Qiu San Niang nodded: "That's possible. I just learned about this rumor myself, and I was just about to send someone to investigate."

"That's good."

The two chatted for a while longer, and then Qiu Sanniang asked Xiao Qingyin, "I'm going to hold a victory celebration for the Second Master tonight. Do you want to come?"

Xiao Qingyin chuckled: "We're not part of your gang, so how can we attend your victory celebration?"

"You've been a huge help to us lately."

"Let's not thank each other."

Xiao Qingyin teased.

"You and your gang can celebrate your victory; we won't get involved."

The murder case hasn't been solved yet, and now they're being spread rumors about. Attending the banquet might spoil the atmosphere.

Qiu Sanniang had no choice but to say, "Alright, I'll be going now."

"Okay, you go ahead and do your thing."

Although Xiao Qingyin and the others did not attend the banquet, their dinner was just as lavish as that at the banquet.

Zhao Xu was so happy he almost forgot about home.

"Do you think the Hongyun Gang can take me in?" he asked Yi Wu. "I'm willing to work as a kitchen helper, as long as I can eat seafood every day."

Yi Wu sneered: "I don't know if they can take you in, but if you reveal your identity, those gang members will definitely take you in."

Zhao Xu: "..."

He sighed deeply: "Sigh, it's really hard to find a powerful backer."

Yi Wu was speechless: "Are you out of your mind? The dignified Crown Prince of Dai is always thinking about clinging to other people's coattails. Isn't your father's leg thick enough?"

Zhao Xu immediately shed a handful of bitter tears.

“A child without a mother is like a blade of grass! When my mother was alive, my father treated me like a precious jewel; after my mother passed away, my father married a new wife, and I became like a dog's tail flower by the roadside, living a life even worse than my second brother who was born out of wedlock.”

Yi Wu scoffed: "No matter how badly I treat you, I'll still make you the heir apparent."

"My becoming the heir apparent is entirely due to Chief Secretary Cui's efforts."

Zhao Xu replied.

“When my great-grandfather was still alive, the affairs of the Prince’s Palace were managed by Chief Secretary Cui. His words carried more weight than my father’s. It was Chief Secretary Cui who stopped my father from making my third brother Zhao Hao the heir.”

“However, over the years, Chief Secretary Cui’s power has been divided up, and my father no longer listens to him.”

"My father always kept Zhao Hao by his side, leaving me, the heir apparent, out in the cold. When he sent me to lead the army to conquer Nandan, I thought it was a sign of his appreciation for me, but who knew..."

He almost died in Nandan!

Given his father's intelligence capabilities, it was impossible for him not to know Yi Shuihan's strength. Sending someone with little combat experience to Nandan was tantamount to sending him to his death.

If he didn't look exactly like his father when he was young, he would have doubted whether he was his biological son.

Yi Wu: "..."

Well, happy crown princes are all alike; every unhappy crown prince is unhappy in his own way.

Before him was Wei Yan, and after him was Zhao Xu.

Each one of them is more miserable than the last.

They're not even as comfortable as those bodyguards.

No wonder Zhao Xu wanted to stay with the Hongyun Gang as a helper.

He patted Zhao Xu on the shoulder: "If you behave well, maybe our master will take pity on you and let you stay in Nandan as a prisoner."

Zhao Xu: "..."

Then there's no need!

After dinner, the group returned to their lodgings. Xiao Qingyin chatted with Yi Shuihan for a while and prepared to wash up when Qiu Sanniang brought someone to their door.

"Qingyin, this is our second-in-command, Lu Hongli. He was slashed while fighting the Black Tiger Gang on Nanye Island. He went to sea before his wound had fully healed, and now, after more than half a month, the wound is still red. Could you please take a look?"

Qiu San Niang explained.

"no problem."

Xiao Qingyin smiled.

Lu Hongli, with a stern face, took off his jacket and showed Xiao Qingyin the wound on his back.

After examining the wound, Xiao Qingyin replied, "It's still a bit inflamed. I have some wound medicine here; it should heal in three to five days after applying it."

Qiu San Niang was overjoyed: "Thank you so much."

After handing the wound medicine to Lu Hongli, Xiao Qingyin instructed, "Apply it twice a day, morning and evening. Use plenty of medicine and spread it evenly."

Lu Hongli nodded: "Okay. Thank you."

“You should go back first,” Qiu Sanniang said to him. “Qingyin and I will talk some more.”

A hint of displeasure flashed across Lu Hongli's eyes.

He said calmly, without showing any emotion.

He left directly and returned to his own courtyard.

Qian San was drinking and humming a tune under the eaves when he saw him return. He immediately put his legs down and went to greet him.

"Second Master, what did the female doctor say?"

"They said it's an inflammation, and applying wound medicine for a few days will cure it."

Lu Hongli replied.

Qian San's gaze shifted to the medicine bottle in his hand. "Did she prescribe this medicine?"

Lu Hongli nodded.

"May I take a look?"

Lu Hongli simply tossed the medicine bottle over.

Qian San caught it in a fluster, and said with a grin, "Aren't you afraid of breaking it by throwing it like that? I've heard from the people who have been seeing her these past few days that her medical skills are amazing, and this medicine might be some kind of miracle drug."

Lu Hongli scoffed: "Do you think she's that miracle doctor in the capital, or some kind of miracle drug?"

Qian San's eyes darted around: "Maybe she is. San Niang's illness was cured in the capital. She's so warm and generous to this woman, it can't all be because of that pretty boy, right?"

Lu Hongli's face darkened at the mention of Yun Zhao.

Qian San continued, "That pretty boy is now being treated by a doctor and doesn't need San Niang's care anymore. San Niang still visits him every day. Xiao Liuzi has been dead for so many days, and the murderer still hasn't been caught. People in the gang are saying that San Niang is protecting the murderer."

Lu Hongli felt increasingly frustrated when he thought about how Qiu Sanniang had told him to leave first.

He snatched the medicine bottle back from Qian San's hand, annoyed and irritated, saying, "Why do you keep bringing up that kid? I don't want to hear his name."

Qian San made a gesture as if slapping himself: "Look at my mouth, I keep saying unpleasant things. Let's not talk about it anymore. I bought some top-quality Daughter's Red wine, would you like some?"

Lu Hongli didn't reply, but walked towards the wine table under the corridor.

Drinking alone makes it easy to get drunk. Lu Hongli didn't know how he got back to his room. When he woke up, he found himself lying in bed with the medicine bottle next to his pillow.

He stared at the medicine bottle for a long time, and several times he wanted to smash it.

But remembering how Qiu Sanniang frowned slightly when he told her that his injuries hadn't healed at the celebration banquet last night, she gave up on the idea.

He rolled over and jumped out of bed, went out to take a cold shower, and then went back to his room to apply the medicine.

A strong cooling sensation came from the wound.

Only then did he believe that the doctor probably really had some skill.

But this belief did not last long.

After applying the medicine twice a day, he only felt relief on the first day; in the following days, the more he applied the medicine, the more painful it became.

Looking in the mirror, I saw that the wound, which had started to scab over and was only a little red, had now become ulcerated.

He smashed the mirror with a "bang".

"Oh!"

It should only take three to five days to fully recover. Is this what full recovery looks like?

Qian San came in when he heard the noise, and when he saw the wound on his back, he gasped: "Second Master, how come your injury hasn't healed at all? In fact, it's gotten worse?"