The Cloud Feather of the Red Chamber: A Marriage Arranged with Gong Yuanzheng at the Start

Towering ancient trees, shrouded in mist, made the temperature inside the pharmacy seem a bit lower than outside.

Gong Yuanzheng was preparing the freshly dug medicinal herbs.

Peel back the dark, pitted outer skin, and you'll find a root as white as snow.

Gong Yuanzheng cut it into small pieces, put it in a mortar, and pounded it to extract the medicinal juice.

Lin Qingyue wasn't particularly interested in processing medicinal herbs. She stood in front of the table, looking at the flower that seemed otherworldly.

It was placed alone in a lampshade, the flower emitting a soft blue light, as if shrouded in smoke, the whole flower as if draped in a thin veil, with a hazy beauty.

Lin Qingyue leaned closer, looking at the flower, and couldn't help but ask, "Is this the Cloud Lotus?"

The medicinal juice had been extracted completely. Gong Yuanzheng washed the juice off his hands in a basin of water before walking to Lin Qingyue's side, looking at the girl with gentle eyes.

"Yes, I've only cultivated four flowers in total over the years, and this one is almost ripe now."

Three lotus blossoms emerge from the clouds, one for my brother, one for Yue'er, and one for him.

Lin Qingyue immediately thought of the Crescent Moon Fly on Gong Shangjiao's body and looked at Gong Yuanzheng, "Yuanzheng, can the Cloud Lotus cure the Crescent Moon Fly?"

Gong Yuanzheng shook his head. He had also considered having his brother take the Cloud Lotus directly to detoxify, but his brother told him that the Half-Moon Fly was not a simple poison, but rather a form of Gu poison.

The Izumo Lotus can heal serious injuries, cure all diseases, and detoxify all poisons, but its effect on Gu poison is negligible.

Lin Qingyue's face also showed a hint of worry, "If Yuanzheng can cure the Half-Moon Fly, wouldn't he have to go find those who can use Gu poison?"

“No need!” Gong Yuanzheng smiled, his smile radiating confidence. “Situ Hong’s blood contains a lot of Gu poison. Once this Gu poison is extracted, an antidote can be prepared.”

His eyes were full of disdain. "These people like Wu Feng have the best medicinal ingredients, but they don't know how to use them!"

Lin Qingyue was amused by Gong Yuanzheng's arrogant demeanor.

However, Gong Yuanzheng has every reason to be proud.

Despite having no prior knowledge of Gu poison, he was able to concoct a suitable antidote using limited materials.

What is this if not genius?

The medicine pot had already boiled. Gong Yuanzheng walked to the pot and poured all the freshly extracted medicinal juice into it.

A familiar, delicate fragrance wafted through the pharmacy; it was the scent of Liuyun.

Gong Yuanzheng's entire focus was on the medicine pot, the smoke obscuring the changes in the medicinal liquid.

Gong Yuanzheng listened intently to the sound of the medicine boiling. Once the fragrance in the pharmacy dissipated and the boiling sound subsided, he immediately lifted the medicine pot and poured the scalding hot medicine into the medicine bowl.

When the temperature was about right, he looked at Lin Qingyue, who was still observing the Cloud Lotus, and called softly, "Yue'er, come here."

Lin Qingyue, puzzled, walked to Gong Yuanzheng's side. "What's wrong?"

Gong Yuanzheng handed her one of the bowls, saying, "This medicine will cure the poison in your body."

Lin Qingyue froze for a moment, then looked at Gong Yuanzheng with a shocked expression, "You mean, this medicine can cure the poison I was given a year ago?"

Gong Yuanzheng looked at her face and explained softly, "The missing medicinal herbs were delivered to Jiao Palace a few days ago. This Liuyun is the last one, and it has ripened today."

Lin Qingyue looked nervously at the bowl of medicine in front of her. The liquid was clear and transparent, and it didn't look like medicine at all, but rather like a bowl of sweet soup.

After drinking this bowl of medicine, the biggest hidden danger for the Lin family was eliminated.

Lin Qingyue picked up the medicine bowl, about to drink it, when Gong Yuanzheng pressed her hand down. Under her puzzled gaze, he picked up another bowl of medicine and drank it all in one gulp.

