Another day passed.
On the third day of consuming arsenic, Gong Ze found the taste sweet and slightly pleasant.
He showed up on time for every meal, eating whatever was served, never missing a single one. And the old woman’s gaze toward him grew kinder by the day, the jade Buddhist prayer beads in her hand spinning faster and faster.
Soon, the fourth day arrived. Not only had Gong Ze’s symptoms of “getting overheated” and gastritis not subsided, but he also began experiencing headaches, dizziness, and fatigue.
He felt a strong burning sensation in his stomach, like acid reflux.
At the same time, Gong Ze noticed his temper becoming increasingly unstable. He couldn’t control his irritability. After each bout of irritability, his headache worsened, and a rash appeared near the base of his thumb.
“It’s almost time,” Gong Ze muttered with a low laugh, touching the ulcerated rash on his hand.
On the fifth day of eating rice mixed with arsenic, the old woman subtly tried to prevent Gong Ze from leaving the house. Probably because his symptoms were becoming more pronounced, she was worried someone might notice something wrong if he went out.
To keep Gong Ze from seeing a doctor, the old woman even bought him medicine to reduce “heat.”
Gong Ze was deeply moved—then handed the herbal decoction to Shuisheng to pour out.
In truth, the old woman had no reason to fear that he would let anyone find out. Once his symptoms became obvious over the past few days, Gong Ze had stopped going to Lu Youling’s place altogether.
He was afraid Lu Youling would realize he had been poisoned, which would ruin the plan.
Day six.
Gong Ze opened his tired eyes in bed. He slowly propped himself up. As his vision swayed, a violent pain shot through his head.
Dizziness washed over him in waves. Unable to suppress his irritable temper, his pale face twisted in agony.
The system carefully said from the side, [Big Boss, are you okay?]
Hearing this, Gong Ze couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. The feeling of a hammer driving through his skull made it even harder to control the raging fire burning in his chest.
Filled with violent fury, he wanted to snap back—Are you blind? Can’t you see I’m not okay at all? If you can’t help, then shut up.
But the next second, he caught himself. He furrowed his brow tightly and clutched his head.
“I’m fine.”
Tch…
The poison was affecting him more and more deeply.
Gong Ze managed to change his clothes and put on his shoes. With heavy steps, he walked to the washstand.
He splashed his face with hot water from the basin, then looked up at himself in the mercury mirror. Suddenly, Gong Ze narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. He used his finger to pull open his collar.
On the side of his pale neck, skin ulceration had also appeared.
Staring at the spot, Gong Ze slowly pulled up the corners of his mouth. “It’s time…”
“Shuisheng.”
Gong Ze called out.
Shuisheng quickly ran in. When he saw Gong Ze, he hurried over to support him. “Second Master, why didn’t you call me when you got up?”
Looking at his master’s weakened state, his heart was full of worry.
Gong Ze shook his head, having no time for such trivial matters. “What time is it?”
“Second Master, it’s already nine o’clock.”
Gong Ze narrowed his eyes. “Did I miss breakfast?”
Shuisheng helped Gong Ze to sit at the round table and lowered his voice. “Yes. Just as you instructed earlier, when you didn’t wake up at your usual time, I went to the back hall. I told the old woman that you hadn’t been feeling well yesterday and slept late, so you were still asleep and would probably miss breakfast.”
“After hearing this, the old woman wasn’t angry at all. Instead, after I left, her face lit up with joy.”
Shuisheng had seen it all, hiding beneath the window.
Gong Ze nodded slightly.
“Did she send someone to peek and see if I was faking?”
“She did,” Shuisheng replied. “Not long after I left, the old woman’s personal servant came to our courtyard, saying the old woman was worried. She even brought a packet of medicine and insisted on seeing you. I didn’t stop her, but I said she couldn’t wake you up—she just took a quick glance from the doorway.”
All of Gong Ze’s poisoning symptoms were real. After one look, the servant woman confirmed it and left overjoyed.
Gong Ze curled his lips in satisfaction.
