After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 24

The woman was caught off guard and screamed as she was drenched with water. Before she could retaliate, the slightly open door was firmly shut in front of her.

“You!” The woman was furious. “You’ve gone too far, too far! You, a younger generation…”

She reached out to push the door, but it seemed to be blocked from the inside and wouldn’t budge. Frustrated, she stomped her foot angrily and left, muttering curses under her breath.

After the woman’s voice faded away, Chun Tao, the maid inside the room, breathed a sigh of relief. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at the instigator of all this chaos.

But the instigator remained unperturbed. After shocking everyone by dousing her cousin-in-law with cold water, she returned to her seat and flipped through the medical books that had long been read through.

“Miss,” Chun Tao hesitated, “that… that’s your cousin-in-law!”

“Cousin-in-law?” The girl’s voice was soft but stubborn. “My parents passed away, and she took over our ancestral home. My grandfather died, and she wants to take our family’s medical books. Is she still considered my cousin-in-law?”

This girl was none other than Ling Su, the only granddaughter of Physician Zhang.

After her grandfather’s death, she had nowhere else to go and returned to her hometown with her maid. However, distant relatives who had no connection with her came to know about her grandfather’s death and began to bully this orphaned girl. They not only occupied the ancestral home that rightfully belonged to Ling Su but also left her with only a small courtyard to live in.

As an ordinary orphaned girl, Ling Su had nothing valuable to exploit. But the Zhang family had been practicing medicine for generations, and her ancestors were renowned physicians. Before his death, the renowned physician compiled a set of medical books containing his lifetime of medical knowledge, intending to pass it down to future generations. Despite the stains and damage on the pages, these books were enough for the Zhang family to treat the royal family as court physicians.

What those relatives from the collateral branch coveted was precisely this set of medical books. They not only forcibly occupied the ancestral home that should have belonged to Ling Su but also wanted to take away the box of medical books she still possessed.

However, what they never expected was that Ling Su, who appeared to be just a thin and weak young girl, was remarkably stubborn when it came to the matter of the medical books. Despite their persuasion, coercion, and even cutting off the charcoal supply in the courtyard during winter, Ling Su refused to let go of the medical books and refused to be a “good girl” who knew her place. The Zhang family considered themselves people of letters and would not directly send people to seize things, but they also loathed this ignorant girl.

Chun Tao sneakily glanced outside the window and saw that no one was around before daring to open the door and let some fresh air into the room.

Having grown up with Ling Su, Chun Tao was naturally loyal to her mistress, but she also couldn’t understand why Ling Su was so adamant about those medical books.

Chun Tao looked at Ling Su, who was reading, and finally hesitated, “But she is still your elder, isn’t she? Miss, by doing this, won’t it damage relations? Moreover, if your grandfather is watching from the heavens, as your ancestor and someone who would want you to marry a suitable husband and live a happy life, your marriage still relies on people within the clan. If you offend them now…”

“My grandfather was not wrong!” Ling Su suddenly interjected. “My grandfather was not an incompetent physician!”

“I am my grandfather’s granddaughter. He taught me medicine since I was young, always saying that as a physician, one should help the world and save lives. But during that epidemic…”

At this point, Ling Su bit her lip, and her previously stubborn and cold eyes gradually became moist. “Those people said my grandfather was incompetent… My grandfather passed away, but he was not incompetent. Before he died, he was still thinking about that unfinished prescription. As his granddaughter and also a physician, why should I only think about getting married? Why can’t I perfect that prescription? To seek justice for my grandfather?”

“Miss…”

“Chun Tao, I know you mean well, but please stop.” Ling Su said firmly. “My mind is made up.”

Chun Tao looked at Ling Su’s frail figure, her eyes reddening, but she couldn’t help but think of the people from the Zhang clan.

With them around, could Miss really get her way?…

The woman returned to her room in a fury.

“Hey!” Zhang Quan, who was originally playing with crickets, was surprised to see her in such a sorry state. “Weren’t you going to find that little maid? How did you end up all wet?”

“That little maid has no sense of gratitude, completely insolent!” The woman said angrily.

Seeing his own woman like this, Zhang Quan didn’t stop playing with the crickets. When the woman changed into dry clothes and came out, seeing his indifferent appearance, she became furious.

Zhang Quan was a distant cousin of Zhang Ling Su. The two branches had never been close and were on the verge of cutting off contact. When the Zhang family lived in the capital serving nobles, they maintained their respect for the empty ancestral home. However, after the Zhang family was reduced to just an orphaned girl, they suddenly felt a close bond, and one by one, they rushed in and forcibly occupied the Zhang family’s idle ancestral mansion.

Hearing the woman’s complaints, Zhang Quan also felt surprised. “What, she still won’t hand over that box of medical books?”

“She’s still dreaming of being a great physician!” The woman sneered, “That little maid thinks highly of herself, but doesn’t she realize how insignificant she is?”

“Ah, don’t get angry with that ignorant little thing,” Zhang Quan said, smiling as he massaged her shoulders, which the woman appreciated.

“I suspect that little maid has hidden money,” the woman suddenly said after being massaged for a while. “Think about it, after treating the nobles in the capital for so long, Zhang Lao must have saved a lot of rewards, right?”

