The steward was startled, feeling a trace of disbelief he hadn’t even noticed himself, and retorted, “Why would you say that, Miss Wang?”
Wang Shao, supported by her maid’s hand, walked to the center of the crowd and raised her arm high. A clear blue-purple bruise from a grip was visible on her snow-white wrist.
“This mark on my hand was made by Jiang Yingyue pinching me!” Wang Shao pointed a finger. “Jiang Yingyue, drop that pitiful act of yours! After harming Third Young Master Liu, you still want to deceive people? Hah, don’t even think about it!”
“…Is that possible?”
“But Fifth Miss Jiang doesn’t seem like that kind of person?”
The gazes of the crowd fell upon Jiang Yingyue and Gu Ning, now tinged with suspicion.
“I…” Jiang Yingyue bit the inside of her lip hard, her voice carrying a sob. “I didn’t… Miss Wang, I know you don’t want your father to consider me, but you can’t slander me like this, can you? It’s precisely because I know my own strength that I didn’t dare to fight back…”
Jiang Yingyue’s movements seemed hesitant, but she still rolled up her sleeve. Her snow-white, slender arm was covered in bruises of blue and red, causing the surrounding commoners to gasp in shock.
“Otherwise,” Jiang Yingyue’s voice was full of grievance, “I wouldn’t have been beaten into this state by Third Young Master Liu.”
“Miss Wang, you can eat carelessly, but you mustn’t speak carelessly!” Hong Yao stepped forward, shielding Gu Ning and Jiang Yingyue. “You say it was my lady and Fifth Miss Jiang who harmed Third Young Master Liu. Besides the bruise on your hand, do you have any other evidence?”
“Moreover, it was Doctor Gu who saved him.”
In the crowd, the elderly woman who had spoken earlier shot Wang Shao a disdainful look.
“If Doctor Gu wanted to harm someone, why would she save him? That would be like taking off your pants to fart—completely unnecessary!”
“I…” Wang Shao was so angry her chest heaved up and down. Hearing the unanimous support from the onlookers for Gu Ning only fueled her rage further. “What if there’s no evidence? I just don’t believe Gu Ning and Jiang Yingyue could be that kind-hearted!”
“I have evidence!”
Someone suddenly declared loudly.
The crowd erupted in murmurs. They saw Manager Qian of Zhenxiu Pavilion holding a ledger, walking unhurriedly to the center of the crowd.
Wang Shao’s heart leaped with joy, urging repeatedly, “Manager Qian, then speak quickly. What exactly is going on?”
Manager Qian swept his gaze loftily over the crowd, composed and calm as he opened the ledger in his hand. “Look here. The time Third Young Master Liu barged into the Tianzi private room on the second floor was at the first quarter past noon. The time Doctor Gu and Fifth Miss Jiang sought our help was no more than a quarter-hour after that. However, the time Third Young Master Liu jumped from the building was at the third quarter past noon.”
“And I just went up to check,” the waiter chimed in at the right moment. “Everything in the Tianzi private room was smashed to pieces. When we were pulling them apart earlier, I saw clearly that everything in the Tianzi room was still perfectly fine!”
Manager Qian concluded decisively, “Therefore, Doctor Gu and Fifth Miss Jiang are completely innocent victims of misfortune! Miss Wang,” Manager Qian pointed to the black and white writing in the ledger, “it’s all written clearly here.”
Wang Shao’s face twisted with anger, alternating between green and red. “You… all of you! You’re just great! Just you wait!”
With that, she flung her sleeve and turned to leave.
“Bravo!”
“Manager Qian of Zhenxiu Pavilion truly runs his business well!”
The onlookers applauded and cheered in approval.
Shopkeeper Qian nodded with satisfaction, immediately switching to a kindly smile, cupping his hands and saying, “Thank you all for your patronage! My Zhenxiu Pavilion is absolutely fair and honest! Welcome to visit often!”
On the other side, Gu Ning handed the prescription to the steward and carefully gave a few more instructions before turning to leave. Steward Liu instinctively called out to Gu Ning, “Doctor Gu…” He paused, “I will explain everything clearly to the master when I return. Doctor Gu and Fifth Miss Jiang can rest assured—the master will definitely make Third Young Master apologize to both of you.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s naturally for the best,” Gu Ning smiled gently and sighed, “But… when you return, remember to advise Third Young Master Liu that it’s better not to consume certain things.”
