Gu Qiang moved close to him. She didn’t know anything about medicine, but still could tell from Gu Huaian’s expression that he was not telling a joke.

“What do you mean?” asked Gu Qiang with a serious voice.

Before Gu Huaian could answer, Jin Ye walked in. After a scan over Gu Qiang and Gu Huaian, he lowered his head like he was worried about something. “My lady, it seemed you are pretty fine. You would have never known what my master had suffered in coming to your rescue.”

It looked like Gu Qiang was pretty enjoying herself. Did she know all of them in Xiaoyao Mountain had almost died for her?

Finishing his words, Jin Ye turned his eyes to Shen Qianshan, feeling a bit angry.

Hadn’t they known that Gu Qiang was safe, his master wouldn’t have to make all those hard decisions, not to mention risking his life.

Gu Qiang bit her lips, her eyes flickered with sorrow.

She knew nothing about what had happened these days, not even the end of Miss Su.

“How did your master get injured?” she asked as if she was walking on eggshells. She didn’t want Jin Ye to vent his anger on her, nor did she want herself to be easily forgiven.

Jin Ye let out a heavy sigh, then he told Gu Qiang about what had happened after the imperial family’s capture of the Su Family.

Su Shuangning stabbed Shen Qianshan for his betrayal, thinking he could dodge an attack easily. But Shen Qianshan took it with his body.

Everyone was shocked when the sword pierced him through.

Su Shuangning had nearly poured all her strength into this move. After being attacked, Shen Qianshan fell backward, his white suit turned red as it was soaked in blood.

All in panic, Shen Qianshan’s men quickly sent their master to his palace, and soon, all renowned doctors from the capital arrived.

When asked about what had happened to Miss Su, Jin Ye told Gu Qiang after his careful thinking, “We don’t know yet, but it won’t be good. It seemed that this would be the end of Miss Su. The imperial family hasn’t got time to deal with it yet, but they will give us an answer once our master gets recovered.”

Gu Qiang knew things wouldn’t be as simple as this, but she needed to look to the bright side. The top priority now was to wait for Shen Qianshan to wake up and ask him about everything.

She couldn’t wait to learn about what had happened at the moment, and how much favors she had owed to Shen Qianshan without her notice.

“Get the people you trust to take care of the Ninth Duke and make sure he won’t be left alone. Find him the best doctors whom you trust, not those who were sent by others.”

Then she took Gu Huaian’s prescription and read it carefully. Although she knew none of the materials listed on it, she raised her eyes, and said, “I will go to fill the prescription. But the medicine must be fed after double-checking.”

Gu Huaian dragged her into a corner and spoke to her in a voice that only she could hear, “Qiang, I must tell you this, someone had fed the Ninth Duke with Bone-melting Powder. He would die of heart failure five days later hadn’t I found it out.”

On that night, Su Ge was sent by Jin Ye to be on guard here. Knowing his master was not in fatal danger, he just strolled here casually, yawning.

The light in the room flickered. Gu Qiang’s eyes started to draw straws, but she could wake up the moment she sensed anyone’s approach.

In the late night, Gu Huaian heard noises coming from the courtyard, he pushed Gu Qiang who was deep in her sleep and told her to hurry outside.

Once in the main hall, she recognized the crowd that packed in this not-very-big yard, the people from the imperial family.

The Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager all suited themselves at the tables of the main hall, while Shen Zhongbai and his siblings went to visit Shen Qianshan in his chamber.

Gu Qiang suddenly felt alarmed when she saw Shen Zhongbai coming in, worrying that he might do something to Shen Qianshan in public. Although he wouldn’t have the gut, he still needed to be watched for.

When Infanta Ziyan and Princess Changning walked in, they first noticed that Gu Qiang was sitting in the corner. Ziyan didn’t say anything, she went straight to Shen Qianshan’s bedside with Shen Zhongbai and felt relieved to find that he was still breathing.

Changning took a seat beside Gu Qiang, and said in a very soft voice, “My brother suffered all these because of you. Luoping, you know my brother had never treated any other women like this. If you do love each other, don’t break each other’s hearts anymore. There are not too many opportunities in our lives, so once you get one, you must take it.”

Finishing her words, Changning quietly gazed into the night, as if she was lost in some reminiscence, but there was nothing out there, except for complete darkness.

Gu Qiang made out a faint smile, which was a very brave thing to do at this moment. She knew Princess Changning was the only one in the imperial family who would like to be on her side.

