Chapter 226 – Could it be that the Puppet Gu wasn’t placed on my Eighth Brother by you?

Chapter 226 - Could it be that the Puppet Gu wasn't placed on my Eighth Brother by you?

Mo Jiuye learned from the officials that his Eighth Brother had left with Prince Nan Rui and immediately set off in pursuit with He Zhiran.

Prince Nan Rui instructed his guards to invite them in.

Mo Jiuye's eyes were cold as he said in a deep voice, "Greetings, Your Highness." Though he said this, there was no hint of respect in his tone, and he even neglected to bow.

He Zhiran, who was already indifferent to the etiquette of this era, stood motionless beside Mo Jiuye without even opening her mouth.

Nan Rui glanced at the two of them and gestured for them to enter.

"Please, take a seat."

Mo Jiuye pulled He Zhiran and sat down unceremoniously next to his Eighth Brother.

His hearing was excellent, and when he demanded that the guards report to Nan Rui earlier, he had overheard some of the conversation inside.

Facing someone who could very well be his enemy, Mo Jiuye was even less courteous in his speech.

"From what Your Highness just said, it seems that the Puppet Gu that afflicted my Eighth Brother was indeed your doing?"

In response to Mo Jiuye's question, Nan Rui was surprisingly candid.

"I can only say that it is related to me."

Mo Jiuye raised an eyebrow. "Could it be that the Puppet Gu wasn't placed on my Eighth Brother by you?"

Nan Rui shook his head and gave a bitter smile.

"It wasn't me who placed it, but now that the mother gu is in my possession, I cannot escape responsibility."

Seeing Nan Rui's admission, Mo Jiuye decided to hear him out and did not interrupt.

Nan Rui continued, "Five years ago, I went on an outing to the countryside with several of my advisors. On the way, a mysterious person appeared, and I saw him sprinkle a bag of poison powder. Everyone with me fell unconscious due to the poison, except for me."

Mo Jiuye asked, "Why not you?"

Nan Rui gave a bitter laugh. "I have had a special constitution since childhood, immune to gu poisons, so I was not affected."

"What happened then?" Mo Jiuye intended to listen to the whole story before making any judgments.

"The mysterious person knocked me out and took me away. When I woke up, I was in a basement.

There were many skilled guards watching over me, and I couldn't escape. It wasn't until a day later that the mysterious person reappeared.

He told me that he had placed a gu on my mother, and if I didn't do as he said, he would use the gu insects to torment her.

Knowing that I wouldn't believe him, he directly told me to go to the palace and visit my mother. Three hours later, she would suffer excruciating pain as if bitten by insects. If I wanted to save her life at that time, I should find him at the Pavilion of Hope twenty miles south of the capital.

I rushed back to the palace as quickly as possible and found that my mother was indeed suffering as the mysterious person had said, with her entire body writhing in agony as if bitten by insects. It was a fate worse than death.

To save my mother, I hurried to the Pavilion of Hope without stopping, and sure enough, he was waiting there."

As he spoke, pain showed in Nan Rui's eyes.

"He took out a white porcelain bottle again and told me that it contained the mother gu controlling my mother. Her life or death was entirely in my hands.

I asked him what he wanted me to do, and the mysterious person said that whatever he asked, I must comply, or he would crush the mother gu.

For my mother's sake, I had no choice but to temporarily submit and then find a way to help her get rid of the gu."

At this point, the three of them had countless questions in their minds.

Mo Jiuye asked, "What did he make you do?"

When Nan Rui spoke of this, a look of guilt appeared on his face.

"He made me court the people of the Ministry of War. I'm not good at forming factions, but I heard that He Zhiyuan's concubine had given birth to a daughter, so I targeted her..."

This confirmed what He Zhiyuan had said initially; Nan Rui was indeed the mastermind behind everything.

"You were the one who ordered He Zhiyuan to withhold grain and supplies from the border troops?"

Seeing the Mo brothers staring at him menacingly, Nan Rui felt a chill run down his spine.

But since he chose to come here, he had already considered the consequences, so he did not intend to shirk responsibility.

"Yes, I was the one who made him do it."

Upon hearing this, Mo Chuhan slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

"Nan Rui, you're a prince of the Great Shun Dynasty. How could you do such a thing?"

Thinking that Nan Rui would call for his men in the face of Mo Chuhan's rudeness, he did not expect him to explain instead:

"On the surface, I had He Zhiyuan withhold the supplies, but secretly, I leaked the information to Nan Qi. I knew that if something happened to the Mo family, he would not stand idly by."

Mo Chuhan's temper was naturally somewhat hasty, and even after Nan Rui's explanation, he still had a sour expression.

"Even so, it doesn't erase your crimes."

"I admit my guilt. Once I find someone to cure my mother of the gu, my wish will be fulfilled. At that time, I will leave my fate in your hands," Nan Rui said sincerely.

Mo Chuhan snorted. "Hmph! You, a prince of the Great Shun Dynasty, how could we commoners have the right to deal with you?"

Mo Jiuye still had many things he wanted to know and reached out to pull his Eighth Brother, signaling him to remain calm.

Seeing his Eighth Brother sit down and stop talking, Mo Jiuye then asked:

"What's the story behind the Puppet Gu in my eighth brother's body?"

Speaking of the Puppet Gu within Mo Chuhan, Nan Rui voluntarily presented the bottle to the brothers.

"In order to help my mother, the imperial concubine, with her Gu removal, I secretly sought out many books related to Gu cultivation. Thus, I have gained some understanding of Gu techniques.

One day, a mysterious person sent someone to deliver a message to me. The messenger was clad in black, his face obscured, but his eyes were lifeless and dull. At first glance, I could tell that he was under the influence of the Puppet Gu.

Perhaps due to the black-clad man's strong will, after delivering the letter to me, he was supposed to leave immediately. However, he kept circling around me instead.

Out of curiosity, I seized the opportunity to pull down the black-clad man's mask, instantly recognizing him as Mo Chuhan.

The moment I saw Mo Chuhan, I was utterly stunned. In my understanding, Mo Chuhan had already perished in battle at the border. How did he become that person's puppet?

At that time, your family, the Mo clan, only had you, Mo Jiuye, left as its heir. I admired the Mo family, so I decided to try and save Mo Chuhan.

While Mo Chuhan hadn't returned to report yet, I hastily wrote a note stating that I didn't have many skilled martial artists at my disposal and wanted Mo Chuhan to stay by my side to assist me.

I did this with little hope, after all, my mother's life was in his hands. If he didn't comply, there was nothing I could do.

Just when I had given up on this matter and was planning to find another solution, the man actually came personally, bringing Mo Chuhan with him.

He said that he was pleased with how I handled things and that when he ascended to the throne of Daxun, he would need capable guards by his side. Therefore, he agreed to give Mo Chuhan to me and, at the same time, handed over the Mother Gu controlling Mo Chuhan."

This point was not doubted by He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye. When they read the book "Compendium of Gu Insects," it mentioned that transferring ownership of the Mother Gu to another person only required the Gu cultivator to operate, allowing the new owner to take over by merely dropping a single drop of blood onto it.