The Martial Doctor

Chapter 359: Chapter 325: Lin Miao Sends the Bride

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

The first phase of Qingye’s treatment had concluded. Although Lin Miao charged a hefty fee, he was genuinely attentive in his care.

The wounds on Qingye’s back had healed, leaving only a shallow scar. There would be no more pus, and it likely wouldn’t flare up in summer again.

However, there would still be some residual effects. On overcast and rainy days, or in bad weather, there would be some soreness, numbness, and swelling, but it was bearable. It was far better than before when he couldn’t even lie down.

The wolf poison throughout his body had been reduced by seventy to eighty percent, thanks to Lin Miao’s treatments with cupping, acupuncture, medicinal baths, and internal medications.

The remaining twenty to thirty percent was extremely stubborn and couldn’t be completely eradicated in a short time—perhaps not even in a lifetime.

The poison had already penetrated deep into his bone marrow.

Fortunately, it hadn’t reached his brain; otherwise, not even an immortal could have saved him.

This was also thanks to Qingye’s profound cultivation; otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived till now, let alone waited for Lin Miao’s treatments.

Qingye had military duties to attend to, and staying in Dongshan for half a month had been allowed by the imperial court.

But he couldn’t stay any longer; it clearly wouldn’t be possible.

He had to set out for Juxu Pass.

With Qingye leaving, naturally, Crown Prince Zhao Yuanze couldn’t follow, so he needed to find a place to move out of the inn beforehand. His identity would sooner or later be discovered if he stayed there.

What kind of identity allows one to stay in a government inn?

Lin Miao originally planned to convert his inn into a small gynecology clinic for treating childbirth.

Though the idea was good, the renovation was not easy, and he needed to carefully plan the design and the training of professionals.

Therefore, it was clearly not something that could be done immediately.

Leaving the house vacant was wasteful; a house would deteriorate if unoccupied, so he put it up for short-term rental.

In Xiuyue Square, however, short-term rentals were not easy to rent out. Some people inquired, but because Lin Miao might demolish the inn for reconstruction, at most, tenants could rent it until after the year.

It was the off-season for renting before the New Year, and the inn didn’t provide dining services, so customers who inquired were not very interested.

Until Zhao Yuanze showed up.

A short-term stay, without the need for dining services, renting for only two to three months, perfectly suited his needs, and it was particularly close to the consultation point.

Convenient for his medical visits.

Absolutely perfect.

In fact, Zhao Yuanze got this information from Qingye. As for how Qingye knew, that concerned his relationship with Lanya.

Although Qingye was a warrior, he was also a straightforward and decisive man. From the first glance at Lanya, he found her strikingly similar to his late wife.

He particularly wanted to see her and came almost daily. Even a fool could see that he developed feelings for Lanya.

He didn’t hide this; the day before he left, he revealed his identity to Lanya and even asked her to resign from Furong Garden and accompany him to Juxu Pass.

This truly startled and troubled Lanya. She never imagined that the man who visited Furong Garden every day was actually none other than the esteemed General Wu’an, Qingye, and that he wanted to marry her as his concubine!

Even though it was as a concubine, the position of Lady Wu’an was vacant due to the early passing of the original wife. If she married, she would essentially be the mistress of the Hou household.

This was beyond her wildest dreams.

Touched and moved, she nevertheless hesitated, given her background; finding such a reliable man to depend on for the rest of her life was indeed rare.

Moreover, he was a Grand General, General Wu’an.

How many women dream of marrying such a man, even if he’s now over fifty, still stronger than an average person in their thirties or forties.

But she was the manager of Furong Garden. Before going to Lanzhou, Liuli handed over Dongshan’s Furong Garden to her. How could she just abandon it and leave?

It would be irresponsible.

Besides, she felt she wasn’t worthy enough, so after careful consideration, she still refused Qingye.

Qingye, naturally, was greatly disappointed, but he didn’t persist; instead, he respected Lanya’s decision and left tearfully.

At that moment, Lanya’s heart ached, her eyes reddened, knowing she might never find a better man than Qingye in this life.

As for Qingye and Lanya, Lin Miao was certainly aware. He just pretended not to know, as such a good match was rare.

Lin Miao also hoped that the girls from the original Huaye Tower, besides being able to support themselves, could also find a good match.

With the ability to sustain oneself comes the power to stand firm before a man, and if one encounters a man who truly loves her, building a family, that’s something he wished to see.

One couldn’t leave these women to live a lonely life until old age; that would be too cruel.

So, upon learning of Lanya’s rejection of Qingye, Lin Miao called her over that night for a long discussion.

Lin Miao then brought out the dowry he had long prepared.

The next morning, before Qingye led his team to leave Dongshan, at the city gate, he saw Lanya waiting there in her wedding clothes.

There’s also Lin Miao and Sun Youwei.

Qingye was greatly surprised and quickly dismounted from his horse.

"Marquis, you know Lanya’s background. She’s a pitiful person. The reason she refused to leave with you yesterday wasn’t because she doesn’t have feelings for you, but because she was afraid. She felt she wasn’t worthy of you and had obligations. So she refused. Without Lanya, Furong Garden can still continue to operate; it’s merely a matter of selecting another person to take charge. However, if a good marriage is severed, it truly won’t return."

