AWB Chapter 526 Xie Jing's Line: Gu Insects
Chapter 526 Xie Jing's Line: Gu Insects
Before long, a maid brought out a lacquer tray.
On the tea tray are four plain blue teacups decorated with lotus flowers. The tea in the cups is clear and bright, and the aroma wafts out with the heat.
Qin Jiuwei personally picked up a cup and handed it to Li Sheng, saying, "Here, try the tea here."
"This Bixuexia Bud is the first harvest of early spring from Huainan Yuzhuang, and it is a rare and excellent tea in Beijing."
Li Sheng quickly stood up and took it, holding it steadily with both hands, and said respectfully, "Thank you, Your Highness."
She lowered her head and took a small sip, a delicate aroma of tea wafting from her lips and teeth.
Li Sheng's eyes lit up. "It is indeed a good tea. It seems to have no taste at first, but the aftertaste is extremely long."
Qin Jiu chuckled softly, watching her earnestly sip her tea, and for some reason, a feeling of fondness arose in his heart.
Xie Jing also sensed Qin Jiuwei's affection for Li Sheng.
My fingers casually brushed against the edge of the porcelain cup.
She is indeed very likable.
A short while later, a maid came in carrying a food box.
-
Wei House.
It was a secluded inner room with its windows tightly closed, and the room was dark.
Only a lamp burning on the table cast a dim, yellowish light.
"Mother, will putting it in pastries really work?"
Wei Ning's tone was hesitant, and a hint of wavering was hidden in his eyes.
Madam Wei sat before the incense table, her appearance elegant, and gave a faint reply.
"of course."
The lamplight illuminated the glass jar in front of her, inside which was sealed a small insect.
The Gu worm was entirely crimson, curled up in a crystalline liquid, its tiny limbs gleaming coldly in the light as it slowly crawled.
"These Gu worms come in pairs, one male and one female. The male worm crawls out of the female worm's body. If a man eats the male worm, his emotions will be controlled, and he will fall madly in love with the woman who ate the female worm."
"I originally intended to use this Gu worm on your father."
“A few years ago, your father doted on Concubine Li. That woman was extremely ambitious and unwilling to be a concubine. Your father actually developed genuine feelings for her and wanted to make her his second wife. How could I sit idly by and do nothing?”
“I spent almost half my fortune to buy this Gu from a Taoist priest from the southern barbarians.”
"But unexpectedly, Aunt Li was short-lived and died during childbirth, so the Gu poison was never used."
"A man's heart is the most unreliable thing in the world. If you don't hold it firmly in your hands, it will belong to someone else sooner or later."
Wei Ning stared at the Gu worm, his eyes filled with struggle, but even more so with a throbbing desire.
Looking at her daughter's reddened eyes, Madam Wei pushed the glass jar containing the love potion towards her.
"Now, you can use this Gu worm."
Will Xie Jing really fall in love with me?
Wei Ning's eyes held a mixture of longing and a hint of unease.
Madam Wei's lips slowly curved into a smile. "Of course."
Wangfu.
The maid brought the pastries into the room, opened the wooden box, and was about to take them out and place them on the table.
Li Sheng was talking to Qin Jiuwei when suddenly his nose twitched and his brows furrowed slightly.
Strange, this taste...
It has a sour and fishy taste, as if it has been tainted with the dampness of decaying plants. It is very light and subtle, but it makes one's throat feel tight.
"What's wrong?" Xie Jing asked in a low voice as he sat down beside her.
She lowered her eyelids, remained silent for a moment, and then gently shook her head. "It's nothing."
This tastes just like a poisonous insect.
But this is a prince's residence, how could this be...?
The pastries were quickly arranged by the maids, in eight dishes in total.
Qin Jiuwei looked at Xie Jing, "Don't you love their cloud cake the most? Try it."
Xie Jing nodded and reached out to take it.
But the moment my fingertips touched the cake, it was suddenly snatched away.
Xie Jing was slightly taken aback. Following the gaze, he saw Li Sheng.
She held the piece of cloud cake, looking extremely nervous.
"What's wrong?" Qin Jiuwei noticed something was amiss.
Li Sheng took a deep breath, gripped the pastry in her hand, looked up at the group, and spoke in a particularly solemn tone.
“There are Gu worms in here.”
What?! Gu worms?!
Everyone's expression changed.
Qin Jiuwei's brow twitched, and she immediately withdrew her hand from the edge of the teacup.
Li Sheng tore open the piece of cloud cake, carefully pinched it between her fingertips, and found an inconspicuous black spot in the cake skin.
She moved with extreme gentleness, placing the hair-thin object into the teacup.
The water rippled gently, and the black dots slowly stretched out, wriggling like living creatures.
"This is Gu."
Everyone held their breath and stepped forward.
The tea was slightly cloudy, and the insect, extremely tiny, was curled up at the bottom.
If Li Sheng hadn't pointed it out, the others probably wouldn't have even noticed.
She looked at Qin Jiuwei, "Your Highness, the Wuli tribe also raises Gu. I've dealt with these things since I was a child, so I won't mistake it. This is a Gu worm, and it's a love Gu. Once ingested, one will be controlled by the person who released the Gu."
As soon as these words came out, the whole hall was shocked.
Qin Jiuwei's face instantly darkened. "Someone in the Prince's mansion dares to use love potions? Where did these pastries come from?"
The maidservant suddenly knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Your Highness, please spare me! After the pastries from Guixiangzhai were delivered to our residence, I immediately ordered them to be placed on the table. I absolutely did not touch a single one! I was unaware of anything, I truly knew nothing!"
“Gui Xiang Zhai?” Xie Jing’s eyes darkened. “If I remember correctly, Gui Xiang Zhai is a property of the Wei family.”
Qin Jiuwei stared at the Gu worm in the cup, her expression turning completely cold.
She really didn't expect it.
Wei Ning was so ruthless that he actually wanted to use a curse on Xie Jing!
"The Wei family?" Xie Yanli repeated.
"Father, Mother, rest assured," Xie Jing said softly. "I will handle this matter well."
After saying that, he turned to look at Li Sheng, "Will this Gu worm die if it's soaked in tea?"
Li Sheng nodded, "Yes. The body is already weak after the love potion leaves its body, and soaking it in water will only harm its life."
Is there a way to temporarily save it?
"Yes, we need a glass bottle, plus some medicinal powder."
Xie Jing then instructed, "Go to the storeroom and fetch the glass bottle, then call the physician from the manor."
A moment later, a servant brought over a glass bottle.
Li Sheng took out a small medicine pouch from his sleeve, carefully picked the Gu worm out of the tea, and put it into the bottle.
Then, carefully sprinkle fine gray-white powder around the bottle opening.
"This is a medicinal ingredient that can temporarily stabilize the Gu worms. Then, by sealing the air in the jar with the layer of green grass ash at the bottom of the bottle, it can last for a few days."
She explained, then found a thin cloth and sealed the bottle opening.
Finally, a thin red string is tied in a knot, a unique way of tying that is clearly not the way of the Central Plains.
"Alright." She breathed a sigh of relief and presented the sealed glass bottle to Xie Jing. "It won't die for now."
Li Sheng looked at Xie Jing and suddenly realized something.
Why did Xie Jing leave that Gu worm behind?
To leave evidence?
This might be the case for others, but Xie Jing...
Li Sheng felt it wasn't that simple.
Xie Jing didn't say much. After bowing to Xie Yanli and Qin Jiuwei, he said, "I will go and handle this matter now. Father and Mother, please rest assured."
After saying that, he glanced at Li Sheng and said, "You, come with me."
Li Sheng was stunned for a moment, then quickly got up and followed him.