Chapter 180: Do Not Be Overly Sentimental

Chapter 180: Do Not Be Overly Sentimental

It seems she will have to train some female doctors in the future.

The Yamen Runners, armed with large knives, arrived belatedly. Lu Mingchao held back her sighs and sadness, making polite small talk.

The Yamen Runners, with sharp knives hanging at their waists, arrived calmly. Lu Mingchao concealed her inner emotions and greeted everyone with a smile and proper etiquette.

Tiandong steered the carriage into the city, seeing the unusually dense crowd on the long street, and couldn’t help feeling a bit suspicious.

Especially after observing for a while, he noticed that the hurried steps of the old and young seemed to be heading towards the same destination, increasing his confusion.

What kind of trouble has stirred up Changhe County this time?

Could it be related to Sun's Shop and the Eldest Young Master Sun?

At this thought, Tiandong tugged the reins, and the black horse whinnied, lifting its hooves before coming to a halt.

He halted a scholarly-looking passerby, gave a bow, and asked casually, "Hey, do you know why everyone’s in such a hurry?"

The scholar returned the greeting, "Mr. Lu from Chaofu Grain Shop has arranged for doctors to offer free medical care for the old, weak, sick, and disabled from Si to You hours, and is providing two free doses of medicine. If you’re late, you’ll miss your spot in line."

"Mr. Lu is really something special."

A disdainful sneer came from inside the carriage, "A fame-hungry opportunist, a small-time schemer."

"Utterly hypocritical!"

The scholar stopped, his face cold, and bowed through the carriage curtain, "From your words, it seems you’re educated. I wonder how you determine true benevolence from hypocrisy?"

"No matter Mr. Lu’s motives, her actions from start to finish merit the term 'kindness.'"

The scholar looked at the simple yet elegant carriage, a wry smile on his lips, "You likely have no idea how many elderly, frail, and sick folks barely make it through the winter each year."

"Mr. Lu from Chaofu Grain Shop helps the elderly, frail, and sick see the spring blooms, which is a true blessing."

"If you’re not a hypocrite, tell me how often you’ve handed out porridge, donated money, and done good deeds."

The scholar spoke firmly and forcefully, his words ringing clear.

Inside the carriage, Qu Ying flushed with anger, her face fierce, teeth clenched.

"If you won’t talk, I’ll find out for myself." The scholar snorted coldly, neither humble nor pushy, and walked away with a wave of his sleeve.

Tiandong turned pale, utterly mortified.

When Concubine Qu lived at the Sun residence as a cousin, she was gentle and kind, like a pristine white lotus under the cold moon.

Looking back, it’s clear the praise was misplaced.

The cousin and the white lotus aren’t just different—they’re worlds apart.

"Master, Ying'er wants to distribute porridge to help the poor, to accumulate virtue and pray for a wise and filial son for the child in my womb." Qu Ying tugged at Sun Wude's sleeve, whispering her plea.

Tiandong, driving the carriage, didn’t even have time to lament the imitation before being shocked by the vast amount of information in Qu Ying's words.

Not only had they been intimate under the mandarin duck quilt, but she was also pregnant with an illegitimate child?

Tiandong was in a daze, momentarily unable to distinguish the present from the past.

What about the eldest son?

Will he be cast aside?

The words "smart and dutiful" hit Sun Wude right where it hurt.

Sun Wude's face lit up with a big smile as he stroked his beard, agreeing without hesitation, "We have to, we have to give out porridge."

"The Sun family's name is mud, and this is a perfect opportunity to showcase their benevolence to Changhe County."

"Tiandong, let's head back home first," Sun Wude lifted the carriage curtain and instructed.

Tiandong tightened his grip on the reins and said gloomily, "Sir, your eldest son is still waiting for you at the county office."

Qu Ying stirred the pot, "Tiandong, are you teaching the master how to do things?"

"Who's the boss here, the master or the servant?"

Now, she desperately needed a pregnancy diagnosis to calm everyone down.

Not just her reassurance, but also Old Master Sun's.

Sun Wude's thoughts were exactly the same as Qu Ying's.

Tiandong had no choice but to head back home first, and then, reluctantly, he followed orders to find a doctor for Qu Ying.

The doctor felt her pulse, smooth as beads on a plate—she was definitely pregnant.

Sun Wude was thrilled, but Tiandong looked like he'd just lost everything.

Seeing that Sun Wude had no intention of caring about the eldest son, Tiandong had to go see him by himself, bringing the news of Qu Ying's pregnancy.

In the county jail, Sun Zhiye sat on a pile of dry straw, legs crossed, his hair neat and his clothes clean, his face as calm as a lake, as if he were meditating in the family's Buddhist hall rather than being imprisoned.

But that calm didn't last long.

"She's pregnant?" Sun Zhiye felt like he was hallucinating.

Tiandong looked down, not daring to meet Sun Zhiye's gaze, which seemed like it could devour him, and whispered, "The doctor took her pulse, it's a pregnancy."

Sun Zhiye clenched the straw in his fists, his eyes bloodshot, his expression manic, "Very good, very good."

He'd written off his younger brother, but he never thought he would become one too.

Fate moves fast, too fast.

Sun Zhiye's emotions were in turmoil, "Tiandong, you know what needs to be done."

Sun Zhiye's voice was dripping with menace.

He wasn't like Sun Zhipeng, that good-for-nothing, who could be tossed aside.

Tiandong's heart raced, and he hesitated.

Sun Zhiye said coldly, "Tiandong, don't go soft."

"Only when he's backed into a corner will Father do whatever it takes to clear my name."

"Tiandong, cut off all of Father's retreats."

Not just the child in Concubine Qu’s womb!

Without Concubine Qu, there would still be Wang Ying, Zhang Ying, Li Ying. He wants to stop the boiling water by skimming it, but also to remove the firewood from under the cauldron.

Tiandong had no choice but to lower his voice and say, "I will carry out your orders."

"Eldest Young Master Sun, Master and Concubine Qu mentioned that Mr. Lu from Chaofu Grain Shop once visited a Taoist temple on the mountain. Madam’s complaint might be linked to him."

Tiandong reminded.

Sun Zhiye curled his lips, "Lu Mingchao?"

"Not surprising, nor unusual."

"She gauges people’s intentions, but not completely."

"A respectable county office wouldn’t admit fault until it’s backed into a corner with undeniable evidence."

"If Father wants to preserve his lineage, he’ll have to intervene on my behalf. If Chuanbo can persuade the noble from Yongning Marquis’s residence to intervene, I can escape unscathed."

"Lu Mingchao’s support is all smoke and mirrors—it can’t harm me, just cause minor trouble."

Tiandong couldn’t quite grasp the Eldest Young Master’s confidence.

He knew the Eldest Young Master meant Mr. Lu’s ties to Yongning Marquis’s residence were illusory, but wasn’t the Eldest Young Master’s own support just as flimsy?

Besides, Mr. Lu didn’t get this far just by riding on someone else’s coattails.

"Eldest Young Master Sun, Mr. Lu set up a free clinic outside Chaofu Grain Shop today."

Sun Zhiye furrowed his brows, pondering Lu Mingchao's intentions.

He murmured, "Is it possible that Lu Mingchao is after fame, not profit?"

"And seeking fame, his ambitions are grand."

Sun Zhiye's eyes gleamed, "Tiandong, what do you think Lu Mingchao wants?"

"Please, save my child."