Shuisheng added, “Besides that… Miss Lu waited outside the Gong family gate for a long time this morning. I could see dark circles under his eyes—he was probably so worried he didn’t sleep all night. But I knew your plan, Second Master, so I held back and didn’t tell him anything.”
Hearing news of Lu Youling, Gong Ze thought to himself that after five days of not showing up, it would be strange if Lu Youling wasn’t worried. If he didn’t make an appearance soon, Lu Youling would probably storm into the Gong residence himself.
He instructed Shuisheng, “Shuisheng, it’s time to expose her. As I said before, go out immediately and call the village chief. Tell him—”
Before Gong Ze could finish, a commotion erupted at the Gong family’s front gate.
Gong Ze and Shuisheng froze.
What was going on?
Had Lu Youling—Miss Lu—actually barged in?
·
On the other side.
Lu Youling stood beside the village chief and the now-recovered Old Mr. Feng.
Next to Old Mr. Feng stood a young man in a military officer’s uniform, standing ramrod straight as he supported the old man.
Confronting them was Old Lady Gong, along with her servant woman and the Gong household servants.
“I’ve already said the Gong family is not receiving guests today. Even if you bring the village chief, you cannot force your way in. There’s no such rule under heaven.”
Old Lady Gong stood firm at the gate, refusing to let them pass.
Lu Youling was frantic. “You impossible old woman! The Gong family isn’t yours alone. We’re here to see Gong Ze. Why are you blocking us from going in?”
The more this dragged on, the stronger Lu Youling’s unease grew.
The village chief was also speechless. He tried to reason with Old Lady Gong. “What Lu Youling said is right. We’re not here to cause trouble. Gong Er did a good deed, and we brought someone here to thank him. Who would have thought you’d block us at the gate? What’s all this about?”
It was completely baffling.
“I said no, and that’s final!”
Old Lady Gong was terrified that they would see Gong Ze and discover that something was wrong with him. The more anxious she became, the more frightened she grew, and the more frightened she grew, the more she used anger to cover it up.
Suddenly, she began to curse unreasonably. She pointed at Lu Youling. “Get lost, you shameless little fox spirit! Always clinging to men and sucking their essence! You’re here to ruin people, whoring your way right to our doorstep—bah!”
Lu Youling couldn’t believe his ears. When he recovered, he was so angry he wanted to slap her.
“How can you be so foul-mouthed?!”
The old woman sneered, then turned her curses on the village chief.
“Bringing someone to thank him? You—shorter than a jar when standing, thicker than a barrel when sitting—you old fraud. You put on a good-natured face, but you’re just trying to swindle the naive Gong Er out of our family property! You can get lost too!”
The village chief, both furious and embarrassed, turned from his dark complexion to a deep red.
“And you, and you.” The old woman pointed at Old Mr. Feng and the young man supporting him, looking down on them with her small, contemptuous eyes. “Who’s to say you’re not con artists hired by this old fraud and the fox spirit? The Gong family isn’t a charity for beggars. Why would we need your thanks? Hmph~”
The young man’s face darkened instantly. He stared at her with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. If his grandfather hadn’t held him back, he would have taught that old hag a lesson right then and there.
But Old Mr. Feng wore a thoughtful expression.
“Fine, fine… We’ll leave. Utterly senseless! Unreasonable, unreasonable!”
The village chief had never been humiliated like this, someone pointing a finger directly in his face.
He had come with a smile, hoping to witness this good deed and have a pleasant chat over tea with these promising young people. Who would have thought he’d be met with a torrent of abuse instead?
Fuming, the village chief threw up his hands and prepared to leave.
Just then, amidst the old woman’s even shriller-than-usual screeching, Lu Youling began to sense something deliberate in her tone.
He quickly pulled the village chief aside. “Village Chief, please calm down. Don’t be angry—listen to me.”
The village chief roared in frustration, “Did you hear what she said? As if we’re trying to take advantage of her family! If we don’t leave now, what are we waiting for?”
Before the frantic Lu Youling could even open his mouth to persuade him, Old Mr. Feng spoke up. “Miss Lu is right. I also find this suspicious.”
“What? Suspicious?” The village chief calmed down a bit and looked at Old Mr. Feng in confusion.
