Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 135 Recognizing the True Colors of Little Qin! (Two Chapters Combined)

Fanlou.

On the pear wood tea table, which is about ten feet long, there is a small pot of wine and a few dishes of side dishes.

Gu Tingye held his bamboo chopsticks, picked up a bite of food, and took a sip of wine.

His father's stubbornness frustrated him greatly.

Thirty years ago, my father experienced something similar.

Thirty years later, instead of understanding him, his father had become like a grandfather.

"Goo!"

After downing a cup of strong wine and emptying the wine pot, Gu Tingye's face flushed slightly and felt hot.

"Young master, drinking is bad for your health!" Shi Tou, the bodyguard, reminded him.

This is not fermented rice wine, but a type of distilled spirit.

A pot of liquor must contain at least three jin (1.5 kg), which is enough for at least two or three people.

Gu Tingye shook his head; his coordination had deteriorated considerably, indicating he was already intoxicated.

"Sit down and have a few drinks with me," Gu Tingye instructed.

"Waiter, another pot, please."

Stone nodded and quickly sat down.

"Young master, you should drink less alcohol!"

"No problem, drink!" Gu Tingye became more and more excited as he drank.

The master and servant shared a drink from the same pot.

Gradually, Gu Tingye fell into a deep sleep.

……

"Son."

"Something terrible has happened, young master."

A few gasps caused Gu Tingye to frown slightly. He groggily opened his eyes.

He appeared to be lying in an inn.

He drank at least 80% of the two jugs of liquor.

It woke me up; my head feels a bit fuzzy.

"What's wrong?" Gu Tingye stretched out his hand and asked slowly.

"My lord—"

Stone approached and whispered, "The Marquis has a persistent headache. He said he groaned for two whole hours and fainted several times from the pain."

The voice was faint and indistinct.

Gu Tingye waved his hand and was about to lie down.

Suddenly, my mind jolted.

"what?"

Gu Tingye was startled and sat up.

The morning mist gradually dissipated, and the sun began to rise.

"drive!"

Gu Tingye held the reins, his face serious.

Two or three hundred paces from the Marquis's residence, I caught a glimpse of the maidservant, Xiang Mama.

She looked anxious.

"Shut up!"

"To Mom," Gu Tingye waved quickly.

"Second Young Master?" Madam Xiang looked delighted and quickly approached.

"How is Father?" Gu Tingye asked anxiously.

"Second Young Master, the Marquis is seriously ill. Madam has already found a doctor at the pharmacy to take his pulse. However, the doctor's skills are lacking, so Madam has asked me to take the Marquis's invitation to the Imperial Physician."

However, I really don't know where this imperial physician is. Fortunately, I met the Second Young Master. The Second Young Master has many connections. Could you try to find the imperial physician?" Mama Xiang's face was full of worry, mixed with a little eagerness.

"The imperial physician?"

Gu Tingye nodded, tugged on the reins, and headed straight for the outer city.

"drive!"

His mind was foggy, and with his father seriously ill, he simply couldn't think straight.

Since Madam Qin's mother said she wanted to find the imperial physician, then let's find the imperial physician.

The sun shines brightly.

"drive!"

About half an hour later, Gu Tingye summoned the imperial physician.

"Make way, let me in."

Gu Tingye roared and dragged the imperial physician into the mansion.

Along the nearly 100-meter-long path, there were quite a few members of the Gu family, and Gu Tingye became increasingly anxious as he walked.

"Father."

Gu Tingye strode in and called out.

"My lord—"

At this moment, Gu Yankai fainted and lay on the bed with a deathly pale face.

Inside the hall, a faint, nauseating smell of vomit wafted through the air.

Gu Tingyu and Gu Tingwei stood watching with worried expressions. Madam Qin called out to her husband in a low voice. Several doctors took turns taking her pulse, their faces solemn.

Several uncles and cousins ​​from the fourth and fifth branches gathered around, their eyes filled with worry.