Steward Liu’s heart gave a slight jolt, followed by a surge of warmth. He cupped his hands and said, “Thank you, Doctor Gu, but I hope you won’t speak of this to outsiders.”
Gu Ning nodded and turned to leave. Her bamboo-green dress swayed like a water lily in a gentle breeze, standing pure and upright, untainted by mud.
What a fine young lady.
Steward Liu sighed inwardly, waved his hand, and the servants carried the disheveled Third Young Master Liu onto the carriage following behind. The commotion gradually faded away. Inside the gently swaying carriage, Third Young Master Liu slowly opened his eyes.
Gu Ning…
Savoring the lingering bitterness of the medicinal pill on his tongue, Third Young Master Liu gave a faint, cold smile. “Angelica, pokeberry root, datura…”
So even the people of Spring Return Valley are nothing special.
It seems the task His Highness entrusted will soon be resolved.
…
After parting ways with Jiang Yingyue, the master and servant headed toward Ningchun Hall. Hong Yao chattered all the way about how despicable Third Young Master Liu was and how shrewd Shopkeeper Qian was, but Gu Ning seemed somewhat distracted.
“Something’s off.”
This distraction became even more apparent after returning to the clinic.
“What’s off?” Hong Yao, who was helping to pound herbs, looked up at the question. “Miss, didn’t everything go smoothly?”
Gu Ning set down the herbs she was sorting, pulled out the small celadon bottle from her sleeve, and rummaged through a drawer to retrieve another identical one. She murmured to herself, “That’s right, it simply couldn’t be like this.”
“Miss,” Hong Yao put down the pestle, wiped her hands, and walked over. “What exactly are you talking about?”
“Look at this.”
Gu Ning placed the two celadon bottles in front of Hong Yao. This type of pill had a dizzying, delirious effect. After swallowing it, a person would experience hallucinations, become irritable and easily angered, appearing as if drunk. Hong Yao examined them carefully for a while and finally noticed that the pills in the left bottle had a faint reddish tint.
“This is the one I took with me today,” Gu Ning picked up the left celadon bottle. “Its effects aren’t much different from the one on the right, but after taking it, the face turns slightly red, especially around the ears, and the duration lasts longer. But…”
When she examined Third Young Master Liu earlier, his face was pale, and he hardly showed any signs of drunkenness.
“Miss suspects that Third Young Master Liu was pretending just now?”
Gu Ning shook her head. “I don’t know.”
She rubbed the small celadon bottle, and a faint bitter scent wafted from it. Gu Ning slightly furrowed her brows. Her senior brother suffered from a strange illness, so this medicine had no effect on him, but this Third Young Master Liu…
“A-Ning.”
Suddenly, a deep voice interrupted her thoughts.
Gu Ning looked up and met a pair of smiling phoenix eyes. Their pupils were an extremely dark black, striking a sense of awe at first glance. Yet when those eyes brimmed with laughter, they resembled moonlight filling the sky or a clear spring reflecting the moon, making one yearn to reach out and touch them.
“Senior Brother,” Gu Ning hurried over to take the medicine chest from his hands. Gazing at his pale, almost translucent skin, she couldn’t help but chide, “Didn’t you promise me before that you’d take A Qi with you when going out to see patients?”
“Miss, I told her!” A Qi quickly spoke up. “It was the young master who insisted on going alone and told me to stay and watch the shop…”
“Senior Brother.” Gu Ning put on a stern face.
“A Ning, don’t be angry. Next time I go out, I’ll definitely have someone accompany me,” Chi Yan took the medicine chest back from Gu Ning’s hands and placed it on the nearby table, smiling. “Your senior brother isn’t made of paper—carrying a medicine chest is nothing…”
Suddenly, his voice seemed to catch, and a trickle of fresh blood slowly seeped from the corner of his lips, making his already rosy lips look as if they were painted with rouge.
He paused, habitually taking out a handkerchief to wipe it away. When he looked up, Gu Ning stood with her hands on her hips, frowning and glaring at him.
“…Alright,” Chi Yan couldn’t help but laugh, finally relenting. “Next time, I promise I’ll take either you or A Qi with me when I go out.”