一夜情

“Junjun, Mr. Qiao wants to ask me some things. He was afraid that you would not like to hear these discussions, so he euphemistically asked you to leave,” Zhao Chuchu explained to Xie Jun.

Xie Jun did not accept her excuse. He felt that Qiao Heting wanted to snatch Sis away from his brother.

Although his brother was incredible, he only had his fame as a scholar for now. Therefore, he could not compete with Qiao Heting at all.

!!

After all, the young maidens in Lengshui Village all preferred men with good family backgrounds. Xie Jun felt that the current Xie Heng could not compare to Qiao Heting. It was possible the latter would snatch Sis away.

“Sis, I will stand here. Even if others were to see the two of you together and spread rumors, I could be a witness to shoot down those allegations,” said Xie Jun adamantly.

Qiao Heting could not do anything. He could not chase Xie Jun away, so he allowed the latter to stay by Zhao Chuchu’s side as he asked about Qiaoyi Town.

Zhao Chuchu answered all of his questions one by one.

When Qiao Heting heard Zhao Chuchu’s claim that everyone could be cured, his mood improved significantly.

“As expected, Mrs. Xie is Doctor Miracle. I did not misjudge you. In two days, I will bring my friend to see you and personally thank you.”

Zhao Chuchu turned him down and said, “There is no need to do so. For matters of money and goods, there is no need for thanks. Moreover, this is also my first time seeing such a disease. I have also gained experience from this. It is an opportunity that is hard for me to come by.”

“Mrs. Xie, you are too kind. We should be grateful to you. If it weren’t for you, even with 10,000 taels of gold, no one would be able to treat these citizens.”

“I know what you are saying, Mr. Qiao. However, there truly is no need for that. If I need anything, my husband will provide it for me.”

Qiao Heting was speechless.

He had yet to say anything, but Zhao Chuchu had already seen through him.

“Mr. Qiao, if you wish to thank me, why don’t you pay me more? In order to treat the illnesses of the people, I have used quite a number of medicinal herbs. Unfortunately, what you have paid so far won’t cover my costs.”

Zhao Chuchu gave Qiao Heting a sideways glance.

It was best to discuss payment. That way, others would not be able to claim that her relationship with Qiao Heting was out of the ordinary.

Qiao Heting reassured her, saying, “Mrs. Xie, don’t worry. When this strange sickness in Qiaoyi Town is settled, my friend will reward you handsomely. As for the county office, rest assured, they will not dare to cause trouble for you.”

That meant that Qiao Heting’s friend was of high status!

However, Zhao Chuchu had no interest in investigating who this friend of his was.

She would just do her part and collect her payment.

“That would be best. A few days ago, a doctor from the town came looking for trouble because of this. My temperament is not too good. Mr. Qiao, I would be grateful if you could quell these troubles for me.”

“You left too fast.”

“Mr. Qiao, if we didn’t leave quickly, would we be able to leave at all?”

Qiao Heting was momentarily stunned before he managed to respond.

He was very familiar with the Great Prince’s disposition. Moreover, he knew that Sikou Qin had come to Yuanjiang County to cause trouble for Xie Heng. Therefore, he understood why they had left Yuanjiang County so quickly.

Qiao Heting pondered for a moment. Then, finally, he said in a low voice, “That person is already dead.”

“Huh?” exclaimed Zhao Chuchu, feigning surprise. “Who are you referring to?”

“The Great Prince’s concubine has passed in Jianan Province.”

“What did you say?”

Zhao Chuchu’s eyes were wide open. She pretended to be as astonished as possible.

“You are not playing tricks with me, right? I diagnosed the Great Prince’s concubine back then. Although she was critically ill and wouldn’t wake up anytime soon, as long as she rested, she would recover. So how did she die like that? Is the imperial physician so incompetent?”

Qiao Heting gave Zhao Chuchu a deep look and asked, “Did you really not know?”

“How could I know? When the imperial physician arrived, I passed on the care of the Great Prince’s concubine to him. As far as I know, he is far more proficient in medicine than I am. Moreover, the royal family has all sorts of precious medicinal herbs. Therefore, treating the Great Prince’s concubine would have only been a matter of time.”

“Mrs. Xie, you were the one who attended to the Great Prince’s concubine first!”

“Yes, I did. However, she was still alive when I handed her to the imperial physician.”

“But others will not think like that!” said Qiao Heting with a serious look. “You had better prepare yourself. The Sikou clan will be on your tail soon!”

“Even if they come looking for me, I cannot resurrect the dead,” said Zhao Chuchu helplessly. “Moreover, I had never met the Great Prince’s concubine before I treated her. I have never left Yuanjiang County before. Why would I kill her?”

Qiao Heting retracted his inquisitive gaze.

Sikou Qin died due to medicine in the palace. Now, the imperial harem and court were in turmoil. Sikou Zhendong’s people did not find any evidence in Yuanjiang County. So they naturally would not detain Zhao Chuchu and prevent her from leaving.

After all, she was not an ordinary citizen. The current emperor wanted to live a long life; therefore, he had been exceptionally interested in Zhao Chuchu, this Doctor Miracle.

One day, he might even invite her to Imperial City.

Moreover, the strange disease of Qiaoyi Town had already spread to Imperial City. The emperor had dispatched the imperial physician to Qiaoyi Town.

Aside from here, cases of the big belly disease gradually appeared in other places.

Zhao Chuchu could treat this illness. However, with the magnitude of her contribution, no one in the court dared to touch her, especially Sikou Zhendong and the Great Prince.

“Relax. No one will trace that person’s death back to you. No matter how incredible your skills are, you couldn’t have gotten poison to kill her,” Qiao Heting comforted Zhao Chuchu. “Moreover, there are people in Imperial City protecting you.”

Zhao Chuchu looked at Qiao Heting and asked directly, “Are you trying to get me to treat your friend?”

Qiao Heting was speechless.

“If not, why did you spend so much money to invite me over to prove my medical skills?” asked Zhao Chuchu. “Mr. Qiao, please speak frankly.”

Qiao Heting smiled bitterly and said, “I truly can’t keep any secrets from you. Mrs. Xie, how did you figure it out?”

“You said that you met your friend before seeking us out. I managed to identify a faint scent of medicine on you. You are in peak condition, so any scent of medicine will most likely be from the people around you. Only those who deal with medicine all year long will have such a scent on them.”

Qiao Heting lifted his sleeve and sniffed it. Indeed, there was a faint scent of medicine on his clothes. However, ordinary people would not notice it unless they actively sought out the smell.

“Mrs. Xie is impressive,” Qiao Heting praised as he gave her a thumbs up. “Would you be willing to look at my friend’s condition?”

...

“We’ll talk about it when this case is over,” Zhao Chuchu said. She rubbed her thumb and index finger together and added, “However, you should know that the price for curing a rare disease is higher.”

Qiao Heting was an intelligent man. He knew that Zhao Chuchu had already guessed that his friend was an extraordinary figure, judging from the fact that his friend needed to keep his identity a secret. So he smiled and said, “Mrs. Xie, do not worry. We will treat you well.”

Zhao Chuchu liked dealing with smart people. However, she still warned Qiao Heting, saying, “Mr. Qiao, you’d better be prepared.”

“What do you mean?”

“This friend of yours likely only has a few more years to live.”

When Qiao Heting heard this, his expression changed drastically. He even had a somewhat murderous look in his eyes.

Zhao Chuchu reassured him, saying, “Don’t get mad. I do not know when you arrived in Qiaoyi Town. I do not have the habit of spying on the affairs of others. The reason why I guessed so is that your friend is using strong medicines to stay alive.”