Chapter Forty
Gu Ronghua escaped from his aunt's house. He was scolded and had some unspeakable thoughts in his heart. After being outside in the cool breeze, he felt the heat in his heart subside.
He dared not speak to Gu Baozhu any further, but simply took some valuables from his room and stuffed them into Gu Baozhu's hands, then sent her back to Gao Wenchang's residence with great apology.
For the first time, the brother and sister, who used to be inseparable, remained silent the entire way.
When they arrived at Gao Wenchang's residence, Gu Ronghua could no longer see him off.
His current situation is also awkward. He and Gu Baozhu are siblings, and they are siblings in a way, since they grew up together. But in reality, they are not related by blood. To Gu Baozhu, who is now married, Gu Ronghua can only be considered an outsider.
"Baozhu, if you've been wronged, come home! Your brother will support you." Gu Ronghua looked at Gu Baozhu's frail body, as if a gust of wind could blow her over, and he couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart.
Gu Baozhu was clearly smiling, but her eyes were filled with tears. "Brother, does Baozhu still have a home? No! I have no home to go back to!"
With that, she turned and went through the gate without looking back.
The gate creaked shut, and Gu Baozhu's figure disappeared into the depths of the courtyard.
A bittersweet feeling welled up in Gu Ronghua's heart, and she felt an overwhelming sense of pity.
Father and Mother are so heartless! Baozhu is such a good girl! She has been married into the Gao family for less than half a year and has been tortured into this state. They just watched her suffer.
If only he were in charge of the Zhongqin Earl's Mansion, he would definitely support Baozhu and let her remain that happy and innocent little girl forever.
If only he were in charge of the Earl's mansion...
Something flashed through Gu Ronghua's mind that startled him; he felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end.
"How could I have thoughts of killing my father? It's too terrible, too terrible!" Gu Ronghua muttered, his voice low and barely audible.
After he finished speaking, he looked around and, seeing that no one was there, breathed a sigh of relief. He then cracked the whip hard, and the pampered horse, in pain, galloped away.
*
Gu Leyao was unaware of the various troubles that had occurred in the Gu family. She was currently very busy, overjoyed at the addition of a new and capable general to the medical department.
Zhang Xiugu was indeed a heroine among women, with superb medical skills, especially in gynecological diseases. Gu Leyao had already arranged for five young girls to learn medicine from her.
Gu Leyao's career is booming, and she has recently had something to be happy about, but it has also brought her a lot of troubles.
Suddenly, a large number of men and women from all over the country came to the medical department to apply for doctor positions, a phenomenon that caught Gu Leyao off guard.
The recruitment notice from the Medical Bureau had been out for a month, but not many people had come. Gu Leyao originally thought that the Medical Bureau had just started and was not yet accepted by the public. However, after careful investigation, she learned that due to the inconvenience of communication in different places, a month had passed before the news reached the local area. They had to travel from the local area to apply for the job, which took a lot of time.
As Gu Leyao watched the medical clinic grow larger and larger, she felt both joy and worry. She was joyful because there were still many medical talents in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but worried because her small medical clinic might not be able to accommodate so many people.
After several busy days, Gu Leyao finally couldn't take it anymore and decided to go to the palace to discuss the matter with the Empress.
The Empress manages such a large palace so well, she must be able to give her some advice.
After that difficult childbirth, the Empress treated Gu Leyao much more kindly. If Gu Leyao had anything she couldn't say to Li Heng, she would go to her.
After all, being a woman herself, the Empress shared many similarities with her.
Upon arriving at the Empress's Phoenix Palace, Gu Leyao had someone announce her arrival before entering.
After giving birth, the Empress's health was not very good, and she spent most of her time resting in the inner palace.
When the young prince wasn't in class, he would come to Fengyi Palace to talk to her.
After meeting with the Empress, Gu Leyao exchanged pleasantries for a while and then told her about the new problem she had encountered.
"Your Majesty, you don't know, the medical clinic I set up was initially empty because I couldn't recruit any people. But later, so many people came that my tiny building could hardly hold them all!"
The Empress's lips had returned to a light pink color. She was amused by Gu Leyao's words, "How could it be as exaggerated as you say? Having more doctors is a good thing; it's better than not being able to recruit anyone."
Gu Leyao said with a bitter face, "I know that principle, but this is the first time I've been in charge of so many people and such a big matter, so I'm inevitably a little flustered. Your Majesty, could you give me some advice? When the Medical Bureau becomes a large national institution in the future, you can be the director and I can be your deputy."
The Empress tapped Gu Leyao's forehead with her finger. "Your medical institute only occupies a small corner of the capital, yet you dream of turning it into a nationwide institution? You even want to trick me into working for you? What a load of rubbish! Just like Chong'er, all you do is flatter me!"
Gu Leyao pretended to stumble after being pointed at by the Empress, "Ouch, I'm going to fall."
