C177
On the morning of the second day, Xie Jingxi urged Gu Yun to bring the Old Man Ji back to the Suddenness Garden. She also packed her things and prepared to go back with him.
He did not leave alone, but His Majesty had sent guards to protect him. It sounded very appropriate, but Zhao Zhang was very sensitive and noticed that there was something going on, so he did not dare make the decision and immediately went to report it to Gu Yun.
"You should immediately chase after him. Try your best to chase after him .." The His Majesty had gone through so much trouble, he was afraid that the Old Man Ji would run away and not return. He used her own imperial guards to send him off, he was afraid that he would leave early, so he did not wait for Zhao Zhang to chase his down.
Zhao Zhang was startled, "Master, I brought my people and ran a bit faster, I'm going to chase them!"
At most, there was a thirty percent chance of catching up.
However, the His Majesty's imperial guards would be able to escort him personally, so in theory, it would not be a big deal.
Gu Yun stood in place and thought for a bit. Then, he turned around and told his a few things after entering the Ministry of Justice, and then returned back to Marquis Mansion. Regardless of whether or not he was alright, it would be safer for him to accompany Xie Jingxi.
Seeing him leave, Xie Jingxi came back, and asked curiously: "Did you drop something or not? Zhao Zhang went to fetch Grandfather, why didn't you come back with me?"
Gu Yun thought about it, but still decided to tell her the truth, "Zhao Zhang did not make it in time. His Majesty had sent a group of guards to protect his, so he was the first to leave."
Xie Jingxi was startled, "Is His Majesty really that petty?"
Who said it wasn't?
Gu Yun pulled her hand and sat down on the couch, "I'm guessing that Second Prince's condition is much worse than what we imagined. It's no wonder that His Majesty is so nervous."
Who told the Old Man Ji to have too many predecessors, to be able to run for decades in one go.
Xie Jingxi was a little unhappy, "You're still pointing at people to save lives, is it really alright to do so, at least tell us, if you don't know, you'll be treated as a criminal!"
He knew that she was going to get angry, and he was actually pretty angry as well. However, he couldn't exactly get angry along with her, "Since the old man is still going back to the palace, we shouldn't go back to the Suddenness Garden for now. Just you wait, it'll only take half a day."
But before half a day, Zhao Zhang already sent someone back to deliver an urgent message that the Old Man Ji had been robbed.
Xie Jingxi almost squatted on the ground, afraid that something might happen. Old Man Ji would be robbed the moment he appeared, and the person designated was someone who had already planned ahead of time. Other than the His Majesty, who was concerned about him, there was also Gu Qing.
To be honest, the fact that the Old Man Ji was taken away by someone was not scary like when they were taken away by Gu Qing, they had to be on guard against him or else they would lose to the His Majesty. As long as Gu Yun's men were here, Gu Qing would probably not be able to get his hands on them that easily.
Zhao Zhang brought his men to chase after the carriage of the Old Man Ji, and not long after exiting the city, they saw the carriage that the Old Man Ji was in, but because it was empty, only an empty carriage, beside the bodies of the imperial guards lying on the ground, there were a total of sixteen of them, and all of them died.
As expected, the people from His Majesty couldn't be counted on. Zhao Zhang couldn't care less about scolding them, he sent one person to report back, and he himself brought two or three people to chase them. He even left marks along the road, and when Gu Yun sent more people over, it would be very easy to find them.
The process of finding the people was not going smoothly. Gu Yun's men, with Zhao Zhang as their leader, were extremely knowledgeable about the matter of the chase and the terrain of the capital. However, after going through a few twists and turns, they were still unable to find anything.
"Master, he didn't follow us, he seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Unless they knew how to escape, or else they just left the capital, I have already instructed the people inside and outside of the capital, as well as all the entrances within the capital to search him strictly, so as long as they appear, he definitely will not escape."
Gu Yun was not optimistic, from the moment he disappeared until now, he had always been in this state of mind, and he was abnormally calm and assured, as though this was all part of his fate. His heart was empty, but his mind was racing, and even after Zhao Zhang chased after them, he did not manage to catch up, which only proved that they had a thorough plan, and no one could see what kind of people they were, saying that they were being chased and arrested, but they had no goal, and he was inclined to the former possibility, maybe he really escaped?
