Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 301: Chapter 184: Let’s Have a Child Chapter 301: Chapter 184: Let’s Have a Child Zhou Zongbao, upon hearing that packing was all that stood between him and seeing his Xiao Qiu, suddenly cast aside his pride and enthusiastically helped Dong Lei prepare their belongings.

“Ah! Prince Bao, you can’t mix those two herbs together, my wife said it would alter their medicinal properties!”

“Prince Bao, you can’t just stuff the clothes together like that, they will be all wrinkled when we return!”

“Yikes! Prince Bao, you’ve broken my wife’s favorite Glazed Cup, what will she use to drink her wine now?”

“…”

It was evident some people were born with high status, and when they try to step down and help, they only make things worse!

Amidst Zhou Zongbao’s joking and meddling, Gu Changsheng and his group only managed to set off for Baili Mountain by the time the sun began to set.

Gu Changsheng walked shoulder to shoulder with Zhou Mu, frowning and looking back every now and then.

“Tell me, Prince Bao, were you born a tortoise? At your pace, it will be completely dark before we even reach the Dark Camp!”

Zhou Zongbao, gasping for breath, collapsed onto Yuan Bao, breathing heavily.

“Little… From the womb, this young master was born with laziness in his bones, so what?”

Gu Changsheng looked at the pampered Zhou Zongbao and shook his head, complaining to Zhou Mu, “How does your family raise such a rare specimen? His hands have never touched spring water, he’s lazy to the core, and he’s utterly useless!”

Zhou Mu glanced at the struggling Zhou Zongbao climbing up the mountain and sighed helplessly, “He was born adorned with every privilege. I am the first to treat him this way.”

“You talk as if I’m abusing him! Just look at his delicate airs. If Han Qiu could fancy him, that would indeed be a ghostly affair!”

Gu Changsheng scoffed, “My Han Qiu is beautiful, intelligent, and competent. She might be a bit cold, but there’s really nothing to fault about her at all!”

As for Zhou Zongbao, one could hardly find a single redeeming trait in him!

Utterly useless as a prince, a spoiled Grand Commander, what good is there?

“Let’s go.” Zhou Mu affectionately shook his head and held her hand to continue forward.

The ancient trees touched the sky, making the mountain road difficult to navigate.

Zhou Zongbao clenched his teeth and glared at the couple ahead, finding them unbearable to watch.

“I’ve truly had enough, young master has!”

With a hateful stomp, Zhou Zongbao shook off Yuan Bao’s support and put all his effort into catching up to the blissfully unaware couple ahead.

“Gu Changsheng, do you find it amusing to cling to Little Wood like this?”

Those tightly clasped hands were too glaring to ignore!

The named Gu Changsheng turned his head in confusion and lifted his hand that was being held, “Cling? Am I clinging to him?”

“Open your eyes wide and see clearly, it’s clearly your Little Wood who is holding onto me and won’t let go! Don’t be envious, jealous, or hateful, and snap at people for no reason!”

Zhou Zongbao was taken aback, rubbed his eyes, and took a closer look; indeed, it was his Little Wood who was holding on and not letting go!

The truth wounded Zhou Zongbao internally!

The Little Wood he had painstakingly raised had now become someone else’s Protector of Flowers?

“Little Wood, is this how I taught you? A man needs to stand tall, not fawn over her like this. Are you unable to find a wife, or is there something wrong with you?”

Zhou Zongbao, hands on hips, yelled at Zhou Mu.

“As the Peerage King, I am pleased!”

Zhou Mu didn’t even turn around but looked tenderly at Gu Changsheng, “Ignore him, let’s go.”

Gu Changsheng snorted, flipped her long hair, and continued walking, hand in hand.

The abandoned Zhou Zongbao, furious to the point of spitting blood, clawed and chased after them again.

“Little Wood, are you so desperate for a woman? If you really are in need, I’ll send you several bags back in the capital, all far better than this Mother Tigress here. Why can’t you see that?”

Zhou Mu finally turned around, frowning at him, “From the thousands, I only choose to drink from one ladle.”

Gu Changsheng felt the hand holding her tighten, she lifted her head and flashed a smile that could overthrow cities and kingdoms.

“My man, Gu Changsheng, in this life, can only belong to me alone. Prince Bao, you can keep your bevy of beauties for yourself!”

Zhou Zongbao nearly had his eyes dazzled by that smile and upon hearing those words, he instantly widened his eyes, “How is that possible! It’s already minimal for the Imperial Family to have three wives and four concubines, how could Little Wood ever remain devoted solely to you? You are truly delusional!”

Having said that, Zhou Zongbao ran to Zhou Mu, looking earnestly at him as he asked, “Little Wood, you would never agree to such an unreasonable request, would you?”

Zhou Mu, standing tall and holding hands with Gu Changsheng, happened to catch Changsheng’s upward gaze, and they exchanged smiles filled with warmth.

“Hetian, as I have always said, in this world, even if someone loved her, pampered her, doted on her, indulged her, pitied her, cherished her, recognized her, understood her, cared for her, honored her, and was devoted solely to her, it might still not be enough to catch her eye. If I cannot even do these things, why would she ever marry me?”

“Good heavens!” Zhou Zongbao was struck speechless by these words.

Seeing Zhou Zongbao so astonished, Zhou Mu didn’t stop there; at this moment, if he didn’t make things clear, there would surely be endless troubles in the future.

