Not long after the emperor and his entourage left, the sky suddenly darkened. Inky clouds squeezed against the sky, so heavy that they seemed about to fall.
Mo Qinghuan and Mu Yanming were sitting under the pavilion.
Mu Yanming was holding a teacup, carefully examining the remaining chess game on the board.
Mo Qinghuan propped her chin and sat across from him, staring at him. But she felt so bored that she stood up and was about to leave.
Just then, Mu Yanming's voice came from behind.
"Where are you going? Didn't you say you had something to tell me?" Mu Yanming put down his teacup and looked up at her.
She rolled her eyes and sat down again.
But before she could speak, Mu Yanming said, "I already know what happened in the palace last night. Just do your best to save the patient. Don't think too much about other things."
Mo Qinghuan felt as if she had been played with. Angrily, she stood up and walked out. But just as she took a few steps, a torrential rain came down all of a sudden.
She had no choice but to cover her head and run towards the house in a hurry. Even so, her hair and clothes were still wet when she got inside.
She shook off the water on her body and called for Dan'er. "Dan'er, fetch some water. I want to take a bath."
Dan'er sensed that her mistress was in a bad mood. She responded and went to prepare.
Mo Qinghuan took off her wet outer clothes and the hairpins on her head. Her long black hair cascaded down.
Not long after, Dan'er came back with water and lit some silver - wire charcoal in the room.
Mo Qinghuan closed her eyes and lay in the wooden tub, with a towel on her face.
...
At the Gu Mansion.
Prime Minister Gu stood with his hands behind his back, pacing anxiously in front of his daughter's bed. There were a few shallow arc - shaped wrinkles on his forehead. His eyes were blood - shot, and his cloudy eyes were full of worry. It seemed that he hadn't had a good rest for several days.
Although Gu Qing was standing guard outside the door, his eyes always stayed on Gu Qinglan who was lying on the bed.
"Are you sure he has received the message?" Prime Minister Gu stopped pacing and turned to look at Gu Qing.
Gu Qing walked in and stopped a few steps away from the bed.
"Adoptive father, we can't wait any longer. If he doesn't come tonight, I'll go find him myself." Gu Qing's eyes darkened.
He couldn't bear it anymore. He couldn't bear to watch Lan'er lying on the bed lifelessly, like a soulless body.
However, as soon as Prime Minister Gu heard this, he immediately got angry. He pointed at Gu Qing and said seriously, "How dare you! If you dare to go find him behind my back, I'll kill you!"
Gu Qing took a step forward. "Adoptive father, are we just going to wait like this if he doesn't come? Are you just going to watch Lan'er die of the poison?"
Prime Minister Gu closed his eyes angrily. He slumped down on the chair at the table, his voice hoarse. He hunched his back. "Lan'er is my daughter. How could I worry about her less than you? But he has been lurking for so many years without being discovered. We must focus on the overall situation. At this moment, we must not act rashly."
Gu Qing frowned tightly. He punched the air in annoyance.
Just then, Gu Yishu walked in with some snacks and tea. He glanced at the person on the bed and said softly, "Father, Brother Gu Qing, please eat something. You'll wear yourselves out if you go on like this."
Gu Qing shook his head listlessly. When Gu Yishu was about to persuade him further, Gu Qing suddenly seemed to remember something. His eyes lit up.
"I remember! I know who can save Lan'er!" With that, he started walking towards the door.
Prime Minister Gu looked at Gu Yishu and pointed in the direction where Gu Qing had left. He shouted, "Hurry! Go after your elder brother and see where he's going!"
Gu Yishu didn't quite understand the situation yet, but he nodded, picked up the umbrella by the door, and quickly chased after Gu Qing.
Gu Qing walked very quickly. Gu Yishu had to trot all the way. By the time he caught up, Gu Qing had already stopped in front of the Jishi Hall.
He looked up at the plaque on the door to make sure he was in the right place, then stepped inside.
It was a rainy day, so there were few people in the Jishi Hall. The medicine boy A Si was leaning against the door frame, listlessly pounding medicine in a mortar in his arms. As soon as he saw someone come in, he quickly put down the mortar and went to greet the guest.
But when he saw that it was a soaking - wet man with a murderous look on his face and a sword in his hand, he immediately cowered. He walked up to A Si (a different person with the same pronunciation but different Chinese character) and pushed him forward. "Go, you go and greet him."
A Si gave the little medicine boy a cold look and walked over.
He crossed his arms in front of his chest, still holding a sword. When he stopped in front of Gu Qing, he said expressionlessly, "Who are you looking for?"
Gu Qing sized up the strange - looking man in front of him. Suppressing his doubts, he asked, "I'm looking for the divine doctor lady."
"Wait here for a while."
After saying that, A Si lifted his foot and walked out. Gu Qing was puzzled. After thinking for a while, he followed him.
A Si walked quickly. But when he felt there was someone following him, he quickened his pace and walked into an alley on the street next to the Regent's Mansion.
Then, seeing that there was no one around, he lightly jumped over the east wall of the Regent's Mansion from the alley.
Gu Qing chased into the alley but found that the man was gone. He had no choice but to walk back dejectedly.
After A Si entered the courtyard, he was surrounded by a group of people.
"A Si, it's you! Why don't you enter through the main gate when you come home?" Bai Ke saw that it was A Si and waved his hand to order the brothers to return to their posts.
"The person who came to see the princess for medical treatment was following me. I had to climb over the wall to get rid of him." A Si said as he walked towards the Yangyang Hall.
Bai Ke remembered that the regent and the princess were still on bad terms. He patted A Si on the shoulder. "Don't say your brother didn't warn you. The regent and the princess are in a fight. Be careful."
A Si nodded, still showing no expression.
When he walked into the courtyard, he saw Mu Yanming sitting under the pavilion.
Mo Qinghuan also saw A Si through the window and walked out. She stood on the corridor and called out, "A Si, come here."
A Si nodded and saluted Mu Yanming, then walked towards Mo Qinghuan.
"Your Highness, there is a patient. The one who came for medical treatment is the adopted son of Prime Minister Gu, Gu Qing."
Mo Qinghuan raised her hand and touched her chin. "Could it be that Gu Yishu is ill again?" Thinking of this, she looked at Mu Yanming with a complicated look in her eyes.
But saving lives was the top priority. So she walked into the room, picked up a medicine box and handed it to A Si. Before leaving, she looked at Mu Yanming again. He was still sitting there, lost in thought in front of the chessboard.
By this time, the rain had stopped.
"Let's go." After she walked out of the Yangyang Hall, Mu Yanming stood up. After sighing softly, he walked towards the Jingting Garden.
...
When they arrived at the Jishi Hall, Gu Qing was already waiting there. And Mo Qinghuan had put on a veil hat on the way.
Gu Qing sized up Mo Qinghuan. A Si noticed his look and stepped forward to block Gu Qing's inquisitive eyes.
"Do you know our young lady's rules?" A Si asked.
Gu Qing nodded. "Five hundred taels for a consultation, and the cost of the medicine is separate, right?"
A Si glanced at him and motioned for him to lead the way with his eyes.
Gu Qing led the way in front, and Mo Qinghuan followed behind. As she walked, she suddenly felt that this road was a bit different.
It wasn't her first time walking on this road, but for some reason, it felt particularly strange today.
When they reached the main gate of the Gu Mansion, she looked up at the gilded plaque. She thought for a long time but couldn't figure out what was wrong.
But saving lives was the most important thing. She lifted her foot and walked in.