The man who had been captured immediately began kowtowing furiously to Zhu Qingyu, calling her "Bodhisattva." Everyone present turned to look at her with curiosity.
Zhu Qingyu herself looked behind her, trying to find the Bodhisattva to whom he was bowing.
But there was no one behind her.
Then who was he kowtowing to? Who was he calling Bodhisattva?
It couldn't be her, could it? Why?
Not knowing, she decided to ask.
Zhu Qingyu inquired:
"Do you know me?"
Shen Xu stepped forward, grabbing the leader by the hair to reveal his face so Zhu Qingyu could see clearly, and asked:
"Do you know him?"
To say she knew him—he was just an ordinary middle-aged man.
To say she didn't—his face seemed vaguely familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before, but she couldn't recall who he was.
As Zhu Qingyu searched her memory for any impression of that face, the leader spoke up first, his eyes full of terror, desperately defending himself:
"Bodhisattva, have mercy! Stealing your divine prescription—it was all done by Administrator Liu alone! It had nothing to do with us! Please, if you must take a life, take only his, not ours!"
Upon mention of Administrator Liu, Zhu Qingyu finally remembered:
"You're Shopkeeper Liu of the Liu Family Medical Hall in Bianzhou City?"
Shopkeeper Liu sobbed even more pitifully:
"Yes, yes, you recognize me now. That prescription—it was really all our owner Administrator Liu's idea! It had nothing to do with us!"
Gu Zhao had already sent people to investigate the matter of the Liu family stealing Zhu Qingyu's prescription, taking credit for it, and reaping high rewards.
But before news from Bianzhou City arrived, word came that Administrator Liu had died of a plague. Gu Zhao found this quite troublesome.
Death ends all debts, and with the dead unable to testify, proving Zhu Qingyu's contribution from four years ago based solely on physical evidence would be difficult.
Unexpectedly, a insider from the Liu family incident had now appeared, voluntarily confessing to the crime. It was like finding something after searching high and low—effortlessly.
Since that was the case, he couldn't be let off easily!
How could they not squeeze every bit of information out of him?
Gu Zhao gave Shen Xu a look. As old friends, Shen Xu understood immediately—he was to interrogate him ruthlessly.
Not only to find out what these people intended by following them and whether it had anything to do with the Emperor's illness, but also to dig up any other secrets unrelated to this matter.
Shen Xu ordered the men seized and instructed:
"Take them back and lock them in the Imperial Prison."
At the mention of the Brocade Guard's Imperial Prison, Shopkeeper Liu and his men wailed even louder, and the scene descended into a cacophony of weeping and howling.
The Brocade Guard were professionals at capturing and interrogating people. They had ways to handle the wailing. As the prisoners were led away, the cries gradually faded until they disappeared.
Shopkeeper Liu's appearance was just an interlude. After the men were taken away, Zhu Qingyu proceeded as planned to see Shun'an.
Shun'an was a member of the palace staff, and the area where he lived was a no-man's land. His death was suspicious, but even if she reported it, the capital's magistrate wouldn't dare meddle in palace affairs.
Who knew whether the young eunuch's tragic death was due to illness or if some palace master wanted him dead?
Who would dare to interfere with a palace master? Unless they had a death wish.
So if she didn't get to the bottom of it, who else would bother with a lowly eunuch's cause of death?
Someone was deranged enough to take two lives to prevent her from treating the Emperor. They would surely seek a chance to take her life directly. Unless she uncovered the truth, how could she sleep in peace?
Though she hadn't slept for a full day and night and had just endured a tense confrontation at court, Zhu Qingyu felt not the slightest drowsiness.
Arriving at Shun'an's residence, she remained calm and clear-headed. In just a quarter of an hour, she had identified the cause of Shun'an's death.
Zhu Qingyu stared at the blackened silver needle, finding it hard to comprehend:
"They used arsenic? Such a crude method? Weren't they afraid of being exposed?"
Gu Zhao had been silent since Shopkeeper Liu appeared, observing her with a probing gaze. He had hardly spoken along the way, and he remained that way now.
Zhu Qingyu looked at him suspiciously:
"Why are you staring at me like that? Do you suspect me? Ask whatever you want."
Gu Zhao finally spoke:
"Perhaps they suddenly realized they had no time left and had no choice. I suspect that last night, they discovered that the person treating the Emperor was the very Bodhisattva from Bianzhou City four years ago—and the Bodhisattva was certain to cure the plague. So they had to make the Empress Dowager suspect you and remove you from the Emperor's side before you could cure him. Now that the cause of death is clear, let the Brocade Guard handle the investigation. We should go back."
On their return, the forced energy drained away. After washing up, Zhu Qingyu had no strength even to eat. She collapsed onto the bed and fell into a slumber almost instantly.
In her sleep, it felt as if someone asked:
"Qingyu, why did he call you Bodhisattva?"
"Qingyu, are you really... are you?"
But the sleeping Zhu Qingyu, whether in reality or in her dream, had neither the strength nor the will to answer that absurd question. She merely rolled over, leaving the questioner behind, and shut the question out, refusing to respond.
She slept heavily and woke only when hunger gnawed at her.
When she awoke, she was alone in the bed.
Zhu Qingyu stepped out of the inner chamber and saw Gu Zhao sitting at the desk, reading.
She wondered if he, having stayed awake just as long, had already woken up or had never slept at all.
Zhu Qingyu walked over:
"Still handling government affairs? Hmm, you're reading a playbook?"
How curious—the esteemed Lord Gu was actually reading something frivolous. She wondered what playbook had caught his interest.
Seeing her emerge, Gu Zhao closed the playbook and smiled:
"Hungry? I'll have Eunuch Fu bring the meal."
Zhu Qingyu reminded him:
"Don't just bring my dishes. If you can't handle spicy food, don't force it. Remember to get your own."
Eunuch Fu and Eunuch Man had been assigned to Gu Zhao by the Empress Dowager from the start, tasked with looking after his daily needs. So they kept a constant watch on his movements.
As soon as Gu Zhao stepped out, Eunuch Fu hurried over. After hearing his orders, he rushed off to prepare the meal.
Gu Zhao had barely exited before he turned back inside.
Upon entering, he saw Zhu Qingyu leaning over to peek at the playbook on the desk and asking him:
"'The Marriage of the Immortal and the Mortal'—You actually like this kind of thing? I've always started this play but never finished it. What's the ending?"
Gu Zhao leaned against the doorway, gazing at Zhu Qingyu, who seemed just an arm's length away, and answered:
"The Seventh Immortal descended to the mortal world for Dong Yong. After fulfilling her mission, she left Dong Yong a child and returned to Heaven. Dong Yong raised the child alone for the rest of his life, and the couple were forever separated, never to meet again."
Zhu Qingyu was startled. She flipped to the end of the playbook and muttered:
"I never read the ending. Such a famous play—it's actually a tragedy?"
Gu Zhao didn't reply. Zhu Qingyu looked up and saw that his eyes were a little red. She was even more astonished:
"Are you crying? Wait—it's just a play. It's not real."
Good heavens, Gu Zhao was actually a man as delicate as a lilac flower, even shedding tears over a love story.
Hearing her say this, Gu Zhao held back the tears in his eyes and revealed a warm, gentle, and harmless smile as he said,
"Yes, it's not real."
