Chapter 77 [VIP]
Gu Zhizhuo chuckled softly.
She knew perfectly well that the rumble of thunder was aimed at her.
The fact that the Grand Secretary Song is alive means that the court will not be in chaos. Even if Xie Jing continues to take on the task of disaster relief, he will not be able to enter the Eastern Palace simply because of the disaster relief work.
If Xie Jing cannot become the Crown Prince, Ji Nanke will also be unable to become the Crown Princess, which is clearly against the will of Heaven.
Therefore, whether it's a thunderclap in broad daylight or severe angina, it's all a warning from Heaven to her.
Just like in the Golden Palace, but this time it was clearly more severe.
"You knew that person's death was fate?"
Wuweizi refers to the chief minister of the Song Dynasty.
Gu Zhizhuo replied solemnly, "I know."
Wuweizi's wise eyes were fixed on her.
So, she knew perfectly well what was going on, yet she was still willing to take the risk.
"Was it to save people?"
"no."
Gu Zhizhuo knew that he was by no means the kind of person who would risk his life to save others.
"Master, I want to defy fate and change my destiny."
She answered those words without hesitation.
In her memory, she had also said to her master that she wanted to "defy fate," and her master said...
"The will of Heaven cannot be defied."
Just like now.
"Master."
Gu Zhizhu laughed heartily, a hint of joy dancing in his eyes.
She raised her hand and pointed out the window. On the street, people were still talking about the thunder in broad daylight, arguing and making a ruckus. They looked up at the cloudless blue sky, pointing and whispering anxiously.
Her voice was firm and powerful: "My fate is either with Heaven, or it will shatter me to pieces, or it will grant my wish."
"I will never compromise."
Following the natural order will only lead to the destruction of your family and the death of your loved ones.
Even if her soul is destroyed, Gu Zhizhuo will never again suffer the excruciating pain of her previous life.
"Foolish child."
Wuweizi sighed softly as he met her calm and fearless gaze.
Whether in terms of talent or natural ability, this little apprentice who fell from the sky is exceptional.
That's just his stubborn temper.
Gu Zhizhuo was extremely uneasy. In her previous life, her master had said more than once that she was too stubborn and would eventually be smashed to pieces.
“You foolish child, if I don’t take care of you, you will eventually be smashed to pieces.”
Gu Zhizhuo's phoenix eyes lit up instantly, as if stars were twinkling in their depths.
In her previous life, she became a disciple at the age of eighteen, followed her master into the world to cultivate at the age of twenty, and left her master at the age of twenty-one to go to the capital to stir up trouble. She never saw him again after that.
"Master."
Gu Zhizhu smiled radiantly. She helped Wuweizi sit down in the armchair by the window, then took a step back, knelt down properly, and kowtowed three times.
"Disciple greets Master."
Xie Yingchen was still taking medicine and couldn't drink tea, so his teacup hadn't been used.
He personally poured a full cup of tea and handed it to Gu Zhizhuo.
Gu Zhizhuo held the teacup with both hands and handed it over, his face full of anticipation.
Wuweizi raised his hand to take it, drank a sip, and formally acknowledged the master-disciple relationship.
"My good disciple, get up quickly."
Wuweizi helped her up, stroked his white beard, and smiled, "Our master-disciple relationship must be a predestined one from a past life."
Gu Zhizhuo pursed her lips, smiling sweetly, her eyes filled with trust. Her expression was undisguised, and Wuweizi could tell at a glance that she must know where their master-disciple bond came from.
She didn't say, so does that mean she can't say?
Having cultivated the Dao for many years, Wuweizi naturally understood what it meant for heavenly secrets not to be revealed, and also knew what it meant for a single hair to affect the whole body.
He wouldn't ask if she didn't tell him.
In short, this is the youngest apprentice he has taken in, his last disciple.
Wuweizi touched his sleeve pocket. He hadn't planned to take on any disciples on this trip, so he didn't bring any presentable gifts. He simply gave her a bottle of the pill she had just taken.
It's called a bottle, but there are actually only eight pills left inside.
"Thank you, Master."
Gu Zhizhuo knew her stuff; she recognized this elixir and knew she could use it to save her life when it was hanging by a thread.
The young master had eaten it in his previous life, consuming an entire oven, and lived two years longer.
However, it is very difficult to refine, and only nine can be produced in one batch.
Gu Zhizhuo, holding the small porcelain bottle, turned to Xie Yingchen with a smile and whispered, "It was given to us by Master. We'll each have half."
She made no attempt to avoid Wuweizi, who stroked his white beard and smiled without saying a word.
Xie Yingchen nodded with a smile. He brought over two round stools, first letting Gu Zhizhuo sit down, and then added tea to Wuweizi's teacup.