Gu Yankai is undoubtedly the backbone of the Gu family.

Compared to the previous generation of marquises, this generation's marquis, Gu Yankai, is far more capable.

The Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, through his efforts, has become one of the most powerful among the noble families.

Now that Gu Yankai is seriously ill, it is naturally a cause for concern.

"Imperial Physician, hurry!" Gu Tingye tugged at the imperial physician, intending for him to come forward and make a diagnosis.

As a result, a hand stopped him.

Big brother, Gu Tingyu!
"Cough-cough-"

Gu Tingyu coughed a few times and asked, "What are you doing back here?"

Gu Tingye frowned slightly and pointed to the imperial physician: "I have summoned the imperial physician. Quickly, let him take my pulse."

"The imperial physician?"

Gu Tingyu pointed to several doctors taking pulses and questioned, "Those are the imperial physicians."

"Are those imperial physicians?" Gu Tingye was taken aback.

“Starting from midnight, my father coughed incessantly, vomited repeatedly, had abdominal pain, and chest pain.”

Gu Tingyu gritted his teeth, looking hateful: "From that time on, I sent people to look for you. They searched for four whole hours, and finally found you at 8 o'clock in the morning."

"That's all."

"But why did you only arrive at 10:00 AM?"

The questions made Gu Tingye frown deeply, completely bewildered.

"I went to see the imperial physician!" Gu Tingye explained.

"You kept saying you were going to find the imperial physician, but you've come so late."

Gu Tingyu scolded, "If we were really counting on you to find the imperial physician, Father would have died of pain long ago!"

"You made your father sick, and you still have the nerve to pretend to come back?"

Gu Tingyu looked completely unconvinced and coughed, "You came back specifically to find out if Father was really angered to death by you?"

"Making you sick from anger?" Gu Tingye asked, puzzled. "How could it be that I made Father sick from anger?"

"My argument with my father took place at 9 PM. According to my elder brother, my father fell ill at midnight, a full hour apart!"

“Besides, shouldn’t we be treating Father right now?” Gu Tingye had no intention of arguing with his elder brother.

Unexpectedly, Gu Tingyu continued to question him: "You admit to arguing with your father?"

"Um?!"

Gu Tingye's expression changed slightly as he looked at his older brother.

At this moment, his older brother actually wants to set him up with the news of their father's serious illness?

Is that human being?
"Mother."

Gu Tingye quickly looked at Madam Qin: "How could Father have been angered to death by me?"

Angering one's father is definitely considered "unfilial."

Filial impiety is one of the "Ten Evils".

Officials who commit this serious crime will be exiled for minor offenses and dismissed from office for major offenses.

The older brother was in a hurry to label him, clearly trying to seize the opportunity to frame him and compete for the marquisate!

Holding a handkerchief, Madam Qin turned back, sobbing softly, and said, "Your father can't control you, and I can't control you. You should leave."

"Where you go is up to you, and who you marry is also up to you."

“From now on, your father and I will never say another word about you.”

As she spoke, Madam Qin shook her head repeatedly, looking extremely disappointed.

Gu Tingye was taken aback.

The meaning behind these words is very clear.

The whole thing about marrying Yu Yanhong was his fault.

The mistake of marrying Yu Yanhong was his, and so was the mistake of the argument.

It even subtly implies that "the father's serious illness was caused by the argument."

However, during the argument between father and son, didn't the mother say that the mistake of marrying Yu Yanhong was hers?
How did it all suddenly become his fault?
Of course, he didn't say that his mother was wrong in marrying Yu Yanhong.

The main point is, there's absolutely no need to bring this up!

"Mother?"

Gu Tingye thought his mother was grieving, so he quickly called out to her.

"Second Brother, why do you reek of alcohol?" Aunt Gu scolded. "Just as Eldest Brother said, why did you take so long to call the imperial physician?"

