Chapter 32: Rushing to the Capital

A tragic incident occurred last night at the Luo Mansion, the wealthiest household in the capital. Twenty-seven people, including the head of the Luo family, Luo Kangying, and her husband, the Liu clan, were all killed. The ground of the Luo Mansion was stained red with blood, and even passersby could smell a faint scent of blood.

The only survivors in the Luo Mansion were the eldest young master Luo and the mansion’s steward.

Fortunately, the eldest young master Luo Shaoxuan only suffered minor injuries and some shock, which was a great blessing amidst the misfortune.

However, no one expected that the perpetrator of this tragedy would be Mu Yueshi, the noble lady of the Hou Mansion who had a marriage agreement with the Luo family and was about to marry the eldest young master Luo. The occurrence of such an event left people puzzled and sighing with regret.

This incident even alarmed the Emperor, who sent people to apprehend Mu Yueshi. However, to everyone’s horror, this noble lady suddenly died on the spot.

The incident unfolded in a bizarre manner, and despite the Emperor’s order for a thorough investigation, there were no leads. It was as if Mu Yueshi had suddenly gone mad and even killed the young servant who was attending to her that night.

Now, the news of this incident was spreading not only in the capital but also in the nearby towns, spreading within a single night.

“I heard that people two streets away from the Luo Mansion could hear the screams. It was truly frightening…” a woman in the tavern said, looking shaken, as if she had been present at the scene.

“Was it that scary?” another person looked at her in horror.

The woman glanced at her. “Don’t doubt it. It’s the talk of the town in the capital now. I heard that even the ground of the Luo Mansion was dyed red with blood.”

The other person looked frightened. “What kind of enemy did the Luo Mansion make to warrant such a vicious attack?”

The woman deliberately looked around, and seeing that no one was looking their way, she leaned forward, covering her mouth with her hand, and said, “I heard it was done by the noble lady of the Hou Mansion.”

“Impossible!” The other person was incredulous. “Wasn’t that noble lady supposed to marry the eldest young master of the Luo family? How could she go and kill his entire family?”

“Who knows? Anyway, she was caught red-handed that night. And guess what happened next?” She looked at the other person with a mysterious air.

“What happened?”

“Just as that noble lady was about to lay her hands on the eldest young master Luo, fortunately, people arrived in time to save him. But…” She intentionally paused, trying to pique the other person’s curiosity.

As expected, the other person asked eagerly, “But what? Tell me!”

“Alas, after the noble lady was apprehended, she suddenly died.”

“Ah? Died suddenly? Why?”

The woman gave her a contemptuous glance. “You’re asking me? Who should I ask? Even the Emperor couldn’t find out the reason, so how would I know?”

“……” The other person was at a loss for words, feeling that what she said made sense. She sighed, “That eldest young master Luo is quite pitiful. Losing his parents overnight, and the culprit being his own fiancée.”

“I heard that the father of the eldest young master Luo passed away early, and this one wasn’t his biological father.”

“Ah? There’s such a thing? How do you know?” How does this person know everything?

The woman gave her a disdainful look and snapped open the fan in her hand. “If I want to know, I naturally can find out. Besides, this matter is not a secret. Anyone who has stayed in the capital for a long time knows that the Luo Mansion was formerly called the Mo Mansion. But later on, something happened that we don’t know about, and the Luo Mansion replaced the Mo Mansion.”

The other person listened to her in confusion. “What Luo Mansion and Mo Mansion? Why are you making it sound so complicated?”

The woman looked at her with even more contempt. “If you don’t understand, then forget it.”

“……”

The woman took a sip of wine and said leisurely, “Now, the Luo family has completely changed. Only Luo Shaoxuan is left in the Luo family. It seems that the Luo family’s assets will return to their original owner.”

“Ah? What do you mean?” The other person still looked at her in confusion.

The woman glanced at her but didn’t respond.

“……”

Si Qingyu, who had been sitting next to them all along, heard everything clearly.

She frowned, and her hand holding the teacup turned white from the force. How could this be… Such a major incident had occurred at the Luo Mansion.

He… was also injured? Thinking of this, Si Qingyu’s eyes darkened.

