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

Gu Zhao left the pharmacy, walked a few steps to the consultation room, and pushed open the door to enter.

In the simple and cramped hospital bed in the consultation room, Xie Ze sat upright, seemingly reading a book.

Xie Ze not only sat upright, but also properly tied his crown, wore the outer garment for receiving guests, his hair was not messy, and his clothes were spotless.

Since they met, Xie Ze has always been somewhat unkempt and acted in a carefree and unrestrained manner. These past few days, Gu Zhao has been busy investigating the case and has neglected to take care of him. Therefore, this is the first time Gu Zhao has seen him dressed so well.

Upon seeing that the visitor was Gu Zhao, Xie Ze immediately revealed his true colors, shoved his book aside, leaned back against the headboard, and lazily said:

"Cousin, it's you? I thought it was Miss Zhu."

Seeing that he viewed others as if they were himself, Gu Zhao couldn't help but laugh at himself.

"Young lady? She has a married woman's hairstyle, can't you see? She is the wife of Zhang Jingyan, a salt merchant, not some unmarried young lady."

Xie Ze was shocked and sat up abruptly:

"What?! Impossible! Aaaaaaah!"

Xie Ze got up too suddenly, pulling at his wound. He fell back down in pain, the narrow hospital bed creaking under the weight of the fall, and the book he was reading also fell to the ground.

Xie Ze lay on the bed, utterly despondent, covering his face with his hands, overcome with grief.

"No way! How could I not have noticed? Am I blind?! Aaaaaah! Cousin, my heart is broken! It hurts so much!"

It wasn't that he was deaf or blind, or that his senses were blocked. Thinking back, when he first met her, she was wearing a married woman's hairstyle. Despite all these obvious clues, he couldn't see them at all. Every time he met her, he was completely out of his mind, and he didn't know what he was looking at or thinking.

Gu Zhao stepped forward and picked up the book that had fallen to the ground. What came into view was a strange alchemy diagram. With just a few simple strokes, the essence of the diagram was revealed. The alchemy tool was exactly the same as the one she had just used.

The late emperor was obsessed with elixirs, but the current emperor detests them and has even executed many charlatan Taoist priests. As a result, there are almost no alchemists left in the Taoist temples of the capital. So Gu Zhao had actually wanted to remind her before leaving that it would be better to put these things away.

But the atmosphere between the two had been rather awkward, and she had clearly given him the hint that he should leave, so Gu Zhao stopped the conversation.

Turn the page forward again, and you'll see the words "epidemic" written on it. Further down, a few lines of delicate handwriting read: "Key Points for Epidemic Prevention and Control."

Gu Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly. The epidemic was a divine punishment. Even the late emperor, as the Son of Heaven, was defeated by it. He even issued an edict of self-reproach but could not keep his beloved. Who wrote this book that dared to claim that the epidemic could be cured?

The person who wrote this book is really too audacious; they're either a charlatan or a miracle doctor.

Turning to the cover, several large words were written:

The Treatise on Hundred Diseases

Turning the pages further, I remember the first half contained prescriptions and treatments for various diseases, while the second half was completely blank.

An unfinished book that, if examined closely, might be deadly.

Gu Zhao put the book back on the table in the room, then picked up another one; the cover read:

Compendium of Materia Medica

I quickly flipped through it; it was a book with both pictures and text, still an unfinished book. Unlike the previous book's simplified illustrations, this one meticulously depicts each herb, colored with details like green leaves, red flowers, and black fruits, making them vivid and lifelike.

Gu Zhao asked Xie Ze:

"Where did the book come from?"

Xie Ze had not yet recovered from the heartache of his shattered Dao heart. He lay face up, clutching his chest, utterly exhausted.

"I'd like to borrow this book that Miss Zhu wrote to teach her two students."

It was written by her!

Gu Zhao had already put the book back, but upon hearing this, he picked up "Treatise on a Hundred Diseases" again and flipped through it, his expression neither agreeing nor disagreeing:

"I didn't know you were interested in medicine?"

Xie Ze muttered with a look of utter despair:

"Cousin, you know me. Do I look like someone who can do this kind of serious work? I'm just interested in writers. I've been searching for eighteen years, and finally found the one I love, but how could she already be married! Oh, heavens, how cruel you are to me! The sorrow of ages past is endless!"

Gu Zhao thought to himself that this young marquis was really overestimating him. He didn't understand him at all. Marquis Anyuan was a well-known old fox in the court. How could he have given birth to such a son who so openly expressed his joys and sorrows?

It's too straightforward, so straightforward it doesn't seem real.

Gu Zhao not only failed to comfort Xie Ze and sympathize with his plight, but also added insult to injury by delivering devastating news:

"The Marquis of Anyuan has sent a letter. People from the Xie family are on their way and should arrive in the next few days to take you back."

After hearing this, Xie Ze almost died on the spot, and started muttering incoherently again:

"Damn it, going to the battlefield injured means I can't escape. The old man will catch me and hang me up for a beating. But don't worry, let me think of a plan. When I get back, I'll say I met my sweetheart in Yangzhou and I'll marry no one else. No, no, that would inevitably involve others. I've got it! I'll spread a rumor in the capital that my injury has damaged my vital energy. Let's see which girl would dare marry me then! Hey, hey, hey, that works! Absolutely brilliant! I'm so clever! Ah! Miss Zhu is here!"

Zhu Qingyu had come to change Xie Ze's dressing, but when she arrived at the door, she found Gu Zhao there and was in a dilemma.

After all, her conversation with Gu Zhao hadn't been pleasant; in fact, it had ended badly. The topic involved matters between men and women and was somewhat ambiguous, so meeting again like this would be a bit awkward.

Zhu Qingyu was hesitating whether to wait until Gu Zhao left before coming over when Xie Ze called out to her, saying that leaving now would be too deliberate.

So Zhu Qingyu entered the room and said to Xie Ze:

"Young Master Xie, it's time to change the dressing. Is your wound still very painful today?"

Xie Ze, who is usually lively and talkative, became a completely different person in front of Zhu Qingyu, speaking very little.

"pain."

Zhu Qingyu placed the medicine aside and gestured for Xie Ze to lie down:

"That's strange. The stitches have already been removed, so why does it still hurt? Let me take another look."

Gu Zhaoben was leaning against the desk, holding a medical book and reading it. Zhu Qingyu didn't greet him, so he didn't say anything either.

Upon hearing Xie Ze say that it hurt, Gu Zhao immediately looked over and gave Xie Ze a strange look.

Xie Ze was lifting his clothes to show Zhu Qingyu his wound. Zhu Qingyu leaned down to remove the gauze from his wound, and his face turned red. He even unconsciously bent one leg and almost gasped for breath.

Receiving such a casual glance from Gu Zhao, Xie Ze immediately felt guilty, his face turning even redder, and even his ears blushed. He had no choice but to change his words:

"It doesn't hurt much anymore, just occasionally."

Zhu Qingyu removed the gauze from his wound and examined it, saying:

"That's good. It looks like it's healing well. It's already scabbed over. I changed the dressing today, so I don't need to change it again."

Before Xie Ze could speak, Gu Zhao spoke first:

"In that case, Xie Ze, you will come back with me today. Your presence here is hindering Madam Zhu from opening her business."