bookbashuk Chapter 96 I'm Here to Join This Family
Chapter 96 I'm Here to Join This Family
The sounds of string and wind instruments drifted from a spacious hall in the Changyang City Lord's Mansion. The musicians were a group of beautiful women, all of whom were Tan Shuo's concubines.
Now, they all looked shyly at the peerless handsome young man in white sitting in front of the screen. Even though their husbands were right next to them, they kept casting flirtatious glances at the young man in white. Their husbands, on the other hand, did not seem to be unhappy about this at all. They even joined in with them, playing their jade flutes.
Tan Xing'er was practicing swordplay, while her grandmother Xiao Wanmei and mother Xiang Suyun stood beside Gu Yan, one pouring wine and the other serving food to Gu Yan with chopsticks.
Oh my, what a warm and harmonious scene!
Tan Yue was furious when she returned and saw this harmonious scene. She rushed in and yelled, "What are you doing?"
His roar startled everyone.
Everyone in the room, except Gu Yan, was trembling with fear. Tan Xing'er retreated to the side with her sword. Tan Shuo's concubines all turned pale, and Xiao Wanmei and Xiang Suyun lowered their heads, not daring to look at Tan Yue. Tan Shuo stood up with his flute in hand and forced himself to call out, "Father..."
Only Gu Yan held the jade cup, took a sip of wine, and smiled at Tan Yue: "You weren't here, so they took care of their teacher in your place. Why are you so angry? You finally decided to come back, you unfilial disciple."
Gu Yan's tone really sounded like an adult lecturing a child.
Tan Yue was so angry that the veins on her forehead throbbed, and her face turned pale and then red.
"Come here and pour your teacher some wine!"
Gu Yan slammed the wine glass in her hand heavily onto the table.
No matter how unwilling Tan Yue was, he had no choice. His will to resist surged, and large golden runes appeared all over his body, causing his limbs to move uncontrollably. He walked towards Gu Yan, snatched the wine pot from Xiao Wanmei's hand, and poured wine for Gu Yan through gritted teeth. Then he slammed the wine pot down on the table, spilling the wine.
Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at each other.
Gu Yan laughed and said, "What are you doing? Keep playing and dancing!"
Tan Shuo's concubines were afraid of Tan Yue, but since their ancestor was so handsome, they would gladly die to make him smile. Besides, even the Marquis dared not disobey the ancestor's orders, so they thought they should listen to him. Thus, they mustered their courage and began to play instruments and sing.
Tan Xing'er held a long sword. She liked her ancestor and her grandfather. She didn't want to make her grandfather angry, but she was also afraid that her ancestor would be angry.
The little girl stood there, not knowing what to do for a moment.
Gu Yan looked at Tan Yue, who was standing aside suppressing her anger, and said, "You really know how to spoil the fun. I came here to join this family, not to destroy it."
"Yes, yes, Master is right," Tan Shuo chimed in obsequiously.
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw his own father look at him coldly. His eyes were terrifying, and he was so frightened that he turned into a quail again.
"Why are you being so fierce? You're scaring my precious grandson," Gu Yan said coldly to Tan Yue.
Tan Yue: "..."
He was so angry, so incredibly angry! But he had no choice but to suppress it. Tan Yue's chest heaved with rage; he felt like his chest was about to explode.
Tan Shuo was secretly pleased to see Gu Yanwei speak for himself.
Just then, a middle-aged man entered. This man was the household steward. Upon seeing Tan Yue return, he paused for a moment, then quickly composed himself. He first bowed to Gu Yan and addressed her as "Grand Ancestor," then bowed to Tan Yue and addressed her as "Lord Marquis." He then respectfully spoke to Gu Yan:
"Ancestor, Senior Dan King Mu Qinghe has come to visit, saying he has something to discuss with you."
Gu Yan had already sensed Mu Qinghe's presence, and he said, "Please invite him here."
"Yes."
Watching the butler leave, Tan Yue thought to herself, "Very good, this place has completely changed hands, hasn't it?"
Gu Yan waved her hand, signaling the others to step back. Xiao Wanmei, Xiang Suyun, Tan Xing'er, and Tan Shuo's concubines all bowed and withdrew.
Tan Shuo didn't leave with the flute in his hand. Gu Yan glanced at him and said, "What are you doing here? Adults are talking, children should go play somewhere else."
The "child," who had lived for hundreds of years and even had a daughter, glanced at his father and could only acknowledge him and leave.
A moment later, Mu Qinghe rushed in. Upon seeing Gu Yan, he said:
"Taibai, it's extremely urgent! I need your help with something."
"Brother Mu, what's the matter? Come, let's sit down and talk slowly," Gu Yan said with a smile.
"There's no time for a leisurely chat. The Empress has been poisoned. I've tried many methods, but none of them worked, so I had no choice but to come to you," Mu Qinghe said anxiously. Although the Empress also possessed the cultivation of the Heavenly Spirit Realm, the poison was truly potent. If it dragged on any longer, she might really die.
"How could the Empress be poisoned?" Tan Yue, standing nearby, was quite puzzled. As a high-ranking official of the Empire, Tan Yue had seen the Empress many times at palace banquets, and he had a rather favorable impression of the Empress of the Ruohe Empire.
Of course, it wasn't that kind of affection. Overall, Tan Yue was a very upright person. Although he had many wives and concubines, he only had Xiao Wanmei as his first wife. That's why he went crazy and clung to Gu Yan when he discovered that he was being cuckolded.
"There's no time to talk, the Empress can't hold on much longer. Taibai, come with me quickly."
Mu Qinghe said anxiously.
Seeing his haste, Gu Yan stood up and followed Mu Qinghe outside. As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard, they transformed into two long streaks of light and disappeared into the horizon. Tan Yue, curious, followed as well.
Baima County has a teleportation array that leads directly to the capital of the Ruohe Empire, but this array cannot be used casually except in emergencies. On the way to the teleportation array, Mu Qinghe briefly explained the situation to Gu Yan and Tan Yue. Two days ago, while he was refining medicine at home, Imperial Physician Xiao, a sixth-grade alchemist from the imperial palace, came to his door, saying that the Empress had been poisoned and was in critical condition, requesting him to go to the capital immediately to save her life.
After using a teleportation array to reach the imperial palace, he tried every possible method, but to no avail, he couldn't cure the empress's poison. He had already summoned all the sixth-grade alchemists within the Ruohe Empire, but they were all helpless. There were no seventh-grade alchemists in the Ruohe Empire, and it would be difficult to find them elsewhere.
All the seventh-grade alchemists in the Nineteen Continents are at the Spirit Emperor level, and each of them has an eccentric personality and a noble status.
Let's not even talk about whether they're willing to come or not. Even if they were, these old monsters are all elusive. Where are we supposed to find them?
Mu Qinghe's master was a seventh-grade alchemist. He, as the disciple, had not seen his master for over two hundred years and did not even know where he was, let alone anything else.
The Alchemist Association headquarters does have at least one Rank 7 alchemist stationed there year-round, but it's too far away, with no direct teleportation array. If you really wanted to go there to find someone to save your life, it would be too late.
In this situation, Mu Qinghe thought of Gu Yan.
So they came to drag Gu Yan to save her life.
As for how the Empress was poisoned, no one knows. There's no time to investigate that now; we need to find a way to save the Empress's life first.