Fourth Master was deep in thought, and Miao Shou did not urge him, while Lan Qin seemed to not quite understand the meaning of his words.

Although she understood the saying "serving a ruler is like serving a tiger," Kangxi didn't seem like the kind of tyrant who would kill people at will. Even if he made a slight mistake in his medical skills, would Kangxi kill the skilled doctor in a fit of rage?

Lanqin silently thought to herself that, based on her interactions with Kangxi, he seemed more like a knowledgeable and gentle-tempered older man.

"Fourth Master, Miaoshou is willing to follow your lead from now on!" When the Fourth Master remained silent, Miaoshou couldn't help but say this again.

The Fourth Prince narrowed his eyes and stared at the skilled hand, saying, "Sir, what are you saying? The Emperor is the ruler of the country, and you should only serve the Emperor!"

Miao Shou's pupils contracted slightly, and he said with some excitement, "Fourth Master, please don't refuse. After I go back and settle things there, I will come to pay my respects to you again!" After saying that, he suddenly stood up and walked out of the small garden. Soon, his figure disappeared from the sight of the two of them.

"Master, what's wrong with Master Miaoshou? I feel like he has something to say, but it's stuck in his throat and he can't say it." Lanqin glanced at the Fourth Master and said, but she noticed that the Fourth Master's face had also darkened.

"Qin'er, I just remembered something I haven't taken care of, so I need to go out for a bit. Just tell the steward here where you want to go, where you want to eat, it's all fine. I'll go out with you as soon as I have some free time." Fourth Master suddenly stood up, and before Lanqin could react, he strode out of the pavilion, leaving Lanqin somewhat stunned as she watched his back disappear from sight.

"They all walk faster than rabbits! Humph, I'll go play by myself!" Lanqin stomped her foot and called Nianxue, who was waiting outside the courtyard, back home.

When Fourth Master saw Su Peisheng following him, he turned around and said to him, "Wait for me at the teahouse across the street. I'll come to find you there after I've finished my business. Remember, don't come back unless I'm looking for you!"

Su Peisheng turned his head, nodded, and then followed Fourth Master out of the Jinan Prefecture government office.

Meanwhile, when Miaoshou left the yamen, he was unaware that Fourth Master had been following him. Once outside, he entered the main street and headed east. That was Jinan's horse market; he must have been looking for a horse.

Sure enough, Miao Shou arrived at the horse market on East Street and immediately spotted a chestnut horse with a broken leg.

"How much is this horse?" Miaoshou asked a man who looked like he was from Xinjiang.

The man held up two fingers and asked with a puzzled look, "Twenty taels?"

The man shook his head and said in broken Chinese, "Two hundred taels! This is a genuine Akhal-Teke horse. I sold it because of a family emergency and I urgently needed money. Normally, it would cost two thousand taels to buy one in the horse market."

The skilled hand examined the "Akhal-Teke horse" with suspicion. This horse was indeed very different from the common horses. So he asked, "I am ignorant and have never seen an Akhal-Teke horse before. How can I identify it?"

The man who looked like he was from Xinjiang then walked up to Miaoshou, looked him up and down, and said, "It's very simple. You should know why the Akhal-Teke horse got its name, right?"

Miaoshou nodded and said, "I know that. The Ferghana horse can travel a thousand miles a day, and the sweat it sheds is as red as blood."