The guards ran up quickly to examine Handong. She was bleeding from all seven orifices, dying with her eyes wide open in unfulfilled resentment.
A guard reported, “She’s dead.”
Dead?
That pill just now was poison!
Jiang Ning’s heart trembled in panic, and she cried out urgently, “Quick, call 911! Call an ambulance—no, wait, quickly go find a doctor!”
In her state of fluster, Jiang Ning briefly forgot where she was, hastily correcting herself only after realizing she had time-traveled.
After shouting this, Jiang Ning’s hands shook uncontrollably as tears streamed down her face.
She had killed someone!
Chuntao held the terrified Jiang Ning, comforting her, “Aunt Jiang, you can’t be blamed for this. She wanted to kill you, so her death is well deserved! You were only protecting yourself; you did nothing wrong!”
Handong had come to silence her—she was already a discarded pawn!
Why?
After plotting for three years, now that Gu Jianshen had returned to the capital, they ordered her to kill Jiang Ning to silence her after a single task.
Did the sole purpose of her existence lie in enabling Wen Ya and Gu Jianshen to consummate their marriage?
Was her life truly this cheap?
And to keep her obedient, they had even taken her family hostage. What kind of environment were they in right now? Could they already…
Zhang Tao, the guard captain, rushed directly toward Jiang Ning upon receiving the news. “How are you?”
Jiang Ning instinctively took a step back, resisting Zhang Tao’s approach. Her small face was deathly pale, filled with panic and helplessness.
Zhang Tao desperately wanted to know if Jiang Ning was harmed, but seeing her fear, his steps grew smaller until he came to a full stop, afraid of frightening her any further.
Controlling his volume, Zhang Tao spoke as softly as he could, “Don’t be afraid, Aunt Jiang. Someone has already been sent to fetch a doctor.”
Gu Jianshen also arrived in haste after receiving the news. He first went over to inspect Handong’s corpse before walking over to stand before Jiang Ning.
“A potent poison. It seems the other party wanted you dead.”
Gu Jianshen’s expression was very calm, and his tone was neither heavy nor light, yet his words struck Jiang Ning like silver bullets, leaving her in bitter agony.
“It’s King Jing.”
Jiang Ning spoke up. At this point, she had no secrets left to keep. “The person who sent me here was the Minister of Rites, but the person pulling the strings behind the scenes is King Jing. The Minister of Rites was merely a front to blindside others.”
Gu Jianshen showed no sign of surprise. He said calmly, “I know.”
In an instant, Jiang Ning raised her head to look at Gu Jianshen in shock and disbelief, asking, “You know?”
Gu Jianshen repeated, “I know.”
Jiang Ning stared blankly at Gu Jianshen, then slowly lowered her head bit by bit. She was nothing more than a clown, an insignificant little pawn in the hands of powerful figures.
Chuntao, meanwhile, sized up the female shadow guard, her anger quietly flaring up as she asked, “May I ask what you were doing when Aunt Jiang was being pursued?”
Hearing this, Jiang Ning also looked at the valiant-looking woman dressed in black.
The female shadow guard replied in a cold tone, “Relieving myself. I am human too; am I not allowed?”
Chuntao’s anger flared even brighter, her teeth clenched as she said, “What a coincidence indeed.”
Gu Jianshen cast a faint glance at the female shadow guard.
The female shadow guard immediately lowered her head, not daring to meet Gu Jianshen’s gaze.
Gu Jianshen said, “Dismissed.”
The female shadow guard cupped her hands in a bow and instantly flew away.
As she departed, she cast a provocative look at Chuntao, as if saying: What can you possibly do to me?
Chuntao clenched her fists tightly. The female shadow guard was Gu Jianshen’s subordinate; since Gu Jianshen wasn’t holding her accountable, Chuntao didn’t dare do anything either, leaving her to fume in secret.
Jiang Ning felt somewhat lost in the mist, unaware of the full truth.
Jiang Ning’s status in the Gu residence was quite awkward and sensitive. The depth of information she could access was limited, and the underlying connections were even less clear to her; it was evident she was quite a failure as an informant.