Gu Qing was always a mystery, ever since he appeared, Gu Yun had always paid attention to him secretly. However, in the Three Hells of Sly, whenever he was found somewhere he could hide in, he would just abandon them and switch to another place, which also meant that up until now, he had not found any useful spot. He had acted in such a strange and meticulous manner, so how could he let the old man find him so easily?
Old Man Ji was not unconscious, nor was he injured. He was only blindfolded and gagged, so he was sent to a special stone house. When the stone door closed, there was no one inside.
Old Man Ji never struggled from beginning to end, nor did he panic because struggling and panicking was useless. He used his only ear to listen for movements in all four directions, the surroundings were terrifyingly quiet, filled with a sinister aura, as if they were distant from the human world. Not long after, there was a slight rotation in the stone walls.
There was someone's aura, but it was extremely inconspicuous. Old Man Ji, who was covered by the black cloth, frowned slightly, thinking that this person must be an extremely dark person, as if he was a person who had lived in such a gloomy environment for many years, and had already blended in with the surrounding environment.
"The old mister is indeed the old mister, just like how an ordinary person would."
The person walked towards him and personally removed the gag binding on his mouth. Old Man Ji spat out, "If I was scared to the point of peeing by a street rat, wouldn't all my years of life have gone to waste?"
"Old sir, I am not as easy to talk to as that lunatic emperor. You are also a wise man, so before you speak, you should first consider your own situation, and then think about your precious grandson. Don't even think about it if you're wrong, otherwise I won't be able to guarantee that you will still be able to leave this place alive."
"Hmph, you really have a big mouth. My old man has never received any threats even at this age, and yet you're so rude when trying to get information out of me. You're not smarter than anyone, so if you don't know how to speak, then call your mouse leader over to tell me.
He sure had the same tone as some annoying guy.
Gu Qing laughed indifferently, took out a small medicine bottle, and placed it under the old man's nose before taking it back, "Oh, I'm sorry, I almost forgot, this thing doesn't have any smell, you can't ask."
Old Man Ji was startled, as though he had immediately thought of something, and furrowed his brows: "You have Wuhen?"
"Oh, as expected of Mr. Jil." Gu Qing placed the bottle back on its cap and played with it in his hands. "This isn't anything rare, I don't know how many people have consumed this before. What's there to be afraid of?"
Hearing his words, the Old Man Ji immediately understood something, and laughed disdainfully, "I was wondering who it was, so it was him. Why?
Gu Qing's eyes flashed sinisterly, "Those that do not deserve your advice, you better be smart and not talk too much. If you know too much, you won't be able to get out."
"I didn't plan to walk out after being kidnapped by you all, what, it can't be that it's for the sake of Wuhen's antidote right? Then your plans are not worth it, I can't solve the first one, and the second one, even if that person is able to cure the poison now, he won't live long, so maybe it would be better if I didn't understand it."
"Hmph, what does his life or death have to do with me!" Gu Qing flung his robes, bringing about a burst of cold wind, "Old sir, what I want is the antidote, I don't want to say anything else, if you insist on not giving it to me, then I can only let you have a taste of it, oh, it doesn't hurt nor itch, I won't make you suffer, I heard you like drinking, why not mix it with alcohol?"
The corner of Old Man Ji's mouth twitched, he could not tell if he was angry or afraid, "My life is more than enough, it's up to you, but I have to remind you of one thing, you giving me Wuhen is no different from wiping off my neck, once I die, no one will be able to cure me of the poison, you should think about it carefully."
Gu Qing laughed indifferently, "Since you have disappeared for so many years, I had thought that you had already died. I know that Wuhen did not come from your hands, if you do not give me, it would be the same if I ask your great grandson for it. I think that such a good thing should be passed on as a treasure, who knows who your daughter will leave the antidote to?"
Old Man Ji's lips trembled even more violently, as his eyes that were covered tightly closed.
The Old Man Ji had disappeared for two days, and even the His Majesty was in a hurry, it was a personal guard sent by him, who could be so arrogant as to block the road and kill people, and there were very few people who knew about this, it was fine if it was known that it was a shameful matter, but they still wanted to snatch the Old Man Ji, wasn't this obviously destroying his hope?
