Chapter 53: 053 Obedient
"Little physician," after greeting, Marquis Zhongyong smiled warmly at Chu Qianchen, "It's great that you're here. Please come with me to the Marquis's mansion. Don't worry, the consultation fee will be generous."
Chu Qianchen had walked over to the large desk by the window and was busy preparing paper and ink, completely ignoring Marquis Zhongyong.
Marquis Zhongyong continued, "I’ll offer a hundred taels of gold, and if you can cure my son, I’ll add another hundred!"
With such a large sum, he didn’t believe this little physician wouldn’t be tempted!
However, Chu Qianchen only picked up the wolf-hair brush and focused on writing the prescription, treating him as if he didn’t exist.
Marquis Zhongyong grew irritated, his face turning dark. Just as he was about to speak again, he heard Gu Jue’s light laugh and calm voice, “Marquis, it was this prince who crippled your son’s arm. Who would dare treat him?”
When Gu Jue spoke the last three words, his tone carried an undeniable authority.
Chu Qianchen couldn’t help but smile, her eyes bright and charming.
The feeling of being defended made her heart flutter with joy, as if a little bird were happily flapping its wings inside her chest.
Even though this wasn’t the past life, and even though Prince Chen didn’t know her, Chu Qianchen still assumed she had been defended by him. Her lips curved up beneath her veil.
She looked at Gu Jue with eyes that were obedient and soft, exuding the unique delicacy of a young woman.
"What does the prince mean by this?" Marquis Zhongyong gritted his teeth, holding back his anger, "Prince has already crippled Yun Hao's right arm. Does that mean I can’t find someone to set his bones?"
"No," Gu Jue answered plainly, his tone calm and composed.
Marquis Zhongyong’s chest felt as if it were burning with fury.
Arrogant and unreasonable! Simply intolerable!
Marquis Zhongyong dared not raise his voice at Gu Jue, so he turned his anger toward Yun Zhan on the couch. "Ah Zhan, this time, you’ve really caused your third brother to suffer!"
If Yun Zhan had any brotherly affection, he should immediately beg Prince Chen for mercy and at least try to stop Prince Chen from targeting Yun Hao further.
However, Yun Zhan sneered and struggled to speak, "Father, if you don’t leave now, I can make it worse for him."
"Like breaking his other arm?"
His voice was hoarse, as if scraped by sandpaper.
"You!" Marquis Zhongyong’s eyes widened in shock, unable to find words. His chest heaved in anger.
His son had once been obedient, but since he joined the military in the north years ago, his success in battle had made him increasingly unrestrained!
Yun Zhan met Marquis Zhongyong’s gaze, and on his weakened face was a wild, unrestrained smile. "Unless you can keep him in the mansion for the rest of his life, I’ll always have a chance, won’t I?"
Once Yun Zhan had finished speaking, Chu Qianchen pretended to be angry, "I told you, your throat’s not healed, speak less."
"If others are causing trouble, and you take them seriously, your throat will never heal properly!"
Although she didn’t directly name him, the implication was clear: Marquis Zhongyong was being unreasonable.
Marquis Zhongyong’s face alternated between blue and white, and through clenched teeth, he spat out, "Fine! Fine!"
Yun Zhan was so arrogant because he had Prince Chen backing him. He didn’t even acknowledge his own father. What if Prince Chen offended the emperor? How long could he remain in power?
He was curious to see how Yun Zhan would rise in the military without the help of the Yun family.
With a cold glance, Marquis Zhongyong swirled his sleeve and left.
Before leaving, Marquis Zhongyong pretended to casually glance at the prescription on the desk, the ink still not fully dry.
Bupleurum, cinnamon twig, white peony root, scutellaria, codonopsis...
It was just a common prescription for treating the common cold.
Disappointed, Marquis Zhongyong left without a word, his mind turning to find out if there were any bone specialists in the capital. His son could not be ruined by Prince Chen like this.
The curtain was lifted high, then fell heavily, and Marquis Zhongyong's angry footsteps slowly faded away.
The back room quieted again, only the curtain still swayed slightly in the air, making a faint sound.
This time, Yun Zhan did not dare to ask about the prince’s pulse.
Walls have ears.
The prince's condition could not be known to anyone.
However...
Yun Zhan thought about it. How did this little physician know their concerns and thoughtfully help them?
He quickly made eye contact with Mo Chen, only to find that Mo Chen was staring intently at Chu Qianchen.
His eyes were like a deep, quiet pool of black water, unfathomable.
Yun Zhan thought to himself, he had just wasted a flirtatious glance!
Chu Qianchen picked up the prescription she had just written and set it on the candle to burn to ashes.
With a slight flick of her right hand, the ashes were blown out the window by the courtyard breeze, leaving no trace behind.
She took up her brush again, wrote a new prescription, and personally handed it to Gu Jue. Looking at him with intense eyes, she instructed, “One dose a day, divide into three servings. Take for ten days.”
For some reason, from beneath her veil, Gu Jue could see the unspoken words in her eyes: Be obedient!
He took the prescription, folded it up, and tucked it into his sleeve with a smile and a nod.
Chu Qianchen, of course, wanted to stay a little longer. After all, she had worked hard just to meet him.
But she had to leave. If she stayed longer, others might think the prince was seriously ill.
The prince’s situation wasn’t easy, and she couldn’t add any unnecessary trouble for him.
As she thought this, she instructed Yun Zhan about his condition, saying that his health was mostly stable now. He just needed to take his medicine on time and change his bandages daily. Afterward, she reluctantly said her goodbyes and left slowly.
Looking at her slender back, Gu Jue strangely saw an image of a cat's tail, perked high and then drooping down, listless.
Chu Qianchen bought more medicinal herbs from the shop and left Jishi Hall.
As long as the prince was still around, there would be more opportunities to meet!
No need to hurry.
Thinking of her follow-up visit in ten days, she felt time moving slowly, but at least there was something to look forward to.
Yes, step by step.
Chu Qianchen told herself, smiling with her eyes sparkling, her steps lighter.
Even Hu Po noticed her joy, assuming her young miss admired Prince Chen. She teasingly said, "Miss, I heard that in the north, every household has set up longevity tablets for Prince Chen. This time, when the prince returned to the capital, the elders even sent him the People's Umbrella."
Of course! The prince is the best. Chu Qianchen smiled even more happily.
Suddenly, her brow furrowed as she glanced in a certain direction, but quickly returned her gaze to normal, casually turning right and entering Songhe Street, going through a side gate into the Marquis’s residence.
The gate slammed shut with a loud "bang," and the next moment, a man in green clothes emerged from the shadows.
He glanced at the Yongding Marquis's residence before striding into the alley beside it. Once he confirmed no one was around, he leaped over the wall, agile and unnoticed.
An hour later, he emerged from the Yongding Marquis’s residence.
This time, he returned to Prince Chen’s mansion.
(End of Chapter)
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