The lunch became tasteless. After paying the bill, she left the restaurant and returned to the medical hall, feeling unsettled along the way.

Zhao Sixi, who had been staying in the medical hall, ran over happily. “Physician Si, you’re back?” Then her eyes swept over Si Qingyu’s empty hands, and she asked in confusion, “Physician Si, didn’t you say you would bring back lunch for me?”

Si Qingyu was startled and then came back to her senses. “I forgot.” On the way back from the restaurant, she had been so lost in thought that she had forgotten about it. “How about this? I’ll give you some silver, and you can go buy it yourself.” Saying that, she took out her money pouch.

Zhao Sixi quickly stopped her. “No need, Physician Si. I brought my own lunch. It’s just that you said earlier you would bring back some snacks for me.” She took out her lunch bag from the cupboard and took out a large flatbread. “Hehe… I originally thought that if Physician Si brought back snacks, I could take these home.”

Si Qingyu hesitated for a moment. “Can you get full with these?”

Zhao Sixi nodded. “Mm-hmm, of course I can. This is what I usually eat.”

“That’s good then.” Saying that, she put the money pouch back.

Zhao Sixi munched on the flatbread and looked at her, speaking unclearly, “Physician Si, I noticed you were distracted earlier. Did something happen?”

Si Qingyu’s footsteps paused, and she shook her head without saying a word.

Seeing that she didn’t speak, Zhao Sixi didn’t dare to ask further and quietly ate her flatbread on the side. She had already gotten used to Si Qingyu’s habit of keeping things to herself when something was bothering her. If she didn’t want to talk about it, there was no way to pry it out of her.

Watching her nibble on the dry flatbread, Si Qingyu felt that she had misspoken earlier. She had promised to bring back snacks for her, so she walked to the table and poured her a cup of tea. “Drink it with tea. I’ll bring you some next time.”

Zhao Sixi took the teacup and drank the tea in one gulp. She smiled brightly at her. “Great!”

In the afternoon, Si Qingyu held a medical book and read it, but she couldn’t take in a single word. Whenever she thought about the incident in the capital, she felt unsettled and a little anxious.

Should she go to the capital to check on him? After all, they had been close friends for two years. With such an incident happening, she wasn’t sure if he was safe, which made her feel a bit uneasy.

“Physician Si, did you encounter something? You’ve been frowning ever since you came back from lunch.” Zhao Sixi watched her worriedly from the side. It must be a big deal to make Physician Si frown for an entire afternoon!

Si Qingyu rubbed her brows in frustration. “It’s nothing.” Then she opened her eyes slightly and looked at her. “I’m going to the capital tomorrow. You’ll be in charge of looking after the medical hall.”

“Ah?” Zhao Sixi didn’t react to this development. How come she suddenly decided to go to the capital? “Then… when will you be back, Physician Si?”

“I’ll come back once I’m done with the matter.” She thought that as long as she made sure Luo Shaoxuan was alright, she could return. “I should be back in two or three days.”

Two or three days… That’s good. Zhao Sixi secretly let out a sigh of relief. “Then Physician Si, you must come back early. I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle it.”

“Why do you have so little confidence in yourself? You’re doing very well now.”

Si Qingyu rarely praised her, which made her heart feel delighted. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle some difficult and strange diseases……” She really didn’t have much confidence in her own skills.

“Don’t worry. I’ll only be gone for two days and will be back.”

……

At night, Si Qingyu packed the things she needed to bring, including a set of clean clothes and some medicinal powders for stopping bleeding and disinfecting wounds. She didn’t know how seriously he was injured, and she couldn’t fully trust what she heard from others.

However… there were so many skilled physicians in the capital. Perhaps these things wouldn’t be needed. She hesitated for a moment but decided to bring them anyway. It wouldn’t take up much space.

After packing, she sat at the table and drank a cup of tea, thinking about what the two women had said today. She didn’t quite understand. According to what people said, this noble lady was a gentle and refined person. How could she hold such a deep grudge against the Luo Mansion?

If she harbored such hatred, why would she want to marry Luo Shaoxuan? This… seemed to be something incomprehensible no matter how she thought about it.

