Once inside the estate, Prince Jing had servants serve tea before asking, “May I ask the Master precisely what is amiss with my son’s throat?” Stroking the child’s head with a deep, knitted frown, he continued, “To be frank with you, Master, my son was originally able to speak, but after a bout of high fever, his voice was ruined, and he could no longer talk. Not only could he not speak, but ever since that fever, his health has also been poor, making him prone to illnesses.” Recalling what Gu Zhaoyan had mentioned earlier, it seemed there was something unusual behind all this. At that thought, his expression turned intensely dark. If there were truly human hands at play behind the scenes, he would never let the mastermind off the hook! “Judging by what the Master has said, could this be the result of deliberate human interference?”
Gu Zhaoyan did not answer the question directly, instead asking, “Might I know how long it has been since he lost his voice?”
Without a moment of hesitation, Prince Jing replied, “It has been more than two full years since he lost his ability to speak.” Looking down at the child who was carefully trying to smooth out the tightly furrowed wrinkles on his brow, his heart surged with deep affection. “Jin’er is well-behaved and sensible. Ever since the Princess passed away, this child has been my sole pillar of emotional support.” He and the Princess had shared a deep, unwavering bond of mutual devotion, and he had never once entertained the thought of remarrying, wishing only to raise Jin’er to adulthood.
Gu Zhaoyan nodded slightly, offering a gentle smile as he extended a hand toward Jinyu in Prince Jing’s arms. Jinyu glanced up at Prince Jing, and seeing him nod, his eyes curved into crescents as he slid down from his father’s lap and walked over to Gu Zhaoyan. He felt a natural affinity for the aura radiating from Gu Zhaoyan, as it felt like flowers blooming in spring, carrying a warm, pleasant breeze and floral fragrance.
Gu Zhaoyan patted Jinyu’s soft hair and said gently, “In a moment, I am going to ask you a few questions. You only need to nod or shake your head, understood?”
Jinyu’s eyes curved into lovely arcs as he pressed his lips together and nodded. Gu Zhaoyan smiled. “Such a good boy.” He reached out to touch Jinyu’s throat. “Does your throat hurt very much when you eat? As if something is biting you?”
Jinyu’s eyes widened in surprise, as if asking, how did you know?
Seeing Jinyu’s reaction, Prince Jing no longer doubted that Gu Zhaoyan had hit the nail on the head. Looking at Jinyu with heartache, he wanted to ask why the boy had never told him, but Gu Zhaoyan stopped him with a gesture, leaving Prince Jing to swallow his impatience and wait quietly.
Gu Zhaoyan continued, “Have you often felt extremely sleepy lately? But after waking up, you feel even sleepier? And sometimes your limbs suddenly lose all strength?”
Jinyu blinked. How magical! Why does this handsome older brother know all of these things? Even my father didn’t know.
Unable to hold back any longer, Prince Jing pulled Jinyu into his embrace, his eyes reddening with deep anguish as he asked, “Why didn’t you tell your father about this, child?” He had been completely unaware of any of it. Seeing Jinyu sleep soundly had made him assume the boy was fine, never suspecting anything amiss.
Jinyu’s small hand gently stroked Prince Jing’s reddened eyes as if trying to comfort him, not wanting his father to worry. After all, it just meant sleeping a bit more, and besides, no one else could even tell.
Causing Jinyu’s pale little face, Prince Jing looked toward Gu Zhaoyan and asked anxiously, “May I ask, Master, how is my son’s condition?”
Having already ascertained what ailed Jinyu, Gu Zhaoyan did not keep him in suspense and stated directly, “The young benefactor has been afflicted with both a Gu worm and poison. To be precise, he was infected with the Gu worm first, which caused him to lose his voice, and only contracted the poison recently.”
