"Princess..." Luo Jin hurried to support her. Turning her head, she looked back at her feet, but didn’t find any obstacles that could trip her. She wondered, "Why did you fall on the flat ground?"
Princess was a seventh-level martial artist and was considered a master. Although her body had not recovered, she should not be so weak, right?
"I..." Chai Jing's body suddenly softened and fell into Luo Jin's arms, no longer moving.
"Princess!" Luo Jin turned around, but found that several palace maids, like Chai Jing, suddenly fell down and didn’t move anymore.
...
At dawn, the entire palace was covered with lime powder, and it looked like a heavy snowfall from afar.
In the Chaoqian Palace.
Luo Jin stood nervously at the side. It was the first time she was called into the Chaoqian Palace.
"Vice Minister Luo, tell me what you saw at that time?" The Emperor asked. "Out of everyone in the Lihua Palace... only you can speak."
Luo Jin recounted what she saw yesterday without hiding anything. After the Princess fell, all the palace maids and guards fell one after another. When she caught on, she found that she was the only one who could still stand.
The emperor was silent for a long time after hearing this and then said: "Yesterday, the two assassins sprinkled a lot of gu insects in the Lihua Palace and everyone was bitten. You... are lucky. Did you see those gu insects?"
Luo Jin shook her head, "No, maybe they were too small and it was dark and the visibility wasn't good, I didn't see any."
Chai Qi entered the palace at this time and reported with a bow: "It had been cleaned up. Those gu insects are afraid of lime powder and have been killed. But... those who were infected with the gu insects have no way to get rid of the gu. In the night, this son invited a gu master over and he went to check. At present, a total of 52 people have been infected with the gu. Several have woken up, but they have lost some of their memories to varying degrees."
Emperor Standing stood in front of the desk with his hands behind his back. His face was solemn, "Even Jing'er had been bitten by a Gu insect. We have to find a way to get rid of it. But the surnamed Yue thief stole the Gu Experience last night. It’s really... damn it!"
Chai Heng anxiously spoke: "Is there no other way? Younger Sister hasn't woken up yet. What to do?"
The eunuch outside reported, "Mister Shi is here!"
"Summon!”
An old man with white hair and beard entered the Chaoqian Hall and bowed, saying: "Long live Your Majesty! I have checked it out. This is a Gu called 'Forget Dust'. I am incompetent and cannot get rid of it unless... I can read the Gu Experience."
Although Luo Jin knew that she shouldn't speak casually, she couldn't help but blurt out: "Is the Princess's life in the control of the person who put the gu? Can he kill the Princess at any time? Is the Princess in great danger now? "
"That's not the case," Mister Shi replied, "What this official is talking about should be a kind of 'mother and child gu'. The person who controls the mother gu can control the child gu from thousands of miles away. But the one the Princess is infected with isn't the same. The mother gu cannot control the child gu. After Forget Dust enters the body, the person infected will gradually lose his memory. If the poison cannot be cured, he will eventually become... a fool. This kind of poison is raised to be used as a weapon. Just sprinkle it on the crowd and the gu insect will fly to the person's body by itself, drill into the person's body, and make the person faint in a short time. Fortunately, the cost of cultivating it is too high, so it will not appear on the battlefield on a large scale. "
Luo Jin gritted her teeth in hatred , "That bastard actually dared to use such a vicious thing on the Princess!"
Mister Shi sighed, "It's difficult to raise a Gu insect. Most of the time it can only be raised to harm people. The previous emperor put the "Gu Experience" into the palace because he didn't want more people to know how to raise Gu, so that it wouldn't harm people. The reason why it wasn't destroyed was that there were still people who knew how to use Gu in the common people. The "Gu Experience" records the method of solving it, which can be used to save people. But I didn't expect... it would be stolen by thieves!"
"Then... Mister Shi can't think of a way to cure the Gu?"
With an apologetic look on his face, Mister Shi shook his head helplessly, "The ancestors of the Shi Family did raise Gu, but they felt that it was too harmful to people, so they stopped raising it later. I only know a little bit. I really can't help."
