Bang—the door of the private room was kicked open.
“Young Master Liu San! You can’t come in… ah!” Hong Yao hurriedly tried to block him but was shoved hard by Liu San, slamming into the doorframe.
“Hong Yao!” Gu Ning rushed over to help her up.
“Miss,” Hong Yao waved her hand, enduring the pain, “I’m fine. Miss, this Liu San is clearly up to no good. Should we hurry and report this to the authorities?”
Gu Ning shook her head. “It’s no use.”
Liu San had arrived so quickly—it was likely Wang Shao who had sent him. And Magistrate Wang had always disapproved of his younger brother marrying Jiang Yingyue…
Gu Ning’s hand turned, and several silver acupuncture needles appeared in her palm. She leaned in and lowered her voice. “Go to the Liu residence now and say…”
Hong Yao nodded hurriedly in agreement and ran off.
Inside the private room, the air was thick with the smell of alcohol. Gu Ning calmly closed the door behind her.
Liu San held a liquor bottle in his hand, staggering as he walked, spilling liquor all over the floor. He pointed a finger, swaying it back and forth between Gu Ning and Jiang Yingyue. “You… you’re Jiang Wu? Hic…”
Jiang Yingyue bit her lip, took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and stepped forward half a pace. “Yes, it’s me. What business do you have with me, Young Master Liu San?”
The man before her was around twenty years old, with a slender build, sunken cheeks, dark circles under his eyes, and a chaotic, unpleasant medicinal odor clinging to him—the very picture of an addict.
In fact, before the matchmaking with Master Wang, her father and stepmother had also considered arranging a meeting between her and Liu San.
So this was what he was like…
Jiang Yingyue couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.
“I heard you look down on me? Instead, you fancy that wife-killer brother of Magistrate Wang?” Liu San swayed closer, a cold sneer spreading across his face. “I bet you’ve already been messing around with that old geezer!”
“Young Master Liu San, watch your words!” Gu Ning couldn’t help but rebuke coldly. “Both are unmarried; matchmaking is a common practice. Don’t judge others by your own standards!”
“Who are you? I’m talking to her, what are you interrupting for?!” Liu San turned, advancing step by step toward Gu Ning, raising his fist high. “Don’t think I won’t hit a woman!”
“Get away from her!”
Jiang Yingyue lunged forward, grabbing Liu San’s arm and throwing him hard against the wall, shielding Gu Ning. “It’s me who looks down on trash like you! If you want to fight, come at me!”
The liquor bottle shattered loudly on the floor, splashing liquor onto Gu Ning’s skirt, though most of it was blocked by Jiang Yingyue. Standing in front of her, Jiang Yingyue was like a steadfast white birch.
“You…” From the side, Liu San, embedded in the wall, stubbornly extended a finger. “You just wait… my father, my father won’t let you get away with this!” Before he could finish, his body, like mud soaked by rain, slowly slid down.
“Ah…” Staring at the pale-faced, unconscious Liu San on the floor, Jiang Yingyue instinctively gasped softly but quickly covered her mouth with her hand. “Wh-what do we do?”
The Liu family was a prominent local clan. Old Master Liu would never let them off.
“Should we… should we run away quickly?”
“Even if we escape today, we can’t escape forever,” Gu Ning gently patted Jiang Yingyue’s shoulder, walked over, and crouched beside Liu San. A small blue porcelain bottle slid out from her sleeve. “Now, I’m afraid we have no choice but to see this through.”
…
“Hurry!”
“If anything happens to the Third Young Master, all nine of your lives won’t be enough to pay for it!”
The Liu family steward led a group of servants, charging forward with an imposing air, drawing frequent glances from passersby.
The steward was frantic with worry. Just moments ago, a young maid had rushed over with the news that their third young master had gotten drunk and caused a scene at the Zhenxiu Pavilion, only to be beaten half to death!
“Hey! You up front! Why have you stopped?”
“It’s mealtime—the road next to Zhenxiu Pavilion is blocked by carriages.”
