Chapter 61

Outside, rain began to fall again, distant thunder rolling over the horizon; the lamplight inside the Peach Blossom Pavilion swayed back and forth with the wind blowing in through the window, casting shifting light and shadow on Gu Jiu Ling and Xiao Yin.

Neither spoke; it felt as if they were meeting for the first time.

Gu Jiu Ling's heart pounded; this boy indeed had some peculiar ideas—she would have to keep her distance from him in the future.

Rebellion is such a high‑risk game; she would not play along with him—it was too frightening.

But Xiao Yin said it to her face, making it hard for her to leave later; he dared to say it, assuming she would not dare to speak of it.

A chill ran up Gu Jiu Ling's spine; this person always acted contrary to common sense, and she was genuinely afraid.

Xiao Yin saw Gu Jiu Ling's face turn pale, gave a light chuckle, and ruffled her hair, saying, 'I was just joking with you—look how scared you've become? Is your courage really that small?'

Enough! I, the Prince, still have matters to attend to; you're tired today, so rest well.

Xiao Yin rose slowly; Gu Jiu Ling stood, bowed to him, and saw him out.

She stood at the door of the warm pavilion, watching that tall silhouette disappear at the gate, while fine rain drizzled down.

June's weather changes as quickly as a child's face.

Gu Jiu Ling turned and went into the warm pavilion; rain had settled on her shoulders, and Jiu Yue took a handkerchief to dry her off, noticing her master's poor complexion: 'Master, are you feeling unwell? When it says it will rain, it rains—I'll go brew you some ginger tea.'

"Jiu Yue," Gu Jiu Ling said, sinking onto the bed, her voice low: "This Wangfu cannot be stayed in; we must find a way to leave."

The rain grew denser; at the hibiscus garden on South Mountain outside the city, the warm glow from the palace lanterns spread a soft halo beneath the eaves.

On the carved lattice window of the warm pavilion appeared a tall, slender silhouette, with two hidden guards kneeling before him.

"My lord, the ledger was finally obtained by the Princess Consort of Rui."

"The Princess Consort of Rui?" a pleasant male voice murmured, as if softened by the steady rain, becoming even more pleasing to the ear.

"The Princess Consort of Rui possesses extraordinary literary talent; all three of her essays were singled out by Mr. Wen, winning top honors."

"Gu Jiu Ling…" the voice steadied, saying, "She really is the biggest variable of all!"

This rain seemed endless; Gu Jiu Ling sat in the side hall's study, while Li Qiao'er brought several stewards to report on the shop's affairs.

"Master, the infirmary has been set up; following your earlier blueprint, I had the craftsmen build a consultation hall on the first floor and an operating theater on the second, and opened up the rear courtyard into wards as you instructed."

"There are thirty‑two rooms in total, staffed with four physicians and twelve medicine boys."

"We've settled the medicinal supplies with the pharmacy at East Street; they will provide the goods, and the owner—whom I secretly investigated earlier—has an excellent reputation and does not sell counterfeit drugs."

"As for the surgical instruments you requested, the craftsmen say some are difficult to make and will be ready in a few days."

"All that's left is to give the infirmary a name."

Gu Jiu Ling nodded approvingly; she had not misjudged this girl—she was quite reliable in her work.

"As for the name," Gu Jiu Ling said, lowering her head in thought, "let's call it the Southern Qi First People's Hospital!"

Li Qiao'er stared for a moment, wondering why her master had chosen such a name for the infirmary—it sounded odd; normally they'd be called things like Hall of Spring Return or Skilled Hands Hall.

What does 'People' mean?

Li Qiao'er dared not ask further; whatever the master said, that was what it would be.

"I'll go find someone to make the signboard right away, and you set an opening date."

Gu Jiu Ling looked out at the curtain of rain—why was it getting heavier and heavier?

"Once this rain passes, we'll officially open; in the next few days, go to the print shop and have some flyers made, saying: Grand opening celebration—purchase an annual card and you, your relatives, or friends will enjoy a 20 % discount on treatment; chronic‑long‑term illness service at half price; plus we specialize in all kinds of difficult and miscellaneous ailments—no charge if we can't cure them."

"Add this line: we will hire physicians of high medical virtue and skill at a premium—three times the usual monthly salary of other infirmaries!"

"Yes!" Li Qiao'er hurriedly bowed in assent and set off to carry out Gu Jiu Ling's orders.

Gu Jiu Ling then listened to several more stewards' reports on accounts and miscellaneous shop affairs; before she knew it, two hours had passed.

At noon, with the overcast rain continuing, Gu Jiu Ling decided to have hot pot.

"What has the Prince been up to lately?" Gu Jiu Ling asked, blowing on a meatball before popping it into her mouth.

Jiu Yue, while laying out the dishes, reported: "The Prince has been very busy lately; I heard the lads in the front courtyard say that many people have been visiting him, as if they've kicked down the threshold of our Prince Rui's Wangfu."

Gu Jiu Ling's grip on her chopsticks tightened; sure enough, Xiao Yin's motive for joining the poetry gathering was impure—this was the start of his effort to win over talent.

It seems the Prince Rui's manor will not be able to enjoy a few peaceful days from now on.

After finishing her meal, Gu Jiu Ling personally prepared a clay‑pot tofu ball for Xiao Yin, then, accompanied by Jiu Yue, headed toward his Eastern Pavilion study.

For many days Xiao Yin had not come to her Peach Blossom Pavilion—perhaps because he was busy, or perhaps because her fearful display that day had been too obvious, leaving him with a grudge against her.

Although she wanted to leave the Prince Rui's manor, it certainly was not now; her wings were not yet full‑grown, and striking out alone would only get her killed sooner.

Since we will be residing on someone else's territory, we must maintain good relations with the master of this Wangfu.

Gu Jiu Ling carried the food box to the gate of the Eastern Pavilion, where the two guards saw her and bowed.

"Is the Prince in?"

The guards hurriedly replied, "Reporting to the Princess Consort, the Prince has just gone out to meet friends in Liu Lane."

Gu Jiu Ling nodded, handed the food box to the guards, and said, "The Prince likes this; take it to the back kitchen and have the cook keep it warm on low fire for when he returns."

"Yes!" The two guards quickly took the box, looking at Gu Jiu Ling with a bit more approval.

After all these years, the Prince finally has someone who cares about his comforts—quite nice.

The rain continued for several days, showing no sign of stopping, and the persistent gloom made people grow listless.

Gu Jiu Ling lay bored under the covers reading a storybook; before the time to light the lamps, the sky had already darkened, and she was about to order someone to come in and light them.

Suddenly Jiu Yue rushed in, her face ashen.

"What's wrong?" Gu Jiu Ling exclaimed, startled by Jiu Yue's appearance—this usually steady girl now looked utterly panicked.

She hurriedly sat up.

"Master! Something has happened to the Prince!"

"Days of heavy rain have caused the Official Ditch, long neglected, to overflow; the streets of Shang Jing are flooded, the houses in Liu Lane have collapsed, and an entire street's worth of people are trapped underneath—reports say many have died, and the Prince is among those buried."

"What?" Gu Jiu Ling froze in place, then hastily threw off the covers and got out of bed.

"Prepare the carriage! To Liu Lane!"