Jiang Zhenlin was demoted in the cavalry after hitting the Crown Prince's guard, but everyone knew he was the young master of the Prime Minister's mansion, and he would be reinstated after the New Year at most. He remained as respectful as ever.
But he's been listless these past two days.
Gao Peng had rested for a few days, avoiding the limelight of the Minister's Mansion being implicated, and only came to report for duty today.
The two conspicuous bags suddenly became low-key, and the elite cavalry camp was eerily quiet all day.
"Want to have a couple of drinks?" Gao Peng caught up and put his arm around Jiang Zhenlin's shoulder. "The cabinet has started compiling the important matters submitted by officials from all over the country. Your father and my father are so busy that they don't have time to take care of us."
"If we don't drink now, the restaurants and dance halls will close after the Lunar New Year. We won't be able to drink again until after the Lantern Festival."
His words piqued Jiang Zhenlin's interest.
The two went straight to the wine shop on East Street and set up a table in a private room on the second floor.
Gao Peng couldn't keep a secret, and after only two drinks, he asked, "I heard Miss Qingwan is injured again? And she can't get out of bed. What happened?"
Jiang Zhenlin was annoyed by this. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Why are you keeping an eye on her? Let me tell you, give up on that idea as soon as possible. No matter how bad her reputation is, she will not marry you."
Gao Peng knew he was being mean-spirited, but he wasn't angry. "Liking her isn't some heinous crime. I haven't bothered anyone, nor have I crossed any lines to cause her any trouble. I'll just ask her what's wrong."
"You're bothering me." Jiang Zhenlin downed a glass of water.
Gao Peng curled his lip, "Then your cousin is still playing tricks in my house. Several people my father mentored were originally planning to be promoted this year, but now that's out of the question."
"I didn't say anything to you either."
Jiang Zhenlin glared at him, unable to answer.
Gao Peng then continued to ask, "Tell me what exactly happened."
Jiang Zhenlin was both annoyed and angry. After holding it in for a while, he said angrily, "Who told her not to dodge! I wasn't really going to kick her!"
Gao Peng's expression tightened. "You kicked it?"
"You, you..." His cheeks flushed red with anger, his chest heaving as he suppressed his rage and cursed, "She... she can withstand one kick from you? You're trying to kill her!"
Jiang Zhenlin retorted without thinking, "She also got kicked by me when she came back, and she vomited blood but was fine."
Gao Peng's temper flared up instantly, "You fucking kicked her on the very first day! What terrible thing did she do to end up with a brother like you!"
"You'll regret this sooner or later."
Jiang Zhenlin had always been the type to respond better to gentle persuasion than force, and upon hearing this, he became stubborn, slamming his hand on the table, "She has ill intentions! She asked for it!"
"It's one thing to cause trouble at home, but she also dares to try and use the Prince's power to run rampant in the Prime Minister's residence and bully my sister. Let's see how she gets out of this situation!"
Gao Peng was stunned. "What escape?"
Jiang Zhenlin said, "The prince has already said he will take her out. Without a title or status, what else is it but self-degradation?"
“My mother and I warned her long ago, but she wouldn’t listen! I don’t know what my father was thinking, just letting her do such shameless things!”
Gao Peng's eyes widened, his anger gradually cooled, and his heart trembled involuntarily.
Seeing that he hadn't spoken for a long time, Jiang Zhenlin glanced at him and suddenly said, "If you can snatch her back from the prince, I'll call you brother from now on."
Gao Peng swallowed hard, then suddenly sat back down in his chair. After a long pause, he finally said, "Ah Lin, have you heard that the Prince has a flower garden outside...?"
They were only halfway through their conversation when there was a knock on the door of the private room. "Young Master Jiang?"
Jiang Zhenlin and Gao Peng exchanged bewildered glances. "Isn't that the voice of Guard Tong, who serves the Crown Prince?"
Gao Peng immediately became wary, "You hit the Crown Prince's guard again?"
Jiang Zhenlin's eye twitched. "Bullshit! How many heads do I have to provoke the Crown Prince?"
"Young Master Jiang, I have something to discuss with you. May I come in and talk to you in detail?"
The two men sobered up considerably, and Gao Peng stood up and straightened his clothes. "I'll go open the door."
The Prime Minister's Residence.
Jiang Zhenlin stood outside Lin Qingwan's door, hesitating for a long time, before finally saying to Guard Tong, "It's inconvenient for Commander Xiao to go in alone. Why don't you inform the apprentice or the physician and let them go in to perform the procedure?"
"Young Master Jiang, I need to personally examine which vertebra is the problem and roughly how far it's misaligned before I can determine how much force to apply." Xiao Qianhu was a rough man and didn't think that far ahead.
"Moreover, bone setting is all about technique. Not to mention the physicians in the prefecture, even the imperial physicians in the palace can't compare to me."
Tong Di also thought this made sense. It was not safe to rely on manpower. What if something went wrong? How would they explain it to the Crown Prince?
Jiang Zhenlin kept a straight face. Lin Qingwan's injury was in her lower back. Was that a place that could be seen and touched by just anyone?
No one knows what this guard Tong was thinking. Hearing his conversation with Gao Peng in the restaurant, he enthusiastically recommended Commander Xiao to perform bone setting on Lin Qingwan.
He was about to refuse, but Gao Peng kept egging him on, so he brought the person back.
Jiang Zhenlin was still worried, "Anyway, you can't go into her room."
Xiao Qianhu looked helplessly at Tong Di. It was also Tong Di's first time doing this kind of job. He understood Jiang Zhenlin's concerns, but this was the Crown Prince's order!
"Why don't you ask Miss Qingwan what she thinks first, Young Master Jiang?" Tong Di had escorted Lin Qingwan back to the mansion last time and found her to be easy to talk to and approachable.
Jiang Zhenlin directly rejected the idea, saying, "She is a member of the Prime Minister's household. Even if she were to die paralyzed in her room, she cannot be offended by outsiders. What's there to ask?"
Commander Xiao couldn't hold back any longer, "Then why did Young Master Jiang bring us to the Prime Minister's residence? Why did he let Miss choose to die paralyzed when she knew there was a way to live?"
Jiang Zhenlin couldn't answer, his brows furrowed deeply.
Mu Xue came out from inside. She was also afraid of Jiang Zhenlin, so she shrank back and bowed. "Guard Tong, Miss said she appreciates your kindness."
“She doesn’t mind, please invite Commander Xiao in.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Qingwan's voice came from inside, "Qiuhong, prepare tea."
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