FBC – Chapter 187 Evidence of Crime

Zhou Zhilan, afraid she might panic, quickly reassured her: “It’s alright. You fainted, but opportunities wait for no one. The Lord had no choice but to order Chiyu to send you back to Juzhou. Later, he commanded people to blow up the towers of Shicheng Commandery, and at the same time personally led troops to assault the Prince of Dali’s capital.”

Gu Hua’s face changed. “Blow up the towers? Was anyone hurt?”

“No, no one. It was only to make the Prince of Dali believe their scheme had succeeded, so that they would drop their guard.” Zhou Zhilan comforted her.

Suddenly, Gu Hua thought of something. “Is Chiyu here?”

“Yes.” Zhou Zhilan turned to Dong Hua. “Dong Hua, quickly go call him.”

Before long, Dong Hua brought Chiyu inside.

“Where is Ji Xuanyu’s body?”

“Madam, it is placed in the charity hall of Juzhou City. The Lord instructed that once you awoke, the funeral arrangements would be carried out according to your wishes.”

Gu Hua’s heart clenched. Mu Junyan cared far too much about her feelings. Otherwise, with Ji Xuanyu’s monstrous crimes, there would have been no funeral rites at all.

“Hurry and check his underclothes. Before he died, he told me that the antidote to the Gu poison was written on them.”

Everyone was startled.

“Truly?”

At that moment, Shen Li came in carrying a bowl of medicine. “I said all along there must be a cure. If there’s an antidote, there must be a formula. Go and fetch it, I’ll examine it.”

Chiyu didn’t dare delay. Just as he was about to leave, Gu Hua added, “Change his clothes, too.”

“Yes.” Chiyu answered quickly and left.

“Come now, drink the medicine.”

Shen Li’s face was cold. “You’re carrying a child now, and still you don’t take care of yourself.”

Gu Hua accepted the medicine bowl, like a guilty child. She whispered, “I didn’t expect I would get pregnant.”

After speaking, she felt a bit guilty. Quickly, she drank it all in one gulp.

Her hand caressed her lower abdomen. Could it be… the child who hadn’t been able to be born in her past life had returned again?

Her heart grew sore, her eyes grew red.

Child… is it you, come back to me?

But wasn’t she supposed to have difficulty conceiving?

Looking at her pitiful expression, Shen Li’s face remained stern, but her tone softened a great deal. “I specially prepared pills for you. One pill equals three bowls of medicinal decoction—you’ve been taking them for two months. Your body is well. Besides, difficult to conceive doesn’t mean impossible. If the man is strong enough, it’s possible. This child is almost two months old.”

Almost two months?

Gu Hua thought of Shen Li’s words: if the man is strong enough…

Wasn’t that so?

The child’s father was certainly strong enough.

With her body that rarely conceived, just a few times and she was with child.

Perhaps, in the unseen will of heaven, it was the child longing for his father—so she had been made to deliver grain to save him.

Gu Hua quickly nodded. “Yes, yes. With Divine Physician Shen here, my child has returned to me.”

Shen Li didn’t understand what she meant by “returned.” But she never concerned herself with unrelated matters. For her, the most important thing was the safety of mother and child.

Gu Hua’s throat tightened again.

Though fate had changed this lifetime, some things still arrived as scheduled.

In her past life, five days from now… news of Mu Junyan’s death had reached Bianjing.

And half a month later, just after she learned of her pregnancy, she had been drowned by Mu An.

Now, every difficulty had been dissolved one by one.

The explosion crisis of Shicheng Commandery had been resolved. The child had arrived early. Mu Junyan would surely return victorious.

He had a child now. This good news—she wanted to tell him in person.

Half an hour later, Chiyu returned.

Shen Li took the underclothes from him. Sure enough, a few lines of small characters were written beneath the back. After reading them, the sternness on her face relaxed considerably.

“I’ll go test it.”

She left with the garment.

“Oh, I still have a pill. Take it too.” Gu Hua thought for a moment, a little hazy. “But I don’t remember where I put it.”

“I already took it.” Shen Li gave her a sharp look. “You never cherish your own body. I’m worrying myself for nothing.”