Listening to their talk, Gu Huaian just stood there quietly, with his eyes glancing over the highborn princess.

Never interested in women, he hadn’t tried to learn about what it felt like to fall in love with someone.

Shen Meng was only a bosom friend to him, not a valentine.

He didn’t even know what kind of woman he liked, but now it seemed he had an answer. The woman must be someone with experience and a sense of intellect, not some average girls who only knew to seduce men with their beauty.

Of course, as a princess, Changning didn’t need to resort to seduction, even though she had the beauty that most men couldn’t resist.

If Shen Qianshan could wake up this time, which he must, in which position should Gu Qiang face him? Lover? But they were not there yet.

After checking Shen Qianshan’s condition, Shen Zhongbai walked to Gu Qiang and said in an undertone, “Qiang, it looks like we need a word outside.”

Gu Qiang raised her eyes, looking suspicious. Although she didn’t remember anything, she could feel the sense of danger around this man no matter how hard he tried to restrain it.

She would never expose herself to danger, be it brought by a human, or the environment.

Shen Zhongbai felt awkward, but he continued in patience, “I have noticed something strange with Qianshan. If you have been looking after him, you’d better know it. Or Qianshan’s treatment would be delayed, which I believe none of us want to see.”

Gu Qiang stood up and followed Shen Zhongbai outside.

The moon kept rising. Tightening her clothes around her, Gu Qiang noticed that someone was already waiting in the pavilion where Shen Zhongbai stood. It was a woman who looked very much like her, and she was appreciating lotus under the moonlight, looking bored.

Many lotuses were blooming in this season, but soon they would all wither away, signaling the coming of autumn.

Gu Qiang turned to look at the flowers in the pond as well but couldn’t make out the details of them even under the blazing light lit everywhere in Xiaoyao Mountain.

Catching sight of Shen Zhongbai and Gu Qiang, the woman stood up and curtsied before them.

Gu Qiang instantly remembered who she was, the woman Shen Zhongbai bought from the brothel to humiliate the Gu Family.

“Your Highness, why are you bringing her here? Don’t you know that nobody cares about your private life in a critical moment like this?” snapped Gu Qiang, she was in no mood to bother these things with Shen Zhongbai.

Obviously, her words were misunderstood by Shen Zhongbai who thought she was only being jealous. He made an apologetic smile and said, “What are you talking, Qiang? As a man, I am bound with the duty to protect my woman.”

Then he put his hands around the woman’s neck, holding her in his arms.

Feeling quite touched and honored by his move, she suddenly found everything quite pleasant.

“What do you want to say? If you want to threaten me with Shen Qianshan’s life, I will not let it happen,” said Gu Qiang impatiently, she had no interest to argue with the two people.

Shen Zhongbai’s face suddenly became grim. “Is that how you talk to me? Do you know who I am?”

He was apparently in rage, for Gu Qiang had shown him no respect and even vented out her anger on him for that man.

“Of course I know who you are. And I want to remind you who the man lying in bed is, my man. If you have something important to tell me, spit it out. If you don’t, please leave, and don’t waste my time,” said Gu Qiang, her eyes fixed on Shen Zhongbai.

Her man? She didn’t want to hide her relationship with Shen Qianshan anymore? She still loved that man even without her memory?

As an Infanta, she was not supposed to talk to Shen Zhongbai this way. But she had done it, and so what? Was Shen Zhongbai going to kill her for that? She didn’t think so.

Shen Zhongbai got so furious that he almost got suffocated.

His eyes darkened. He felt there was no point in doing these. If Gu Qiang had no love for him from the very beginning, she wouldn’t change her mind no matter what he did.

Then he turned around, held Shen Qiangwei in his hand, and took her away.

Gu Qiang was left there, looking bewildered. Was this man simply asking her out to get her back up? That’s quite noble and righteous of him.

Shen Zhongbai kept striding fast, and Shen Qiangwei staggered behind him trying to catch up his footsteps. But soon, she found she couldn’t make it anymore. “Your Highness, why do you indulge Gu Qiang so much? She wouldn’t be so haughty if you hadn’t been so tolerant of her behaviors.”

Shen Zhongbai stopped, and glared at Shen Qiangwei, as if he had misheard something.

“I must have been too kind to you these days. I had never expected to hear that from you. Do you also forget who you are?” said Shen Zhongbai with an angry look in his eyes. Then he quickly switched the topic, “How is the doctor you arranged? Tell him I only accept success!”

But then he got stunned by the slight smile on Shen Qiangwei’s face.