Chapter 18

"Miss, it is Young Master Qin."

Only Qin Chen came.

After he walked in and greeted her with a smile, he immediately noticed the storybook she had hidden. The cover, which was vaguely visible, seemed to say something like...

He tilted his head, curiously trying to see clearly.

Gu Zhizhuo leaned back, completely blocking the storybook with his back.

Qin Chen: ?

Gu Zhizhu glared at him and asked, "Can't the young master come out?"

Qin Chen touched his nose: "Yes."

Gu Zhizhuo slumped his head listlessly.

Qin Chen said, "On the first day of the fifth month, Young Master will go to the Taiqing Temple outside the city. This is because..." He mouthed the word "Emperor"... "He promised. Young Master said that if any young lady is free..."

"Great!" Gu Zhizhuo was delighted again.

After answering, she asked, "Young Master Qin, do you know of any places nearby where I can repair bows?"

She only remembered which rouge shop had the most perfect rouge color, which embroidery shop had the most fashionable and beautiful patterns, and which pastry shop had the most delicious pastries; she hadn't paid attention to anything else.

"Is this the one for repairing bows?" Qin Chen pointed to the black cloth bag next to Gu Zhizhuo and said confidently, "I know how to fix it!"

"You can?"

Qin Chen puffed out his chest and said confidently, "Of course!"

He added, “I’m very good at it. If you go to a blacksmith’s shop, you definitely won’t find someone who is good at repairing bows. Bows and arrows are the most important weapons of the state, and ordinary shops would never dare to take on this job. I learned from the tutor of the Crown Prince back then.” When he said the words “Crown Prince,” he only mouthed the words.

That's true.

Gu Zhizhuo took the bow case, untied it, revealing an ordinary black bow inside, and said, "The string is broken."

"Moreover, it seems the calibration is not accurate."

Huh?

Qin Chen glanced at it once and couldn't look away.

He reached out and took it, weighed it in his hand, first praising it as "a good bow," and then carefully tested the string before saying, "The bow axle is crooked, the bowstring is secondary. It can be fixed."

"Miss Gu, is this for your own use?"

"right."

How's your arm strength?

Gu Zhizhuo: "..."

In her previous life, she practiced diligently, and for the next few years she used a one-stone bow.

But now, after being pampered for so many years, with such thin arms and legs, I'm afraid I might not even be able to draw a five-pronged bow to its full extent.

Suddenly, she felt a pang of self-loathing! She straightened her posture and emphasized seriously, "I'm practicing."

Qin Chen looked at her delicate, white hands resting on her lap, noticing no calluses or wounds. He then looked at her face and her hands, wisely refraining from saying a word.

Qin Chen patted his chest and assured her, "Miss Gu, it'll be ready in a minute. I guarantee you'll find it easy to use! You can just read your storybook for a while."

"I actually don't like reading storybooks!"

Gu Zhizhuo emphasized one point.

No matter what she said, Qin Chen just smiled and nodded, trying not to annoy anyone.

Qin Chen always carried a spare bowstring with him. He would just tell Manager Su what tools he needed and then he would busy himself with his work.

Gu Zhizhuo quietly slipped the storybook to Qiongfang from behind, gesturing for her to put it away, and then watched intently as he adjusted the bow axle and changed the bowstring.

He was quite efficient, and the bow was repaired in just half an hour.

Qin Chen handed the black bow back, saying confidently, "Give it a try!"

Gu Zhizhu tried to pull it, and easily pulled it to full speed. She smiled with satisfaction.

Great, I'll use this one to practice first!

"Miss Gu." Seeing her smile, Qin Chen leaned closer and said shamelessly, "You mentioned the bloody disaster last time... could you please help me calculate it again?"

Gu Zhizhuo put the bow aside, gestured for Qiongfang to bring a pulse pillow, and then said, "Bring it here."

Qin Chen was stunned for a moment: "I'm not sick."

“It is the Tai Su pulse.” Gu Zhizhuo explained, “‘The Tai Su pulse determines one’s fate based on lightness and clarity, heaviness and turbidity’ (note), and can be used to predict good or bad fortune, and to speak of blessings and misfortunes.”

There was no compass or counting rods at hand.

Besides the compass, her greatest skill is the Tai Su pulse.

"Oh, I see!" Qin Chen happily reached out his hand.

At first glance, the pulse diagnosis technique of Tai Su Mai seems no different from that of a doctor taking the pulse. Gu Zhizhuo placed three fingers on his pulse and lowered his eyes to carefully examine it.

Huh, what's this...?

Gu Zhizhuo looked up and carefully examined his face, asked for his birth date and time, then had him switch hands so she could examine him again, carefully feeling his pulse. After a while, she withdrew her fingers and did some calculations.

After switching from left to right hand and calculating for so long, even Qin Chen, who was usually very easygoing, was starting to feel a little uneasy.

He asked cautiously, "Can it be resolved?"

"I need to think about it..."

Gu Zhizhuo slightly bent his fingers, his fingertips gently tapping the table. Each tap felt like a tap on Qin Chen's heart, making his heart beat faster and faster.

"Young Master Qin." Gu Zhizhuo leaned back in his chair, beckoned to him with a flick of his finger, and asked with a subtle expression, "What are your plans for later?"

Qin Chen answered the question: "I want to go to Xilai Pavilion in front to buy some snacks and bring them back for my aunt to try."

He has not returned to his residence since returning to the capital.

After finally settling down, the young master gave him a few days off to go back and see his aunt. He thought he would bring her some pastries from Xilai Pavilion.

