The rain lasted all night, only stopping at dawn. Water dripped from the eaves, moistening the moss on the stone steps.
Early in the morning, Jia Xiangwei received a letter sent by Gu Ning and was overjoyed. She immediately called for the coachman to drive the carriage to Ningchun Hall. In front of Ningchun Hall, Gu Ning and Hong Yao were already waiting.
“Doctor Gu, I’ve kept you waiting,” Jia Xiangwei said, not bothering with the footstool and jumping directly off the carriage. She took Gu Ning’s hand and smiled, “It’s truly wonderful that Doctor Gu is willing to agree!” Her gaze fell on the bulging package in Hong Yao’s hands, and she laughed again, “Actually, Doctor Gu, there’s no need to go to such trouble. If you need anything, just tell me, and I’ll have someone arrange it!”
“These things…” Hong Yao hesitated, “I’m afraid Madam Shen won’t be able to provide them.”
“Huh?”
Gu Ning whispered, “They’re all poisons.”
Jia Xiangwei’s smile froze. She discreetly glanced at the large bundle of poisons and subtly took a few steps back. Unable to help herself, she added, “Doctor Gu, not to boast, but the ancestral mansion of the general’s estate is heavily guarded by layers of soldiers. It’s very safe!”
“Madam Shen, please forgive me.”
Suddenly, a clear, cool voice came from behind.
Jia Xiangwei looked up and saw a man in a moon-white robe, his ink-black hair tied up with a white jade crown. His skin was fair and lustrous, his lips as red as cinnabar, his eyebrows sharp and eyes bright like stars. Yet his entire demeanor carried a gentle warmth, and even his faint smile made one feel at ease.
“It was me who insisted that A’ning bring them.”
“Doctor Gu, who is this…”
Two pairs of eyes simultaneously fell on Gu Ning. Especially the gaze from behind, seemingly smiling yet not, gentle and calm, yet somehow like a slightly cool hand tugging at the back of her collar. Gu Ning twisted her fingers, thinking of what she had agreed to last night, and grew increasingly embarrassed.
“He is…” The smiling gaze behind her felt almost oppressive. Gu Ning gritted her teeth, steeled her heart, and said, “Chi Yan, my fiancé!”
“So this is Doctor Chi. Hearing about you is not as good as meeting you in person. You truly are as elegant and dignified as they say,” Jia Xiangwei said, glancing at the two of them with a smile, “and a perfect match for Doctor Gu!”
Though she said this, Jia Xiangwei felt a vague sense that something wasn’t quite right. She couldn’t help but turn her head and scrutinize Chi Yan carefully.
Chi Yan’s gaze on Gu Ning was soft and focused, hardly sparing a glance for anyone else. However, Gu Ning was twisting her handkerchief, her smile somewhat stiff, yet her body unconsciously leaned toward Chi Yan’s side…
Well, perhaps the engaged couple had some minor disagreement.
Suppressing the inexplicable sense of strangeness in her heart, Jia Xiangwei noticed the large wooden box in Chi Yan’s hand. “Doctor Chi is coming along too?”
“Yes, my senior brother…” Gu Ning thought again of what she had agreed to last night and forced down her embarrassment, “My senior brother is quite clingy and can’t bear to be apart from me. Besides… he’s more skilled than I am at treating hysteria.”
“I see, I see,” Jia Xiangwei smiled, “It’s truly wonderful that Doctor Chi is willing to help too! But what about your clinic…”
“Madam Shen need not worry. It’s just a temporary closure,” Chi Yan replied with a proper smile, his tone full of concern, “A’ning and I both feel that your son’s illness is more important.”
“Doctor Gu and Doctor Chi truly have the hearts of compassionate healers!”
The group boarded the carriage. A cool breeze blew, slightly lifting the carriage curtain. The bustling street scenes and the clamor of the crowd receded into the distance, while the fragrance of flowers grew stronger.
A few peach blossom petals drifted in through the carriage window, landing on the hem of Gu Ning’s skirt. Chi Yan reached out and gently brushed them away.
“The peach blossoms here are truly beautiful,” he smiled.