While Physician Zhang was alive, he was generous and often helped others. But selfish people like the woman would never believe that there could still be such good-hearted people in the world. After thinking for a while, she said, “That girl eats and drinks very little, and she never asks us for money to buy clothes or jewelry, but she doesn’t utter a word. How can she not be hiding money secretly? We must make her hand over the money!”

With a resentful expression, she was about to get up again, but Zhang Quan pressed her back down.

“Let me tell you, wanting her medical books and the money she has left, it’s not that difficult,” he said in her ear, “You don’t have to always confront her head-on. If she refuses to choose the right path herself, then don’t blame us for being ruthless.”

The woman’s eyes rolled around for a while. “What brilliant idea do you have again?”

Zhang Quan chuckled, leaned down, and whispered softly in his wife’s ear, “That old cripple in the north of the city is missing a wife… I’ve already discussed it with him.”

“When the time comes, selling her off will bring in money. Her dowry will belong to us, and as for those medical books, even if she wants to take them, she won’t be able to! Once she marries someone outside the family, she won’t be a member of the Zhang family anymore. How can the Zhang family’s medical books fall into the hands of outsiders? Even if it causes a stir in the clan, even the authorities will support us!” Zhang Quan said proudly.

The woman’s eyes brightened, and she poked his forehead with her finger, saying, “You, if only you had half of this intelligence when doing legitimate things! I wouldn’t have to think of so many ways to get that medical book for you!”

“But…” she hesitated again, “What if Zhang Ling Su refuses to marry?”

Zhang Quan sneered, “How can a lonely girl decide whether she will marry or not? That old cripple may be old, but he has several storefronts in his family, which is not bad for her. And when a woman reaches a certain age, she should get married anyway.”

“When we have the medical books, money, and a house, can’t we live a good life?” Zhang Quan patted her shoulder. “Your husband, I’m still quite capable!”

The two of them chuckled, imagining a happy future after swallowing up the poor orphaned girl living in the courtyard, unable to hide their longing.

“We shouldn’t delay,” Zhang Quan put on his boots. “I’ll go to the north of the city now and ask the old cripple to come for a marriage proposal.”

“Be careful on the road!” the woman called out.

Zhang Quan’s figure disappeared outside the door, and the woman sat back at the table, thinking of Zhang Ling Su’s cold face, feeling even more pleased.

Now it’s time to be arrogant and domineering! She thought to herself, a smirk appearing on her lips.

You’ll have a tough time later! A lone girl should understand her place and learn to live within her means!

Inside the room, Zhang Ling Su, who was reading the medical books, had no idea that a huge disaster had already befallen her.

However, what she perhaps didn’t expect more than this disaster was that within the Forbidden City, at this very moment, someone was mentioning her name.

…

After learning that he didn’t have to work today, the Emperor lazily collapsed onto the bed and lay there for a long time before dragging Zhou Xun to have breakfast.

But…

“Why are the eggs red today?” The Emperor looked puzzled at the eunuchs and palace maids beside him, poking the egg with his chopsticks.

Zhou Xun looked at the egg. “…”

He glanced at Xiao Li Zi, and as soon as Xiao Li Zi saw him, he quickly straightened his chest and flashed him a pleasing and proud smile.

Observing the interaction between them, the Emperor…

At the dining table, the Emperor didn’t say anything, but after the meal was over and Zhou Xun went to change, he heard the sound of his angry voice in the courtyard.

“You brat, did you mess up again! Why don’t you remember your lessons?!!” The Emperor scolded angrily, “Zhou Xun and I share an unforgettable friendship!!”

Not content with reprimanding Xiao Li Zi, the Emperor summoned all the eunuchs and palace maids in the Hall of Mental Cultivation and solemnly announced the “great friendship between himself and Zhou Xun”. The eunuchs and palace maids all nodded in agreement.

After spreading the rumor, the Emperor was quite satisfied. He turned to Zhou Xun and said, “I’m sorry, I keep letting you be misunderstood. The people here have nothing to do all day and just spread rumors. Can’t there be pure friendship between men?”

Zhou Xun suppressed his laughter. “Your Majesty and I are clear in our hearts, so why bother about idle gossip?”

The Emperor nodded in satisfaction. “Yes, clear in our hearts!”

…Much later, the Emperor, who often recalled this conversation, wished he could slap himself at that moment.

But let’s not dwell on what happened later. After the meal, He Taiyi came again with his medical box.

After checking the pulse of the Emperor and Zhou Xun, he exclaimed with surprise, “Young Master Zhou’s pulse has improved a lot recently, as if there’s much less stagnation. Have you encountered any good news recently?”

Zhou Xun was stunned and remained silent.

The Emperor looked at him, suddenly remembering something, and called a Jangwei officer, “Has anyone dealt with the matter of Physician Zhang’s granddaughter before?”

The officer replied, “In recent days, Vice Commander Lu happened to pass by Qingzhou and entrusted the matter to him.”

“Lu Xiandao?” The Emperor recalled this person from his memory. “He handles things well.”

The clattering of horse hooves raised a cloud of dust in the alley, and Lu Xiandao, agile and nimble as a falcon, dismounted and grasped the reins.

“Sir, we’ve arrived,” someone said.

He squinted, “Qingzhou City” appeared in his field of vision.

The author has something to say: The later Emperor: What if I do have a guilty conscience?