That’s Gu Qiang’s smile. Though she had never done it in front of Shen Zhongbai, he had seen her do it many times when she was with Shen Qianshan.

Shen Qiangwei was clearly doing so to seduce him! How disgusted!

“The imperial doctor has put the drug in Shen Qianshan’s body as planned. If everything went accordingly, Shen Qianshan only has five days to live now!” Shen Qiangwei said, with a vicious look on her face that she rarely made before, and a sinister smile appeared.

Shen Zhongbai sighed heavily. As he had expected, this woman could hardly retain her composure. Mimicking Gu Qiang’s behaviors was nice, but Shen Zhongbai knew she was only doing that to win his heart.

If she wanted to copy Gu Qiang’s example, she’d better do it in an around way nicely. Always calm and cool, Gu Qiang would never make such a vicious expression.

Given the fact that she had done a good job this time, Shen Zhongbai didn’t denounce her and walked straight into the living room next door.

Shen Qiangwei didn’t follow him up as she still had another thing to do. She wasn’t sure of Shen Qianshan’s death, but not Gu Qiang’s. She would die this very evening.

The shape of a woman flashed in the darkness and vanished in the shades of the thick woods.

Back in the pavilion, Gu Qiang gathered her clothes around her. She knew Shen Zhongbai must have wanted to tell her something important, but she had missed the chance due to her bad attitude.

Before she sorted out anything, she felt something cold at her back. Her mouth was covered by a handkerchief with something cool slipping into her mouth. She knew what it was at once.

By instinct, she held her breath and stuck the person’s stomach hardly with her elbow.

The attacker seemed to have not expected this; she let go of Gu Qiang out of pain.

Gu Qiang turned around and saw a woman fall on the ground with hands on her belly and her face masked.

Without any hesitation, Gu Qiang pulled off her mask.

It was a face very much similar to hers.

She hadn’t imagined there would be another person who looked more like her than Shen Qiangwei did. When she tried to give her a second look, that woman got back to her feet, had her face covered, and ran into the darkness again.

With no attempt to let her away, Gu Qiang hurried to follow her.

In a flash of light, she saw that woman flying in front of her like she had been hit by something.

She looked up and found another person landing on the ground, a plainly dressed maid. It was she who kicked the assassin onto the ground.

Then the maid stamped on the assassin with all her strength. The assassin let out a scream so loud that could even wake up the dead. Gu Qiang never knew a woman could make an outcry like that.

The assassin hunched over her body, her mouth wide open as if she was going to vomit, but there was nothing coming out, not even blood.

It was until then did Gu Qiang recognize that the maid who saved her was none other but Gusu Liang.

But Gusu Liang didn’t look at Gu Qiang, instead, she pressed her knife at the woman’s neck, asking her in a cold voice, “Who sent you here? Say it.”

Still retching, that woman must have been severely wounded inside. Clearly, she was not able to speak at this moment.

She stared at Gusu Liang as if wishing to beg for mercy. But she couldn’t speak, and tears started to spill out from her eyes.

Getting no answer, Gusu Liang stood up and tied the woman up with the rope she had.

Unwilling to resign, the woman tried to shake off the rope, but failed, as no part of her body could allow her to do it. She had lost all her chances.

In the cell of Xiaoyao Mountain.

This was the first time Gu Qiang paid a visit to such a place. With a careful looking around, she found herself surrounded by tools used for forced confessions, all looking very horrible.

Gusu Liang tied up the woman on the bench. “Watch her carefully. If anyone came to her rescue, kill her directly,” she said to a few maid-looking girls.

Then she wiped her hands and finally turned to Gu Qiang, “My lady, learning that you have got wounded, I hurried here to look after you. Who knows I would run into someone’s attempt to assassinate you? But you are much more flexible than before, my lady.”

Gu Qiang smiled, then she followed Gusu Liang to the outside.

The sky was getting slightly brighter. There had been so many things that happened this night that made Gu Qiang find it quite long and dreary.

“There were many forces behind this. Many people wanted to take it as an opportunity to kill your master. You must make sure he is always accompanied by someone, and the medicine he needs to take is safe,” Gu Qiang exhorted to Gusu Liang once they were on the empty grounds outside of the cell, her eyes looking at her.

Gazing quietly into the distance, Gusu Liang seemed to have not listened to her.

Gu Qiang let out a sigh, but sorrow wouldn’t help them in a moment like this.

Before they finished their words, Jin Ye hurried to them, with a pretty bad look on his face. “I am afraid master won’t make it,” he said to Gusu Liang and Gu Qiang in a tone that sounded like he was about to cry.

Like being struck by a lightning, Gu Qiang and Gusu Liang jumped to their feet and followed him back to the chamber palace without asking anything.

