Chen Li was startled as he grasped the engraved patterns on the token—the mark of the powerful prime minister. He smiled casually, however, and said, "Prime Minister Nie's daughter? I've long heard that Prime Minister Nie has a daughter who is exceptionally talented and deeply favored." The woman before him was simply dressed, but the undisguised elegance in her expression was genuine.
Between two evils, choose the lesser. If they offend the Prime Minister's residence, they can use the pretext of catching the assassin and trespassing to apologize later. But if they let the assassin take down the Thirteenth Prince's residence for the sake of friendship, it will only lead to endless troubles. Nie Qingyue's insistence on not letting them into the inner courtyard almost convinced Chen Li that the assassin was inside the residence.
"How could the daughter of the Prime Minister be dressed like this and living in such a desolate courtyard? I'm afraid some ill-intentioned people are trying to impersonate Miss Nie with a fake token. For the safety of the Prime Minister's daughter, find out who is suspicious!" Chen Li seized on the unreasonable parts as a high-sounding excuse and gave a loud order.
The scattered servants and soldiers quickly poured into the inner courtyard.
"Report! A discovery has been made in the inner hall!" Chen Li listened to his subordinate's report, then looked at Nie Qingyue, whose face had turned pale, and smiled with satisfaction: "Miss Nie, how do you intend to explain this?"
Nie Qingyue did not reply to him, but turned around and hurriedly ran into the inner hall.
Chen Li strolled leisurely into the inner hall. The not-so-spacious hall was filled with soldiers, and in the center stood a man dressed in a white undershirt, covered in blood. The man lay on a bench, seemingly asleep, his hand resting on his forehead, his wide sleeves covering half his face. Bloodstained tools used to treat his wounds surrounded him. The man's breathing was even and deep, completely unaware of the encirclement around him.
They were about to die and didn't even realize it.
Chen Li sneered inwardly, raised his hand to signal, and the leading constable grabbed the man's blood-stained collar, while two henchmen immediately placed knives against the man's neck.
"Let go of me!" Nie Qingyue squeezed through and tried to pull the knife off the man's neck with her hands. Her attendant was afraid of hurting her and that the assassin would escape. In his haste, he accidentally cut a gash on Nie Qingyue's arm. Bright red blood flowed out of the wound, which was very striking against her fair skin.
Chen Li frowned, feeling apprehensive. He feared that injuring Nie Qingyue would make it difficult to explain to the Prime Minister's residence later.
"Miss Nie, stop struggling. Instead, save your energy to explain to the Prime Minister and the Prince why you harbored criminals."
"Explain what?" Nie Qingyue's eyes were full of mockery: "Explain how Steward Chen led a group of people to break into a private residence at night and recklessly injure people?!"
As Chen Lizheng grew increasingly uneasy, the man who had been sleeping with his head down suddenly awoke, looked up, and gazed around. His clear, elegant features shone brightly, though his disheveled appearance couldn't conceal his brilliance. He recognized this man; Chen Lizheng quickly recalled. It was that doctor surnamed Yan! The assassin was actually the unparalleled physician?
Chen Li's hesitation and apprehension grew stronger. He stepped forward and pulled open Yan Shu's collar, seeing only a treated cut from a sharp weapon below his shoulder, no trace of an arrow wound. No matter how skilled the doctor, it was impossible to heal a wound in such a short time. A chill ran through him; the assassin wasn't Yan Shu. If it were someone insignificant, to avoid offending the Prime Minister's household, he could use a ruse to frame him as the assassin, taking him away and then dealing with the aftermath. But this man was a renowned traditional Chinese medicine master in Yingmo, sought after by the powerful and wealthy for their ailments, and also the newlywed husband of the Prime Minister's daughter.
Before he could even think of a countermeasure, Nie Qingyue's sneer was already close to his face. The imposing aura of a superior was instantly revealed as he raised his hand and slapped hard. "Slap!" The loud, crisp slap was merciless.
Chen Li had no doubt that Nie Qingyue wanted to hit him, but the hand landed directly on the face of the constable leader, who had a fleshy face.
"I already said the assassin wasn't here. Is Constable Wuhuang's brain stuffed with weeds? That assassin broke into the mansion demanding my husband treat him, but he resolutely refused and was injured by the assassin's hidden weapon. And what you've got is that instead of chasing after the assassin, you've put a knife to my husband's neck!" Nie Qingyue looked at the constable and spoke each word with a cold, icy tone, but those words were meant for Chen Li's ears.
