Malicious Medical Princess of the Marquis House

Ruthlessly Stepping on Feet

Translated by atsam
Edited by atsam

“Ke… Ke…” Gu Jiu coughed, feeling as if her five viscera and six bowels were about to be coughed out.

Qing Mei said anxiously, “Guniang! You have to get better! Now laoye is here to give you justice. Those who want to plot against guniang will definitely not have a good end.”

Gu Jiu was too weak and could only lean against the bed, gasping. She said, “Reporting to father, Tao Hong was originally madam’s servant. Seeing a shortage of steady people in my yard, madam bestowed Tao Hong to daughter.

“Daughter assumed that since she is from madam’s side, she would certainly be capable, so I entrusted her with great responsibility. She not only takes care of daughter’s property and belongings but also all matters in Zhilanyuan.

“Daughter usually has little opinion and cannot interfere with her matters. After all, she was sent by madam. If not for the monk’s sake but for the Buddha’s sake, I have to give her face. Daughter yields to her everywhere. She is called a slave but is actually like Zhilanyuan’s master.

“Daughter put everything in her hands but in return, she schemed against me, concealing her malice. Daughter doesn’t understand why she has to hurt me. Could it be that daughter has been ill for too long and she has become fed up serving a patient?”

“Wu wu…!” Tao Hong shook her head, struggling against the restraints. No, it wasn’t like this. Tao Hong clearly understood now. Why Gu Jiu didn’t take the medicine earlier, why she said she wanted to commit suicide — the answer was here. Gu Jiu wanted to remove her.

Tao Hong wept. She had been foolish, she had been stupid. Until this moment, she hadn’t realised Gu Jiu’s purpose.

Xie shi watched Gu Jiu unwaveringly. Such vicious and cruel intentions, such good move of killing people with a borrowed knife. She had really underestimated this girl before.

She had been silent for so long. Being suddenly noisy and causing such a big movement. Her purpose was to remove Tao Hong, the person she had planted in Zhilanyuan. Xie shi pinched her palms. She couldn’t be anxious. She couldn’t panic. She couldn’t let Gu Jiu, this little girl, be proud.

Xie shi sighed, attracting Gu daren’s attention. She said, “Laoye, this is merely er guniang’s one-sided story. What the truth is, we can’t say for sure. I know Tao Hong, this servant. She is an honest person and definitely can’t do things like plotting to kill the master.”

Gu Jiu followed along, saying, “Madam is correct. Even I couldn’t believe that Tao Hong could be this heartless. So I especially inquired with this servants, Xiao Cui and Xiao Hong. Xiao Cui, tell laoye and taitai. How does Tao Hong instruct you usually?”

Xiao Cui knelt, trembling with fear. She is not smart, but she knows that she is not careful, her next words might kill her. She surreptitiously looked around.

One side was guniang. The other side was the madam. Which side should she speak for?

Xie shi said lightly, “You are called Xiao Cui? Speak carefully. It’s important that you be responsible for your words, do you understand?”

But Gu Jiu said, “Xiao Cui, tell everything you know. You are my maid. As long as I have one breath left, I won’t let anyone bully you. Moreover, laoye is also present. He will also protect you.”

Gu daren was silent, not refuting. Xie shi was furious. This wretched girl, wasn’t she pointing at the mulberry tree and cursing the locust tree?

Gu Jiu coughed, her complexion pale and weak, looking as if she were on the verge of death. She looked at Gu daren with hope, longing, fright and helplessness.

Gu daren hummed. “Xiao Cui, tell everything about how Tao Hong ordinarily commands you. If you lie, if you let bendaren know you are making up stories, you will be beaten to death with a rod.”

Xiao Cui shivered all over at the prospect of being beaten to death.

“Nubi, nubi doesn’t dare to lie. Tao Hong jie usually tells nubi to wait by guniang’s side and not let Qing Mei jie and Qing Zhu jie approach her. She also tells nubi to watch guniang’s words and actions carefully. If guniang asks anything, no matter how big or small, everything has to be reported to her.”