Luo Jin stamped her feet in frustration, turned around, and asked the emperor, "Is there no backup of such an important document as the "Gu Experience"? How do you do things? "
Chai Qi stared at Luo Jin in shock. She dared to be so rude in front of the emperor!
But the emperor just lowered his head silently, sighed, "Sorry..."
After a long time, he raised his head and said in a deep voice, "I want to kill Yue Qinghai and take back the ‘Gu Experience’! Then cure all those who have been infected with the Forget Dust Gu!"
Chai Heng immediately stepped forward, "Son is willing to go!"
Chai Qi followed suit and stepped forward, blocking in front of Chai Heng. He looked back at Chai Heng before bowing, "Son got the news that Yue Qinghai fled to the west. I'm afraid... he went to Xiyuan! We can't send people to Xiyuan to capture people, so... Son is willing to go and catch him in person! Take back the "Gu Experience"!"
Chai Heng hurriedly stepped up and objected, "No, you are the Crown Prince. What if you got caught in Xiyuan? Let me go! "
"If you go, can you beat Yue Qinghai?" Chai Qi frowned, "Only I can go! At least I have the skill of the eighth level. When it's critical, I can take the secret medicine and fight Yue Qinghai! If you go, you can't beat him at all. What's the point of going?"
Chai Heng still disagreed. He stamped his feet anxiously, "But you are the Crown Prince! What if you are caught? Just like Jiang Ge..."
"I can't be caught!" Chai Qi interrupted him and stated in a deep voice, "I may die in battle, but I will never be caught! If I die in battle... Dongyuan will be left to you to guard."
Chai Heng's breathing stagnated instantly, "Elder Brother..."
The emperor pondered for a while, "Currently only Qi'er has this ability. The border situation is tense and He Xiao can't be transferred back. Okay, I approve! You...be cautious no matter what.”
Luo Jin took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said with her hands clasped, "I am willing to go!"
When these words came out, the three of the Chai Family were stunned for a moment.
Chai Qi looked back at her, "I know you are loyal to the Princess, but you have neither martial arts nor gu skills. It would be a burden if you go. You should stay in Lihua Palace and take good care of the Princess!"
Luo Jin raised her eyebrows, "Have you seen Yue Qinghai?"
Chai Qi lowered his eyes, "I... certainly haven't seen him, but there is a portrait!"
"Portrait? With the level of your portraits, you can't recognize him if he disguises himself a bit, right?" Luo Jin turned to the emperor, "Let me go! At least this minister recognizes Yue Qinghai! At least, it won't be not recognizing him even when he is standing in front!"
The emperor mulled over it for a long time and finally nodded, "Okay, Vice Minister, go to Xiyuan together. If this trip goes well, I... will heavily reward you greatly! "
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
For the first time when Luo Jin heard the words ‘heavily reward’, she felt nothing inside and the person who said this was the emperor.
After she left Chaoqian Palace, she went to Lihua Palace to see Chai Jing.
Chai Jing had already woken up and was dressing up. When she heard someone come in, she turned around and asked Luo Jin with a pair of blank eyes, "Who are you?"
Luo Jin forced a smile, "I am… Princess's maid."
"Oh...then come and help me dress!" Chai Jing turned around and looked at the mirror in front of her, "Which hairpin should I use...En, this one!"
Luo Jin saw Chai Jing pick up the red jade hairpin she gave her and put it in her hair.
"Does it look good? "Chai Jing turned her head and looked at Luo Jin.
"Beautiful!"
Chai Jing tilted her head and looked at Luo Jin, curiously saying: "Although I don't know you, why do I feel that... I like you much?"
Luo Jin was slightly startled and smiled: "Thank you, Princess."
"Princess?" Chai Jing looked at her, "Who is the Princess?"
"You are the Princess."
"Oh... Then who are you?"
"I am... a palace maid."
"Oh... Then who am I?"
"..."
...
After Luo Jin left, Chai Qi said to the emperor: "Everyone in the entire Lihua Palace had been poisoned by Gu, except Luo Jin. She seems like an insider. Quite suspicious!"
