It was actually about the red string.
Chun Jingshu breathed a sigh of relief.
"I bought this red string a few days ago at the lantern market."
This was one of the rare times Chun Jingshu lied in front of Gu Yujing.
She slowed her speech, trying her best to make her voice sound as calm as usual.
"Bought it?"
"Yes. Some merchants from the Yue region came to town a while ago, bringing along some novel trinkets. I thought the weaving of this red string was rather unique, so I bought it, planning to have my family wear it."
Originally, this red string had been prepared for Chun Qizhe, as a prayer for his success in the Autumn Imperial Examination.
But she had forgotten to take it out before leaving.
Unexpectedly, Gu Yujing had caught sight of it.
"What kind of Yue merchants?"
Doubt lingered in Gu Yujing's mind, his gaze never straying from Chun Jingshu's face.
"A woman in her fifties—broad-minded and plump, with very fair skin."
Chun Jingshu spoke slowly. "You've asked so many questions, young master—do you hold this red string in high regard? If you truly like it, I could gift it to you instead."
She said it very casually, as if discussing the weather, utterly nonchalant.
"No need."
Gu Yujing's eyes darkened by a shade as he uttered those two words faintly, asking no further questions.
As if the person who had been pressing her with questions moments ago was not him at all.
Chun Jingshu lowered her eyes.
She knew it—Gu Yujing wouldn't want it.
Nine years ago, he had already rejected her.
Back then, Gu Yujing's hands had been crippled, and he had just been sent back to his maternal grandfather's estate, the Bai residence in Jiangzhou.
He would not leave his bedchamber each day, sitting in silence wearing only white clothes, with every furnishing in the room replaced with white as well.
Even the medicine brought no improvement.
This drove his grandmother, Old Madame Bai, to her wit's end.
She believed Gu Yujing had been possessed by evil spirits and invited masters to perform exorcism rites, yet without exception, Gu Yujing refused them all at the door.
Just as Old Madame Bai was at her wit's end, Chun Jingshu recalled a folk remedy her grandmother had once mentioned.
Her grandmother was highly skilled in medicine—everything Chun Jingshu knew, she had learned from her.
Her grandmother said that healing illness was sometimes a matter of mysticism. When faced with a difficult and complicated case with no absolute certainty of a cure, one could take a strand of hair from another person, weave it into a red string, and tie it around the patient's wrist to help improve their fortune. However, this method might deplete the fortune of the other person.
But Chun Jingshu had woven her own hair into the red string without the slightest hesitation.
She was willing to share half of her good fortune with Gu Yujing, to help him recover sooner.
Because she was unskilled at needlework, she spent an entire night weaving it, redoing it over twenty times, until she finally produced a beautiful red string.
That red string concealed not only a strand of hair but also a young maiden's secret feelings.
Early the next morning, after applying his medicine, she carefully placed the red string before him and stammered:
"Young Prince, this is a red string I wove with my own hands—the only one of its kind in the world. It can help you recover sooner. I—I'm giving it to you."
Gu Yujing looked at her, utterly unmoved.
He didn't even spare the red string a single glance.
When Chun Jingshu left, the red string was still lying on the table.
After that, Chun Jingshu never saw that red string again.
Because that red string, woven with all her heart, had long been thrown away by Gu Yujing.
In some forgotten corner, it was gnawed by rats, or weathered by sun and rain.
Well, it was just a red string, after all. How many could Young Prince Gu have if he wanted them? Why would he care?
And perhaps it was because she had given away her fortune that these past nine years had been so hard on her.
From that day on, she would never again tie her hair with a red string.
"This young master, at what time and in what place did Doctor Chun see you today?"
The village head broke the silence, addressing Gu Yujing.
Noting Gu Yujing's refined attire and noble bearing, his tone grew somewhat more courteous.
Songyan, standing nearby, answered truthfully.
However, he omitted the part about having wanted Chun Jingshu to cure his master of poison with her own body.
He had initially intended to say that Chun Jingshu's medical skills were lacking, but at a signal from Gu Yujing, he refrained from mentioning it.
Songyan helped Gu Yujing take a seat.
Although Gu Yujing's presence there was somewhat inconvenient, Chun Jingshu could hardly ask him to leave—especially since she still had to deal with Lady Li at the moment.
"In that case, it seems Doctor Chun truly had no time for anything else today, nor any opportunity to meet Li Luo."
The village head turned to the richly dressed woman. "Lady Li, what do you think?"
"She may not have seen him today, but who knows whether she saw him before? That undergarment…" Lady Li remained stubborn, though her confidence had waned considerably from before.
Old Mrs. Chun and Chun Yue also maintained a wait-and-see attitude.
"Lady Li, how about I ask you a few questions to prove my innocence?" Chun Jingshu spoke up.
"What questions?"
"Your husband is a head taller than you, has a blood-red mole beside his ear, a slender build, and often wears a dark blue outer robe?"
"Yes, but why are you asking…"
"Has your husband been to the neighboring Qinglan Town recently?"
"Yes, he has."
"Has your husband been losing his eyebrows and beard lately?"
"He has. But he's no longer young—isn't it normal for eyebrows and beard to fall out at his age?"
"The skin on the back of your husband's hands has been red recently, hasn't it?"
"Yes, he said it was a burn…"
"Then he hasn't told you the truth."
Chun Jingshu looked at the village head. "Village head, this undergarment carries a unique scent of rouge that I have only ever smelled on one patient."
She carried Chun Yuchu over to the examination table and opened the medical records.
She handed one of the records to the village head.
