"Doctor Gu, oh, I’ve also heard about it. I heard that last year there was an epidemic of typhoid in the Lingnan Barracks, and it was you who cured it, right? His Majesty even personally rewarded you with the plaque of ’Divine Doctor’."
"Now that you’re in Beijing, that’s great. From now on, when we get sick, we don’t have to see that old man anymore; it’s quite embarrassing, really. We can just come to you, Doctor Gu."
"Yes, from now on, I too will go to Doctor Gu."
Lin Qianqing said happily over there, "No problem! My cousin is a Divine Doctor. Her remedies work wonders. If you guys fall ill, just come to Jisheng Hall to support the business."
In the blink of an eye, the nature of the plum-viewing gathering changed. The romantic encounter my grandmother was hoping for didn’t happen, and there was Lin Qianqing, pulling in a bunch of potential patients for her.
"Alright, it’s the day after tomorrow that you open, right?"
"Yes, yes, the day after tomorrow."
"Alright. The day after tomorrow, I’ll send a big gift over. Doctor Gu, you better not look down on it."
"It’s great to have a female doctor, you have no idea. Ten years ago, when I got sick, I needed acupuncture, and that involves undressing. My mother had Imperial Physician Xue give me the acupuncture. I was embarrassed, and I’d rather have died than comply, so I ended up drinking medicine for over two months before I got better. If it had been Doctor Gu, I wouldn’t have had to go through that ordeal."
"Oh, that really must have been tough!"
The ladies went on talking, one after another, and Gu Youyou could hardly get a word in edgewise.
Behind several layers of flowering trees, Yue Rujing was making faces at her, wrapped up tight. A pang of anxiousness struck Gu Youyou’s heart. With Yue Rujing here, could it be that Jin Zijin has come as well?
Seeking a love affair?
That thought popped into Gu Youyou’s head, making her shiver with alarm.
Gu Youyou lowered her head and said to Lin Qianqing, "Wait here for me a moment, I’ll be right back."
Lin Qianqing saw a glimpse of white clothing flash past the bushes and understood. She replied softly, "Okay."
Gu Youyou followed Yue Rujing, winding her way like a maze into the heart of the flowers, and indeed, Jin Zijin was there.
He was sitting beside a pond, steaming with vapor. Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned his head.
Yue Rujing said grumpily, "There, I brought her to you!"
Having said that, Yue Rujing turned and walked away, huffing at Gu Youyou, "Fickle as water!"
Gu Youyou: "..." She was just admiring some flowers. Who had she provoked?
"How come you’re here too?" Gu Youyou asked.
"I guessed you would come, so naturally, I had to come," Jin Zijin responded.
Gu Youyou chuckled, sat down beside him, and said, "It wasn’t my own idea to come, you know. It was my grandmother’s. Well, she says I’m not getting any younger, if you get my meaning."
Jin Zijin’s gaze was as dark as deep ink, yet he nodded and said, "Although daughters of wealthy families are not strictly bound to marrying after their ’hairpinning’ ceremony, it is indeed rare for someone like you to still be unwed at twenty."
"Oh, you know that too. How about... you give me an analysis of the current situation?"
"Current situation?" Jin Zijin laughed. "Which aspect would you like to hear about?"
"For example..." Gu Youyou pondered seriously before saying, "I heard that more than a decade ago, the third prince rebelled and his house was raided. I wonder if it was cleared out thoroughly? Do they still have an opportunity to make a comeback?"
Jin Zijin replied indifferently, "You mean to ask if Jin Ziyuan would rebel, right?"
Gu Youyou paused for a moment, then slowly said, "You... you really are... You pretend to be confused when you ought to be smart, yet you expose what shouldn’t be mentioned when you should play the fool, too boring."
He smiled faintly, lifting the corner of his mouth, "Alright then, let’s talk about that third prince’s rebellion."
Back then, when the former emperor was still the Crown Prince, he had lost his mother’s protection at an early age. The then-Empress had died when he was merely ten years old.