Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 241: Chapter 142 The Use of 5000 Troops Chapter 241: Chapter 142 The Use of 5000 Troops “As for the second fire, wise people know very well what I mean, so I won’t belabor the point.” Du Chenzhi straightened his clothes with undue seriousness and declared formally, “The first two fires were mere smokescreens, but this third one is a real blaze that must be kindled.”

His mysterious airs piqued Gu Changsheng’s interest. Gu Changsheng turned slightly, “I would hear more.”

“His Majesty has tasked me with leading these five thousand soldiers to eradicate bandits!” Du Chenzhi announced emphatically.

“Eradicate bandits?” Gu Changsheng’s eyebrows arched up, and the corners of his mouth slowly formed a knowing smile.

“Yes, eradicate bandits!” Du Chenzhi sighed and continued to mutter, “Lady Changsheng, in the end, this matter traces back to your wrongdoing. You slaughtered the entire Xiao Clan, which was bad enough, but why did you foist the blame onto the mountain stronghold where Prince Mu raised his private army?”

“Others might not know about your blame shifting, and it’s likely they’ll think the County Prince’s Mansion is responsible. Such deception might fool most, but there are always one or two clever ones who won’t be, right?”

“Take my father, for example. When he shared his suspicions, he truly gave me a scare. Lady Changsheng, you are far too bold, that’s the Court’s imperial domain! The City Lord’s Mansion! To say you’d slaughter them is to do just that? Do you think this is child’s play, slicing vegetables in the kitchen?”

“Stick to the point!” Gu Changsheng rubbed his forehead and interrupted Du Chenzhi’s rambling.

Upon hearing this, Du Chenzhi instantly stood up straight, “It’s one thing you killed the former City Lord Xiao, but please, please do not eliminate me, the new City Lord Du! I’m merely a bystander, passing by; we must coexist peacefully…”

He was genuinely worried…

Gu Changsheng rolled his eyes contemptuously, “I’ve seen those who fear death, but never one so self-righteous about it.”

“My father said, ‘The wise adapt and prosper!’ Though I may be untalented, I must strive to be such a person!” Du Chenzhi thumped his chest, his expression utterly grave.

His words caused Gu Changsheng to burst into laughter. After finally containing his mirth, Gu Changsheng looked at Du Chenzhi, “If your father taught you that the wise adapt and prosper, he surely must have also imparted the art of tactful deception. You know full well how to respond to His Majesty’s expectations.”

“Indeed,” Du Chenzhi nodded quickly, “I am incompetent, and Gu Changsheng remains stubborn. Given his considerable reputation in Liuzhou Region, he cannot be taken by force; we must bide our time.”

Gu Changsheng nodded, “Truly a scion of a family with generations in officialdom, a child worth teaching!”

Being praised, Du Chenzhi immediately felt elated. If it weren’t for his feet being tied down, he might well have soared into the sky at that moment.

“A false alarm, but your performance was, at best, barely satisfactory. Withdraw your troops,” Gu Changsheng turned to his subordinates and waved them away.

Over a thousand men nodded slightly and dispersed quietly, vanishing into the surroundings.

Witnessing this scene, Du Chenzhi couldn’t help his mouth twitching, “Lady Changsheng, how can that be considered barely satisfactory?”

In just a few moments, a thousand men had subdued his five thousand soldiers!

This was an absolute wipeout!

He had no idea how so many men had appeared inside his City Lord’s Mansion!

There were maids and servant boys, gardeners, and even turncoats dressed in his own soldiers’ uniforms!

“You’re a clever man, so how you explain this to your five thousand soldiers is for you to figure out. I’m feeling a bit tired and won’t linger here any longer,” Gu Changsheng said as he stood up.

Seeing this, Du Chenzhi hurriedly followed a few steps, “Lady Changsheng, about this eradication of bandits, what should be done in the end? We have to give an explanation to the truly clueless.”

“You eradicate your bandits, what’s it to me?” Gu Changsheng gave him a glance, clearly uninterested in intervening.

A free whetstone, moreover, one that could be reused, was indeed a good deal. She would be foolish to refuse it!

“Lady Changsheng, if I were to destroy your old residence, you’d surely come after my life. We should find a way to gloss over this matter,” Du Chenzhi was sweating bullets internally, anxious about involving Prince Mu’s private army. How could Lady Changsheng be so unconcerned!

What was he to do?

“That requires you to have the ability to destroy my old residence. Rest assured, you can go ahead and focus on eradicating bandits. I’m looking forward to it!”

“Really eradicate them? Would offering amnesty work?” Du Chenzhi was close to tears.

“Deceit and subterfuge aren’t becoming. As a man of the Court, City Lord Du ought to exhaust all efforts for the state, pursue his duties until death without resentment or regret…”

As Du Chenzhi raised his hand watching Gu Changsheng climb into the palanquin and then gracefully disappeared by the arch of the back garden.

He felt utterly aggrieved inside. This was not without resentment or regret; it was being stuck in a predicament!

To hell with dying with no regrets, he planned to live a long life and dote on his grandchildren!

What in the world was Lady Changsheng playing at!

This really was maddening…

While Du Chenzhi was frantic, at his wits’ end, Gu Changsheng, on the other hand, was leaving Liuzhou City in grand style, surrounded by a throng of followers.

To calm the people’s hearts, Gu Changsheng had no choice but to have Han Qiu pass a message to everyone.

The day when the Gu Family Old Residence was reconstructed would be the day Gu Family Medical Hall resumed its operations.

