Chapter 255: Dispelling the Gu and Setting the Trap to Invite the Guest In

Liu Cishi suffered from pertussis; according to Lingxiang's deduction, the reason he contracted such a childhood illness was likely because he had been poisoned with Gu, otherwise he would not have suddenly fallen into a coma. Therefore, Lingxiang wrote two prescriptions at the time, one of which contained medicine primarily for dispelling Gu.

And it was indeed as Lingxiang had expected; Guihua had truly used Gu poison.

Lingxiang had mixed medicinal powder she refined herself into that dose of medicine. After Liu Cishi drank just one dose, it was not long before he vomited up a great deal of yellow fluid, in which one could clearly see black worms, one after another, constantly wriggling their slender bodies, much like the maggots in the dung pit of the west wing; it was quite nauseating.

Just after Liu Cishi vomited that mouthful of yellow fluid, he woke up that very night. Although his complexion remained sallow, his mind was clear. However, just as the Inspector's wife was about to feed him, she was stopped by Lingxiang.

Gu is a very strange thing. It was originally a type of Witchcraft used by the tribes of the Southern Border to treat illnesses, but it is unknown which evil-minded person concocted many ways to harm others with it, and it is extremely strange and ever-changing, making it very difficult to deal with. Consequently, people today all turn pale at the mention of Gu, and it has become something that those who style themselves as members of righteous sects avoid at all costs.

Lingxiang, however, believes that Gu itself is neither good nor bad; it is good if used in the right place, and the bad is merely the people who use it to commit evil.

Everything has two sides; even those medicinal herbs that are supposed to save lives can be used to refine deadly poisons that harm the body, can they not?

The reason she stopped the Inspector's wife was, first, because Gu poison is mostly tyrannical. Liu Cishi's illness this time likely damaged his internal organs. If he were to suddenly eat food while his insides were damaged, it would likely add injury to injury. Even if he really had to eat something, he could only consume thin rice gruel or similar liquids.

The second reason was that Lingxiang does not fully understand Gu Technique. The antidote Liu Cishi took was merely formulated based on her memory of relevant books she had read in Langhuan Pavilion during her childhood, combined with some deductions. But Gu is a secret art of the Southern Border, and its changes are varied and unpredictable; she truly did not have absolute certainty, and she feared that if one dose did not fully clear the effects, eating at this time might cause a relapse.

Therefore, for the sake of safety, enduring it for a while was the best policy.

After hearing Lingxiang's explanation, both Liu Cishi and his wife understood the severity of the matter and naturally followed her instructions.

However, being hungry is inevitably very uncomfortable, and Liu Cishi's body was weak after going through this illness. Lingxiang could not bear to see it, so she suggested inserting two needles into him. Although it could not reduce his hunger, it could delay internal depletion, and if the Gu poison in his body had not been completely cleared, this method would also be beneficial.

It was just that if this method were used, even though Liu Cishi's Martial Arts were outstanding, he was still a mortal of flesh and blood and would inevitably fall into a deep sleep again.

However, Liu Cishi and his wife were open-minded; it was nothing more than sleeping a few extra days, which was surely more worthwhile than losing one's life, was it not? Furthermore, falling into a deep sleep would prevent the distress of a rumbling stomach.

This method was killing many birds with one stone.

Seeing the couple agree wholeheartedly, and with Liu Cishi even wearing a full smile, Lingxiang breathed a sigh of relief—she had thought Liu Cishi was stubborn and unyielding, but it seemed he was truly enlightened.

She did not know why Liu Xia always said his old man was difficult to get along with; it was truly nonsensical.

However, before applying the needles, Lingxiang also explained the ins and outs of recent events and her plan to Liu Cishi. Liu Cishi pondered for a long time and pointed out some shortcomings, which Lingxiang found greatly beneficial.

As for the so-called shortcomings, the first was that the momentum had not been amplified. If the news could not be spread, the evildoers might not receive it, and they would not be able to walk right into the trap. Regarding this, Liu Cishi suggested that Lingxiang should not only spread the news to the various eateries in the city but also to the beggars in the city; those were excellent places for gossip!