Gu Tingye was taken aback, turned to look at his aunt, his arm trembling slightly.

My aunt is married, but he came back even later than her.

"Imperial Physician! Mother sent a maid to fetch the Imperial Physician from Mother, but I ran into her on the way. Fearing the Imperial Physician would be late, I went to find him myself!" Gu Tingye quickly explained.

He has made every effort to get back.

Just then, a wailing cry rang out: "When did I ever ask Mother Xiang to fetch the imperial physician?"

Little Qin!
"Mother Xiang is just a woman, she doesn't know the ways of the imperial physicians. Even if we were to call an imperial physician, it should be the sons of the Gu family who should go!"

"Second Young Master, this servant did not go to invite the imperial physician."

The maidservant replied to her mother at the opportune moment, "The imperial physicians this time were invited by the two young masters of the fourth and fifth branches of the family, who went with the Marquis's invitation."

Gu Tingye's heart skipped a beat.

"You argued with the Marquis, causing him to fall seriously ill, yet you not only refused to kneel down to beg for forgiveness."

Madam Qin sobbed, "You were still drinking heavily and reeking of alcohol."

"You beast!"

"You beast!" Crying, Madam Qin rushed forward.

For a time, many members of the Gu family were discussing it.

Gu Tingye was stunned, his mind suddenly going blank.

How can it be?

How could Xiao Qin's mother be like this?

Lady Qin's words, "So angry that the Marquis fell seriously ill," were undoubtedly aimed at him.

But, that's not how Xiao Qinshi's mother was!
It's not that Xiao Qin's mother witnessed everything and knew that he wasn't the one who made her father sick.

Even if he really angered his father to the point of illness, given his mother's doting affection for him, she would certainly cover for him to some extent.

After all, being labeled unfilial could affect his official position.

"Get out! Get out!"

Mrs. Shao helped her mother-in-law up, while Mrs. Qin covered her face with a handkerchief and wept.

"Mother."

“Mother, tell me this isn’t true.”

Gu Tingye's heart was aching.

This is a game!

Even though he was a little confused, he came to his senses.

The mother, Madam Qin, and the elder brother, Gu Tingyu, were both the ones who set up the scheme.

"Mother, elder brother, are you trying to kick me out?" Gu Tingye asked.

"It's not just about getting rid of you!"

"You made my father sick, so don't even think about pretending to visit him again!" Gu Tingyu declared.

Madam Qin wiped away her tears: "Everyone says it's hard to be a stepmother. I pity you for losing your mother at a young age. I love you even more than my own son. I've given you whatever you wanted, and I haven't covered up for you when you made mistakes."

"Originally, I thought you had turned over a new leaf and become someone of value."

"Who would have thought!"

The cries of lamentation were incessant, evoking sympathy from the listeners.

"Now that you've angered the Marquis to the point of illness, do you expect me to lie with you and cover for you?"

Gu Tingye remained silent, stunned.

After a long pause, tears welled in his eyes, and he sighed, "You are Duke Zheng, and I am Duke Gongshu Duan. To tolerate evil is wrong."

The story of "Duke Zheng defeats Duan at Yan" tells of how Duke Zheng indulged Gongshu Duan without principle, and then defeated him with a single sentence when Gongshu Duan was off guard.

The saying "those who do many unrighteous deeds will surely perish" comes from the story of "Duke Zheng defeats Duan at Yan".

"get out."

"Do you expect me to deliver it to you?" Gu Tingyu said coldly.

Gu Tingye sighed, bowed deeply, and was about to get up and leave.

"vomit!"

With a long vomit, a pool of blood appeared.

The imperial physicians inserted some kind of needles, but it's unclear what they were.

Gu Yankai is awake!
As soon as Xiao Qinshi stopped sobbing, her face froze for a moment.

Gu Yankai was a marquis, so she dared not poison him immediately.

Therefore, her main plan was to drive away the second son while the old marquis was in a coma.

