Dingbei Hou's doctor brother

"I can't influence the princess's imagination," Xiao Yan said, "and I can't stop her from running around and working hard every now and then. You stay in the main courtyard, and I'll stay here. We just need to refrain from disturbing each other."

Xining realized what was happening after she had gone to the Duke's Mansion and the Queen Mother several times. She said, "Isn't it all because of you that I ended up like that? I had no one to vent my grievances to, so why are you blaming me now?"

Xiao Yan didn't answer anymore and went straight to the bed. Xining hated being ignored and indifferent to others the most since she was a child. She yelled at the figure from behind.

"Xiao Yan, what do you want? Do you want me to be a widow for the rest of my life? Xiao Yan."

Xiao Yan still didn't respond. Xining was furious and picked up the tripod incense burner on the table and smashed it at him. Xiao Yan was caught off guard and turned his head without reacting, and the incense burner was hit directly on his cheek near the corner of his eye.

The bronze incense burner was small and heavy, with hard edges and corners all over. It immediately created a cut around the corner of his eye, and blood flowed out. He covered the wound in pain.

Xining was instantly frightened awake and took a few seconds to think of going over to look. Xiao Yan shouted coldly.

"go out."

Three days later, Lu Ziqing stood in front of the Tongzhengsi Yamen with a memorial in his hand. The Left Councillor opened it and took a look, his face looking worried.

"Hey, Court Judge Lu, why are you submitting your resignation again? Honestly, it's so hard to get this position, it's such a great opportunity that so many people in the Imperial Hospital can only dream of, but why is it like a hot potato to you? Why is that?"

"Your Excellency, the Councillor, may not be aware of this." Lu Ziqing said politely, "I have been frail since childhood and have found it difficult to adapt to life. I have been thinking of resigning and returning home to recuperate. I have no other choice but to do this. Please, Your Excellency, please help me present this to the Emperor."

Seeing that his expression was not as good as before, the Left Councillor sighed, "I understand what Court Judge Lu is asking for, but the provincial governments under his jurisdiction are constantly overwhelmed with complicated matters. The memorials submitted every day are almost piling up like a mountain, and the Emperor can hardly read them all. But don't worry, Court Judge Lu. I will submit them when the Emperor is more relaxed."

"Thank you, sir."

After Lu Ziqing left, Councillor Zuo put the memorials back into the drawer without exception.

On the street, Lu Ziqing walked through the crowd with a heavy heart. He had a premonition that this memorial might still be forgotten.

It has been several months since Chen Jing left, and another year will have passed. It is often said that it is easy to leave the palace but difficult to enter it, but now he feels that neither is easy.

There was a noise in his ears, and someone was calling "Lu Ziqing" in the clamor. Lu Ziqing came to his senses, looked sideways, and saw Su Chengfeng riding by on horseback.

"Why are you so listless? Are you feeling unwell?"

Lu Ziqing shook his head and asked, "Where are you going again?"

Su Chengfeng said, "Oh," and said, "I just went to the Dingbei Marquis' Mansion to report on military affairs, and now I'm returning to the training ground."

Lu Ziqing remembered that he hadn't seen Xiao Yan for several days, so he casually asked, "Is the Marquis taking a day off?"

"No." Su Chengfeng said, "He was injured and hasn't come for three days. I've been running to the Marquis' Mansion these past two days."

"What? Injured?" Lu Ziqing subconsciously worried, "I haven't been out for three days. Where is the injury? Is it serious?"

Su Chengfeng thought for a moment, "It shouldn't be serious for him. It's just on his face and his eyes. It's not good to appear in front of the soldiers."

Lu Ziqing was anxious when he heard this. "How can it not be serious if his eyes are injured?"

"Uh..." Su Chengfeng changed his tone again, "I always thought he was strong and healthy, and this was just a minor injury. Now that I think about it, his face and eyes are swollen like buns, it seems to be quite serious, huh?"

Lu Ziqing was speechless, "Have you seen a doctor?"