The emperor pondered and said: "Yue Qinghai obviously knew where the ‘Gu Experience’ was hidden. He sneaked in disguised as a guard and used Forget Dust Gu to knock down all the guards. If it weren't for a few high-ranking guards who held out for a long time, they might not even have discovered his shadow. To be able to do this, there must be an insider in the palace."
Chai Heng hurriedly said: "It can't be Luo Jin! It's definitely not her. She is lucky not to be bitten. She is definitely not a bad person."
Chai Qi said: "Gu is different from hidden weapons. It doesn't require accuracy. As long as it was placed in a crowd, it will find someone to bite. It is much more useful than hidden weapons. The assassin put a lot of Gu in the Lihua Palace. Those Gu will find everyone in the Lihua Palace to bite. Why don't they bite Luo Jin?"
The emperor said: "It is indeed suspicious, but it can't be confirmed that it is her. If she is really an insider, isn't it too suspicious? Besides, with her identity, how did she know where the "Gu Experience" was hidden?"
Chai Heng was anxious, "It's not her! It's definitely not her! She's a good person, the best person in the world. She will never hurt Jing'er!"
After this, the emperor and Chai Qi were silent at the same time.
Then Chai Qi said: "Do you like her?"
"How do you know... No," Chai Heng shook his head repeatedly, "It had nothing to do with this. Anyway, I believe her."
The emperor and Chai Qi looked at each other silently. At the same time, they showed an expression of ‘love brains are truly scary’.
The emperor said: "It's not certain that it's her, but it may not be. You observe carefully along the way. If there is really anything abnormal... Anyway, she doesn't know martial arts, you decide. "
Chai Qi said: "Yes!"
When Chai Heng left the Chaoqian Hall, he pulled Chai Qi's sleeve and said nervously: "Don't doubt her, she is especially, truly good. You got a suspicious mind. I am worried. You won't do anything to her? Right? "
Pester by him all the way, Chai Qi pulled back his sleeves helplessly, "I know, I know, as long as she doesn't do anything out of the ordinary, I won't touch her."
"What is considered an out of the ordinary behavior?" Chai Heng was still worried.
"It’s... attacking me or something like that."
"Oh, then she won't. She doesn't know martial arts and you were an eighth-level master. Why would she attack you? She is gentle and kind. She will definitely not make you feel digusted. "
Chai Qi was extremely speechless.
It could be seen that his younger brother really likes Luo Jin.
Gentle and kind?
Chai Qi remembered Luo Jin's fierce eyes on the night when Chai Jing was attacked. This hypocritical woman disguised herself too well in front of Chai Heng and easily won the heart of his silly younger brother.
He wasn't so easily deceived!
...
Grand Tutor's Manor.
Luo Jin followed Chai Heng in through the back door and didn’t see anyone passing by along the way. When reaching the backyard, she saw a team of guards guarding the door.
"Second Prince!" The guard bowed.
"Open the door! "
Qin Huaying had moved back to the Grand Tutor's Manor, but she didn’t live in the building where she lived before. Instead, she moved into the most remote courtyard, with few layers of guards around the doors. The defense was extremely tight.
Her belly was already swollen, which made her movement a little inconvenient. She relied on the maid to support her to take a few steps in the courtyard.
Seeing Chai Heng coming in, Qin Huaying's face turned cold and she subconsciously took a step back.
She still remembered how she was caught by Chai Heng in the Earth Temple that day and her beautiful life was ruined since then. She originally thought that she had the opportunity to become the Crown Princess of Xiyuan, or even the Queen of Xiyuan, but now she had become a prisoner and was under house arrest in this small courtyard. Even her father wasn't allowed to visit her.
"Your... Highness... What's the matter? "Qin Huaying's face was pale. One hand was on her stomach as her voice was trembling.
"You don't have to be afraid, I came... just to ask you for a token." Chai Heng forced a smile, trying to make himself look more amiable, but his smile was obviously not amiable. Qin Huaying took a few steps back.
