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Gu Jiao went to the medical hall today.
Upon seeing her, Second Owner was on the verge of tears. Disregarding the many physicians and patients in the lobby, he tightly held Gu Jiao's hand, scrutinizing her from head to toe, "Little Gu, are you really okay?"
"I'm fine." Gu Jiao replied.
"You're lying! You got seriously ill and didn't tell me! You were even abducted by the Imperial Son-in-law!"
As people from the medical hall also went to the border, they could bring back some news about Gu Jiao. For example, after returning from Lingguan City, Gu Jiao isolated herself for seven days, so Physician Song knew about her catching the plague.
Physician Song wouldn't keep it from Second Owner.
However, Physician Song was unaware of Gu Jiao being abducted by the Imperial Son-in-law.
She didn't mention it.
Neither did Gu Changqing.
She didn't talk about it because she couldn't be bothered. Gu Changqing probably remained silent for the sake of her reputation. Gu Changqing only reported everything truthfully in his letter to His Majesty.
Apart from her and Gu Changqing, only Princess Ning'an and her servant and Physician Tong were aware of this matter.
Gu Jiao's gaze shifted past the medicine table, landing on someone prescribing medicine for a patient.
Sensing Gu Jiao's gaze, Physician Tong turned around, giving her a radiant smile and waving, "Physician Gu!"
As one of Princess Ning'an's saviors, Physician Tong came to the capital because the Emperor wanted to reward him in person.
However, he chose not to stay at the imperial post station and instead insisted on coming to the medical hall to do chores for free.
"Physician Gu!"
After he finished prescribing medicine for the patient, he approached her with a big smile on his face, "You left the army that day. I've been worried about you."
"Mm." Gu Jiao responded calmly, "Thank you for your hard work."
She was referring to his voluntary work without receiving a monthly stipend.
Physician Tong quickly waved his hand, "It's no trouble at all!"
He glanced behind Gu Jiao.
Knowing what he was looking at, Gu Jiao said, "In the basket."
Physician Tong's eyes lit up.
Gu Jiao added, "But I won't let you touch it."
Physician Tong: "..." contemporary romance
During the New Year, there weren't many patients coming for treatment, and there weren't any difficult and complicated diseases that needed to be dealt with by Gu Jiao.
In the afternoon, Gu Jiao went to Liu Yisheng's home.
She didn't go on New Year's Eve but went on the first day of the year. However, it seemed Liu Yisheng wasn't there, and Ah Nu and the elderly nanny were also absent.
Gu Jiao knocked at the Liu Family's gate one more time.
Surprisingly, there was still no response.
"No one's here? Did they go out, or has there been nobody around these days?"
Gu Jiao listened quietly for any movement inside. Given Liu Yisheng's unique status, many people in the capital wanted to bully him. Gu Jiao wasn't sure if something had happened to him. She grabbed the tree trunk with her left hand and exerted force to scale over the wall.
The yard was covered in snow, with no unfamiliar footprints.
The courtyard gate was bolted on the inside and was unlocked outside. However, if one went through the main room to the back door, they would find the back door locked from the outside.
So, they really went out.
The house was a bit dusty, but there were no signs of a struggle.
Gu Jiao essentially ruled out the possibility of Liu Yisheng being kidnapped.
After some thinking, Gu Jiao left a note for him, suggesting he come to the medical hall when he returned because she had something to give him.
After leaving Liu Yisheng's home, Gu Jiao made her way to Qinghuan Chess Club.
She wasn't there to play chess but to look around the area for the old beggar.
She had left in haste before and hadn't bid farewell to the old beggar. She didn't know how he had been lately.
She searched the streets where the old beggar used to frequent but found no trace of him.
Suddenly, a scholar emerged from Qinghuan Chess Club across the street. She called out to him, "Excuse me, have you seen the old beggar who used to set up chess boards across the street?"
Accustomed to dressing as a boy at the border, Gu Jiao wore male attire today as well.
After spending three months with Gu Chengfeng, she had learned a bit how to fake her voice. It wasn’t entirely pleasant to the ears, but her youthful voice could still deceive the unsuspecting.
The scholar, educated and composed, wasn't startled by the young boy's face. He kindly replied, "Oh, you mean that person? He's gone!"
"Gone?" Gu Jiao was surprised.
"Yeah, I haven't seen him in over two months! Isn't that considered gone? Ah, it's possible he..." The scholar covered his mouth, realizing it wasn't appropriate to say ominous things during the New Year. He skipped the rest of his sentence and continued, "He's old, and with this much snow in the capital this year, you know."
"Mm."
Gu Jiao understood.
It was freezing cold, and an old beggar without shelter might have frozen to death on a harsh night.
This was the scholar's speculation, not Gu Jiao's.
That old beggar could make money and likely wouldn't starve or freeze to death.
Of course, accidents or foul play couldn't be ruled out.
"Hopefully, he’s not that unfortunate."
Gu Jiao murmured.
"What did you say?" The scholar asked.
"Nothing much. Thank you. Goodbye."
"Ah." The scholar couldn't stop Gu Jiao, scratching his head in puzzlement. "It's really strange. On New Year, someone comes asking about the whereabouts of a beggar? Then again, that beggar seemed quite skilled at chess. He even defeated the esteemed Master Maoshan at the Qinghuan Chess Club."
“Gee. What does that have to do with me anyway?"
Shaking his head, the scholar wrapped his coat tighter and crossed the snow-covered street.
……
The coincidences in this world were so bizarre. They seemed to be there when they shouldn't, and disappear when they should be there, as if they had an agreement.
Gu Jiao walked calmly along the silent street. The capital was the most bustling place in the entire State of Zhao, yet the streets during the New Year were still eerily quiet.
Every now and then, one or two carriages passed by Gu Jiao.
Unconcerned, she continued walking ahead.
However, when she passed by a small alley, she heard loud noises from the other end.
Gu Jiao focused her gaze. It was coming from the direction of the Heavenly Music House.
While Gu Jiao wasn't too familiar with the Heavenly Music House, she had visited a few times to investigate some matters.
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing was likely the owner of the Heavenly Music House. After Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's death, Gu Jiao hadn't kept tabs on the establishment.
But what could have happened at the Heavenly Music House?
After a moment's pause, Gu Jiao decided to head towards the Heavenly Music House.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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