The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1292 - 1292 628 Hope for Surgery (First Update)

Chapter 1292: 628 Hope for Surgery (First Update) Chapter 1292: 628 Hope for Surgery (First Update) The Duke was very quiet.

Gu Jiao wasn’t sure to what extent his consciousness had recovered—whether he could only vaguely respond to external stimuli or he could clearly discern external sounds.

In plain terms, she didn’t know if he understood what she was saying.

But Gu Jiao still treated him as a patient with complete self-awareness; she rolled up his sleeve, fully exposing the wound on his forearm.

“The wound isn’t long or deep, no need for stitches. I’ll clean it first, then apply some herbal ointment and that should do,” she said.

As she spoke, Gu Jiao used a disposable iodophor stick to wipe the blood around the wound, then opened her homemade herbal ointment, dipped a bit on it, and evenly spread it over his wound.

Dusk settled, and slanted rays from the setting sun struck outside the house.

The Duke’s breathing was very even; he didn’t move an inch during the entire process of applying the medicine.

“Done,” Gu Jiao withdrew the medicine bottle and the cotton swab, wrapping the swab in wax paper. She never discarded any used medical supplies carelessly but handled them with utmost caution.

Having saved the person and treated the wound, Gu Jiao planned to leave.

She took one last look at the man on the bed; his situation seemed indeed better than when they first met, his body at least wasn’t that cold anymore.

Gu Jiao reached out a finger, touched his forehead, and felt a slight perspiration.

She slightly lowered his cotton blanket and opened the window to ventilate. Only then did she turn to leave.

The Duke on the bed trembled as he raised his hand, as if trying to grasp something.

…

After leaving the Duke Residence, Gu Jiao visited several Medical Halls. This time she changed her strategy, not asking about the Operating Room but rather about her family member suffering from a severe heart condition and whether there was a cure. She also handed over the Traditional Chinese Medicine prescription she had written to the doctors.

Based on the prescription, the doctors could generally gauge the severity of the patient’s heart condition; experienced doctors all knew that medication alone couldn’t cure it.

“I have an ancestral prescription that might be worth a try.”

“I’ve been practicing for decades, and there’s no illness I haven’t cured. Bring your patient over some day and let me have a look!”

“This ancestral golden pill of mine cures all diseases and detoxifies all poisons; each pill costs eighty taels, but I see that you, young brother, have a kind heart and are an honest person. So, I will sell it to you for fifty taels!”

…

By the time Gu Jiao left the fifth Medical Hall, it had already turned completely dark.

“These people don’t even know about surgery. Could it be that Yan Country really doesn’t have an Operating Room… so the person who traveled through time before me was just like me, looking for an Operating Room, which is why he drew a draft of an Operating Room?”

“Make way! Make way!”

As Gu Jiao mumbled to herself, puzzled, suddenly there was commotion up ahead on the street; a man dressed in a night walker’s outfit had fallen from a rooftop and landed on the ground.

Even from afar, Gu Jiao heard a crisp snap; she knew without guessing that his leg was broken.

Not only that, but he also seemed to have other injuries; his abdomen was spurting blood.

At nearly the same moment, several men in grey robes rushed out of an alley, placing knives on the neck of the severely injured man. One of the grey-robed men knelt to check his wounds, then said with gravity, “He’s badly hurt! He must undergo surgery immediately! Otherwise, he’ll die!”

Surgery?

Gu Jiao’s eyes narrowed.

The grey-robed men then rushed back into the alley they had come from and carried out a simple stretcher, carefully moving the injured man onto it.

“Get in the carriage!”

The grey-robed man who had inspected the injuries said.

The men lifted the injured onto the carriage waiting in the alley.

Gu Jiao took a step to follow.

But she had only passed through the alley when a strong hand suddenly grabbed her arm.

Almost instinctively, Gu Jiao drew out a dagger.

“It’s me!”

The other person said.

Gu Jiao lowered her dagger and turned her head to see the suddenly appearing Mu Qingchen: “What are you doing here?”

Mu Qingchen countered, “That’s what I should be asking you. This is the inner city, how did you sneak in again?”

Gu Jiao put away her dagger and did not respond.

Seemingly understanding Gu Jiao’s temperament, that what she wants to say need not be asked, and what she doesn’t want to say is pointless to ask, Mu Qingchen continued, “Also, have you eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard? Is there anyone you wouldn’t follow?”

Gu Jiao replied, “That person is seriously injured; I was just curious to see how they would treat him.”

That was quite the truth.

Mu Qingchen said coldly, “You’re using your curiosity in such places?”

Gu Jiao replied, “I wish to.”

Mu Qingchen: “…”

“Can you let go now?” Gu Jiao looked at his hand, which was still holding onto her arm.

Mu Qingchen released his hand nonchalantly, gave Gu Jiao a look, and began to walk forward: “I happen to be leaving the city for a bit.”

“Oh,” Gu Jiao’s eyebrows raised, and she uninvitedly followed Mu Qingchen onto his carriage.

“Leave the city,” Mu Qingchen said.

