Chapter 288: 288. Xiaogu was speechless
Translator: 549690339
The night was dark, and the ice lake was chillingly cold.
After Yuanying asked a few questions, Gu Ling replied with a counter-question, “Is Yuanye still alive?”
Yuanying, who had been standing casually, straightened up instantly upon hearing the words, narrowing her eyes, “Gu Ling, what do you mean?”
“Concern.” Gu Ling said the two words.
Yuanying snorted coldly, “Of course Xiaoye is alive!”
“Why are you, coincidentally, in Liang Country?” Gu Ling asked.
Yuanying stared at Gu Ling, ‘You never talked so much before. I thought you wouldn’t be interested in anything about me, including my younger brother.”
Gu Ling opened his mouth again and said four words, “Millennium Snow
Lotus.”
After a moment of silence, Yuanying sighed, “Yes, you guessed right. Xiaoye is seriously ill, and I came to Liang Country to find the Millennium Snow Lotus to save him. I just learned that you were getting married here during my journey.”
“I have it.” Gu Ling said. Yuanying asked back, “What?” “Snow Lotus.” Gu Ling said.
Gu Ling nodded slightly, “A write-off.”
Yuanying looked deeply at Gu Ling, “I don’t know how you got the Snow Lotus, and I won’t ask. But you really care about that little girl, right? You don’t want me to make things difficult for her?”
“I just don’t want to marry you.” Gu Ling said.
Yuanying snorted lightly, “You make it sound like I can’t get married! Give me the Snow Lotus!”
“Wait for it,” Gu Ling turned around and left after speaking.
Yuanying looked at his back and sighed softly. She squatted down, placed her hands on the icy surface of the lake, and stood up after a moment, removing her mask and placing her cold hands on her cheeks, muttering to herself, “Stay focused, Xiaoye is the most important thing…”
When Gu Ling returned and saw Yuanying again, she was still wearing her mask, her face hidden.
She took the box from Gu Ling and asked, “Why is it so small?” When she opened it, the wooden box had a jade layer inside, with two crystal-clear Snow Lotus petals.
“I thought it was a whole flower.” Yuanying said unhappily after confirming, immediately closing the box.
Gu Ling shook his head, “You said that two petals are enough to save Yuanye.”
“But making the medicine might cause problems!” Yuanying said coldly, “Two petals are not enough!”
“Getting one more petal, and Situ Han wouldn’t budge,” Gu Ling said, “You are skilled in poison but making medicine is also related to it. It’s just that you are worried because it concerns your brother.”
“Nonsense!” Yuanying interrupted Gu Ling, “In short, two petals are not enough, you must have a solution!”
“Ask someone for help.” Gu Ling said.
Yuanying asked, “What do you mean?”
“Su Liang will make the medicine for you.” Gu Ling said.
“Are you sure? If there is a problem, can she bear it?” Yuanying asked coldly. Gu Ling shook his head, “I will take responsibility for any problem.”
After a long silence, Yuanying returned the box to Gu Ling and took out a piece of paper from her bosom, handing it to him. “This is the prescription. I’ll come back tomorrow.” She vanished as soon as the words were spoken.
When Su Liang got up early in the morning to exercise and freshened up, she saw Gu Ling in the kitchen cooking porridge, still wearing her little red apron.
“Great God, good morning.” Su Liang said with a smile.
Gu Ling turned to look at her, “Good morning.” Although the weather outside was gloomy, he felt that everything around him brightened up whenever Su Liang appeared.
“Millet and Red Date Porridge, and the pot stickers are ready?” Su Liang gave him a thumbs up again, “It seems that Great God, you really want to be a
Kitchen God.”
The prepared vegetarian stuffing and kneaded dough were placed next to him. However, according to Su Liang and Gu Ling’s eating habits, they usually wouldn’t make dumplings in the morning, but rather fry potstickers.
Su Liang sat down naturally on the small bench, added a piece of firewood to the stove and sighed, “The New Year is almost here. After the New Year, I’ll be seventeen.”
“Stand up.” Gu Ling suddenly said.
Su Liang was stunned for a moment but still obediently stood up.
Gu Ling reached out his hand and gently brushed over the top of Su Liang’s head, reaching down to his shoulder, “You’ve grown taller since last year.”
