Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 162 Mother-child Gu

Even though they were somewhat prepared, the two were still shocked when they saw the scene inside the room. It was bad enough that General Zhao, who only knew how to feast on soldiers' blood and gnaw on the bones of ordinary people, was bound, but why were there several northern barbarians? Of course, these northern barbarians were nothing like the rude and unreasonable figures they had imagined; instead, they were as obedient as little chicks, squatting quietly in the corner.

But what's even more surprising is that the Prince of Binyang, who has been issuing orders from the palace, is actually a fake prince. The real prince was poisoned three years ago and is now in a coma, unknown to anyone.

The fake prince was now tightly bound and lying beside the real prince's bed. His eyes were slightly closed, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. Perhaps knowing that he was about to die, he was very quiet now, completely unlike his arrogant demeanor when he had challenged Jiu Que earlier.

No, those two only stayed outside the Prince's mansion for half a day, right? What exactly happened in between? Things seem to be getting more and more complicated.

"Nine Palaces, this..."

"The matter is rather complicated. Even I would find it difficult to understand if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. But for now, I urge Physician Xie to treat the real Prince of Binyang as soon as possible. I'm afraid that if we delay any longer, he may never wake up again."

What Jiu Que didn't say was that even a normal person, lying in bed for three whole years, would likely have atrophied their muscles. Even if they were saved, it was uncertain whether they could stand up again. To think that one of the once dashing and valiant Twin Star War Gods had become like this... one wonders what the King of Binyang's feelings will be when he regains consciousness.

This general is facing such a situation before he's even old. Even Jiu Que, a complete stranger to him, feels sorry for him. What's more, he wakes up to such a huge mess. If she were the Prince of Binyang, she'd probably be having a terrible headache too.

But it's too late to say anything now; we have to bring the other party to their senses.

Xie Mingchen, carrying his precious medicine chest, carefully examined the Prince of Binyang, his expression grave. The prince had indeed been poisoned by a Gu worm. Moreover, this Gu worm was extremely vicious, forcibly confining the Prince of Binyang to his bed, unconscious, while simultaneously continuously transferring his life force to him. Fortunately, the prince was physically robust, barely surviving for three whole years of this draining of his life force.

"These mother-child Gu are extremely vicious. The child Gu always obeys the mother Gu's commands, while continuously transmitting life force to the mother Gu's host until the host dies, as has been the case since ancient times. This letter Gu also has another name, called the Substitute Life Gu. The Southern Miao people have always been skilled at raising Gu worms, and this Substitute Life Gu is quite rare. It can forcibly prolong the life of someone whose life force is depleted and who is on the verge of death. Moreover, the stronger the host parasitized by the child Gu, the longer the person parasitized by the mother Gu can live. But ultimately, it is a method of exchanging one life for another, which is extremely vicious and not used by ordinary people."

Upon hearing these explanations, everyone couldn't help but frown.

The purpose of creating this Gu worm seems to be solely to forcibly prolong life, a thought that sends chills down my spine. Who in this world would willingly become someone else's life-extending elixir, especially in this inhuman, ghostly state of being a living dead? Now the question arises: we know the real Prince of Binyang is parasitized by the offspring Gu, but where is the mother Gu? Could it be in the fake prince?
Xie Mingchen immediately checked on the barely alive and silent fake prince. The prince offered no resistance, only staring at Xie Mingchen with a mocking gaze. The imperial physician slowly withdrew his hand, his expression not looking good.

Without even asking, just by looking at the other person's expression, it was clear that the fake prince didn't possess the mother Gu. So where exactly was the real mother Gu?

"Don't look at me. How could my lowly life be worthy of the King of Binyang's life? Even if I wanted to, others wouldn't be willing to give it up."

Everyone was thoughtful.

"So the mother Gu is in your true master?"

"I didn't say that, it's all your own guesses. But then again, it's useless for you to look at me, because I don't know who the real master is. You don't really think someone as insignificant as me is worth their full attention, do you? No, no, no, in their eyes, there are countless pawns like me, not worth their time. Just assigning a few subordinates is enough to show me respect." "..."

Although they desperately wanted to deny it, the fake prince's words weren't entirely unreasonable, but they currently had no idea who the real mastermind was. How did they find the mother Gu?
The situation reached a stalemate. Amidst the anxiety, Jiu Que suddenly remembered something: in the original plot, besides finding the true form of the mother Gu, there seemed to be another solution to the mother-child Gu problem. However, this solution was extremely difficult, practically a matter of life and death.

Jiu Que subtly offered his opinion.

"The reason why the offspring Gu obeys the mother Gu is because the latter is more powerful. But even ants cherish their lives, let alone Gu worms nurtured with rare and precious treasures. I think the offspring Gu must be unwilling, right?"

"what do you mean?"

"What I'm trying to say is, if the offspring Gu is stronger than the mother Gu, could it turn around and restrain the mother Gu, causing the mother Gu to supply nutrients to the offspring Gu?"

Xie Mingchen fell silent for a moment. In that instant, he drew upon all the medical knowledge he had acquired throughout his life and arrived at a difficult conclusion.

“It is indeed feasible, but no one has ever used this method before, so it will definitely be very dangerous. The Prince of Binyang may not be able to withstand it in his current physical condition.”

"But what if the host of the mother Gu learns of this situation and orders the offspring Gu to commit suicide? Wouldn't the King of Binyang also die then?"

“This… But if something happens to the Prince of Binyang, His Majesty will definitely investigate. Who can bear this responsibility? Even if we know it’s true, if there are villains around His Majesty stirring things up, who knows if His Majesty will believe what we say? After all, the Prince of Binyang is his most beloved adopted son.”

"We can't just stand by and watch the Prince of Binyang die, with no one knowing the truth behind it!"

“I admit you have a point, but what I just mentioned is an insurmountable obstacle. Who else in the world can earn His Majesty's such trust? I…”

Wait, it seems there really is one.

Chunyu Shuang and Xie Mingchen, who had been arguing, both turned their heads to look at Jiu Que, who was frowning and deep in thought. Wasn't there a perfect example right in front of them?
Jiu Que looked at everyone somewhat blankly. "Wait, why are you all staring at me?" Although he didn't know why His Majesty trusted him so much, he probably wouldn't believe what he said in this situation, right? After all, the other party was his adopted son.

But it seemed there was no other way, so Jiu Que nodded calmly. Yes, that's right, His Majesty trusts me completely. Just do it.

After discussing it for a while, the group finally decided to take the risk.

(End of this chapter)