“These peach trees were specially planted on my orders,” Jia Xiangwei couldn’t help boasting upon hearing this. “I’m not exaggerating—every sapling I selected was of the finest quality. It took me considerable effort back then! If not for that wretched boy…”
Jia Xiangwei suddenly paused, offering an awkward smile.
She was still uncertain whether to mention Gu Ning to them.
After all, the deceased should be respected. Since the young lady had already passed away, bringing her up unnecessarily might invite gossip behind her back.
“Could these peach trees be related to your son’s condition?” Chi Yan paused briefly, then revealed an expression of sudden understanding, smiling gently. “Of course, if it’s inconvenient for you to share, Madam Shen, that’s perfectly fine. We can explore other angles instead.”
The floral scent inside the carriage grew increasingly rich, the silent stillness swaying rhythmically with the sound of hoofbeats.
Silence, at times, could also serve as a form of urging.
Chi Yan smiled serenely, but Jia Xiangwei couldn’t help clutching her sleeve.
She was struggling internally.
Gu Ning sat as if on pins and needles, shooting Chi Yan a glare before pinching his hand in annoyance, warning him not to go too far. Chi Yan, however, turned her hand over, clasping it in his palm and intertwining his fingers with hers, forcing a tight hold. Gu Ning tugged forcefully but couldn’t free her hand, so she simply turned her head away.
After what felt like an eternity, Jia Xiangwei finally gritted her teeth and relented: “Actually, A-Yan’s hysteria stems from his inability to accept the sudden death of the one he loved. The two of them pledged their love beneath a peach tree…”
In her account, Shen Jinyan had fallen in love at first sight with Gu Ning under a peach tree at the Princess’s flower-viewing banquet. Over time, they exchanged vows of lifelong commitment beneath that same tree. The peach tree had acted as their matchmaker, tying their red thread of fate, and even in madness, it remained deeply etched in Shen Jinyan’s memory.
Gu Ning lowered her eyes, her fingers unconsciously twisting the cuff of her sleeve. Scenes she thought had long faded now returned with startling clarity—that summer, he had climbed the tree to pick peaches for her, turning back to smile at her, revealing his sharp little canine teeth…
“So at the time, I thought, if I planted peach trees all around here, filling the branches with blossoms in spring, might A-Yan’s condition improve slightly?”
Jia Xiangwei lifted the carriage window curtain, and cloud-like peach petals drifted in on the breeze. A few petals clung to her hair—the peach blossoms remained as vibrant as ever, but the person had grown thin and frail.
Gu Ning’s heart ached even more intensely: “Madam Shen, rest assured, we will spare no effort to cure your son.”
“In that case, I thank both Doctor Gu and Doctor Chi,” Jia Xiangwei quickly regained her usual cheerful demeanor, smiling at Gu Ning. “Speaking of which, I’ve been calling you Doctor Gu, which feels rather distant. If it’s not too forward, Doctor Gu, might you share your given name with me?”
For some reason, ever since she first laid eyes on Gu Ning, she had felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Once matters in the capital were settled, she and A-Yan planned to move back to their ancestral home. Having an additional friend here certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing.
“…Gu Ning.”
Upon hearing this, Jia Xiangwei paused slightly: “Is it… the ‘Ning’ meaning ‘peace’?”
“Madam Shen, it’s the ‘Ning’ with the wood radical,” Chi Yan interjected with a smile.
Jia Xiangwei was completely stunned.
Her gaze involuntarily returned to Gu Ning’s face. While other features differed, the oval face and almond-shaped eyes were strikingly similar, and with the identical name… Could such a coincidence truly exist in this world?
Yet she had also seen Gu Ning’s “corpse.”
“Doctor Gu… does she have any sisters?”
Gu Ning was the one switched at birth in the Minister’s household. If she had sisters…
“A-Ning is the only daughter in the family. Why do you ask, Madam Shen?” Chi Yan once again answered on Gu Ning’s behalf, then added with a smile, “Judging by your expression, Madam Shen, could it be that your son’s late beloved shares the same name as our A-Ning?”