She turned to Chen Li and smiled coldly, "Steward Chen, please go back and tell the Thirteenth Prince that next time, don't use local officials to catch assassins. It wouldn't be good to be seen as a bully who's all brawn and no brains. My father has always praised the Thirteenth Prince for his gentle and refined manners and his meritocratic approach to personnel management." Of course, a complete falling out wouldn't be good, but she had to respect the Thirteenth Prince's reputation, and she also had to vent her anger at having a knife held to her husband's throat. Nie Qingyue's implication was so obvious, yet her words were impeccably polite.
"Madam, please apply the medicine quickly. Prime Minister Nie can't stand seeing you with even a scar." Ignoring her loosened collar, Yan Shu pulled Nie Qingyue's arm and wiped away the surrounding blood as if no one else was around, then carefully cleaned the wound medicine. His expression was as focused as ever, and his gentle voice revealed some weakness and heartache.
"If Steward Chen wants to see my husband and I together, I don't mind. It's just that it's really inconvenient for so many people to be standing in the inner hall. We still have some wine in the house; if you don't mind, you can sit down and drink at your leisure." After treating Nie Qingyue's wound, Yan Shu turned to look at Chen Li, his face bearing a warm, spring-like smile: "Madam was afraid that you would disturb my rest and refused to cooperate with the work. I apologize for making you all laugh. If Steward Chen is worried, you are welcome to make yourselves at home."
Chen Li's face, which had turned pale from Nie Qingyue's sarcasm, suddenly flushed red. These successive unexpected provocations made him, who was originally calm, even more guilty. He cupped his hands and said, "I apologize for disturbing you today, please forgive me." Then he led his men away in a hurry.
The small hall became quiet after the group of people left.
"Did Madam deliberately touch the knife?" Yan Shu tapped the bandaged area on Nie Qingyue's hand with his finger.
"Hiss." Nie Qingyue slumped onto the table like a deflated balloon, gasping for breath. "Husband, let's go see Shu Song." Please, spare her little arms.
"Madam has not yet answered me." Yan Shu increased the pressure on his hand.
"Hmm, I think this might be more effective," Nie Qingyue admitted, grinning.
“It will leave a scar.” “Hey, shouldn’t my husband have some good medicine to help heal and restore the wound?” “No.” Yan Shu was decisive and stood up to go behind the screen to bring Shu Song out to handle the aftermath.
Nie Qingyue wanted to go over and help, but as soon as she stood up, she felt dizzy. "Sit down." Yan Shu took a few steps over and pressed her back to the table: "You're forcing such a strong aura without considering whether your mind can handle it."
Indeed, Nie Qingyue obediently sat down and watched Yan Shu slowly and methodically treat Shu Song's wounds.
Those ten minutes felt like a year to her. She didn't know what kind of official manners the daughter of Prime Minister Nie should have; all she used was the pride and confidence cultivated from childhood as the successor of the Nie family.
During her childhood holidays, the thing she did most wasn't going to the amusement park, but rather accompanying her almost shrewd uncles and aunts to negotiate with merchants or rivals. Several people, whose combined age was over a hundred, would engage in serious negotiations, while she, a mere girl barely a fraction of their age, would sit quietly to the side, holding a glass of orange juice, saying nothing. Through this constant exposure, coupled with the lessons learned from her adult internships, even with her naturally lazy nature, she could still muster a certain air of authority when necessary.
However, such superficial politeness cannot last long. If it weren't for Yan Shu's gentle and appropriate ending, Nie Qingyue really doesn't know if she would have had the courage to say "Please do as you please" so confidently in front of Chen Li, who was still standing in the room.
Shu Song was absolutely right to call Yan Shu a fox. She was highly guarded, and when facing a true enemy, she would only want to become stronger. Even if she couldn't openly confront them, she would still launch a sniper-like counterattack. She was completely unlike Yan Shu, whose gentle smiles and warm hospitality, like a friend coming from afar, felt strangely welcoming.
In the rush of time, she only thought of feigning injury to explain the bloodstains, without considering that even if Chen Li believed her, he might still conduct another search. If it were Yan Shu, the sudden shift in the situation—causing Chen Li to hesitate after Nie Qingyue revealed his identity, then making him mistakenly believe he had captured the assassin and feel excited, only to discover it was Yan Shu, coupled with the contrasting tone of their conversations—would have given her a much greater chance of success than her original plan.
"What is Madam thinking about?" Yan Shu threw Shu Song into the room and came back to find Nie Qingyue looking lost in thought.
"It's better to offend a petty person than to offend your husband." She smiled ingratiatingly, her eyes sparkling.
Yan Shu sat down at the table and poured a pill from the bottle for her: "Take this." Nie Qingyue didn't ask any questions, took the pill, and swallowed it with water without hesitation. It smelled wonderful; hmm, good medicine.
