Knowing about the private relationship between Doctor Zhu and Gu Zhao, Xie Ze was especially considerate.
At lunchtime, when they heard Doctor Zhu’s footsteps returning outside the door, Xie Ze and Gu Zhao exchanged a glance. Without Gu Zhao saying a word, Xie Ze quickly helped him lie down, then hurriedly ran outside and called out:
"Doctor Zhu, you’re finally back! I’m starving. I’ll go have lunch first—please keep an eye on my cousin. I’ll come back this afternoon!"
Because many issues from yesterday had piled up to be dealt with today, Doctor Zhu had been incredibly busy all morning. Even though they were in the same military camp, she hadn’t been able to spare even half a minute to check on Gu Zhao, only returning close to evening.
Seeing Xie Ze so famished, Doctor Zhu felt a little guilty and said, “My schedule’s unpredictable. How about next time you two cousins eat first and don’t wait for me?”
Xie Ze pretended not to hear her, acting as if her words didn’t exist. He dashed off so fast that before Doctor Zhu could finish speaking, he was already three miles away.
Unable to keep him around, Doctor Zhu went back inside to talk to Gu Zhao, wanting to suggest they eat first from now on. After all, when someone’s injured, they need to eat well to have the strength to heal. Going hungry just wouldn’t do.
But when she entered, she found Gu Zhao still asleep.
Though resting in bed is important when seriously injured, it wasn’t a good sign that he hadn’t woken up yet.
The worst fear was that his wound might be infected, causing a high fever and drowsiness, eventually leading to shock or unconsciousness—someone could mistake that for just sleeping and not realize the danger.
Doctor Zhu’s worry spiked. She quickly sat by Gu Zhao’s bedside, reached out, and touched his forehead. Thankfully, his fever had subsided compared to yesterday. Then she held his hand and took his pulse.
Gu Zhao, pretending to be asleep, was even more anxious than Doctor Zhu. He hoped silently:
“If I stay asleep, will she sneak a kiss like yesterday?”
When people get nervous, they often give themselves away. Just as Doctor Zhu held his hand, she immediately felt his pulse quicken.
She let go of his hand.
“Since you’re awake, get up. Are you hungry? Let’s eat together.”
Ah, caught! No sneaky kiss this time.
Disappointed, Gu Zhao opened his eyes, the dejection on his face unmistakable. He muttered a reluctant “Hmm.”
Seeing his unhappiness, Doctor Zhu leaned in closer to examine his complexion.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Is the wound hurting?”
Being this close, why couldn’t he just kiss me while she was at it? It seemed the care he received as a patient—and the affection she had for him—were both fleeting. Yesterday there was a kiss; today, none.
Gu Zhao looked even more downcast.
“Hmm.”
Ah, Vice Minister Gu, injured and yet this delicate.
So delicate, so wrapped up in his own image, so melancholic—like a lilac flower. It was hard to imagine how he had managed back in the palace as a companion reader, where there was no room for fragility, vanity, or sorrow.
Doctor Zhu leaned in again and planted a kiss on his cheek.
“Feeling a bit better now?”
Gu Zhao’s eyes suddenly brightened. He grabbed her hand, stood up, and kissed her on the cheek, then immediately pulled back.
Unfortunately, Vice Minister Gu was too eager and rushed, completely forgetting that he was bedridden with a serious injury. He got up too abruptly, pulled at his wound, screamed in pain, and collapsed back down.
It was both pitiful and somewhat comical to watch. Zhu Qingyu didn’t know whether to laugh at him or scold him.
Gu Zhao gasped in pain but didn’t forget to take the initiative and claim the situation, complaining:
“Ah, it hurts. It’s not my fault, you kissed me first. It really hurts.”
Zhu Qingyu was both amused and exasperated, and admitted on the spot:
“I kissed you first. So what? Is kissing not allowed?”
Gu Zhao was stunned. What did she mean by that?
Xie Ze’s words from that morning popped into his mind again:
“Doctor Zhu is quite special to you.”
Gu Zhao thought to himself:
“Of course she’s special. She even kissed me first. How could she be ordinary? Although I’ve asked many times before, maybe I should ask once more. Could the answer be different this time?”
He hesitated, wanting to ask but afraid to.
He wasn’t afraid of her rejecting him—she had refused so many times that he was used to it.
But he was afraid this timid girl would shrink back. He worried that if he asked and laid everything out in the open, the unintentional tenderness she now showed him might be withdrawn.
While Gu Zhao hesitated, Zhu Qingyu had already gone out to fetch lunch.
When she brought the tray in and helped him up, feeding him bite by bite, Gu Zhao felt even more reluctant to ask.
It was rare for her to be so good to him. What if he asked and she took back this kindness? What would he do then?
So for several days, while Zhu Qingyu was busy with the epidemic during the day, she came back at noon to have lunch with Gu Zhao, and returned at night to keep watch by his bedside. The two of them reached a delicate yet harmonious balance.
After lying in bed for several days, Gu Zhao could no longer stand it. He hated that Zhu Qingyu went out early and came back late every day, while he was left alone in an empty room, his wounds still not healed. So he dragged himself up to find her.
Because of the pain from his wounds, Gu Zhao walked slowly. After asking several people, he finally found Zhu Qingyu in a small side chamber behind the rear hall.
The moment he stood at the door and saw the equipment inside, watching Zhu Qingyu busy at work, Gu Zhao felt a bit dazed. He almost thought he had returned to Yangzhou City a year ago.
Back then, he hadn’t known her long and didn’t understand her well. He had hesitated for days before coming to ask her if she would be his concubine.
It was in a cramped little pharmacy just like this one, with the same layout and even the same peculiar alchemy furnace.
A shadow fell across the doorway. Zhu Qingyu, who was distilling garlic essence in the pharmacy, immediately noticed him. She looked up in surprise and asked:
“Shouming, why are you up? Are you feeling unwell?”
Leaning against the doorframe, silhouetted against the light, Gu Zhao’s expression was complex and full of mixed emotions as he replied:
“Qingyu, I have some regrets. That day, if I hadn’t been so arrogant, things would have been better. I truly regret it.”
Life has no do-overs, but as long as one is alive, there is hope.
Zhu Qingyu smiled and said:
"How can anyone foresee the future? Suppose you could go back in time, back to that moment—how would you ask me then?"
Gu Zhao pressed his hand against his wound and slowly stepped into the pharmacy, approaching Zhu Qingyu until their clothes nearly brushed against each other.
Zhu Qingyu didn’t shy away. She looked up at him, a gentle smile softening her face.
Lowering his head, Gu Zhao met her eyes and spoke with sincere earnestness:
"Doctor Zhu, from the moment I first saw you, I have been captivated by you. You occupy my thoughts day and night, restless and devoted. Heaven and earth bear witness to my unwavering heart. Will you show me mercy and become my wife?"
If only he had asked that way back then.
After speaking, an inexplicable sadness washed over Gu Zhao. He was about to say:
"If only I had asked you like this then."
But before he could utter another word, Zhu Qingyu spoke first, smiling as she replied:
"Yes."
