Xie Ming

He who refuses a toast will be forced to drink a penalty cup; gentle words can dissuade him from his deceitful ways, but only forceful measures will suffice.

The white-bearded physician surnamed Zhang was truly an old wax figure; he wouldn't shine unless you pointed him out.

Sure enough, after the Duke angrily cursed him, the man's eyebrows and eyes lit up, and his spirits lifted.

He took the initiative to look after her, and for the sake of a young girl like Jingyi, he was willing to condescend to serve her wholeheartedly.

After hearing this, of course, Yu'e didn't care about the reasons or motives.

Anyway, considering that he was willing to try, I was quite happy.

Seeing that the situation was turning around, he quickly took charge of making arrangements, without neglecting any formalities.

"Oh, okay, okay."

"I am very grateful to Doctor Zhang for his kindness."

"Don't worry, I'll have someone clean out a room right away. The imperial physician can stay here at the mansion."

"If you need anything, please don't be shy about asking."

Before he could finish speaking, he turned and continued.

"Oh, by the way, I'll have someone send a message to your residence later, so you won't worry too much."

"How do you think it's good?"

The Duchess spoke politely, but the Duke had just arrived with a stern expression, employing both soft and hard tactics.

No matter how skilled Physician Zhang was, he was completely defeated and utterly submissive.

Grateful for the lady's kind words, this old man Zhang also respectfully bows to express his gratitude.

"Oh, Mrs. Lao is so concerned. Well then, Mrs. Lao will take care of it."

Having said that, I didn't elaborate further.

Suddenly, the curtain was lifted from the outside, and Changting slipped in from the side.

Everyone in the hall looked towards the source of the sound.

"General, Madam."

"Young Master Qiu"

"Uh, yes, it's Qiu Dutang, he's here."

Changting stood there dumbfounded, and habitually called out to Young Master Qiu of Zhizhong.

But once these words were uttered, Fang Jue realized that he had already been promoted after attending the morning court session, which was already quite inappropriate.

So he hurriedly and stammered as he changed the form of address.

The title "Dutang" was an honorific title used in the Ming Dynasty to address the head of the Censorate.

Both the Left Censor-in-Chief and the Right Censor-in-Chief are worthy of the title.

That's how the name "Qiu Dutang" came about.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lang raised an eyebrow and spoke casually.

"Oh?"

"Feiyu has arrived."

"What about people?"

"Why isn't he coming in?" Xiao asked.

However, before he could finish speaking, Qiu Zhizhong, who was following him outside, lifted the curtain and came in.

Seeing that Lao Xiao didn't need to say much, he simply cupped his hands and bowed to Yu'e.

"lady."

"I heard that the Imperial Guards came to harass your residence the day before yesterday."

"He must have been frightened."

"I wonder if everything is well with you today?" Qiu Gong asked.

Upon hearing this, and seeing that it was Zhizhong who had come, Xiao immediately gave a signal with his eyes and waved his hand, indicating that Physician Zhang should leave, as there were outsiders present.

Zhang Baihu's old eyes were still sharp, and he understood what was going on. He quickly bowed to avoid suspicion, and then, with the help of the maid Hongyu, he discreetly left the main room and began to prepare the prescription and get things done.

Yu'e, who was too busy to do anything else, quickly responded with a few words of thanks to Zhizhong for his politeness.

"Yes, thank you for your concern, Chief Minister Qiu."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with it."

"It's just that it hurt Sister Jingyi."

Clearly, the woman was preoccupied with her children's affairs and household chores. She had just finished worrying and sighing, and now that a guest had come in, she seemed unable to shake off her worries for even a moment. Every time she opened her mouth, she talked about the situation in the inner room.

Seeing this, Xiao Yi felt rather awkward, since it was ultimately just a family matter, so he simply changed the subject and gave instructions.

"Alright, that's settled then."

"Do your best and leave the rest to fate."

"Keep an eye on things here. If Ji Feiyu comes, it must be something important."