At once, the populace was stirred.

Gu Changsheng was unaware of the reaction her words provoked until she found out that many people were flocking to her home to help carry bricks. The fortunate Gu Changsheng was quite smug about it, her little pride untold.

However, the project she had designed for the Gu Family Old Residence was quite a significant undertaking. At least, its exquisite detail surpassed even that of the City Lord’s Mansion, without question.

This was no overnight achievement! Confident in the philosophy that great works take time, Gu Changsheng was in no rush.

As for Gu Changsheng’s grand departure from Liuzhou City, her palanquin came to rest in a small courtyard at the foot of Baili Mountain, and she led her family in another magnificent procession into the mountain.

In the depths of Baili Mountain, the Dark Camp Fortress, she ordered the already returned Elite Guards to continue their training and addressed the hesitant Eunuch Yuan Bao following her around.

“Yuan Bao, speak your mind or let it out, you lump as big as you are acting all demure like a little girl, doesn’t it feel awkward for you?”

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Yuan Bao continued to hem and haw, giving himself several pep talks in secret, still not daring to speak.

Yue Xilou, who was beside them, couldn’t stand to watch any longer. The battle of wits had yet to reach a verdict, and it was the perfect moment to kick someone when they’re down and tattle, “Girl, weren’t you taken advantage of by that youngster Du Chenzhi?”

Gu Changsheng nodded, somewhat confused, indeed there had been such an affair, that screw-loose Du Chenzhi!

“Therefore, Eunuch Yuan Bao was diligent in his duties, sending off a carrier pigeon with a letter. As for where it went and what the contents were, you’ll have to ask him yourself,” Yue Xilou reported truthfully, with a face ready to watch the drama unfold.

With a resentful glance at him, Yuan Bao turned to Gu Changsheng with a look of pleading, his eyes brimming with tears, “Lady Changsheng…”

“Resistance means strictness, confession also means strictness, choose one,” Gu Changsheng frowned.

“Isn’t it supposed to be leniency for those who confess?” Why had it come to him being even stricter with confessions? Eunuch Yuan Bao felt an inner pain, eyeing a potential escape route…

“Leniency for confession is something a repeat offender like you can’t enjoy anymore. Tell me, what was the content of the message you sent to Zhou Mu?” Gu Changsheng crossed his arms, wearing a knowing look.

The matter involved her, and Yuan Bao had sent a letter via carrier pigeon; without a second thought, she knew to whom he had sent it!

“Lady Changsheng… ”

Yuan Bao stuttered, retreating a step backward.

He dared not say it… he felt that if he did, his end might very well come today.

“Yuan Bao, Du Chenzhi said something very apt, and now I’ll send his words your way, ‘The wise adapt to the times; do you think you can escape my Five Fingers Mountain?’”

Yuan Bao watched as Gu Changsheng opened and then clenched her five fingers in front of him, his throat swallowing frantically.

Lady Changsheng, so terrifying!

“Speak!”

The iciness in that single word carried the momentum of a horse stampeding across a frozen river.

Freezing on the spot under such oppressive force, Yuan Bao intuitively confessed, “Lady Changsheng is going out over the wall!”

Upon hearing this, Gu Changsheng was taken aback, her previously mighty attitude relaxing in an instant, “Is that all?”

“Just that.” Yuan Bao immediately bobbed his head like a pecking chicken.

“Didn’t you write anything else?” Phoenix Eyes narrowed slightly, betraying a hint of danger.

With a timid step backward, Yuan Bao shook his head like a rattle drum, “Really nothing more, just that one sentence.”

Heavens have mercy, he had merely been overanxious on his master’s behalf and, on impulse, wrote that single sentence; how could he have foreseen the plot twist that came later?

Yuan Bao felt, he was actually, very innocent! Extremely innocent!

Innocent or not, once Gu Changsheng confirmed the content of the letter, she experienced a momentary daze.

What would the evildoer think when he saw this letter?

Would he, in his fury, come storming back to seek justice?

Then she… wouldn’t she get to see him again?

At this thought, a shiver ran through Gu Changsheng.

Hallelujah! She was actually feeling a tinge of anticipation!

Could it be that she truly missed him?

Shaking her head vigorously to regain her senses, Gu Changsheng slapped her hand towards Yuan Bao’s large forehead.

“Are you a pig?”

Yuan Bao clutched his slapped forehead, displaying indignation yet not daring to speak, but still shook his head nonetheless.

Even if his body resembled that of a pig, he was still, to some extent, a human, right?

After all, isn’t imperfection a form of beauty?

“Is your head filled with straw?”

Another slap came down, and Yuan Bao’s head, which hadn’t yet raised, was again forced down to his chest.

He was filled with aggrieved tears…

With the resolution of a brave warrior prepared to sacrifice his arm, Yuan Bao mustered the courage to speak with a hero’s resolve, “Lady Changsheng, whatever the punishment is, you say…”

“Good! Well-trained homing pigeons, huh? Right now, instantly, this moment, chase after it!” Gu Changsheng kicked Yuan Bao’s rear without a shred of mercy.

“Chase the pigeon…” Yuan Bao was on the verge of tears.

By this time, that pigeon could’ve flown a few hundred miles away. Even if he were given wings, he couldn’t catch up.

“What are you dawdling for? Go on!” Gu Changsheng rubbed her temples, feigning ferociousness to urge him on.

“Lady Changsheng, the one running on the ground chasing after the one flying in the sky, do you think I can…” Even a thousand-li horse would be no match for those tender wings!