Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 321: Chapter 199 Mr. Ban Shan Chapter 321: Chapter 199 Mr. Ban Shan In fact, Zhou Mu truly was an upright gentleman. He took Gu Changsheng to her bedroom, gently placed her on the bed, removed her shoes, covered her with a blanket, and left obediently after stealing just a light kiss.

Therefore, it was absolutely out of envy, jealousy, and resentment that Yue Xilou would say such things.

The next morning, Gu Changsheng began another fulfilling and busy day. She couldn’t stay at Baili Mountain for long, hence, she had to come up with a training plan for her eight hundred soldiers, and gradually design other aspects as well.

“Finally brave enough to see me, huh? Not avoiding me anymore?” As soon as Gu Changsheng saw Han Qiu enter the pharmacy, her expression darkened.

“My lady.” Han Qiu still had an icy face, but it showed a hint of an apology.

Seeing her like this, Gu Changsheng unceremoniously knocked the medicine pestle against her forehead, “Getting cocky, are we? First, you scare me half to death by threatening to die, and then the moment you see a man, you dare to skip town! Even if you skip out, that’s one thing, but to throw the blame on me!”

After hitting her twice more with the medicine pestle, Gu Changsheng pointed at the unflinching Han Qiu, “Ah! Tell me, why did you have to say that it was I who told you to leave? Do you know that Zhou Zongbao almost demolished my stronghold? Han Qiu, Han Qiu, it’s bad enough that you’re useless, but you dare to backstab me like this!”

Han Qiu lowered her head, allowing Gu Changsheng to scold her without responding.

Gu Changsheng ranted until her mouth was dry and seeing that Han Qiu still hadn’t reacted, she felt a sense of helplessness like punching cotton, and angrily hit her with the pestle again, “Just keep on playing the silent game with me! Let’s see if you can keep up your silence is golden act until Zhou Zongbao comes back!”

In the end, Han Qiu frowned and looked up, “My lady, during the special training in the stronghold, irrelevant people are strictly forbidden from entering the mountain!”

Gu Changsheng was momentarily speechless, pointing at Han Qiu, “Fine! You’re good! Just keep being a shrinking turtle on the mountain for a year! I want to see how long you can hide in your lifetime!”

Han Qiu kept her head down, her expression unfathomable.

Gu Changsheng glared at her, then let out a sigh, “Han Qiu, once Zhou Zongbao leaves, your Han Family will inevitably be vindicated, and then you will no longer be my maid but a lady of a noble house, at that time…”

“Han Qiu has taken a solemn oath, I am your maid for life!” Upon hearing this, Han Qiu suddenly looked up and stated with determination.

Gu Changsheng looked at her for a moment, then helplessly waved her hand, “Go do whatever you need to do, and don’t wander around me these days. Seeing you just makes me anxious!”

“As you command!” Han Qiu replied and respectfully retreated.

Watching her leave, Gu Changsheng turned to see Zhou Mu emerging from behind the curtain, “Ah, the agonies of love and hate. Both Han Qiu and Zhou Zongbao are fully involved. How long are they going to entangle with each other until it’s over?”

Key point being, she really didn’t want to face Zhou Zongbao!

That man, if you indulge him, he’ll cause chaos; if you cross him, he’s still Zhou Mu’s real father! What a quandary!

“No worries, I am here,” Zhou Mu assured her, patting Gu Changsheng’s shoulder.

Gu Changsheng nodded, “When push comes to shove, we’ll deal with it. Speaking of which, didn’t you go to see them learning how to use makeup? How did it go?”

“Cough cough!” Zhou Mu couldn’t help but cough and chuckle at Gu Changsheng’s mention of this.

“What’s so funny? How did it turn out?” Gu Changsheng wasn’t a Zhuge Liang-type figure, nor did she have the time to micromanage everything, so she simply provided the method and taught them the art of makeup and disguise. It was up to them to make the most of it.

Zhou Mu thought back to the scene he had just witnessed, and laughed again, “It went very well, even Xiao Gu Ze couldn’t recognize Xiao Cui transformed into a beggar…”

She was completely unrecognizable–every aspect of her appearance had changed; even their mothers wouldn’t be able to identify them.

He couldn’t fathom what on earth this woman had going on in her head.

Feeling reassured, Gu Changsheng nodded, “Good! Don’t laugh, this is very important! Whether it’s serving undercover, escaping, or hiding, disguises are essential!”

“I am well aware they are essential. Yet even with disguises, you always have so many tricks up your sleeve, even getting false hair and jewelry for the soldiers!” Zhou Mu thought about the disguised soldiers, laughing at the thought. What can one say about her?

She actually had those burly men dressing as delicate women!

The thought was amusing and pitiful all at once!

Gu Changsheng saw him laughing repeatedly and couldn’t help but roll her eyes, “Stop laughing! To prevail by surprise, one must employ the unexpected. Women are already a vulnerable group, the easiest to overlook. For them to learn how to disguise themselves as women, there’s only benefit and no harm!”

“Only you could reason it out so well!” Zhou Mu fondly ruffled her hair.

“Speaking of which, Zhou Mu, there’s a Teacher Zhou in Liuzhou City. Do you know of this person? Most of my men are illiterate, and this won’t do. I want them to be versatile, competent both in the hall and in the kitchen, able to take on the guise of scholars and have an appreciation for fine things! I’ve heard that Teacher Zhou teaches at a private school and is quite knowledgeable. I’m thinking of inviting him to work for me.” Gu Changsheng turned to Zhou Mu and asked.

