Her jade fist clenched tightly.
Damn it!
What had the Meng family mother and son endured over the years to become like this?
She took a deep breath, exhaled, and suppressed her anger before reaching out to feel Meng Shi's pulse.
As she felt Meng Shi's pulse, Gu Qianying's gaze grew colder.
Gu poison! Syphilis!
After placing Meng Shi's wrist back, Gu Qianying lifted Meng Shi's skirt.
She looked at the patches of bruises and several wrinkled wounds on Meng Shi's body.
Gu Qianying took a deep breath and punched the side of the bed, startling the young emperor beside her.
"Godmother, my imperial mother..."
The young emperor looked worried. He leaned his small head over and whispered.
Gu Qianying first took a black pill from her medicine pouch and placed it in Meng Shi's mouth.
At this time, Meng Shi had not yet woken up.
Then, she took out silver needles and inserted a few into Meng Shi's head.
After withdrawing the needles, Gu Qianying pulled the young emperor closer. "Si'er, take off your clothes."
Murong Si blinked and obediently did as Gu Qianying said.
As his robes were removed, she also saw numerous wounds on the young emperor.
The most prevalent were whip marks, both new and old.
Seeing the emperor's body covered in wounds, Gu Qianying's heart ached. She took out some medicinal powder and very gently applied it to the emperor's injuries.
"Nangong Cong did this?"
Seeing Murong Si's injuries, Gu Qianying felt immense heartache.
The young emperor nodded.
Gu Qianying's gaze turned cold. "Scoundrel! Godmother will get this debt back for you!"
She applied the powder to each wound, gently blowing on them.
Seeing this, the young emperor quietly said to Gu Qianying, "Godmother, I don't hurt anymore. You don't need to worry about me. Nangong Cong is very powerful. Don't go against him, or he will harm you."
Hearing the young emperor say this, Gu Qianying's heart ached even more.
After applying the medicine, she helped the young emperor put on his clothes and then hugged him tightly.
"It's all my fault for letting you suffer."
Hiding in Gu Qianying's embrace, the young emperor shook his head. "It's not Godmother's fault. It's Si'er's incompetence. I couldn't protect myself or my imperial mother."
The young emperor was very sensible.
At this moment, Meng Shi, who was lying on the bed, finally woke up.
She opened her eyes and turned to see the young emperor being held by a woman.
From her angle, she could only see Gu Qianying's back, not her face.
Anxious, she lifted the quilt and tried to get out of bed. "Let go of my son! If you have something against me, come at me!"
Weak, she stepped onto the floor, her body swaying unsteadily.
Her vision blurred, and she stumbled forward...
Suddenly, a figure rushed forward and caught her.
"It's me."
A familiar voice sounded in Meng Shi's ear.
Meng Shi suddenly turned her head and met a pair of familiar eyes.
"Qianying... is that you? You really came?"
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and Meng Shi was extremely excited. However, the dense red marks on her arm made Meng Shi quickly let go of Gu Qianying and push her away. "Don't touch me!"
As she pushed Gu Qianying away, Meng Shi weakly swayed and fell towards the table. "And my son, don't let him touch me!"
Meng Shi leaned on a chair, too weak to stand up.
"Knowing you're sick and still being so willful, what exactly do you want?"
Gu Qianying stepped forward, grabbed Meng Shi's hand, and half-knelt, lifting Meng Shi as if in a princess carry.
Meng Shi looked at Gu Qianying's disguised face, tears flowing.
"Qianying, I have an unclean illness. Don't touch me, I'm very dirty."
As she said this, Meng Shi dared not meet Gu Qianying's gaze.
She was afraid of being disgusted.
Gu Qianying's body stiffened.
She took a breath, held Meng Shi, and gently placed her on the bed. Sitting in front of her, her voice was clear and slightly angry. "Who did this! Was it Nangong Cong?"
Meng Shi bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes.
She turned her face away, crying silently.
Silence was the best answer.
"Don't worry, I've noted this debt! I will make Nangong Cong pay a heavy price!"
"But... I'm dirty, unclean."
Meng Shi choked.
Gu Qianying turned her face towards her and used her hand to wipe away her tears. "It's okay, I will cure you."
Seeing Gu Qianying take out silver needles, and unlike others who wiped their hands with handkerchiefs in front of her as if she were so dirty, Meng Shi's tears fell like broken pearls.
She cried silently.
She had endured days of being disliked, despised, abused, tormented, and bullied by others for five whole years.
Recently, she discovered she had an unclean illness.
Very dirty, very, very dirty.
She had attempted suicide several times, but seeing her son, so frail, by her side, she abandoned the thought.
If she died, Nangong Cong would not let her son live.
She couldn't be so selfish. Even if she had to die, she wanted to wait for Gu Qianying to come and help her son escape.
As long as her son could survive, she would do anything.
It was also in the past few days that she used her last savings to bribe a palace maid to spread the news of her unclean illness.
