Chapter 43

Guanzi listened until her head was full of fog. What was this about despising or not despising?

She did not care about all that messy talk. She only cared about the purpose of coming to find the skinny maid this time, so she asked, “I don’t care who is half a jin and who is eight liang. Just tell me, from now on, are you standing with Nanny Ziyun or with our Miss? Let me tell you, helping our Miss is helping Miss Qiu. As maids, we have to make sure our masters are happy and satisfied.”

For example, her. If Miss told her to go west, she would absolutely not glance east. That was why she could always stay by Miss’s side as the head maid, her favor never declining.

Luyao became conflicted again as she listened. “If my Miss marries Miss Qin in the future, can she send away all the male concubines in the courtyard?”

Could Qin the Great Good-for-Nothing do it or not? Surely, after she and Miss married, the two of them could not keep male concubines together. Heavens, that kind of life would be far too indulgent.

Guanzi understood a little and could not help laughing twice. “Truly, the emperor isn’t anxious, but the eunuch is. Don’t worry. My Miss only ever kept one male concubine, and he was sent away long ago. There isn’t a single person in the courtyard now.”

As for the future, she could not say for sure.

In any case, whoever Miss took a liking to, Guanzi would help bring into the residence. As long as Miss was happy, she would absolutely not stop her.

“Really?” Luyao was startled, then overjoyed. Wonderful. In the future, she would not have to stop them anymore. She also hoped Miss could have everything go smoothly.

Seeing the skinny maid’s heart bloom with joy, Guanzi hurriedly turned around. Miss was about to go to the winery soon. She should have finished tidying up by now.

When Guanzi reached the main courtyard, sure enough, she saw Qin Chu had Read on BaiLianTales just changed clothes and was coming out.

“Miss, wait a moment.”

“In such a short while, where did you run off to again?” Qin Chu looked at the panting little maid and could not help laughing. Why did this girl look even busier than her?

“Miss, I know why now. Listen to me. It’s because of the male concubine…”

After listening to the little maid, Qin Chu looked toward the eastern side courtyard. Was Qiu Jinning being awkward because of the matter of the male concubine?

Could it be!

Her heart stirred, and a trace of a smile flashed in her eyes. “Let’s go. We’ll go to the winery first. We’ll talk tonight when I return.”

The strong liquor was about to be finished. Only repeated distillation was left.

Many things should not be rushed, especially matters concerning Qiu Jinning’s body.

After Qin Chu brewed the first batch of strong liquor, she did not hurry to tell Qiu Jinning. Instead, she first invited Imperial Physician Han over.

Imperial Physician Han smelled it, then took a small sip. “Hiss, what strong liquor. Miss Qin’s brewing skills truly live up to their reputation. This wine can be tried.”

“Can be tried?” Qin Chu frowned. What she wanted was certainty, affirmation, not can be tried. How could [Read on BaiLianTales]Qiu Jinning’s body be something to try with?

Imperial Physician Han straightened his expression and said earnestly, “When seeking medicine and treatment, especially for difficult and complicated illnesses, where is there any medicine that cures the illness the moment it is given? Treatment must be done while weighing the medicine. Miss Qiu’s love gu is already unusual. Though the liquor is strong, it still depends on whether the gu worm accepts it. Even if my father came, he would not dare guarantee one hundred percent certainty.”

That old man had resigned from the Imperial Medical Bureau and returned home to live freely. Moreover, as far as he knew, the old man had never treated love gu either. Like Imperial Physician Han, he had only read about this type of condition in medical texts and memorized the method to remove the gu.

So far, he had yet to encounter a patient with love gu whom he truly had to treat himself.

Qin Chu’s brows were tightly knitted. To her, this matter concerned Qiu Jinning’s body and could not be allowed the slightest error. Not even a fraction.

But circumstances did not bend to people’s wishes…

After thinking deeply for a moment, she said solemnly, “As long as the wine is strong enough, can we ensure nothing goes wrong?”

“Not necessarily. If it is too strong, the gu worm may also refuse to behave, so it still has to be tried.”

“What if it fails?”

