“Ouch, be gentle!”
Liu San’s face was densely covered with red rashes. The servant Ah Hei knelt on the floor, applying ointment for him. In the nearby water basin, his swollen, pig-like face was reflected.
Thinking of the basket of peach blossom petals that had been dumped over his head outside Ningchun Hall, Liu San couldn’t help but grit his teeth. Damn Chi Yan, resorting to such underhanded tricks behind his back!
“Didn’t I tell you to be gentle? Are you deaf?” Liu San kicked out, sending Ah Hei tumbling to the floor. “Get out!”
Ah Hei, having been kicked to the ground, scrambled up as if granted a pardon and hurriedly fled the room.
“Chengwang, why are you taking your anger out on the servants again?” Old Master Liu walked in with his hands clasped behind his back. Glancing at Liu San’s red and swollen face, he frowned in disgust and averted his gaze. “I spent a lot of money to settle the matter with those maidservants earlier. Don’t cause trouble for me again!”
“What do you mean, taking my anger out? Clumsy fools like him deserve a beating and to be thrown out of the manor!”
“Don’t be so unreasonable!” Old Master Liu pointed at Liu San’s nose, exasperated. “Look at yourself! What do you do all day besides cockfighting, dog racing, brawling, and whoring? Oh, I almost forgot—you’re also ungrateful and quick to shift the blame!”
Old Master Liu’s chest heaved with anger as he paced back and forth in the room.
“Steward Liu told me everything that day. You got drunk, caused a scene, and jumped off the building yourself. It was Doctor Gu from Ningchun Hall who saved you despite your past grievances. And what did you do? You took advantage of his illness to cause trouble at his clinic, and when something happened, you accused him of harming you! The physicians from our manor examined you three times and all said it was a pollen allergy! Liu Chengwang, have you lost your mind and conscience to the dogs?!”
Liu San sat on the bed, pursed his lips, kicked the footstool, and hung his head in silence.
Seeing his stubborn and unyielding attitude, Old Master Liu felt a headache coming on. “Fine, reflect on your actions!” With that, he flicked his sleeve and left.
The room was dimly lit, with the faint scent of medicine lingering in the air.
Liu San raised his head, his eyes dark and unreadable. He slipped on his shoes, stepped off the bed, opened a drawer, and pulled out a small box of ointment, smearing it all over his face.
In the mirror, the rashes on his face had festered, oozing crimson blood. Yet, as he stared at his reflection, he slowly began to smile.
“Pinellia ternata, arisaema, ranunculus…”
The dosage of arisaema was substantial—the person who administered it likely intended to kill.
Blood dripped from his jawline, but Liu San seemed unfazed by the pain as he gently stroked his cheek.
This Chi Yan is even more ruthless than Gu Ning.
But… he had also discovered his weakness.
Gu Ning.
Yet, what was Gu Ning’s weakness?
“Young Master,” the voice of the servant Ah Bai suddenly came from outside the door. “There’s a man named Wu Ju asking to see you. He says he’s from Ningchun Hall and is the martial uncle of Chi Yan and Gu Ning.”
Liu San paused. Talk about perfect timing. After a moment, he smiled. “In that case, invite him in.”
The curtains in the room hung low, blocking the light from outside and casting a gloomy atmosphere. The servants outside stood with their hands at their sides, breathing softly. Wu Ju couldn’t help but shrink back slightly as he cautiously stepped over the threshold.
As soon as he entered, he put on a broad smile. “Greetings, Young Master Liu San. I’ve come on behalf of our two ignorant disciples to apologize to you.”
“Apologize?” Liu San stood with his back to Wu Ju, sneering coldly. “You’ve ruined my face like this—how exactly do you plan to make amends?”
He turned slightly, his face still smeared with not-yet-dried blood, looking like a vengeful ghost that had crawled up from the underworld.
Wu Ju was startled, stammering repeatedly, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I, I, I…”
Good heavens, he had only come here on a whim after hearing from his gambling buddies at Qianjin Fang that Liu San had taken a liking to Gu Ning and was investigating her. He thought he’d try his luck, get close, and exchange information for money!
Who could have known those two brutes would be so heavy-handed and offend him to this extent!
Wu Ju regretted it bitterly, wishing he could drop to his knees before Liu San. “I really have no money! Young Master Liu, please be magnanimous… How about this—I’ll write you an IOU! With the IOU, you can go to Ningchun Hall and demand money from my two junior apprentices!”