Shen Qianshan’s chamber was already bustling with visitors, like in a festival, which didn’t quite fit the time.

Seeing Gu Qiang walking in, everyone suddenly fell into silence, as if waiting for her reactions, but they were disappointed.

Gu Qiang still believed that Shen Qianshan would make it through this time. He was so level-headed. How could he not know how hard life would be for Gu Qiang had he gone? How could he put her in such a difficult situation?

The Empress Dowager was weeping on the chair beside the bed. “Well, well, see what they had done to our child! The Su Family should be rooted out entirely! Why should we be afraid of them? If anything happened to Qianshan, I would let them pay the price with all their lives!” she barked to the Emperor, whose face grimed.

Knowing he was partly responsible for this, the Emperor sighed in despair. After all, it was him who tried to root out the Su Family at the cost of Shen Qianshan’s life.

It sounded a bad ending for Shen Qianshan, but for the entire country, it was quite a good thing, for Shen Qianshan had sacrificed himself to save it.

The atmosphere in the room somehow became tricky.

“Find the best imperial doctors here! Get Qianshan cured or you will be the one losing your heads!” shouted the Emperor, trying to show how much he cared for his son.

After that, he left the palace with his arms held by the Empress, coughing. He was in such poor health that looked like he would die at any minute. Though Gu Qiang was now focusing on Shen Qianshan, she thought the Emperor should also take care of himself.

That brought an end to the imperial family’s visit.

Suddenly, a eunuch rushed into the palace, his face pale and his voice squeaky, “Bad news! A disease suddenly appears in the capital! Many civilians have got infected!”

Everyone was shocked into silence. Then the Emperor ordered immediately, “Get back to the imperial palace now. We will see to it then.”

The Empress and Empress Dowager looked at each other, both recalling something terrible that happened in the capital years ago, the plague. The Empress Dowager would have died of it hadn’t been for Gu Qiang’s help.

The room resumed its dead silence after everybody was gone.

After feeling Shen Qianshan’s pulses, Gu Huaian raised his eyebrows and turned to the servants, his voice cold. “What happened? Was there anyone here who fed him anything?”

“I don’t think there was. Besides, it was quite a bustle when the imperial family was here. I didn’t have the chance to check everyone closely,” replied Jin Ye after careful thinking, his head lowered.

The words of Gu Huaian made Gu Qiang’s heart sink. Had Shen Qianshan’s situation become worse?

“Brother, how is the Ninth Duke now?” Gu Qiang frowned.

“Very bad, it seemed someone had activated the poison in the Ninth Duke’s body with internal Qi.”

That explained why Shen Qianshan suddenly became seriously ill. Someone had done something without their notice.

“Qiang, I really need to leave the capital this time, to look for an herb, without which the Ninth Duke would die. If you want to save him, you have to let me go,” said Gu Huaian. He was in a very difficult situation. Gu Qiang insisted that he should not leave the capital even after she lost her memory, which meant this must matter a lot to her.

But as a doctor and a brother, he wouldn’t just watch the man his sister loved die.

“No, I will not let you expose to any danger. Although I don’t remember anything, I want you to stay by my side, and not leave the capital.” Gu Qiang refused in a cold voice, her head shaking.

Gu Huaian smiled helplessly. He knew Gu Qiang would not let him go.

Gu Qiang would never sacrifice Gu Huaian’s life to save Shen Qianshan. Neither would she fail the mission entrusted by the Empress. She must make sure both Shen Qianshan and Gu Huaian are safe!

“If the herb can only be obtained outside of the capital, let me do it,” said Gu Qiang. She got up but was caught by Gusu Ling in the arm, who volunteered herself with a smile. “Let me do it, my lady. If someone has to do it, it’d better be me. Master had asked me to protect you, but I failed.”

“Well, no need for quarrel. There was still another way. I remember that the Su Family is a well-known family for medicine. As the imperial family had confiscated their property, we might be able to get the herb there,” suggested Gu Huaian.

Everyone’s eyes got brightened after hearing the news. They would like to try everything, even if it was only a slim chance.

“Let me go!” shouted Gu Qiang and Gusu Liang simultaneously. They looked at each other and smiled.

Sitting down, Gu Huaian shook his head after a careful consideration. “Neither of you know what that herd is. I doubt you could even notice it if someone tried to get it changed into something else.”

“Mr. Gu, you are the only doctor here. If anything happens to my master, only you can make the best decision and stop his situation from getting worse.”

Gu Huaian gave in. With no more words, he wrote down several prescriptions and names on the paper and handed it to the girls, who set off right away before dawn.

The air in the capital was pretty fresh in the morning. There was still not too much conversation between the girls, but they both knew something would never change no matter what had happened.