Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 412: Chapter 279: Though Tens of Thousands Block the Way, I Shall Proceed Chapter 412: Chapter 279: Though Tens of Thousands Block the Way, I Shall Proceed Zhou Mu finally looked up upon hearing this, his face, as if sculpted by the divine, was filled with helplessness.

Seeing Zhou Mu finally show some reaction, Zhou Zongbao felt even more convinced his guess was on point. He tempered his anger and continued, “Is it really because of this matter? It shouldn’t be…”

“You are not one to believe in ghosts and gods, besides, such events, though rare, have happened before. Didn’t Shang Xie from the Gu Residence also attract the Phoenix Rite Omen? How come I don’t see you treating him differently?”

“No, that’s not right. You did treat him differently. Wasn’t it you who secretly saved him, allowing him to escape the calamity of his clan’s extermination…”

Zhou Zongbao muttered to himself while wracking his brains, feeling that something was not quite right, but for the moment, he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

In fact, Zhou Zongbao’s guess was not bad.

It’s just that he had guessed the cause and effect all wrong.

Zhou Mu didn’t give Huo Shuixian special treatment because of the Phoenix Rite Omen, but rather, he gave her special treatment so she would bring about the Phoenix Rite Omen.

Zhou Mu understood Zhou Zongbao’s temperament better than anyone else.

If he did not get to the bottom of it, he would certainly not let the matter rest.

Now, his study was a mess thanks to Zhou Zongbao, and Yuan Bao was nowhere to be found, probably hiding from the chaos…

Zhou Mu shook his head helplessly and finally spoke, “Stop causing a fuss, Hetian. There are some things that are better off unknown…”

He really did not want to lie to Hetian…

Seeing that he was finally willing to speak, Zhou Zongbao immediately seized the opportunity, “What is Young Master causing a fuss about? I’m doing this for your own good! Although I didn’t think much of that Mother Tigress Gu Changsheng at first, she’s good at giving birth to sons! With her medical skills and ability to bear sons, she’s far better than that pretty-faced Huo Girl!”

As Zhou Zongbao spoke thus, he continued in a fatherly tone, “Little Wood, don’t be bewitched. Don’t forsake the pearl for a fish eye…”

Having sons is very important! Among this generation of the Zhou Family, he was the only one with promise!

Thinking about those useless Princely Heirs in the Capital City, Zhou Zongbao’s temples began to throb painfully!

“Hetian, do you know what the Phoenix Rite Omen symbolizes?” Zhou Mu put down the scroll in his hand, slowly walked to the window, and stood there with his hands behind his back.

Hearing this, Zhou Zongbao rolled his eyes, “What the Phoenix Rite Omen symbolizes, wouldn’t Young Master know? It means this person is a paragon of virtue for all under heaven. I have at least that much common sense!”

It was precisely because he knew, that he had always been curious why, despite Shang Xie being a boy, he had attracted the Phoenix Rite Omen upon his birth?

It seemed to him that, unless The Heavens had chosen the wrong person, it could mean that the next Emperor might favor men…

Standing by the window, tall and elegant in purple brocade, with his ink-black hair dancing, Zhou Mu spoke with a sense of isolation, “The night before the Phoenix Rite Omen, Shang Xie observed the celestial bodies and said, ‘The Female Star of the Occupation Room clashes with Hook Chen, signaling the Heavenly Destined Girl’s descent in turbulent times…’”

“Oh my god!” Zhou Zongbao exclaimed in shock.

“The one summoned by the Land of Hook Chen is none other than the Liuzhou Region. Hetian, Shang Xie interpreted this celestial event as, ‘He who obtains the Female Star of the Occupation Room shall have the world…’”

Zhou Mu spoke lightly, yet Zhou Zongbao’s face turned very solemn after hearing it…

“He who obtains the Female Star of the Occupation Room shall have the world?”

As a member of the Imperial Family, as the previous Emperor, Zhou Zongbao bore an unshirkable responsibility…

Zhou Mu turned to see the solemnity on Zhou Zongbao’s face and a flicker of guilt passed through his eyes.

He truly did not want to deceive him, but Hetian, seemingly dissolute and unrestrained, had the Zhou Family’s country at heart… If he knew that it was his Changsheng who was the heaven-sent individual, what difference would it be from letting the old man know?

Not a single word he said was a lie…

“So… the Huo girl is the one destined by heaven… He who obtains the Female Star of the Occupation Room shall have the world…” Zhou Zongbao muttered absentmindedly, as the guilt in his eyes vanished in a flash.

Compared to the supremacy of the world, everything else was trivial, including… Gu Changsheng!

In that moment, Zhou Zongbao made his choice in his heart!

The mission of the Imperial Family was ingrained in him since birth…

“Little Wood… it’s rare… that you still remember you are of the Imperial Family…” Seeing Zhou Mu, Zhou Zongbao’s gaze unconsciously carried a bit of guilt.

Born into the Imperial Family, how many could truly do as they wished?

His Imperial Brother couldn’t! His Imperial Brother couldn’t even protect his beloved Consort Du!

He couldn’t! For the sake of balancing the Imperial Court, he couldn’t even marry his Xiao Qiu!

His Little Wood couldn’t either! One who obtains the Female Star of the Occupation Room is predestined to be separate from Gu Changsheng for this lifetime!

