Chapter Ten: Crisis

“What are you doing here?” The Duke of Qin was caught off guard and embarrassed by the sudden appearance of the two women. Madame Zhou, seeing her son on the verge of death, burst into tears. “If I hadn’t come, Chuan’er would have been beaten to death by you!”

“Good riddance if he dies!” the Duke of Qin roared. “Now he’s living recklessly, and if he’s not careful, he’ll bring disaster upon the whole family. Hundreds of people in our household would be buried with him! Take her away!” he waved for the maids to pull Madame Zhou aside, sighing, “A doting mother ruins her son!”

Madame Zhou was stunned silent by his shouting. Born into a scholarly family, she had always been gentle and refined. Now, faced with this scene, she collapsed weakly against a maid for support.

Gu Qiulan watched the Duke of Qin closely. At the founding of Great Zhou, His Majesty was caught in enemy territory, and the Duke of Qin, alone on horseback, charged into enemy lines, fighting in dozens of battles, wounded countless times, and rescued the emperor safely.

This was a man who had killed.

Gu Qiulan stood up. “If my husband has made a mistake, I cannot escape blame either. But... to err is human. I beg you, Your Grace, forgive him this once.”

The Duke of Qin had not expected that, even at this point, his daughter-in-law would still plead for that fool. He recalled what Steward Zhao had said earlier: ever since their return from visiting her family, Qin Muchuan had shown a sour face to his new wife, leaving her so frightened that she stood helplessly at the gates...

Ah, what a calamity!

He, Qin Zhong, had fought on the battlefield for decades, gaining great fame at court, only to have such a disappointing son. Tomorrow, how could he face Minister Gu at court? The Gu family had raised a learned and reasonable daughter, only for her to be ruined by his own son.

The Duke of Qin, a hero of his generation, was filled with guilt. Hearing Gu Qiulan’s plea, he heaved a long sigh and allowed her to take her husband away.

Gu Qiulan’s heart ached for him; after performing the proper courtesies, she quickly had Qin Muchuan carried away. The small courtyard fell into silence. Everyone knew the Duke had lost his temper today; all moved with caution, even Yue’er, who had lately been growing unruly, was now properly subdued. Linglong had been frightened half to death and now envied Qianqian, who had already been driven from the courtyard. At least, being far away, she would have nothing to do with the Duke and his son and would not have to serve them up close.

Qin Muchuan was beaten raw and bloody. Gu Qiulan sent the maids away, leaving only Qiaoyun and Nanny Zhuang.

Qiaoyun had never thought much of Qin Muchuan—a pretty boy living off his looks, yet full of conceit, who knew where he got the nerve. She glanced at his wounds and said, “The Duke of Qin is a seasoned general. Though he hits hard, these are only flesh wounds; the bones are untouched.”

“Indeed,” Nanny Zhuang agreed, “One cannot master the art of caning without ten years of practice. Look here, the worst wound bleeds the least. And here—it seems trivial, but it’s the most painful spot…”

Hearing Nanny Zhuang’s analysis, Qiaoyun became interested, circling Qin Muchuan’s wounds and praising, “They say the Duke is nothing but a brute, but clearly, he’s quite meticulous!”

“Which battlefield general’s reputation is not well earned?” said Nanny Zhuang.

Hey—you two! Gu Qiulan fumed, feeling smoke rising from her head. At a time like this, why were her maid and nurse so fascinated discussing the man’s father? Yet she could say nothing, for she still needed these two “trauma doctors” to treat Qin Muchuan’s wounds. Damn it all.

At last, when their commentary was over and they were finally about to get to work, Yue’er’s cautious voice sounded from outside: “Young Madam, Doctor Ning has arrived.”

Gu Qiulan twitched. Why had she wasted so much effort with Qiaoyun and Nanny Zhuang? She hurried to have Doctor Ning brought in.

Upon entering, Doctor Ning sensed the oppressive mood. He had watched Qin Muchuan grow up; though mischievous, he was not evil at heart. If this incident hadn’t so thoroughly shamed the Duke, he wouldn’t have resorted to such harsh measures.

“Young Madam, there’s no need to worry. Even a tiger will not eat its cubs. Though the Duke seemed severe, he did not injure the young master’s bones. I’ll prescribe a few remedies; with ten days or half a month’s rest, he will recover.”

“My thanks, Uncle Ning.”

Gu Qiulan immediately clung to Doctor Ning, discarding the two she’d brought from her own family.

Finding themselves alone, Gu Qiulan quietly asked, “Uncle Ning, though my husband has some harmless faults, what on earth did he do to provoke the Duke’s wrath?”

Doctor Ning’s hand paused. Wasn’t it a night at the brothel on his wedding night? Did she not know?

Though almost everyone in the household knew Qin Muchuan’s misdeeds had earned him a beating, few knew the particulars. After all, for a groom to visit a brothel on his wedding night—such disgrace, even in his fury, the Duke had not shouted it aloud.

Apart from a few insiders, the household merely speculated that the young master had been unfaithful after marriage and neglected his bride, thus angering the Duke.

Although Steward Zhao had reported the incident, those few in the know, including Doctor Ning, assumed that the rumor had been quietly released by Gu Qiulan herself. After all, as a lady of a noble house, it would be unbearable to swallow such an insult; they could understand her actions.

Gu Qiulan and Doctor Ning stared at each other, both blinking.

“Ah… this poultice must be applied daily; please take good care, Young Madam.” Doctor Ning hastily scribbled his prescription, his instincts warning him that the matter behind Qin Muchuan’s beating was complex—he was just a doctor, best not to get involved.

Receiving no answer, Gu Qiulan was left with several prescriptions in hand as Doctor Ning fled with his medicine chest at a speed belying his age.

“No wonder he was once a military doctor. Even past fifty, he’s still so agile!” Nanny Zhuang shook her own ample flesh, suddenly seized by melancholy. She glanced at Gu Qiulan, whose face was unreadable as she crumpled the prescription into a ball.

Gu Qiulan was not the brightest, but she was no fool. In this matter—damn it, she’d been set up!

“Ha… back in Yan Prefecture, I never swallowed such a loss!” Gu Qiulan sat in the outer room; aside from Nanny Zhuang and Qiaoyun, there was no one else.

Suddenly, lightning split the sky outside, followed by rolling thunder. The stifling heat of the day was swept away by torrents of rain. The windows rattled in the wind, the candles flickering wildly, struggling to stay lit.

Qiaoyun hurried to shut the windows, but the drumming of rain outside only made the room’s silence more eerie. By candlelight, Gu Qiulan’s face was ghostly pale.

“A stratagem to sow discord,” Nanny Zhuang said, her cheeks trembling. “How should we break it?”

Gu Qiulan sneered. “A secret within, suspicion without; we’ll turn their ploy to our advantage.”

“Excellent!”