"Mr. Lin, what do you mean by this?"

"Lanya is in the carriage behind. I’ve come today to send her off to marry. Does the Marquis dare to accept this marriage?" Lin Miao asked directly.

Upon hearing this, Qingye’s eyes instantly gleamed with immense joy.

"Dare? What wouldn’t I dare?" He wasn’t sure what happened overnight, but this twist of fate, this feeling of regained loss felt wonderful.

"Good, then I entrust Lanya to the Marquis. Although she doesn’t have parents or family, I, Lin Miao, will henceforth be her family. If the Marquis doesn’t treat her well or even bullies her, I will settle accounts with you, Marquis!" Lin Miao said loudly.

"Don’t worry, Lanya is this Marquis’s wife. Why wouldn’t I treat her well?" Qingye agreed immediately.

"Those carriages behind are all Lanya’s dowry, Marquis. Don’t feel that the Lin Family doesn’t understand the customs of marrying off a daughter. I will ensure everything is properly prepared," Lin Miao gestured towards a row of at least a dozen carriages behind.

Seeing this, Qingye also took a deep breath.

When Qingtang’s mother married her, the dowry wasn’t much less than this.

"Congratulations to the Marquis!"

Qingye’s subordinates, all smiling with joy, dismounted and knelt halfway, loudly showering blessings.

"Good, good, brothers, please rise. Mount up, let’s go home!" Qingye raised his hands high, exuberantly ordering.

In the crowd, Crown Prince Zhao Yuanze originally came to send them off, but witnessing Lin Miao’s bridal escort was utterly shocking.

He thought Marquis Qingye’s unrequited love was one-sided, but unexpectedly, Lin Miao’s actions truly helped him win the beauty.

"Your Highness, this Mr. Lin isn’t simple. This way, the Marquis’s relationship with him is unbreakable," said a Meridian Passage Realm royal protector serving Zhao Yuanze.

"Who could have thought he’d pull off such a move? I truly underestimated him."

"Your Highness, after half a month of treatment, how are you feeling? If it’s not working, should we just head back to the capital?"

Zhao Yuanze glared fiercely at the speaker. No results? Would he swallow his anger and stay?

...

"This Lin Miao is truly talented, gifting a woman to the Marquis. Tsk tsk." As Marquis Qingye left the region, Dongshan Prefecture’s authority, Pei Jian, naturally had to escort him.

Otherwise, it would seem like he lacked understanding of official etiquette.

However, witnessing the bridal escort scene truly opened the eyes of this seasoned official.

"It must be that the Marquis likes her himself; otherwise, do you think he could establish relations with the Marquis just by sending a woman?" Pei Jian glanced slightly at Zhuo Qingfeng.

"Mr. Dong, I heard that when the Marquis moved into the official courier station, he brought along a staff member. Now, as he’s leaving, that staff member has disappeared, and the group is short by a dozen people..."

"Oh, is there such a thing?" Pei Jian frowned. He had already received news from the capital that the Fifth Prince has been conferred as King Qi.

Though the fiefdom and marriage candidates haven’t been determined, since he’s been made King Qi, it indicates the Emperor hasn’t fully desired to replace the Crown Prince with the Fifth Prince.

The Crown Prince is still hopeful.

"I found out this staff member rented an inn right in Xiuyue Square. The inn’s owner is Mr. Lin, and this staff member is also Mr. Lin’s patient."

"That’s not surprising. He’s the Marquis’s staff, and having not left together, he stays back to seek medical treatment from Lin Miao..."

"The issue is, I can’t find this staff member’s identity."

"You can’t find his identity?"

"Yes, I specifically sent a flying message to the capital, asking my family to investigate those around the Marquis, to see if anyone matches this staff member. But there were no results. As he came from the capital with the Marquis, and speaks with a capital accent, I suspect he might be a staff member the Marquis recruited in the capital."

"Did the Marquis have him by his side when he entered the capital?"

"No, I can confidently say there absolutely wasn’t such a person," Zhuo Qingfeng affirmed. "Moreover, he brought along family members. For a staff member to bring family to Juxu Pass, that would require significant trust and qualification."

"Apart from this target, have the identities of those dozen people been found?"

Zhuo Qingfeng shook his head and smiled bitterly: "No, even the people stationed at the courier couldn’t approach the room they occupied. Everything was handled by the Marquis’s personal soldiers, giving us no opportunity."

"Haven’t they stayed behind? Without the Marquis’s protection, wouldn’t it be easier to investigate?" Pei Jian said.

"Do you mean have the South City District office find an excuse to visit for an inquiry?"

"Yes, don’t conflict with them. Renting the place requires signing a contract, officially filing with the office. Routine checks and inquiries from South City District are quite in line with regulations," Pei Jian said.

"Understood, I’ll get to it." Zhuo Qingfeng nodded.

"With Lanya sister leaving, Furong Garden is lacking in capable generals to lead the team." Sun Youwei sighed as she watched Lanya’s carriage drive away.

"No worries. Have Nan Mo take over for a while. Aren’t there a few promising candidates within the shop? Promote one up, and it’ll be fine. Lanya’s securing a good home, and we should be happy for her," Lin Miao said with a smile.