She leaned back slightly, then quickly straightened up, rubbing her forehead and feigning a complaint.
The Empress simply smiled, "You're so frail now, stop acting and let's get down to business."
Upon hearing that the Empress had agreed to give her advice, Gu Leyao's eyes immediately lit up like a puppy's. "Good Empress, please analyze it for me quickly."
Gu Leyao also had her own ideas. She came to see the Empress not only because the Empress was a woman and could put herself in a woman's shoes to think about problems, but also because the Empress was the mother of the Great Zhou Dynasty. She was not only the wife of the current emperor, but also the mother of the next emperor. Such a woman in a special position had a great influence on the development direction of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Gu Leyao wanted to leverage the Empress's influence to carve out a niche for herself in the medical field of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The Empress's personal involvement in the construction of the medical institute also gave her a greater sense of responsibility. After all, this was a project undertaken by the two women themselves, unrelated to palace affairs or the affairs of the Prince's residence; it was purely their own business.
Gu Leyao herself had no management experience, so it was perfect for her to ask the Empress for help at this time.
The Empress manages such a large organization as the Imperial Palace very well, so it's no surprise that she can manage a small medical clinic.
Gu Leyao chattered away with the Empress in the Phoenix Palace all afternoon, only stopping when the young Crown Prince returned from school, reluctant to end the conversation.
The little prince's eyes lit up when he saw his aunt arrive; he loved playing with her the most.
Unlike his father and mother, who were always spoilsport and wouldn't let him play this or that, his aunt was even more engrossed in games than he was. Once she started playing, she couldn't stop, and sometimes Li Chong had to remind her to stop.
The young prince was therefore looking forward to playing with his aunt, but also had some mature worries, thinking that his aunt's love of playing might lead her to neglect her studies.
The young prince charged towards Gu Leyao like a frolicking calf.
Gu Leyao hugged the little prince tightly. She had been eating and sleeping well in the palace for the past year, and her health was excellent. She felt particularly strong and lifted the little prince up, saying, "Let's fly together!"
The little prince said with a smile, "I want to fly higher, higher still, higher still, hahahahaha, Mother, look how high I fly..."
Seeing how happy the little prince was, the Empress swallowed the words of criticism she had originally intended to say. She wanted to say that it was against the rules for the little prince to be lifted up and played with like that, but when she saw how happy Gu Leyao was playing with the little prince, with his eyes sparkling, she couldn't help but soften her heart. He was still a child, how often could he be this happy? Let him play.
Gu Leyao finally made the little prince beg for mercy, "Auntie, Auntie, please put me down! I... hahaha, I don't want to play anymore... it's so ticklish, hahaha... Mother, Mother, please save me... hahahaha!"
Gu Leyao finally put the exhausted little prince down. The little prince was laughing so hard his legs were weak. He ran shakily to his mother's bedside, "I don't want to play anymore, I don't want to play anymore..."
The Empress laughed uncontrollably, "Don't you usually want to play? Why aren't you playing now? Don't you love to play?"
The little prince rubbed against his mother's palm like a small animal, "Auntie is too amazing, she seems to have inexhaustible strength, it's too scary, I don't want to play anymore!"
Gu Leyao sat down at the table and poured herself a cup of jasmine tea. She wasn't very good at appreciating tea yet, but she could still tell the quality of the tea leaves. The tea here at the Empress's place was of exceptional quality. After finishing the cup, she could taste a slight sweetness.
The group chatted and laughed for a while longer when the Emperor arrived. He had finished his official duties and came to see the Empress.
Seeing that it was getting late, Gu Leyao suggested that she go back.
The Empress urged her to stay, saying, "Have a meal before you go. It won't make a difference if you stay a little longer."
Gu Leyao shook her head. "The sun is about to set, and Aheng is still waiting for me to come home for dinner. If I go back, he'll probably sulk."
The Emperor laughed upon hearing this, but the Empress was somewhat surprised, "Aheng can sulk?"
Ah Heng usually appears magnanimous and indifferent, as if nothing bothers her.
The young prince nodded in agreement, “My royal uncle is so stingy. He not only sulks, but he also secretly gives me medicine with double the amount of Coptis chinensis added, and he adds bitter melon powder to my candy.”
The young prince had clearly been wronged by Li Heng. When he said this, his face involuntarily scrunched up, looking like a wrinkled old man, as if he had returned to the time when he ate bitter melon powder and drank double the dose of Coptis chinensis decoction.
Gu Leyao chuckled along, "Don't say he's stingy in front of your royal uncle, or he'll tease you again."
Remembering his uncle's methods, the young prince tugged at his lips, signaling that he would stop talking.
Gu Leyao patted the little prince's head one last time and then hurried home.
Li Heng is still waiting for her to come home.
Chong'er, the Emperor, and the Empress are all family, and it is a very happy thing for the family to sit down and eat together.
Gu Leyao also has her own family, and they are waiting for her to come home for dinner.
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