Chapter 1106 - 1108: Fresh Out of Prison_1
Muyu shivered uncontrollably at Bai Ruozhu’s attitude but couldn’t help but remind her despite herself, "Master, Zhou Jue is proficient in the use of poisons."
Bai Ruozhu rolled her eyes at him and said, "Yeah, Zhou Jue is proficient in the use of poison, but is he proficient in detoxification? He himself may be resistant to poison, but what about his subordinates? Chopping off Zhou Jue’s limbs is also helping Zhou Rui, isn’t it?"
As she spoke, she couldn’t help but smirk, "Of course, we’re doing a good deed without leaving our names."
Jianqi looked on with a serious face, but couldn’t help but think to himself: Master, you really have some thick skin, don’t you?
It wasn’t long before Bai Ruozhu came up with a plan. She instructed a few people to stand guard outside while she went back to the room to concoct something. Roughly four hours later, she handed a medicine bottle to Jianqi.
"Find a way to toss the medicine inside into the yard where Zhou Jue is staying, and make sure they don’t find out it was you," Bai Ruozhu said.
Jianqi hesitated for a moment, "Master, if someone discovers the pills, they might trace it back to us."
"Don’t worry, the pills will evaporate quickly, and even if Zhou Jue discovers them, he won’t be able to find any compelling evidence," Bai Ruozhu said confidently.
Jianqi nodded, then took the medicine bottle and quickly vanished into the night.
He stealthily lurked near the guest house, waiting for an opportunity to throw a few pills inside. He also observed carefully for a while, but alas, it was too dark, and he couldn’t make out what kind of reaction the pills would have.
The pills quickly evaporated, releasing poisonous gas into the yard that people would inhale. However, the poison was of a slow-acting nature, so no one noticed.
Zhou Jue spent the entire night contemplating countermeasures and did not leave his room, so he failed to notice the poison laid in the yard. The next morning, he had his breakfast delivered to his room. With a bruised face, what reason did he have to stroll outside?
When the door was pushed open, he thought he detected an unusual scent, but since a whole night had passed, the scent was very faint. Although he was suspicious, he couldn’t pinpoint the problem.
...
Inside the Bai Residence, Gu Xue’an arrived early in the morning to learn bookkeeping from Bai Ruozhu and brought a set of head ornaments as a gift.
"This is from my mother, thanking you for sending the letter. It’s thanks to you that my father was able to establish great merit before the Emperor," Gu Xue’an said with a smile.
Bai Ruozhu hastily pushed the mirror box back, "I should be thanking Lord Gu, otherwise we would not have been able to advise, and my husband would not have been able to use this opportunity to clear his name. It’s Lord Gu who has done us a great service."
However, Gu Xue’an absolutely refused to take it back, "But whom you sought for help matters not, for my father, it led to the Emperor’s praise. By the sound of it, the Emperor intends to have him remain on official business in the Capital."
"That’s a good thing, we can meet up more often. It’ll be convenient for you to visit your parents after you get married," Bai Ruozhu said with a look of contentment.
Gu Xue’an’s face flushed to her neck. Why did the conversation turn to her getting married again?
The thought of marriage inevitably brought Lin Xufei to her mind. She wondered how he was doing now?
In the end, Bai Ruozhu accepted the head ornaments, saying, "Once Achun’s issue has settled down, we’ll definitely visit to express our gratitude in a few days."
"There’s no need for thanks; coming over for a visit is the proper thing to do. We agreed, remember, so don’t think about reneging when the time comes," Gu Xue’an said cheerfully.
Just then, a maid came in to announce that Jiao Bingqin had come to visit.
Bai Ruozhu secretly puckered her mouth and said, "Please let her in."
Gu Xue’an hurriedly looked at Bai Ruozhu and asked in a low voice, "Is it the woman that everyone’s talking about outside?"
Bai Ruozhu glared at her, "Don’t pay attention to the gossipers, she is just an orphan taking shelter here."
Gu Xue’an nodded and didn’t ask any further.