"Does Madam know what the consequences will be if she offends someone?" Yan Shu asked her, amused.
"Huh? Did I offend you?" She blinked innocently. "What does Madam think?" After thinking for two seconds, she decisively denied it: "No... Ouch." Her arm was tapped again.
A round jade box, about the size of a Yibao bottle cap, appeared before him. "Apply it after the wound has healed a bit," Yan Shu said slowly, sipping his tea. "What is it?" "Skin-enhancing cream." "Sounds like what I'm thinking of." "Exactly what you're thinking of."
“Didn’t I say I didn’t…” “Not next time.” Yan Shu interrupted her abruptly, but Nie Qingyue seemed to understand. Yan Shu reached out and put his arm around her waist, and Nie Qingyue felt a sudden lightness in her body, and the world spun around her. Well, not dizziness, but being lifted up.
She smelled the comforting medicinal scent on him, and felt a warmth in her heart as she gripped Yan Shu's collar tightly. She let him carry her towards the side room, since she was too tired to walk any further.
Yan Shu gently put Nie Qingyue down and then covered her with the blanket.
"Is my husband this gentle to all women?" The girl under the covers only peeked out with her bright eyes, staring straight at him, just like on their wedding night, her eyes glistening with tears yet clear and pure.
Yan Shu was a little surprised: "Is this what you call gentle?"
"I guess so."
"Does Madam mind?"
"curious."
Yan Shu paused for two seconds as if recalling: "Last time, when I sneaked into the carriage at the foot of the desolate mountain, I threw one of them off the carriage."
Nie Qingyue watched his calm and collected departing figure, and she was completely speechless. Don't look at me like an apple wholesaler throwing away a worm-eaten apple... she was a beautiful young woman! =皿=
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Doctors have the heart of parents.
The next day, Nie Qingyue woke up early and planned to go see Shu Song, but when she opened the door, she found the room empty.
Upon inquiry, it was discovered that Yan Shu had sent Shu Song out through the back door before dawn: "Yesterday only managed to deceive them for a short while. If the steward were to come to his senses and realize what had happened, he would surely find many suspicious points. It would be better to move to a safe place as soon as possible."
"Where is Tuo? I want to go see him." Nie Qingyue pondered for a moment and then added, "After things have calmed down."
Yan Shu paused, a half-smile playing on his lips: "Forget-Worry Tower."
Nie Qingyue's eyes widened: "Didn't Shu Song say that the Forget-Worry Pavilion had informants involved in human trafficking?"
The claim that Shu Song attempted an assassination didn't need to be confirmed with Shu Song himself; Nie Qingyue was skeptical of it. Rather than a failed assassination attempt, it was more likely that Shu Song infiltrated the Prince's mansion to investigate, uncovering some important clue or stumbling upon a secret. This prompted Steward Chen to use the pretext of catching an assassin to launch a nightly search. Given Shu Song's injuries, it wouldn't be unreasonable for them to want to silence him.
“Indeed. Madam, I’m going out to see patients.” Yan Shu blinked, picked up her medicine box, and walked out.
Nie Qingyue remained silent, unsure whether to call Yan Shu's boldness or Shu Song's bad luck a sign of his decisiveness or his misfortune.
Laziness took over, and not wanting to make breakfast, Nie Qingyue looked at the empty house and simply slammed the door shut before going out to eat noodles. She had been in this world for several months, and apart from spending time with Yan Shu and occasionally buying groceries, she hadn't really gone shopping much. Finding a noodle stall that looked quite popular, Nie Qingyue sat down happily and ordered a bowl of plain noodles.
As they were eating, two men came over and wanted to share the table. Nie Qingyue moved aside and acquiesced. Seeing that Nie Qingyue didn't seem to mind, the two men relaxed and began to chat as if no one else was around.
"Have you heard? The Thirteenth Prince's mansion was attacked by assassins last night."
Nie Qingyue paused, drawing the attention of the two men. She could only cough a few times, pretending to choke, and poured herself a cup of tea. The two men then returned to their topic.
"How could we not know about the commotion caused by the search last night? The wanted posters were even posted on the city gates, saying that young men with arrow and knife wounds are now required to take off their clothes and undergo a physical examination before leaving the city.
"That's right, it cost three thousand taels to make the arrest. During the day, we also have to go door-to-door to check men with similar builds. We haven't had a moment's peace lately, one trouble after another."
"Why are you saying one thing after another?"
"Don't you know there's an infectious disease in that village on the outskirts of town?"
"Wasn't there a travel ban forbidding people from that village from entering?"
