, "Aunt Yu Jin, do you know that the princess brought back two bottles of blue potion?"
Yu Jin looked at Gu Jiao strangely: "I know, so what?"
Gu Jiao paused, not mentioning that it was an aphrodisiac, but instead said, "There's something wrong with those potions, could you give them to me first?"
"The princess gave me the potion..." Yu Jin said with a complicated expression, "but I gave it to the Marquis as well."
Gu Jiao opened her mouth: "Marquis Xuanping?"
Yu Jin said with concern, "Well, the princess said those two bottles of medicine are for treating leg cramps. I couldn't bear to drink them, so I kept them. Last time I went to Biyue Alley, I heard the Marquis complaining about his leg pain, so I took them to him today... Have I gotten into trouble?"
Gu Jiao composed herself and said, "It's alright, it's alright."
It's better for the Marquis of Xuanping to drink it than for the princess to drink it.
Although the medicine was potent, Marquis Xuanping possessed remarkable composure.
Besides, his whole body was in a cast, so he couldn't do anything he wanted to.
—We can't exactly have someone carry him to a brothel to find girls.
Gu Jiao gave an awkward smile: "I'll go back and check first."
Yu Jin was taken aback for a moment: "Ah, okay."
Due to the urgency of the situation, Yu Jin didn't have time to ask Gu Jiao what the problem was with those medicines.
Gu Jiao rushed back to Bishui Hutong without stopping, and the first thing she did was find Marquis Xuanping sunbathing in the backyard.
Gu Jiao walked over, panting, and asked, "My lord, did you drink the medicine Yu Jin gave you?"
Marquis Xuanping glanced at her and said, "I didn't drink it."
Gu Jiao breathed a sigh of relief and held out her hand: "Then give it to me quickly."
Marquis Xuanping said calmly, "That's all."
Gu Jiao was slightly taken aback: "What do you mean?"
Marquis Xuanping glanced down into the corridor and said, "Look, she drank it."
Gu Jiao turned around and saw Princess Xinyang walking out of the house.
(End of this chapter)
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