Surrounded by lush flowers and trees and sheltered by the courtyard wall,
the two people talking in the corner didn't notice the Ministry of Justice
official not far away.
The man in red finished his speech and turned around toward Anyin Hall.
Seeing that he was heading straight in his direction, the Ministry of Justice
official immediately sought the cover of a nearby tree and hid his figure.
The next moment, the maid hastily pulled the red-robed gentleman back.
"Master, you can't go!" She hurriedly said. "The Prince is sick. If you go
now, what are we going to do if the Prince's health worsens from
irritation?!"
The red-robed gentleman laughed furiously.
"Piss him off? I don't think so. Since he has the energy to fool around with
vixens outside, I think he's in good health," he countered.
The maid said, "Why do you say that, Master? Besides, the courtyard where
that gentleman outside lives might not have been bought by the Prince."
The red-clad gentleman laughed grimly.
"The Prince redeemed him, so where can he get the money to buy a house?
Moreover, the mansion in the center of Changle Square faces the south.
Without a few thousand taels of silver, can he afford it?"
The maid was rendered speechless.
The red-robed gentleman seemed to be getting more and more angry as he
spoke, and his voice rose a few decibels.
"The manor's money has always been under my control. Say, there is no
turnover in the house, so where did the Prince get so much silver to buy a
mansion for that little vixen? Today, I must go to the Prince and ask about
it. Otherwise, I might as well tell him to sell me quickly. It is better than
suffering from this kind of confusion here…"
The maid hastened to stop him. They played tug of war and went straight
into Anyin Hall.
A long time later, the Ministry of Justice official slowly came out of the
dark.
He was so shocked that his hands shook.
He absolutely did not expect that a routine investigation, which was just a
formality, would let him run into such a big secret.
So was the silver embezzled by His Highness Jingwang? He broke the law
and embezzled His Majesty's birthday banquet funds because the concubine
in his residence was violent. He embezzled the money to keep a mistress
outside?
The official was not qualified to make decisions. In his shock, he just knew
that he had to rush back to the palace without delay and inform His Majesty
of this major discovery.
—
Inside Anyin Hall, there was a pleasant radiance of spring.
When Meng Qianshan saw Gu Changyun leading a maid straight into the
courtyard, he was startled as he hurriedly welcomed him. Meng Qianshan
wanted to stop Gu Changyun but didn't dare to.
Although Madam Gu was usually domineering, Meng Qianshan had never
seen him visit His Highness' courtyard to meet him before.
Seeing how dumbfounded he was, Gu Changyun raised his eyebrows and
smiled at him: "What? Meng Qianshan, are you so happy to see this Madam
that you can no longer speak?"
Meng Qianshan forced a smile on his face and greeted him.
"Madam Gu, has something good happened today? Unfortunately, His
Highness has just gone to rest. If you need anything, it'll be better for this
servant to let His Highness know on your behalf…"
He kept apace with Gu Changyun, putting in a good word while attempting
to stop him.
Gu Changyun frowned. He glanced at Meng Qianshan and pushed him
away, then went straight to Jiang Suizhou's main room.
"Still trying to deceive me? Do you think I didn't see that someone just
happened to come out from here?"
As he spoke, he walked up the stone steps and pushed the door to Jiang
Suizhou's room.
Hearing the creak of the door, Jiang Suizhou glanced sideways in that
direction. He saw a bright red figure making a beeline to his room.
Jiang Suizhou heaved a sigh of relief.
He knew that Gu Changyun had come to report to him after the deed was
done.
Gu Changyun met his gaze, and while walking in, he cast an amorous wink
at him.
Jiang Suizhou felt so sour his teeth almost fell out.
He glanced at Gu Changyun and was about to withdraw his gaze when he
saw the man smile and greet him at the side of his bed.
"This concubine came here unannounced. Your Highness won't blame me,
will you?" he smiled.
Jiang Suizhou looked at him indifferently and let him continue his act.
After bowing, Gu Changyun stood up and sat at the edge of his bed.
"Your Highness, please don't blame me. It's really because I haven't seen
Your Highness for several days and was worried, so I took the liberty to
come and visit you," he said.
Jiang Suizhou said indifferently, "Is it done?"
Gu Changyun knew what he was asking about.
He smiled and bumped his shoulder against him: "Your Highness, do you
still not trust me?"
After speaking, he swept his gaze across the bedroom, paused on Huo
Wujiu who was in the corner, and retracted his subsequent words.
After all, there was someone else in the room. If he wanted to say more, he
had to exercise restraint to some extent.
Following Gu Changyun's gaze, Jiang Suizhou also saw Huo Wujiu, who
was sitting there without saying a word.
This was usually how they coexisted in the room during the day. His
bedroom was extremely spacious, and each of them were on either side of
the room, not disturbing the other.
But at the moment, Jiang Suizhou felt that Huo Wujiu's body looked
somewhat misshapen.
Where exactly was he misshapen…he couldn't put his finger on.
Gu Changyun, who was sitting beside his bed, turned around and reverted
to his innate habit of teasing again.
He laughed: "Yo, this concubine's eyes are blind. How didn't I notice that
Madam Huo is also here?"
Jiang Suizhou watched as Gu Changyun stood up from his bedside and
went towards Huo Wujiu.
Huo Wujiu lifted his head and looked at Gu Changyun.
Huo Wujiu's gaze was heavy, and the cold emotions in it were hidden deep
in the swirls of his eyes.
Gu Changyun was oblivious to it and stood still in front of him.
"It must be exhausting for you, Younger Brother, to serve the Prince
everyday," he said smilingly.
Huo Wujiu didn't say a word.
But in the next moment, Gu Changyun extended his hand.
Then he grasped the book in Huo Wujiu's hand.
