Chapter 90 Gu Poison
"That's strange!"
Physician Lin frowned deeply, feeling that the pulse was not right. He had never seen a pulse that was sometimes weak and sometimes pounding violently.
Lin Xiao stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong, Your Highness?"
When he picked up the princess just now, he also took her pulse. Her pulse was very strange, but his medical skills were not good enough to tell what was wrong with the princess. That's why he was in such a hurry and carried Physician Lin over directly.
"Let me take another look, don't rush me."
Physician Lin opened his medicine box, took out a silver needle, and pricked her fingertip. Instantly, a drop of slightly dark blood seeped from her fingertip, standing out prominently against her fair skin.
The three of them suddenly changed their expressions.
"Your Highness has been poisoned?!" Lin Xiao reached out and took her hand, gently touching the blood on her fingertip to his lips.
He shook his head. "It's not poison."
Physician Lin examined the drop of blood carefully and also found it troublesome. "If it's not poison, then what is it?"
He had never seen such a strange illness before.
If it were poison, the princess's condition wouldn't be as stable as it is now, even though her breathing is sometimes weak and sometimes strong. He had never seen such poison before... Suddenly, he thought of something and, disregarding the rules between men and women, hurriedly reached out and lifted her arm. In an instant, a dark blue mark, like a vine, curving upwards, came into everyone's view.
Physician Lin paused for a moment, then quickly lifted her other arm to examine it. His voice trembled with panic as he stammered, "This...this..."
Even Zhu Zhi's eyes couldn't help but show a hint of horror. "What is this?"
"I've been by the princess's side every day, and I've never seen such a strange mark on her body..."
"These are symptoms of Gu poison, symptoms that only appear after the poison takes effect." Imperial Physician Lin struggled to suppress his shock. "Only Gu poison could cause this, but Gu poison has always been a product of enemy countries. How could the princess have been poisoned by Gu...?"
Lin Xiao couldn't understand how His Highness could have been poisoned by Gu, and Zhao Yan Kingdom didn't have any Gu masters skilled in Gu poison... Wait, something suddenly occurred to him, and his gaze fell on Zhu Zhi, "Has His Highness ever been in contact with a deposed empress or a deposed crown prince before?"
There was once a Gu master from an enemy country by the side of the deposed empress. Although she later escaped, she had been by the empress's side for so many years, it is inevitable that the empress might still have some Gu poison in her possession.
Zhu Zhi shook her head, "The princess has never been in contact with the deposed crown prince, but she did visit the deposed empress once in the Cold Palace. That time, the deposed empress sprinkled something on the princess, causing her to cough for a long time..."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao paused, then asked, "Why does Your Highness want to see the deposed Empress...?"
Zhu Zhi explained all of Shen Panyan's previous plans. After listening, Lin Xiao staggered back a step, his lips tightly pressed together. He turned to leave, but Zhu Zhi quickly called out to him, "Wait, where are you going!"
Lin Xiao remained silent, but Zhu Zhi could guess what he was planning to do. He was definitely going to the palace to ask the deposed empress for the antidote. She quickly stepped forward to stop him, saying, "You can't go to the palace. There are many secret guards there. If you are discovered by others and taken back to the secret guard camp, the princess's efforts will be in vain."
"Moreover, since the deposed empress has poisoned the princess, she certainly won't have left an antidote. Your identity is not easy to expose, so it's best to leave this matter to Physician Lin."
Lin Xiao stopped in his tracks, his hands hanging at his sides clenched so tightly that the veins bulged, and his eyelashes drooped, casting a deep cloud of shadows under his eyes.
After a long pause, his deep, suppressed voice finally came out, "I understand."
Seeing that he had truly listened, Zhuzhi's tense expression relaxed, and she hurriedly asked Physician Lin, "Lord Lin, what's wrong with the princess? Have you figured out what kind of poison she's been afflicted with?"
Imperial Physician Lin frowned deeply, "Not yet..."
Lin Xiao slowly turned around, his gaze falling once again on Shen Panyan's pale lips. He looked at her over and over again, as if trying to imprint her name in his heart. Only then did he lower his eyelashes tremblingly, his lips pressed tightly together.
It's all because of him. If it weren't for him, how could His Highness have been poisoned by the Gu... He owes His Highness more and more...
