Chapter 656: What to Do?
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“Stop it. Are you teasing me again? Am I not your real sister?” Mingzhu interrupted him angrily. Then, thinking about her problems with Yuwen Chu, she added wearily, “I’m tired. I’ll go sleep and maybe wake up with a solution.”
Seeing her exhaustion, Fu Mingzheng sternly said, “Go rest. Don’t get up for anything. Even if the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up. Besides, the sky isn’t falling. Do you want to get sick and trouble us, leaving Zhuangzhuang without a mother?”
Mingzhu didn’t dare argue. She hurried inside, “I’m going, I’m going.” Lying down, she heard Fu Mingzheng instructing Su Lan and Zheng Momo, “Don’t disturb her. If I find out, there will be consequences!”
Mingzhu exhaled softly, carefully covering Zhuangzhuang with the blanket. At home, she always felt loved and protected, with nothing to worry about. But her father’s condition… She tossed and turned before finally falling asleep.
She slept until the next morning, only waking once when Zhuangzhuang cried for milk. Seeing Su Lan take care of him, she went back to sleep. When she woke up, she received good news: Fu Cong’s condition had stabilized, and the decay had stopped spreading.
Skipping breakfast, she rushed over. Tang Chunlai was bragging to Fu Mingqing and others about his medical skills, “I’m not as good as Jiang Zhouzi, but he’s much older and had fortuitous encounters. When he was my age, he might not have been as skilled as I am now.”
Fu Mingqing naturally wanted to flatter Tang Chunlai, “Of course, of course, there’s no one more capable than Doctor Tang. No, it should be Divine Doctor Tang!”
Fu Mingzheng remained silent. He disdained such flattery, but considering Tang Chunlai’s efforts in stabilizing the old man’s condition, he refrained from mocking him and tacitly accepted his brother’s sycophantic behavior.
Mingzhu was most curious about Jiang Zhouzi. “Has Doctor Tang ever met Jiang Zhouzi? You mentioned his extraordinary encounters. What exactly are they?”
Tang Chunlai, feeling relieved after solving the crisis, didn’t mind revealing some shortcomings, “I haven’t. In my younger years, I heard he was in Jiangzhou and went there specifically to meet him. He didn’t meet me but made an appointment to treat an old lady in the western part of the city. I didn’t see him, but I heard his voice. They said he wore a mask and sounded like an old man, so I knew he was elderly. I tracked him for three thousand miles but never saw him. Eventually, I lost his trail at the Yellow River.
As for his extraordinary encounters, they’re just hearsay in the martial world. It’s said he used to be a destitute dockworker until he saved a dying guest who happened to possess medical secrets. The guest took him as an apprentice and taught him everything, leading him to rise to fame as Jiang Zhouzi. Jealous individuals once chased him for the medical secrets, nearly killing him. So, he never reveals his true identity easily, and his whereabouts are elusive.”
Upon hearing this, Mingzhu and her siblings were completely disappointed. Such a person couldn’t be swayed by wealth or fame; it seemed they would have to rely on fate.
After Tang Chunlai finished speaking, he noticed the atmosphere had soured again. He quickly added, “Minister Fu is a good official. Anyway, the list has been posted. Perhaps he saw it, had a sudden realization, found the poison challenge intriguing, and rushed here in a hurry.”
“Let’s hope so,” Fu Mingqing’s eyes reddened again. He wiped away his tears forcefully, “I’m going to find Jiang Zhouzi. Don’t stop me!”
Mingzhu couldn’t be bothered to deal with him. Fu Mingzheng called the steward, “Prepare Third Master’s belongings and give some money to Third Madam. Third Master is leaving for a long journey.”
The steward was puzzled, “It’s chaotic outside. Entry and exit from the capital have been restricted these days. Where does Third Master want to go? How far? South or north? So we can prepare properly.”
Fu Mingqing yelled at Fu Mingzheng, “Did you hear that? It’s chaos outside, and you want me to leave? I don’t even know where Jiang Zhouzi is. Where should I go?”
Fu Mingzheng sneered at him and walked away.
Fu Mingqing went to Mingzhu, “Is this how he treats his elder brother? He calls me Third Brother every day, but he never consults me when there’s a problem! He always acts on his own! And now he can’t wait for me to leave…”
Mingzhu had a medical book at hand. Without hesitation, she picked it up and slapped Fu Mingqing’s head with it, then instructed the steward, “Take Third Master to Third Madam and tell her he’s feeling dizzy and acting foolish. Keep an eye on him and don’t let him scare anyone.”
If Fu Cong wasn’t lying unconscious in bed, the steward would have burst into laughter. Suppressing his amusement, he dragged the silly Fu Mingqing away, “Let’s go, Third Master. Don’t cause trouble here.”
Fu Mingqing tried to explain, “I’m just too sad and need to vent. It’s an outburst of emotions, not fake sympathy.” Then he was dragged away by the steward.
Mingzhu thanked Tang Chunlai and asked him to treat Madam Cui with acupuncture. She then sat by Fu Cong’s bedside and whispered, “Father, I’m facing a dilemma.”
Having grown up in this place, she knew the thoughts of those around her too well. The idea of resurrection was terrifying and might make her a legend for life. She had never considered telling anyone about it, no matter how difficult things got.
But now, Jiang Shanshan was forcing her hand, and she couldn’t avoid considering it seriously. She had once deceived Yuwen Chu, and though he had expressed trust in her, she knew he wouldn’t be happy if she lied to him again. If she did, it would surely create a rift between them, even where there was none before.
But if she told him the truth, she couldn’t predict his reaction. No matter what she did, it was a gamble with great risks.
Mingzhu buried her head in Fu Cong’s bed, her mind in turmoil. She had fallen in love with Yuwen Chu, accustomed to his tenderness and passion. She couldn’t bear to see him look at her with disgust and indifference.
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