Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 179

When Gu Yu Qi and her group returned to the prince’s palace, they received news that Zhao Wu had returned.

Gu Yu Qi’s heart tightened with urgency. She quickly gave Yun Ke a curtsey and, with his permission, turned and left at once.

Watching Gu Yu Qi’s hurried departure, a strange feeling stirred in Yun Ke’s chest. He summoned Wang Yan. “Follow Her Ladyship. Secretly find out what she and Zhao Wu are discussing.”

“Yes,” Wang Yan accepted the command.

“Wait,” Yun Ke called out to him coldly. “If you are discovered by Her Ladyship, do not bother coming back!”

“Understood!” Wang Yan felt a shiver in his heart and promptly cupped his hands and left.

This time, Zhao Wu had indeed brought the man he had spoken of. He was waiting at the back gate of the prince’s palace.

Gu Yu Qi thought about it and felt it would not be convenient to speak within the palace, so she changed into a different set of clothes and quietly slipped out.

She led the man to Yingzi Alley.

His real name was Hu Tan Shan. He was from a small town on the outskirts of the capital and was an orphan. In his teens, he had joined the army and followed General Liang to the frontier where he served for over a decade. He was an old member of the Liang family’s army and had once held the rank of company commander. After the Liang family army was disbanded, he returned, wandered for a time, then married into a merchant family and changed his name, living henceforth in anonymity.

However, he had never forgotten General Liang’s kindness in the army. He held the general in the highest respect and his family shrine at home even bore General Liang’s memorial tablet.

When he met Gu Yu Qi and learned that she was the general’s own granddaughter, tears streamed down his cheeks.

He knelt before Gu Yu Qi. “Young Miss, I’ve always believed there was something suspicious about the General’s death!”

Gu Yu Qi helped him up and soothed him gently. Then she served him tea and said, “Take your time. Tell me all the doubts you have.”

Hu Tan Shan took a sip of tea, thought for a moment, and began to speak slowly.

Everything was as he had told Zhao Wu before. General Liang had indeed been struck by a poisoned arrow, but the poison was a type commonly used by the Rouran people. The antidote had long been developed and should not have posed any serious danger.

In fact, once the broken arrow had been removed and the wound treated with medicine, the general had shown clear signs of recovery. After some days, he had even resumed handling military affairs.

Who could have guessed that the good times would not last? Though he had clearly improved, one night General Liang suddenly developed a fever. From then on, his health declined rapidly, worsening by the day.

Several medical officers were brought in, but none were able to improve General Liang’s condition. His health only deteriorated further and after the situation dragged on for a while, he finally succumbed to weakness and died.

“Are you certain there was nothing wrong with the medicine?” Gu Yu Qi asked.

“The medicine was obtained and personally brewed by the Ding Yuan Marquis Gu Huai Zhong,” Hu Tan Shan replied. “Gu Huai Zhong was the General’s son-in-law, so naturally we all trusted him.”

“Then why did you suspect him?” Gu Yu Qi continued her questioning.

“Once when Gu Huai Zhong had gone to war and had not yet returned, I was the one who personally fetched and brewed the medicine for the General. During those few days, the General’s condition actually improved,” Hu Tan Shan explained. “His complexion looked better, and he had a bit more strength when speaking. Everyone thought he was finally on the mend. But who would have expected that after Gu Huai Zhong returned in triumph and resumed making the medicine, the General’s health declined once again?”

After speaking, he looked deeply at Gu Yu Qi. “The Ding Yuan Marquis is your father, Young Miss. I speak today with no thought for my own safety. If Young Miss wishes to punish me, I will accept it without complaint. But this matter has weighed on my heart for so many years. I truly fear that the General died unjustly.”

“Calm down,” Gu Yu Qi nodded. “I believe Zhao Wu has explained matters to you on the way here. In fact, we have long suspected that Gu Huai Zhong was involved in some dishonourable dealings back then. It was because of him that my mother fell and became unconscious. Unfortunately, I have never found evidence that he harmed her, but if I can find proof that he harmed my grandfather, I will never allow such scum to roam free in this world.”

“Do you have any evidence?” Gu Yu Qi asked.

Hu Tan Shan looked up at Zhao Wu, who gave him a slight nod.

Hu Tan Shan thought for a moment, as if steeling himself for something great. “Here are three portions of medicine dregs,” he said. “I now hand them over to Young Miss.”

With that, he stood up and took out two paper packets from a bundle he had set aside, placing them in Gu Yu Qi’s hands.

“This is something I’ve kept as a precaution,” Hu Tan Shan told her. “After that incident, I always personally watched Gu Huai Zhong prepare the medicine. I even had people secretly monitor him, but nothing suspicious was ever found. So I secretly dug up the discarded medicine dregs he buried. I once had someone examine them as well, but they matched the prescriptions exactly. To be honest, I do not know if this counts as evidence. But I hope it may be useful in Young Miss’ hands,” Hu Tan Shan said. “The packet wrapped in white paper contains the dregs I prepared back then. The other two are from Gu Huai Zhong. I brought them all so that you can compare them.”