“Money?”
Liu San casually pulled a handful of silver notes from his sleeve and tossed them into the air. The notes fluttered down like snowflakes, scattering all over the floor.
“I don’t lack money.”
Wu Ju stared at the silver notes on the ground, unable to resist swallowing hard. He forced down the sour envy bubbling in his heart. “Then… what do you want?”
“Just tell me about Doctor Gu,” Liu San said, pulling another handful of silver notes from his sleeve and smiling. “For every piece of information you give, I’ll give you one note. If you speak well, all of these on the floor will be yours too.”
Wu Ju was dumbfounded, instantly turning his envy into joy. He stared in disbelief at Liu San and the silver notes, almost wanting to kneel on the spot and kowtow three times to him.
“Thank you, Young Master Liu! Thank you, Young Master Liu! I’ll tell you everything I know today, holding nothing back!”
…
At dusk. Chi Yan had gone to brew medicine, and Hong Yao came in to light the lamps. The room was very quiet, with only the faint sound of Gu Ning’s breathing.
Looking at the person lying quietly on the bed, Hong Yao sighed and couldn’t help but lean down, pressing a hand to her forehead. The fever had already subsided.
Hong Yao felt slightly relieved and was about to turn and leave when she suddenly heard a few indistinct murmurs. She hurried forward.
“Miss? Miss?”
Gu Ning’s eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Hong Yao’s anxious face.
“Miss, you’re finally awake! You’ve been asleep for a full day and night!” Hong Yao exclaimed joyfully. “Miss, wait here—I’ll go call the eldest young master over!”
“…Wait.”
Gu Ning instinctively grabbed Hong Yao’s sleeve. She rubbed her throbbing temples and struggled to sit up, with Hong Yao quickly helping her.
“While I was feverish, I thought I heard someone come. Tell me what happened during the day first.”
Her voice was a bit hoarse, so Hong Yao hurriedly poured a cup of water and handed it to her. Thinking of the day’s events, Hong Yao couldn’t help but sigh. “It was that Young Master Liu San…”
“Miss, didn’t you say someone was following you when you returned yesterday? I bet it was that Young Master Liu San! He also said you should stay away from people from the Zhenyuan General’s Mansion.”
Memories slowly returned. Gu Ning recalled the unpleasantness with Chi Yan before she fell ill and lost consciousness. She pressed her aching forehead—had she really been so delirious from the fever that she argued with her senior brother over such a thing?
“Did Liu San say why?”
Hong Yao shook her head.
“What was senior brother’s attitude?”
Hong Yao shook her head again.
Feeling somewhat guilty, Hong Yao asked, “Miss… am I too useless?”
“Not at all,” Gu Ning held Hong Yao’s hand, smiling as she comforted her. “Our Hong Yao has always been the most capable and the most impressive.”
“You’re just trying to console me, miss.”
Both of them laughed.
Gu Ning sighed softly. In truth, sometimes having no stance was a stance in itself. Her senior brother didn’t want her to get too close to the Zhenyuan General’s residence, but with Liu San present, he couldn’t show it openly.
“Oh, right, miss, I just remembered something…”
Hong Yao recounted what she had overheard at the Zhenxiu Pavilion that day.
“You’re saying that the disappearance of the Zhenyuan General was no accident, but deliberately orchestrated by someone?”
Gu Ning couldn’t help but clench her fist.
If that were the case, Madam Shen and… Shen Jinyan would be in danger.
“Miss, what if those people were just talking nonsense?” Hong Yao felt uneasy too, but noticing Gu Ning’s pale lips, she tried to reassure her. “Miss, don’t think about it anymore. Just rest properly for now. I’ll go call the eldest young master.”
“Wait.”
Gu Ning grabbed Hong Yao’s sleeve again.
“Help me get dressed.”
She needed to go to the ancestral residence of the Zhenyuan General’s family right now.
Shen Jinyan’s hysteria had started because of her. No matter what, she couldn’t just stand by and watch him lose his life like this.
But her senior brother… she had to act before her senior brother found out.
Hong Yao couldn’t persuade her otherwise, so she had no choice but to help her dress and do her hair.
Just as Gu Ning finished tying up her hair, she heard a very light set of footsteps outside the door.
Chi Yan stepped over the threshold, holding a bowl of freshly brewed medicinal soup, his smile gentle. “A-Ning, where are you off to?”