"My surname is Xie, and my given name is Yingchen."
Xie Yingchen bowed and formally greeted him.
After sitting down, he immediately asked, "Master, what are the consequences of defying fate?"
Xie Yingchen had heard everything Gu Zhizhuo and Wuweizi said.
After briefly organizing his thoughts, he clearly came to the conclusion that Gu Zhizhuo was going against the will of Heaven, thus incurring a warning from Heaven.
The thought of her deathly pale face made Xie Yingchen uneasy.
Xie Yingchen grasped her hand: "What will happen to her?" His voice trembled slightly, a tremor he himself was unaware of.
"His lifespan is nearing its end."
Wuweizi uttered these words in a deep voice.
Gu Zhizhuo's expression remained calm.
Xie Yingchen placed one hand on the back of her hand, while his other hand, hanging by his side, clenched into a fist, his nails digging deep into his palm, using the pain to distract himself from his anxiety.
Wuweizi continued, "Even the soul is scattered."
Xie Yingchen's Adam's apple bobbed, and he asked with difficulty, "Is there a way to resolve this?"
He never imagined that the path she was taking would be so difficult.
He said eagerly, "What if I could share the burden with her?"
"If it shortens one's lifespan, we'll each take half."
"Even if my soul is scattered, I can still give up half of it."
"Young Master," Gu Zhizhuo tugged at his sleeve, pursing her lips, "I don't want to."
Xie Yingchen ignored her for the first time, and repeatedly asked, "Master, is there a way to resolve this?"
Wuweizi: "..."
Enough. She was his disciple. How could he watch her recklessly charge about and perish, her soul and body destroyed?
Wuweizi took out his counting rods and cast a divination.
He then asked Xie Yingchen to give him his hand so he could feel Tai Su's pulse.
This little apprentice who fell from the sky can no longer see where his destiny lies.
Even Chen'er was the same; their fates were tightly intertwined, sharing life and death, their souls connected.
Through her repeated acts of defying fate, she forcefully altered the trajectory of destiny.
The fact that there is now an additional imperial star is most likely the result of her forceful interference.
No wonder Heaven couldn't help but want to strike her down.
Wuweizi said, "Heaven's way is just."
“If you decide to take this path, then you must become the chosen ones.”
"To redefine destiny."
Forehead?
Gu Zhizhu blinked, not understanding.
She repeated, "Redetermine destiny?"
"If fate is unpredictable, what punishment or blessing will be given?" (Note 1)
After Wuweizi finished speaking, he paused for a moment and looked at Xie Yingchen: "Destiny is by no means immutable; the variable is you."
"I?"
A smile played in Wuweizi's deep gaze.
"The earthly king is appointed by Heaven to rule the world."
The secrets of heaven cannot be revealed, and Wuweizi can only touch upon them to a certain extent.
Now, the two imperial stars are vying for supremacy, and his disciple and Chen'er are deeply intertwined, their destinies linked.
As long as Chen'er can ascend to the throne and assume the rightful place, Heaven will redefine destiny.
"Foolish child, this is your only chance to live."
Gu Zhizhuo lowered her eyes slightly; these were things her master had never told her in her previous life.
Was it because in the previous life, the timing was already too late?
When she met her master, the young master was already at his last gasp, beyond saving, and his lifespan was numbered.
Ji Nanke became the Crown Princess; the decision was final.
Xie Yingchen lowered his eyes in silent contemplation, holding her hand tightly in his palm, feeling her body temperature.
Is the Imperial Position correct?
Can!
His hand gripped slightly tighter. Gu Zhizhuo turned to look at him, a bright smile spreading across her face, like ice and snow melting and flowers blooming all over the mountain, gently soothing his slightly restless heart.
"Master..."
"girl."
Qingmei knocked on the door from the outside, interrupting Xie Yingchen before he could finish speaking.
Gu Zhizhuo then said, "Go ahead."
"Qiongfang has arrived. She says that the Third Madam is having a difficult childbirth and her condition is very bad. She is asking if you can go back and take a look as soon as possible."
What? !
Gu Zhizhuo was startled and stood up abruptly.
Anger...
The present was too chaotic in the previous life. My grandmother discussed with the whole family that my third aunt and third uncle, who were heavily pregnant at the time, should divorce. If the Gu family was safe, they could come back later. If the Gu family was punished, at least they could be saved.
Auntie San agreed with tears in her eyes for the sake of the child, and Ange was born in Auntie San's family home.
So it definitely isn't this month!
"Master, could you come with me to take a look?"
She's not good at things like difficult childbirth.
Wuweizi nodded: "Very well."
Xie Yingchen opened the sliding door, and Qiongfang was standing anxiously outside. With the excitement over, the spectators who had gathered in the corridor had long since left. The innkeeper personally came to greet them, warmly leading them downstairs and asking, "Would you like me to prepare a carriage?"
