Cui Hua?
This name left Steward Lin dumbfounded.
It had been many years since he had heard a name so... so...
"Steward Lin, what do you think?"
"Nice, it sounds really fresh and refined!"
Steward Lin couldn't scrape any other compliments from his mind.
At that moment, Jun Yuyan walked in from outside.
Bai Aoshuang could no longer hold back and said weakly, "Princess Consort, the name given by my late parents is a keepsake for me, may I please be called Aoshuang?"
As she spoke, her eyes reddened, as if she had been bullied, eliciting sympathy from others.
Murong Jiu also saw Jun Yuyan, but she still said indifferently, "That won't do, the dog I raise on the manor is named Aoshuang. You share the same name with it. Calling you Aoshuang, I would feel as if I'm calling a dog."
Bai Aoshuang's face stiffened; she suspected that Murong Jiu had bought her only to humiliate her!
But she had never offended Murong Jiu.
Could it be because she was beautiful, while Murong Jiu was plain, that out of jealousy, she was humiliating her?
Yes, that must be it!
Her expression aggrieved, she said, "I truly do not want to be called Cui Hua..."
"Pfft! Cui Hua? Hahahaha! You're killing me!"
Only then did Murong Jiu notice there was someone behind Jun Yuyan.
He was dressed in a garish red brocade robe, handsome in appearance, holding a folding fan in his hand, all suave and debonair. He was now laughing uproariously.
Murong Jiu knew him; he was the heir to the Marquis of Wuan's Mansion, Su Kai.
In terms of rank, Murong Jiu's Yongning Marquis Manor was seeing its twilight days, with strength fading from within, expenses outweighing income, like a beautiful but empty shell on the outside.
On the other hand, the Marquis of Wuan's Mansion was on the rise, flourishing and prosperous because the Marquis had great talents for assisting the government and securing the state. He had fought several vital victories alongside the General of the Northern Command, driving out foreign enemies and valued highly by the Emperor.
But then... the General of the Northern Command's Residence was raided, and the Marquis of Wuan also fell under the Emperor's suspicion, and after making a mistake, his entire family was exiled thousands of miles away.
This spirited heir before her, it was said, ended up dying a very tragic death.
Su Kai, blissfully unaware of the grim fate that might await him, laughed so hard his stomach hurt. He had not expected Princess Consort Ling to be such an amusing character.
Interesting, too interesting.
The more he laughed, the worse Bai Aoshuang's complexion became, her tears falling in big drops:
"My parents are gone, and now I'm nothing but duckweed in the mire, alone and without support. What I'm called is not for me to decide; I only hope the Princess Consort won't insult me for my lowly background."
In the past, many men had been moved to pity by her tears. Bai Aoshuang was confident in her charm; she didn't believe that, appearing delicate and piteous like this, Prince Ling and Heir Su wouldn't feel compassion.
Compared to Murong Jiu, whose face bore an ugly black birthmark, she could be considered a beauty, pleasing to the eye.
Who would have known that Prince Ling would say expressionlessly, "The Princess Consort saved you from dire straits and cleared a debt of a hundred taels for your family. You don't even acknowledge her kindness; why throw slander upon her?"
Murong Jiu hadn't expected Jun Yuyan to be immune to the white lotus act, quite different from other men.
Of course, Heir Su showed no sign of pity either.
Bai Aoshuang paled, "I did not..."
Steward Lin hurriedly interjected, "You've already sold yourself into servitude, you should refer to yourself as a servant. Besides, receiving a name conferred by the Princess Consort is your good fortune; do not be ungrateful for the blessings you have."
Su Kai laughed brightly, "Cui Hua is quite a nice name, easy to remember!"
"Steward Lin, take Cui Hua away."
Murong Jiu didn't want to waste time on Bai Aoshuang; from their conversation just now, it was clear the other party hadn't honed her skills yet, her emotions visible in her eyes, not as deep and calculating as when they met in the previous life.
Now that she was kept under close watch, it was unlikely she could stir any trouble.
