"You were poisoned by a Gu worm, planted by Xu Miaoniang. It was likely in the soup," Gu Sinian stated concisely.
Gu Qing recalled that whenever Xu Miaoniang sent soup, the Young Master would give it to him. But the soup was delicious; how could it contain Gu worms?
Gu Qing looked up at Xu Miaoniang, finding it hard to believe that such a delicate girl could do such a thing.
"It wasn't in the soup," Xu Miaoniang said. "I painstakingly brewed that soup, and it was still very hot when I sent it. Young larvae couldn't withstand such heat. Gu Qing's Gu worm was in the sachet."
Gu Qing was stunned. He had drunk Xu Miaoniang's soup many times. Although it was only because the Young Master didn't want it and he got it cheaply, he had developed a strange affection for her. After all, in his life, besides his mother, he hadn't tasted soup prepared by any other girl. So, he had given Xu Miaoniang a bracelet, one he had carefully chosen. Later, Xu Miaoniang sent a sachet to Gu Qing, saying it was a thank you for the bracelet, which she liked very much.
Gu Qing was overjoyed when he received the sachet and wore it on his waist with great care.
Gu Sinian understood. He had asked about this before, as Gu Qing, being rough and burly, wasn't usually interested in such accessories. What had Gu Qing said at the time? That he saw someone selling it on the street, thought it looked nice, and bought it on impulse.
Gu Sinian had never imagined such complications behind such a trivial matter.
"So, why did you poison me?" Gu Qing asked Xu Miaoniang.
Xu Miaoniang's expression was blank. "Because you drank all the soup I meticulously prepared. That soup was for Gu Sinian. What right did you have to drink it? Look at your status; are you worthy?"
Gu Qing looked at Xu Miaoniang in disbelief. "Just for that?"
"Otherwise?"
Gu Qing's face fell. He had harbored a faint hope that the Young Master would intercede with the Old Madam and propose marriage to Xu Miaoniang. After all, he was a fifth-rank military officer, still young, with a bright future, and could provide Xu Miaoniang with a comfortable life. He thought that after failing to win the Young Master's heart, Xu Miaoniang would abandon her feelings, but this was just his wishful thinking.
"Do you want to pursue Xu Miaoniang?" Gu Sinian asked. "She did save Grandmother, and Grandmother specifically instructed me not to make things difficult for her. As for you, that's not something we can decide."
This meant that if Gu Qing pursued the matter, Xu Miaoniang would be handed over to him for judgment.
Gu Qing struggled internally. After a long moment, he said, "Young Master, your subordinate does not wish to make things difficult for her."
Regardless of how Xu Miaoniang viewed him, he still felt pity for her.
Standing at the entrance of the Huguo Duke's mansion, Xu Miaoniang's eyes were filled with inscrutable emotions. The day she stepped into the Huguo Duke's mansion, she had told herself that this would be her home from now on, and she would be the mistress of the estate. But now, she was being driven out, driven out by the person she had yearned for. How pathetic!
She slowly turned and walked step by step into the alley, only to have her path blocked...
Gu Qing knelt on the ground, his head bowed in silence. Before Xu Miaoniang left, he had asked her how she had poisoned the Young Master. She had said she did it through him. The Gu worm she had planted in him would obey commands issued through the mother Gu, and he would have no memory of this period. Even so, Gu Qing felt unforgivable; he had almost killed the Young Master.
Gu Qing's father's generation was alone and adrift. By chance, he was noticed by the Old Master of the Gu family, given a name, and became a family retainer of the Gu family. Because he was a few years older than the Young Master, he had been placed by the Young Master's side since childhood. They had grown up together, their bond stronger than that of brothers.
But now... what foolishness had he committed!
"We had never heard of Gu worm techniques before this, so you don't need to worry about it. Relax and take good care of yourself. You've always managed things around me. What, do you want to take this opportunity to quit?" Gu Sinian said slowly.