The carriage driver was confused. Had they not just returned? Why were they leaving again?

Turning the carriage around, the driver began to head slowly towards the outskirts of the city.

“Were the assassins from the Crown Prince’s residence caught?” Gu Jiao asked.

“They were caught, but the assassin committed suicide out of fear of punishment,” Mu Qingchen said.

Royal conflicts were not uncommon in any kingdom, so Gu Jiao was not surprised.

Rather, the assassin she encountered at the Duke Residence had aroused much curiosity in her.

The first time she entered the Duke Residence, the guards had detected the presence of a suspicious person. She initially thought she had been exposed, but considering today’s events, it seems there might have been an assassin targeting the Duke on that day.

Only the assassin was discovered in time by the Duke Residence’s own killers and fled before accomplishing the deed.

The assassin today had been more cautious and managed to avoid the Duke Residence’s guards.

After some thought, Gu Jiao took the dagger from her bosom and tossed it to him.

Catching it with a swift motion, Mu Qingchen said dubiously, “What’s this?”

“Someone attempted to assassinate the Duke; this is the weapon dropped by the assassin,” Gu Jiao decided to tell Mu Qingchen the truth.

For one thing, when she went to treat the Duke that day, she did not feel any animosity towards the Duke from Mu Qingchen; secondly, the prescription Mu Qingchen had given her was clearly for treating syncope, indicating that he had secretly sought medicine for the Duke.

He was not an enemy of the Duke.

Upon hearing Gu Jiao’s words, Mu Qingchen’s first reaction was, “You went to the Duke Residence again?”

Gu Jiao: “Would you believe me if I said it was a coincidence?”

Mu Qingchen: “…”

“What exactly happened?” he asked.

Gu Jiao explained her accidental visits to the Duke Residence to Mu Qingchen.

Mu Qingchen was at a loss for words. No wonder he felt she was revisiting a familiar place when he took her to the Duke Residence. It was indeed the case!

Gu Jiao had thought that Mu Qingchen would then ask her how she managed to overpower an assassin, but he never questioned her skills as if he had seen them before.

After racking her brain, Gu Jiao could not recall ever displaying her martial prowess in front of Mu Qingchen, and ultimately concluded that Mu Qingchen simply was not interested in her abilities.

Mu Qingchen, looking at the dagger in his hand, said, “I understand. I will inform the Duke Residence to increase their vigilance.”

Gu Jiao held out her hand to Mu Qingchen.

Mu Qingchen: “What for?”

Gu Jiao declared with righteousness, “Give it back to me, I fought for this dagger.”

She had shown him the evidence, not given him a gift.

Mu Qingchen again: “…”

The dagger bore nothing to prove the assassin’s identity, so there was no harm in Xiao Liulang using it.

Mu Qingchen returned the dagger to Gu Jiao.

“I once promised someone to take good care of the Duke.”

“Hmm?”

Why was he suddenly bringing this up?

“Are you talking to me?” Gu Jiao asked Mu Qingchen.

Their relationship wasn’t so close that they could share personal matters, or was it?

Mu Qingchen paused, aware that he had spoken out of turn, and explained, “I was just reminded of that person suddenly.”

Gu Jiao wished to be talked to death at that very moment, but after glancing at Mu Qingchen, she cooperatively asked, “Someone important?”

Mu Qingchen reminisced, “It was a young girl. Before she left, she said to me, ‘Mu Qingchen, you must take good care of my father. If I find out you didn’t take care of him, I will beat you up.'”

“The Duke’s daughter?” Gu Jiao said, “Hmm, she’s that brazen?”

Mu Qingchen said, “She is younger than me, but I can’t beat her, not even the wolves can best her.”

Gu Jiao thought to herself, well, the wolves can’t beat me either.

Thinking about it, this plot twist seemed a bit melodramatic.

Gu Jiao was not good at dealing with such situations. She felt that if the conversation continued in this vein, she would be able to carve out a three-bedroom, two-living-room space with her little toe in the carriage.

Fortunately, Mu Qingchen changed the subject: “Those men earlier were from the National Master Hall.”

“Which men?” Gu Jiao asked.

“The ones you wanted to follow,” Mu Qingchen said.

Gu Jiao’s spirits were instantly lifted, “What is the National Master Hall?”

Mu Qingchen explained, “The National Master Hall was formerly the Imperial Observatory, but after being taken over by the National Master, it was rebuilt into the National Master Hall. The National Master Hall is the largest power in Shengdu. The National Master possesses vast powers and is deeply trusted by our sovereign. He is allowed to carry a sword into the palace without needing to be announced.”

There were rumors that Yan Country was once a lesser nation but rose rapidly like bamboo shoots after a spring rain because one day a powerful National Master arrived and presented six major classics to the sovereign, which, with their secrets, propelled Yan Country to greatness.

Gu Jiao was unsure how much of these rumors were exaggerated, but since even Mu Qingchen praised the National Master’s vast powers, could he be the same person who built the Operating Room, a predecessor who also traveled through time?

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