Time kept slipping away, dragging on longer and longer—every second now precious.

Suddenly—Bang!

A loud crash rang out as the family head slammed his fist furiously against the door. He hated this—hated his own helplessness, hated that his internal power had dwindled to so little that, otherwise, a round trip to the nearest town for a single herb would have been the simplest thing in the world for him!

“Useless! That Jiang Chen is utterly useless!”

Doctor Hua and Gu Meiting both jumped, startled. Ziqing watched silently, equally puzzled—surely it shouldn’t take this long, no matter how incompetent Jiang Chen was.

“Father, what… what should we do?!” Gu Meiting choked out through her tears.

The family head, already furious with nowhere to vent it, spun around at her words, glaring at her. “Whose fault is that? The child’s burning up with fever, and the two of you were still fighting! Keep dragging it out, why don’t you, if you’re so capable!”

Gu Meiting didn’t dare say another word, tears streaming down endlessly. How could she have known her son would fall this ill? Had she known, even if it meant her own death, she would have kept dragging it out just the same.

The family head’s temper was flaring, and seeing Ziqing sitting there so composed only made things worse. He was about to lash out at her too when, just then, two figures suddenly came rushing in from either side of the gate!

Neither had seen the other coming, and they collided head-on, crashing into each other with a loud thump, both losing their balance and tumbling to the ground!

And it was none other than Gu Suying and Jiang Chen!

The two of them had knocked heads together so hard they were both dazed, yet instinctively kept the herbs in their hands protected, holding them high above their heads for fear of crushing them.

Seeing this, everyone inside rushed out. Doctor Hua, quick-eyed, immediately recognized the herbs in both their hands and cried out in relief, “That’s it, that’s it! Both of them! The young master is saved! He’s saved!”

In their urgency, no one cared about anything else. Doctor Hua snatched up both herbs with practiced speed and immediately ordered the medicine boy to crush and boil them at once.

Gu Meiting and the family head were overjoyed, all their anger vanishing instantly. One rushed to help her husband up, both startled and delighted; the other hurried to help his daughter, finally letting out a breath of relief.

Yet when Jiang Chen and Gu Suying’s eyes met, both their faces turned ashen. In that moment, a thousand words, countless resentments, all manner of questions and curses rose to their lips—but both had to force it all back down.

Gu Suying, however, couldn’t quite hold back in the end, suddenly shoving Jiang Chen hard and snapping angrily, “I sent you to find medicine, and it took you this long! You useless fool!”

At that shove, before Jiang Chen’s temper even had time to flare, Gu Meiting had already swung her hand and slapped him hard across the face—Crack!

“You insolent girl, how dare you! Who gave you permission to lay hands on him—your own brother-in-law, no less!”

“You dare hit me!” Gu Suying’s fists clenched tight, and she immediately lunged forward, too furious and desperate to stay calm.

The family head grabbed her at once, shouting angrily, “Are you trying to start a rebellion? All of you, behave yourselves!”

“Father, she’s the one being far too insolent!” Gu Meiting shouted.

“I’m insolent? I was thinking of your son!” Gu Suying shot back at once.

“No need! The medicine’s here now, isn’t it? We don’t need you!” Gu Meiting retorted just as sharply—she’d had the upper hand over her younger sister since childhood.

“Enough!” But it was Jiang Chen who spoke up now. “Yuan’er is still sick, and you two are still fighting!”

A dark flicker crossed Gu Suying’s eyes. She wrenched her hand free from her father’s grip and stormed off without a backward glance.

Gu Meiting snorted coldly, paying her no further mind, hurrying inside at once. Jiang Chen hesitated a moment, then had no choice but to follow.

Ziqing took in the whole scene, her heart quietly skipping a beat. She truly hadn’t known why Jiang Chen had taken so long to return—she’d merely had a hunch, and had used the opportunity to test Gu Suying.

She never expected the result of that test to reveal that Gu Suying had genuinely gone and found medicine of her own too! Which meant she was clearly one of the culprits as well!

So it wasn’t only Jiang Chen who had poisoned Beiyue and coveted the position of Gu family head—Gu Suying had her hand in it too. And yet, from what she’d just seen, Gu Meiting appeared to know nothing about any of it.

Could it be… that her brother-in-law and her younger sister were having an affair?

Soon, the medicine was brought in. Gu Meiting personally spoon-fed it to her son, one mouthful at a time, while Doctor Hua administered another round of acupuncture. Everyone waited anxiously, and a full half hour passed.

At last, Doctor Hua’s face lit up with relief. “The young master’s fever is starting to break! My lord, Eldest Miss, son-in-law—the medicine is working!”

At once, everyone was overjoyed.

“Thank goodness, thank goodness!” Gu Meiting said happily, wishing she could hug her son close forever. Jiang Chen, however, wore a complicated expression, showing little of the joy around him.

Only then did Ziqing rise, saying flatly, “Good, since he’s improving—Family Head Gu, will you still be departing for Qinse Valley tomorrow as planned?”

Only then did the family head remember the matter, nodding. “The zither gathering cannot be delayed. Jiang Chen, since Yuan’er is no longer in serious danger, we’ll leave him with Doctor Hua. You and Meiting can stay here for now until he’s recovered before heading back. Pack your things tonight and prepare to depart tomorrow.”

“Yes, Father-in-law!” Jiang Chen answered at once, no longer daring to put on any show of demanding that Han Ziqing “make things clear” before he’d agree to stay.

“Family Head Gu, I intend to bring Beiyue with me,” Ziqing said directly.

The family head couldn’t help but frown, unable to understand Ziqing’s reasoning. But Ziqing wasn’t asking for his opinion—she was simply informing him. With that, she turned to leave.

“Han Ziqing, stand right there!” the family head said sharply.

If not for all the unpleasantness that had passed between them, Ziqing would naturally have consulted the family head’s wishes first. But after everything that had happened, she no longer felt it necessary.

Besides, this was what Jun Beiyue himself wanted.

“Beiyue is only just recovering—such a long, tiring journey doesn’t seem suitable for him! And besides, there’ll be no one to look after him at the gathering,” the family head said, his voice lacking its usual authority, clearly uneasy, almost apologetic in tone.

“Isn’t Qinse Valley renowned not only for its music but for its medical skill as well? All the more reason to bring Beiyue along and have him looked at. With Imperial Physician Gu accompanying us the whole way, Family Head Gu, you needn’t worry,” Ziqing said flatly, and with that, she walked off, not giving the family head any chance to respond.