Without saying a word, the guard delivered a swift chop to the neck, and Steward Li fainted instantly.
The guards helped Steward Li into the room. Su Ruojin opened Steward Li's eyelids, looked at him, and then took out a pill and fed it to him.
Soon after, something was seen throbbing in the temple area of Butler Li.
Then, even though he was already unconscious, Butler Li couldn't control himself and started coughing violently, spitting out a mouthful of black blood.
Everyone saw a small worm wriggling in the black blood on the ground. The worm left the human body and then stopped moving after a while.
This was the first time Duke Xian had ever seen a Gu worm in person, and his face turned pale. He never imagined that a Gu worm could actually control a person.
After spitting out the Gu worm, Steward Li gradually woke up, and the redness in the whites of his eyes completely faded.
Butler Li also regained his previous memories, and his face turned deathly pale instantly.
He struggled to get out of bed and knelt down on the ground with a thud. "Your Majesty, this old servant... this old servant really didn't mean to steal the Red Jade Pearl. This old servant... this old servant doesn't know why I did this. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
After saying this, Steward Li kept kowtowing.
"Steward Li, this is not your fault. You fell for the Grand Preceptor's trick."
Steward Li looked bewildered upon hearing this; he did not understand what Duke Xianguo meant.
Su Ruojin asked, "Butler Li, was there anything unusual when you saw Gao Hongyuan off today?"
Butler Li recalled for a moment, "No, everything is normal... However, when I escorted the Imperial Preceptor to the gate of the mansion today, he took out a money pouch from his pocket and stuffed it into my hand, but I did not accept it."
It is said that even the prime minister's doorman is a seventh-rank official, let alone the steward of the Duke's mansion.
Many people want to curry favor with the Duke, but lacking the connections, they first approach Steward Li.
Steward Li had refused countless offers of money, so when Gao Hongyuan slipped him some money today, he didn't find it strange at all.
It was only after Su Ruojin brought it up that he remembered this matter.
Su Ruojin understood that Gao Hongyuan must have used a spell on Steward Li while giving him money, and then issued him the order.
Gao Hongyuan was clever enough to use a curse on Duke Xian, but that would be too conspicuous. If something happened to Duke Xian right after he got the Red Jade Pearl, it would easily attract everyone's attention.
So he took action against Butler Li.
In fact, Duke Xianguo became suspicious when he heard Steward Li say that the princess had gone to sleep and would come again tomorrow.
Because Su Ruojin had instructed that no matter what happened in the next two days, as long as she was notified, they would definitely come.
It seems that Steward Li was already under the control of the Gu technique at the time and did not inform Su Ruojin at all.
At the same time, Duke Xian also instructed the guards in his residence to pay special attention to the safety of the residence in the next two days.
As Steward Li mysteriously emerged from the room, a hidden guard reported the situation to Duke Xian.
Gu can control people's behavior, but it is not omnipotent.
The steward Li, under the influence of the curse, was not thinking clearly. He was only thinking about completing the order and couldn't think about other details. It was expected that he would be caught red-handed.
If Duke Xian had previously harbored some doubts about what Su Ruojin had said, he now completely believed her.
He took out the token and handed it to a guard, whispering a few words in the guard's ear.
The guard clasped his hands in apology and left.
Su Ruojin took out a half-gold "red jade bead" and handed it to Steward Li, saying, "Steward Li, send this bead to Gao Hongyuan tomorrow."
"Yes." Butler Li accepted the fake red jewel and understood Su Ruojin's intention.
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