At this moment, Jiao Bingqin walked in, feigning surprise, and said softly, "It turns out there is a guest here at sister-in-law’s place, I have intruded inappropriately. How may I address this young lady?"
Gu Xue’an didn’t like her very much and said coldly, "My surname is Gu."
And that was it, she didn’t say her name, nor did she mention which family she belonged to; Jiao Bingqin’s smile froze on her face, and somewhat awkwardly said, "Miss Gu, it is nice to meet you. My name is Jiao Bingqin."
Gu Xue’an responded with a hum and stopped talking. Bai Ruozhu chuckled to herself at the side, and, finding it improper to just let someone stand there, suppressed her amusement and said, "Miss Jiao, please sit down and talk."
Jiao Bingqin thanked her and sat down next to Gu Xue’an. As soon as she sat down, she began to praise Gu Xue’an’s hair ornament and dress, and her compliments were quite skilled; Bai Ruozhu thought that if she hadn’t always disliked Jiao Bingqin, she would have felt quite fond of the young woman if praised in such a manner.
Gu Xue’an’s expression softened somewhat, but although she felt one should not offend someone who comes with a smiling face, she didn’t develop any fondness for Jiao Bingqin. However, Jiao Bingqin’s eyes shone brightly, as if she believed she had gotten closer to Gu Xue’an.
Seeing that the hour was getting late, Gu Xue’an rose to take her leave. The two often visited each other, so Bai Ruozhu didn’t bother with formalities and didn’t accompany her, but Jiao Bingqin also stood up, saying, "I was just about to leave too; I’ll walk Miss Gu out."
Gu Xue’an gave her a bland glance. Did Jiao Bingqin consider herself the hostess?
Bai Ruozhu shook her head slightly at Gu Xue’an, signaling her not to take issue with Jiao Bingqin.
Once the two had left together, Bai Ruozhu’s smile carried a hint of sarcasm as she asked the maid outside, "How did Miss Jiao come here?"
Xianshi promptly answered, "She said she was taking a walk in the garden and then saw Miss Gu from a distance. She also asked this servant a few questions. I only said she was a Miss from the Gu Family and didn’t dare to say more."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, gave Xianshi some broken silver as a reward, and told her to continue attending to Jiao Bingqin.
It seemed that Jiao Bingqin might not actually know Gu Xue’an’s true identity and was simply seeking to make an appearance. But what exactly gave Jiao Bingqin such confidence that she could earn the favor of her friend?
After a while, Muyu returned to report, "Madame, Zhou Jue was escorted out of the capital by Zhou Rui. In the Guest House yard, Zhou Rui even instructed his men to let Zhou Jue have a good rest."
"Oh? Zhou Rui has quite impressive experts by his side?" Bai Ruozhu raised an eyebrow.
"It’s two Black Banner Guards from Emperor Chengshui of Chengshui Country. Zhou Jue was also surprised that his imperial father sent Black Banner Guards to Zhou Rui," Muyu informed her.
Black Banner Guards were the imperial guards directly under the control of Emperor Chengshui, much like the Shadow Guards of the Emperor of Danliang Country, with formidable martial arts skills and absolute loyalty to the emperor. The fact that Emperor Chengshui sent Black Banner Guards to Zhou Rui, even just two of them, was enough to show the emperor’s attitude.
It seemed that the old emperor indeed intended for the Third Prince to succeed him. But how did Zhou Jue get the Crown Prince Decree? Through a charm technique?
By noontime, Jiang Yichun was released from the Imperial Guard Dungeon and hurried back to the Bai Family on horseback at full speed.
"Yichun has suffered too. I’ve asked the servants to prepare some Artemisia leaves; remember to cleanse the negative energy later," Lin Ping’er said happily.
The custom in Danliang Country is to use water infused with Artemisia leaves to cleanse oneself after being released from jail, to remove bad luck.
"Thank you, Mother, I will go and cleanse myself now." Having been in jail for several days, his stubble had sprouted, making him look somewhat world-weary. After saying this, he pulled Bai Ruozhu aside, hinting that he wanted his wife to help him cleanse...