Fortunately, she wasn’t good at it—otherwise, she wouldn’t even have a place to stay in the Gu residence, and she would have been disposed of the moment Gu Jianshen returned.
Guided by a guard, Doctor Jiang Cheng arrived swiftly and took Jiang Ning’s pulse, while Gu Jianshen and the others waited quietly nearby.
After feeling her pulse, Jiang Cheng said to Gu Jianshen, “There is a trace amount of toxicity in Aunt Jiang’s body, but it is of no great concern. I will write a prescription; after taking it, the toxicity can be purged from her body.”
Jiang Ning felt fortunate that she hadn’t swallowed it.
Gu Jianshen cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. “Thank you for your trouble, Doctor Jiang.”
Gu Jianshen had always treated Jiang Cheng with deep respect. This man was a distinguished guest he had invited into the residence, not an ordinary physician.
Jiang Cheng raised his hand to lightly support Gu Jianshen’s hands, signaling that there was no need for such formality.
He then added, “Lord Gu, a word in private, if you please.”
Gu Jianshen nodded and made a gesture of invitation.
Jiang Ning watched them walk away, her eyes shifting to Handong’s corpse in the distance before flinching away in fear; her heart remained consumed by panic and anxiety.
A thought began to sprout within her heart—she needed to become stronger, and she needed to hold her own destiny in her own hands.
The Tea Room.
Gu Jianshen personally brewed tea and poured a cup for Jiang Cheng. “Doctor Jiang, this is tribute tea sent from Dali Kingdom that the Emperor received a few days ago, which he distributed among his ministers. Please give it a try.”
Jiang Cheng savored it carefully and said, “Fine tea. Though compared to the coarse tea of my hometown, it lacks a touch of familiarity.”
He continued, “Lord Gu, the three-year agreement has come to an end, and I shall be embarking on my return journey in a few days. During these three years, Little Xia, who studied the medical arts under my guidance, has achieved modest success—hardly inferior to the Imperial Physicians in the palace. If Lord Gu does not mind, you may keep him in your service.”
Jiang Cheng owed Gu Jianshen a favor and had agreed to stay at the residence for three years to condition and treat Wen Ya’s body.
Now that the term was up and Wen Ya was no longer at the residence, it was time for him to leave.
Gu Jianshen raised his teacup in a toast, sighing softly, “Three years have flown by, and the time for farewell has arrived. Gu is deeply grateful for Doctor Jiang’s three years of care toward Wen Ya. Tomorrow, I shall prepare a farewell banquet, and I humbly invite Doctor Jiang to honor us with his presence.”
After concluding his conversation with Jiang Cheng, Yingyue and Zhang Tao were summoned to the tea room for a talk.
“Yingyue, replace the woman monitoring Lady Jiang.”
“Master, how should the previous one be handled?”
“Transfer her away from the capital and send her to Dali Kingdom.”
“Yes.”
In front of others, Gu Jianshen would not publicly embarrass the female shadow guard, as that would undoubtedly be slapping his own face; however, he would never allow someone who acted so recklessly to remain in his household.
Yingyue withdrew.
Though only the female shadow guard was punished this time, Yingyue maintained a calm expression while inwardly fuming with rage; that female shadow guard had brought shame upon him.
Master hadn’t criticized him in the slightest, but he understood in his heart that Master was knocking him into line, reminding him not to slack off on management. If the shadow guards under his command all acted according to their own whims, the entire shadow guard system would fall into chaos.
As soon as Yingyue left, Zhang Tao, who was standing to the side, immediately dropped to his knees.
Gu Jianshen looked down at the burly man at his feet, his voice calm as he said, “Lady Jiang was frightened by your rough appearance, yet she doesn’t know that you possess a meticulous mind as well. I summoned you here, and before I even opened my mouth, you already knew you were at fault.”
Zhang Tao kept his head bowed, thinking to himself—Master had only summoned the two of them. Yingyue was here because his subordinate had committed an offense, but as for Zhang Tao, his own men had followed the rules without committing any errors. That meant he himself was the one at fault; otherwise, Master wouldn’t have summoned him at a time like this to discipline someone right before his eyes.
This was killing the chicken to warn the monkey.