Steward Liu ran breathlessly to the front of the crowd. Sure enough, there were luxurious carriages and horses, and people were streaming past like a woven tapestry. The steward cursed inwardly with a vulgar expletive, forcing down his anger as he ordered, “Hurry over and tell them to move their carriages! If anything happens to the third young master, the master won’t spare any of you!”
Before the servants could obey and head over, a piercing scream erupted from inside Zhenxiu Pavilion. The window of the private room on the second floor, marked “Heavenly,” swung wide open, and a figure stood teetering on the windowsill, swaying precariously.
“Third Young Master!” The steward’s eyes widened in horror. “Third Young Master, come down at once!”
Before his words could fade, the figure swayed unsteadily and lifted a foot.
“Third Young Master, don’t!!”
“Thud—”
The sound of flesh, bone, and ground colliding echoed, followed by blood slowly seeping out. The crowd erupted in screams.
“A doctor! Quick, fetch a doctor!”
“I’ll do it. I’m a doctor.”
Gu Ning hurried forward with her medicine chest, taking out bandages and wound salve to tend to Third Young Master Liu. Her movements were practiced and her demeanor calm, easing Steward Liu’s anxiety slightly.
Just as he was about to look away, he caught sight of several bruises on Gu Ning’s arm. Jiang Yingyue, standing behind her and handing her supplies, looked even more disheveled, with messy hair and a visible slap mark on her face.
“Young Miss!”
From the crowd, Hong Yao rushed over.
“Young Miss, what happened to you? How did this come about?”
Gu Ning lowered her head to retrieve a splint from her chest, biting her lip gently and shaking her head. “…It’s nothing. Saving lives comes first.” A strand of hair fell loose from her temple, and her dark hair was adorned only with a bamboo-green silk flower, making her pale face appear even more pitiful.
“Esteemed…” Gu Ning glanced up at Steward Liu, pausing as if carefully choosing her words. “…elderly sir.”
Steward Liu was momentarily taken aback, realizing she was addressing him. A strange feeling welled up in his heart.
After serving as the Liu family’s dog for so many years, this was the first time he had been treated as a human being.
“Elderly sir, based on my diagnosis, this young master appears to have a fractured shin bone and should not leave his bed for at least three months,” Gu Ning said, taking out paper and a brush from her medicine chest to write a prescription. “Follow this prescription for the medicine. If anything else arises, you can find me at Ningchun Hall. My name is Gu Ning.”
“So it’s Doctor Gu!”
The onlookers suddenly understood.
“Doctor Gu’s medical skills are exceptional. A year ago, my granddaughter nearly died from a high fever, and it was Doctor Gu who saved her!”
“My chronic leg pain was also cured by Doctor Gu!”
“Looking at it now, Doctor Gu truly is as beautiful as she is kind-hearted, with remarkable medical skills!”
“Wait, hold on—look at Doctor Gu’s arm…” An observant elderly woman at the front pointed at the bruises on Gu Ning’s arm. “Who was the scoundrel? How dare they harm Doctor Gu!”
“That’s right, who was it?”
The crowd echoed in agreement.
Gu Ning tugged at her sleeve, forcing a faint smile. “No, it was just an accident…”
“Oh, Doctor Gu, I know you’re kind-hearted, but you can’t just let people bully you like this, can you?”
A lady with an eight-treasure pearl hairpin in her bun, holding her maid’s hand, walked out of Zhenxiu Pavilion. She glanced at Liu San lying on the ground and sneered, “I saw it with my own eyes—Doctor Gu and Fifth Miss Jiang were being chased and beaten by this Third Young Master Liu!” She spat on the ground and added, “Hasn’t this happened before? Who knows which enemy this scoundrel mistook Doctor Gu for when he was drunk? Doctor Gu truly suffered an undeserved calamity today!”
The crowd nodded in agreement, sharing the sentiment.
Just then, a cold laugh echoed from a distance: “What undeserved calamity? In my opinion, it was Gu Ning and Jiang Yingyue who harmed Third Young Master Liu!”