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

Hearing that they were leaving, Zhu Qingyu's tense mood finally relaxed.

Gu Zhao is investigating the assassination case, and Xie Ze, the victim, is here day and night. In order to avoid involving the Zhang family in this storm and causing any suspicion of leaking information, Zhu Qingyu has not returned to the Zhang family mansion recently.

Now that they are leaving, it means that the investigation into Minister Gu's case should be almost complete, and with no worries, she can finally go home.

Congratulations! Let's go, let's go!

As Zhu Qingyu thought this to herself, a smile unconsciously crept onto her face:

"Indeed, my place is rather simple. It would be better for you to go back and rest, Young Master Xie. I'll prescribe some medicine to help you recover. Please take it with you later and remember to take it on time. Do you need a carriage, Young Master? I'll have Uncle Qi hire one."

Uncle Qi was a professional at hiring carriages. In less than fifteen minutes, he hired a carriage that was luxurious and shiny on the outside, spacious and comfortable on the inside, with the function of sitting or lying down. It was absolutely worthy of Xie Ze's status as a young master of the Xie family. He then put Xie Ze and his luggage into the carriage.

After seeing off all the guards who had stayed at the Zhu family's medical clinic, Zhu Qingyu stood at the door and, with an impeccable smile, respectfully sent them off on their way.

Unexpectedly, in just a few words, Madam Zhu swept him out of the door as swiftly as autumn leaves. In this situation, Xie Ze, who was usually eloquent, lifted the curtain, leaned against the car window, and stared at her longingly, speechless and choked with emotion.

As he was about to leave, thinking that he would be caught by the old man in a few days and taken back, and that they might be thousands of miles apart and never see each other again, Xie Ze said pitifully:

"Miss Zhu, I still owe you a debt of gratitude for saving my life, and I don't know how to repay you. If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, please remember to come to me. If I am in Yangzhou, come to the Yangzhou government office to find me. If I return to the capital, come to the Marquis of Anyuan's residence to find me, and I will definitely stand up for you."

Zhu Qingyu nodded:

"Yes, thank you, young marquis."

Xie Ze listlessly sat back in the carriage, lay down silently, and after a while, suddenly muttered:

"Why didn't she say a single extra word to me? This cold-hearted little woman."

As the carriage drove further and further away, Gu Zhao looked through the gap in the carriage window at the Zhu Family Medical Clinic, which was now empty. He replied:

"She has a husband. What can she possibly say to you, a man from another family?"

Despite being in such a miserable state, Xie Ze was still mocked by Gu Zhao, prompting him to immediately lodge a protest:

"Cousin, even the warm and fragrant April weather in Yangzhou cannot melt your heart of stone. How could you say such cold words? My heart is shattered into pieces, yet you still speak such callous words. You heartless people, how can you know the coldness, desolation, and misery in my heart?"

Gu Zhao didn't find Xie Ze pitiful; instead, he found him quite noisy and disruptive, so much so that he couldn't help but rub his forehead and close his eyes. Even his usually calm mind became agitated.

He thought about it for several days and finally made up his mind to solve the problem. He thought everything would fall into place, but he was hit hard and the situation took a sharp turn for the worse when he encountered the words "married woman".

How could she be a married woman?

The matter has reached a dead end.

If she is not married, even if she is unwilling now, even if it is troublesome, by using emotional and financial incentives and taking things slowly, there is always a way to make her willing.

But since she was already married, he wouldn't disregard human ethics and do something as despicable as forcibly taking another man's wife.

Forget it.

Gu Zhao thought to herself, "Never mind."

It was simply that he had reached a certain age and his heart was beginning to flutter, and it just so happened that she caught his eye at that moment.

There are countless women in the world, many of whom are exceptionally beautiful; it's not like I can't live without her.

Gu Zhao made up his mind that he would never set foot in the Zhu family clinic again. It would be best if they never saw each other again, so that he could cool off his feelings. When he returned to the capital, he should marry a wife of equal social standing and beauty, and use his restless desires on his own wife. That would be the right way.

At this moment, in the Zhu family clinic, Zhu Qingyu was counting the full one hundred taels of consultation fee that Xiong Kun had just left behind, and her thoughts were exactly the same as Gu Zhaoying's.

One hundred taels of silver is proof that she had misunderstood Minister Gu. Minister Gu was not a stingy person; on the contrary, he inherited the fine tradition of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion of being generous with money.

No matter how generous he was, no matter why he came to say those words, she made up her mind to never have anything to do with this Minister Gu again, not even to see him, and to avoid him completely if she did see him.

Zhu Qingyu hadn't returned to the Zhang residence for quite some time. Before she could even change her clothes after returning to her courtyard, her third sister, Zhang Ruohua, burst in with a flurry of activity:

"Sister-in-law, you're finally back! I dreamt about you last night. Sister-in-law, why are you still wearing this plain cloth dress? I had the seamstress make you a new dress, can you see it? Sister-in-law, wait here, I'll get it for you."

Now the Zhang family has three masters: Zhang Shen is out looking after the business, Zhu Qingyu is often at the clinic, and all the household affairs are managed by the third daughter of the Zhang family, Zhang Ruohua.

The girl was only seventeen years old. Three years ago, when Zhu Qingyu first met her, she was still a sickly young woman.

In her first year in office, Zhu Qingyu devoted almost all her time to treating Zhang Shen and Zhang Ruohua's illnesses. Without basic medicines or testing equipment, she even had to make her own equipment for distilling medicines. She used all her knowledge and tried every possible method to finally save the two sickly children.

Zhang Ruohua's symptoms were simpler, and she recovered faster.

Once cured of her illness and freed from constraints, the little girl gradually revealed her love of beauty and liveliness. She adored fashionable jewelry, beautiful clothes, and various kinds of rouge and powder, dressing up beautifully every day.

Not only does she love dressing herself up, but she also loves dressing up others. Whenever the seasons change, Zhang Ruohua's favorite thing to do is to arrange for embroiderers to make new clothes, not only for herself, but also for her second brother and sister-in-law.

During Zhu Qingyu's absence these past few days, Zhang Ruohua arranged for several boxes of new clothes to be delivered to the main house. As they were talking, she brought over a set of Song brocade clothing:

"Sister-in-law, I noticed you didn't like wearing the Yun brocade dress I made for you last time. Did you think the color was too bright? This time, I had the embroiderer change it to Song brocade. Look how nice this one is! Isn't the color much more elegant? Wear this one, wear this one!"

Zhu Qingyu didn't dislike the Yun Jin clothes from last time; she just felt that adding gold and silver threads to the embroidery was too extravagant and ostentatious.

A bolt of cotton cloth costs only a few hundred coins, but a bolt of brocade costs tens of taels of silver, enough to buy a house. She comes from an ordinary family and is not used to wearing a house on her body.

However, young Zhang Ruohua was resilient. If things didn't go her way, she would become more determined and arranged for several more boxes of clothes to be brought.

Zhu Qingyu changed into Song Jin's clothes and came out to discuss it with her:

"This dress is very nice, I like it very much. Yun Jin's dress last time was also very nice, and I didn't dislike it either. It's just that I already have so many clothes that I can't wear them all. Many of them have never been worn. Third sister, please don't make any more."