"That male patient was called Luo Li. When he first came, he carried this rouge scent—quite strongly. Based on my exchange with Lady Li just now, I can essentially conclude that the Luo Li who came to my clinic for treatment was an alias—his real name is Li Luo."
Jixi Town was the largest town in Tongzhou, with a wide jurisdiction and multiple docks. Trade was convenient, and people came and went in an endless stream.
Although Chun Jingshu had lived here for three years, she did not know everyone in town.
That Li Luo had used the alias Luo Li without Chun Jingshu knowing was perfectly normal.
"Don't try to fob me off with your medical talk! Medical records like that can be fabricated all you want! If Li Luo really came to see you, why wouldn't he come openly? Why use an alias? Don't think you can brush me off by making up some random person!" Lady Li craned her neck defiantly.
But the village head placed the medical record before Lady Li.
"Lady Li, take a look at this first."
Lady Li flipped through the medical record, her expression turning horrified as she blurted out, "Venereal disease…"
"During the onset of venereal disease, the eyebrows fall out along with the hair, and fleshy red patches appear on the hands. As for the other symptoms—need I say more, madam?"
Lady Li's body began to tremble.
Old Mrs. Chun and Chun Yue wore expressions of utter shock, their looks at Chun Jingshu completely transformed.
She had actually examined that part of another man's body…
"Li Luo initially did not know he had contracted a venereal disease. I diagnosed it through pulse-taking and skin manifestations—no physical examination was necessary."
Chun Jingshu met Old Mrs. Chun's furious gaze, knew what was running through her mind, and offered an explanation.
She pointed to the medical record. "During the course of treatment, he must abstain from marital relations. He has been coming to the clinic regularly, but only to collect his medicine on schedule. Between him and me, ours is merely a standard doctor-patient relationship. At present, he only needs to complete one final course of medication before he can largely recover."
The dates of consultation, the cause of illness, and the prescriptions were all clearly recorded in the medical file.
"I do not use rouge, nor do I favor this color. This undergarment is certainly not mine. Based on my calculations, the timing of Li Luo's infection coincides with his appearance in Qinglan Town. Madam may go to Qinglan Town to inquire about the origin of this undergarment. Alternatively, Madam Li can simply ask your own husband directly."
The once-aggressive Madam Li now dared not meet Chun Jingshu's eyes at all.
The greater the commotion and noise she had made just moments ago, the more guilty she now felt.
After a hasty apology, she fled in disgrace.
"It was all a misunderstanding. Old Mrs. Chun, your daughter-in-law has always been highly skilled in medicine and possessed of excellent medical ethics. You should place more trust in her as well."
Seeing the matter made clear, the village head rose, spoke a few fair words, and took his leave.
Had Old Mrs. Chun not dragged him here today, he would not have wanted to wade into this muddy water either.
Old Mrs. Chun was left somewhat embarrassed by his words and departed leaning on her cane. "Chun-shi, in the future you should be more careful. Don't let people make a scene at our doorstep again."
She had never been willing to let her daughter-in-law show her face in public, especially bearing such a stunningly beautiful countenance.
Thus, when Madam Li came making a scene today, her first reaction had been that Chun Jingshu had truly taken a lover.
"Sister-in-law, Mother only acted for the sake of the Chun family's reputation—she is utterly impartial. Since you are innocent, simply clarifying the matter is enough."
Chun Yue cast a sidelong glance at Gu Yujing but did not follow her mother out. Instead, she smiled and tried to smooth things over. "Sister-in-law has met many people and has a generous heart. Surely you won't hold this against us?"
"What if I do hold it against you? What if I don't? Chun Yue, there is no need to flatter me with fine words. The next time you stir up trouble, I will not show mercy." Chun Jingshu gave her a look.
Chun Yue was fond of making small, underhanded moves, and Chun Jingshu had never paid them much mind, too lazy to bother contending with her.
But today's matter involved her reputation and her bottom line. She needed to deliver a proper warning and would not let it slide with vague ambiguity.
"Sister-in-law, I only mentioned the clothing in passing. I had no idea there was hidden complexity behind it. Please don't be angry…"
"Not knowing is precisely a failure to think things through and a carelessness in word and deed. Sister, do not go chasing shadows in the future. If today's affair were to spread, it would inevitably leave the impression that you are rash and indiscreet. That would not reflect well on the Chun family's conduct."
Chun Yue was deeply embarrassed.
She had not expected her normally gentle, soft-spoken sister-in-law to be so formidable with her words.
And with outsiders still present, she had shown her no face at all.
The more she tried to explain, the more guilty she appeared.
In the end, Chun Yue's face cycling through shades of red and white, she hurried away.
By now, Yuchu had already fallen asleep in her arms. Chun Jingshu carried him back to the bedroom and laid him on the bed.
She rubbed her aching arms, then retrieved a small box from the room.
Drawing a deep breath, she returned to the main hall.
"Thank you for coming to my aid today, young master. This is a Health-Preserving Cake made from our clinic's secret recipe. I offer it to you as a token of gratitude."
Gu Yujing's hand caressed the jade thumb ring on his finger, but he did not take it.
A hint of curiosity crept into his eyes, as if something had occurred to him, and he looked straight at her.
This woman was poised and confident before others, but only when facing him did she show signs of fluster and fear.
"Young Master, it's getting late. Is there anything else?" Chun Jingshu set the box on the table and, seeing no sign of Gu Yujing leaving, could not help but speak up.
"What's the hurry?"
Gu Yujing raised an eyebrow. "Chun the physician may be innocent in her dealings with Li Luo, but when it comes to me, Chun the physician is anything but innocent."
Chun Jingshu's heart, which had only just begun to slow, thundered once more.