Regarding buying the shops on both sides, Liu Pucheng spoke very conservatively, but his actions were swift. Just after the tenth day of the first month, Hu San came at noon to say the deal was settled.

Standing in the parlor of the Young Madam of Marquis Dingxi’s manor, Hu San couldn’t help looking around as he spoke.

The room was so warm…

The fragrance smelled good too, not like the overpowering incense burned in those wealthy city households…

So many pretty maids…

Of course, Sister A’Ru was still the prettiest…

This man was handsome too… a man!

Hu San collected his wandering thoughts and straightened up.

Chang Yuncheng held his teacup with a cold expression, looking at this shifty-eyed man.

“…so… because there are many things… to clear out… it will take… when will it…?” Hu San became more and more stuttered under Chang Yuncheng’s gaze, breaking out in cold sweat.

He always felt that the man sitting over there wasn’t holding a teacup but a knife—a knife that could strike him at any moment.

Qi Yue noticed Hu San’s nervousness and glanced at Chang Yuncheng. Why was this man sitting here when she was receiving guests?

“Aren’t you going to mother’s place?” she said.

“It’s still too early. Mother is reciting sutras,” Chang Yuncheng said flatly.

Qi Yue made an “oh” sound.

“Then go read in the inner room,” she suggested.

This wicked woman! Chang Yuncheng’s face grew very long.

“Pour tea,” he said, setting his teacup down heavily on the table.

This sudden sound startled everyone in the room, and Hu San nearly fell to his knees.

Oh, this awful man!

Qi Yue glared at him.

“Pour tea for the Lord,” she said, standing up. “You come with me to talk over here.”

Hu San hesitated for a moment. Heaven, earth, sovereign, parents, and teachers—the teacher was paramount. He followed Qi Yue into the side room under the chilly gaze from behind.

After Chang Yuncheng had drunk three pots of tea, he finally heard the man say his farewells.

“Master, I’ll take the blueprints for the master to see, but I think there’s no need to look. Whatever you say is how we’ll do it.”

Never forgetting to flatter, Chang Yuncheng snorted coldly through his nose. His gaze fell on a string of gourds on the table—small gourds carved with patterns of fairies and flowers, painted with lacquer, and strung together with red cord, looking exquisite.

This street vendor trash that cost three wen per string—he actually dared to give it as a gift! And that wicked woman actually held it in her hands like it was precious! So uncultured—if she saw the gourds in Prince Qinghe’s house, wouldn’t she be scared to death?

“A’Ru, go with him,” Qi Yue said. “I need to finish a few more blueprints.”

A’Ru responded affirmatively.

“Master, don’t tire yourself too much. Take your time arranging things…” Hu San quickly said.

A’Ru glared at him.

“Let’s go. Why do you talk so much?” she said quietly, pushing Hu San.

“Yes, yes, I can’t speak properly. Sister A’Ru, please teach me more…” Hu San immediately said.

This sycophantic climber!

Under Chang Yuncheng’s stare, Hu San forgot to bow and slunk out along the wall.

Chang Yuncheng finally felt the room was quiet. He exhaled and got up to go to the privy, but halfway there he returned to grab the string of gourds before striding inside.

The negotiations went quickly. The money was paid that very day, and all the property deeds were completed in one go.

Since it wasn’t appropriate to break ground during the first month, the excited Qi Yue could only first have various instruments made.

“What is this thing?” Chang Yuncheng asked, looking at the drawing on the paper in his hand.

Across the kang table, Qi Yue continued writing and drawing.

“Which one?” She heard him and looked up. “Oh, those are saws, chisels, and files for orthopedic surgery.”

“What surgery?” Chang Yuncheng didn’t understand and asked.

“Orthopedics—bone medicine, treating bone injuries… a specialty,” Qi Yue said.

“Like in battle when legs are chopped off or bones are crushed?” Chang Yuncheng asked.

Qi Yue nodded.

“You can cure those?” Chang Yuncheng couldn’t help sitting up straight as he asked.

“Not necessarily. I’m not a deity who can cure everything. What can be cured will be cured; what can’t be cured can’t be forced,” Qi Yue said. She bit her brush and thought. “But on the battlefield, orthopedics is secondary. The most crucial thing is to stop bleeding and prevent infection—that’s battlefield emergency care… oh my…”

She waved her hand at this point.

“Don’t keep talking to me. I need to finish drawing quickly,” she said, lowering her head to continue writing and drawing. “Those specialties and emergency care can wait. A clever woman can’t cook without rice. Right now, the most urgent things are: first, prepare the equipment; second, train skills. Without equipment and people, even if I talk until the sky falls, it’s just entertainment.”

Chang Yuncheng frowned but swallowed the words he wanted to say, continuing to look through the drawings Qi Yue had completed.

Two lamps illuminated the pair. The room was very quiet, with only the rustling sounds of writing, drawing, and turning papers.

“Lord, Young Madam, late-night snack,” A’Ru came in and said, bringing two bowls of sweet soup.

“Thank you,” Qi Yue said with a smile, reaching out to take one.

This “thank you” made A’Ru couldn’t help but glance at Chang Yuncheng.

She was used to the Young Madam speaking this way, but would the Lord think…

“Mm, good that you know,” Chang Yuncheng picked up the conversation, also taking a soup bowl.

“Who’s thanking you? Don’t flatter yourself,” Qi Yue glared at him with a smile.

“I ordered it to be made,” Chang Yuncheng also glared back.

A’Ru watched the two of them and couldn’t help smiling, picking up the tray to withdraw.

“Oh, right,” Qi Yue stopped her. “The kitchen hasn’t stopped Third Young Master’s late-night snacks, has it?”