As a result, the censors impeached the second son, leaving him with no time to deal with his own problems.

She would personally feed him the medicine, and after three to five days of this, the Marquis would be sent to hell.

The second son's crime of angering his father to the point of illness was to cause his father's death, and losing his official position was a certainty.

It could even implicate the young Grand Secretary.

But the Marquis woke up!
Actually, it's not surprising that Gu Yankai woke up.

Vomiting is the body's instinctive way of expelling toxins, which weakens the toxins considerably. After vomiting for a while, you will naturally feel clear-headed for a period of time.

The difficulty lies in the fact that I shouldn't have woken up at this time.

Madam Qin inwardly groaned, but outwardly wore a look of delight: "My Lord."

Gu Tingyu breathed a long sigh of relief, and his coughing frequency subtly increased.

"Second brother, get out of here," Gu Tingyu shouted immediately.

Once Gu Tingye leaves the Marquis's mansion, it will be a foregone conclusion that he will inherit the title.

Of course, inheriting the title was secondary; what he really wanted was for his second son not to have a good life!
“Father.” Gu Tingye rushed over.

"This matter is actually a relapse of an old illness, and has nothing to do with Erlang," Gu Yan said definitively after glancing at the scene.

Just from that one sentence, Gu Tingye wouldn't have lost his official position or been exiled.

At least, it left plenty of room for explanation.

"Paper, pen." Gu Yankai mustered a sudden burst of strength.

Gu Tingyu's expression changed: "Father."

"Paper, pen!" Gu Tingye shouted, his face hardening.

He was not just a spoiled brat; he was one of the powerful commanders of the Imperial Guards.

"Everyone, step back. Erlang and I have something to discuss." Gu Yankai took a few weak breaths and waved his hand.

"Master Hou!"

Xiao Qin's expression darkened slightly.

"Let's go, everyone get out." The fourth uncle waved his hand.

He was completely unaware of Gu Yankai's poisoning.

The plans of the fourth and fifth branches of the family, along with Madam Qin, were only aimed at Gu Tingye, not the Marquis.

Or rather, they won't target Gu Yankai.

After all, Gu Yankai was the pillar of the family, while the fourth and fifth wives were the beneficiaries.

Similarly, Madam Qin was aware of this and did not discuss the overall plan with the fourth and fifth wives.

The two women from the fourth and fifth wives beckoned at the same time, and Madam Qin's heart sank slightly.

Hopefully, the Marquis hasn't realized it yet.

She could poison the Marquis to death as long as he left the manor!
“Father.” Gu Tingye helped his elderly father up.

Gu Yankai coughed twice and remained silent for a few moments: "My hidden illness has flared up, and I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on for long."

Gu Tingye was taken aback, his eyes twitching slightly.

Is it a hidden ailment?
That's probably not the case!

"As for getting married, it's up to you," Gu Yan said calmly.

Having narrowly escaped death, he felt much more at ease.

"If you have any connections, send me out for a trip so I can see the battlefield." Gu Yankai glanced around and sighed, "I can't stay in this Marquis's mansion."

Gu Tingye was taken aback.

The father was clearly disappointed.

He must have heard something before he fully regained consciousness.

Otherwise, the father wouldn't have been able to regain consciousness so quickly.

The elder brother's ruthless pursuit of the title while their father was seriously ill greatly disappointed their father.

Lady Qin
“Madam Qin,” Gu Yankai said, a complex look flashing in his eyes, “Your decision regarding my passing is entirely up to you.”

Gu Tingye nodded slowly.

He also knows a little about pulse diagnosis.

Given my father's health, he probably only has a year or two left to live.

There is more than enough time to deal with Madam Qin.

However, Lady Qin was, after all, the principal wife and first wife, and was known for her virtue. Her family was also a marquis's mansion.

It's not difficult to deal with her, but it will take time and effort.

It would be a waste to waste only a year and a half of his life on dealing with the Qin family matter.