Imperial Physician Han coughed lightly and looked away. “If it fails, it is not too serious. As long as someone helps Miss Qiu relieve it, the gu can be temporarily suppressed. It would be best to find the person who first helped her resolve the gu, or her beloved. The patient’s state of mind can greatly affect the love gu. That would be safer.”

He was already this old, yet discussing this kind of topic with a young lady was rather embarrassing.

“I understand. Thank you for making this trip, Imperial Physician Han.”

“It is no trouble, no trouble. Miss Qin’s matters are this old man’s matters. There is no need to be so polite.” Imperial Physician Han smiled and waved his hand. When one accepted gifts, one’s hands grew short. He had already accepted several boxes of gold ingots. How could this be called troublesome?

After sending off Imperial Physician Han, Qin Chu looked at the wine jar on the table. Whether to try or not would depend on Qiu Jinning’s choice.

Once it failed, between the two of them, they would inevitably have to…

Would Qiu Jinning be willing to take that risk?

She did not know.

By dusk, when Qin Chu returned to the Qin residence, her heart was so tangled it almost knotted itself. What would Qiu Jinning choose?

Unexpectedly, the moment she returned, she saw the person holding Qiu Jinning’s arm. Her heart immediately sank, and she no longer cared about being tangled.

“Why is Third Miss Gu here again?”

“Can’t I miss Sister Qiu after parting yesterday? Miss Qin’s words make it sound as if you don’t welcome me. I didn’t come to see you anyway.”

Gu San rolled her eyes in annoyance. Did Qin Chu think she wanted to come? One of them was cold as ice and never gave her a good expression, and the other was an annoying cripple.

If not for the Second Prince’s [read the original at bailiantales.com]instruction, she would never have taken the initiative to come to the Qin residence and court bad luck.

Qin Chu looked at her coldly. “You heard correctly. The Qin residence does not welcome Third Miss Gu.”

“You—Sister Qiu, look at her. I listened to Brother-in-law and came to accompany you more.” Gu San choked. Knowing this was the Qin residence and Qin Chu made the decisions here, she tried to take a roundabout route and threw the problem to Qiu Jinning.

She did not know whether Qiu Jinning, this block of ice, could restrain Cripple Qin. The relationship between these two always looked not so simple.

Qiu Jinning curved her lips in a smile. “This is the Qin residence. I am only staying here temporarily. Naturally, Miss Qin decides who is welcome. As for Elder Brother, before we entered the capital, Father entrusted me to bring him a book. I will trouble Younger Sister Gu to pass it to him.”

Such straightforward words made Gu San’s expression stiffen. Was this dismissing her?

This was chasing her away!

Fine. These two people were actually colluding together. Qiu Jinning was still siding with Cripple Qin. When she went back, she would definitely talk to her brother-in-law about this properly.

Gu San trembled with anger. Her skin was not that thick either. She glared fiercely at Qin Chu, tucked the book away, and left.

Qin Chu had not seen clearly what book it was, so she casually asked, “What book did County Magistrate Qiu ask you to bring? Why didn’t you give it to him the last two times?”

“Just a miscellaneous book.” Qiu Jinning did not explain much.

Of course Father had not asked her to bring any book. ​stolen content​That book was something she had specially prepared for Elder Brother.

It was merely the most common Zhuangyuan Classic sold in bookstores. She believed that when Elder Brother saw the book, he would understand what she meant.

Having entered the capital for the exam, one should prioritize studies. Next spring’s palace examination would be the true time to test one’s learning.

Not wasting time on all the Gu family’s twists and turns.

She did not want to waste time. Likewise, if Elder Brother was not muddleheaded, he should also know he should not get involved any further.

Qin Chu nodded and looked at Qiu Jinning. Her heart grew nervous again.

“Today, I brewed strong liquor and had Imperial Physician Han look at it. He said it can be tried.”

Qiu Jinning turned to look at her. “What does that mean?”

Qin Chu moved her lips, but the words were somewhat difficult to say.

After hesitating for a moment, she slowly said, “Imperial Physician Han said that wine can be tried, but there is only a fifty percent chance. If it fails, we can only use another method to temporarily suppress the love gu, then adjust the strong liquor and continue trying.”