She knew that when Jun Yuyan and Su Kai came over, they must have something important to discuss with her.
Steward Lin took Bai Aoshuang away, the newly arrived servant still needed to learn the rules.
"May I know what brings the Prince here?"
Jun Yuyan dismissed the other servants in the courtyard and said to her, "You mentioned before that you are skilled in medicine, I would like you to save someone."
Murong Jiu nodded without hesitation, "Alright, Prince, please lead the way."
Jun Yuyan had helped her so much; it was only right for her to do something in return. Moreover, her master always said that saving lives and helping the injured was the duty of every physician.
Jun Yuyan was surprised by her straightforwardness, but Murong Jiu had already turned to retrieve a wooden medicine box.
Though the Prince Mansion had its own physicians, they had all gone outside the city and it would take time for them to return. As a matter of life and death, he thought of Murong Jiu.
Surprised but not hesitating, Jun Yuyan immediately led her there.
The Rain Listening Pavilion was not far from the Qiyun Courtyard where Murong Jiu was currently residing, and it was temporarily occupied by Jun Yuyan.
The Qiyun Courtyard was initially where Jun Yuyan stayed, and after arranging the wedding room, it appeared much more spacious than the Rain Listening Pavilion, which had quite bare furnishing.
Seeing this, Murong Jiu felt somewhat embarrassed, thinking that she should move out of the Qiyun Courtyard.
"The person is right here."
Jun Yuyan stopped at the bedside in the inner room. Murong Jiu could already smell the pungent scent of blood and saw a young man dressed as a guard, pale and covered in blood, lying on the bed.
He had been bandaged to stop the bleeding, but the blood was still oozing out, with many drops on the floor.
"The blood won't stop, has he been poisoned? Prince, please tell me about the patient's specific condition,"
Murong Jiu quickly stepped forward, asking as she did so.
Both Jun Yuyan and Su Kai flashed a look of surprise in their eyes; she hadn't even examined him yet but already knew the man was poisoned.
Su Kai's frivolous demeanor had been put away.
Jun Yuyan said, "He is my Hidden Guard, who was hit by two arrows in the chest and back. The arrowheads have been dealt with, but they were coated with an unknown poison, and now the bleeding cannot be stopped."
Murong Jiu approached and got a clear look at the Hidden Guard's face, pausing for a moment.
Wasn't this... the merciless personal guard Yang Chuan who later stood by Jun Haoze's side?
No, that wasn't right; Yang Chuan had no mole on his face, and upon closer inspection, he looked similar to Yang Chuan, but there were differences.
Could this man be a relative of Yang Chuan?
Suddenly, Murong Jiu remembered that Yang Chuan hated Prince Ling deeply, claiming that his elder brother had been secretly harmed by Prince Ling. And after Prince Ling died, he even joyfully treated people to drinks.
So, was this man before her Yang Chuan's elder brother?
Murong Jiu felt a sudden chill.
In her previous life, Jun Haoze highly valued Yang Chuan for his martial arts prowess, as he saved Jun Haoze from danger many times, proving to be even more formidable than the imperial guards.
Given his scheming nature, it was very likely that he had killed Yang Chuan's elder brother to ensure his loyalty, pinning the blame on Jun Yuyan.
But Murong Jiu had not expected that Jun Haoze had already extended his reach into Prince Ling's Mansion so early on.
"Do you recognize him?"
Jun Yuyan had taken note of Murong Jiu's odd behavior.
She quickly composed herself, vaguely responding, "I might have seen him before, he looks somewhat familiar."
Having said that, she began to undo the patient's bandages.
She did not see Jun Yuyan and Su Kai exchanging a glance, their eyes carrying a trace of coldness.
Because Yang Shan was Jun Yuyan's Hidden Guard, and his face had never been seen by outsiders.
Yang Shan did have a younger brother, but he was learning martial arts in a temple and had never left the mountain.
Murong Jiu's claim of familiarity was highly suspicious.