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

Zhu Qingyu was not familiar with the official positions in the court before, but now, after flipping through the court records for so long, she can say that she knows all the positions in the court by heart.

Therefore, she can say with great confidence:

"Shouming, I know you want to elevate my mother's family's status to facilitate this marriage. But I've never heard of any of the Nine Temples and Nine Ministers in the court, let alone a Huiyi Temple, much less an official position like Huiyi Temple Minister. Aren't you afraid of being exposed for deceiving your elders like this? If you are exposed and ridiculed for my wishful thinking and fraudulent activities, how will my whole family face us?"

Gu Zhao just wanted to touch her hair or kiss her again just by watching her open her mouth to speak, since it had been a long time since he last saw her.

But he was also worried that his actions would make her feel that he didn't cherish her enough, which was why she always distrusted him and never took their relationship seriously.

There's plenty of time; there's no need to rush.

Once I marry her, it will be perfectly legitimate, and I can kiss her however I want, whenever I want.

No, not now. I need to restrain myself.

So Gu Zhao reflected on himself three times a day, forcibly restraining himself, got up from the small couch, sat down at the desk, and smiled from a distance:

"There isn't one now, but once your father and brothers arrive in the capital, this official position will be available. I originally intended to find a suitable position in the Imperial Medical Academy, but the Imperial Medical Academy is related to the royal family and seeks stability everywhere. Your father's foundation is still shallow, and it would take him several years, or even more than ten years, to become the head of the Imperial Medical Academy. Qingyu, I can't wait ten years. I want to marry you now. The Imperial Medical Academy only serves the royal family. Since this path is blocked, it's better to find another way. This matter needs a catalyst. When the time is right, I will petition the Emperor to establish a Huiyi Temple outside the Imperial Medical Academy to benefit the common people."

Zhu Qingyu was also a little curious after hearing him say that:

"I see, Shouming. So, what does Huiyi Temple do?"

Gu Zhao's smile deepened, even showing a rare youthful elation, as if he were seeking praise:

"Qingyu, this is what inspired me. Huiyi Temple is doing what you did in Yangzhou: compiling and printing medical books, training young doctors, and establishing medical clinics to benefit the people, so that even ordinary people with only twenty coins can see a doctor and afford medicine. I see you are doing very well; it must be due to your family's medical tradition, and your father and brothers must be quite accomplished as well. What do you think? Is this a good idea?"

Zhu Qingyu understood; this was the legendary radish pit.

Gu Zhao has gone a bit too far. He actually has the confidence to try and create a third-grade radish pit.

To be honest, Huiyi Temple is very good. According to Gu Zhao's plan, Huiyi Temple is basically equivalent to a public medical school plus a public hospital.

With the government's involvement and the program expanding to various regions, the number of people it could benefit from, and the impact it could have, were naturally far greater than that of her small clinic in Yangzhou.

Therefore, she wholeheartedly supported Gu Zhao's plan to build Huiyi Temple.

But the biggest problem is that she has no father or brothers here. This is just a delaying tactic she's using, and Gu Zhao will find out about it one day.

Now that he's so enthusiastic and truly prepared to put in the effort to make this happen, she can't imagine the fury he'll feel when he discovers that it was all a lie, that her father and brothers don't actually exist, and that everything was just a pipe dream.

Sure enough, one lie requires another to cover it up, and the snowball keeps getting bigger and bigger, with endless troubles, until the day it finally explodes.

Zhu Qingyu lowered her eyes, and when she looked up again, her eyes were filled with worry:

"Shouming, this Huiyi Temple is excellent and should certainly be built. However, my father and brothers have never held official positions, and I am worried that they might not perform well and could implicate you in the officialdom. Do you want to reconsider? Actually, there's no need for that. You can come to me anytime if you wish."

Hearing Zhu Qingyu say this, Gu Zhao, who had just been excitedly waiting for her praise, suddenly turned cold, feeling as if he had been thoroughly humiliated. He asked incredulously:

"Zhu Qingyu, is it really Zhang Jingyan you can't live without? Even now, you still want to go back to him and be his wife? I proposed marriage to you, but you refused, insisting on having an affair with me without a proper match? You want me to bail him out? Don't even think about it!"

Gu Zhao seemed to be furious this time. He picked up a book and started reading, no longer speaking to Zhu Qingyu.

Zhu Qingyu, wrapped in her floor-length cloak, walked up to him and tugged at his sleeve:

"That's not what I meant. You're in a high position, and there are countless people lurking in the shadows waiting to find fault with you. I'm genuinely worried that my father and brothers will drag you down. Shouming, don't be angry. You said you'd help me, please help me, okay? Once my second cousin is released, I'll have an explanation to give to my mother, and then I'll divorce him and marry you, okay?"

Gu Zhao rolled up his sleeves, turned around, and sneered:

"No way, don't try to fool me. What would you do with him? Let him run away with you two? Marry me? You're not telling the truth. The moment Zhang Jingyan is released from prison, you'll be leaving the capital. Do you think I don't know that?"

Gu Zhao was angry this time, and it lingered for an unusually long time. Even when they were having lunch together, her anger hadn't subsided, and she blurted out again:

"I can't reason with you. You can't tell right from wrong. I'm not going to talk to you anymore. When your father arrives in the capital, I'll go directly to him to propose marriage and ask him to give you to me. I don't need your consent. Until your father arrives, you just stay obediently in the capital. If you behave yourself, Zhang Jingyan will behave himself. If you make me angry again, you'll see what he does."

Even Zhu Qingyu's attempts to appease him with "Shouming, you're not such a bad person" failed, and Gu Zhao remained resolute:

"I'm just that bad a person. You can try taking his life and see what happens."

We finally managed to have a meal together, but it ended badly again.

Zhu Qingyu worked hard all day but returned empty-handed, her progress back to square one. She arrived home in the evening, completely exhausted after getting off the carriage.

As soon as they stepped off the carriage, Wang's mother rushed to greet them at the door:

"Madam, a Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, Lord Zhuang, and his daughter have come to see you. They've been waiting for almost half an hour."