“Hehe…” Zhou Mu couldn’t help but chuckle at the mention of Teacher Zhou, “My dear, you really have a good eye. Someone like Teacher Zhou has been uncovered by you.”

“Uh… Why do I get the feeling from you that Teacher Zhou is quite an eminent person…” Gu Changsheng, touching her nose, looked puzzled, “But the people under me reported that he’s just a teacher with a somewhat clearer mind. When I ostentatiously entered the City Lord’s Mansion at the invitation of Du Chenzhi, he actually saw right through the deeper meaning at a glance…”

“This person’s name is Zhou and he is called Ban Shan. Known as Mr. Ban Shan, he is one of the Great Confucians respected by the current world. He’s also a dear friend to my master. Harassed relentlessly by students seeking knowledge, he left home in frustration and secluded himself in my Liuzhou. I didn’t expect that scholars searching high and low across Jiangnan could not find him, yet you, with your Fiery Eyes, have discovered him,” Zhou Mu explained with a laugh, playfully flicking her nose.

“Uh… I really didn’t discover that!” Gu Changsheng was flabbergasted, “I thought he was at most a clever teacher. Now you’re telling me he’s a Great Confucian hidden in plain sight; how on earth can I recruit someone like him? I was thinking that I could employ him, but this is just ridiculous!”

“In my opinion, it’s not necessarily impossible. My dear, you can certainly give it a try. Maybe you can really recruit him,” Zhou Mu said with a smile in his eyes, “He has an arrogant nature, does not covet power or status. The old king has tried many times to recruit him but he never took the positions offered. Perhaps you might just catch his fancy.”

Gu Changsheng rolled her eyes, speaking with no small measure of annoyance, “Do you think there’s a chance?”

“To give up without fighting, that doesn’t seem like your style, my dear!” Zhou Mu leisurely picked up the teacup and sipped, concealing the flicker of profound meaning in his eyes.

Gu Changsheng squinted and sized him up, propping her chin in thought, “Why do I feel like you’re setting another pit for me to fall into? Are you waiting to see me turned away so you can laugh at me?”

“How could that be? I just think if you can recruit him, first, he can teach your soldiers to read and write, and second, he can give some advice to Xiao Gu Ze. In the future, our child could benefit from that as well,” he said earnestly.

Zhou Mu spoke with utter seriousness, yet Gu Changsheng turned red to the tips of her ears and reached to grab the front of his shirt, her voice through gritted teeth, “You’re still thinking about that!”

“Cough, cough!” Zhou Mu choked on the tea, coughing awkwardly a couple of times, with an embarrassed look, “My dear, it’s broad daylight, and there are patrols outside the door. This is probably not a good idea, is it?”

While saying it wasn’t good, Zhou Mu leaned into the force of Gu Changsheng’s grip.

Seeing this, Gu Changsheng quickly let go and dodged a couple of steps away as if escaping. She glanced towards the door to make sure no patrolling guards were passing by before she relaxed, “Flower Peacock was right, you’re getting more shameless by the day!”

Zhou Mu straightened his clothes, his brows slightly raised, “That’s sour grapes speaking. My dear, you needn’t mind it.”

Gu Changsheng: “…”

What was there for her to mind? She wholeheartedly agreed with both hands and feet, alright?

Zhou Mu, this evildoer, was truly becoming more and more shameless!

Despite the disturbance, Gu Changsheng’s interest in the renowned Mr. Ban Shan, Teacher Zhou, grew stronger. Such a person, if she could recruit him, would truly be all benefit and no harm; she felt somewhat eager to try!

“All right! In a few days, I’ll go down the mountain for a trip. If necessary, I’ll emulate Liu Bei’s three visits to the thatched cottage, shamelessly persist until he agrees!” With a candidate like a contemporary Great Confucian, ordinary teachers couldn’t catch Gu Changsheng’s eye anymore. She clenched her fist resolutely; she must go!

“Your courage is commendable, my dear. Mr. Ban Shan might just fall for such an approach,” Zhou Mu nodded in approval and offered some kindly advice, “But his temperament is quite maverick, untamed and uncontrollable. It’s best not to have too high hopes.”

Gu Changsheng nodded, “Birds of a feather flock together; it seems your master is also such a man! Otherwise, they wouldn’t be close friends indeed.”

Zhou Mu thought about it and nodded in agreement, “Indeed.”

“No matter what!” Gu Changsheng declared determinedly, shaking her head, “With enough persistence, even an iron rod can be ground to a needle. I don’t believe I can’t outlast an old teacher! Hmph! Why are you still following me? Didn’t Kun Nu just say there was a pigeon courier from Southern Fujian? Don’t you have to be busy?”

Zhou Mu looked amused at the little woman trying to send him away, “Didn’t you also send people to Southern Fujian? The net is closing in as the snake has left its lair; what’s there to be busy about? I’ll stay here with you!”

Gu Changsheng touched her nose, suddenly remembering the General Er and Jiang One who had been tricked by her people, and couldn’t help laughing, “In the end, we still have to thank Yue Xilou; he has been a great help.”

“Mhm,” Zhou Mu nodded almost imperceptibly.