Su Liang sat down and laughed, “Of course. Last year’s shoes are too small this
year, and the clothes are also a bit short.” What she didn’t say was that her body was also developing.
It wasn’t until they finished breakfast that Gu Ling brought up the matter of guests from last night.
Su Liang was very surprised, “Ying Ying has already arrived? Why didn’t you call me, Great God?”
“Do you want to see her? Why?” Gu Ling asked.
Su Liang coughed lightly, “Just curious. Of course, I don’t want to compete with her in poison techniques. Has she taken the Snow Lotus and left?”
Gu Ling shook his head, fetched the box containing the Snow Lotus and the prescription.
Su Liang learned about what had happened and was very surprised, “Let me make life-saving medicine for Ying Ying’s brother? If I mess it up, the Snow Lotus will be gone.”
“You can do it.” Gu Ling expressed his faith in Su Liang, “If Ying Ying does it, there’ll be a problem.”
“That’s true. She must be afraid to use up the Snow Lotus without making the medicine in time.” Su Liang showed understanding. She looked at the prescription and it was indeed complicated. Apart from the Snow Lotus, there were several rare ingredients, but she had them all in her family’s home in
Qian Country. They shouldn’t be too difficult to find in Liang Country’s capital.
Su Liang handed the prescription to Gu Ling, “You are in charge of finding the ingredients. If you don’t have any, go and ask King Yue for help. He must be very happy that you’re asking him something, even if it’s just false feelings.”
Gu Ling did not mention that if Su Liang wasted the two Snow Lotus petals, he would take responsibility and find a way to get more. On the one hand, he truly believed that Su Liang could do it; on the other hand, he didn’t want to put pressure on her. But whatever the outcome, he could bear it once he said it out loud.
Gu Ling went to find the medicinal materials, while Su Liang went to the palace to give Situ Han acupuncture. Both of them left the mansion at the same time.
Halfway through the horse ride, Su Liang suddenly felt as if someone was staring at her. She looked around but found nothing. She suspected it was Ying Ying.
After giving the acupuncture that day, Su Liang brought up the thousand-year-old Snow Lotus and asked Situ Han if he had ever seen it.
As a doctor, it was natural for her to be interested in top-grade medicinal materials, and it was Liang Country where the Snow Lotus most likely grew.
Situ Han laughed and said, “I have seen it. There used to be a thousand-year-old Snow Lotus in the palace, but it’s already been used up. Otherwise, I could have asked someone to get it for you to see.”
Su Liang sighed, “That’s really a pity.”
She deliberately asked about it, so Situ Han would think that Gu Ling did not trust her and didn’t tell her about the Snow Lotus. Naturally, he also didn’t really like her and only agreed to get married.
After leaving the palace, Su Liang went to General Peng’s Mansion.
Peng Qian had been seriously ill for many years, and Peng Mansion had gathered a lot of good medicinal materials. Su Liang came to look for medicine.
When Peng Wei learned of Su Liang’s intention, he readily nodded, “Take whatever you need!” Both he and his son were now completely healed and no longer needed these medicinal materials. It was best if Su Liang could use them.
Thus, Su Liang left with a Peng Mansion carriage following behind her, filled with things Peng Wei had given her. Most of them were medicinal materials, but there were also some food items.
At the same time, Gu Ling was in Prince Yue’s mansion, telling Situ Xie that he needed some medicinal materials.
Situ Xie would naturally not be as straightforward as Peng Wei was to Su Liang. Instead, he asked Gu Ling with a concerned face if he was unwell.
Situ Xie pressed further for details about the illness, but Gu Ling maintained his silence.
Situ Xie personally took Gu Ling to the warehouse to look for medicine, and seeing that Gu Ling was familiar with various medicinal materials, he jokingly asked, “Did you learn this from Su Liang?”
“It’s in the books,” Gu Ling replied.
“I’ve always wanted to ask you, you two have known each other for so long and lived together for such a long time, are you really serious about marrying her this time?” Situ Xie asked with a smile.
Gu Ling remained silent.
When Gu Ling returned from Prince Yue’s Mansion, Su Liang checked and found that the medicinal materials were all available. Gu Ling had also taken a few that she couldn’t use this time but had been looking for from the prince’s mansion.
“Can you be my assistant, Great God?” Su Liang asked.
Gu Ling nodded, “Sure.” He had learned these basic things from Su Liang, and according to her, he did them even better.
