Chapter 229: 229. Don’t touch randomly
Translator: 549690339
Su Liang walked out of the Imperial Palace alone, only to see Duanmu Chen being helped by Chang’an, coming down from a luxurious carriage.
As the crown prince, his attire had changed from before, making him look more prestigious and valuable, quite literally.
Seeing Su Liang, Duanmu Chen approached her with a smile on his lips,
“General Su, no need for formalities.”
Su Liang clasped her hands, “Congratulations, Your Highness.”
Ever since he received the Imperial Decree yesterday, everyone he saw treated him with the utmost respect. But it was only when Su Liang called him “Crown Prince” that he felt particularly pleased.
Actually, the two of them hadn’t had any real communication or cooperation for quite a long time. However, in terms of the final outcome, Duanmu Chen’s position as the crown prince owed half of its achievement to Su Liang.
They both knew that it was not good to bring up the details, so they just tacitly understood each other.
Duanmu Chen asked about Gao Jiabao’s condition again.
Su Liang shook her head, “I haven’t found a way to detoxify him yet.”
Duanmu Chen sighed, “It’s a pity that the spy managed to enter the Heavenly Prison last night without any hindrance, and there’s no way to find out who was behind it. The attack was clearly aimed at you. Can you think of anyone you might have offended?”
Su Liang frowned, “I have offended quite a few people. Before this, I encountered a somewhat similar assassination attempt in Xunyang City…”
Duanmu Chen’s eyes flickered, immediately understanding what Su Liang was hinting at.
The two exchanged a glance, Su Liang excused herself, and Duanmu Chen went into the palace.
When Duanmu Chen saw Duanmu Yi, he casually mentioned that after receiving a letter from the Wan Family, there had been no further movement. Moreover, they couldn’t find out where Duanmu Cheng was hiding.
As soon as Duanmu Yi heard Duanmu Cheng’s name, his face darkened, “Keep looking! ”
Duanmu Chen respectfully said, “Yes. This son is now worried that some people from Liang or Yin Country might be taking advantage of Great Brother. If so, the consequences would be unimaginable.”
Duanmu Yi’s eyes narrowed, as he naturally knew that what Duanmu Chen said was not impossible.
“Just now, this son met General Su at the palace gate. She asked about Gao Family’s son and said that the poison is very difficult to deal with. She is very enthusiastic about military affairs, but she was caught in this unwarranted disaster. The methods of the spy are extremely vicious. Fortunately, General Su was not injured, and she happened to be with Gao Jiabao at the time, so she managed to restrain him. Otherwise, many innocent people might have been killed.” Duanmu Chen said solemnly, “In the son’s opinion, perhaps the mastermind behind this is someone with a personal grudge against General Su, and they may not be targeting Qian Country directly.”
When talking about spies, especially those infiltrating the military, the default assumption is that they were sent by the enemy.
But in this case, the spy did not poison the water or the food in the military camp, but targeted Su Liang alone. Furthermore, the poison itself was specifically aimed at Su Liang personally.
So Duanmu Chen’s speculation is quite reasonable.
Upon hearing this, Duanmu Yi immediately thought of one person, the missing Duanmu Cheng. His deep personal grudge with Su Liang and his previous multiple attempts to assassinate her, as well as his last vicious plot that took advantage of Su Liang’s kindness, all matched the characteristics of the mastermind behind the poisoning. At the very least, he was among the most suspicious individuals.
Moreover, just now, Duanmu Chen had mentioned Duanmu Cheng, and Duanmu Yi’s anger towards his son had not yet dissipated. He naturally connected the two incidents and the more he thought about it, the more plausible it was that Duanmu Cheng was behind it. He might even be secretly cooperating with some people from Liang or Yin Country, with the purpose being to overthrow the Qian Country’s imperial power and support his own claim to the throne. But if that is true, Duanmu Cheng is nothing more than a foolish pawn!
Seeing Duanmu Yi’s gloomy face, Duanmu Chen knew that his goal had been achieved. He didn’t press the subject and moved on to other topics.
In fact, Duanmu Chen was not certain whether Duanmu Cheng was still alive. However, it didn’t matter; whether he was alive or dead, he no longer posed a threat. Duanmu Chen’s purpose in doing this was to overshadow Duanmu Cheng and gain more trust from Duanmu Yi. After all, he was only a crown prince with grown-up or soon-to-be-grown-up brothers.
When Su Liang returned home, she went to see Gao Jiabao first. He was still in a coma, his hands and feet tied to the bedposts to prevent him from hurting others if he woke up in a frenzy.
Gao Jiabao’s parents had also come.
With swollen eyes, Gao’s mother was wiping her son’s hands with a wet cloth. Su Liang greeted her, but she seemed absent-minded.
Su Liang felt frustrated and was about to go back to researching the antidote, but Gao’s father followed her out.