"I'm not going to waste any more time here."

"Matters of importance must be taken seriously."

After saying this, it was clear from his expression that he was impatient to linger any longer.

Listen carefully to what she says; Yu'e is not one to be ignorant. Since the matter of the previous dynasty has been traced back to the past, she will naturally let him go.

"Ah, I know."

"Go on, go quickly." The tone was that of a casual couple. Having said that, Xiao Jiang didn't hesitate, strode briskly to greet the people inside and outside the room who were discussing the matter.

Before leaving, he said goodbye to Zhong again.

With a gentle greeting of "Take care, Madam," and a graceful bow, he was a true gentleman.

Xiao'e was also heavily pregnant, and she barely managed to return the courtesy.

After that, Xiao, Qiu, and Gu filed out one after another, lifting the curtain and heading straight for the front hall.

The autumn wind is bleak, and the last rays of sunlight linger until dusk.

One autumn rain brings a chill.

These past few days, without paying attention, even the evening sun has been sneaking off, hastily setting early.

Xiao Jingchuan walked through the back courtyard of the mansion, turned into the second side gate, and was walking under the corridor.

Suddenly remembering something, he hurriedly turned his head and asked the long courtyard behind him.

"Oh, right, Changting, how's Uncle Xue doing?"

"Is it better now?" Xiao Xun asked casually.

Upon hearing this, Yu Ce, who was walking with his head down, paused for a moment and replied.

"Oh, General, you can rest assured."

"My mother said that he is no longer in serious condition."

"The cut on his head was quite large, and coupled with the fright, he also became very angry, so it's understandable that he couldn't get out of bed for a while."

"After all, he's getting old. He'll be fine after resting for ten days or half a month."

Changting answered truthfully, without really thinking it through.

It can be said that the speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart.

Upon hearing this, Xiao grasped the key point and frowned.

"Huh? You, your mother?" Ask again.

"Uh, oh, my mother has been taking care of her."

“She knows the situation better than I do,” Changting replied, momentarily stunned.

However, he was nothing special, and Xiao couldn't just take it for granted.

His mother, Madam Gu, was originally a distinguished guest in the household.

Out of consideration for the brotherhood that Changting had forged in life and death, Xiao even became the godmother of her last year.

With everything in turmoil, Xiao has no time to take care of his family.

Unexpectedly, the steward of the manor was injured, so how could she ask her mother to take care of him?

To put it bluntly, there's no such logic to it.

"Oh dear, how can you ask your aunt to serve you?"

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

“When I’m done, I’ll have Xiao’e call Zhang Ma over,” Xiao retorted hastily, glaring back at Changting.

However, it's clear that Changtingye didn't take it too seriously.

"Hey, it's alright."

"General, you don't need to go to any trouble."

"The whole city is in chaos right now, and the manor is already short-handed."

“My mother herself always says that she can’t bear to keep feeding and taking care of me like this.”

"Oh, at least I can lend a hand. I just wanted to do my part."

"It's no use telling her not to do it."

"You don't need to worry about that."

"So fine."

Changting was an honest and straightforward man, completely unconcerned and showing no regard for others.

Seeing this, Xiao Lang realized he really couldn't do anything about him, and could only smile wryly.

With a sigh, I raised my hand and patted his shoulder.

"Yes, indeed."

“They fled south all the way without us by their side. Now that they’re back, a whole bunch of things have piled up.”

"From now on, it will be even harder to extricate myself."

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now."

"Once everything settles down, we can hire more people for our household."

I comforted myself and felt a deep warmth in my heart.

After saying that, she stopped dwelling on it and glanced at Zhizhong.

"Ah, let's go, Feiyu, it's just ahead."

"Master Hongren also asked me to invite him into his residence at noon today."

"What's going on? Let's discuss it together."

Amidst the chaos, Xiao Jingchuan cleared his mind and focused, bracing himself for the worst. He grabbed his two trusted brothers and strode forward to continue. (End of Chapter)