Upon hearing this, Prince Jing’s eyes turned crimson. Damnable! A blazing fury ignited instantly within his heart. Who? Who dares to harm my son?! They are courting death! Desperate not to frighten Jinyu, he forcefully suppressed the raging anger inside him, fixing his bloodshot eyes on Gu Zhaoyan as he asked expectantly, “Can this Gu venom be cured?” He stared intently at Gu Zhaoyan, terrified of hearing the word cannot pass his lips.
Gu Zhaoyan smiled reassuringly. “Benefactor need not panic. Both the Gu worm and the poison can be cured.”
At that moment, a young maid walked over carrying a serving tray. As she drew close, a trace of fright flickered across her eyes upon spotting Bailang by Gu Zhaoyan’s side, causing her to step wide around them to serve the tea. After placing the cups on the table, she raised her head and caught sight of Gu Zhaoyan with his silver hair, pausing momentarily as astonishment surfaced on her face, though she quickly regained her composure.
Gu Zhaoyan naturally noticed this. After all, the maid was standing directly facing him, and though her obvious expression lasted only a fraction of a second, he caught it all the same. Still, he didn’t dwell on it, assuming she was merely startled by his hair color.
It wasn’t until Prince Jing spoke up: “Yuanchun, you may step down first.”
“Understood,” Yuanchun acknowledged, offering a respectful curtsy with the tray before quickly withdrawing.
Hearing that name made Gu Zhaoyan pause internally. Yuanchun? Could it be the Yuanchun I know? He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and lowered his gaze in quiet contemplation. Whether she was the Yuanchun of his memory or not had nothing to do with him anyway. After all, the person he needed to find was his birth mother, Concubine Zhou, not anyone else.
Regaining his focus, Gu Zhaoyan said to Prince Jing, “If Benefactor is worried, we can extract the Gu worm right now.”
Prince Jing rejoiced. “In that case, I am deeply indebted to the Master! I beg you to remove the Gu worm from my son’s body immediately.” Removing it sooner meant gaining peace of mind sooner. Looking down at his child’s eyes, made to look disproportionately large due to his emaciated frame, a wave of heartbreak washed over him. If not for the torment of the Gu venom, how could a five or six-year-old child be so frail and stunted? This only deepened his hatred for the mastermind behind it all!
Gu Zhaoyan stood up, walked over to Prince Jing, and produced a slightly thick silver needle as he softly coaxed Jinyu, “Do not be afraid. This poor monk is going to treat you now. Once your illness is cured, you will be able to speak again, understand?”
Jinyu nodded. He desperately wanted to speak as well; he had so many, many things he wanted to tell his father, but unfortunately, he couldn’t get the words out. Now that this handsome older brother was telling him he would be able to speak once he was cured, he felt truly overjoyed.
Gu Zhaoyan lifted Jinyu’s chin, found a spot on his throat with the silver needle, and inserted it. Pressing his thumb down at a precise spot, Jinyu didn’t feel a shred of pain. Withdrawing the silver needle, Gu Zhaoyan pulled a white, short incense stick about the length of a pinky finger from his sleeve and ignited it. Instantly, a clean, refreshing fragrance filled the air.
As Prince Jing watched the short incense emit streams of white smoke with curious eyes, he suddenly saw a small lump bulge out beneath the skin on his son’s throat. His pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively held his breath, watching quietly as the bulge scurried rapidly beneath the skin toward the spot where the silver needle had just pierced.
Gu Zhaoyan watched patiently as the bulge drew closer. He brought the short incense close to the needle-prick opening, then abruptly pulled the incense back. A dark shadow instantly shot out from the puncture wound. Moving with lightning speed, Gu Zhaoyan flicked his wrist, and a flash of silver light saw the dark shadow firmly impaled by an ultra-thin silver needle, writhing in agonizing distortion as it revealed its ugly form.
Prince Jing instinctively covered Jinyu’s eyes and asked, “Master, what is this?” The insect was entirely black, long and slender, looking thoroughly hair-raising. The mere thought that such a creature had resided inside his son’s throat for over two years made the fury in his heart surge once more!