“General Su, tell me the truth. Can our Bao’er survive?” Gao Jiabao’s father had initially appeared calm, but halfway through the conversation, his eyes filled with tears.
Su Liang felt a bit heavy-hearted, “Uncle Gao, there’s no immediate threat to Jiabao’s life for now, and I will do my best to save him. I’ve also asked a friend to help find the antidote.”
Upon hearing this, Gao’s father let out a long sigh, “I understand, thank you. You must save him, otherwise, our entire family will…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but Su Liang understood. Gao Jiabao was the only heir to the Gao family through three generations. He had been weak and sickly since childhood, and the hardships of raising him to this age were beyond the understanding of outsiders.
As for Gao Jiabao, being the grandson of an Imperial Physician, he learned martial arts since childhood. His grandparents and parents paid a hefty price for a master so that he could become stronger.
Initially, when Gao Jiabao wanted to take the Military Exam, his family was against it but relented in the end. Because he was injured, the elders in his household had made up their minds not to agree to his joining the army. But they eventually gave in to his insistence and let him join the military camp under the condition that he won’t be allowed on the battlefield. However, they never expected such an incident to occur even if they were far away from the border in the Forbidden Army camp…
From start to finish, no one in the Gao family blamed Su Liang, but this made her feel even more guilty and uneasy.
When Su Liang returned to her courtyard, she immediately smelled a pleasant aroma.
Xing Yusheng came out of the kitchen with some charcoal dust on his face, glanced at Su Liang, and went right back in, “Qingqing, your sister Su has returned. ”
“Sister Su, I made some Lotus Root and Pork Rib Soup for you, wash your hands and eat while it’s still warm before you get busy!” Lin Xueqing ran out, with an apron tied around her waist.
“Alright,” Su Liang didn’t have much of an appetite but didn’t want to refuse their kindness, “I’ll eat a little, and any extra, please send it to Uncle and Auntie Gao.”
“Don’t worry, there’s enough for everyone!” As soon as Lin Xueqing finished speaking, she went back into the kitchen.
Soon, Su Liang was served delicious Lotus Root and Pork Rib Soup. Lin Xueqing mentioned it was her mother’s secret recipe.
“I would like the recipe,” said Su Liang.
Lin Xueqing blurted out, “Who are you going to make it for, Sister Su?” Then she thought of Ning Jing, and her expression became gloomy. Sighing, she said, “I’ll write the recipe down for you later, Sister Su. I only figured it out recently, and I always seemed to make it wrong before. The lotus root was dug out from the Marquis Mansion’s Lotus Pond this morning.”
After Lin Xueqing left, Su Liang muttered to herself, “Of course, I’ll make it for him. I hope he comes back soon.”
During the assassination attempt in Xunyang City, Su Liang realized that she relied too heavily on Gu Ling, which was not good.
Now, with the ongoing situation, she completely discarded those unrealistic thoughts. She was very grateful to have Gu Ling by her side; otherwise, she really didn’t know what to do.
After eating the Lotus Root and Pork Rib Soup, Su Liang opened the “Medical
Poison Manual” once more. This book was given to her by Xing Yusheng from Old Master Qin and was her primer for poison techniques. The Leisurely Pill she had previously made herself was from this book.
With no clues, Su Liang decided to study the Leisurely Pill more carefully, as it must share some similarities with the poison that Gao Jiabao was exposed to.
There was no antidote for the Leisurely Pill in the “Medical Poison Manual”. It was because the effect of this poison wasn’t long-lasting. After 24 hours, the poisoned person would recover as if nothing had happened, with no serious damage to their body.
Currently, Su Liang’s plan was to create an antidote for the Leisurely Pill first. Even if it couldn’t remove the poison from Gao Jiabao’s body, as long as it could relieve the onset of poisoning, there was still a chance to buy time and wait for Gu Ling to come back with the antidote.
For four consecutive days, Su Liang did not step out of the courtyard except to give Gao Jiabao acupuncture treatments.
Xing Yusheng had sent the medicinal herbs from the Xing family and Duke Qin’s mansion to Su Liang. Both Old Madam Xing and Old Master Qin were very supportive of this. No matter how good the medicinal materials were, they didn’t understand medical skills. If they were to get sick or injured, they would still rely on Su Liang for treatment. Therefore, the higher Su Liang’s medical and poison techniques were, the better it was for them.
Finally, on the fifth day, Su Liang managed to create an antidote for the Leisurely Pill.
However, since it had never been used before, she couldn’t be sure of its effectiveness and dared not let Gao Jiabao, who was already poisoned, try it easily.
Someone needed to test the medicine. Su Liang herself was willing, but if something went wrong, she couldn’t save herself and no one else could help her. So she had to find someone else.