"No."
Gu Zhizhu shook his head and quickly went downstairs.
Their carriage was parked below.
The shopkeeper, all smiles, whispered to Qingmei, who was trailing at the back, "The master already knows."
Qingmei remained expressionless.
She really wanted to say that there was no need to whisper it like that; the young lady knew her background better than anyone, and even Gongzi Chen should know it perfectly well.
She's probably the first person in the world to be a secret agent like this.
Gu Zhizhuo was eager to ride a horse, but since her master was there, she still rode in the carriage with him and beckoned Qiongfang to come up as well.
"Qiongfang, what happened?"
Qiongfang gathered her thoughts and hurriedly said, "This morning, a nanny came to the Duke of Anguo's mansion. She came to see the Third Madam, saying that the Duke of Anguo had fallen ill because of the young master's matter." She added, "It was the young master of the Duke of Anguo's mansion."
After Emperor Taizu established the Great Qi Dynasty, he enfeoffed three dukes according to their merits, with the Duke of Zhenguo at the top, followed by the Duke of Anguo and the Duke of Weiguo.
The Duke of Anguo's surname was Lu. When he followed Emperor Taizu in his campaigns, he was seriously injured while saving the emperor. He had only one daughter, Lu Jiao. Emperor Taizu specially decreed that Lu Jiao would inherit the title and marry into the family to continue the Duke's household.
The late emperor treated the Duke of Anguo's family equally well. After Lu Jiao gave birth to a son and a daughter, her son became the heir apparent, and her daughter, Lu Jinrong, was granted the title of Princess Pingjia. Later, Lu Jinrong fell in love with Gu Baibai at first sight and asked the late emperor for a marriage decree, thus marrying into the Duke of Zhenguo's family.
The current heir of the Duke of Anguo is Lu's elder brother, and he married Princess Zhaoyang.
Qiongfang found it difficult to speak.
Although the young woman managed the household, she did not plant any spies in the second or third wives' quarters.
When Qiongfang first learned that the Third Madam had given birth prematurely, she was not worried. Several midwives and wet nurses had been prepared in the mansion, and even two doctors had been invited to reside in the mansion for their services.
Who knew that the child couldn't be born, and the third wife was also in bad shape.
When Qiongfang heard that the young lady was not in the manor, she rushed over to check on her and accidentally overheard the Third Madam's maidservant angrily cursing Princess Zhaoyang.
Qiongfang carefully considered her words before saying, "It's just that Princess Zhaoyang caused such a commotion in the city over Qingyi; it was truly unsightly..."
Everyone in the capital knows that Princess Zhaoyang and Commander Gong are vying for the role of Qingyi. Today it goes to one, tomorrow to another, and the whole capital's gambling dens have opened betting booths.
"The young master Lu was in a truly embarrassing situation and was determined to divorce Princess Zhaoyang. Princess Zhaoyang became furious and openly brought the male concubines and actors she kept on her estate to the Duke of Anguo's mansion. The Duke of Anguo was so angry that he fainted, and the imperial physician said he had suffered a stroke."
"In a fit of anger, Prince Lu drew his sword and stabbed the princess. He is still kneeling outside Shuntian Gate. No one in the manor is willing to take charge, so the old nanny had to rush to ask the Third Madam for advice. Unexpectedly, the Third Madam was so anxious that she twisted her ankle and fell down when she stood up."
This fall was disastrous from the start.
Qiongfang watched as the Third Madam was breathing heavily but not deeply, with basins of bloody water being poured out. The midwife and doctor were shaking their heads and sighing, saying that neither the mother nor the child could be saved.
She quickly went out to find Gu Zhizhuo.
"It's Princess Zhaoyang again?!"
Gu Zhizhuo was furious.
In the previous life, at least Third Aunt and An'er could have escaped unscathed. However, after the Gu family was disgraced, Zhao Yang had An'er thrown out, saying that Lu Jinrong could divorce and return home, but An'er was a member of the Gu family and could not be spared. To protect his daughter and grandson, Duke Anguo turned against Zhao Yang and was pushed off the waterside pavilion by her.
The Duke of Anguo was the same age as his grandmother. He was paralyzed after the fall, but the emperor condoned and accused the Duke of Anguo's family of mistreating the princess. He also ordered people to take away Anguo's baby, who was not even a month old, and imprison him.
Third Aunt didn't want to implicate her mother any further. She couldn't bear to leave Third Uncle and Nannan anyway, so she tore up the divorce papers and took Ange'er to prison with her.
"You scoundrel!"
Gu Zhizhuo grew increasingly angry and asked Xie Yingchen, "What on earth are they doing? Isn't that man in blue a man? Why do Princess Zhaoyang and Commander Gong both want him?"