“Thank you,” Gu Yu Qi’s heart tightened sharply as she took the items with both hands.

Not daring to delay, Gu Yu Qi arranged for Hu Tan Shan to temporarily stay in Yingzi Alley, and then hurried off to her own pharmacy.

The old physician from Kuizhou was currently at the shop.

Gu Yu Qi invited him over to examine the three packets of medicine and identify any differences.

After comparing them, the old physician shook his head. “There really is no difference.” The medicine dregs had long since dried out, returning to its herbal form.

Gu Yu Qi was a little disappointed, but then remembered that Hu Tan Shan had already said he had someone examine the medicine dregs, and nothing unusual had been found. With that in mind, she felt a bit more at ease, but still, she was unwilling to accept it! She had gone through so much effort to find a clue, could it really just end like this?

“What if we brewed them again?” Gu Yu Qi suddenly had a flash of inspiration and asked the old physician, “Could it be different after being boiled?”

“It’s worth a try,” the old physician nodded.

Gu Yu Qi immediately went to the front and brought back three medicine pots and stoves. She placed the dregs into the three separate clay pots, added a small amount of water, and began boiling them with a bubbling gurgle.

Since a lot of time had passed and she feared the medicinal potency might have faded, she let them simmer longer than usual.

After several hours, Gu Yu Qi poured the medicine from each pot into three separate porcelain bowls, labelling them with notes for easy identification.

Gu Yu Qi took a small amount from each bowl and handed them to the old physician.

The old physician tasted the first one with the tip of his tongue and shook his head. Then he tried the second bowl and again shook his head. Gu Yu Qi let out a long sigh. Could it be that there truly was nothing wrong with the medicine?

However, when the old physician tasted the third bowl, his brow suddenly furrowed.

Gu Yu Qi’s heart tightened sharply. “What is it?”

“This bowl tastes different from the others,” the old physician said. He took another small sip, then carefully rinsed his mouth with clean water. After that, he returned to taste the other two bowls again. Then, turning to Gu Yu Qi, he cupped his fists and said solemnly, “Young Miss, this old man can say with certainty that this one has been tampered with!”

“What sort of medicine?” Gu Yu Qi asked “Is it that Hanxin Grass honey used by the Rouran witch doctors?”

“Yes,” the old physician confirmed. “Although it has been many years and the flavour has grown faint, I can still taste it!”

A trace of cold decisiveness flickered in Gu Yu Qi’s eyes. She bowed deeply to the old physician. “Thank you very much, esteemed physician, for your great kindness. If I, Gu Yu Qi, can one day achieve revenge, I shall never forget your gracious help. For now, I must ask you to continue staying here for a while longer.”

“It’s nothing at all. I came from the borderlands, and I am quite content living here in the capital. Besides, Young Miss has treated me well. Don’t worry, if there is anything I can help with, I will give it my all,” the old man replied with a smile.

After he left, Gu Yu Qi found three jars and poured the remaining medicine into them, labelling each carefully. Then she buried them beneath an old locust tree in the backyard.

Gu Yu Qi filtered out the medicinal dregs once more, packed them separately into boxes, and hid them as well.

She was worried about the old physician’s safety. If word was leaked and Gu Huai Zhong found out, the old physician’s life might be in danger. So she simply asked Zhao Wu to stay at the pharmacy to take care of the elderly man and protect him at the same time.

After Gu Yu Qi had finished all her preparations, she finally calmed herself slightly. Her eyes were already cold and resolute.

This time, she truly would not let Gu Huai Zhong and Liu Yue off easily.

She glanced outside and saw that the sky was already dark. Gu Yu Qi then left the pharmacy and made her way towards the prince’s palace.

It was already quite late. She wondered what Yun Ke would say. She had left without a word, so he probably would not be in a pleasant mood when she returned.

Gu Yu Qi took a shortcut, turning into a small alley, when she suddenly felt that someone was following her.

She quickened her pace and the people behind her also sped up. She deliberately slowed down, and they followed suit.

Seeing an opening, Gu Yu Qi slipped into a narrow alleyway.

The people behind gave chase, but when they entered, Gu Yu Qi was nowhere to be seen.

The group looked at each other in confusion. Just as they were feeling bewildered, Gu Yu Qi suddenly descended from above, striking one of them down with a swift blow.

“Following me, are you?” Gu Yu Qi gave a cold laugh and questioned softly, “Who sent you?!”

Seeing the situation turn against them, the others grabbed the man Gu Yu Qi had knocked down and fled. Gu Yu Qi pursued them closely.

The group seemed to panic, fleeing without care. They scaled a wall and jumped into a courtyard. Gu Yu Qi followed them over, but the moment she landed, she knew something was wrong. A large net suddenly fell from above, enveloping her completely.

The net seemed to be specially made, and Gu Yu Qi was unable to free herself at all.

Wang Yan had been following Gu Yu Qi all the way. Seeing the situation unfold, he became anxious. No longer caring about whether he would be exposed, he immediately drew the blade at his waist and charged forward.

“Release our Ladyship!” he roared. “How dare you, do you even know who you’ve captured?”