Chapter 147: The Regent is Ill

Old Master Qin turned around, feeling somewhat pleased. “Of course, the Dingyuan Marquis posted a public notice.”

He had come prepared; from his sleeve, he pulled out a neatly folded notice, his expression arrogant. “See for yourself.”

Su Wan took the notice, her gaze landing on the date—it was the very day she left the capital, the notice posted by Su Jihong.

Old Master Qin saw that Su Wan had been silent for a long time, seemingly unable to believe it, reading each word carefully.

He folded his hands behind his back, leisurely waiting for Gu Huaizhi to apologize to him and personally invite him inside for tea.

“That’s wonderful!” Su Wan confirmed that the severance of the father-daughter relationship was true. From now on, whether in life or death, she would have nothing to do with the Dingyuan Marquis’s household.

A joyful smile appeared on her face as she waved the notice at Gu Huaizhi, with a light and cheerful voice. “This counts as a double celebration for us.”

Old Master Qin: “??”

“Thank you for bringing me such great news.” Su Wan took out a five-tael silver ingot^[1]“银子” (yínzi) refers to silver in the form of a standard ingot or bar, specifically one that weighs five taels. from her sleeve and tossed it toward Old Master Qin. “This is a token of my appreciation.”

“Ah!!” Old Master Qin caught the silver ingot, looking utterly bewildered.

This was not what he had expected at all!

The Gu family, having lost the major support of the Dingyuan Marquis, should have been panicking, feeling helpless, and then seeking his assistance, shouldn’t they?

Regardless of the reaction, it should not have been one of delight, as if they had finally gotten rid of a burden.

Old Master Qin suspected that Su Wan was deliberately putting on a show, and she might actually be crying her heart out inside.

He sneered and left with his entourage.

Before leaving, Qin Yuan bit her lip, unwillingly stealing one last glance at Gu Huaizhi.

Gu Huaizhi looked at Su Wan with gentle eyes, carefully folding the notice and placing it in her hand. “Keep it well. If the Dingyuan Marquis ever tries to trouble you again, just show him this notice.”

Su Wan was genuinely very happy. In ancient times, filial piety was highly regarded, and if someone was reported by their elders for being unfilial, it could lead to severe consequences, including imprisonment.

No matter how despicable Su Jihong was, it didn’t change the fact that he was her father. If he used filial piety against her, Su Wan wasn’t afraid, but since Gu Huaizhi was pursuing an official career, there was a fear that petty individuals might exploit this matter to sabotage him.

Who would have thought that Su Jihong would sever the father-daughter relationship first? It played right into her hands.

“Of course, I need to bring Grandmother out of there,” Su Wan said, having a good idea of why Su Jihong was so eager to announce the severance of their relationship. It must have been something Grandmother did.

When she initially wanted to take Grandmother away, Grandmother insisted on staying in the Su household to protect what rightfully belonged to Su Wan.

Su Jihong hated her to the core. Even if he had to throw all of Dingyuan Marquis’s possessions into the moat, he wouldn’t let Su Wan benefit from them, would he?

Su Wan didn’t care about the possessions of the Dingyuan Marquis’s household; she was only worried about her grandmother’s safety.

She was eager to head to the capital as soon as possible to ascertain her grandmother’s current situation.

“Don’t worry, I’ve left someone by Old lady Su’s side,” Gu Huaizhi, understanding Su Wan’s concerns, gently smoothed the furrow between her brows with his fingers. “If you’re uneasy, we’ll head to the capital sooner.”

Su Wan looked at Gu Huaizhi in surprise; she hadn’t expected that he would have already sent someone to protect her grandmother.

“Let’s go to the capital as soon as we can.”

Without seeing Old lady Su safe and sound with her own eyes, Su Wan couldn’t be at ease.

Gu Huaizhi said, “Tomorrow, I’ll make a trip to Xihe Academy to handle the withdrawal procedures for Jingyun and Baozhu.”

“Then I’ll stay home and pack our things,” Mother Gu said, determined not to hold them back. However, thinking about Old Master Qin who had just left, she anxiously asked, “Huaizhi, who exactly is this Old Master Qin? He won’t cause you any trouble, will he?”

Gu Huaizhi’s gaze turned sharp and cold. “He won’t.”

Mother Gu let out a sigh of relief and muttered angrily, “Good, as long as he won’t. Just because he has some dirty money, he thinks he can control us. Hah! He should take a good look at himself in a puddle and see what kind of person he really is!”