"The market has recovered, but the problem is that people who went out of the city to buy grain and agricultural products from the villages can't get out either. Some of the grain in the city is bought from that village, and now that prices have risen, the grain shortage will probably get worse. Alas, we don't know if those who went out will be able to come back safely."
"I've heard that the disease is really strange. As long as you come into contact with the sick person or anything from that village, a perfectly healthy young man will be half dead the next day."
A person at the next table who had been listening to their conversation asked with some doubt, "Isn't there still half a noodle left?"
The man composed himself and whispered mysteriously, "It'll be over by the third day, won't it?" This earned him a chorus of boos from the noodle stall. After the boos subsided, the diners in the shop quieted down considerably, seemingly filled with worry.
The plump, kind-faced owner of the noodle stall came over to clear away the soup bowls, smiling and comforting her: "Didn't several doctors from the city go there? They're all kind people, everything will be alright. God is watching."
"Yes, they are all good doctors. My neighbor, Dr. Li, is quite old, but he ignored his family's advice and set off early, saying that he couldn't watch so many lives die in vain."
"But the quarantine order expires in half a month," sighed the person at the next table, and the lively atmosphere in the noodle stall fell silent again.
Nie Qingyue, who had been listening the whole time, suddenly interjected, "What will happen when it expires?" As a result, countless questioning, disdainful, and amazed looks came flying at him.
The man at the table sized her up for a while: "Young lady, you're not from the city, are you?"
Nie Qingyue regretted transmigrating to this era and becoming a recluse, completely ignorant of the outside world. She smiled and said, "I haven't been here long."
“That’s understandable.” He nodded thoughtfully, seemingly considering his words: “If a solution isn’t found by the deadline, the village will probably disappear.”
Nie Qingyue was completely speechless. Vanished? A perfectly good village with houses, fertile fields, people, and livestock—how could it just vanish? Remembering what he had read in some unofficial historical records, Nie Qingyue's heart sank.
The man could tell from her expression that she roughly understood. He glanced around and, noticing the somewhat heavy atmosphere, sighed, left some money, and got up with his companion to leave. Nie Qingyue also found the food rather bland and quickly walked away.
The man had mentioned that the wanted poster was posted on the city gate. Nie Qingyue strolled over and indeed saw a conspicuous piece of paper pasted on the wall next to the city gate, which would stop and take a look at people coming and going.
Upon seeing the hastily drawn portrait of the assassin, Nie Qingyue's calm and serious demeanor shattered, and her lips twitched involuntarily. A large black cloth covered half her face, and the only recognizable feature, her eyes, were rendered utterly abstract by the artist. It was the kind of portrait where you could grab anyone, unless they were exceptionally handsome, and you'd think they resembled the person in the drawing, yet upon closer inspection, you'd realize they weren't the same person.
This wanted poster was probably created by an artist who added their own imagination to the eyewitness accounts. Really… will they be able to catch anyone? Nie Qingyue felt that if Shu Song hadn't been injured and had simply walked out openly, no one would have connected that beautiful face with the face on the wanted poster…
Reaching such a level of artistic skill, encompassing the entire world, is no easy feat. If the artist on the wanted list never changes, it would take forever to catch them. Having somewhat eased her worries about Shu Song, Nie Qingyue turned to buy rice.
Unsurprisingly, a chorus of complaints from housewives about the price increase could be heard. Nie Qingyue, carrying rice, turned around and bumped into someone, who swayed unsteadily and fell to the ground.
Nie Qingyue took one look and realized, oh no, this was a white-haired old man in his sixties; if he had broken a bone, it would be terrible. She quickly helped the man up, saying, "I'm so sorry, I'll take you to see a doctor." The old man grabbed her arm, saying, "Young lady, I am the doctor."
"What?"
"It's alright, just help me to that teahouse to sit down."
As soon as he entered the teahouse, many tea drinkers greeted the old man warmly.
"Dr. Li, did you bump yourself anywhere?" Nie Qingyue looked at his hands and feet; that's how the tea drinker who greeted him earlier addressed him.
"It's really nothing, girl, you're overthinking it." The old doctor slowly took a sip of tea and waved his hand.
Nie Qingyue saw that although the old man's face was full of wrinkles, his eyes were clear and gentle, his reactions were quick, and his complexion was healthier than most people, so she was relieved: "It's good that he's alright."
"Actually, I was lost in thought when I bumped into the young lady," the old doctor said with a kind and gentle smile.
The waiter scurried over and added two small dishes: "Dr. Li, these are a gift from the manager."
"How could I possibly accept this?" the old doctor was about to refuse.