Heartstrings Resonance: The Beloved Princess of the Female Power

His heart sank. He recalled the time he had sent someone to ask for help from the Baili family, but was rejected. It seemed that Baili Zhong's visit to the palace this time didn't represent the entire Baili family.

At this moment, the old woman at the side said, "It's a heart-eating poison, but it was stopped in time and did not reach the heart directly." Everyone looked and found that the old woman had unknowingly walked to the queen's bed.

Emperor Qing Zhao couldn't help but feel a little surprised. He didn't see the old woman feel the empress's pulse, but she already knew about her condition. A flicker of doubt flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by surprise. He looked at the old woman earnestly and asked anxiously, "How did Madam Baili know?"

The old woman shook her head and said with a wry smile, "I'm not really a wife, I'm just a concubine. My name is Aliru, and I'm from Pro City."

Emperor Qing Zhao immediately became alert and looked at Aliru with a frown.

Aliru said calmly, "Your Majesty, please be patient. I will explain the details to you after I have cured you of this heart-eating poison. In two days, the Empress's health will be completely broken. The sooner the poison is cured, the sooner the Empress will recover."

Seeing Emperor Qing Zhao hesitate, Yongle said firmly: "Father, let her try! I believe in her!" She believed in this woman for a reason, because she saw the same indifference in this woman as Mu Yunxi.

Emperor Qing Zhao was silent for a moment, then stared at Aliru and said, "If you can cure the queen, I will grant you one condition, as long as it is not against heaven and earth."

Aliru was not polite and responded, "Okay! I believe in the credibility of the Emperor Zhaoguo."

Then he added: "I need a dagger."

Under the puzzled gazes of several people, she explained, "The Queen's heart meridian is protected, and the Heart-Eating Gu cannot get close. However, it is also trapped next to the heart. The only way to remove it is with a sharp blade."

"Is my mother in danger of her life?" Yongle asked with a worried look on his face.

Aliru replied, "This is the only solution I have at the moment. The medicine can only be found by returning to Pro City, but... two days is too short."

Several people also understood what she meant, and Mu Cheng and Baili Zhong consciously left the queen's bedroom.

Emperor Qing Zhao asked Eunuch Fu to find a female doctor who was currently training in suture techniques. This idea was suggested by Mu Yunxi. After he made all the arrangements, he allowed Aliru to begin.

Emperor Qing Zhao and Emperor Yongle also watched the whole process. They saw Aliru first undress the queen, and then give acupuncture near her heart. Then, they saw something moving in the middle of the acupuncture point. At this moment, Aliru picked up a dagger and directly cut there. The silver needle was quickly inserted, and when it was pulled out, there was a poisonous insect like a leech on it.

Emperor Qing Zhao frowned and asked, "Is there still any in the Queen's body?"

"No more," Aliru said. She looked at the insect in her hand and concluded, "Judging from its size, it must have entered the Empress's body by implanting itself in her eggs. That's why she's been able to hold out for so long."

Emperor Qing Zhao frowned, and after confirming that there were no other poisonous insects, he immediately asked the female doctor to suture the queen's wound.

"Eggs? What does that mean?" Yongle asked in confusion.

Aliru explained in detail, "They cultivate the eggs of the Heart-Eating Gu, preserve them using a special secret method, and then place them on a human body. They enter the body through wounds, ears, nose, or mouth, using the human body as a host. Then, the eggs hatch and grow inside the human body, gradually devouring the host's heart until the host dies, at which point they leave the body."

Hearing this, Yongle was shocked and couldn't help cursing: "How vicious!"

Emperor Qing Zhao was extremely angry. He gritted his teeth and said, "These people are so cruel that they actually use such cruel means against us!" His heart was filled with hatred for the mastermind behind the scenes. Thinking that these people were originally coming for him, he became even more angry.

Aliru was astonished when she saw the doctor stitching the wounds together. The thread resembled a thin, worm-like thread, tightly holding the wound together as if by some mysterious magic. Aliru's eyes widened. She had never seen such medical skills before, and she was filled with confusion and curiosity.

However, regardless of her shock, Yongle immediately sent her out. Aliru, however, suspected this must be a secret method of the Zhao Kingdom. Perhaps this miraculous medical skill was only available in the Zhao Kingdom. But she didn't delve into it further, after all, her clan also had secret methods of healing.

After the female doctor had treated the wound, Emperor Qing Zhao had the imperial physicians waiting outside examine the empress. After ensuring she was alright, he led everyone to the side hall. He sat in the main seat, staring pointedly at Aliru, and asked, "Who are you? Why are you in the Baili family?"