"Then go ahead."

"ah?"

Gu Zhizhuo said, "Xilai Pavilion starts cooking at noon sharp. If we don't go now, we won't be able to get a table. We'll talk about the rest later."

ah!

He really didn't know when Xilai Pavilion would open its furnace.

"Miss Gu, wait for me, I'll be back soon! I'll bring you something delicious."

He suddenly stood up and ran off in a flurry.

Xi Lai Ge is an old shop in the capital, which was very famous during the previous dynasty. It is located at the end of Zhuque Street.

Qin Chen always remembered that when he left the capital, his aunt cried uncontrollably and gave him all the savings she had accumulated over the years. He promised his aunt that he would take good care of herself and that he would buy her Xi Lai Ge's Red Beauty Pastry when he returned to the capital.

He rushed as fast as he could, and when he arrived, the queue in front of Xilai Pavilion was already quite long. Qin Chen glanced at the end of the queue and hurried over to join it.

Xi Lai Ge's Red Beauty Pastry is famous far and wide. Only one batch is made each day, and it sells out as soon as it's opened.

Qin Chen waited patiently in line. He arrived at the perfect time, and after a short while, he heard the waiter shout, "The furnace is open!"

A fragrant aroma filled the entire street.

Qin Chen slowly moved forward with the crowd in line. The line moved very slowly, and when it was finally his turn, Qin Chen handed over a small silver bead and received two boxes of Red Beauty Pastries wrapped in oil paper.

The person behind shouted, "Shopkeeper, give me a box too!"

"That's all. We're sold out for today."

The shopkeeper waved his hand repeatedly, smiling warmly and eagerly: "Sir, please come again tomorrow."

"Gone? How could it just be gone!"

"We only have pine nut and lily bulb pastries and duck fat pastries left. Would you like some more, sir?"

A chorus of frustrated sighs rang out, and the people in line began to groan in dismay.

Qin Chen paused, grinned, and felt incredibly lucky to have managed to buy the last two boxes.

Give one box to Miss Gu, and then embellish the story, saying how difficult it is to get a reservation and how hard it is to buy it, guaranteeing that she will be satisfied with the food.

If Miss Gu is satisfied, she will be more attentive to the young master's illness.

Qin Chen, carrying the snacks, happily walked across the street. Halfway across, still in the middle of the road, he heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from the end of the street. The sound was fast and urgent, and there were at least three or five horses.

Qin Chen quickly stepped aside to avoid it.

When the late emperor was alive, there was a strict law that no horse could be ridden freely in the capital. He followed the prince for six years, how come even this rule has changed?

He frowned, too lazy to think about it anymore.

He dodged quickly, but the others were not as agile. When the people saw the galloping horse, they were thrown into chaos, screaming and running in both directions. A little girl lost her footing, was bumped, and fell in the middle of the road.

"Sigh." Qin Chen sighed, rushed forward in three strides, pulled her aside, and shielded her behind him.

A black horse with its four hooves trotting in the snow almost brushed past him, the strong wind from its hooves ruffling his black hair and covering his face in dust.

Qin Chen released the girl with lingering fear: "Where are your parents?"

A woman in a blue cloth dress rushed out from the crowd, hugged the little girl, and the girl burst into tears.

"Thank you, young master! Thank you, young master!" the woman said repeatedly, and quickly left with the little girl.

Woohoo!

The sound of reins being pulled back rang out one after another, and several horses stopped in succession.

The group of five, each carrying a riding crop and dressed in fine clothes, were clearly spoiled brats from wealthy and powerful families. The common people of the capital, always pragmatic, knew they couldn't afford to offend them and quietly kept their distance.

What bad luck!

Qin Chen cursed inwardly, then cupped his hands and greeted, "Fifth Brother."

He was the third son of the Earl of Jing'an, born out of wedlock, while the one who almost bumped into the girl was his stepmother's youngest son, Qin Luo.

Qin Luo sat on his horse with a nonchalant expression, looking down at Qin Chen. He hesitated for a moment before remembering who he was.

"Oh, it's Third Brother. What a coincidence, you've returned to the capital?"

“By the way,” he slapped the horse’s head, making it shake its neck uncomfortably, “that person has already returned to the capital, so you’ll have to beg and plead to follow him back, just like a lapdog.”

After he finished speaking, he laughed first.

He pointed at Qin Chen with his riding crop and joked with his companions, "You don't know, my third brother was quite the ambitious fellow back in the day."

Qin Chen said expressionlessly, "Fifth Brother, I still have errands to run, so I'll take my leave now."

"A job?" Qin Luo glanced down at the oil paper package in Qin Chen's hand, assuming that his job was to buy pastries, and said arrogantly, "You don't actually consider your lousy job a treasure, do you?"

"Come here, kneel down and be my stool, and I'll go talk to my elder brother and try to get you out of here as soon as possible, so you won't be so reckless and make a fool of yourself and embarrass our manor."

Just two days ago, he overheard his elder brother and advisors discussing how they needed to find a way to reassign Qin Chen. His brother said that while Gongzi Chen was currently enjoying a prestigious position with the Duke of Zhenguo, the Emperor's heart would likely be even more reluctant to accept him. If the Emperor decided to intervene, their Earl's Mansion would also be implicated because Qin Chen was Gongzi Chen's man.

What a scourge!

He's already sixteen and still doesn't have a job. He must have been dragged down by Qin Chen!

A note from the author:

Note: From *The Secret Formula of Tai Su Pulse Diagnosis*