"I am truly indebted to the physicians today. You have been attending to me all day, and I feel quite bad about it."
Madam Song watched as Gu Qianying directly examined her wrist. She did not flinch or attempt to hide the bruises and wounds on her body.
Thinking of Song Gang's instructions for the day, Madam Song felt a pang of regret.
She had heard of Physician Gu today. This person was beautiful, and as soon as she entered the manor, he knew what her purpose was.
She had initially thought this person was difficult and ill-tempered, but after spending so much time together today, she found Gu Qianying to have a good disposition and be very kind. She should have stuck to her original intention of not allowing a consultation, but she had come today after all.
Recalling what Song Gang had instructed her, she felt a twinge of reluctance.
"Is the young lady married?"
Madam Song began to try and get closer to her.
"I am, in the Central Plains."
Gu Qianying glanced at Madam Song, understanding her intentions. However, seeing that Madam Song was not a bad person, and not wanting to fall out with her, she told a lie to cover the matter.
"Is that so!"
Madam Song seemed lost in thought. A noise from outside drew both their attention.
It turned out the sun had hidden itself behind the clouds.
It was spring, and although the Western Regions were sunny every day, overcast weather was not unheard of. A gust of wind had just blown into the hall, rustling the beaded curtains at the doorway, creating a beautiful sight.
However, the figure outside made Madam Song very nervous.
It was only after Madam Song coughed twice that Gu Qianying snapped back to attention.
"Are you alright?"
Gu Qianying quickly brought a cup of water to Madam Song and gently patted her.
Seeing that she had recovered, Gu Qianying breathed a sigh of relief. If anything had happened to her, she probably wouldn't have been able to leave today.
Gu Qianying now just wanted to leave this city lord's manor as quickly as possible.
Unexpectedly, Madam Song suddenly grabbed her hand.
"Young lady, I see you have a good disposition and a beautiful appearance, but you are not young anymore. You say you have a fiancé in the Central Plains, but since you are of such an age and still unmarried, why not marry into our city lord's manor? The King is a good man, and you are so beautiful; the King will surely cherish you."
"I..."
Madam Song earnestly persuaded her again and again. Just as Gu Qianying was about to speak, Madam Song interrupted her again.
"Furthermore, my health is not good now, and I also have to guard against the women in the inner court vying for favor. If you are willing to marry in, I guarantee your status will not be threatened. I will also hand over the management of the household to you, and I can protect you."
Madam Song's pale face gained a touch of color from her anxiety, but the color was hardly an improvement.
Gu Qianying looked at Madam Song, surprised that Madam Song had the same idea. It seemed Song Gang had instructed Madam Song long ago.
Looking at Gu Qianying's calm face, Madam Song couldn't bear to see her enter Song Gang's household just like that. A few cracks appeared on her face, and she thought this was just a test. If the young lady refused, she would still help her.
To her surprise, Gu Qianying said, "Madam, I am a physician, and I also know martial arts. Ordinary people naturally cannot harm me. I am a woman, and ordinary people will say I am a different kind of woman, with my own career and martial arts. Don't push yourself so hard; you should find a man to take good care of you."
Gu Qianying rarely spoke so much to someone she was not familiar with, but today she was willing to open up to Madam Song, which surprised the latter.
"However, a woman must ultimately live her own life and find her own place. Relying solely on men, relying on others, will ultimately lead to abandonment."
As she spoke, Gu Qianying glanced at the wounds on Madam Song's wrist, her face showing a trace of kindness. Her words brought tears to Madam Song's eyes, and in the end, she said nothing more, just nodding repeatedly.
Gu Qianying sighed, nodded, said nothing, and got up to leave, but Madam Song grabbed her hand. She turned her head in confusion.
Madam Song slipped a note into her hand and then pushed her out of the sleeping chambers.
...
Meanwhile, Ouyang Qinglin and Duan Xifeng, who were eating in the side hall, encountered a crisis.
Just now, two men had disguised themselves as maids and entered to serve dishes. As soon as they entered the hall, they attacked the two of them.
Caught off guard, the two were preempted by the two ruffians and sustained some injuries.
Ouyang Qinglin gritted his teeth, clutching his chest, and looked at the two ruffians before him with a cold expression.
"Are you alright?"
Duan Xifeng retracted his sword, glanced at Ouyang Qinglin, and asked.
Ouyang Qinglin shook his head. Although he was injured, those two men did not escape unscathed. At this point, one was dead and one was injured.
The injured man naturally did not linger to fight and left immediately.
"I'm fine. Hurry and chase him; you can't let him escape."
Ouyang Qinglin understood the insidious nature of these matters. If they couldn't find that man, it would be troublesome later. If the other party brought more reinforcements, they would be in great trouble.
Duan Xifeng glanced at Ouyang Qinglin. Seeing that he was indeed not seriously injured, he quickly went out to pursue the man.
As for Gu Qianying, as soon as she came out of the sleeping chambers, she was still puzzled as to why Madam Song's demeanor had changed so much and what those wounds were about.
As soon as she exited the hall, she opened the note. It was scrawled with the words "Run quickly."
Gu Qianying's heart leaped. She hurried to the side hall to find someone and saw Ouyang Qinglin sitting on the ground, clutching his chest, which was still bleeding profusely.
"What happened?"
She hadn't expected that even Madam Song's courtyard would become unsafe, with assassins directly breaking in.
Gu Qianying was somewhat surprised but still took out the hemostatic medicine she carried to treat Ouyang Qinglin and then helped him up.
"Where is my brother?"
Gu Qianying didn't see Duan Xifeng and asked again.
"He went to chase the remaining assassin. If they aren't silenced, we'll all die here."
Ouyang Qinglin's face was very pale, as the wound was close to his heart. If not treated promptly, it might...
Gu Qianying dared not speak of the consequences. She used acupressure to protect his heart as much as possible, preventing further damage.
However, they waited and waited, but Duan Xifeng did not return.
Gu Qianying was anxious. Knowing that Duan Xifeng's martial arts were formidable and he wouldn't have any problems, she said, "I'll take you away first."
Madam Song was often abused by Song Gang; this was something she had long noticed.
As a woman, she felt she should offer some help.
However, the note Madam Song gave her said...