Chapter 86 Chapter 86 That little medicine boy...
The little medicine boy helped the woman up from the man's feet and checked the child in her arms. He saw that the child's cheeks were red and his forehead was burning. He knew that the cold might have entered the child's body due to the continuous rainy season. He said, "Madam, please wait a moment." After that, he ran into the house.
Several men became increasingly impatient, staring at the little medicine boy's back with sullen expressions, but for some reason, they did not lash out.
The little medicine boy quickly returned with the medicine and handed her the packet. "Boil one packet of this medicine in three bowls of water to make one bowl. Take it after meals. In three days, your child will be completely cured."
The woman took the medicine bag and thanked him repeatedly, "Thank you, Master!"
The medicine boy pursed his lips, glanced at the burly man behind him, and turned around and said, "You should go back quickly! The rain is getting heavier!"
After the woman left, the man sneered in an ambiguous manner. When he saw that there was no one around the pharmacy, he immediately grabbed the little pharmacist's collar and dragged him back. Two of the men guarded the door.
The leading man grinned and kicked the little medicine boy hard in the waist. "Don't forget what my master ordered: no outsiders are allowed to approach! You are so nosy and worry about other people's business!"
The little medicine boy fell to the ground, but he didn't cry out in pain. He just lowered his eyes, sat up, patted the dust off the corner of his clothes, and said silently with his head down:
"Her child is sick. If he doesn't take medicine, something bad will happen. Besides, she didn't come in."
"How dare you talk back!" The man was furious and was about to kick again, but was frightened by the sudden sword and retracted his foot.
The expected kick did not land, and the little medicine boy was stunned and blinked.
The man looked at the person who suddenly appeared and shouted, "Who are you? Why are you here?"
Suddenly remembering something, he looked towards the door, only to see that his two brothers had already been stabbed through the heart by a sword and died.
"You killed them!" His eyes were wide open with anger, and just as he was about to show his might, he was frightened by the chillness around Li Daoxuan. He took a step back with trembling lips.
Li Daoxuan shook the sword and said coldly: "Yes, I am here to take your life." After that, he suddenly raised the sword and swung it.
The man wanted to speak, but he felt a sweet and fishy taste in his throat and his body felt cold. He looked down in shock and saw blood gushing out, wetting his collar. His companions around him looked at his throat in horror.
"Hahaha——" He fell down with a loud bang, his body straight and twitching, and then he stopped moving.
The little medicine boy had never seen such a scene before, and his legs went weak with fear.
Li Daoxuan tilted his head and said, "Turn around."
The little medicine boy immediately came to his senses and turned around blankly.
There were a few faint sounds of struggling and a body tumbling to the ground, and then there was no movement.
Li Daoxuan leisurely shook off the blood on his sword, sheathed it, and then entered the inner room. He saw a man holding a bowl of medicine and forcing it into the mouth of the person on the couch.
The man muttered, "Don't blame me. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for seeing something you shouldn't have seen. I'll send you to see your colleagues right away so you don't have to be distracted all day..."
The young man struggled hard, but the man was too strong and forced his jaw open. The dark and bitter medicine kept pouring into his throat. He tried his best to prevent the medicine from flowing into his throat.
Li Daoxuan's expression froze upon seeing this. He instantly moved close to the man, raised his palm and struck him hard on the back of the neck. The man died without even having time to make a sound.
On the other hand, Gao Congli, who was force-fed medicine, had been seriously injured for many days without receiving medical treatment. Today, he was fed half a bowl of poison and was at the end of his life.
Li Daoxuan never thought that Zhou Zhishan's methods were so cruel. He was willing to take such a brutal action at the current opportunity regardless of exposing himself. He was filled with murderous intent, and his blood was boiling and roaring.
However, this was not the time to act on impulse. Li Daoxuan suppressed his murderous intent and stabbed Gao Congli in the abdomen several times.
Gao Congli vomited the medicine in his stomach with a "wow" sound, followed by a pool of black blood.
His face was extremely pale, and he had to gasp for breath to relieve the severe abdominal cramps when speaking.
"Your Highness, is it Your Highness?" He saw the half-familiar, half-unfamiliar face, and his eyes suddenly turned red.
Even though he had never seen the legendary Fourth Prince, he recognized Li Daoxuan at a glance because of his peach blossom eyes that were exactly the same as Concubine Gao's, as well as their extremely similar facial features.
"Your Highness, I, I finally waited for you. They killed Changshi's people because Congli was incompetent and failed to protect Changshi and that thing..." Gao Congli dragged his body to crawl off the bed and kneel down, but was stopped by someone halfway.
Li Daoxuan asked, "Where is the doctor?"
Gao Congli shook his head, "Your Highness, it's too late."
Li Daoxuan was unaware and stood up to leave when his robe was grabbed tightly. Gao Congli, lying on the couch, grabbed his robe with one hand and gritted his teeth, saying, "Your Highness, it's too late. This poison is so toxic that anyone who drinks it will die. Listen to me, I—"
He suddenly paused, then vomited a large mouthful of blood. Gao Congli's eyes began to blur, and a sharp piercing sound came to his ears. While he was still able to speak, he continued: "It was the Weinan County Magistrate Zhou Zhishan who killed a group of us brothers and stole those things. The Chief Secretary jumped into the river and escaped during the chaos. His life or death is currently unknown..."
"Huh..." He exhaled with difficulty, a breath of bloody air. "But, but they didn't get the other half. The most important thing is in the hands of the Chief Secretary... Your Highness, you must find the Chief Secretary before they do. He's old, and I'm afraid he won't be able to hold on."
