The fire at Chaoyang Palace raged for a full three hours. By the time the eunuchs and guards below managed to extinguish the flames, everyone discovered the charred remains of Consort Shu and her maid. They were burnt to cinders, leaving only two steaming skeletons and a few bleached skulls.
When Gu Qianying returned to Jiuhua Palace with Lu Zhu, Nangong Xuanning had not yet woken. Gu Qianying changed her clothes, washed her hands, ate something, and then sat by the window, drinking a pot of hot wine.
"Miss, please rest. I will keep watch here."
Seeing that Gu Qianying's wine cup was empty, Lu Zhu approached and respectfully refilled it.
The maidservant by Nangong Xuanning's side, Huan Bi, had been sent by Gu Qianying to brew a decoction of calming herbs. In truth, it was a common calming medicine that would have no effect on Nangong Xuanning in her current state. However, Huan Bi, always by her side, needed an excuse to leave.
"No need!"
Gu Qianying's indifferent gaze fell upon the bright moonlight in the sky outside the window.
"Lu Zhu, have you noticed how bright the moonlight is tonight?"
As she spoke, Gu Qianying’s gaze never left the moonlight.
"Miss, tonight is the full moon, so the moonlight is naturally at its most beautiful."
Lu Zhu glanced at the moonlight, as bright as a lamp. She then looked at her young lady, wondering if it was her imagination, but she always felt her lady was in a low mood today.
Since her lady did not wish to speak much, Lu Zhu waited by her side, silent and still.
A moment later, Nangong Xuanning woke up. Upon waking, she was still wrapped in her quilt, cowering in the corner, her trembling body refusing to let anyone approach. Even Gu Qianying, who instinctively held her, could not communicate with her at the moment.
It wasn't until Gu Qianying unwrapped a small piece of mint-flavored candy and placed it in Nangong Xuanning's mouth that Nangong Xuanning finally looked up at Gu Qianying, her voice faint, "I'm hungry."
"Alright!"
Gu Qianying said nothing more, uttering only one word before asking Lu Zhu to go prepare.
A spread of pastries, all Nangong Xuanning's usual favorites, was soon brought out.
Gu Qianying picked up a pastry and slowly offered it to her, "Come, have something to eat."
Nangong Xuanning did not move, but her eyes glanced at Lu Zhu beside Gu Qianying. Lu Zhu had a sword slung at her waist, and her expression was cold.
Gu Qianying looked at her, "You may go."
Lu Zhu nodded, withdrew, and closed the door.
When only Gu Qianying and Nangong Xuanning were in the room, Nangong Xuanning timidly reached out.
The fragrant pastries were delicious, and Nangong Xuanning ate several pieces.
"She's dead!"
Gu Qianying poured Nangong Xuanning a cup of hot wine and pushed it towards her.
Gu Qianying did not specify who had died, but she knew Nangong Xuanning would understand.
Nangong Xuanning was straightforward and usually carefree, but she was not foolish.
Nangong Xuanning's body tensed, a layer of mist gathering in her eyes. She held the pastry in her mouth, not swallowing. After an unknown amount of time, she turned to look at Gu Qianying and asked, "After he knows, will you be in trouble?"
Who this "he" was, both Gu Qianying and Nangong Xuanning understood.
"Don't worry, I won't be."
Gu Qianying's reply was also brief.
She stood up and walked to the bedside, lifted the bedding, took out the dagger hidden beneath, and returned, handing it to Nangong Xuanning. "From today onwards, I will protect you. I will not let anyone bully you again. This is for you, to defend yourself. While I am here, you may not need it, but having it is a precaution."
In the palace, although Consort Shu, Gu Mingyue, was dead, Nangong Zhen'er was a formidable opponent. Not only did she know how to use gu, but she also possessed considerable martial arts skills. Gu Qianying would not let Nangong Xuanning experience those things again, never!
At this moment, Gu Qianying recalled someone's words to her: "That girl Xuanning, she's not a bad person, just a bit spoiled. As her Ninth Imperial Uncle, I naturally wouldn't bother with her."
Unbeknownst to her, those whom Nangong Mo cared about had also become people she cared about, and people she would protect in the future.
Nangong Xuanning was stunned, her long eyelashes framing a pair of bewildered eyes.
She asked, "Gu Qianying, why are you being so good to me? I'm someone who dislikes you."