“Indeed,” Old Mr. Feng lowered his voice and analyzed with them. “Didn’t you notice that her words and behavior are very much like someone with a guilty conscience? Irrational arguing, sudden outbursts of rage and loud accusations—in truth, it’s just that someone has struck at what she’s afraid of.”
Lu Youling nodded quickly. “Yes, Uncle Village Chief, that’s exactly what I mean.”
“Hmm… now that you mention it, it really does seem that way…” The village chief, enlightened by Old Mr. Feng, suddenly understood the situation.
Lu Youling didn’t mention that he and Gong Ze had been secretly meeting at his house every night. Instead, he said, “Actually, Gong Er and I keep in regular contact. Because my house is in a remote spot and there are some unsavory loafers lurking around, Gong Er often sends Shuisheng to check on me and bring me some food.”
The village chief nodded in agreement. “Gong Er would indeed do that. That child has a gentle, considerate nature and a good heart.”
“Exactly.” Lu Youling nodded, then his face filled with worry. “But for the past five days, he hasn’t contacted me at all. Shuisheng came twice, and each time he said Gong Er was sick. But I saw Gong Er six days ago, and he was healthy and rosy—there was no sign of illness at all.”
After he finished speaking, the other three’s expressions turned grave.
By now, even a fool could sense that something was wrong.
Especially since Old Lady Gong was still standing at the gate, watching them warily—the more they looked, the more suspicious it seemed.
“Something’s off,” the young man in the military officer’s uniform said. “It does sound like there’s something fishy going on.”
Lu Youling twisted his fingers anxiously. “I’m worried… I’m worried that something might have happened to Gong Er…”
The village chief said, “Lu Youling is right. It seems we must go in and take a look today!”
After discussing it, the four of them decided to force their way in, which led to the clash with Old Lady Gong. The commotion was so loud that even Gong Ze and Shuisheng in the back courtyard heard it.
Shuisheng hurried out.
When the two sides saw him, Old Lady Gong’s expression soured considerably. Her small, murky eyes darted around as she clutched her prayer beads tightly.
Lu Youling and the village chief, on the other hand, were overjoyed and quickly pulled Shuisheng aside to ask him questions.
After listening, Shuisheng smiled at Old Lady Gong and said, “Since the village chief and the others are here to see Second Master, and Second Master happens to be awake, I’ll take them in.”
Cold sweat soaked Old Lady Gong’s back. She gave a dry laugh. “Isn’t this nonsense? He’s not well. I was just afraid these outsiders would disturb his rest. Why don’t you come back another day…”
Shuisheng’s smile didn’t waver. “That’s also Second Master’s wish.”
Old Lady Gong: “…”
Shuisheng added, “Or should I go tell Second Master and have him come out and tell you himself?”
Old Lady Gong: “…”
She didn’t dare block them any further and risk increasing their suspicion. She opened her mouth, then stepped aside with a grim expression. Lu Youling, the village chief, and the other two hurried inside.
“Hey!” Old Lady Gong instinctively tried to stop them, but when she saw that no one was listening, her heart pounded wildly.
She exchanged a look with her servant woman and followed.
On the way, Lu Youling kept asking about Gong Ze’s condition. Shuisheng’s expression was hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but stopped. He only said, “You’ll understand when you see him yourself.”
So when Lu Youling, the village chief, Old Mr. Feng, and the young man saw the man who should have been genteel and refined—now reduced to a sickly, withered, pale shadow of himself in just five days, barely able to get out of bed and propped against the headboard—the four of them were frozen in place, their eyes widening in disbelief.
“You’re here… cough cough.” Gong Ze’s bloodless lips lifted. He braced his arms as if to stand. “I’m sorry, Uncle, Youling, and Old Mr. Feng… I wanted to greet you in person, but suddenly, I haven’t been well… cough cough cough!”
Before he could finish, Gong Ze pressed a hand to his throat and broke into a violent, heartbreaking fit of coughing.
Lu Youling could no longer hold back. Tears streaming down his face, he rushed over and threw his arms around Gong Ze. “Gong Ze—!”
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