Qiu Jinning asked faintly, “Another method refers to…” Was it what she was thinking?

The two silently looked at each other, and the atmosphere became somewhat subtle.

Suddenly, Qin Chu looked away, her voice lowering. “Another method would be like the night of Lantern Festival. If you do not want to do that with me, I can find someone else for you to try with. Find your beloved to try.”

These words hurt too much. The moment she said them, she felt as if she could not breathe. She did not want to watch Qiu Jinning be intimate with someone else. Not at all.

But Qiu Jinning had said at Upstairs Tower that she already had someone she admired. It was not the male lead, and it was not her.

The moment she thought of this, Qin Chu’s heart felt stifled and painful. That person was not her…

“Qin Chu—” Qiu Jinning’s voice was short and low. A flash of shamed anger passed through her eyes. She only felt that Qin Chu’s words were grating to the ear.

What did she mean, find someone else to try?

Never mind that Qiu Jinning had not originally been interested in Qin Chu before; even then, she had been unwilling to give herself to someone else because of the love gu.

Now that her heart already held this person, how could she go try with someone else?

Qin Chu did not dare turn back to look at her. Her lips tightened as she said, “Those words came from Imperial Physician Han. If you do not want to try, then wait a little longer. We can always find a more secure method.”

Qiu Jinning said heavily, “There is no need for that.”

Qin Chu was astonished and turned to look at Qiu Jinning’s cold face.

What did “no need for that” mean?

Did it mean there was no need to try with her, or no need to keep waiting?

Qiu Jinning lowered her eyes slightly, then raised them to look at Qin Chu. Her tone was indifferent. “There is no need to find anyone else, and no need to keep waiting. I want the gu removed as soon as possible. Go invite Imperial Physician Han.”

Qin Chu froze. “Now?”

It was almost nighttime now. Was she not too anxious? Did she want to remove the gu that badly? Did she want to draw a clear line with Qin Chu that badly?

Seeing her like this, Qiu Jinning’s expression eased. “Let it be today. As long as you are here, that is enough. I do not want to be like that with anyone else.”

Qin Chu’s eyes suddenly widened, staring fixedly at the person before her. “Qiu Jinning…”

As long as you are here, that is enough. As long as you are here, that is enough…

This was not the first time she had heard those words. Every time the love gu flared up, Qiu Jinning would say that as long as Qin Chu was there, it was enough!

She did not want anyone else. Did that mean she wanted Qin Chu—

“Go. Invite Imperial Physician Han.”

“Ah, all right.”

Qin Chu hurriedly answered. Even when she invited Imperial Physician Han into the residence, the waves in her heart still rose and fell without settling.

Regarding the love gu, only the two of them in the entire residence knew the full truth. Even the two little maids had been kept in the dark.

So Qin Chu used the excuse that Imperial Physician Han had to check whether Qiu Jinning’s leg had completely healed and had the two little maids guard outside the door, not allowing anyone to disturb them.

As for her, she followed Imperial Physician Han into the room. If this strong liquor failed, then she would be Qiu Jinning’s medicine.

After giving a round of instructions on things to pay attention to, Imperial Physician Han took a stool and sat before the bed.

Qiu Jinning silently lay down on the bed and covered herself with the thin quilt. Following Imperial Physician Han’s instruction, she also covered her head under the quilt, leaving only her right hand outside.

Seeing this, Imperial Physician Han steadied himself. He took a thin, long silver needle from his needle pouch and solemnly pricked the tip of Qiu Jinning’s right middle finger.

Then he turned his head and instructed Qin Chu, “Bring the strong liquor over. Be careful not to let Miss Qiu smell it.”

Qin Chu opened the wine jar and carried it to the bedside, bringing it close to Qiu Jinning’s hand.

“This old man will begin now. Miss Qiu, endure it for a bit. It will hurt somewhat.”

Imperial Physician Han took Qiu Jinning’s pierced finger and dipped it into the wine jar.

The moment the wound touched the strong liquor, waves of stinging pain came. Qiu Jinning could not help letting out a muffled groan, and her body trembled several times. Her fingers forcefully endured, enduring until they turned stiff and straight.