Li Daoxuan was uneasy. He lowered his eyes and looked at the man who was about to exhaust himself, then slowly clenched his fists.
Gao Congli spoke intermittently, "That night we docked our boat and saw people killing people on the shore. They were all unregistered vagrants. The Chief Secretary, realizing something was amiss, sent people ashore to investigate. Unexpectedly, the group was so bloodthirsty that they killed all the military officers we sent out. They then boarded the boats at the ferry, killed everyone, and stole everything. In a moment of crisis, the Chief Secretary took half of the stolen goods and jumped into the river to escape."
He began to speak incoherently. "I was struck by a sword but survived. My companions fought desperately until dawn, and only left when someone came out. All my brothers died, leaving me alone. I didn't know at the time that these people were Zhou Zhishan's men."
Gao Congli's eyes were filled with tears, "Your Highness, Congli is guilty of failing to complete your Highness's request!"
Li Daoxuan's Adam's apple rolled, and he said in a hoarse voice: "You have done very well. You are a hero of the Gao family."
Gao Congli asked in bewilderment, "Really?"
Li Daoxuan nodded.
Gao Congli's gaze grew increasingly vacant. He was near death. Once a person reached this state, time seemed to become sticky and slow. Many images flashed through his mind.
When he was young, Concubine Gao, who came to visit her relatives, smiled and touched his head, handed him a piece of malt candy, and told him to be a good and upright man in the future.
Later, news came that Concubine Gao's father, Longyou Jiedushi Gao Dingyuan, had abandoned his troops and fled on the battlefield, resulting in the burial of 30,000 soldiers at Guisuipo. The Gao family was brutally ransacked and their families were exterminated, and Concubine Gao's whereabouts were unknown.
The sky full of flames, the cries and screams of women and children still ring in my ears. At that time, the Gao family members were killed and there were few left. Gao Haizhou held the only remaining boy, who was himself, in his arms. The moment the long sword was about to chop off his head, an imperial decree came like a god, allowing them to survive until now.
The sage pardoned Gao Dingyuan for his many years of fighting, but the Gao family had already been killed, leaving only one old man and one young man.
The century-old family fell.
The Gao family, from their ancestors onward, has dedicated their unwavering loyalty to the Ly Dynasty. For generations, they have dedicated themselves to the stability of the Ly Dynasty and the well-being of its people.
Gao Dingyuan was upright and incorruptible throughout his life, and he would never abandon the army and flee.
Although the sage had ordered the matter to be put to rest and not be pursued, for Gao Haizhou, this decree was like a huge rock, weighing heavily on his heart.
How could he tolerate the Gao family's reputation, which had lasted for generations, being destroyed by this false accusation?
If the sage could not clear the Gao family's name, then it would be up to him to find the truth. Thus, Gao Haizhou and Gao Congli embarked on this difficult journey.
However, the truth is always cruel.
Gao Dingyuan did not commit treason. The traitor was someone else. The saint has always known this, but the Supreme will never be wrong.
Gao Haizhou was unwilling to believe it, nor did he want to see the descendants of the traitor living such a glaring life. He and Gao Congli finally found those things.
The two immediately decided to go to Chang'an to meet the emperor and present these things. Gao Haizhou believed that after the saint saw these things, he would definitely punish those who deserved death the most, and the Gao family would surely be cleared of all charges.
The sixty-year-old Changshi and Gao Congli stepped onto the merchant ship with light steps, their eyes full of eagerness and hope.
With the wind blowing in their faces, Gao Haizhou and Gao Congli felt more relaxed than ever before. They had experienced all the difficulties and thorns along the way. The infamy and filth that weighed on the Gao family would finally see the light of day one day.
However, when they arrived at the Wei River ferry, they were still discovered, even though they had been so low-key...
The burning sensation in his throat and abdomen made Gao Congli's eyes widen, tears streaming down his face. "Can the Gao family ever be cleared of all charges? General Gao did not commit treason! Your Highness, revenge... revenge for the Gao family..."
The person on the couch gradually fell silent, like a burning candle that went out with a puff. After the lingering smoke dissipated, there was no movement at all.
Li Daoxuan lowered his eyes and remained motionless for a long time, as if he had returned to the days when the poisonous insect attacked him. His internal organs were aching and tight, and it felt like there were needles hidden in his blood. The continuous and dense pain spread along his tendons.
His throat tightened and his eyes swept towards the little medicine boy who was curled up in a ball outside. Then he raised his sword and opened a wooden box on the ground. Inside was a man who was tied up. It was the doctor from the clinic.
Li Daoxuan cut the ropes on him and whispered, "Bury the person on the couch properly. Don't worry about the rest. Someone will come to take care of it."
Seeing that this man was clean but had a depressed temperament, a murderous aura, and the black sword in his hand was bleeding, the pharmacist was so frightened that he dared not move and nodded repeatedly.
Only after the others left did he dare to dig out of the box and remove the cloth stuffed in his mouth. However, when he caught a glimpse of the corpses scattered on the floor of the room, his legs went weak again.
Fortunately, not long after, several men in black quickly appeared in the clinic. They quietly carried away the corpses on the ground, cleaned up the mess in the house, left behind an ingot of gold, and left quietly.
The pharmacist looked at the gold on the table, then looked at Gao Congli's body on the couch. He couldn't calm down for a long time, and finally he sighed.
"Xiao Tong, go buy a coffin and some new clothes."
"Okay, Master." The medicine boy got up, took the silver and went out.
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