The second was the guests on the day of the wedding. After all, one could not really invite the old acquaintances of the city; after all, the person being caught was no ordinary individual. But if no one came to show support, it would not seem real.

Lingxiang had indeed not thought of this point, but since she could not invite real friends, where would the momentum come from?

Seeing that Lingxiang was young and a woman, and although her considerations were lacking, she could still cite Military Strategy to deal with the enemy, Liu Cishi truly looked at her with new eyes. Thus, he had the Inspector's wife take the seal and hand it to a trusted subordinate of the family, ordering him to ride at full speed to the Northern Suburb Camp to find the eldest son of the Liu family, Liu Shang—the eldest son of the Liu family served as a Supervisor in the camp.

After all, according to Lingxiang's words, this matter concerned the safety of the border, which was a matter of state.

After giving the instructions, Liu Cishi suddenly made a request, saying he wanted to see the "bride" on the day of the wedding. It was not for anything else, but he just wanted to entrust her with a few words and express his apologies—although it was a fake wedding, the one acting in it was his own son.

Although Lingxiang felt it was unnecessary, it was ultimately the Inspector's good intention, so she went to the boudoir of the eldest Miss Liu and brought Banxia before him.

But the strange thing was, after Liu Cishi saw Banxia, he was actually full of shock. It was a long time before he spoke some irrelevant things, but he did not mention any apology or address.

It was truly strange, strange to the heavens.

However, Lingxiang did not expose it; she just listened calmly to Liu Cishi saying things of no consequence, pretending she knew nothing.

So, after mentioning the wedding plan to Xin Yi and the others, she deliberately looked at Liu Xia, and sure enough, she saw the clues.

She had heard Long Qi say on the road earlier that the Liu family had taken a fancy to Banxia and had intended to match her with Liu Xia, but Banxia had later run away secretly, and there had been no further word.

It stood to reason that the reason Liu Cishi was stunned when he saw Banxia was that he had not expected the person who had run away to have returned.

People grow cunning with age! Banxia was likely being schemed against again.

But this was truly fun; how could she be missing from such a fun thing?

Looking at the mischievous Lingxiang, Xin Yi felt a chill down his spine, feeling that this little girl was definitely not thinking of anything good. When they were at Xianyun Abode, Maidong had repeatedly warned him to be careful of her.

But it was all too late; he had already been schemed against by Lingxiang.

As soon as the firecrackers sounded in front of the Liu residence, the wedding music began to play. The entire Liu household was in a festive and lively mood, and outside, the sun was shining brightly, which was very fitting for the occasion.

Not long after, a man with a red cloth covering his face was seen walking out of the Liu family gate, leaping onto the red-adorned white horse at the entrance, leading the eight-bearer sedan chair, circling half of Cangzhou City, and then returning to the front of the Liu family gate.

When the man in red clothes dismounted, the matchmaker was seen carrying the bride, dressed in a green gown with wide sleeves, out of the door; the hairpins and ornaments on her head looked extremely luxurious.

After receiving the bride, they circled half the city again and returned to the front of the Inspector's Mansion. After the customs of kicking the sedan door and crossing the fire basin were completed, they arrived at the main hall, but...

But what seemed strange to outsiders was that the person sitting in the hall was actually a young woman, and that woman was Lingxiang. And what was even stranger was that the people who came to congratulate them all had an expression of taking it for granted.

However, what made the groom, Liu Xia, even more stunned was that standing behind Lingxiang was actually Banxia, who was supposed to be the bride!

Banxia was behind Miss Lingxiang? Then who was the one beside him covering their face with a fan?

Just as Liu Xia was surprised, he heard the master of ceremonies chanting the words for bowing to heaven and earth. With no other choice, Liu Xia had to follow the instructions and bow.

Seeing Liu Xia's appearance, both Lingxiang and Banxia were holding back their laughter, and just at this moment, a loud shout was heard from the courtyard:

"The Inspector had already agreed to the marriage between the young lady and me, why have you married your daughter to someone else?!"