"Ah, what book is Madam Huo reading?" Gu Changyun smilingly asked
while trying to pull that book out of Huo Wujiu's hand.
Once, twice.
The book didn't budge at all.
Gu Changyun blinked and looked at Huo Wujiu.
The man in the wheelchair slowly raised his eyes, a pair of pitch-dark eyes
calmly fell on his face.
The smile on Gu Changyun's face involuntarily froze, and his hand gently
let go of the book. After retracting his hand, he subconsciously placed his
hands behind his back.
For a moment, Gu Changyun had an inexplicable suspicion.
He felt that if Jiang Suizhou was not watching from behind them, the man
in front of him would have snapped his neck.
He embodied a ferocious beast ready to strike, and the only thing that
confined him was Jiang Suizhou's eyes behind him.
For the first time, Gu Changyun acutely realized that he had played with
and touched someone he shouldn't have.
He stood frozen in place for a moment, motionless.
Just then, Jiang Suizhou's cold voice rang.
"This Prince is fine. If there's nothing else, go back," he said indifferently.
Only then did Gu Changyun gradually regain his strength. He felt a layer of
cold sweat on his back.
He was about to take a step back when he heard a soft snap.
He looked up and saw that the book was tossed lightly on the side table.
The person sitting in front of him lowered his eyes, pressed the wheelchair with one hand, turned a bit, and headed straight out.
It was only when the sound of the wheelchair faded away that Gu
Changyun managed to withdraw his gaze.
Then he saw Jiang Suizhou, who was sitting on the bed, looking at him
disapprovingly.
"Do you have nothing better to do than to provoke him?" Jiang Suizhou
lowered his voice and asked.
Gu Changyun returned to the bed and sat down, his expression a bit
pensive.
Jiang Suizhou was far away and did not see the lightning bolt eye-contact
held between them just now. But Gu Changyun sat down slowly beside his
bed, his eyes a little empty.
Jiang Suizhou raised his finger and pointed at him.
"I won't be responsible for saving you if you provoke him." Jiang Suizhou
gnashed his teeth.
But Gu Changyun shook his head.
"I feel that Huo Wujiu wasn't angered by this servant." Gu Changyun
muttered.
Jiang Suizhou frowned: "What?"
Gu Changyun raised his eyes and looked straight at him.
"It's not like that," he said, "Madam Huo is not so small-minded. I usually
provoke him a few times, but as long as I don't touch him, he treats me as if
I'm non-existent."
Jiang Suizhou glanced at him.
Gu Changyun looked back at him and suddenly chuckled a couple of times.
"Today, however, he's…" he paused.
"He's like jealous of me."
Jiang Suizhou was stunned.
The next moment, he raised his hand without mercy and landed a smack on
Gu Changyun's head.
"You're crazy," he said.
—
That day after, some doctors gradually visited Jiang Suizhou's residence
one after another.
Whatever skills the doctors had, Jiang Suizhou needn't investigate;
everything was handed over to Gu Changyun. Gu Changyun drove some of
those who were not talented and were looking for fame and fortune out of
the house early on, and he also contrived some excuses to send the ones
who were inept at treating disabilities and injuries out.
For a few days, Jiang Suizhou met several people one after another. After
testing them, they didn't have any dependable skills.
He also knew that the doctors around Lin'an who had some actual skill all
ran to the Imperial Hospital. To find an excellent doctor, he needed to wait a
little longer and see the results of the people he dispatched to the field to
investigate.
Little by little, the flowers and trees outside the window gradually withered
and turned into lush green leaves.
Every two days, Gu Changyun would report the results of the search for
doctors to Jiang Suizhou. In the past few days, his reports gradually turned
more into complaints. He said that there was a doctor who sent himself to
the door, claiming to be the living Hua Tuo and saying that he could
eliminate all diseases, like a charlatan.
Just look at the tall and strong apprentice who resembled a hired thug
behind him, and one would think he was unreliable.
But this man seemed to have some deceptive skills. Gu Changyun wanted
to expose his lies, but after several days, he couldn't find any flaws in him.
He merely listened to the man's hype and also his insistence on seeing his
master.
Gu Changyun told Jiang Suizhou that he couldn't stand it, so he asked him
to meet him. It would also be better if he could drive this charlatan away
quickly, so that he could return to quiet. Jiang Suizhou's interest was
piqued. He wanted to see with his own eyes what this charlatan looked like.
So, he agreed. The next morning, someone brought the doctor over to Jiang
Suizhou's room.
He was an old man in his sixties with gray hair.
Because of Gu Changyun's news in advance, Jiang Suizhou's eyes couldn't
help wandering around behind the old man.
Then he saw the disciple behind him. He was in his twenties. He was tall
and broad-shouldered. He looked powerful. His facial features were sharp
and hard. He didn't have the making of a medical apprentice, but rather a
soldier.
Jiang Suizhou felt inwardly amused, so he took another look.
The two kneeled down in front of him and bowed. Jiang Suizhou casually
waved his hand to let them get up and asked lightly.
"I heard Changyun say that you have the ability to eliminate all diseases. Is
that right?" He lazily lifted his tea and said indifferently, "You should be
aware, this Prince hates being cheated."
After saying that, he glanced at those two. His gaze swept and actually
found that the apprentice behind that old doctor looked backwards,
seemingly looking at Huo Wujiu.
Jiang Suizhou frowned: "What are you looking at?"
The disciple hastily withdrew his gaze and lowered his head, as if he was
suddenly reprimanded and frightened.
But Jiang Suizhou's frown deepened.
In that moment when the apprentice quickly withdrew his gaze and lowered
his head, Jiang Suizhou seemed to have caught a glimmer of tears in his
eyes.
He had the appearance of a person trying to hold back tears, his eyes
reddening from the restraint.