I know
Wen Gefu and Lin Gefu could no longer sit still. They exchanged a glance and stepped forward.
"Sect Master."
Gu Jinghong reached out to temporarily stop the caning, his expression remaining calm: "Are the two Grand Secretaries pleading for mercy?"
Wen Linchuan said, "As the Pavilion Master, I, as the Pavilion Assistant, shall obey your orders. Therefore, I dare not plead for mercy. However, the Pavilion is currently very busy with affairs. If Vice Pavilion Assistant Xie does not personally intervene, it may affect the Pavilion's affairs. I implore the Pavilion Master to show leniency."
Lin Xiuyuan echoed, "The rules of the pavilion do not stipulate that the punishment of the back cane must be completed in one go. Please consider this, Pavilion Master."
Xuan Ru, her face streaked with tears, kept nodding to Gu Jinghong.
After a moment, Gu Jinghong's voice finally rang out again: "Let's give him ten strokes of the cane as a small punishment to serve as a warning. I hope that Minister Xie can take this as a lesson, fill in the missing information, and not ruin the rules and reputation of Qianyuan Pavilion... Take him away."
After Xuan Ru left with Xie Yan, Gu Jinghong finally loosened his grip on the armrest slightly.
She waved her hand, and everyone in the room left.
Gu Jinghong finally let out a little breath... She had known Xie Yan for so long, she thought Xie Yan should be able to understand what she meant.
...
Xiao Chengyan leaned against the couch, his face almost transparently pale, only his deep eyes remained sharp in the flickering candlelight.
He had just suppressed a burst of the Gu poison's tearing sensation; fine beads of cold sweat still clung to his forehead, and his knuckles were slightly white from the exertion.
"Your Highness!" Changfeng knelt on one knee. "You can't use your inner strength to suppress it anymore! Miss Ayuan said that this will only make the Gu worms' backlash even worse!"
Xiao Chengyan closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, his eyes were like a calm, cold pool.
"It's alright." His voice was low and hoarse. "...How is Xiao Chengming doing?"
"Ever since His Highness, in the name of stability, ordered a freeze on all transfers and promotions of generals on both the eastern and western fronts of the Northern Border, he has angered the younger officers of the Fifth Prince's faction. They now wish they could speak to His Highness every day, asking him to come forward and negotiate with you to restore the channels for promotion."
Xiao Chengyan closed his eyes and made a soft "hmm" sound.
Changfeng continued, "As per the Prince's request, the elite cavalry 'Shuofeng Camp,' originally concentrated on the western front to protect trade routes, has been split into three parts and transferred to the eastern and central fronts respectively. Those on the western front who coveted trade profits and had connections with the Fifth Prince have lost their protector and suffered losses; while those military officers on the eastern front who rose through military merit believe that these cavalrymen are here to steal credit. Both sides are full of resentment towards the Fifth Prince. He is now in a real bind, and yesterday he spent the entire day at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion seeking a solution from Gongsun Lie."
"Hmm." Xiao Chengyan kept his eyes closed.
"If we follow the prince's request and abandon the task of auditing the Northern Army's military procurement and logistics accounts for the past three years... it seems that whatever method the Fifth Prince and Gongsun Lie came up with yesterday will be ineffective. The Fifth Prince's so-called confidants are all supported by piles of silver. Without this source of income, the Fifth Prince will definitely be unable to move an inch."
As soon as he finished speaking, Changfeng heard a suppressed cough coming from the other side.
Changfeng was about to get up immediately.
Xiao Chengyan kept his eyes closed: "It's alright."
Just a moment later, he asked again, "...How is she?"
she.
Gu Jinghong.
Changfeng paused for a moment: "He has left the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and returned to Qianyuan Pavilion. She severely punished Xie Yan, dismissing him from his post, flogging him, and confining him to his quarters."
Xiao Chengyan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
He knew her better than he knew himself. Her words, telling Gongsun Cheyuan the truth and even threatening him with alcohol, threw him, who was far away in the Jinwang Mansion, into a panic.
But she... is not one to be easily defeated. Having regained consciousness yesterday, she threw herself into action so quickly; she truly is still the resilient Ah Hong.
During this moment of silence, Changfeng glanced at his lord and saw a faint, fleeting smile curving his pale lips. The smile was as brief as a flash in the pan, yet it startled Changfeng.
He hadn't seen the prince with such an expression on his face for a long time.
Xiao Chengyan was unaware of this; he was thinking—she also hit Xie Yan…why did she hit Xie Yan?
Xiao Chengyan paused, then instructed Changfeng: "Give him a warning. Let him know who the true loyalists in the pavilion are."
Changfeng understood almost instantly who the prince wanted him to reprimand, and so he respectfully agreed.
"And..." Xiao Chengyan thought for a moment and said, "Have Phantom protect her, and don't show herself unless absolutely necessary."
“Phantom…” Changfeng murmured, “But Phantom is used to control the prince when his poison takes effect. If we give it to him, what will happen to the prince?”
Xiao Chengyan then slowly closed his eyes again.
"It's alright, I know my own body."
In the secret chamber of Nanzhao, A Yuan accompanied him through three months of secret treatment. Xiao Chengyan endured inhuman torture, and the Gu poison was finally temporarily suppressed, making him slightly better than before, but there were still signs of relapse.
Originally, A Yuan advised him to return to the capital later.
But Xiao Chengyan remained resolute, asking her only one question: "Can it be cured?"
This... is naturally incurable.
He stared blankly at the map in his hand, lost in thought, seemingly unaware that he was under the influence of a curse.
