“Oh,” Gong Yu replied listlessly.
He thought he was a big kid now and could share things with his sister, but his sister still kept everything from him and never discussed anything with him.
In the neighboring Li family's courtyard, Doctor Zhang finished his meal early and said to everyone, "You all continue eating, I'm going to check on the brother and sister."
Having said that, he left the room. Granny He saw him to the door, and seeing Shui Ling standing there with her neck hunched, she glared at her and whispered, "What are you waiting for? Go back inside!"
Shui Ling immediately took off running, leading Doctor Zhang into the Cui family's courtyard.
The brazier under the eaves was burning half-dead, and the medicinal soup had been brewed.
Shuiling quickly carried the medicine pot into the house and then went to find the ceramic bowl.
Doctor Zhang took the pulses of both the Gong siblings, and finally nodded and smiled, "You two are really lucky. You've already recovered after just one night. Especially the boy, in another month, he will definitely be able to walk around."
Gong Yunshu quickly bowed and thanked him, but Doctor Zhang stopped her and instructed, "Don't be fooled by the fact that you haven't bled, your injuries are much more serious than your brother's. You must continue to take two doses of herbal medicine a day for at least two months, otherwise it will affect your lifespan."
Gong Yunshu had guessed some of it, but when she heard that she would have to drink the medicinal soup twice a day for two months, she asked, "Divine Doctor, is the medicinal soup I drink expensive? How much silver will it cost for two months?"
Doctor Zhang had already bent down to examine Gong Yu's leg injury, and casually replied, "You added ginseng to your medicine, which made it a bit more expensive. But over two months, a hundred taels of silver should be enough."
One hundred taels of silver?!
Gong Yunshu's expression changed immediately. She had thought that a dozen or so taels of silver would be enough, but she didn't expect it to be so expensive.
To the Li family, they were nothing but strangers.
It was already a great favor that Uncle Li saved the lives of the brother and sister on the street, but now he has to spend so much money to treat their illness.
This is no longer just a simple act of saving a life!
Such a kind and righteous family, acting with such goodwill, yet they…
She gripped the hem of her dress tightly, and after a long while, she stammered as she spoke to Shui Ling, "Sister Shui Ling, please ask the old lady and the master to come over. I... I have something to say. Someone is threatening us and trying to harm the Li family!"
Shui Ling had just finished pouring the medicine soup when she heard these words and almost dropped the bowl.
She dashed to the next room, forgetting to close the door behind her.
Doctor Zhang only glanced at Gong Yunshu before continuing to change and bandage Gong Yu's wounds.
Gong Yunshu struggled to get down and knelt down.
Gong Yu's injured leg had just been bandaged, but he also knelt down next to his sister, supporting himself.
Gong Yunshu patted her younger brother's shoulder, her eyes reddening.
Doctor Zhang sighed, thought for a moment, and then said, "No matter why you two sisters ended up at Broken Gold Beach, don't waste this good fortune. As long as you have a clear conscience, maybe your hard times will be over."
Gong Yunshu kowtowed and thanked the old man.
At this moment, the old lady, Li Zhensheng, and Li Lao Er all came over.
Jiayin, of course, couldn't miss this opportunity either, so she clung to the Marquis's back and joined in the fun.
Seeing Gong Yunshu and her brother kneeling on the ground, none of the Li family members helped them up; instead, they all sat down.
The old lady looked at the brother and sister who could only kneel steadily by leaning on each other, sighed softly, and asked, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Gong Yunshu reached out and hugged her younger brother, wanting him to have someone to lean on so that his leg injury would hurt less.
She took a deep breath and said, "Madam, my brother and I have wronged the Li family. The time we were chased, beaten, and bumped into the Earl on the street was a setup. Someone forced us to do this in order to infiltrate the Li family."
"Who forced you? Who orchestrated this? Explain yourself." Li Lao Er's face was grim; no one would be happy to have their good intentions exploited.
A glint flashed in Gong Yunshu's eyes as she suppressed the indescribable bitterness in her heart and spoke carefully.
"Ever since my parents and grandfather passed away, my grandmother has changed. She finds me extremely displeasing and beats and scolds me every day. She also takes me to visit many relatives and friends, hoping to marry me into a wealthy family and then help the Gong family to restore its former prosperity."
“But people outside said in private that our family had been plagued by bad luck, which is why we had one misfortune after another. So, I have not been able to find a husband. My grandmother said that I was useless and beat me even more every day. I endured it all, only wanting to protect my younger brother as he grew up. But my grandmother slowly started to beat and scold my brother as well, and I couldn’t protect him no matter what I wanted to do.”
She choked up, tears streaming down her face, which she wiped away fiercely as she continued speaking.
"A month ago, my grandmother finally found a way to marry me off to an old scholar as his sixth concubine. She said that the scholar promised to teach my younger brother and help him take the imperial examinations, so that he could bring glory to the family."
"But not long after, my uncle came to our house. I overheard him telling my grandmother that he wanted me to do a small favor for a nobleman, which was to... to find a way to get into the Li family and seduce... to marry the Earl and become his legal wife."
"Even if it doesn't work out and you can't marry into the family, you still have to stay in the Li family and follow their orders to manage them. After you've done it, they'll give your family a sum of money and send your younger brother to the academy."
"That's outrageous!" The old lady slammed her hand on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) in anger, it was unclear whether she was cursing the Gong family for scheming against the Li family, or cursing the Gong family for giving their young granddaughter to the old man who was a Hanlin scholar to ruin!
Li Zhensheng and Li Lao Er also frowned deeply, especially Li Lao Er, who felt a complex mix of emotions.
After all, they used his beauty to seduce him, and he actually brought the girl back with him.
Fearing that the Li family might misunderstand, Gong Yunshu quickly added, "When my grandmother heard about your family's status, she immediately changed her mind and agreed to my uncle's arrangement. I know she wanted to use my uncle in return, hoping that I would actually... marry into the Li family, which would be more beneficial to the family than becoming a concubine to a Hanlin scholar."
"She told her uncle that she could fake her death and then have him hide her. She would then use her life to threaten my brother and me into obeying her orders. She didn't expect that I would overhear all of this. I had had enough of her beatings and scheming, and I also wanted to take this opportunity to escape from home with my brother."
"My uncles were afraid that the Earl would suspect them, so they broke my brother's leg beforehand, refused to treat him, and beat us badly in the street. I really thought my brother and I were going to die. It was the Earl who came to our rescue, took us in to recover, and spent money to buy medicine. I don't want to be an ungrateful wretch, so I'm explaining things now."
“Although we have our reasons, our conscience is not right. We plotted to save the Lord’s life. Please, Madam and Lord, do not beat or scold us. We are willing to accept the punishment.”
After saying this, she forced her astonished brother to kowtow again and remain prostrate on the ground.
Neither the old lady nor Li Lao Er spoke, but Li Zhensheng asked, "Did your uncle say who the influential person who instructed him was?"
“My uncle didn’t say,” Gong Yunshu replied, looking up. “But I was determined to escape, so I kept an eye on him. He was always plotting with a local thug named Liu. That thug has an older brother who runs a casino in Xindu and is considered a local bully.”
“Back when my father was still alive, this thug approached him, wanting to take him gambling, but my grandfather taught him a lesson. So, I remember it very clearly.”
A casino in Xindu?!
Li Zhensheng and Li Lao Er exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with surprise.
The thread that someone had previously used to lure Wei Dajun into gambling has now been connected!
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