Si Qingyu looked out the window blankly. It was pitch black outside, quiet except for the chirping of crickets and the occasional rustling of the wind through the trees.

She sighed. She had to get up early tomorrow, so it was better to sleep early. She blew out the candle and went to bed, resting in her clothes.

……

Early the next morning, Si Qingyu rented a horse carriage in town and headed towards the capital.

The carriage driver was an honest and amiable older woman who chatted with Si Qingyu throughout the journey.

“Physician Si, what are you going to the capital for?” the older woman asked.

“To visit a friend,” Si Qingyu replied.

“Oh…” “Ah, I heard something happened in the capital now. It’s quite scary.”

Si Qingyu knew what she was talking about but didn’t say anything.

The older woman continued talking to herself, “I rarely go to the capital. I usually only take people there when they need a carriage. I heard from them that the entire Luo family was wiped out.” She had a gossipy demeanor, eager to share this news with Si Qingyu immediately.

“……” Gossip was truly everywhere, Si Qingyu thought helplessly.

“Ah, no, no.” The older woman thought of something and quickly patted her own mouth. Wasn’t she cursing someone? “There’s still one left, I heard. That… that young master something.” What young master was it? She scratched her head, unable to recall.

“……”

All the way to the capital, the older woman kept chattering with Si Qingyu.

Si Qingyu didn’t quite understand. Talking for so long, wouldn’t she get thirsty? She didn’t even see her drink any water.

The carriage stopped directly in front of the Luo Mansion’s main gate. “Physician Si, we’ve arrived.”

Si Qingyu got off the carriage and handed the silver to her, but the older woman waved her hand. “No, no. Consider it a treat for Physician Si.”

“Please take it, ma’am. If you don’t accept it, I’ll feel uneasy and won’t dare to ask for your service next time.”

“Well… alright then, I’ll accept it. If you need a carriage next time, just call me! I’ll give you the best price.” The older woman took the silver and grinned at her.

Si Qingyu nodded at her with a faint smile, turned around, and walked towards the main gate of the Luo Mansion. White lanterns hung outside the gate, giving off a chilling and desolate feeling.

She reached the main gate, lifted her hand, and knocked on the door knocker three times, then stood quietly and waited.

Soon, the gate opened from the inside, and a pale-faced woman who looked to be in her thirties poked her head out, eyeing her suspiciously. “Who are you?”

Si Qingyu politely nodded at her. “I am a friend of Young Master Luo. I’m here to see him.”

“A friend of the young master?” The woman looked at her with surprise and doubt, feeling that she seemed somewhat familiar but couldn’t recall at the moment. “Please wait a moment. I’ll go inform the young master.”

“Alright, thank you.”

The gate closed again, and Si Qingyu lowered her gaze slightly, standing there quietly and waiting.

Before long, the gate reopened. Si Qingyu raised her eyes, and before she could see clearly, the scenery in front of her blurred, and she was embraced by someone.

Si Qingyu froze, her body stiff as she allowed Luo Shaoxuan to hug her. She glanced to the side and saw him burying his face in the crook of her neck, his hands tightly wrapped around her waist as if he wanted to break it.

This posture made her feel a bit unnatural. She raised her stiff hand and gently patted his back, coaxing, “It’s alright now, it’s alright.” She thought he must have been frightened, after all, such a big incident had happened to his family.

However, the hands around her waist tightened even more, and his face nuzzled against her neck.

Si Qingyu inhaled sharply. How could this person be so strong? Her waist was about to break.

Although Si Qingyu felt heartache for him, she thought it wasn’t appropriate to be like this outside the gate. She whispered softly in his ear, “Shall we go inside first?”

Luo Shaoxuan remained silent, his arms wrapped around her like iron shackles.

Just as Si Qingyu was starting to lose patience, he finally raised his head. His narrow phoenix eyes were misty, the corners tinged red, giving off a bewitching appearance. His vermilion lips were slightly pursed, as if he had suffered a great grievance.

Si Qingyu’s heart softened, and her voice became even gentler. “Shall we go inside the mansion first?”

“Mm.” Luo Shaoxuan obediently nodded, holding onto her sleeve and following her inside.