met free Chapter 249 The truth back then
Chapter 249 The truth back then
As soon as Shen Qingtan entered the room, she saw the celadon teacup shattered on the floor.
Gu Changsheng sat at the table, his expression cold and indifferent, as if breaking a teacup was a very ordinary thing for him, who had poor eyesight.
Shen Qingtan knew very well that even if Gu Changsheng was blind, he wouldn't make a mistake.
There must be something wrong with his health.
"Brother Changsheng." Shen Qingtan came to his side, staring intently at his pale, almost transparent face, and asked, "I brought Imperial Physician Chen with me. Shall I have him take your pulse?"
Previously at the Prince of Zhenbei's residence, every time she brought up his health condition, he would interrupt her and deliberately change the subject.
After he cured Zhao Yi of the poison today, he left the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion alone and asked Chen Yuanshi and Gu Zongci to stop her.
All signs indicate that he had been hiding things from her and dealing with her from the very beginning.
“Manman, after I lose my sight, I can’t overexert myself. If I overexert myself, I’ll get a headache.” Gu Changsheng’s tone was calm, but with a hint of weariness. “I’ll drink a bowl of medicine and take a nap, and I’ll be fine.”
Shen Qingtan looked at his face, his expression calm and revealing no clue, as if he was really too tired to look well.
She pursed her lips tightly; he was truly meticulous about keeping the things he didn't want others to know.
Even if she asked Dr. Chen to take her pulse, she probably wouldn't get the answer she wanted.
Suddenly, Shen Qingtan thought of Zhong Heng. Gu Changsheng had lived with Zhong Heng for more than ten years, and no one knew Gu Changsheng's situation better than him.
She decided to go to Zhong Heng to find out about Gu Changsheng's situation.
“Brother Changsheng, you have been working tirelessly these past few days to treat the Second Master’s illness. You should be resting properly at the Prince’s Mansion. I’m afraid you’re hiding something from me because you rushed back here.”
Shen Qingtan seemed to believe him, and said in a deliberately relaxed tone, "I thought you were sacrificing yourself to treat Second Master's illness. Now that I see you're alright, I'm relieved."
Gu Changsheng looked surprised, not expecting that his actions would make her even more worried.
He explained, "The poison my brother-in-law was poisoned with was developed by my master, and I know how to cure it."
Gu Changsheng was still very confused when the matter was brought up.
My master was not only a highly skilled doctor, but also a master poison maker. He once said that no one in the world could cure his poisons, nor could anyone concoct them.
His master took him in and made him his apprentice. After he had mastered the skills, his master gave him the poison he had spent his life developing to study.
The master said, "Chang Sheng, if you can neutralize these poisons, then there is no poison in the world that can defeat you."
He spent four years detoxifying all of his master's poisons.
This was the first time in all these years that he had seen someone poisoned by the poison his master had developed.
My master developed the poison to improve his medical skills; he never used it to harm anyone.
Who exactly poisoned Zhao Yi?
Shen Qingtan asked in shock, "The poison your master developed?"
Gu Changsheng's master is Zhong Yuan.
Emperor Jing'an and the Duke's Mansion have been searching for Zhong Yuan to cure Zhao Yi's poisoning, so they probably don't know the source of the poison Zhao Yi was poisoned with.
What about Zhongyuan?
Did he know the inside story?
"Hmm." Gu Changsheng said softly, "I don't know why it was used on my brother-in-law, but I can tell you for sure that it wasn't poisoned by my master."
Shen Qingtan suspected that Zhong Heng was Zhong Yuan. If it was Zhong Yuan who poisoned Zhao Yi, they would never have returned from Northern Qi to detoxify him.
It's likely that someone obtained the poison by chance and put it on Zhao Yi.
Gu Changsheng clenched his hands on his knees, as if he was trying his best to endure something.
He composed himself and slowly asked, "Manman, is there anything else?"
Shen Qingtan understood the implication in Gu Changsheng's words, which were a subtle way of urging her to leave.
"There's nothing else for now," Shen Qingtan instructed. "Brother Changsheng, you should rest well. I'll come to see you again tomorrow."
“Okay.” Gu Changsheng agreed without hesitation.
Shen Qingtan walked to the door, paused, and turned to look at Gu Changsheng.
He remained motionless in the same posture she had adopted when she arrived, sitting there properly, his shoulders and back stiff, devoid of his usual ease and naturalness.
She walked out of the house and instructed Tingxue, who was waiting nearby, "Go and clean up the broken pieces on the ground."
Tingxue replied, "Yes."
Gu Changsheng sat stiffly in place, hearing footsteps as someone went out, followed by someone coming back in and sweeping up the debris at his feet.