Originally, Su Liang had agreed with Ren Dong that they would put up couplets together today. Ren Dong saw the two of them closing the door and not coming out, so she quietly put up the couplets by herself.
Su Liang and Gu Ling were both very serious about their work. They ate some snacks when they were hungry and didn’t even stop for lunch.
It wasn’t until the sky turned dark that Gu Ling lit a lamp. By the time the sky was completely black, she finally made a light green pill, round and full, emitting a strange fragrance that refreshed the heart and lungs.
“Have we succeeded now?” Su Liang asked Gu Ling.
Gu Ling nodded. “We should have. The prescription notes that the color of this medicine must resemble the early spring seedlings. If the color is not right, the effects of the medicine will be different.”
“That’s great. After all, this is a matter of life and death!” Su Liang instinctively reached out, wanting to high-five Gu Ling.
However, Gu Ling asked instead, “Shouldn’t one hug in joy?”
Su Liang coughed lightly, “A high-five represents celebrating success.”
Gu Ling stretched out her hand and high-fived Su Liang, but felt somewhat disappointed in her heart. Was Su Liang really trying to avoid suspicion? The promised hug had been downgraded to a high-five…
“I’m so hungry! Great God, what’s for dinner?” Su Liang asked.
Gu Ling responded with a single word, “Noodles.”
Gu Ling was very good at doing things that required technical skills, such as kneading dough, pulling noodles, cutting noodles, chopping vegetables, making dumplings, and so on.
So, after a busy day, Su Liang had a bowl of hot and stomach-warming sour soup with pork cartilage noodles. The noodles were chewy, and each one looked identical in thickness. The meat was soaked in the soup, the green vegetables were tender and crisp, and it was perfect.
After eating, Su Liang washed the dishes and then sat in Gu Ling’s room reading a book, waiting for Ying Ying to arrive again.
“Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve.” Su Liang suddenly sighed, “Time flies so fast!”
Gu Ling’s expression was indifferent, “Actually, it’s not fast.” Su Liang had just turned sixteen. If she were eighteen today, they could really get married, on the condition that Su Liang truly liked him.
This year, Xing Ji would be spending the New Year with Qi Jiang and his son Qi Jun in Xuanbei City.
Half a month ago, Marquis Zhong Xin had sent over two large carts filled with things from the capital, including clothes made by Xing Ji’s grandmother. Tomorrow would be New Year’s Eve, and on this night, Xing Ji and Qi Jiang were drinking and playing chess, with Qi Jun watching by the side.
Xing Ji suddenly brought up Su Liang, “That Su Liang girl is going to marry Gu
Ling in Liang Country, and the Emperor may be furious.”
Qi Jun frowned, “The Master must have her reasons for doing so, right? The
Emperor sent her to Liang Country to get the secret scroll. If she doesn’t accept Emperor Liang’s arrangement, she won’t be able to stay in Yao City to do her job.’
Xing Ji sighed, “But the Emperor may become suspicious that she’s doing it for her own selfish desires. If she can really get the secret scroll, it might be fine, but if she can’t, how will she end this?”
“But the Master really likes the Marquis Chang Xin. I’m a little surprised that the Marquis Chang Xin agreed to marry the Master, ” Qi Jun said.
Xing Ji scoffed, “Do you think it would be right for that Gu Ling kid to not like
Su Liang?”
Qi Jun hurriedly shook his head, “Of course not. It’s just that in the capital,
Marquis Chang Xin always seemed to keep everyone at arm’s length.”
As they spoke, a report came from outside the door, “Master, someone has come from the capital.”
Xing Ji’s expression turned solemn, “Come in.”
Qi Jiang and Qi Jun both stood up, and when the door opened, a man walked in, bringing a gust of cold air along with him.
Qi Jun was stunned, ‘General Nian?”
The man took off his hat, exhaled a breath of white air, and with cold and stern eyebrows, it was indeed Nian Jincheng.
“Master!” Nian Jincheng cupped his hands and saluted Xing Ji.
Xing Ji invited him to sit down and asked for some hot water to be served.
“No need, I can’t stay here too long, and I need to hurry to Liang Country after meeting the Master,” Nian Jincheng said.
Xing Ji’s expression became slightly tense, and he had a rough guess of what was going on.