Considering that the toxicity of the Leisurely Pill only lasted for 24 hours, even if they didn’t take the antidote, they would recover when the time was up, so there was no life-threatening danger.
Su Liang sought out the Qi Jun brothers and explained the situation to them, promising to reward them handsomely after the matter was done. She also said that they could refuse, and she would find another way without mentioning it to Xing Yusheng.
As a result, the Qi brothers almost fought over who should help Su Liang test the medicine…
“There’s no risk of death, and with Miss Su here, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m the eldest brother, so I should do it!” Qi Yan insisted, and without waiting for Qi Jun to say anything, he continued, “It was you who helped Miss Su last time, so this time it has to be my turn, Otherwise, it would be difficult for me to ask Miss Su for help in the future!”
Hearing this, Qi Jun no longer argued with Qi Yan, and the matter was settled.
Except for Su Liang and the Qi brothers, only Xing Yusheng knew about this. They all thought of the earlier incidents when the second prince Duanmu Ao and the fifth prince Duanmu Che had exhibited symptoms similar to the Leisurely Pill’s effect. They guessed some things, but none of them mentioned it explicitly.
Su Liang wasn’t afraid of them knowing either, as they were all trustworthy people close to her. Moreover, those things had long passed, and there was no evidence left.
In the room next door, where Ning Jing originally stayed, Qi Yan was tightly tied to a chair by Qi Jun. He grinned at Su Liang, “Miss Su, I’m ready, don’t be polite!”
Su Liang nodded, “Don’t worry, there will be no problem.” She was absolutely confident in the Leisurely Pill.
Qi Jun took the black pill handed over by Su Liang and let Qi Yan take it.
After a while, Qi Yan developed a state of delirium and began to babble and struggle on the chair.
Qi Jun frowned, “Miss Su, give my brother the antidote quickly!”
Su Liang handed over another black pill, and Qi Jun fed it to Qi Yan. Qi Yan spit it out, so Qi Jun hurriedly picked it up from the ground, wiped it with his sleeve, pinched Qi Yan’s chin, and forced him to swallow it.
Qi Yan gradually calmed down, and after about a quarter of an hour, his eyes regained clarity.
Qi Jun’s expression brightened, “The antidote works! Great!”
Qi Yan glanced at his red wrist from being tied up, “How long has it been?”
“Only a quarter of an hour. Do you feel any discomfort anywhere?” Qi Jun said while untying the rope for Qi Yan.
Qi Yan moved his limbs, stood up, and rubbed his temples, “I have a slight headache. ”
Su Liang took Qi Yan’s pulse, “You’ll be fine after a rest.”
She knew that the antidote was not particularly perfect, but from a practical point of view, it had achieved its purpose.
Su Liang thanked the Qi brothers again and promised that if they needed anything in the future, they could just ask her.
After Qi Jun and Qi Yan left, Su Liang planned to adjust the formula of the antidote and then use it on Gao Jiabao. It was still early, so she worked on it.
Unconsciouslv. she worked until late at night.
As Su Liang was hesitating whether to wait a bit longer or let Gao Jiabao try the antidote to the Leisurely Pill, Qi Jun came running to say that Gao Jiabao had woken up again. The effect of Su Liang’s acupuncture control was getting worse, and the interval between his poison outbreaks was getting shorter.
“Miss Su, Young Master Gao vomited black blood.” Qi Jun’s face was full of anxiety. This was not a good sign.
Su Liang’s heart tightened, and she grabbed the freshly prepared Leisurely Pill antidote and rushed out.
As soon as she entered the room, Su Liang heard Gao Jiabao’s painful howls. He was already skinny, and the ropes that bound his limbs seemed to be cutting into his bones, making people’s hearts ache.
Fortunately, the old Gao family’s doctor had been persuaded to take a rest and was not there. Gao Jiabao’s mother had fallen ill in the past few days, and only his father was present. He held Gao Jiabao’s arm and called his name, but it was useless.
Seeing Gao Jiabao vomiting blood again, Su Liang could only grit her teeth and force the antidote down his throat.
Then Su Liang stared at Gao Jiabao’s face, holding his pulse, her heart racing for fear of any accidents.
Gao Jiabao’s frenzied and murderous eyes gradually faded, and his pulse stabilized. Su Liang’s heart sank a little.
Qi Jun heaved a sigh of relief, “It seems that the antidote is working!” Some color finally returned to Gao Jiabao’s father’s face, as he repeated, “Thank heavens, thank heavens!”
But who would have known, just as Su Liang released Gao Jiabao’s arm and was about to stand up, his body suddenly shook. A mouthful of black blood spewed out, and his body began to convulse non-stop!
Gao Jiabao’s father was frightened, his whole body stiff and shouting, “Bao’er!”
Qi Jun’s body also tensed up, unable to help, he clasped his hands and recited prayers.