Gu Hua just chuckled sheepishly, finally able to set her heart at ease.

Not long after, Shen Li returned, her face alight with excitement. “The antidote is real. The afflicted can be saved. I must hurry to the clinic to prepare the medicine.”

She left like the wind.

“Dong Hua, Dong Qing, go assist Shen Li. There are many poisoned people in the city—she won’t manage alone.”

Zhou Zhilan added, “Go, I’ll stay with Madam.”

The two maids went off. Gu Hua finally breathed a true sigh of relief.

Brother Ji… at least you did one good thing. That can count as atonement, right?

Then she remembered something else. “Chiyu. There’s another task for you. This is of the utmost importance. Don’t let anyone else know—you must go alone.”

“Yes.”

By nightfall, Shen Li and the two maids returned, exhausted.

Gu Hua hurriedly ordered hot water for them to bathe, and had dinner prepared.

As Shen Li ate, she glared at Gu Hua. “Why aren’t you lying obediently in bed? What are you wandering around for?”

Wrapped in a thick cloak, Gu Hua gave her a placating smile. “Divine Physician Shen, I’ve been lying down for three days and two nights. My bones were stiff. I only got up to take a slow walk. I didn’t dare move recklessly.”

“You weren’t lying down. You were unconscious for three days and two nights.”

Shen Li slammed her chopsticks down and strode over. Grasping Gu Hua’s arms, she lifted her lightly but firmly, carrying her toward the room.

Zhou Zhilan, startled, rushed to support the other side. “Heavens! You can’t even get out of bed yet. It’s my fault, I didn’t watch you properly.”

Gu Hua was both amused and helpless. “I can walk on my own! You two don’t need to carry me—my feet can barely touch the ground.”

Shen Li’s face remained stern. “Don’t move around. This way you won’t strain yourself, and you can shuffle gently without harming the child.”

Gu Hua had no choice but to let them carry her floating into the room, set her on the bed, and tuck her in.

She was being treated like a baby.

“Divine Physician Shen, how long must I stay like this?” Gu Hua pouted, leaning against the headboard.

In her previous life, she hadn’t been treated with such care while pregnant. She’d been abused, humiliated—yet the child had not been lost.

This time, the child was Mu Junyan’s seed. He should be even stronger.

“You must protect the pregnancy. Wait until Duke Yong returns. I must hand over both mother and child to him, safe and sound.”

Gu Hua: “…”

“Madam.”

“Chiyu?” At the sound of his voice, Gu Hua instinctively tried to get up.

Shen Li and Zhou Zhilan leapt forward, pressing her down. In unison, they shouted: “Don’t move!”

Zhou Zhilan called out toward the door, “Madam needs rest. If there’s anything, report tomorrow.”

“It’s a matter Madam instructed me to handle—it’s urgent,” Chiyu said from outside, troubled.

Gu Hua pleaded, “Let him in. It really is important.”

Zhou Zhilan hesitated, recalling the serious look Gu Hua had given when she’d sent Chiyu off earlier. She turned to Shen Li. “Perhaps we should let him report?”

Shen Li frowned. “She can’t exhaust herself too much. She fainted from overwork already. An adult recovers by sleeping, but the child in her belly can’t withstand it.”

Gu Hua grumbled inwardly that they were more nervous than she was. She explained, “It truly concerns the Lord.”

Only then did Shen Li relent. “Not too long. I’ll go make another bowl of medicine for you.”

Chiyu entered, holding a wooden chest about a foot wide.

Gu Hua patted the small table by the bed. “Put it here.”

He set it down and immediately retreated, head lowered, not daring to look at her directly.

Gu Hua touched the box, feeling a pang of sorrow.

This was Brother Ji’s second act of atonement.

He had said it concerned the Jiang family—it must be something important.

“Chiyu, guard outside. No one is to approach.”

“Yes.” Chiyu obeyed and stationed himself at the door.

Zhou Zhilan curiously touched the rosewood chest. “With such a valuable box, could it contain rare jewels?”

“No. Most likely it’s evidence of the Jiang clan’s crimes.”

Zhou Zhilan’s mouth fell open, her expression instantly grave.

“Sister Zhilan, help me open it.”