After Duanmu Yi received the news that Su Liang and Gu Ling had accepted Situ Han’s decree and would be getting married in Liang Country on the sixth day of the New Year, he ordered Nian Jincheng to go north and rush to Liang Country. Freshly married, Nian Jincheng had to leave Yang Yu and hurry along day and night.
“Is the Emperor asking you to stop their wedding?” Xing Ji frowned and asked.
Nian Jincheng shook his head, “The Emperor didn’t explicitly say what I should do, only that he gave me a sealed secret edict to be personally handed to Su Liang.”
The secret edict was in Nian Jincheng’s possession, but Duanmu Yi had also arranged for two guards to accompany him and watch his every move.
“You’re going to Liang Country, and if you’re fast, you should be able to arrive around the sixth or seventh day,” Xing Ji frowned. Since it wasn’t just Nian Jincheng alone, the speed was not up to him to control. Otherwise, he could have delayed a little to avoid disrupting Su Liang and Gu Ling’s wedding.
Xing Ji asked Qi Jun to prepare food and hot water to entertain the two guards.
Nian Jincheng also had a meal and drank some alcohol at Xing Ji’s.
Xing Ji told him not to waste time and do everything according to the Emperor’s instructions. Whatever trouble there was, Su Liang and Gu Ling would solve it. Xing Ji thought that since they had done so, they must have anticipated the consequences of the matter. Nian Jincheng’s rash actions might lead to failure.
After staying in Xuanbei City for an hour, Nian Jincheng once again set out for Liang Country with his people….
Yao City.
Su Liang waited until midnight, yawned, and thought that Yingying might not come tonight, so she planned to return to her room to sleep. However, she did not forget to tell Gu Ling, “If she comes here at night, you must call me.” agreed, and as Su Liang opened the door and walked out, she saw a
dark shadow tloating lightly onto the courtyard.
“Yingying?” Su Liang blurted out.
The golden mask shimmered mysteriously in the cold moonlight, and Yingying chuckled, “Su Liang?”
“Yes, it’s me.” Su Liang nodded and greeted, “Nice to meet you.”
Yingying walked towards Su Liang, and as she got closer, she saw her beautiful and exquisite little face. She said, ‘What a tender and beautiful flower, no wonder he doesn’t care for me.”
Su Liang: …it seemed like a compliment, but it sounded somewhat weird…
“Where did you learn your Medical Skills?” Yingying asked Su Liang. Su Liang retorted, “Where did you learn your poison techniques?”
“I heard you’re infatuated with Xiaogu?” Yingying asked again. Su Liang retorted, “I heard you’re infatuated with him?”
“Is my medicine ready?” Yingying asked.
With a smiling face, Su Liang said, “How much are you willing to pay for it?”
Yingying snorted lightly, “Xiaogu, why is your little wife asking me for money?
Given our relationship, shouldn’t it be given to me?”
Gu Ling’s voice came from the room, “Only the Snow Lotus is what I owe you. The other medicinal ingredients and finished medicines are all Su Liang’s, so what she says goes.”
“Little girl, you name your price. If I can’t afford it, then I’ll just have to be rude.” Yingying’s eyes looked deeply at Su Liang.
Su Liang looked Yingying up and down, “I want all the poison you have on you.”
Yingying blinked, “That’s it?”
Su Liang nodded, “That’s it.”
Yingying reached out and put her arm around Su Liang’s shoulder, “Why didn’t you say so earlier! Your room is here, right? I’ll stand here and not move; you can search for them yourself, and whatever you find is yours!”
Gu Ling stared at the small jade medicine bottle in front of him, motionless for a quarter of an hour.
The voices of Yingying and Su Liang kept coming from the next room.
“Yingying, can I take off this dress?”
“You can.”
“What about this one?”
“Any of them!”
“Yingying, you have such a great figure!”
“You’re still young; you’ll grow up.”
Gu Ling realized what they were talking about and felt that he shouldn’t listen, but his ears were too good; unless he covered them up, he could hear the voices in the next room very clearly.
“Okay, I’ve taken off my clothes. I’m going to sleep here for a while before I leave; I’m exhausted.”
“Yingying, don’t you want to check the medicine first?”
“Oh, I forgot. I’ll look at it when I leave. I trust you. If there’s any problem, feel free to choose one of those poisons and let Xiaogu take it.”
“Alright!”
Gu Ling in the next room: ….
