Chapter 467: A Silver Ingot

The case of Zhang Liang's family deceiving others into marriage in Yunzhou finally reached a conclusion; the old lady Zhang could not withstand the torture in prison, and after being sent home she fell ill and died within a few days.

Madame Wang took her son and fled with the Zhang family's only possessions to a distant place; Zhang Liang's legs were broken, and he had long become a cripple.

His brothers and sisters, who had previously benefited from Zhang Liang, now seeing him reduced to a cripple, all scorned his fate and refused to support him.

The once-promising scholar Zhang Liang had actually fallen to the point of begging on the streets.

In just a few short days he had already become a wreck.

He crawled to the village entrance, unwilling to give up, wanting to inquire about the whereabouts of his wife Madame Wang and their son.

But aside from the dust kicked up by carriages passing the village entrance, he could learn nothing.

Suddenly a luxurious carriage brushed past Zhang Liang's side, nearly hitting him.

The carriage driver lashed Zhang Liang's spine with a whip.

Zhang Liang cried out in pain and hastily flung himself to the side, his cloudy eyes fixed on the splendid carriage as it passed, cursing a few vulgar words.

Unexpectedly the carriage stopped, its curtain was lifted, and a delicate white hand reached out and dropped a silver ingot.

Zhang Liang stared for a moment, then hurriedly crawled toward the carriage, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Thank you, benefactor; may your boundless blessings bring you good reward!"

"Good reward? Hah!" a clear, lovely voice came from inside the carriage, and then the curtain was slightly lifted, revealing a gorgeous, exquisite face.

Upon seeing the woman's appearance, Zhang Liang froze for a moment, feeling that her face resembled someone.

Before Zhang Liang could examine her closely, the woman shouted for the driver to depart.

Zhang Liang clenched the silver ingot tightly in his hand.

After lowering his head in thought for a while, a sudden idea struck him; he slapped the dust‑kicked ground and whispered, "I was saying he resembled a noble from Shang Jing, but actually he looks somewhat like the Princess Consort of Rui."

Thinking of the Princess Consort of Rui brought to mind her younger brother, Gu Kang, and Zhang Liang, seething with anger, began to mutter curses under his breath.

Their village happened to lie at the crossroads, on the essential route from Yunzhou to Jing Cheng.

He had been keeping watch here, inquiring everywhere about his wife's whereabouts to no avail; today, however, was somewhat better—he had obtained a piece of silver.

Zhang Liang now had no other thoughts; he just wanted to get by, and with this silver he could buy a jug of wine and some meat at the village entrance.

He was happily thinking about it, unaware that two starving refugees had been following him from behind.

These days in Southern Qi have been especially unsettled; near Rapids Prefecture famine broke out, floods occurred, turning thousands of miles of fertile land into marshes—just as the autumn harvest was expected, everything was submerged and lost.

Refugees had already fled from Yongzhou toward this area; giving Zhang Liang silver at this time was tantamount to killing him.

The woman in that carriage was not acting out of kindness; she derived extreme pleasure from indirectly causing death.

After all, Zhang Liang dared to curse at her carriage, so he deserved to die.

Zhang Liang slowly dragged his crippled legs, just moving into the woods when suddenly a hurried footsteps sounded behind him.

He hurriedly turned around, horrified to see two refugees raising stones and smashing them down hard onto his head.

A short but fierce shout echoed from the dense woods, then immediately faded into silence.

Only the scorching autumn wind remained, whooshing past.

At this moment the Zhao family of Shang Jing was already in utter chaos.

Gu Jiu Ling personally took charge of the Zhao family's General's Manor, accompanied by Zuo Feichen.

When Jinzhi went into labor, this pregnancy felt somewhat off.

Unfortunately the fetus was malpositioned; despite Gu Jiu Ling having previously had Jinzhi try various postures lying down to correct the position, hoping to turn the baby, they discovered via B‑ultrasound that the child was not only transverse but also had the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck three times.

In this condition, natural childbirth would inevitably result in two deaths.

At this point the Zhao family's young master, already frantic, paced outside the delivery room, grabbed Gu Jiu Ling's arm, and his voice changed: 'Save her, Gu Jiu Ling, I'll do anything you ask—anything! Even killing me to serve as your drink is fine.'

Gu Jiu Ling nearly choked on a mouthful of tea.

She coldly glared at Zhao Lang: 'We agreed that we could only remove the baby from her womb via surgery; you also signed the consent form, and surgery carries risk—if…'

"No ifs!" Zhao Lang's eyes turned icy cold as he stared fixedly at Gu Jiu Ling.

"I say again, there are no ifs; in my household Jinzhi will never have the words "if" appear. If anything happens to her, I will fight you to the death."

Gu Jiu Ling felt suffocated, about to speak, when suddenly a tall figure entered from outside the courtyard.

Xiao Yin today wore a plain light‑purple silk robe; the Dragon Spring Sword at his waist was slowly drawn and placed with a slap on the table before Zhao Lang.

His clear peach‑blossom eyes lifted slightly, a hint of depth flickering in his gaze as he flicked his cuff and coldly smiled: 'Life and death are dictated by fate; wealth and honor lie in heaven.'

"My consort spares no effort in her treatment; she will certainly do her utmost. Whether she recovers or not, whether the adult and child can both be preserved—no one can say for certain."

"If some people, relying on having learned a few days of half‑assed martial arts, threaten my consort, then let them ask whether my Dragon Spring Sword will comply."

With a swish, Xiao Yin's Dragon Spring Sword leapt from its sheath; the Dragon Spring Sword is now in tune with Xiao Yin's intent.

Xiao Yin's Dragon Spring Sword, once drawn, must drink blood; at this moment it actually emitted a low, excited humming.

Zhao Lang's complexion shifted slightly; he could not utter a word of the threatening speech.

Gu Jiu Ling secretly amused, gave Xiao Yin a thumbs‑up; Xiao Yin now helps her specifically deal with medical disturbances.

"Everyone settle down; I have previously performed this surgery on a young marquis and also on a country girl."

"That is, cut open the belly… right, I also did it once for my household's prince."

"Best to open the belly, take the child out, then suture the belly shut."

"Although the surgery carries risk, the risk is not especially great; still, I insist that when I perform the surgery, only Left Doctor Zuo and I may be present—no one else may enter."

"If anyone enters and causes the surgery to fail, that is not my fault."

Gu Jiu Ling finished speaking, raised her hand and dragged Zhao Lang outside Jinzhi's bedroom, then stared at him firmly: 'If you want Jinzhi to live, I warn you once more—do not enter and disturb me; not only you, but even your mother must stay out. Understood?'

As if to match the scene, the moment Gu Jiu Ling's words fell, the sound of Madame Zhao wailing heaven and earth came from elsewhere.

She cried out, demanding to accompany her daughter‑in‑law; Zhao Lang's expression changed slightly, and he quickly ordered people to keep his mother outside the courtyard—this place was already chaotic enough.