Clouds and Moon Shadow

Chapter 266 The Truth About the Poisoning

"Is this the heroine who saved my daughter? My apologies! Jiaojiao, come quickly and thank your benefactor!"

When the man saw Gu Qingyue and the others enter, he immediately stood up. His voice was loud and cheerful, suggesting that he was a free-spirited and straightforward person.

"It's alright, I just sat in the car with Miss Jiaojiao for a while. If you want to thank someone, thank my fourth brother and the others," Gu Qingyue said with a playful smile, her attitude sincere and neither humble nor arrogant.

Minister Cui quickly thanked Gu Yuanen and the other man again. After exchanging pleasantries, everyone sat down.

"May I ask, Your Excellency, did Commander Gu of your household tell me today that the robbers who robbed us that day were from Nanzhao?"

Upon hearing this, the old Duke's expression turned solemn.

He gestured for Gu Yuanen to recount the events of that day again.

Finally, Gu Yuanen recounted the findings of Gu Yi's investigation.

In short, those men in black were the men of Zhen Jinyue, the deputy envoy of Nanzhao.

The aim was to threaten Minister Cui by abducting Madam Cui and Miss Cui, hoping to gain the upper hand in negotiations.

After hearing Gu Yuanen's words, Gu Qingyue did not witness the scene that Minister Cui would inevitably slam his fist on the table in anger, as she had imagined.

On the contrary, Minister Cui remained very calm.

He nodded to the old Duke to indicate that he understood, and thanked Gu Qingyue and her brother again and again.

During their conversation, they learned that Gu Qingyue was actually Gu Feiyue, the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion who had been sent to the countryside to recuperate eleven years ago. They had heard that she had passed away from illness, but now? The Cui couple were so shocked that their mouths dropped open.

They had vaguely heard years ago that the little girl had died from a serious illness, but now it seems that it was all just a rumor.

Madam Cui took Gu Qingyue's hand and looked her up and down, feeling extremely sorry for her.

It turns out that Madam Cui and Madam Qin were close friends and had a very intimate relationship.

Especially in the first few years after Qin married into the capital.

The two hit it off immediately and had countless private conversations.

Later, rumors spread that Gu Qingyue had died, and Qin Shi never left the house again.

For more than ten years, Cui used to visit Qin often, but later Qin's health deteriorated and she stopped seeing guests, so they became estranged.

Wiping away her tears, Madam Cui asked Gu Qingyue about her time in the countryside, and Gu Qingyue answered her questions one by one.

According to the story that Gu Qingyue and the old Duke had agreed upon.

It is said that back then, due to a serious illness, she was taken back to the countryside to be cared for by a nanny from Qin's maternal family.

Later, he became an apprentice of a master and followed his master to practice medicine in various places. Last year, he returned to the home of the foster mother and learned about his origins.

Cui Jiaojiao, standing next to Gu Qingyue, stared at her with wide, curious eyes.

After speaking with Madam Cui, Cui Jiaojiao came over and held onto Gu Qingyue tightly, talking for a long time before the Cui family finally took their leave.

Because Madam Qin was seriously ill, it was inconvenient for Madam Cui to visit her, so the visit was temporarily postponed, and they agreed that Madam Qin would come again when her condition improved.

After the Cui family left, Gu Qingyue stared in disbelief at the carriage full of thank-you gifts at the entrance of the central hall.

Are all people in the capital so particular about etiquette?

After three acupuncture treatments, Qin finally woke up.

Gu Qingyue looked at the woman on the bed with some trepidation, unsure of what attitude to take.

Logically speaking, Qin Shi is the mother of this body.

But this body already houses another soul; she is not the real Gu Qingyue.

But deep down, she longed for maternal love and hoped to walk the path the original owner hadn't finished and fulfill her filial duties.

"Moon, my Moon!!" Qin slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she said was to call out to Gu Qingyue by the bedside. Her voice was hoarse and weak, but very clear.

While Gu Qingyue was shocked, a feeling of bittersweet heartache welled up in her heart.

She choked up almost immediately and couldn't make a sound.

Gu Qingyue was deeply moved!

This mother, who hadn't seen her daughter for over a decade, could recognize her instantly upon opening her eyes. What intense love that must be!

"Mother," Gu Qingyue was shocked by the word she uttered.

She practically blurted it out.

Seeing the woman struggling to sit up, Gu Qingyue quickly stepped forward and took her hand, saying, "Mother, it's me, Yue'er," tears streaming down her face.

From the time she could remember until she left that world, Gu Qingyue spent very little time with her mother because her parents died when she was very young.

Perhaps it was due to her nature, or perhaps the original owner's emotions were too intense.

The word 'Mother' just slipped out of his mouth.

Gu Qingyue felt a mix of trepidation and joy, along with an overwhelming sadness and heartache for the original owner of the body.

It wasn't until Qin struggled to get up and pulled her into her arms that she truly felt how warm a mother's embrace was.

She had longed for warmth her whole life but could never have, and now she felt it in Qin's arms.

She was overjoyed and grateful!

God gave her a chance to travel through time; perhaps that's the meaning of it all.

The mother and daughter embraced for a long time, but Qin was too weak and fell asleep again after saying only a few words.

Perhaps because she was in a good mood, Qin's pulse was much stronger, which made Gu Qingyue feel very comforted.

By bringing a dying person back to life, Gu Qingyue felt that her medical skills had finally played a role, allowing her to rediscover the warmth of her mother.

Gu Qingyue touched the silver needles in her hand again and again. She was really looking forward to the day when the successor of the 'Phoenix Cry Golden Needle' would live up to the name.

While she stayed at the Duke's mansion to treat her mother's illness, a shocking piece of news spread like wildfire throughout the capital: the eldest daughter of the Duke's mansion had returned! She had returned from the countryside!

Gu Qingyue only smiled faintly when she heard the news, without even a slight twitch of her lips.

Needless to say, it must be the work of the eldest aunt from the first wife's side. She even made a point of emphasizing that she grew up in the countryside. Who was she trying to humiliate? Are people from the countryside inferior?

Thinking of Liu, the wife of the first wife, reminded me of what Cui Shuming had said about Cuiyu.

Cuiyu confessed that six months ago, she slipped and sprained her ankle when she went to the kitchen to get food.

The kitchen manager, Granny Zeng, kindly took her food basket and helped her back to the madam's courtyard.

Once inside the room, it was originally Cuiyu who was supposed to feed the madam, but Granny Zeng, being extremely attentive, offered to feed the madam instead.

Even though she was sitting at the octagonal table, she couldn't see it very clearly.

She said she thought she saw Granny Zeng's hand wave on the bowl.

But at the time she wasn't sure if she had put something in the bowl.

It seems that from that time on, Qin's condition began to worsen.

Gradually, she spent more and more time in a daze each day, and her complexion became increasingly worse.

Since he had no evidence, he didn't dare to make a fuss.

A few days later, a letter arrived from home saying that her younger brother had been taken away and threatening her to keep her mouth shut or her brother would die.

The next day, another argument broke out with Granny Liu, and she was threatened by her son. Granny Liu was kicked out of the Duke's mansion by the First Madam that afternoon.

Even now, she receives a few words from her younger brother every two weeks, which tells her that he is still alive, and she remains anxious and fearful ever since.

Jade now understands!

It must have been that Granny Zeng who drugged the lady, and as the lady's head maid, I couldn't afford to get hurt, otherwise the old Duke would definitely investigate thoroughly.

Therefore, it was necessary for them to bring out Granny Liu as a scapegoat.

In that case, even if it's traced back, it'll be Liu Pozi who did it.

But Granny Liu had long since died, and there was no further evidence.