In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

Gu Zhao dashed through the fighting crowd to the bow of the ship, and kicked the assassin in the jaw with a cracking sound, breaking the assassin's neck.

The villain fell into the water with a thud. Another masked man swung a long knife at him, but Gu Zhao blocked the knife with his scabbard. He then drew his sword and stabbed the villain through the neck, causing blood to gush out and soak Gu Zhao's clothes.

In the blink of an eye, Gu Zhao had killed two people.

The captain of the guards, Xiong Kun, having dealt with the assassins around him, rushed over to provide protection and asked:

"Sir, are you alright?"

Gu Zhao knelt beside Xie Ze, pressed on the wound in his waist and abdomen, and gave the order:

"Leave one alive, deal with the rest quickly, and get ashore to find a medical clinic as soon as possible."

Xie Ze's clothes were stained red with blood on the front half of his abdomen, and the blood flowed through Gu Zhao's fingers, which could not be stopped.

Having suffered such a serious injury, Gu Zhao thought that Xie Ze, this pampered young master, would cry out in pain or scream in fright.

Despite being pale with pain and his eyes becoming unfocused, Xie Ze didn't utter a single sound. He simply held Gu Zhao's hand, which was pressing on his abdomen, and said in a weak voice:

"Cousin, go back about a mile, there's a Zhu Family Medical Clinic. I just checked, there's a light on the second floor."

……

Zhu Qingyu had just fallen asleep after blowing out the lamp when she suddenly heard a loud bang downstairs, followed by a series of hurried footsteps coming upstairs.

Zhang Shen had been away at the salt field for some time and had not returned. These past two days were also the monthly inventory check day for the clinic. Zhu Qingyu was busy checking the medicines until midnight yesterday, so she didn't go back to the Zhang family mansion and stayed overnight on the second floor of the Zhu family clinic.

Five people lived on the first floor of the clinic: an old man who was in charge of guarding the door and delivering medicine, two elderly women who helped collect and prepare medicine, and two young female apprentices who were learning medicine from him.

All five were bought by Zhu Qingyu through various circumstances and were considered servants of the Zhu family clinic. They helped Zhu Qingyu manage the clinic on a daily basis, but Zhu Qingyu basically treated them as employees.

The hurried footsteps upstairs made Zhu Qingyu think her mother downstairs had something urgent to attend to, so she quickly got up to light a lamp. Just as she lit the lamp, the door slammed open, and a tall man with blood-stained robes, a long sword in his hand, and blood-soaked hands burst in.

Upon first meeting, Zhu Qingyu thought she had encountered bandits robbing and plundering, and hurriedly said:

"The money is in the box. Take it and leave, but don't hurt anyone. Oh, you are... Minister Gu?"

Half a year had passed since they last met, and Gu Zhao's hair had grown long and was tied up with a crown, so Zhu Qingyu didn't recognize him at first glance.

Although Gu Zhao recognized the person immediately, he stood in the room with his sword, neither speaking nor moving.

He cannot speak, nor can he move; it is not that he does not want to, but that he is truly unable to.

For a fleeting moment, reality and dream overlapped, leaving him struck dumb, his mind blank, his blood boiling, and his heart pounding wildly, almost leaping out of his body.

Just like in the dream, it was her again. She had long, silky hair, wore a strange, thin undergarment, and held a lamp that shimmered under the light as she looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Here, the clothes had somehow shortened, revealing snow-white arms and a smooth neck on top, while the trousers were exposed from the knees down, showing off slender calves and fair, pinkish-white feet.

Zhu Qingyu recognized Gu Zhao, and was even more surprised to see him covered in blood:

"My lord, what are you doing here? Are you injured?"

A moment is just a moment; it's reality, not a dream.

Gu Zhao had assumed the upstairs room belonged to a doctor, but she had mistakenly entered her private room and even saw her in her undergarments. Realizing this was extremely inappropriate, Gu Zhao immediately turned her back.

Seeing Gu Zhao remain silent, Zhu Qingyu guessed that he probably didn't recognize her anymore, and added:

"My lord, we met in the capital."

With his back to her, Gu Zhao gripped his still trembling hands, convinced he was possessed, and replied:

"I know you. This is a clinic, is there a doctor? Someone is injured."

Behind me came the rustling sound of clothes being put on, and her voice:

"I am the doctor, please wait a moment."

Zhu Family Medical Clinic, is she the doctor?

In the capital, is it Lady Zhu, the one who examined my grandmother?

Gu Zhaofu suddenly understood the key to the matter:

"Are you Lady Zhu?"

Zhu Qingyu had already put on her coat and tied her hair up. She walked past Gu Zhao downstairs and replied:

"It is indeed I, a woman from the countryside. Where is the patient?"

When Zhu Qingyu saw Xie Ze, he was lying in the first-floor clinic, his face as white as paper, already unconscious. Two burly men with anxious expressions were frantically pressing cloth against the wound on his waist and abdomen, the bleeding still not stopping, soaking the cloth.

Two strong-willed mothers forced their way through a room full of armed men. One was a large, stout woman carrying a kitchen knife, and the other was a burly, strong woman carrying a hoe. They both surrounded Zhu Qingyu, warily watching their surroundings.

Two petite young women, unable to squeeze in, each held a large stick and peered out from the doorway.

The plump and stout Mrs. Tian immediately complained:

"Madam Zhu, Uncle Qi has been detained! Are you alright?"

The loud noise that Zhu Qingyu just heard was the warning sound that Aunt Tian kicked over the copper basin when she saw that strangers had broken in late at night and had even grabbed Uncle Qi.

Zhu Qingyu looked at Gu Zhao, but before she could speak, Gu Zhao said first:

"The matter is urgent, and I apologize for offending you, madam. Xiong Kun, go and release the person, and properly apologize."

A burly man inside answered yes, bowed to Zhu Qingyu and the others, and left.

Zhu Qingyu nodded reassuringly to the two mothers, then bent down to examine Xie Ze's wound. The wound was wide and deep, but fortunately, it hadn't damaged his lungs or internal organs. The patient had lost a lot of blood, which was very dangerous; the bleeding needed to be stopped immediately. Therefore, she instructed:

"Aunt Tian, ​​go and get some clean gauze, and a lot of it. Aunt Zhao, go and bring some hot water."

He then instructed the two young women at the door:

"Su Mu, go get some anesthetic and wound medicine. Lin Lan, fetch my medicine box."

The two mothers and two young ladies, each carrying out their orders, ignored the men in the room and stormed in, then left in a grand procession.

Zhu Qingyu looked at Gu Zhao:

"The patient has lost too much blood, and the wound must be stitched up, otherwise the bleeding will not stop. Does Your Excellency agree to allow me to use acupuncture?"

No other doctor uses suturing to treat injuries right now. Zhu Qingyu has experienced a lot of this in the past two years. Unconventional methods may not be accepted by the patient's family. If you don't explain it clearly beforehand and rashly use needles on the skin, the family may be frightened and start to struggle, which could make things worse.

Gu Zhao didn't seem startled; he simply asked:

"Are you confident about using needles on this wound?"

Nothing in this world is 100% certain, and Zhu Qingyu, never one to be overconfident in her medical skills, answered conservatively:

"We are not entirely certain, but if we don't suture him, he will surely die."