Gu Yankai picked up his pen and began writing his will, stroke by stroke.

In particular, the succession of the marquisate.

Jiang Mansion.

The brook babbled softly, making a clear, melodious sound.

In the pavilion, Jiang Zhao, Sheng Changbai, Gu Tingye, Su Zhe, and others gathered and played chess in pairs.

"So, Zhonghuai has already broken off the engagement?" Su Zhe asked, touching the chess piece.

He knew a little about the affair between Gu Tingye and Madam Qin.

Gu Tingye nodded and waved his hand dismissively: "She is not a good person, and is really not suitable to be a wife."

“It’s alright, there are plenty of well-bred young ladies in the world, we can look for another one. If all else fails, I can introduce you to my cousin,” Su Zhe said magnanimously.

Gu Tingye is a future marquis; marrying him would be a sure win for my cousin.

“However, Zhonghuai will be demoted, won’t he?” Su Zhe looked at Jiang Zhao.

"Demotion is unlikely, but we need to lay low for a while," Jiang Zhao nodded.

The matter involves the father's illness, and it cannot be completely resolved simply by Gu Yankai saying "the old illness has relapsed."

However, once a settlement is reached in such family matters, the principle of "no investigation unless the people complain" applies.

Gu Yankai's protection was enough to relieve most of the pressure on Gu Tingye.

To be cautious and avoid public backlash, one would either have to take a leave of absence for a while or go to a local area to avoid the storm.

"This matter may not necessarily be a bad thing. At least it made Zhong Huai see the true colors of Xiao Qinshi." Su Zhe said, looking like he was watching a melon.

It should be noted that Zichuan had hinted at the problem of Xiao Qinshi as early as a polo match eight years ago.

After eight years, this scandal has finally come to an end.

Gu Tingye waved his hand dismissively: "As long as it doesn't implicate Zichuan, I'd even accept being dismissed from my post."

Zichuan was his recommender. Given his personality, if things escalate too much, he would have to sacrifice Zichuan to save the king.

After all, even if he was demoted, as long as Fan Zichuan stayed in the court, he would be promoted sooner or later.

"Does Lord Gu want to go for a walk?" Jiang Zhao asked slowly, taking a sip of honey milk tea made from milk.

Gu Tingye nodded repeatedly: "If possible, I'll go out too."

"Have."

Jiang Zhao placed a piece in the southwest: "In this place, someone has rebelled, calling himself Emperor 'Zhaode,' and is about to quell the rebellion!"

Gu Tingye nodded: "Let's do it here then."

　As for Gu Yankai's ending, he was destined to die; he wouldn't last much longer. I've thought about changing my ways, but I can't.

　　The original words Gu Tingye said to Minglan in "The Story of Minglan":
　　“There was a woman whose husband was having an affair. She picked a kind of herb from her yard and put it into her husband’s medicine soup every time she cooked. Her husband drank it and died after half a year.”

　　This poisoning started very early on.

　　Therefore, Gu Yankai was destined to die. The real cause of death was poisoning by Xiao Qinshi. The argument between father and son was merely an opportunity to expose his physical weakness.

　　Given Gu Yankai's physical condition, he should be able to hold on for about a year or two, until Minglan and Gu Tingye get married and Minglan becomes pregnant.
　　Moreover, Gu Tingye really needed an opportunity to see the true nature of Xiao Qinshi, and apart from the Gu Yankai incident, there really wasn't a good opportunity.

　　The eldest son was also killed by Madam Qin. One reason was the Blood-Withering Grass, and the other was that the medicine he took later was faulty, causing him to get fatter and cough more and more.

　　Speaking of which, Madam Qin could be considered a master of palace intrigue.
　　These few pictures are mainly to bring Gu Tingye and Minglan together; they can't get along if Gu Tingye doesn't leave the capital.

　　Next, let's return to the position of the young Grand Secretary.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)