“Hetian, I regard you as a father, a brother, and an elder. Today, I tell you that Changsheng, my love, is the woman I have chosen for this life, just as you once met Han Qiu when you were young, with a love that has lasted for more than a decade. I merely met my love later, yet my intentions are the same. I hope the Imperial Uncle Ancestor can give us his blessing!”

Zhou Zongbao watched the man before him genuflect and pay his respects, momentarily lost in thought.

Gu Changsheng furrowed his brows as he watched Zhou Mu bend his knees.

From the moment she met Zhou Mu, he had been high above, as if from the Divine Residence, never once kneeling to anyone, let alone prostrating himself!

Zhou Zongbao, indeed, he was a family member and relative whom he greatly valued…

Zhou Zongbao’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the man before him, as though time had reversed, and he was back in his childhood.

He couldn’t remember how many years it had been since Zhou Mu had asked him for anything. His life had not been focused on important matters, yet his only pride was in raising Zhou Mu.

But now, the child he was proud of was kneeling before him, asking him to approve his union with a woman, while that woman stood quietly aside, her expression composed.

Zhou Zongbao’s shoulders sagged as he heaved a deep sigh, speaking listlessly, “Zhou Mu, the Emperor and I have nurtured you with the hope that one day you would succeed the Imperial Throne, unite the Four Kingdoms, and elevate the prestige of Great Zhou. With this, I could also rest easy as a carefree and leisurely prince. But with you acting like this, choosing only an Abandoned Wife, how will you lead the court in the future? How will you shake the Four Seas?”

Gu Changsheng, taken aback by these serious and formal words from Zhou Zongbao, found herself reassessing him.

Zhou Mu slightly lifted his head, “Once the Southern Fujian conflict is resolved, I will immediately submit my resignation as King of Ci. Imperial Uncle Ancestor, Mumu has no interest in the Imperial Throne; I only wish to retire with Changsheng to Liuzhou, this place alone. I hope the Imperial Uncle Ancestor can give us his blessing!”

Zhou Zongbao, hearing this, looked defeated, his moon-like affluent face filled with gravity, “It seems you have been preparing for this…”

“Yes! Mumu’s mind is made up!” Zhou Mu stated firmly, his head bowed.

Gu Changsheng’s eyes moved back and forth between the two, feeling unsure about what she should do in the face of the current Zhou Mu.

“Damn your ‘mind is made up’! As a descendant of the Zhou Family, even I can’t truly do as I please, and yet you pursue your desires so freely!” The next moment, Zhou Zongbao suddenly exploded, slapping Zhou Mu hard on the head with no mercy, his face reddening as he jumped around him, “You say you want to quit, and it sounds so easy for you. The Emperor is already incompetent and aging, and you want me to find a successor for him?”

“Prince Liang? Prince Xian? Prince Zheng? Your several Imperial Uncles are useless, and even their sons are incompetent. Your cousins are even worse. Do you want me to pass the Imperial Throne to them? To watch idly as Great Zhou’s centuries-old foundation is destroyed, letting your great-grandfather come in dreams to spank me?”

“With Northern Mongolian unstable, Southern Chen also harboring ambitions, and Northern Mongolian powerfully eager to move, with the Southern Border also harboring unpredictable threats, the chaos among the Four Kingdoms is beginning to rise. At this time, you dare to quit on me? Do you believe I might just kill myself at the Imperial Tomb?”

“Imperial Uncle Ancestor!” Zhou Mu cried out from where he kneeled.

Zhou Zongbao waved his hands anxiously, “You want to marry her, I might not care, but if you plan to abandon Great Zhou for her, Zhou Mu, think of the millions of common people who regard you as from the Divine Residence!”

Gu Changsheng watched Zhou Zongbao, fuming and striding away, and she reached out to help Zhou Mu up, the concern in her eyes unmistakable, “According to his words, does he mean to go to war?”

Zhou Mu watched the figure disappear behind the ancient trees, his brows slightly furrowed, “Hetian as Undefeated War God is not for nothing, he has traveled various countries and understands the situation of the Four Kingdoms the best…”

“If you submit your resignation as King of Ci, without the Undefeated War God to oversee, won’t it provide them with an opportunity? When war breaks out, and hooves trample everything, where will the common people find refuge? Zhou Mu, can you bear that?”

Zhou Mu’s face, sharply contoured, flashed a grave look as he slowly sighed, “I have said before, I would rather disappoint the world than fail you…”

Gu Changsheng looked at his handsome face, which resembled that of someone from the Divine Residence, a bitter smile curling up at her lips as she slowly shook her head, “Zhou Mu, you can’t do it! You can’t abandon the world, and neither can I bear to see countless common people die for nothing. We can both talk tough, but after all, we are not heartless; we cannot be so ruthlessly decisive…”

Gu Changsheng looked up at the sky dappled by tree shadows, a line of geese flying south and then disappearing.

“So, Zhou Mu, you still have to be Zhou Mu of the Zhou Dynasty…”

It’s easy to saddle up but hard to dismount, just like Zhou Zongbao said, who can truly do as they please?

Seeing her like this, Zhou Mu felt an aching heart, gently pulling her shoulders towards him, his eyebrows slightly raised, “Hetian would definitely not be happy to become Emperor; he himself said so, he’s already been a hands-off shopkeeper. And as he said, my several Imperial Uncles are useless, even their sons amount to nothing, Changsheng…”

Gu Changsheng, feeling his gaze, unconsciously shrank her shoulders, her lips twitching nervously, “What’s the matter?”

For heaven’s sake, it better not be what she’s thinking…

“Hetian is still young, there’s plenty of time to raise another ‘me’. Changsheng, let’s have a child…”

“Damn it!”