If he had known this would happen, he should have done it sooner, faster... But now, it's too late for regrets. He may not care about his own life, but His Highness paid such a high price to save his life, and he cannot let His Highness down like this.
Physician Lin turned and went out, instructing Zhuzhi to carefully examine the princess for any other bluish-black marks similar to those on her arms. Lin Xiao followed him out.
Not long after, Zhuzhi hurriedly opened the door and came out, speaking very quickly, "Lord Lin, that bluish-black mark has spread all the way from the princess's arm to her chest, and it's just a little bit away from reaching her heart."
"This...this poison has only just taken effect, how could it have already entered the heart?" Physician Lin exclaimed in panic. "Gu poison usually starts in the limbs, how could this be..."
Lin Xiao strode in, and Zhu Zhi, ignoring his rudeness (he was always like this), quickly brought up a strange incident from before: "Lord Lin, the medicine you prescribed for the princess didn't work. She thought it was ineffective and drank three more packets of powder, but Lin Xiao appeared and stopped her in time. However, she still drank quite a lot. Could it be because of the medicine?"
Physician Lin suddenly realized, frowning. "It's not impossible. That medicine is poisonous, even if the dosage is weak. It's still poison, and using poison to fight poison..."
Just then, a noise came from inside the house.
"puff--"
The sound of blood spurting out rang out, and the two quickly stopped making noise and hurriedly went inside. They saw Lin Xiao holding Shen Panyan and doing something to her. She spat out a large mouthful of black, viscous blood, which dripped down her lips. Zhuzhi's eyes widened, and she hurriedly stopped Lin Xiao.
"What did you do to the princess?"
Seeing the black blood spit out, Lin Xiao gently put down the cigarette. "Your Highness, the Gu poison is about to enter your heart, but the symptoms are only now appearing. We must trigger the Gu poison to find out exactly what kind of Gu Your Highness has been poisoned by."
Only by knowing what kind of poison it is can we treat it effectively.
Zhu Zhi turned to look at Physician Lin, and only after seeing him nod did she feel relieved.
Physician Lin looked at Lin Xiao and asked, "You also understand Gu poison?"
Lin Xiao pursed his lips, "I am not skilled in medicine, but I know a little about poisons."
However, Gu poison was not a product of the Zhaoyan Kingdom; he had only dabbled in it and could not be considered an expert.
Physician Lin nodded thoughtfully.
At this moment, due to the activation of the Gu poison, Shen Panyan's forehead began to be covered with fine sweat, her breathing became rapid, and her eyelashes trembled. She seemed to be about to wake up, but it was as if she had fallen into boundless darkness and could not wake up no matter what she did. She could only struggle helplessly in the darkness.
It hurts! It hurts so much!
It felt as if countless tiny insects were gnawing at her body, and her heart was being pierced by a dense, stabbing pain. The pain caused her to break out in a cold sweat, gasp for breath, and her whole body convulsed uncontrollably. Her pale lips trembled, and she whimpered incoherently, "It hurts..."
Zhu Zhi looked at the two of them helplessly, "The princess has been poisoned..."
This was the first time Physician Lin had encountered such a situation, and he was somewhat at a loss as to what to do. He looked at Lin Xiao, who directly lifted up Shen Panyan's arm and saw that the bluish-black marks on her body seemed to be slowly coming to life and crawling forward. Lin Xiao's expression immediately darkened.
He suddenly used a dagger to cut open his palm, brought it close to her lips, and as the blood entered her lips and flowed down her throat, it entered her stomach. Shen Panyan's struggling and painful face instantly calmed down. She swallowed subconsciously, and the blood, which should have tasted bitter and unpleasant, now seemed like sweet rain that soothed her pain.
Gu poison is usually fed with blood; using blood is the fastest way to stabilize it.
The bluish-black marks on her arm, which had seemed to come alive, gradually faded away, visibly receding until they became a very clear red line on her wrist.
Upon witnessing this scene, Imperial Physician Lin suddenly realized something and was horrified, exclaiming, "This...this is a symptom of the Lover's Curse..."
"Love Poison?" Zhu Zhi asked, puzzled.
Physician Lin quickly explained to Zhuzhi what the Lover's Gu was, his brows furrowed deeply. "This is a huge problem. There's no antidote for the Lover's Gu; it can only be fed with the blood of lovers." Physician Lin glanced almost imperceptibly at Lin Xiao, seeing his nonchalant expression and furrowed brows, and continued, "At first, the Lover's Gu would take effect every seven days, but the intervals become shorter and shorter. Even if a person has a lot of blood, it won't be enough to feed the Lover's Gu."
