“Speak,” Chang Yuncheng’s voice came through the curtain, still not getting up.
“Prince, I know I was wrong. Please don’t be angry anymore. Let me go back. I don’t dare stay here anymore,” Qi Yue called out weakly and pleadingly.
“Go back? The physician said once you’re no longer dizzy and nauseous, you can go back,” Chang Yunqi said quickly.
Qi Yue was so happy she was about to sit up from the bed.
“Third Brother, you should go back,” Chang Yuncheng said outside.
“Good, good, I’m fine now and can leave,” Qi Yue said hurriedly.
Chang Yuncheng lifted the curtain and smiled at Qi Yue.
“We’re leaving, not you,” he said.
At these words, everyone in the room was shocked.
A’Ru immediately fell to her knees.
“Chang Yuncheng, do you have any humanity left!” Chang Yunqi stepped forward, grabbed his collar, and roared.
Chang Yuncheng raised his arm and easily pushed Chang Yunqi away.
“Someone come, take Third Young Master away to cool down. We’re all gentlemen here—constantly shouting and yelling is unseemly,” he said.
Two men responded and entered from outside.
Chang Yunqi was nearly exploding with rage, but helplessly couldn’t match the strength of these soldiers, who grabbed him on both sides and dragged him out.
The angry cursing quickly disappeared from the courtyard—who knew how those men made him shut up.
This man was equally domineering and fierce toward both strangers and family.
“Do you want to go cool down too?” Chang Yuncheng glanced at A’Ru, who was kneeling and crying, and asked.
A’Ru pressed her mouth tightly, not daring to let even a sound of crying escape.
“Chang Yuncheng, are you serious?” Qi Yue looked at him in disbelief, tears already glistening in her eyes.
“I don’t really like telling lies,” Chang Yuncheng smiled. “Moreover, I keep my word. One matter is one matter—you being harmed and me driving you out are two different things.”
“Chang Yuncheng, after I return I absolutely won’t bother you anymore! I’ll just live in Qiu Tong Courtyard, won’t manage the household, won’t manage anything, won’t want anything—just let me live there, and I guarantee I’ll be obedient and peaceful,” Qi Yue was truly desperate, stepping forward to grab his sleeve and plead.
Someone had nearly taken her life—she couldn’t stay here even one more day.
I want to go home, I want to go home!
Chang Yuncheng laughed heartily and reached out to touch the beautiful face so close to him.
Qi Yue shivered at this sudden intimate contact and instinctively wanted to dodge, but thinking of her hope, she forcibly endured it.
Whatever—it wasn’t her body anyway.
“Regret it?” Chang Yuncheng smiled.
Qi Yue gritted her teeth and looked at him with a sincere expression of regret.
“Too late!” Chang Yuncheng laughed heartily, flicked his sleeve, turned, and strode away.
“Prince!”
“Chang Yuncheng!”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Chang Yuncheng stopped at the door and turned back. “I’ll arrange for people to stay behind to ensure this place is very safe. Forget about being harmed—even if you wanted to kill yourself, you wouldn’t succeed.”
“Chang Yuncheng, don’t regret this!” The door slammed shut, trapping the shrill female voice and the sound of a stool hitting the door behind it.
The group mounted their horses in disorder and galloped away.
Wind carried cold rain down, and the originally bustling street was suddenly empty of people.
A person rushed into an apothecary, already soaked through.
“Physician, physician!” he called loudly.
Only two young assistants stood behind the counter.
“Sir, how may we help you?” the assistants asked with somber expressions.
This was the apothecary’s rule—they couldn’t be enthusiastic like other shops, or it would be disrespectful.
“Where’s the physician? My mother is sick—please come quickly to see her,” the visitor shouted anxiously.
“What bad luck—the physician went on a house call,” the assistant said apologetically.
“What? Also on a house call?” the visitor stared and asked. “How is he also on a house call? I’ve run to several places and they all said house calls! What’s happening today? Don’t tell me all the physicians in the city have been called out!”
The assistants just smiled apologetically.
“Sir, we don’t know. Someone came early this morning to request the physician, and he hasn’t returned yet,” they said helplessly.
“Which family? I’ll go wait there,” the visitor said angrily.
The assistants’ expressions became even more sympathetic.
“It’s Prefecture Magistrate’s household. You can try waiting there,” they said.
The visitor was immediately dumbfounded.
The back residence of Yongqing Prefecture Magistrate’s office was like other prefecture offices—official business in front, living quarters behind. Although there was always the custom of not renovating official buildings, the back residence of this Yongqing Prefecture Magistrate’s office was renovated quite lavishly, rivaling the wealthy families in the prefectural city.
At this moment, this lavish back residence was shrouded in gloom. Screams of agony came from one room, with groups of maids and servant women going in and out.
The room was packed with people. Besides the pacing Prefecture Magistrate and the women crying their hearts out, the rest were a group of physicians of various ages. If an outsider came in and saw this, they would definitely think it was a physicians’ gathering—otherwise, why would all the famous physicians, large and small, of Yongqing Prefecture be here?
“What do you think?”
“I think it’s hopeless…”
“The horse trampled him—it’s already injured his internal organs…”
The physicians huddled together whispering.
“Have you figured out a solution or not?” the Prefecture Magistrate suddenly shouted.
The gathered physicians were startled into silence, and for a moment no one spoke.
“Speak!” the Prefecture Magistrate glared at them and shouted.
Finally one spoke up.
“Sir, the young master probably won’t make it,” he said.