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Gu Jiao’s movements were so fast that even Yao Shi, who was watering the vegetable garden nearby, didn't notice.
The Emperor entered the courtyard.
Yao Shi quickly set down the water can and greeted with a bow, not addressing him as "Your Majesty" but as "Lord Chu."
Knowing that there was a strained relationship between the little miracle physician and the Marquis Ding'an Estate, the Emperor had sent Old Marquis back and came alone, accompanied only by Eunuch Wei.
"Is JiaoJiao here?" He asked.
"JiaoJiao..." Yao Shi wasn't aware of the little couple's plan to deceive the Emperor. She was about to say that JiaoJiao should be inside her room when Xiao Liulang leisurely walked over from the next room, his neck and arms wrapped in bandages.
"She's here. Lord Chu, please follow me." Outside the palace, Xiao Liulang also referred to the Emperor as Lord Chu.
Looking at Xiao Liulang’s hanging arm, Yao Shi was startled, "Liulang, you..."
Xiao Liulang looked at her steadily, "I'm fine, mother. Don't worry."
Yao Shi paused for a moment, then understood.
She lowered her gaze and calmly said, "Let me go and check if the snacks are ready. You attend to Lord Chu."
With that, she turned and went to the kitchen.
Xiao Liulang led the Emperor to the main room and personally poured him a cup of tea. Being far from the entrance, Xiao Liulang lowered his voice and changed his address, "Is Your Majesty here to visit JiaoJiao?"
The Emperor asked, "Zhen went to the medical hall just now, and the shopkeeper said she had returned home. Is she feeling better?"
Xiao Liulang's expression remained unchanged as he replied, "She did regain consciousness for a while, but it didn't last long. She fell back into a deep sleep once she arrived home."
The Emperor frowned.
Xiao Liulang continued, "Is Your Majesty here specifically to visit her?"
The Emperor let out a sigh and said, "Yes, Zhen came to visit her and also to ask her something."
Xiao Liulang looked at the Emperor and asked, "May this official know... what it is?"
The Emperor furrowed his brow and said, "It's a medicine. The imperial physician couldn't identify it, so Zhen wanted to consult her. But since she's still unconscious, Zhen will come back another day."
Xiao Liulang said, "She's awake!"
The Emperor: “...”
Since Xiao Liulang declared Gu Jiao was awake, she had to truly "regain consciousness." She lay on the bed, holding her chest in pain and distress on her face.
Xiao Liulang entered the room and took a glance at her. It was fortunate that he did, otherwise her acting skills would have given her away in an instant.
"Your Majesty." Xiao Liulang came back out and coughed lightly, addressing the Emperor, "She's a bit weak. Perhaps it would be better for me to go in alone and ask her."
Thinking of Gu Jiao’s wounded and bandaged appearance which might indeed be inconvenient to be seen in public, the Emperor instructed Eunuch Wei to take out the two medicine bottles he carried with him and hand them to Xiao Liulang. "Go and ask JiaoJiao what medicine is inside these bottles."
Pausing for a moment, the Emperor asked Eunuch Wei, "Which bottle is the white medicine, and which one is the black medicine?"
"Ah... This… This…" Eunuch Wei looked embarrassed. "This servant still remembered it on the way here, but suddenly, this servant... this servant forgot."
The current containers were a pair of jade bottles, each with a different pattern.
As it turned out, Eunuch Wei had overestimated his ability to remember.
The Emperor waved his hand and said, "Never mind. The little miracle physician is a physician, she should be able to distinguish them."
Facts had proved that the Emperor also overestimated people.
It was true that Gu Jiao was able to detect the subtle differences in the scent of the two pills. She knew that they were different and wouldn’t mix them in the same bottle. However, she couldn't distinguish which one was the white pill and which one was the black pill.
In such a situation, it all came down to acting and eloquence.
After sitting in the east room for a while, Xiao Liulang took out the two bottles of pills and gestured while explaining, "Your Majesty, these two pills are not ordinary medicines. The one on the left is the white pill, and the one on the right is the black pill. They are a long-lost type of drug originating from the Tang Sect. It is said that the prescription was stolen and gradually spread among the six states. However, due to the scarcity of the medicinal ingredients and the complex and intricate steps involved, only the pharmacists of the State of Yan can refine them."
Gu Chao had obtained the same information about the two pills from the pharmacist of the State of Yan.
The Emperor's expression grew heavier. He felt that he was getting closer to the truth. "So... what kind of drug are they exactly?"
Xiao Liulang replied, "JiaoJiao said they are drugs that can confuse one's mind. The white pill makes people have favorable feelings, while the black pill makes people feel repulsed."
The Emperor asked, "Are they meant for the person who administers the drugs?"
Xiao Liulang answered, "Not necessarily for the person administering the drugs, but for the person who the target sees once the drugs take effect."
The Emperor inquired, "How soon do the effects occur after taking the drugs?"
Xiao Liulang replied, "Very quickly."
This information was not entirely consistent with what Gu Chao had learned, but it didn't conflict either. If the effects occurred rapidly, there was a high probability that the person he saw was the one who had drugged him.
As the truth unfolded, the Emperor felt as if his breath was being held. It took a great effort for him to break through the constriction in his throat and ask, "What is the nature of the effects when the drugs take effect?"
"Well... that varies from person to person. Some people may not even have a reaction." This was Xiao Liulang's own speculation. When Lady Nan had informed Gu Jiao, she hadn't provided such detailed information. However, Xiao Liulang believed that if the Emperor had a strong reaction to the drugs, he would have noticed it himself.
If one consumed this kind of drug, the most it would do was make the person feel drowsy, without any stronger effects.
The Emperor clenched his fingers tightly, closing his eyes. He asked, "How long do the effects of this drug last?" If the effects didn't last long, then perhaps his affection for Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing and his dislike for Empress Dowager Zhuang had nothing to do with these medicines.
Xiao Liulang shattered his hopes with a single sentence, "If there is a medicine guide, it can last for many years."
The Emperor was taken aback, "Medicine… guide?"
Xiao Liulang explained, "It's a type of scented powder with a floral fragrance. It can be made into a nerve-calming incense or placed in sachets with dried flowers."
Nerve-calming incense!
For years, he had been using the nerve-calming incense given to him by Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing!
"Go... Go and bring the nerve-calming incense that Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing gave Zhen..." The Emperor ordered.
"Your Majesty, those nerve-calming incense are of no use, so this servant has already disposed of them." Eunuch Wei said hesitantly. Then something occurred to him, and his eyes brightened. "A while ago... Grannie Cai gave me a purse, and its scent... it's somewhat similar to the nerve-calming incense..."
In reality, they shouldn’t smell similar.
But people tend to make associations, and the more they thought about it, the more they believed it.
That purse had been damaged by Lady Nan, and Gu Jiao had repaired it, leaving the dried flowers inside untouched.
He took off the purse.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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