By the time Huo Mingqian arrived at the academy, it was already near evening.
He first went to report at the academy, then found Liang Yunxian and handed him the bundle.
Liang Yunxian had a cold temperament and did not speak much in daily life. Although he and Huo Mingqian were from the same village, the two rarely interacted.
After taking the bundle and thanking him, he prepared to leave.
Suddenly, he remembered that Ning Yuchan had married Huo Mingqian’s nephew. He had already stepped out of the room but turned back.
“Third Uncle, Yuchan…”
Now that Ning Yuchan was his wife’s younger sister, such open concern would be improper.
The words reached his lips, but in the end, he did not say them.
“Now we can be considered true relatives.”
Huo Mingqian naturally thought he was referring to the fact that Yuqiao and Yuchan were sisters and smiled. “Did you forget? My second sister married into your Liang family. We were already relatives to begin with.”
Liang Yunxian nodded. “Third Uncle, please rest. I’ll go study.”
Huo Mingqian felt that he had something more to say, but he understood Liang Yunxian’s temperament. Since he had not said it just now, asking further would be useless.
However, something suddenly came to his mind.
Earlier, he had heard that Changsheng was engaged to the eldest daughter of the Ning family.
But after interacting with Ning Yuchan these past few days, he was certain she was the second daughter.
Had he remembered it wrong?
After being away for several days, his bedding had been messed up. He bent down to tidy it and saw several roommates rushing in.
He looked up and greeted them.
“Mingqian, you’re back.” His closest friend, Li Yanbin, patted him on the shoulder. “Jiaming just fell off a horse and his condition isn’t good. A few of us are taking him to the city to see a doctor. Are you coming?”
Huo Mingqian asked with concern, “Can he still walk?”
Li Yanbin answered honestly, “He can’t. We borrowed a carriage from the academy just now to take him there.”
Huo Mingqian asked again, “How many of you are going?”
Li Yanbin said, “Including me, four.”
Huo Mingqian declined politely. “I’ve just returned and still need to report to the teacher, so I won’t go. If his condition is serious, let me know.”
…
On their first day after taking a master, Ning Yuchan and Taohua had only seen Doctor Cui once when they kowtowed at noon.
After that, they followed Senior Brother’s instructions, decocting medicine for the patients staying in the medical hall.
Ning Yuchan was beautiful, gentle, intelligent, and kind. Cui Shitou had taken a liking to her at first sight.
Now that they were fellow disciples, he constantly hovered around, guiding her in decocting medicine and recognizing herbs.
At first, Taohua thought he was simply enthusiastic, but later she realized he only showed closeness toward her sister-in-law, and she became wary.
After that, she kept blocking him and did not give him a chance to talk to Ning Yuchan.
“Sister-in-law, I think Cui Shitou has bad intentions. Don’t pay attention to him.”
Ning Yuchan was six years older than Taohua and immediately saw through her thoughts. Suppressing a smile, she said, “My heart only holds Elder Brother Huo. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Taohua naturally believed Ning Yuchan, but she did not trust Cui Shitou.
“In any case, he’s not a good person. Sister-in-law, be careful.”
There were not many patients that Doctor Cui received today. The main reason was that he did not hold consultations in the morning or afternoon and only saw a dozen or so patients at noon.
Most of them left after getting their medicine.
Only three patients remained.
There were also two patients already staying in the medical hall, who were almost recovered and would be healed in two or three days.
For the patients staying in the medical hall, the preparation of their medicinal decoctions fell to Doctor Cui’s disciples and the workers.
By the time the sun was about to set, all five portions of medicinal decoctions had been prepared.
Ning Yuchan and Taohua sat by the window chatting.
Suddenly, they heard a commotion outside.
Soon after, they saw Cui Qingcheng closing the main doors of the medical hall and walking in with a somewhat serious expression.
The two instinctively stood up, wanting to ask a few concerned questions, but they did not know how to begin.
It was Cui Shitou who spoke first, “Senior Brother, what’s going on?”
Cui Qingcheng said solemnly, “No one is to go out today. Something seems to have happened in Qinzhou City.”
Cui Shitou, curious by nature, asked, “What happened?”
Cui Qingcheng had only heard a brief mention from a customer who came to buy medicine earlier that day.
“It seems some important person has gone missing. The entire city is full of soldiers searching. I heard that if the person isn’t found, the city gates won’t open. In any case, it’s quite chaotic. None of you should go out.”
Ning Yuchan had only entered the city a few times in total, yet she had already encountered the city gates being closed twice.
Cui Shitou, curious, quietly opened a small gap in the door and peeked outside.
Suddenly, Cui Shitou saw soldiers rushing over. They banged loudly on the door, and his heart tightened. Turning back to look at Cui Qingcheng, he said, “Senior Brother, someone is knocking.”
Cui Qingcheng hesitated briefly, then opened the door. “Several officer brothers, if there is anything, please give your instructions.”
The leading soldier held the weapon at his waist with one hand and pushed him aside with the other, asking roughly, “In your place, in these past two days, have there been any suspicious people coming in?”
Cui Qingcheng replied calmly, “They are all patients here for treatment. There are no suspicious people.”
The soldier did not believe him. “Call everyone out. Let us take a look.”
Cui Qingcheng gestured to Cui Shitou. “Go call all the patients and their family members out.”
In a short while, five patients, seven or eight family members, the three disciples of Cui Shantang, and two workers all gathered in the courtyard to be inspected by the soldiers.
The soldiers looked over everyone and questioned them one by one.
Then they asked Cui Qingcheng, “Is everyone from the medical hall here?”
Cui Qingcheng answered truthfully, “My master is still in the inner residence resting.”
The soldier said impatiently, “Call your master out.”