Alarmed, Su Liang hurriedly checked Gao Jiabao’s condition, but found that his pulse, which had just stabilized, was deteriorating rapidly. He had fallen into a coma, with blood gushing from his mouth and black blood streaming from his nostrils.
At this moment, Su Liang felt as if a black veil was in front of her eyes, and the entire room was shrouded in a deep sense of powerlessness. She forced herself to calm down, took out her needle bag, took a deep breath, and started performing acupuncture on Gao Jiabao, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
There was no improvement in Gao Jiabao’s condition, and Su Liang felt like she was trapped in an icy cave.
Just then, a dark shadow floated in, and Su Liang’s cold hand was suddenly held by someone, with an object placed in her palm. By the time she reacted and looked back, she saw Qi Jun staring at her in astonishment, asking blankly, “It seemed like someone just came in…”
Su Liang saw the medicine bottle in her hand and suddenly felt hopeful. It must be Gu Ling who came back!
Without thinking, she opened the bottle and poured out a light blue pill. She pinched Gao Jiabao’s jaw and placed the pill in his mouth.
“Water!” Su Liang said one word.
Qi Jun quickly brought a cup of warm water, and Su Liang fed it to Gao Jiabao.
Gao’s father sat by the bed, still clutching Gao Jiabao’s hand tightly, his face full of panic.
Su Liang held her breath as she saw Gao Jiabao stop vomiting blood. She took his pulse and found that it had improved, but she still couldn’t relax. She just stared at him intently, even trying to breathe quietly.
The room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
After a quarter of an hour, Gao’s father climbed up from the ground, trembling hands checking Gao Jiabao’s breath, then let out a sigh of relief and sat back down, “He’s alive… he’s alive…”
Su Liang had calmed down. Although she hadn’t seen Gu Ling, she was sure he had returned, and he must have brought back the real antidote.
Another quarter of an hour passed, Gao Jiabao still didn’t wake up. His pulse was weak, but the greenish-black forehead had returned to its normal pale color. This was a sign of the poison being neutralized.
“Is Bao’er going to be alright?” Gao’s father asked Su Liang with an anxious look.
Su Liang nodded, “He should be fine, just a bit weak. Once he wakes up and recuperates, he’ll recover.”
Gao’s father wept with joy. He had been staring at Gao Jiabao the whole time and hadn’t even noticed the dark figure who came in and left. He thought it was the second antidote Su Liang had prepared that had worked. “Qi Jun, go bring some hot water,” Su Liang commanded.
Qi Jun complied and left.
Su Liang couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat, but as she watched Gao Jiabao regain his life, her body gradually regained its warmth, and her hanging heart slowly settled down.
Su Liang tried to persuade Gao’s father to rest for a while, promising to watch over Gao Jiabao, but he refused to leave, so she didn’t insist.
Qi Jun brought hot water, and Su Liang fed Gao Jiabao some more, letting Gao’s father drink two cups, and she drank some herself. There was also water for washing, and Gao’s father wiped Gao Jiabao’s face and hands.
Seeing Gao’s father completely exhausted, Su Liang suggested he lie down with Gao Jiabao while she moved a chair beside the bed to stand guard.
Qi Jun didn’t leave either, sitting outside the door, wondering who the mysterious figure was that swooped in at the critical moment.
Could it be that Ning Jing hadn’t died after all… The thought flashed through Qi
Jun’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it, because he couldn’t find any reason for Ning Jing to fake his death, and he had seen the corpse back then, the face couldn’t have been faked.
It wasn’t until dawn that Qi Yan came to relieve Qi Jun, and Su Liang finally left the room.
Gao’s father had fallen asleep in the middle of the night, and Gao Jiabao’s pulse was stable. He should wake up soon, and there was no more danger to his life.
“Miss Su, you should go back and rest. I’ll watch over things here,” Qi Yan said.
Su Liang nodded, “Alright, thank you. If anything seems off, come get me right away.”
Su Liang returned to her courtyard, which was still quiet since Lin Xueqing, who had prepared her breakfast every day, hadn’t arrived yet.
Pushing the door open and entering, Su Liang closed it behind her and leaned against it, feeling her legs go weak. She was a doctor who had seen many life and death situations, but she nearly collapsed this time because the person who almost died was her friend, someone related to her.
After a while, Su Liang managed to take a step towards the inner room. She felt so tired and wanted to sleep for a bit.
Walking around the screen, she saw that the bed curtain was draped down, and Su Liang hesitated for a moment, thinking she hadn’t drawn up the bed curtain herself last time.
As she walked over and lifted the bed curtain, she let her weary body fall down at the same time.
The sensation beneath her felt strange, and Su Liang’s mind was muddled. She instinctively reached out, and then a familiar voice sounded in her ear, “Su Xiaoliang, don’t touch me randomly..”