Chang Yuncheng made a long face as he poured soup into his mouth.

“No, they’re still making them according to those varieties you wrote down,” A’Ru smiled.

Only then did Qi Yue nod with relief.

After the late-night snack, Chang Yuncheng looked at the water clock and placed his hand over the papers on the table.

Qi Yue was just picking up her brush to write when she was startled.

“What are you doing?” she said.

“Time to sleep,” Chang Yuncheng said.

“You go sleep. You’ve been hanging around here all evening—you should have gone to sleep long ago,” Qi Yue said, trying to move his hand away with hers.

When Chang Yuncheng’s hand touched hers, he couldn’t help grasping it.

Qi Yue’s face turned red as she hastily pulled back.

“You have nothing to do during the day—don’t busy yourself blindly at night,” Chang Yuncheng resisted the urge to reach out again, raising his hand to touch his nose.

This man actually said such caring words—it was really too unusual…

Qi Yue felt somewhat uncomfortable and made an “oh” sound.

“You’re the one who’s busy for nothing,” she retorted after reacting, glaring at him.

Chang Yuncheng simply raised his hand and extinguished the lamp.

“You…” Qi Yue said helplessly.

Chang Yuncheng got up and walked toward the door.

Fine, I’ll humor your good intentions. Qi Yue smiled in the darkness and put down her brush.

Seeing that this woman had actually obediently stopped working against him, Chang Yuncheng couldn’t help but pause.

“Do you… want to now?” he suddenly asked.

Qi Yue was just lighting the night lamp when she heard this and froze.

“Want what?” she asked, puzzled.

This woman was so crude—did this kind of thing have to be spoken aloud!

“Sleep together!” Chang Yuncheng said in a muffled voice.

This awful man!

“Get out, get out, get out,” Qi Yue threw her shoe at him.

Chang Yuncheng snorted and strode away with a flourish of his sleeves.

At midnight, Marquis Dingxi and Madam Xie were also preparing to rest.

“I was just about to tell you something,” Madam Xie said while watching the little maid help Marquis Dingxi change clothes.

Marquis Dingxi had been drinking outside and was somewhat drunk, half-closing his eyes and grunting acknowledgment.

“How would it be if the Rao family’s daughter married into our family?” Madam Xie said.

Marquis Dingxi grunted with his eyes half-closed, then suddenly opened them wide.

“Who? The Shandong Rao family?” he asked.

Madam Xie knew he would have this expression and nodded with some satisfaction.

“Go, go,” Marquis Dingxi waved the maid away.

Sitting on the bed listening to Madam Xie’s account, Marquis Dingxi still couldn’t quite believe it.

“They actually fancy our Cheng-ge’er,” he said with some regret. “I thought it was to arrange a marriage for Qi-ge’er.”

What did he mean by “actually”? Madam Xie’s face darkened. With Chang Yunqi being just a concubine’s son, how could they fancy him? Not to mention having such a birth mother!

Thinking that this matter required Marquis Dingxi to handle it personally, Madam Xie forcibly suppressed her temper.

“If Cheng-ge’er can form a marriage alliance with the Rao family, Qi-ge’er’s future marriage prospects will naturally not be poor either. It’s better than having a beggar sister-in-law when spoken of,” she said.

Marquis Dingxi didn’t like hearing this either.

“A divine physician sister-in-law,” he corrected.

“No matter how divine, it can’t change one’s birth,” Madam Xie said flatly.

Marquis Dingxi didn’t want to continue this topic.

“Would the Rao family let their daughter be a concubine?” he asked. Were they crazy?

“Of course not,” Madam Xie said.

“Don’t even think about divorcing the wife,” Marquis Dingxi refused outright.

Never mind how much face his daughter-in-law had earned him—to go before the emperor and ask for this, he wasn’t that foolish.

Madam Xie quickly reached out to grab his sleeve.

“Not divorce—how could we divorce her? Wouldn’t that be contradicting His Majesty’s golden words?” she smiled, then explained the plan she had devised.

Marquis Dingxi listened for a long while without speaking.

“Let’s wait for Second Madam to bring news from the palace,” he finally said after a long time.

Madam Xie sighed with relief—this meant he agreed.

“Find an appropriate time to tell Cheng-ge’er and them,” she quickly said.

“I don’t care about these women and children’s affairs. You handle it as you see fit,” Marquis Dingxi said with some impatience, turning over to face inward and sleep.

When he wanted to manage things, he managed everything; when he didn’t want to manage, it became “women and children’s affairs.” This heartless, unrighteous, selfish man!

Madam Xie sneered inwardly but responded gently, exhaling as she lowered the bed curtain.

The next day, Madam Xie couldn’t wait to call Chang Yuncheng to tell him this good news, but the maid reported that the Lord had gone out. He left early, so he hadn’t disturbed the madam.

“It’s almost the fifteenth, and he’s still going out,” Madam Xie was somewhat displeased. Recently she felt her son seemed to come to her less and less, though Chang Yuncheng attending banquets and social calls during the first month was normal.

“What about the Young Madam?” Madam Xie asked again. It would be fine to tell this woman first. Thinking about what expression this woman would show, Madam Xie was somewhat eager.

“The Young Madam has also gone out,” the maid answered.

“Did she go out with the Lord?” Madam Xie was greatly alarmed.

“No,” the maid quickly answered. “Sister Qiu Xiang said she went to Qianjin Hall.”

Madam Xie sighed with relief, then showed a face full of disgust. Crude, improper woman! Since you love going to that lowly medicine shop so much, when the Rao family’s young lady enters the door, you can go live there to your heart’s content!

Madam Xie leaned against her pillow, smiling coldly.

That day wouldn’t be much longer!