Luo Jin took a step forward. Her smile became much more sincere. She smiled, "Don't be afraid, Elder Sister Qin. We have no ill intentions. We just have to go to Xiyuan to do something. I recalled that Elder Sister Qin hadn't seen the Crown Prince of Xiyuan for many days and maybe there is something you want to pass on. Although Miss Qin can't go to Xiyuan in person after not seeing each other for many days, a token of love would also help ease the longing, right?"
"You are... that palace maid, right?" Qin Huaying recognized Luo Jin and felt a little relieved. "Thank you... that day. If it weren't for you, the child might have been lost. Now that I think about it, I was really impulsive at that time. The child is getting bigger and bigger in my body. I... really feel a little scared. If at that time..."
She stroked her belly gently and her eyes became softer.
Luo Jin approached Chai Heng and lowered her voice, "Second Prince, please go out first. I'll talk to her."
Chai Heng nodded helplessly, "Okay, it's certainly not right for me to be here. She looks scared of me."
Saying this, he turned to leave the courtyard.
Luo Jin approached, reached out to support Qin Huaying, and helped her sit in the room. She sat at the side, smiling softly, "Actually, I'm not afraid of you knowing. It’s the Princess... Princess is poisoned with a gu by the people of Xiyuan. They also stole a book called ‘Gu Experience’ which recorded how to remove the gu. The emperor is furious and close to going to war with Xiyuan!"
Qin Huaying's eyes focused and her face changed, "Ah? There is such matter? Then..."
Luo Jin nodded, "Yes, if we go to war with Xiyuan, then... you may have to suffer. Fortunately, the emperor is reasonable. He said that this matter might not be the doing of the royal family of Xiyuan. So he got me to go with... Second Prince to investigate this matter. After all, once this war starts, who knows how many people will shed blood."
"His Majesty... His Majesty is wise!" Qin Huaying swallowed her saliva and nervously asked, "Then why are you looking for me..."
"You also know that the Second Prince has a personal grudge with Crown Prince Jiang Ge. If we go to Xiyuan, Jiang Ge will most likely capture us and chop us up without saying a word. Then we really have to go to war..." Luo Jin acted worried, "So I want to ask Miss Qin for a token, so that if we’re caught by Jiang Ge, our life can be saved."
Qin Huaying was silent for a while before pointing to the inner room, "There is a red sachet in the drawer on the left side of my dressing table, you can take that. If you have the chance to give it to him, that's also... pretty good."
Luo Jin walked to the inner room and found the sachet in the drawer of the dressing table. The drawer was full of sachets. It seemed that Qin Huaying liked to make sachets.
An idea suddenly occurred to her mind and she casually picked up a black sachet and raised it, "I found it!"
Qin Huaying's face instantly changed and she stood up anxiously, "Not that... No..."
Luo Jin had understood, "It turns out that Elder Sister Qin's sachet has a deep meaning. Elder Sister Qin is really smart and beautiful. No wonder Jiang Ge likes you so much."
Qin Huaying sighed and sat down slowly. She looked at Luo Jin, "No, no, it’s Miss Luo who is smart and beautiful. It makes sense that Second Prince likes you."
Luo Jin put away the red sachet and closed the drawer. Upon hearing this, she quickly denied, "Don't talk nonsense, Second Prince and I are just colleagues... we are just ministers in the same court."
Qin Huaying smiled charmingly, "Do you know? I have been learning all kinds of women's work, poetry, dancing, chess, and various skills since I was little. Do you think I learned them because I like them? I learned these things to please men. In order to maintain my figure, I force myself not to eat the food I like. I work so hard just to have the best man fall in love with me."
Luo Jin didn't know why she mentioned these. She walked out of the inner room and stared at Qin Huaying in a daze.
"So, of course I know what kind of gaze is really in love." Qin Huaying lowered her eyes and looked at her belly, "You are lucky. You don't have to suffer like me."
Luo Jin was slightly stunned and then asked back: "What about Jiang Ge? Does he really love you?"
Qin Huaying smiled gently and said slowly: "More than... love..."
Luo Jin was stunned for a moment.
"Go see my Father," Qin Huaying smiled mysteriously, "It will be beneficial. Believe me."
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