roccoschili Chapter 527 Foresight
Chapter 527 Foresight
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingtan immediately sat up straight: "Brother Changsheng, what do you want to tell me?"
Looking at Shen Qingtan's upright posture and serious expression, Gu Changsheng couldn't help but chuckle: "It's nothing important, you don't need to be so nervous." He put down his teacup and said slowly: "My master asked me to go to the capital of Northern Qi to treat an old friend of his."
"An old friend?" Shen Qingtan murmured, and a name immediately popped into her mind. She blurted out, "The Imperial Tutor?"
Gu Changsheng was slightly surprised, seemingly not expecting Shen Qingtan to guess correctly so easily.
He didn't hide anything: "It was him."
“You cannot go to the capital.” Shen Qingtan stopped him, explaining anxiously, “The Emperor of Northern Qi values the Imperial Tutor very much. Anyone who appears by the Imperial Tutor’s side will definitely be investigated by him. If the Emperor of Northern Qi finds out that you are my cousin, it may be detrimental to you.”
“You don’t need to worry, my master forged an identity for me.” Gu Changsheng took out a travel permit from his sleeve and handed it to Shen Qingtan: “I once lived in Suizhou of Northern Qi for a period of time, and I know the accent there. My master found the identity of a person in Suizhou who was cut off from all his relatives, about my age, and already deceased. He then asked someone in the government to change the identity information on file, thus ‘reviving’ the person. Even if the Emperor of Northern Qi sends people to investigate layer by layer, they will not find any problems.”
Shen Qingtan looked at the travel permit in her hand, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
These materials couldn't have been prepared overnight; it was clear that preparations had begun long ago. Having gone to such great lengths to complete these procedures, how could she possibly dissuade him from going to the capital with just a few words?
Seeing that the matter was already settled, Shen Qingtan could only instruct, "You must ensure your safety when you go to the capital." After a pause, she expressed her worries, "I'm afraid that if you cure the Imperial Tutor, the Emperor of Northern Qi will issue an order for you to go and treat him."
Shen Qingtan knew in her heart that even if the Emperor of Northern Qi ordered Gu Changsheng to treat his illness, Gu Changsheng would not be able to cure him. She was worried that the Emperor of Northern Qi would be enraged and cut off Gu Changsheng's head.
"I know what I'm doing." Gu Changsheng looked at the worry in Shen Qingtan's eyes and felt a surge of warmth in his heart: "I'm not alone. I have an elderly father, a child, and all of you who care about me. I will not put myself in danger again."
These words completely put Shen Qingtan at ease. As long as Gu Changsheng had something on his mind, he would prioritize his own safety in everything he did.
Shen Qingtan asked, "When will you set off?"
"This matter should be handled sooner rather than later. I will set off first thing tomorrow morning." Gu Changsheng looked towards the door and saw a robe fluttering back and forth by the door. From the fabric of the robe, one could tell who was standing by the door. He looked away and said gently, "It's getting late. You've been traveling all day. Get some rest."
"Good." Shen Qingtan saw with her own eyes that Gu Changsheng's eyes were healed and that he was full of life again. Her heart, which had always been worried about him, was finally at ease. She watched Gu Changsheng close the ancient book on the curved table, then got up with him and personally saw him out of the study: "Brother Changsheng, is that child in the medical hut?"
Gu Changsheng gave a soft "hmm": "I'm going to the capital, so it's inconvenient to bring the child with me."
Shen Qingtan nodded knowingly: "Is Elder Zhong taking care of the children? How is his health?"
Gu Changsheng smiled and said, "Master is in very good health. If he hadn't wanted to stay at the medical hut to take care of the children, he would have come to Northern Qi with me."
"Is that so? Next time there's a chance, I'll invite him to Northern Qi again, and I'll definitely treat him well." Shen Qingtan saw Gu Changsheng to the door, where she saw Zhao Yi standing at the study door, holding the gift she had prepared for Gu Changsheng. She took the gift from Zhao Yi and handed it to Gu Changsheng: "Brother Changsheng, this is a Mid-Autumn Festival gift I prepared for you. May you be happy, healthy, and live a peaceful and carefree life."
"Thank you, Manman." Gu Changsheng accepted the gift with both hands and gestured for her to stay: "You don't need to escort me to the courtyard. Just have the servants in the manor take me."
"Okay." Shen Qingtan instructed Jiang Chao to escort Gu Changsheng to the courtyard.
Jiang Chao led Gu Changsheng towards the courtyard.
Shen Qingtan watched Gu Changsheng leave, then turned to Zhao Yi beside her, extended a finger, and poked his chest with a feigned fierce look: "You clearly knew that my cousin would come to keep our appointment, yet you didn't give a single word of it."
Zhao Yi grasped Shen Qingtan's index finger, pulled her into the study, and closed the door behind him. He explained, "I really didn't know beforehand. Seeing that you were eagerly awaiting your cousin's reply, I sent someone to find him as fast as possible. He happened to be preparing to come to Northern Qi, so I secretly brought him to Yuncheng."
"I only learned last night that my cousin was coming to Yuncheng today. I thought that since he didn't reply to your letter and told you that he was coming to Yuncheng, it was probably to give you a surprise. So I didn't give you the letter I received."
Besides wanting to create a surprise for Shen Qingtan on behalf of Gu Changsheng, he was also worried that Shen Qingtan would still be thinking about Gu Changsheng waiting for her in Yuncheng while she was reunited with the Zhenbei King's family. That's why he kept the news that Gu Changsheng would come to keep the appointment a secret.
Zhao Yi reached out and hugged Shen Qingtan's waist: "Your cousin should have told you that he came to Northern Qi not only to see you, but also to take care of important business. It was inconvenient for him to reveal his identity, which is why we didn't have a reunion dinner together on the border between the two countries."
Shen Qingtan knew the gravity of the matter and wouldn't dwell on it too much; however, she was troubled by something else.
“Brother Changsheng is lying to me again.” Shen Qingtan said slowly, her face full of sorrow. “He said that the Imperial Tutor was an old friend of Elder Zhong, and Elder Zhong asked him to go to the capital to treat the Imperial Tutor. But the Imperial Tutor has been ill for less than two months now.”
"When the news of the Imperial Tutor's serious illness reached Elder Zhong's ears, Elder Zhong had to first arrange a new identity for him in Suizhou, Northern Qi, and then take the travel permit related to the new identity to the medical clinic to give it to him. After that, he would take the travel permit to Yuncheng. Not to mention anything else, the time spent on the road alone would take more than two months."
She guessed, "I think this matter is inextricably linked to the Imperial Tutor."
Zhao Yi's gaze was deep and thoughtful as he waited for Shen Qingtan to continue.
Shen Qingtan continued, "More than twenty years ago, the Imperial Tutor colluded with the Duke to send you to the Great Zhou. When the time was right, he told the Emperor of Northern Qi about your existence. This shows that he was far-sighted and had already planned the outcome of the whole game when he made his first move."
“You are a pawn placed in the Great Zhou by the Imperial Tutor, and he knows your situation very well. As your wife, he will surely find out my background as well, and naturally he will know about the existence of Brother Changsheng.”
"Judging from the Imperial Tutor's methods, his illness was probably part of his plan to achieve some purpose. So it makes sense that before he fell ill, he arranged a new identity for Brother Changsheng and sent someone to deliver the travel permit to Brother Changsheng so that Brother Changsheng could treat his illness."
"However, Brother Changsheng knew our situation in Northern Qi, yet he was still willing to go to the capital of Northern Qi to treat the Imperial Tutor. The reason behind this is probably me."