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Gu Jiao heard from Eunuch Qin that the relationship between the Emperor and Grandaunt used to be very close, but for some reason it gradually became estranged.
Eunuch Qin himself couldn't pinpoint the exact incident that caused it, but their relationship became increasingly strained, with Princess Ning'an caught in the middle. Later, when the Emperor ascended the throne and Empress Dowager took over the reins of power, Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing was sent into seclusion in the nunnery, and their relationship was completely shattered.
Nan Xiang saw Gu Jiao lost in thought and knew that she was thinking about something.
However, she didn't ask too many questions.
She liked Gu Xiaoshun and wanted to become a part of his family, so she naturally treated Gu Jiao with respect. But she didn't want to interfere with Gu Jiao's personal affairs by acting like an elder.
If Gu Jiao wanted to talk, she would listen; if she didn't want to reveal something, she wouldn't ask.
Gu Jiao asked, "Lady Nan, you said earlier that this kind of herb is a medicine guide, which means it needs to be used in conjunction with another medicine?"
"That's right. This medicine is very rare in the six states. It was originally…” Nan Xiang paused before continuing with a smile, “...a kind of medicine used by the Tang Sect. There are white and black versions of it. At first, it was used to control some disobedient people, but because such a method was too despicable, it was banned by the Tang Sect elders. However, many people in the six states coveted its formula and stole it from the Tang Sect."
"Tang Sect." Gu Jiao heard another new name.
"Even if you have the formula, it's not easy to refine the medicine. As far as I know, there is no physician or pharmacist in the lower countries who can make this medicine."
"Has Lady Nan seen its formula?" Gu Jiao asked.
Nan Xiang sighed and shook her head, "Unfortunately, I haven't seen it."
Gu Jiao nodded and continued to ask, "So... The white medicine makes people develop good feelings while the black medicine makes people harbor hatred towards the target?"
"Correct."
Having lived for two lifetimes, Gu Jiao had never heard of such medicine before. She kinda felt ignorant and inexperienced.
She became even more interested, "How does it work? How can one make sure they don't get the wrong target?"
Nan Xiang smiled warmly and answered, "As long as you personally feed it to the target, it generally won't go wrong."
In this way, Gu Jiao understood. If her speculation was right, then Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing personally fed the Emperor the white medicine, while Grandaunt personally fed the Emperor the black medicine.
There was no way Grandaunt would fall into anyone’s trap just like that. At that time, Grandaunt still hadn't set up any defenses against Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing, so it must have been Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing who had tricked her.
Gu Jiao then asked, "What about the medicine guide? Is the medicine guide for the black medicine and white medicine the same?"
Nan Xiang smiled and nodded, "The medicine guide is the same for both. Some people have a strong will and are not easily influenced by the medicine, so a medicine guide is needed to induce the effect. Of course, there is another situation where the medicine’s effect is not stable enough after a long time. In such cases, a medicine guide is needed to deepen the effect again. The medicine guide does not necessarily need to be ingested; just smelling it occasionally is enough."
At this point in the conversation, it wasn’t hard to guess who gave the purse to Eunuch Wei.
Moreover, when Gu Jiao picked up the purse and smelled it, it emitted a strong scent of sandalwood, which undoubtedly came from the nunnery.
Gu Jiao weighed the purse in her hand and said, "Lady Nan has a keen sense of smell. The scent of sandalwood is so strong but Lady Nan can still smell the medicine guide inside."
Nan Xiang smiled, "It's the same principle as how you physicians identify medicinal herbs."
People were always particularly sensitive to things they were familiar with. If the purse contained monkshood or Chinese thorowax root, Nan Xiang believed that this little girl would also be able to smell it through the sandalwood fragrance.
Gu Jiao looked at Nan Xiang and said, "To be able to recognize this kind of medicine, it seems that Lady Nan is not an ordinary person."
Nan Xiang’s smile remained on her lips, "We are both special in our own way."
This little girl wasn’t an easy target to mess with, as she had hidden talents that were unknown to others.
Both of them were very intelligent and tactful. They knew where to draw the line when it came to personal matters, which was a sign of respect and trust. They respected each other's identity and secrets, while trusting that these secrets would not harm each other's families and themselves.
From Nan Xiang's mouth, Gu Jiao gained a new understanding of this time and space. It turned out that there wasn’t only the Turkic Tribe alone outside of the six states, but also a Tang Sect.
The Tang Sect lived in seclusion and didn’t interact with the six states. People from the Tang Sect could not leave the Tang Sect or step into the six countries in their lifetime.
Of course, the most informative topic for Nan Xiang and Gu Jiao was this medicine. Whether it was the black medicine or white medicine, there was no specific antidote to it. The only way to eliminate the medicine’s effects was to let time pass, but it was also possible for the effects to never disappear.
Gu Jiao pondered, "What symptoms will occur when the effect of the medicine disappears?"
Nan Xiang shook her head, "I haven't seen anything specific, but I've heard that there may be a backlash, such as... having nightmares."
What Nan Xiang didn't mention was that there might be some mental disorders involved, but since she hadn't actually seen it herself, it could just be hearsay from others and not necessarily true.
Gu Jiao began to ponder seriously. Eunuch Wei did mention that the Emperor had trouble sleeping recently. Could it be related to this?
Looking at the dried flowers on the table, she asked, "So this medicine guide prevents the loss of the medicine’s effects?"
"In theory, yes, it was just..." Nan Xiang touched the table full of dried flowers. "Normally, one or two pieces of medicine guide are enough. Using so many can only mean that the person who was drugged is in an extremely unstable state, and the medicine guide is already completely ineffective. The effect of the medicine will disappear soon, unless the person fed the target another white or black medicine."
"Will it still work the second time?" Gu Jiao asked.
Nan Xiang thought seriously for a moment before answering, "It should be, but it's hard to say how effective it would be."
So Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing did go to buy medicine yesterday. She must have been planning to drug the Emperor again, because no matter how the medicine worked this time, it wouldn't make things worse than they already were.
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing invited the Emperor to dine in the nunnery last night, intending to drug him, but unfortunately Gu Jiao was also present, which made it impossible for Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing to take action.
But Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing would not give up just like that. Gu Jiao believed she would find another opportunity to approach the Emperor.
"I have something to do, so I'll take my leave now. I’ll visit again another day." After sitting for a while, Nan Xiang stood up and bid farewell.
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