"I don't know." Su Chengfeng said, "Maybe not. I saw him doing it himself yesterday. Let's not talk about it for now. I'm going back to the government office to report."

A small carriage stopped in front of the Dingbei Marquis Mansion. Lu Ziqing got off the carriage in a hurry. It had been a long time since they last saw each other, and the guards at the gate greeted him.

He just raised his foot but stopped in mid-air, hesitated for a moment and then stepped back. If Xiao Yan was injured, he would find a doctor himself. There were so many people in the mansion to take care of him. Wouldn't it be inappropriate to come here uninvited?

Besides, his wife will take care of him.

Lu Ziqing was thinking about turning around and leaving, but he stopped before he even got down the stairs. He thought, even if he had his wife and servants to take care of him, he was still a close friend after all. Wouldn't it make him seem even more heartless if he didn't even come to visit his friend when he was injured?

So he turned around and went back, but still didn't go in. He stood at the door and pondered. The guards were stunned and asked him.

"Court Judge Lu is hesitant to go in. Is there something wrong?"

Lu Ziqing came back to his senses and asked again to confirm: "Is the Marquis seriously injured? Has the doctor examined him?"

"The Marquis is injured?" The soldier was stunned. "Who said that? How come I didn't know?"

The other soldier was also unaware of this. Lu Ziqing asked, "Are you sure the Marquis is not injured? Why did I hear that he was injured?"

"We don't know about that," the soldier said. "But the Marquis hasn't left the house these past few days. If Judge Lu wants to know, he can go in and take a look."

Could it be that what Su Chengfeng said was false?

Lu Ziqing glanced at the large screen wall inside the door and stopped for a while. He wanted to leave, but his feet naturally stepped over the threshold.

He hadn't been here for a long time, and the courtyard was still the same as before, but he felt a sense of familiarity and nostalgia that he had never felt before. He didn't see any servants along the way, perhaps they were busy planting in the back garden again.

Lu Ziqing was thinking to himself when he heard some noises not far away as he passed by the corridor. He looked in the direction of the noise and saw Su Xin pushing Wen Zhong, causing the bowls on the tray to fall to pieces.

Wen Zhong has always been good-tempered, so why would he quarrel?

He went over to try to persuade her, but Su Xin looked at him coldly and unhappily as soon as she saw him.

"What are you here for?"

Lu Ziqing first made three bewildered question marks, then politely said, "I... was passing by and came to take a look."

Su Xin felt so angry when she thought about Xiao Yan cutting off one of her hands because of Lu Ziqing's family.

She said sternly, "Look? What are you looking at? Do you want to see how proud you are?"

Before Lu Ziqing could say anything, Wen Zhong spoke first, "Miss Su Xin, the young master is the Marquis's friend after all, so it's only natural for him to come and see you. Why are you humiliating him with such words? Don't go too far."

"I went too far?" Su Xin glared at him angrily. "If it weren't for their shamelessness, how would I end up like this? How am I supposed to live in the future?"

She was emotionally agitated, staring at Lu Ziqing and shouting, "You are all evildoers. After harming the princess, you come to harm me now, disturbing us and making us restless. Are you satisfied?"

Her eyes were red with resentment and she left in anger. Lu Ziqing looked at her back in confusion, and then he saw that Su Xin's left hand was wrapped in a thick white cloth, soaked in blood.

He asked Wen Zhong in astonishment, "Wen Bo, what happened to her hand?"

Wen Zhong lowered his eyes and came back, sighing, "The Marquis cut it off."

"What?" Lu Ziqing was shocked again, and couldn't believe it. "My Lord...what did Su Xin do wrong? Why would you want to cut off her hand? What on earth happened?"

Wen Zhong was melancholy. "Ever since the Marquis got married, the mansion has been in turmoil, no longer peaceful as it was when the young master was here. The princess asked Su Xin to cut down the flowers, plants, and bamboos that the Marquis had planted for years, and the Marquis, in a fit of rage, chopped off one of her hands."

Lu Ziqing found it incredible. "Chopping bamboo and flowers requires a hand? This..."