"But once the blood of a lover is gone, the Lover Gu will poison the heart, and the Gu poison will devour the heart and kill the person."
Seeing that His Highness's face had calmed down, Lin Xiao removed his hand and looked at Physician Lin, "Since it is poison, there must be an antidote."
Physician Lin: "I don't know much about Gu poison. I need to go home and look through some medical books to see if there is any antidote."
Lin Xiao: "I'll go with you."
After saying that, he looked at Zhuzhi and said, "Please take good care of His Highness, Miss Zhuzhi."
Zhu Zhi nodded, "Of course."
Lin Xiao hesitated for a moment, "After Your Highness wakes up, it's best not to tell her about being poisoned."
Zhu Zhi: "This matter... I'm afraid it can't be kept secret." She shook her head.
The symptoms of the Love Poison were too obvious; the princess wasn't stupid, and it couldn't be hidden from her.
Lin Xiao: "Then don't let her know that we need to drink blood."
Your Highness will be terrified if you are poisoned by this strange Gu poison.
Zhu Zhi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Okay."
Seeing that she agreed, Lin Xiao left with Physician Lin.
On the way, Lin Xiao asked, "Lord Lin, do you have any way to make pills from the blood for His Highness to take?"
Physician Lin: "Yes, there is, but that would require a lot of blood loss."
Lin Xiao didn't care about the matter, "Then I'll trouble you."
Physician Lin glanced at him, hesitated, then sighed and nodded, "Alright."
Upon returning, Physician Lin began to pore over medical books overnight, searching for a cure for the Lover's Gu, and discussed it with Lin Xiao.
However, the Lover's Gu was not native to this country, and even after searching through medical books, he could not find a cure for the Gu poison. With no other option, he could only tell Emperor Gan Ning about it and have the entire Imperial Medical Academy start looking for a solution.
Upon learning that Shen Panyan had been poisoned by the Lover's Curse, Emperor Gan Ning was both shocked and furious, and summoned her personal maid to the palace that very night to inquire about her condition.
Zhuzhi told Qingdai to stay and take good care of the princess, while she went to the palace alone with Eunuch Deyuan.
Zhuzhi concealed Linxiao's true intentions, only saying that the princess simply wanted to visit the deposed empress. After all, the deposed empress had raised her for so many years, and now she was in such a state. The princess was kind-hearted and would at least go see her. But who knew that the deposed empress would hate the princess so much that even in her current predicament, she would still try to poison her with a curse.
Emperor Gan Ning was furious after hearing this and immediately ordered his men to bring the deposed empress out of the Cold Palace. He intended to interrogate her and force her to hand over the antidote. However, it turned out that the deposed empress had already committed suicide in the Cold Palace the day after the death of the deposed crown prince.
The deposed empress had always been accompanied by a Gu master from the Southern Ping Dynasty. Back then, after the Gu master escaped from the capital, he was captured before he could leave the Zhao Yan Kingdom. However, the Gu master committed suicide after being captured. Now, apart from quickly sending someone to the Southern Ping Dynasty to find a cure for the Gu poison, Emperor Gan Ning has no other good options.
Now, the medical books in the Imperial Medical Academy have been almost worn out by the various imperial physicians, but there are not many medical books in Zhaoyan Kingdom that record Gu poison. Helpless, Emperor Gan Ning had no choice but to widely solicit famous doctors from all over the country.
However, the Lover's Gu has already taken effect. Without the blood of a lover, Shen Panyan will surely die within a month. After thinking about it, Emperor Gan Ning directly ordered Gu Jinyan to move into the Princess's residence.
He was the one who knelt before himself and confessed his love for the princess. Now that the princess is poisoned, it is only right that he should be the one to alleviate the poison.
Gu Jinyan had been detained in the Rongguo Duke's mansion for a long time, and now that she suddenly learned about this matter, she was first delighted and then shocked.
He was happy to be able to live in the princess's residence, but the princess required him to have his blood drawn every seven days. This... Gu Jinyan was, after all, a young master who had been pampered by his family since childhood, so he couldn't help but hesitate when faced with such a situation.
