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墨書 Inktalez
Qu Qingxuan saw Su Che standing in the Front Hall for most of the morning. Just as he was about to ask if Su Che wanted to grab a meal together, a handsome young man with an extraordinary demeanor walked in from outside.
At that moment, Su Che turned around, pretending to be busy. It seemed that he was waiting for someone, which surprised Qu Qingxuan a bit.
The newcomer was none other than Mu Junze. He glanced around before approaching the counter, and Su Che feigned surprise.
"Young Master Mu? What a coincidence! Are you here for a consultation? Did you injure yourself again from that horse incident the other day?"
"Su Gongzi? Indeed, quite the coincidence. It's not me who is injured; it's an elder in my family who is unwell. I'm here to buy some health supplements. What brings you here?"
"Oh, I... I came to study. Yes, my father wants me to learn more about pharmacology, so I’ll be here for a while."
Su Che stammered out an excuse, and the two fell into silence, unsure of what to say next.
It was Mu Junze who broke the silence after purchasing his medicine. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but after we parted ways that day, I lost a pair of white jade hollow pendants shaped like two intertwined white dragons. Have you seen them?"
Su Che suddenly remembered he had come to return the pendants. "Is this what you're looking for? In the chaos that day, I accidentally knocked it off. I intended to return it to you, but... I feared it might cause unnecessary trouble..."
"I thought about sending it back after returning home but realized I didn't know your address. Luckily, I ran into you today and can return it now. I didn’t get a chance to thank you properly yesterday; would you have time to join me for a meal at Jingyu Tower? It would be my way of expressing gratitude."
Mu Junze accepted the pendant and thanked Su Che. When he heard Su Che's invitation, he couldn't help but respond, "This pendant is very important to me; I'm truly grateful you found it. It should be me treating you instead."
As they were about to argue over who should pay, Qu Qingxuan could no longer stand by and stepped forward. "Everything is fate; since fate has brought us together, why not dine here together? There's no need for further debate—wouldn't that be delightful?"
The two exchanged glances and agreed with Divine Doctor Qu's suggestion. Mu Junze bowed slightly and said, "Then I'll impose on you."
Divine Doctor Qu waved his hand and led them to the top floor of Dan Yao Hall. The hall had five floors: the first was for consultations and prescriptions; the second catered to dignitaries or those who preferred privacy; the third housed beds for patients with severe injuries or special circumstances; the fourth was dedicated to alchemy; and the fifth was Divine Doctor Qu's private space for entertaining friends and family.
Upon reaching the fifth floor and seeing the prepared meal, Mu Junze couldn't help but feel surprised. Did Divine Doctor Qu know he would come? Otherwise, how could everything be perfectly arranged with bowls and chopsticks ready?
He rarely visited Dan Yao Hall, so could it be that Divine Doctor Qu was not only skilled in medicine but also had the ability to tell fortunes?
Su Che thought to himself, observing how familiar Uncle Qu seemed with Mu Junze. As for Qu Qingxuan, he appeared to be watching the scene unfold, holding little hope for Su Che's marriage. The notion of male relationships in Great Yu was not particularly novel, but one still needed to be discerning about whom to associate with.
He deemed Xu Mu unsuitable, but Mu Junze, although he didn't know much about him, was certainly far superior to Xu Mu. If Su Che took a liking to Mu Junze, he would go all out and bind them together, as long as it meant Su Che could distance himself from Xu Mu.
The three of them took their seats, each lost in their own thoughts. The atmosphere fell silent as no one spoke. Divine Doctor Qu quickly realized that perhaps he was the reason the two younger ones felt restrained, so he casually found an excuse to leave.
Sure enough, after he departed, Mu Junze initiated a conversation. Fortunately, they had some common ground, and their discussion continued well into the afternoon. If it weren't for Mu Junze's servant nearly going frantic looking for him due to urgent matters, they might have talked until the next morning.
After Mu Junze left, Su Che hurried over to Divine Doctor Qu's side and hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Uncle, do you know Mu... Mu Zhe?"
Mu Zhe? Divine Doctor Qu was taken aback; it seemed that Mu Junze had concealed something from Su Che. This progress was not promising.
"Did he tell you his name is Mu Zhe?"
Seeing Su Che nod, Divine Doctor Qu shook his head and looked at him as if he were foolish, letting out a sigh.
"Ah, no wonder he's being led around by others without realizing it. His name is not Mu Zhe; it's Mu Junze. There aren't many people with the surname Mu in the capital."
Su Che nodded in agreement, understanding that only royal relatives or high-ranking officials would bear the surname Mu. However, seeing Su Che's calm demeanor made Divine Doctor Qu think he hadn't grasped the situation. Little did he know that Su Che was already aware of Mu Junze's identity; he merely asked for clarification to have a reason when mentioning his name in the future.
Before long, Divine Doctor Qu shared everything he knew about Mu Junze with Su Che. Seeing Su Che's expression of understanding surprised him a bit, but he didn't think much of it; after all, the boy had always seemed a bit lacking in common sense.
Although he appeared healthy, over the years, he had never found a remedy to complete his mental faculties, which seemed normal enough. However, when he realized this was only the second time the two had met, Divine Doctor Qu couldn't help but feel a bit worried.
Mu Junze, as Duke Beiqin, was exceptionally talented and accomplished in both literature and martial arts. He was young and had achieved remarkable military feats. Historically, those in power were often suspicious; which emperor wasn't wary of others?
Yet the current Sovereign was different. He held absolute trust in Mu Junze and confidently entrusted him with all military authority. It was only because Mu Junze feared contention among court officials that he relinquished his command under the pretext of peace and disinterest in military training.
The two brothers had never harbored any resentment towards each other. It was said that even biological brothers needed to settle accounts clearly, yet the Xun Yuan Emperor seemed eager to share half of the empire with Mu Junze. This was one reason many court officials were dissatisfied with Mu Junze, but the deep bond between the brothers was well-known and widely acknowledged.
Divine Doctor Qu continued to explain to Su Che.
"The key point is that they are not biological brothers; even their biological siblings cannot compare to their relationship. This has led many to speculate whether the Sovereign has special feelings for him."
Upon hearing this, Su Che's expression turned serious as he replied earnestly.
"This situation is indeed inappropriate. Neglecting biological brothers while favoring cousins is strange. Although Mu Junze was raised by the Empress Dowager, biological brothers share the same mother. To put it nicely, one should treat everyone equally; to put it bluntly, without blood ties, he remains an outsider. With the Sovereign treating him this way for an extended period, while it may enhance the Sovereign's reputation, it could ultimately lead to Mu Junze's downfall!"
Divine Doctor Qu thought Su Che had grasped the situation, but after hearing his response, he felt like slapping himself; he shouldn't have held any hopes for Su Che's understanding.
"Thank you, Uncle. In a few days, there will be the Imperial Examination. I must take my leave now and will come again another day."
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