“Wu… wu…!” Tao Hong stared at Xiao Cui with bitter resentment. Xiao Cui shrank back with fear, lowering her head, not daring to look at her.

Gu daren was expressionless. “Bring in the maid Xiao Hong.”

Xiao Hong came in and hurriedly knelt. “Nubi pays respects to laoye, taitai and guniang.”

Although Gu daren didn’t seem angry, he looked very imposing. He said, looking somber, “Xiao Hong, I heard you are in charge of preparing the medicine?”

Xiao Hong nodded. “Replying to laoye, yes.”

“Does Tao Hong give you all the medicinal ingredients?”

“Yes!”

“What kind of ingredients do you use? Have they gone bad or are they mouldy?”

Listening to this question, Xiao Hong hesitated.

Bang!

Gu daren slapped his palm on the desk. Everyone jumped with fright. Xie shi’s expression changed. She held the silk tightly in her hand. How long had it been since she saw laoye this angry?

“Why don’t you speak?”

“Nubi, nubi is afraid!”

Xie shi hated her inwardly. “Lowly slave, what nonsense are you saying?”

Gu daren looked at Xie shi’s panicked expression. Xie shi forcibly calmed down. “Laoye, qieshen is also worried.”

Gu daren grunted. “When I interrogate, you don’t need to open your mouth.”

This blocked Xie shi’s path. Her heart was gloomy, filled with hate as she put everything on Gu Jiu’s account. This damned girl had such vicious thoughts at such a young age. Gu Jiu’s complexion was sallow and haggard, but her eyes were very calm. She secretly glanced at Xie shi, then lowered her eyes.

You do it on the first day of the lunar month and I do it on the fifteenth. This was quite fair. Besides, it was just a maid. There was no need for the madam to be this angry.

Xie shi grabbed the armrest of the chair. She knew that Gu Jiu, this damned girl, was doing this on purpose. Laoye, you have been duped by er guniang!

Xie shi began to feel worried and angry but she couldn’t expose Gu Jiu. With Gu Jiu’s sickly, ghost-like appearance, if she said that Gu Jiu was deliberate, just to get rid of Tao Hong, would laoye believe it? It was impossible to believe.

Instead, he would think that she was making trouble out of nothing, deliberately inciting disharmony in the father-daughter relationship. He might even start doubting her.

Everything Tao Hong was suspected of, she had instructed. Suffering this dumb loss, Xie shi’s heart, spleen, lungs and kidneys ached from anger. She stared at Gu Jiu, raining curses at her in her heart. Slut!

Gu daren was still questioning Xiao Hong. “Tell everything you know. Otherwise, there is a big punishment waiting for you.”

Xiao Hong’s body trembled. She secretly looked at Tao Hong who was unable to move a single step. Usually, she was insufferably arrogant. But now, she cut such a sorry figure. Xiao Hong suddenly realised. Tao Hong was finished. Even if the madam intervened, she couldn’t keep Tao Hong.

She couldn’t follow Tao Hong to being finished. In the blink of an eye, Xiao Hong made a decision, kowtowing to him. “Nubi will confess. Nubi will confess everything. Nubi was in charge of making medicine for guniang in Zhilanyuan and the ingredients are all given by Tao Hong. Nubi is only responsible for preparing the medicine.”

“Are all the medicinal ingredients she gives you mouldy?”

Xiao Hong quickly said, “Not all. They are mouldy only a few times. Most of the time, they are inferior ingredients that the storehouse wants to dispose off. Such ingredients are like those used by servants who fall ill.”

Gu daren’s eyes contained fury. He didn’t expect that a little neglect could lead to his daughter being humiliated to such an extent. Using inferior medicinal ingredients to prepare medicine for his di daughter…

Good. Very good!

Gu daren squeezed the armrest. “Go check the person in charge of medicinal ingredients in the storehouse and bring them here. Today, I want to see who has the courage to stop supply of medicinal ingredients to bendaren’s daughter.”

“Yes.”

Gu Quan didn’t even look at Xie shi and directly took a few men to grab those offenders.