But this was Emperor Gan Ning's order, and he could not disobey it. When the Duchess of Rong learned of this, she almost fainted. She quickly told the Duke of Rong to plead with His Majesty, saying that a person could not bleed every seven days, or he would die.
Without a second thought, the Duke of Rongguo rejected her request. How could they possibly refuse His Majesty's decision?
However, he wasn't completely indifferent. After secretly inquiring about the peculiarities of this poison, he instructed Gu Jinyan that once he entered the princess's residence, he must keep his distance from the princess and stop liking her. Once his blood lost its effect, His Majesty would let him go, and at that time, he would be able to save his life.
No one in Zhaoyan Kingdom has ever been poisoned by such a strange Gu poison. Who knows when the Gu poison on the princess will be cured? If he continues to bleed the princess like this, he will probably die before he can marry her.
Compared to life, being reprimanded by His Majesty or having one's engagement annulled are minor matters.
After all, it's only natural for anyone to feel fear when faced with such a situation.
Gu Jinyan remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and thus moved into the princess's residence.
After realizing she had been poisoned by the Lover's Curse, Shen Panyan took a long time to come to her senses.
When she was at Physician Lin's house, she had seen a description of the Lover's Gu in his medical book. Now, this vicious and cruel Gu poison had fallen on her own body... Shen Panyan's face turned deathly pale, and immense fear surged into her heart...
There is no cure for this poison. Drinking the blood of a lover would only provide temporary relief. She doesn't want that... She would rather suffer the torment of the poison than drink human blood.
Therefore, seven days later, when the Gu poison took effect, Shen Panyan had Zhuzhi take the bowl of blood away, turned her head away, and endured the excruciating pain in her body, saying, "Take it away, I won't drink it!"
She doesn't want to become a monster that only drinks blood.
She would rather die than do that.
Zhu Zhi quickly stepped forward to dissuade her, "Princess, this poison that gnaws at the heart is something no ordinary person can endure. It's just a small bowl of blood; the prince consort didn't put in much. You can just drink it all in one gulp..."
Upon learning that it was Gu Jinyan's blood, Shen Panyan became even more resistant, "I don't want it, take it away!!"
Zhu Zhi handed the bowl of blood to her again, earnestly saying, "Princess, His Majesty is already recruiting renowned doctors from all over the country. Please bear with it. Once this period is over, you won't need to do this anymore."
"I don't want it." Shen Panyan bit her lip, her face pale as she shrank back into the bed, her words urgent, "Bamboo branch, take it away quickly!"
"Princess!"
Shen Panyan refused to drink the blood to prolong her life, and Zhuzhi had no choice but to take the small bowl of blood away.
Gu Jinyan was in her courtyard, clutching his injured hand. When he saw Zhuzhi come out, he hurriedly went up to her and asked, "Zhuzhi, how is the princess?"
Zhu Zhi shook his head, "The princess refuses to drink."
His blood was taken in the same way it was taken out.
Gu Jinyan saw that the blue jade bowl was still full of blood, and glanced at the room where Shen Panyan was.
The princess refused to drink his blood, so he didn't have to die.
His words carried a sigh of relief that even he himself didn't realize: "I understand."
He had done such a thing before, and the princess was magnanimous and did not hold it against him, but Gu Jinyan also understood that it would be difficult for him and the princess to repair their relationship.
When it comes to matters of the heart, you can't force them. He had already figured this out during his time being confined to the Rongguo Duke's mansion.
He was not alone. His impulsive actions would not only harm himself but also the Rongguo Duke's Mansion. He accepted the situation without making a fuss because he wanted to pay for his debt with blood and ease tensions with the princess.
He was, after all, a member of the Rongguo Duke's mansion, and had to consider his family's interests; he couldn't act arbitrarily.
Gu Jinyan looked at Zhuzhi and said, "I would like to trouble Miss Zhuzhi to persuade the princess again. If you need anything, please call me anytime."
"yes."
Zhu Zhi thought that Gu Jinyan would go in to see the princess, but to her surprise, he turned around and left.
Back then, Gu Jinyan even went so far as to climb over the courtyard wall just to see the princess... Now that the princess has been poisoned with such a curse, he doesn't even bother to go in and take a look.
Indeed, he is the young master of the Rongguo Duke's mansion, and has been used to being unrestrained since childhood. Even if he likes the princess very much, he would not risk his life to save her. It is best for him to keep his distance from the princess now.
