Shao He was quite open-hearted, and his face showed no strangeness whatsoever.
Yun Qian finally let out a sigh of relief.
If it had been anyone else, by now they probably would have cursed him as a heartbreaker.
Yun Qian placed the medicine he had prepared on the table.
Only when Shao He picked up the bowl and drank down the bitter medicine that was almost enough to make one vomit bile, did Yun Qian carefully observe her and asked in a low voice,
"Miss, your medical skills are so exquisite, you should have a good way out wherever you go. Why have you fallen to such straits? What are your plans for the future?"
Shao He cast a shallow glance at him.
Although her dress was somewhat tattered, it was faintly visible that the material was extremely expensive.
Being a doctor, this man's horizon should be higher than that of the other commoners.
Therefore, Shao He was not surprised that he would ask such a question.
What are her plans for the future?
Shao He's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly.
As far as she could remember, the original owner's parents, though not too kind to her, had not been too harsh.
Perhaps this was a path worth taking.
"Please prepare some paper and ink for me."
"Alright." Yun Qian brought the paper and ink to Shao He, his gaze subtly moving.
After thinking for a while, Shao He wrote down a few lines on the paper and then took off the hairpin from her head, "Please have someone deliver this letter and this hairpin to the Imperial Censorate."
Yun Qian was startled.
Seeing the hairpin that Shao He handed over, he had an idea in his mind, but he did not say much. He just took the letter as Shao He had requested and left.
The sky gradually darkened.
In Prince Chu's Mansion, candlelight flickered to life.
A sound of something cutting through the air abruptly rose in the back yard, and soon it reached a side room.
Several men dressed in black, the Hidden Guard, knelt on the ground, illuminated by the dim candlelight.
"Have you found out?" Pei Huaian's voice was low as he sat on his wheelchair, his eyes betraying no hint of emotion.
One of the Hidden Guard bowed his head respectfully and said, "We have ascertained the identity of the woman at Mass Burial Mound. This lady is the daughter of the Imperial Censor, and she is also the Lady of the Marquis of Pingnan."
"The Marquis of Pingnan?" Pei Huaian's sharp brows raised ever so slightly, his thin lips revealing a trace of coldness, "The Marquis's Mansion released news yesterday that the Madam Marquis of Pingnan died in childbirth along with the child... Investigate, find out the whereabouts of that woman."
The Hidden Guard vanished from the spot in a flash.
Pei Huaian's fingertip tightened, and he shattered the cup in his palm, his raised eyebrows and eyes as chilling as the winter cold, making one's heart tremble.
She, how could she be the Madam Marquis?
The night grew thicker, and fog gradually enveloped the streets and alleys.
Finding the place uninteresting, Shao He went straight to the stage to assume the role of consulting doctor.
She withdrew her fingertip, "You have merely caught a bit of cold, it's not serious. Go home and rest for a couple of days, and drink some warm, nourishing medicines."
"Thank you, miss!" In front of her sat a man with a frail body who, upon hearing her words, quickly stood up and bowed repeatedly to her.
Yun Qian entered the room, removing his cloak chilled with cold, and placed the letter on the table.
He lowered his head, feeling somewhat guilty, "I've sent someone to deliver the letter to the Imperial Censorate, but after seeing the letter, they called the person I sent a swindler, saying that the Madam Marquis had already died in childbirth..."
These words caused Shao He's brows to furrow, "Did you also bring the hairpin?"
That hairpin was personally given to the original owner by her mother when she married; how could they not recognize it?
"I did." However, when Yun Qian produced the hairpin, Shao He's heart sank as though plummeting into an ice cellar.
"Miss..." Yun Qian's thin lips moved slightly, seemingly wanting to say some words of comfort.
But Shao He picked up the hairpin and shook her head indifferently.
"No need for more words."
Consolation was of no use at this moment.
The people in the Imperial Censorate would definitely recognize this hairpin.
It could only mean... the people of the Imperial Censorate were unwilling to offend the Marquis's Mansion for her sake, so they pretended not to know.