Aliru did not answer his question immediately, but smiled slightly and said, "Let me tell the emperor a story!" Her voice was low and magnetic, making people want to listen.

Although Emperor Qing Zhao wanted to refuse, he thought about it and nodded. He wanted to hear what the old woman had to say, perhaps he could find some clues from her story.

Fifty years ago, in the city of Proro, there lived a naive young girl. She was the clan leader's youngest daughter, having reached the age of fifteen. According to Proro custom, girls of this age should begin choosing their partners. However, this young girl, filled with curiosity and yearning for the world beyond Proro, was unwilling to be confined to the city. So, on the day she chose her partner, she resolutely fled Proro, embarking on an unknown journey.

On her way, she encountered a handsome man with an extraordinary temperament. Their meeting seemed destined, and they quickly fell in love. Soon after, she decided to marry him and returned home with him. However, upon entering his home, she was shocked to discover that she was only a concubine. It turned out that the man had not married her out of true love, but because she came from the city of Pu Luo. He was eager to study the art of Gu insects, and when he happened to meet this innocent little girl, he decided to deceive her and brought her home.

Aliru spoke till this point, his eyes swept over everyone present, a bitter smile on his face: "Yes, I am the little girl who was deceived, and the one who brought me here was none other than Baili Xi, the previous head of the Baili family."

Aliru continued, her voice filled with pain and vicissitudes, as if she had endured countless hardships. "My father once warned me never to teach the art of poisoning to outsiders. Therefore, I always adhered to this promise and never revealed this skill to anyone. However, I did tell him some methods of detoxification, and it was with these methods that he successfully ascended to the position of head of the Baili family. At first, I mistakenly believed that he had good intentions towards me, but later, when he lost his patience and imprisoned me, I suddenly realized that he had been using me all these years, just to obtain the art of poisoning." At this point, her eyes revealed gratitude, and she looked at Baili Zhong kindly and said, "Luckily, this child stumbled into the place where I was imprisoned not long ago and rescued me."

At this point, Emperor Qing Zhao interrupted, "I remember that the previous head of the Baili family, Baili Xi, passed away last July."

Aliru smiled faintly, but her eyes betrayed deep hatred. She said firmly, "It's a pity he died so young, otherwise I would have killed him myself!"

Yongle frowned and asked curiously, "Then how did you survive after his death?"

Aliru pondered for a moment and answered frankly, "We, the Gu-raising clan, have a special method for raising blood Gu. We cultivate Gu worms with our own blood and use them to nourish ourselves. It is thanks to this method that I have been able to survive."

An idea flashed through Emperor Qing Zhao's mind, but it vanished in an instant, leaving him with deep regret. Just as he was agonizing over this, he heard Aliru mention the art of blood poisoning, and suddenly remembered that she had claimed to be the youngest daughter of the leader of a clan that raised poisonous insects in Pu Luo City. According to historical records, Pu Luo City had never participated in any wars, and this time they assisted Youdu because their leader's sister had disappeared in Zhao State. Thank you.

He looked at Aliru earnestly and told her in detail about Pro City's widespread poisoning throughout Zhao State. After listening, Aliru nodded gently, indicating that she understood the situation. She said, "It was precisely because I learned about this that I decided to follow you. After hearing Lord Mu's description, I immediately realized that the Queen was infected with the Heart-Eating Gu. I understand that this incident is our fault, Pro City, and they should not interfere in the dispute between the two countries."

"But aren't you the people of Youdu?" asked Emperor Qing Zhao.

Aliru shook her head. "We have always lived there, starting with our ancestors. We have lived in Puro for five hundred years. It was only three hundred years ago that Xiqi came into being." She added, fearing that others might not know, "Xiqi is the present-day Youdu."

Everyone nodded to show that they understood.

Yongle then asked, "However, according to unofficial history, your clan has always engaged in dishonorable activities for the Youdu royal family, simply to gain status and position. But according to what you just said, your clan is unwilling to do so. So, what is the truth behind this unofficial history?"

Hearing this, Aliru's brow furrowed. She asked, "When did this unofficial history occur? During my father's time as clan leader, no one in our clan ever committed such an act. The outside world only knows that our poisonous insects can kill people, but they don't know that our poisonous insect technique can actually save lives. They don't want to believe it, and they are also very afraid of us. My father said, 'Since they are afraid of us, then we should not have too much contact with them, so that they won't blame us if something happens.' Therefore, our clan rarely interacts with the outside world. As for what happened after I left, I don't know."