The Poisonous Consort, the Regent's Beloved

"Huh?" Shadow Two didn't expect her to focus on this. He scratched his head and still said truthfully, "This is a friend I met when I was on a mission before. He always uses strange words, saying it's his dialect."

Now Su Fuying was certain of her suspicions. "May I see him?"

"The imperial examination will be held in half a month. He should be on his way to the capital now. He said back then that he wanted to become the top scholar."

"Okay, bring him to meet me then."

Shadow Two responded and asked, "Shall we begin now?"

As dawn broke, remembering that he still had to see patients at the pharmacy that day, he told Ying Er to come back in the evening.

After returning to his room and resting for an hour, he changed into men's clothing and climbed out of the backyard again after having breakfast.

As soon as she reached the entrance of the pharmacy, a crowd of onlookers gathered outside. Su Fuying stepped forward and pushed through the crowd, where she saw a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion lying on the ground, and a peasant woman in her forties kneeling beside him, crying incessantly.

"Oh God, my poor husband was killed by the unscrupulous doctor here. I beg you all to witness and give me justice."

Listening to the peasant woman's words, Su Fuying was a little puzzled. She looked into the house and saw only a young apprentice standing inside, looking extremely distressed. She did not see Gu Qibai.

Turning to an older woman in the crowd, he asked, "Auntie, what's going on?"

The old woman looked him over carefully and found the young man to be extremely handsome. She felt a surge of affection for him and her attitude became more amiable as she patiently answered his questions.

"Oh, that's the lady. She brought her husband here for a checkup yesterday. She said her husband was bitten by a snake while chopping wood in the mountains. Doctor Gu was there and immediately treated his wound and administered an antidote. Seeing that they were poor, he even waived half of the consultation fee!"

Another elderly woman nearby chimed in, sighing, "Yes, Dr. Gu is not only highly skilled in medicine, but also kind-hearted; he's a truly rare and good person. It's such a pity that something like this would happen..."

As she spoke, she slapped her thigh hard, her face full of regret for Gu Qi.

Su Fuying entered the pharmacy from the side. The young apprentice recognized her and didn't stop her, only rolling his eyes, feeling that she was just causing trouble.

Where is Gu Qibai?

As soon as he entered, Su Fuying got straight to the point and asked.

The pharmacy was completely silent; no one paid any attention to her.

However, the young apprentice who had been rude to Gu Qibai last time whispered, "My young master and the shopkeeper went out to gather herbs early this morning and haven't returned yet."

Su Fuying nodded slightly, then asked again, "What's going on?"

After listening to others, it's natural to also listen to what your own people have to say.

The young apprentice recounted the story in detail, exactly as he had just heard. However, he whispered, "It's just a little trick that Huichuntang used to poach my young master."

Upon hearing this, Su Fuying began to consider the matter.

Seeing that none of the parties involved had arrived, Su Fuying looked at the middle-aged man on the ground from inside the door. After observing him for a while, she smiled slightly. Listening to the woman's noisy voice, Su Fuying calmly got up and went to the counter to look at the medicinal herbs.

Go ahead and make a scene, make it as big as possible.

About two incense sticks' worth of time passed before Gu Qibai's usual gentle voice rang out from outside: "Auntie, let's go inside and talk. If it's my problem, I won't shirk my responsibility. Don't disturb others here."

The gray-haired shopkeeper chimed in, "On such a hot day, why don't we go in, sit down, have some tea, and talk slowly?"

When she saw that the person had finally arrived, she realized that she had been calling at the door all morning. In this sweltering heat, her back was soaked with sweat and her mouth was parched. Of course, she wanted to go in and have a cup of tea.

But thinking about today's task, his eyes darted around, he reached up and wiped his face, unsure if it was sweat or tears, and his voice rose a few decibels:

"Go in? Everyone knows that Doctor Gu is highly respected now. If he tricks me into going in and kills me too, who will seek justice for us?"

Hearing her words, some passersby who had received favors from Gu Qibai objected, "Auntie, you can't say things like that. Hasn't Dr. Gu helped many people over the years? I've never heard of him harming anyone. Maybe your husband died because you didn't take good care of him."

"Yes, everyone knows Dr. Gu's medical skills, so you can't just spout nonsense."

The people around started arguing with the woman on the ground. Su Fuying walked to the door and called out, "Dr. Gu."

When Gu Qibai turned around and saw Su Fuying, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up. The man stood quietly in the doorway, sunlight streaming through the window and falling on his handsome face, making his already fair skin appear even more delicate, as if radiating a faint glow.

Upon seeing him, Gu Qibai was momentarily dazed. Since that day, there had been no news of Young Master Fusu, and he thought he wouldn't come. He felt a little regretful, but he never expected to find himself in such an awkward situation today.

"Prince Fusu."

Gu Qibai still responded politely.

Su Fuying walked up to Gu Qibai and looked at the old woman who was crying with snot running down her face. She had a faint smile on her lips. "Auntie, you keep saying that your husband was killed by Doctor Gu. Do you have any evidence?"

"Who are you to meddle in other people's business?"

When the peasant woman saw Su Fuying, for some reason, even though she had a smile on her lips, looking into his eyes made her feel a chill down her spine in the sweltering heat.

Before Su Fuying could speak, Gu Qibai said, "This is our Renhetang's attending physician, Young Master Fusu."

Hearing this, the peasant woman became even more indignant and shouted, "I knew my husband was dead! It turns out your doctors at Renhetang are incompetent! You hire just anyone! This young man, so young, what kind of doctor is he? How many people are you trying to kill!"

Some of the people around recognized Su Fuying and spoke up for him, saying, "This young master Fusu is very capable. Last time, he saved a child that even Doctor Gu was not confident in treating."

"Yes, that kid is all lively and energetic now."

Some people who didn't know him, who had just been questioning him, began to doubt Su Fuying's medical skills after hearing these words. They whispered among themselves, some saying, "Really? This young master Fusu looks so young, is he really that skilled?" Others said, "Maybe he's just lucky, he might not make it this time." For a moment, the crowd was abuzz with discussion, and various speculations and doubts arose about Su Fuying's medical abilities.

"Whether you're skilled or not, you'll know once you try."

After speaking, Su Fuying stepped forward and looked at the dead man on the ground. "This man's face is bruised, but his body and feet have normal skin. Could it be a jumping snake that jumped up and bit your man's head?"

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but laugh. What the heck is this "jumping snake"? Haha.

The peasant woman panicked and quickly covered the man's exposed hands and feet.

"And you keep saying that Renhetang treats human life like dirt, so why haven't you dared to report it to the authorities all morning?"

Su Fuying spoke in a resounding voice, and everyone around her fell silent.