The choice in his heart… was also Little Wood’s choice…

Thinking about his deep love for Gu Changsheng, Zhou Zongbao suddenly felt a sympathetic heartache… He yearned for Han Qiu and couldn’t have her; Little Wood yearned for Gu Changsheng and it would end up the same, unresolved…

“People always say, ‘The Imperial Family is the most heartless…’ but in the end, we are also human… As humans, we all feel pain…”

Zhou Zongbao muttered again, lost in thought, then walked out like a soulless shell…

Zhou Mu watched Zhou Zongbao’s departing figure, the pain and guilt in his eyes disappearing in a flash.

He hadn’t told a single lie, but he had misled Hetian…

A self-deprecating smile curled up at the corner of Zhou Mu’s mouth, for he did not possess ambitions like Hetian, who carried the burden of the world as his own…

He had once again disappointed Hetian…

“Master?”

Yuan Bao didn’t know when he appeared in the study, timidly calling out.

“Yuan Bao, am I very selfish? Hetian has devotedly taught me for twenty years, yet I’ve repeatedly disappointed him…” Zhou Mu’s long eyelashes slightly drooped as he murmured to himself, “My choices have never been what he hoped for…”

Yuan Bao, looking at his somewhat sorrowful master, didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

His Highness Prince Bao made quite a scene, first accusing his master of being fickle and capricious, turning his affections elsewhere. But upon hearing about the Female Star of the Occupation Room, he stopped pursuing the matter…

The choices of His Highness Prince Bao’s heart were self-evident!

“The Imperial Family can be heartless; they can do it, but I can’t…” Zhou Mu sighed deeply, a hint of determination showing on his sharp-featured face, “Though millions stand in my way, I will go forth!”

Even if the whole world tries to stop me, I must ensure Changsheng’s safety!

In Zhou Mu’s eyes, there was an unprecedented resolve.

“Affection is a poison that pierces through the guts… Master, your affection has become deeply rooted; the obsession has begun…” Yuan Bao, also unusually emotional, couldn’t help but express his profound sentiments.

To his master, Lady Changsheng was more important than the world, more than the common people, more than the lives of thousands of soldiers… But to Yuan Bao, his master was everything!

Being a eunuch, he couldn’t understand the feelings of love that bound people together till death, but he knew if anything happened to Lady Changsheng, his master would likely be broken because of it…

“Master, since you’ve made up your mind, there’s no need to think further. The situation in Southern Fujian has reached a stalemate. Please give your instructions on how to proceed!” Yuan Bao, unable to bear seeing his master in turmoil, quickly changed the subject.

Zhou Mu shook his head upon hearing this and slowly made his way to the desk to sit down.

The army of a million in Southern Fujian, the millennia-old hidden danger of Japanese pirates, it was time to make a decision…

…

When Nanny Xu returned, Huo Shuixian felt relieved and very delighted.

But Gu Changsheng was completely unaware of all this.

When Zhou Zongbao returned to the Gu Residence utterly disheartened, Gu Changsheng and Borjigin Nian had just made peace and were nestled in the Lake Heart Pavilion by Autumn Water Lake, enjoying some pastries.

Gu Changsheng looked puzzled at Zhou Zongbao in front of her. How could a visit to Prince Mu’s Mansion to seek justice turn Zhou Zongbao into such a dispirited state?

The arrogance of a pampered scion was gone, replaced by guilt-laden eyes… What was going on?

Gu Changsheng felt a bit uneasy under his gaze, feeling somewhat apprehensive.

Damn it, what’s the situation?

Why did she feel that Zhou Zongbao was very sad?

“Zhou Zongbao… Are you alright?” Gu Changsheng, looking at Zhou Zongbao in such a state, cautiously asked.

Oh my god, could it be that something really hit him hard?

Zhou Zongbao, with evident guilt in his heart, looked at Gu Changsheng.

His family’s Little Wood had made choices for the world, for the mission of the Imperial Family, but Gu Changsheng was the one who had been discarded…

“Gu Changsheng, it is we who have wronged you!” Zhou Zongbao finally mustered up the courage and spoke his heart out.

“What?”

As expected, Gu Changsheng was stunned upon hearing this.

Borjigin Nian watched her friend being scared into a daze, happily continuing to enjoy her pastries.

After all, the most beautiful man in the world was waiting for her. Her senior brother could wait; she would just enjoy the show.

“Zhou Zongbao, what’s going on? How have you wronged me? Who do you mean by ‘you guys’? What have you wronged me for?” Gu Changsheng, finally regaining her voice, hastily asked.

She really had been startled by Zhou Zongbao’s abnormal behavior. Was this not completely out of character?

Zhou Zongbao deeply looked at Gu Changsheng once again, sighed with guilt, and turned to walk out of the Lake Heart Pavilion.

“Hey, don’t go! At least finish what you’re saying!” Gu Changsheng waved the pastries in her hand and shouted after Zhou Zongbao.

But Zhou Zongbao didn’t spare her a single response and quickened his pace instead, running away as if he were escaping.

Gu Changsheng, watching Zhou Zongbao flee in disarray, was completely confused…

“Gu Changsheng, what exactly happened to Zhou Zongbao?” Borjigin Nian swallowed the pastry in her mouth and asked with raised eyebrows.

“How would I know? Who knows how that evildoer has bamboozled him, look how distraught he’s made him!” Gu Changsheng replied irritably.

Borjigin Nian, seeing this, asked uncertainly, “Looking at the situation, even Zhou Zongbao believes your senior brother has played around and found a new love. He must have gone to confront your senior brother and, accepting that as fact, and now you have really been deserted. Otherwise, why would he apologize to you?”

The more Borjigin Nian spoke, the more she felt her deduction made sense.

However, Gu Changsheng simply nodded noncommittally, “So, I’m quite baffled, what kind of reason did that evildoer use to fool Zhou Zongbao!”