His head was throbbing, his ears were ringing, and the crisp sound of porcelain shards clattering gradually became indistinct.
Tingxue called out, "Young Master, would you like to rest on the couch? I'll clean up the porcelain shards on the floor so that no fragments might fall and hurt you."
Gu Changsheng heard someone speaking in his ear, but it was as if he was hallucinating. He tried his best to hear what the person next to him was saying, but the buzzing in his ears grew louder and louder, almost drowning out all the surrounding sounds.
He can't hear, he can't see, and he can't respond.
Tingxue waited for a while but did not receive a response from Gu Changsheng. She suspected that he was blind and had difficulty moving, so he was unwilling to go to the bed.
She neatly cleaned up the fragments, carefully inspected the area, and then left the house.
With a "bang," the door slammed shut.
Gu Changsheng couldn't hear the door close or the sound of footsteps leaving, so he didn't know if anyone was in the room. He just sat on the round stool until he could no longer support himself, and then he slowly stood up, holding onto the table.
His hands were trembling uncontrollably, and the intense headache made his mind confused, unable to discern the direction of the room.
Gu Changsheng removed the gauze bandage from his eyes. Before, he could see blurry shadows, but now all he could see was darkness, and he could only sense a faint light.
He slowly groped his way toward the bed, but after only a few steps, he had exhausted all his strength and collapsed to the ground.
-
Shen Qingtan left Chen, the Imperial Physician, and the family physician at the Gu residence to take care of Gu Changsheng.
She led Tingxue out of the courtyard, her expression grave, and asked, "Tingxue, has Elder Zhong returned to the capital?"
"Master Zhong has been in the capital for two or three days. I inquired and found out that he set off from Baohua County to the capital on the day Second Master was cured of his poison."
Tingxue muttered, "Old Master Zhong doesn't act like an outsider at all. He puts all the expenses in the capital on our tab."
“Elder Zhong is Brother Changsheng’s benefactor, so he’s not exactly an outsider.” Upon hearing that Zhong Heng had already arrived in the capital, Shen Qingtan’s furrowed brows relaxed: “Where is he?”
Tingxue replied, "In the mansion under Second Master's name."
Shen Qingtan had a plan in mind and prepared to go to the house to find Zhong Heng.
Just as I stepped out of the Gu residence, I saw Zhongheng getting off a carriage.
"Elder Zhong," Shen Qingtan greeted him politely, "I have a few questions I'd like to ask you. Do you have a moment?"
Zhong Heng's gaze swept over Shen Qingtan's face, as if he knew what she wanted to ask: "Shall we talk inside the mansion, or somewhere else?"
Shen Qingtan wanted to invite Zhong Heng to the Gu residence for a chat, but fearing that it might cause unforeseen complications, she weighed her options and then invited Zhong Heng to the carriage for their conversation.
The two got into the car, and before Shen Qingtan could ask anything, Zhong Heng spoke first: "You want to find out about that brat?"
Shen Qingtan nodded: "I want to know what's wrong with Brother Changsheng's eyes, and whether they can be cured?"
Upon hearing this, Zhong Heng fell silent, his thoughts drifting away as if lost in memories.
Back then, Gu Changsheng met a little girl who was only a teenager. She was forcibly kidnapped by villains and sold into a brothel.
Gu Changsheng was cold-hearted and aloof, not one to meddle in other people's business; all he wanted to do was find his sister.
He went to rescue the little girl because he heard the sound of bells coming from her body, so he rushed to save her without thinking twice.
They were in a border town at the time, a place where all sorts of people came together, and it was quite chaotic.
The brothel was run by bandits, and its guards were all highly skilled. They colluded with local officials, and Gu Changsheng suffered a setback.
They blinded him with poison and threw him into the river.
When he found Gu Changsheng, he was severely injured and nearly dead. If it had been even a moment later, even a celestial being couldn't have saved him.
He was furious: "The little girl looks a year or two older than your sister, how could she possibly be your sister? Are you going to risk your life before you're satisfied?"
Gu Changsheng said, "I know she isn't. I couldn't stand idly by when she asked me for help."
He couldn't be bothered with this stubborn person.
After a long while, Gu Changsheng's voice came very softly.
"When I saw her, I was reminded of Manman. Was she also facing a similar situation, longing for someone to save her?"
Zhong Heng's anger and resentment dissipated, and he felt nothing but tenderness for the young boy.
He knew very well that his sister was Gu Changsheng's obsession and unresolved issue from the moment he lost her.
He was no longer himself.
"Chang Sheng's eyes were blinded by poisonous smoke when he was saving a little girl." Zhong Heng sighed sadly, "Whether his eyes can be cured depends on himself."