Nangong Cong would not allow anyone to disrupt his plans.
Even less would he allow any damage to his "good impression" in front of outsiders.
This was why he had sent physicians to treat her.
Gu Qianying, disguised as another person, became a female physician in the palace.
With such an illness, only a female physician could diagnose and treat it.
For this reason, she knew Gu Qianying would come. She had been waiting for her for a long time.
"Don't speak, calm yourself, and save your strength."
Gu Qianying inserted two silver needles into Meng Shi's arm.
Meng Shi did not listen to Gu Qianying. She used her other hand, not pierced by needles, to grab Gu Qianying's wrist. "Qianying, forget about me. Please, quickly take my son away from here. I beg you, Qianying."
At this moment, her greatest concern was her son.
"Leave? Just take your son and leave me to fend for myself?"
Gu Qianying looked at Meng Shi, her expression stern.
"Qianying, you don't need to worry about me. I'm dirty and beyond saving. You should leave quickly, don't mind me."
Meng Shi pushed Gu Qianying away.
She turned to Murong Si and said, "Son, you must listen to your godmother from now on, do you hear me?"
The young emperor nodded and took a few steps forward, kneeling at the foot of the bed. "Mother, I won't leave you. I'm not going."
"Foolish!"
Meng Shi, sobbing uncontrollably, grabbed Gu Qianying's hand. "Qianying, don't listen to him. Take him away. As long as he can live, I don't care if I die."
Gu Qianying pulled her hand away from Meng Shi's grasp, her voice clear and cold. "Neither of you will be leaving."
Meng Shi was suddenly startled.
She looked at Gu Qianying in disbelief. "Qianying... you... you also dislike me, don't you?"
That's right!
She had become very dirty now.
Everyone would dislike her.
Why wouldn't Gu Qianying dislike her?
Because they knew each other before?
Yes, why?
Because after taking her son away, they would face the consequences of opposing Nangong Cong?
Face being hunted?
They only knew each other. Why should Gu Qianying help her?
Why should she risk herself for her?
Meng Shi turned her back to Gu Qianying. "You should go. Thank you for visiting us."
Her tear-filled eyes were now filled only with despair.
Gu Qianying was so angry she almost laughed.
She walked over, turned Meng Shi around, pressed her with one hand, and stared at her coldly. "Do you think I would abandon you and my godson?"
Meng Shi faced Gu Qianying, tilting her head, tears glistening in her eyes. "Whatever decision you make, I will understand."
"Heh!"
Seeing Meng Shi's pretense of indifference despite her disappointment, Gu Qianying felt a pang of anger.
She pinched Meng Shi's chin, forcing her to look at her.
The young emperor, kneeling beside them, crawled over and hugged Gu Qianying's leg. "Godmother, Si'er begs you, don't hurt Mother."
Gu Qianying ignored the young emperor. She looked at Meng Shi. "You and Si'er are both infected with the gu poison. You have a sub-gu residing in your bodies. Once you leave the mother gu for more than fifteen minutes, you will surely die!"
With that, Gu Qianying released Meng Shi.
She casually pulled the young emperor up and held him in her arms, pinching his small nose. "Si'er, do you understand what Godmother said?"
The young emperor nodded obediently. "Godmother means we can't leave here. If we leave, both Mother and I will die?"
Gu Qianying rubbed the young emperor's head. "Mm-hmm, so Si'er knows what to do?"
The young emperor nodded obediently. "I understand, Godmother. I want to stay here and take good care of Mother. We can't go out."
Although it was his first time meeting his godmother, for some reason, he felt that only by staying by his godmother's side would he not be so afraid.
Gu Qianying took a pill from her medicine pouch and put it into the young emperor's mouth. "This pill can temporarily resist the gu poison in your bodies. The next time I come, I will surely help Si'er and your mother to remove this gu poison."
As she spoke, Gu Qianying lifted the young emperor's arm. "Si'er, are you afraid of pain?"
The young emperor shook his head. "No."
"Good boy."
While speaking, Gu Qianying made a small cut on the young emperor's finger with a dagger. She squeezed his finger, and blood dripped down. She found a container nearby to collect his blood.
Then, she bandaged the young emperor's wound and set him down, sitting in front of Meng Shi.
Using the same method, she collected Meng Shi's blood in another container. Then, Gu Qianying gave Meng Shi another pill. "This pill can cure syphilis. It needs to be taken twice. The next time will be when I take you out of the palace. Until then, do not seek death. Take good care of Si'er and yourself."
Meng Shi looked at Gu Qianying without speaking, only crying.
Gu Qianying wiped away Meng Shi's tears again. She showed no impatience towards Meng Shi. "Alright, stop crying. If you cry anymore, you won't be pretty, and you'll become an ugly mother. Si'er will dislike you."
"If I become ugly, will you also dislike me?"
"Yes... I don't like ugly crying friends."
At this moment, Meng Shi smiled...