Commoners did not fight officials. Cui Qingcheng was about to go when suddenly someone outside shouted, “The person has been found. Hurry back.” Several soldiers immediately abandoned the people in the medical hall and ran off.
In the blink of an eye, they disappeared from the entrance.
It was Taohua’s first time being so close to soldiers. Seeing their rough attitude, she felt afraid and tightly held Ning Yuchan’s hand.
“Sister-in-law, what are they doing? They’re so fierce!”
Ning Yuchan said softly, “It seems they are looking for someone.”
Everyone let out a sigh of relief. The patients had already been uncomfortable, and after being disturbed like this, they felt even worse, muttering complaints as they returned to their rooms.
Cui Qingcheng told Cui Shitou to close the door.
Before the door could be fully shut, several scholars in long robes stopped Cui Shitou.
“Is Doctor Cui here? Our classmate has broken his leg. Please have him take a look.”
Cui Shitou was not very pleased. “We’re not seeing patients today. Go somewhere else.”
The young man in front, wearing a square scholar’s cap, bowed politely and said, “Our classmate fell from a horse today and broke his leg. He still has to take the provincial examination this autumn, so time is very important to him. Please ask the doctor to take a look.”
Cui Shitou was about to drive them away again when Cui Qingcheng said calmly, “Bring him in.”
Hearing that someone had fallen from a horse and broken his leg, Ning Yuchan thought it was similar to Father Huo’s injury.
The method of treatment should also be similar.
She intended to follow along and take a look.
But after taking just one step, she froze.
The person who had just spoken with Cui Shitou was actually Liang Yunxian.
At that moment, his gaze also turned toward her.
Their eyes met across the distance. Ning Yuchan felt guilty and quickly lowered her head, using the excuse of going to help the workers dry medicinal herbs.
“Ouch—” The injured Yao Jiaming held onto his classmate’s shoulder with one hand and reached to touch below his knee with the other.
“My leg seems to be broken. Is Doctor Cui here? Please quickly have Doctor Cui take a look.”
Cui Qingcheng had been Doctor Cui’s disciple for more than ten years. Such injuries were nothing unusual to him.
However, Yao Jiaming was a scholar. With the provincial examination coming in autumn, time meant knowledge to him.
Cui Qingcheng planned to ask his master to handle the case specially. With a few doses of medicinal decoction, recovery would be faster than with normal treatment.
While treating Yao Jiaming’s wound, he asked Cui Shitou to go invite their master.
Cui Shitou did not return. Cui Qingcheng thought he was slacking off and instead told Ning Yuchan to go.
Although rooms had been assigned to Ning Yuchan and Taohua in the inner residence, it was Ning Yuchan’s first day in the medical hall, and she had not yet been to the inner residence.
It was not difficult to find Doctor Cui’s residence, because there was only one small building in the inner residence.
Not far from the hanging flower gate, there was a well. Cui Shitou was there, laboring hard as he drew water.
Ning Yuchan asked in confusion, “Senior Brother told you to invite Master. Why are you drawing water instead, Third Senior Brother?”
Cui Shitou said awkwardly, “Master told me to come here. He didn’t even let me finish speaking.”
Ning Yuchan had just seen that he did not want to receive those patients and suspected he was making an excuse.
“Then I’ll go find Master.”
She had heard that only Master lived in the inner residence.
When Ning Yuchan reached the entrance of the building, she unexpectedly heard voices inside.
She hesitated and did not dare to enter.
She had been busy in the front courtyard the whole time and had not seen anyone enter the inner residence. So how could there be someone here with Master?
She suddenly thought of Third Senior Brother drawing water. Perhaps Master had deliberately sent him away.
“…Master, someone has come. Changsheng will take his leave here. We shall meet again in the future.”
A figure suddenly jumped out of the window. She only caught a glimpse of his back, not even a side profile.
That person had called himself Changsheng…
Could it be Changsheng from Huojia Village?
When Huo Changsheng left home, he had only been seventeen or eighteen. Five years had passed, so he should be at least twenty-three now.
His voice would certainly have changed a great deal.
Just from hearing the voice, it was impossible to be certain.
The door opened, and Doctor Cui’s calm and composed face appeared before Ning Yuchan.
“Yuchan, you’ve come.”
Ning Yuchan stretched her neck to look into the room through the doorway. But fearing her master’s displeasure, she could only reluctantly stand properly.
“Master, a scholar from the academy has injured his leg. They have come to ask you to take a look.”
Doctor Cui waved his hand. “You go ahead first. I’ll come shortly.”
Ning Yuchan very much wanted to ask who the person speaking in the room just now was.
But the words reached her lips and were swallowed again.
That person had jumped out of the window precisely to avoid being seen by others.
Even if she asked, she would not get an answer.
Moreover, Changsheng was a common name with a good meaning. Not only in Huojia Village, even in their Dayang Village, there were several children with that name.
If it really were Huo Changsheng, he had already entered Qinzhou City. It was less than half a shichen’s journey from Huojia Village. Why would he not return to visit his parents?
In her heart, Huo Changsheng was a very filial person.
He would never pass by his home without entering.
“Junior Sister Yuchan, wait for me,” Cui Shitou threw aside the shoulder pole and chased after Ning Yuchan. “Did you see the person in Master’s room?”
Ning Yuchan shook her head. “Did you see him?”
Cui Shitou also shook his head. “I was just curious and pushed the door open to take a look, and Master punished me by making me draw water.”
Seeing his aggrieved expression, Ning Yuchan could not help but laugh. “That’s what you get for angering Master.”
Cui Shitou was still thinking about what had just happened. “But I did see what that person was wearing. He must be a desperado who kills and robs.”
Ning Yuchan asked curiously, “Why do you say that?”
Cui Shitou said, “Because he had a sword hanging at his waist. He must kill people often.”