Its severity is equivalent to that of a usurper.
Without him, the His Majesty and the Second Prince would not even have a few years to live. Therefore, the His Majesty was simply furious, he sent a large number of imperial guards to search the city, he really wanted to dig a hole in the city, but it was essentially useless.
Gu Yun continued to look for people in private, not joining hands with the people from the His Majesty. For a moment, the entire capital was filled with anxiety, some might even think that there was some sort of thief or villain, but it was not necessarily a good thing for them to be so loud.
Xie Jingxi was worried to the point that she could no longer sleep, "Gu Qing is different from other people, he can't be measured by the way an ordinary person thinks. With His Majesty making such a ruckus, it's basically causing trouble.
There was something she didn't dare say or think about, Gu Qing was a person who was naturally extremely destructive. He didn't have any so-called existence of love or law in his mind, he did things as he pleased, and was also very impatient. He was completely unable to estimate what he was going to do, and the longer he was around, the more dangerous it would be.
After all, the Old Man Ji was already that old. Even if he didn't do anything, his mental torment would definitely kill him, not to mention that Gu Qing would definitely do something about it.
Seeing that she was no longer walking back and forth, Gu Yun was stunned for a moment after saying something, he was probably thinking of a countermeasure, he had even used up all his persuasion, and said all that he wanted, and it was also useless. From the incident until now, he had been the least talkative, and appeared to be the calmest, but he should also be the most uncertain, even when he was on the verge of death countless of times, and in his subconscious, Old Man Ji was probably the so-called godlike existence, he had never thought that this sovereign would fall so suddenly.
Xie Jingxi suddenly stood up, scaring Ming Yu to the point that he hurried over to support her. Xie Jingxi pushed her away, "Don't worry about me, just call Zhao Zhang in!"
Gu Yun watched from afar, but did not ask a single word. In an instant, Zhao Zhang came in, and Xie Jingxi whispered a few words into his ear, causing Zhao Zhang to be startled for a moment. She subconsciously looked at Gu Yun, and seeing that he did not object, she cupped her hands across her chest and said: "Grand Mistress, I'll go right now, don't worry."
After telling Zhao Zhang to go down, Xie Jingxi's heart was even more perturbed, but she was also certain that since she had forced them to such a state, she had no qualms about it anymore, so she might as well become even more muddled.
She was probably too concentrated just now, and when she stood up so fiercely, she finally noticed the silent Gu Yun. He had probably already lost his soul, Xie Jingxi thought, even she felt terrible, much less Gu Yun. After all, in his life, Old Man Ji was an influential existence, so she knew what it felt like for the pillar to collapse.
Xie Jingxi walked over and held his bone-chilling hands tightly, "Xuanchen, if I'm not wrong, there will soon be news of Grandfather. Regardless of whether or not he's alright, I will make them pay the price.
Gu Yun gave an inaudible grunt of agreement. His Xi always assured him that there was still her.
After a few hours, His Majesty received a secret letter. He impatiently opened it, thinking that there was news about Old Man Ji, but after seeing the contents of the secret letter, he squatted on his throne, stunned to the point where he could not even spit out a single word.
The secret letter read: "Yongping Residence, Qin Shi."
The His Majesty suddenly closed the secret letter, and the hand that was pinching the letter trembled uncontrollably. Blood shot out from his furious eyes, and a wave of intense pain suddenly swept through his mind, as if a thunderbolt had struck his head.
"His Majesty! His Majesty, you got a headache again? " Eunuch Liu was scared out of his wits when he saw his reaction. He hurriedly stepped forward to support him, "Are you here to summon the Imperial Physician Pei?"
His Majesty pushed him away. There was no longer anyone in his sight and Eunuch Liu's mouth opened and closed, but he could not hear a single word. There was only one thought in his mind, a thought that he would never want to hear again in his life.
The King Qin was actually still alive!
His Majesty almost instantly pieced together the whole story. No wonder people knew about Mr. Jil, no wonder things happened so coincidentally, it was all because of him! He actually came back!