Yes, since it can't be cured, suppressing it temporarily is the best outcome. Can we hide in the southwest forever?
Once they arrive in the capital, the Gu poison must be suppressed. If the Dark Night personality emerges, Gongsun Lie and the others will definitely seize the opportunity to use it against them.
Changfeng looked worried. He knew that the reason why the prince wanted to push Gu Jinghong away was that the prince himself knew that he had no way to deal with the Gu poison in his body.
Xiao Chengyan could sense Changfeng's emotions even though his eyes were closed.
Finally, he said calmly, "Go..."
"Go then. Without her, what meaning would all that I have done have?"
Changfeng's Adam's apple bobbed violently, all the words of dissuasion stuck in his throat, and finally he knelt on one knee, "...Your subordinate obeys."
...
The air inside the Reflection Hall was filled with the fragrance of medicine.
Three days later, under the careful care of Xuan Ru, the Valley Master of Medicine Master Valley, Xie Yan's cane wound on his back had healed and scabbed over. Although he still felt pain when moving around, his internal energy circulation was no longer a problem.
Xuan Ru handed him a bowl of freshly brewed medicine, her eyes filled with heartache: "Ah Hong... she really could do that!"
Xie Yan looked at Xuan Ru with a hint of tenderness in his eyes, and said with a smile, "How about it? Should I go and beat her up? Anyway, Gu Jinghong can't beat me."
Xuanru was taken aback and quickly said, "No, no, Ah Hong always does things her own way... You two are people I care about, I won't allow you to fight."
Xie Yan smiled and drank the bowl of medicine, then said, "Aru is right. Let's not hit her. How about we make her pay for the medicine?"
Xuan Ru slowly raised her eyes to look at Xie Yan, sniffed, and said, "Hmm, let her pay the money. She has plenty of money anyway."
Xie Yan put down the medicine bowl, reached out and took Xuan Ru's hand, letting her sit by his bedside, and said gently, "Aru, do me a favor."
"What's up?"
"Go find Jinghong now. Tell her that my injuries have worsened and I have a persistent high fever. Then, have a fight with her."
Xuanru was stunned: "Why? Your injury is clearly already..."
"Just do as I say." Xie Yan gently squeezed her fingertips. "The louder the argument, the better. Let everyone know that my injuries are serious, and that you've completely fallen out with her because of my injury, and then..."
Xie Yan whispered a few words in Xuan Ru's ear. As Xuan Ru listened, her eyes slowly widened, and she stared blankly at Xie Yan.
Seeing that Xie Yan's expression remained the same as before, and that his gentle gaze held a firm resolve, he finally nodded: "...Okay."
Meanwhile, inside the archives of Qianyuan Pavilion.
With the candlelight blazing, Gu Jinghong buried herself alone in the mountain of files and letters.
She was sorting through all the fragments of information from the Southwest over the past year, her slender fingers tracing across the yellowed pages, occasionally picking up a pen to jot down key dates and points of doubt on a piece of paper beside her.
Just then, the door was pushed open with a bang.
Xuan Ru stood at the door, her face filled with anxiety and anger, her voice slightly raised: "Gu Jinghong! Ayan's injuries are recurring, and her high fever won't go down. You used torture, are you going to take responsibility for it?!"
Gu Jinghong paused, a drop of ink falling onto the paper and spreading into a small stain.
She placed the pen on the pen holder, then slowly raised her head, her eyes instantly turning icy: "Valley Master Xuan, this is Qianyuan Pavilion, not your Medicine Master Valley. Xie Yan is governed by the pavilion's rules; his life and death are determined by those rules. Qianyuan Pavilion does not need the Medicine Master Valley's guidance in its actions."
"Don't want guidance from the Medicine Master Valley? Let me ask you, since I went to the Prince's Mansion to accompany you, how many illnesses of the Hidden Abyss Pavilion disciples have I helped you with? You, Gu Jinghong, you use people when you need them and then discard them when you don't, and now you say you don't want my guidance? Gu Jinghong, have you lost your conscience?!"
Xuan Ru finished speaking angrily, but her last sentence didn't sound like she was acting.
"Heh, it's true that you, Valley Master Xuan, have treated the patients of my disciples, but so what? When have we ever failed to settle accounts with you? If we haven't, I can call Minister Wen here right now to settle the score!"
Xuan Ru trembled with rage, her acting incredibly convincing thanks to her genuine anger. "Fine! Gu Jinghong, we've known each other for so many years, and you're talking to me about money? For example, Wang..." She suddenly stopped, "Xie Yan risked his life for you and for Qianyuan Pavilion, and this is how you treat him?! Gu Jinghong, I misjudged you!"
Gu Jinghong was slightly taken aback, then suddenly stood up and slammed his hand on the table, making the pen holder tremble. "Wrong? I think you've never truly seen who the Pavilion Master is! Get out!"
"you--!"
"Guards!" Gu Jinghong shouted sternly at the door. "No one is allowed to enter without my order! Anyone who disobeys will be punished according to the rules of the Pavilion!"
Xuanru glared fiercely at the files office, covered her face and cried, then slammed the door shut and left.
Bang--
A loud noise echoed in the silent attic.
A moment later, a slender figure dressed in Xuanru's signature white robes and wearing a hood silently slipped past all the guards and re-entered the Reflection Hall.
As soon as the "person" entered, he took off his hood, revealing Gu Jinghong's aloof face.
She walked to the bedside, looked at Xie Yan who could only lie on his side due to his back injury, a complicated sense of guilt flashed in her eyes, and she said softly, "Senior brother, I'm sorry to trouble you. I'm sorry to have to deal with this for me."
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