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

Zhu Qingyu knew that although Gu Zhao asked when her injury would heal, he was actually asking about something else.

"Recovering from injuries" was just an excuse that she knew, and he knew it too; it was just a buffer.

But the buffer period will eventually come to an end.

Zhu Qingyu didn't know how long Gu Zhao's patience would last, but as long as the guillotine hadn't fallen, even a person sentenced to death would always want to struggle in their death throes.

So even though Zhu Qingyu was a professional doctor and had a clear understanding of her injuries, she still replied vaguely:

"I'm not sure when it will get better."

Yesterday she avoided him like the plague, not even daring to come to the government office, but today she was able to make a promise herself and obediently stay in his study, sharing a bowl of iced drink with him, and even having her by his side to keep him company while he did his work. Gu Zhao was truly satisfied today.

Therefore, Gu Zhao still had plenty of patience. Although he was somewhat distracted, he remained gentle and restrained.

"Okay, I'll wait for you, but don't make me wait too long. I might not have that much patience. You keep eating. I was just curious because I saw you eating so deliciously. This is, after all, food for young ladies. It's too sweet for me. Just one bite is enough. You don't need to bring me another bowl."

Zhu Qingyu, holding the bowl, stiffly returned to her seat. Later, she didn't even dare to eat anything, afraid that he would ask her to bring it over so she could have a taste.

Seeing that she was just sitting there, Gu Zhao worried that she was bored and asked:

"Qingyu, would you like to read a book?"

If he allows her to read in his study, he is essentially giving her permission to rummage through his study.

Lord Gu doesn't seem to have much of a guard up against her now.

Zhu Qingyu was inwardly excited, but she didn't want to appear too eager, lest she arouse his suspicion, so she said somewhat hesitantly:

"Are all your books classical Chinese texts? I don't want to desecrate the classics, but I can't really understand them or get into them, so I'd rather not read them."

Gu Zhao stood up and waved to her:

"You don't need to take the imperial examinations or read any classic texts. Come here, I have some miscellaneous books here that you should enjoy reading."

Good heavens, a man like Lord Gu actually reads all sorts of books. She thought he only had the Four Books and Five Classics.

What kind of miscellaneous books are they? They can't be the kind of books about a poor scholar encountering a beautiful fox spirit or a dissolute man meeting a beautiful woman at midnight. Zhang Shen's study also has these kinds of books, and there are many more.

These days, the most popular books on the market are written in vernacular Chinese, which anyone who can read can understand, even if they lack literary knowledge. They are also constantly being updated, and Zhu Qingyu often picks them up to read when she is bored.

Out of sheer curiosity, Gu Zhao beckoned, and Zhu Qingyu followed.

Beside the bookshelf by the window, Gu Zhao casually picked up a book and handed it to her:

"You can choose one yourself. If you don't like it, you can get another one. It'll save you from sitting there feeling uncomfortable."

Zhu Qingyu flipped through it; it was a book about mountains and rivers.

I flipped through a few pages at random, and they were all written in classical Chinese, such as "Looking down, there were also perilous cliffs" or "So I went straight up, almost reaching the sky, as brilliant as an embroidered painting".

She knew that someone like Lord Gu would read even his miscellaneous books with a serious and proper tone.

However, she studied medicine from a young age and was not a liberal arts student. She did not have such high literary literacy or such high literary pursuits. Apart from reading the law books of the current dynasty, which she had to read and forced herself to read, she had not been exposed to classical Chinese for a long time.

Since it was personally recommended by Lord Gu, it must be a book he cherishes. To directly say I don't like it would be to offend him. Zhu Qingyu, holding the book, replied:

"Okay, I'll take a look first."

Gu Zhao gave her the book and went back to his office. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the person reading a book by the window, looking extremely busy.

Zhu Qingyu first held the book on mountains and rivers and leaned against the bookshelf for a while, but the more she read, the more her brows furrowed. Suddenly, she closed the book and looked in his direction. Seeing that Gu Zhao was not paying attention, she secretly and quietly put the book back on the bookshelf and took another one.

Zhu Qingyu put the second book back in her hands less than fifteen minutes later. Then, her gaze swept from the top of the bookshelf to the bottom, and from left to right, unable to decide whether to get the third book.

So she didn't like it. Gu Zhao observed her silently without making a sound, thinking to himself that he wondered what she liked. He would have to ask his servant to buy some books that young ladies would like when they docked at the next ferry.

Otherwise, it would take her a month to get back to the capital from here, wouldn't that drive her crazy?

If she feels bored, she can stay in the study for a day or two, but if it goes on for too long, she might not want to come to the study anymore.

Zhu Qingyu hadn't yet chosen a third book, but instead tiptoed back to where she used to eat snacks and moved her chair to the window.

With a chair, she finally chose her third book, held it, sat by the window, and quietly began to read.

Gu Zhao wanted to see what book she had finally chosen, but was afraid of disturbing her reading pleasure. He thought it would be the same to ask her after she finished reading, so he stopped looking at her, focused his mind, and concentrated on his work.

The two did not disturb each other, and the study was extremely quiet, so quiet that they could hardly feel each other.

Gu Zhao didn't even notice the passage of time until Xiong Kun gently knocked on the door and asked:

"My lord, I have something to report."

Gu Zhao put down the official documents, preparing to say something to Zhu Qingyu, but when he turned around, he saw that she was still holding a book in her hands, but her head was leaning against the back of the armchair, and she had already fallen asleep.

She's sleeping so soundly, I wonder how long she's been asleep.

Gu Zhao was both amused and exasperated that someone could fall asleep while reading a book.

Since she was asleep, Gu Zhao got up, pushed open the door, half-closed it, and asked softly:

"What is it? Let's talk outside."

The voices of Gu Zhao and Xiong Kun gradually faded into the distance until they could no longer be heard.

At this moment, Zhu Qingyu, who was fast asleep, suddenly opened her eyes. She sat on a chair by the window, only a few steps away from Gu Zhao's desk.

The desk was covered with official documents, and the study was empty except for her.