“Gu Ruanci, how dare you speak like that? Regardless of who your parents are now or what your status is, this is your maternal grandfather, your elder!”
Ye Chi’s face darkened, his earlier smile completely gone.
“Lord Ye, are you so desperate for a niece? That inauspicious person who came of age yesterday, and now you want to draw a clear line?”
Gu Ruanci showed him no respect, her tone remarkably calm.
Elders—they certainly did not qualify as such.
Ye Keguang held back his anger and asked another question: “We can discuss our issues later, but how could you place your mother in Xuandi Guan? Why not let her come home? No matter how many conflicts and misunderstandings we had in the past, now that your grandmother is critically ill, only your mother’s appearance and clarification can make Little Medical Immortal change his mind and save a life. Shouldn’t you at least have some basic kindness?”
Hearing this, Gu Ruanci laughed outright.
“If you hadn’t refused to return home and insisted on becoming the daughter of Shouguo Gongfu, your grandmother wouldn’t have been so enraged. In fact, you bear some responsibility too.”
Ye Keguang’s next words were even more outrageous.
Gu Ruanci had no intention of wasting words with them.
“Well, then go report me to the authorities. Little Medical Immortal’s refusal to treat your in-law’s mother is all because of us, mother and daughter. Be sure to emphasize that Jing’an Hou has done nothing wrong, and that Laofuren of Jing’an Houfu is not suffering retribution.”
After saying this, she glanced at Ye Chengyun.
“Young Master Ye, my brother has already fulfilled the bet by coming to sweep in front of your Yunyang Houfu’s gates. You can boast to your friends now. Thanks to that inauspicious cousin of yours, you’ve finally beaten my brother once. Ask your cousin what other sacrifices she can make for you so you can keep winning.”
“Sister, I’m done sweeping.”
Gu Yuxuan spoke up at just the right moment. Hearing his sister rebuke these people had been immensely satisfying.
“Then we’ll take our leave.”
Gu Ruanci felt no attachment to this place—it was as filthy as Jing’an Houfu.
“Ruanci, don’t go…” Ye Keguang still wanted to stop her.
Ye Chengyun finally couldn’t hold back and shouted, “Gu Ruanci, don’t think that just because you changed your name and came back, clinging to Shouguo Gongfu, you can surpass my cousin. Your mother lost to my aunt, and you will too—you won’t end well.”
Gu Yuxuan wanted to curse back, but Gu Ruanci stopped him.
She slowly turned her head and said, “Well, then we’ll wait and see.”
On the carriage ride back, Gu Yuxuan asked, “Sister, why didn’t you let me curse back just now?”
“Our purpose for coming today has been achieved. Arguing with him endlessly won’t solve anything; it would only embarrass the entire Shouguo Gongfu.”
Gu Ruanci explained gently. This younger brother was still somewhat naive and impulsive—she needed to discipline him properly.
“So we just let Ye Chengyun off like that?”
Gu Ruanci said, “He wishes.”
Then she added softly, “There will be plenty of time.”
Soon, rumors spread about the Gu siblings honoring their bet by sweeping in front of Yunyang Houfu and publicly defying the old marquis.
Gu Ruanci had not been back for more than a few days, yet the streets were already filled with gossip about her.
When the news reached Jing’an Houfu, Zhou Zhili slammed the table so hard it shook.
“Wretched creature! What does she think she’s doing!”
Zhou Yuxiu, who had issued harsh words the day before, grew increasingly irritable.
Grandmother still hasn’t woken up to this day. Even though Imperial Physician Zang was invited early in the morning for a consultation, he could only shake his head, saying it depends on heaven’s will.
“She came back to collect a debt…”
Zhou Yuxiu said coldly, without any emotion.
“Little sister is still keeping vigil by Grandmother’s side, saying she must wait until Grandmother wakes up. Compared to her, Gu Ruanci is practically a devil.”
Zhou Yuqi also added a comment, while Zhou Yuzhi, who had always been confident in his medical talent, remained silent.
“Yuzhi, what are you thinking about?”
Ye Lanxin noticed his unusual behavior and asked.
Zhou Yuzhi was organizing the clues since Gu Ruanci’s return, feeling that he was close to uncovering the truth.
“Could it be that Gu Ruanci is the Little Medical Immortal—”
“Impossible. The Little Medical Immortal is Imperial Physician Zang’s junior sister. How old could she be?” Zhou Yuxiu immediately denied it.
Zhou Yuzhi glanced at him and finished his earlier thought: “Eldest Brother, what I meant to say is that Gu Ruanci might be a disciple of the Little Medical Immortal.”
Zhou Zhili was dumbfounded: “Yuzhi, why would you think that?”
“The timing of her return is too coincidental. Just as the Little Medical Immortal agreed to come to Dizhou to treat Grandmother, she returned… Moreover, Imperial Physician Zang actually attended the Renqin Yan at Shouguo Gongfu, and even Qingtuan Daozhang went. I don’t believe they all went out of respect for the Duke of Shou and his wife… Most importantly, she knew full well that the Little Medical Immortal would send a grand gift for little sister’s Ji-ji ceremony, yet she still cooperated with the Duke of Shou and his wife to schedule the Renqin Yan on the same day. This shows she knew from the start that the Little Medical Immortal wouldn’t come.”
After Zhou Yuzhi finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
Even Zhou Yuxiu, who had been so confident earlier, sank into deep thought.
Zhou Zhili’s expression grew even more unpleasant. He looked at his three sons, hoping to hear their opinions.
Instead, Ye Lanxin spoke up: “If that’s truly the case, then Qinzhu and I can go to Shouguo Gongfu, kneel before her, and beg her to help. No matter what happened in the past, it was our fault. I can also go to Xuandi Guan to kneel before my sister. I don’t need her forgiveness—I just hope they can persuade the Little Medical Immortal to treat Mother-in-law…”
Zhou Yuqi said, “Why beg? Grandmother is ill, and they clearly could persuade the Little Medical Immortal but refuse to help. Aren’t they afraid of being ridiculed by the world?”
“If they understood shame, they wouldn’t have left the Zhou Family back then, nor would they do such a thing now.”
Zhou Zhili felt deep down that he wasn’t at fault.
“Second Brother, right now it’s just suspicion. There’s no way to confirm she’s a disciple of the Little Medical Immortal. What if we go and beg her, only to find out she isn’t? Wouldn’t we lose face and waste time?”
Zhou Yuqi added another point—begging Gu Ruanci was something he truly couldn’t bring himself to do.
Zhou Yuzhi didn’t respond; he still needed to think it over.
“Why not invite Imperial Physician Zang again this afternoon and subtly ask whether his junior sister has any disciples?” Zhou Yuqi, seeing his silence, feared he might insist on begging Gu Ruanci.
“That’s right. We must confirm this matter first before deciding how to treat Gu Ruanci.”
Zhou Yuxiu nodded. Although Third Brother was usually mischievous, he could still be useful at critical moments.
When news came from the Ye Family, Zhou Zhili snorted coldly: “She’s cutting off all her retreats. All these years, Father-in-law has been trying to find her and her mother…”
Ye Lanxin also said sadly, “Father must be suffering greatly right now, all because of the trouble I caused…”
“Mother, you must not blame yourself. It was their rudeness. Now they even accuse little sister of being an ill-omened person—their intentions are truly malicious.”
Zhou Yuzhi spoke with a displeased expression.
Zhou Yuxiu closed his eyes and said, “They even dared to deny our maternal grandfather—how could I ever acknowledge them!”