She didn't quite understand.
She knew about the forced abduction of women; it was common in plays. She'd never seen a forced abduction of a man, though she'd heard of the story of a man being chosen from among those listed in the imperial examinations. But the cases of Princess Zhaoyang and Gong Hai were beyond her comprehension. She hadn't quite understood them when someone suggested she place a bet.
"It's not important," Xie Yingchen said lightly.
Hearing too much about dirty things will only taint her ears.
"Young master is right. Who cares who's robbing whom? Auntie's safety is the most important thing right now." Gu Zhizhuo lifted the carriage curtain and looked out, her heart filled with anxiety.
As soon as she returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, she jumped off the carriage without hesitation.
"Young master, please make yourself at home."
"Master, this way."
Wuweizi rested his whisk on his arm and followed her footsteps into the room.
Gu Zhizhuo walked very fast, while Wuweizi seemed unhurried, yet he did not fall behind at all, his steps were light and graceful.
Gu Zhizhuo led him directly to the courtyard of the third house. The whole courtyard was noisy. Gu Zhinan was wiping away tears in the main room. As soon as he saw Gu Zhizhuo, he seemed to have found his backbone and rushed towards her with a cry.
"Big sister, big sister! My mother...she's bleeding so much..."
The old lady had already arrived and was sitting uneasily. When she saw Gu Zhizhuo return, she was about to speak when she saw an old Taoist priest with an air of otherworldly wisdom and extraordinary demeanor. She quickly got up to greet him, cupping her hands and saying, "Master, Master, you've come to see my daughter-in-law, haven't you?"
She assumed that Gu Zhizhuo had specially invited a Taoist doctor over.
"I'm going to visit someone; is that convenient?"
Madam Lu was giving birth, and it was not appropriate for a man to enter the room, even though Wuweizi was eighty-two years old and a monk. Some families would still mind.
The old lady didn't care about these things at all. Compared to her life, nothing else mattered, and there was nothing to be ashamed of.
If it weren't for the fact that the Dowager Lady was in the way and had been persuaded to leave, she would have been unable to stay any longer.
"Thank you so much, Master!" the old lady said repeatedly. "This way, please."
"Nan Nan, don't be afraid."
Gu Zhizhuo comforted her cousin and told the old lady not to follow. Then she led Wuweizi inside. After walking a few steps, a strong smell of blood wafted over. An old woman carrying a basin of bloody water hurriedly came out and greeted her when she saw her.
Gu Baibai stood in the room, almost in a daze. He didn't even notice Gu Zhizhuo coming in until Gu Zhizhuo called out softly. He suddenly came to his senses and turned around, his face covered with tears.
"Master, who are you?"
"This humble Taoist priest is Wuweizi."
Wuweizi flicked his silver-white whisk, stepped forward, and his wide Taoist robe fluttered with his movement.
As the saying goes, nine out of ten doctors are skilled in medicine, and Gu Zhizhuo brought him here. Gu Baibai knew that he was there to save people, so she quickly pushed the wheelchair to the side.
The old women were startled by what they saw and were about to put up a screen when Gu Baibai shouted without thinking, "What do you need a screen for? Saving lives is the priority. Remove them all."
The maids hesitated before removing the screen, revealing Madam Lu's lifeless face.
Lu Shi, who was usually lively and cheerful, was pale and barely breathing. Only her long eyelashes were still trembling slightly. Gu Zhizhuo pulled her wrist out from under the covers. After taking her pulse, Wuweizi took out a talisman and stuck it on Lu Shi's forehead.
He flicked his sleeve, joined two fingers together, and pointed the fingertips toward her forehead, the sleeve fluttering.
He chanted aloud: "When heaven and earth were separated, the five thunders were first divided. The three elements were arranged, and the eight trigrams were formed..." (Note 2)
Gu Baibai could hear what he was saying, but she didn't understand the meaning.
Gu Zhizhuo explained softly, "Third Uncle, this is a ritual incantation."
Zhuyou is a method of healing through incantations and prayers.
My aunt didn't have a serious internal organ ailment; she simply lost her strength and fainted, which led to the difficult labor. Using incantations is much faster than acupuncture.
Gu Baibai had a wide range of knowledge and had naturally heard of Zhuyou, but this was the first time she had seen it in person.
After reciting a series of incantations, Wei Wuzi placed his finger on the talisman on Lu Shi's forehead and quickly drew a talisman with his fingertip.
His gaze was deep and detached, his face devoid of sorrow or joy. Suddenly, he shouted, "Wake up!"
Startled, Lu opened her eyes abruptly.
A note from the author:
Note 1: "Tianwen"
Note 2: Incantation for healing
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