Gu Qianying drank the hot wine, not looking at her, and simply smiled, "I also dislike you, but... disliking you doesn't prevent me from caring."
Nangong Xuanning looked at Gu Qianying for a long time without speaking, but her eyes seemed to have gotten sand in them, turning red.
Finally, she smiled, and Gu Qianying smiled too.
In the middle of the night, the two of them had a little wine and chatted merrily.
*Plop!*
A jade pendant slipped from Nangong Xuanning's sleeve and was picked up by Gu Qianying.
Gu Qianying, swaying slightly, looked at the jade pendant in her hand. "Hmm, this jade pendant looks so familiar. Whose is it?"
Nangong Xuanning, holding a pot of wine, leaned on the table, shaking her head. "I don't know. It fell from the person who saved me that day. I was too scared at the time to see who it was."
After staring at the jade pendant in her hand for a while, she raised her hand and patted her flushed cheeks, a figure suddenly flashing through her mind.
Gu Qianying chuckled.
Interesting! So interesting!
At the same time.
Inside the Poison Doctor's Sacred Hall, in the bamboo house.
"Nangong Li, hurry! Give the medicine to Xiao Linzi quickly."
Meng Qinghua was supporting Nangong Mo, who was curled up on the bed, clutching his chest, sweat beading on his forehead from the pain.
At this moment, Nangong Mo's face was as pale as paper, and his cold eyes, rimmed with frost, were bloodshot.
The palpitation ailment had caused him pain all day, and tonight, being the full moon, the agony, as if being torn apart by thousands of insects and ants, only intensified.
And at this moment, the noble Sixth Prince, Nangong Li, was reduced to running errands.
Meng Qinghua had already prescribed a medicine to temporarily alleviate the pain, but it was merely a symptomatic treatment.
"Coming, coming!"
Nangong Li rushed in with the scalding decoction and handed it to Meng Qinghua. Meng Qinghua held Nangong Mo with one hand and the decoction with the other.
"Quick, help me hold him."
Meng Qinghua glanced at Nangong Li, who immediately stepped forward to take Meng Qinghua's place, supporting Nangong Mo.
However... with a "bang!"
The moment Nangong Mo raised his palm, he struck Nangong Li several meters away.
If Meng Qinghua hadn't reached out to block, Nangong Li might have been injured long ago.
"Xiao Linzi, are you crazy? I'm Nangong Li!"
Nangong Li, clutching his injured shoulder several meters away, could not have imagined that he would be injured by his friend Xiao Linzi.
He looked astonished.
"He doesn't want anyone to come near him right now. Let's stay away."
After placing the decoction in front of Nangong Mo, Meng Qinghua also moved away from him.
He didn't know what Nangong Mo had experienced in the outside world over the years, but he could clearly feel that even when Nangong Mo was in a vulnerable state, he still maintained his vigilance towards the outside world.
And it was this vigilance that had caused him to injure Nangong Li.
From taking Nangong Mo's pulse and observing him over the past few days, Meng Qinghua was certain that Nangong Mo had lost his memory and, for some reason, had contracted the palpitation ailment.
"How long will this Xiao Linzi's madness last? Will he die from the pain?"
Nangong Li hid far away, his face full of worry.
At first, he had thought that Xiao Linzi had become so abnormal because he had consumed the nourishing soups specially sent by Gu Qianying. Meng Qinghua had said those soups contained rhubarb. Although he didn't know why that woman Gu Qianying would be so cruel to Xiao Linzi, seeing Xiao Linzi drink all those soups without leaving a drop, and even claiming they were delicious,
He felt that this fool Xiao Linzi deserved to be tricked, thoroughly tricked. He had even quietly told Xiao Linzi that the soups contained rhubarb, but Xiao Linzi ignored him completely and kept saying they were delicious.
A fool, a complete fool.
But now, seeing Xiao Linzi in such pain, it didn't seem like he had just drunk a nourishing soup containing rhubarb!
"Ah... Xiao Linzi, quickly drink your medicine. After drinking it, perhaps the pain will lessen. Hurry and drink the medicine."
Meng Qinghua was anxious. As he slowly approached Nangong Mo,
Nangong Mo suddenly raised his eyes, and his reddened pupils suddenly turned purple. Purple pupils appeared.
An evil wind swirled, and an invisible, powerful spiritual energy surged from all directions.
Inside the room, the stone table, tea set, and desk were all overturned and thrown to the ground by this powerful spiritual energy.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Outside the door...