Lin Qingyue's eyes widened in astonishment. As clever as she was, she immediately guessed that Gong Yuanzheng must have also taken the poison.

How did he concoct this antidote?

Was it by going to the pharmacy alone and figuring out the real detox formula little by little based on your own body's reactions?

Something seemed to break inside Lin Qingyue's heart, and she felt her eyes getting hot. She involuntarily grasped Gong Yuanzheng's hand.

In recent days, she and Gong Yuanzheng have held hands more than once, but she has never truly felt the lines on his palm.

She knew that Gong Yuanzheng's palms had calluses, which he had developed from years of holding knives.

Only then did she notice that his palms not only had calluses, but also many small cuts on his fingers.

Her fingers were fair and slender, but the pads of her fingers bore many small wounds, as if they had been scratched by hard plants, with new and old wounds intertwined.

Lin Qingyue gently traced the tips of Gong Yuanzheng's fingers and murmured, "Why...?"

She knew the answer, but she couldn't believe it.

Gong Yuanzheng grasped her hand in return, looking at the girl with a gentle yet firm gaze.

"This is the fastest way to prepare the antidote, Yue'er. I can't bear to let you be the one to test the medicine."

So you're going to test the drug yourself? Lin Qingyue looked at him, opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

He learned she had been poisoned on the second day after she arrived at the palace gates, and on the third day, Qi Yan'an took all the poison with him.

Did Gong Yuanzheng take the poison on the second day?

Her mind drifted back to what Gong Yuanzheng had said: "If you like someone, you like them. What does it have to do with how long it takes?"

Lin Qingyue looked at him with complicated emotions. She knew that Gong Yuanzheng had done a lot for her, but this was the first time she realized that he had done even more behind the scenes.

Gong Yuanzheng picked up the bowl of medicine and handed it to Lin Qingyue's lips. "Yue'er, there's no problem with the antidote. You can drink it now."

The boy kept looking at her, his eyes sincere and passionate.

Lin Qingyue took the medicine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

After she finished drinking the medicine, Gong Yuanzheng immediately grasped her wrist and checked her pulse.

The boy's face was serious and focused, and all his attention was on the pads of his two fingers.

Lin Qingyue looked at him, but was thinking about another question: Is this how all his medicines are prepared?

That half-moon fly...

Lin Qingyue's heart tightened suddenly.

The boy before them was still a minor and had not yet undergone the coming-of-age ceremony, yet he had already become the master of a palace. The price he paid was unimaginable.

Everyone says he is a herbal genius, but behind his genius lies unseen blood and tears.

After a long while, he raised his head, his face full of relaxed smiles.

"Yue'er, it's over. The poison in your body has been neutralized."

"I will boil the remaining medicine into pills and send them to Yangzhou by fast horse."

Lin Qingyue grasped his hand and asked another question instead, "Yuanzheng, tell me, did you also consume the Half-Moon Fly?"

Meeting Lin Qingyue's extremely serious eyes, Gong Yuanzheng paused for a moment, then smiled, "No, I didn't take the Half-Moon Fly. My brother specifically told me before he left that I absolutely must not take the Half-Moon Fly."

"The palace is still in a turbulent time. If I take the Half-Moon Fly, and Wu Feng attacks me when it takes effect, I'm afraid the palace will have a hard time dealing with Xue Zhongzi, who is a master."

"Don't worry, Yue'er. There are many Wufeng in the dungeon. I'll test them one by one and I'll be more than capable of concocting an antidote."

Lin Qingyue felt a little relieved. She held Gong Yuanzheng's hand tightly and looked at him very seriously.

"Yuanzheng, promise me that no matter what medicine you concoct in the future, you will never test it on yourself again, okay?"

Gong Yuanzheng didn't speak, but simply gazed at her silently.

Lin Qingyue looked at him, and after a moment, she mustered up her courage and said, "I don't want you to get hurt, and I don't want you to feel pain."

A smile spread across Gong Yuanzheng's eyes, joy radiating from them and filling his entire face.

"I promise you, Yue'er."