When he grows tired of the princess, becomes afraid of her, and no longer wants to do anything for her, his blood will naturally become useless.
What's the point of liking princesses? When it comes to matters of life and death, isn't one's own life more important?
As Zhuzhi watched his departing figure, she suddenly spat.
If you ask her, if Lin Xiao's status weren't insufficient, she felt that Lin Xiao would be the best match for the princess. It's just that his status is indeed... Zhu Zhi thought of something and sighed deeply.
Speaking of Lin Xiao, where did he go?!
He has always cared about the princess, so why isn't she here today when she fell ill?
Just as Zhu Zhi was wondering, Lin Xiao, who had disappeared, suddenly reappeared in front of her.
His face was as pale as paper. He handed a dark-colored pill to Zhuzhi, saying, "Miss Zhuzhi, please divide this pill into several portions and feed them to His Highness."
The pills mixed with blood couldn't be kept for long, so he could only go to Physician Lin's house before His Highness fell ill, and only now has he rushed back.
"What is this?" Zhu Zhi asked, puzzled.
Lin Xiao: "I asked Physician Lin to make these pills."
He paused for a moment, then said, "It contains my blood, which can suppress Your Highness's Gu poison."
He instructed, "Don't tell His Highness."
Lin Xiao feared that His Highness would refuse to take it if he found out.
Compared to drinking human blood directly, the pills were obviously more acceptable. Zhuzhi accepted them with delight, saying, "Linxiao, you're so thoughtful."
After saying that, she handed him the bowl of blood that Gu Jinyan had just put out, "You take care of this, it's the prince consort's blood."
"I'm going in to serve the princess."
Zhu Zhi hurriedly went inside with the pills in her hand.
Lin Xiao looked at the medicine bowl that Zhu Zhi handed him, lowered his eyes, and went straight to the flower bed to pour out the bowl of blood.
inside the house.
Shen Panyan clutched her chest, her forehead beaded with cold sweat, her breathing rapid and shallow. Her body felt as if it were being gnawed away inch by inch, the pain causing her to tremble uncontrollably. Her mind was in chaos, time seemed to slow down, and she could feel nothing but pain.
It hurts! It hurts so much!
The intense pain almost drove her to despair, making her feel that she might as well just die... Suddenly, she felt someone lift her up and feed her something. Shen Panyan's chaotic thoughts cleared up a bit, and she quickly turned her head away and bit her lip.
Seeing that she was biting her lip and refusing to take the medicine, Zhuzhi said urgently, "Princess! This is medicine sent by Physician Lin. It's not blood. It can suppress your Gu poison. Please take it quickly!"
Not blood?
Shen Panyan struggled to open her eyes. When she saw that it was half a brown pill, her tense nerves relaxed a little. She opened her lips tremblingly, and Zhuzhi quickly fed her the pill and then fed her tea.
Zhu Zhi was very fast. As she swallowed the other half of the pill, Shen Panyan didn't even have time to taste what the pill was like before she had swallowed it all.
The pain subsided almost immediately after the pill was swallowed.
Shen Panyan's chaotic thoughts gradually became clear. Zhu Zhi gently put her down. "Princess, you are soaked in sweat. Let me change your clothes."
Shen Panyan gave her a very weak smile, “...Okay.”
She closed her eyes tremblingly.
Shen Panyan originally thought she could hold on, but only when the poison took effect did she realize how painful it was.
It hurt so much that she couldn't even speak. Her five senses were shut down, and she couldn't feel any other emotions besides pain. It was as if she was disconnected from the whole world and only herself remained. For a moment, she even thought that she should just die.
"Princess."
Zhu Zhi helped her change her clothes, and looking at her still pale and thin face, she suddenly asked, "Princess, do you regret it?"
“If it weren’t for Lin Xiao, you wouldn’t have been poisoned by this Gu.”
Shen Panyan paused for a moment, then gently shook her head. "Even if it happened again, I would still do the same thing."
"This is not Lin Xiao's fault. The deposed empress hates me because I was not prepared and went to see her rashly. It has nothing to do with Lin Xiao."
After saying that, she pursed her lips and looked at Zhuzhi, "Zhuzhi, where is Linxiao?"
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Author's Note: This Gu poison is quite interesting!
Every time I bleed, it's like saying "I love you" [cat emoji].
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