She rolled up her sleeves. “I’m off to chop pig feed, and later I’ll go find the clan leader’s wife to see if they want our pigs and land. I’ll sell everything to them.”

After Mother Gu left, Su Wan asked, “Old Master Qin seems well-informed. Does he have backing in the capital?”

“He is from the same clan and family as the Minister of Personnel^[2]吏部: Ministry of Personnel is a government department in charge of official appointments, promotions, and demotions in historical China..”

The Minister of Personnel is known for his integrity and does not abuse his power for personal gain. Old Master Qin, being a merchant with vast wealth, belongs to the lowest social class among the scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Despite being from the same clan, the Minister of Personnel has not shown favoritism to Old Master Qin in his pursuit of a place in officialdom.

Old Master Qin’s two sons are not promising; they lack the aptitude for studying. Despite several attempts, they failed to gain admission to Xihe Academy and eventually refused to study altogether, spending their days in disreputable places.

Given Gu Huaizhi’s humble background and his success in passing the provincial exams, combined with his wife’s noble birth despite her estrangement from her family, Old Master Qin saw an opportunity. He hoped to marry his daughter to Gu Huaizhi, so that when Gu Huaizhi’s career flourished, Old Master Qin could consider himself halfway into the officialdom.

Gu Huaizhi sneered mockingly, “There’s no need to concern yourself with him.”

Su Wan nodded in agreement.

Gu Huaizhi brought up a matter: “Mo Chen has already arranged for the doctors and apprentice doctors needed for the workshop in Guangling Prefecture. He escorted the Iron Lady back to the prefectural city, and the workshop is almost ready to start operations.”

Su Wan responded with delight, “That just leaves the medical hall. When we head to the capital, let’s stop in the prefectural city for two days so I can talk with Wang Dong.”

Gu Huaizhi agreed, “Alright.”

—

Su Wan’s personality was energetic and efficient. She busily handed over the skincare products, lip balms, and face powders that had passed the trial period to Shopkeeper Jiang. As per their usual practice, she instructed him to deliver them to the girls at Cuiyan Pavilion.

Meanwhile, at Xinglin Medical Hall, the pills for treating typhoid fever were showing quick effectiveness in patients without any other side effects or aftereffects, which put Su Wan at ease. She stayed at the workshop for three or four days, delegating tasks and organizing the preparation of the typhoid medicine.

After confirming that the typhoid medicine produced had no issues, Su Wan decided to sell it exclusively to patients at Xinglin Medical Hall, avoiding large-scale sales to other medical halls or pharmacies. She had other plans in mind, intending to use the medicine to establish a firm foothold in the capital.

After stretching lazily, Su Wan took ten bottles of the medicine and tucked them into her bundle, planning to take them to the capital. She was getting ready to return to Xinghua Village.

As she stepped out of the workshop, she saw Wang Dong and a middle-aged man getting off a carriage.

“Divine Doctor Su!” Wang Dong called out joyfully.

Su Wan was surprised, asked, “Are you here to buy wound medicine?”

“No, no, no!” Wang Dong scratched his head sheepishly and said, “I heard you took over Guangren Hall and are looking to hire a shopkeeper and doctors.”

He pulled the middle-aged man over and said, “This is my father. After discussing it, we decided to close down our struggling medical hall and work with you.”

Lacking confidence, his voice lowered as he spoke.

Wang Yao expressed his loyalty, saying, “Divine Doctor Su, I’ve heard of your deeds and greatly admire you as a healer devoted to the people. You have great ability and a compassionate heart.

While running our own medical hall, we treat patients and also make a living. Helping you establish your medical hall can achieve the same goals, and we’ll have the opportunity to learn medical skills from you. After weighing it in our hearts, we decided to take the initiative to come and recommend ourselves to you.”

“You don’t need to be so polite. I had already taken notice of Wang Dong’s sense of justice and was planning to go to the prefectural city in the next couple of days to ask if he would be willing to work with me. It seems our intentions align perfectly, saving us a lot of trouble.”

Su Wan made a gesture to invite them in. “Let’s go inside and discuss further.”

The father and son entered the workshop, and just as Su Wan was about to follow them, Qi Guang arrived. His expression was anxious; he glanced briefly at Wang Yao and Wang Dong before pulling Su Wan aside. “The Regent is ill.”