142. A Challenge That Costs Lives

Zhan Lianjing simply indulged her preferences. He stroked her head and said, "However, in case of necessity, I still hope you can step in."

Le Qianxue gave a soft hum, the heavy stone in her heart finally lifted.

Looking at her expression, Zhan Lianjing suddenly smiled, a smile carrying a faint, captivating charm.

Le Qianxue pursed her lips, and suddenly feeling a rush of blood to her head, she leaned in and kissed him.

Zhan Lianjing was taken aback, not expecting her to be so proactive.

Zhan Lianjing said, "It is clearly your birthday today, the one who should be giving a gift is me."

Le Qianxue asked, "Then what are you going to give me?"

Wasn't what happened just now already a gift?

Following that, Zhan Lianjing grabbed her hand, placed it against his own chest, and said, "I am giving myself to you."

"What? No, I don't want that," Le Qianxue said. "This gift lacks sincerity."

Zhan Lianjing said, "How does it lack sincerity? When I go out, I have the looks to rival flowers; when it's time to sleep, I can warm the bed; my net worth is over a million taels, and I am a grand prince besides. Is this really not good?"

At this moment, he looked slightly displeased, as if Le Qianxue was disdaining him.

She curled her lips into a smile and said, "You don't need to praise yourself like that. I am well aware of what you are worth."

Without warning, Zhan Lianjing scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bed. She let out a startled gasp and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

His gaze was as tranquil as water, and the candlelight in the room dimmed significantly. Everything felt unusually ambiguous.

Staring at him, she asked, "Do you really want this?"

Zhan Lianjing did not answer. Instead, he leaned down and kissed her. His kiss was gentle and lingering, pulling one so deep into it that escape was impossible.

If this lifetime were to last only these few short years, she would be willing. After all, no one could guarantee that they would ever meet another person like this, someone they could truly love.

Le Qianxue yielded to him. Having shared intimacy a few times before, she was quite familiar with his character.

Listening to his breathing and hearing his heartbeat, Le Qianxue's mind turned to absolute mush. Oh no, Zhan Lianjing seemed to be her personal poison.

His hands wandered, and her robes were already loosened.

Even her breathing grew abnormally scorching.

Yet, at that moment, he paused, staring fixedly at her. "I haven't married you yet, so it wouldn't be proper. You should rest early tonight."

Le Qianxue froze, her passion seemingly doused by a bucket of icy water.

She glared at him. He had already neatly fastened her robes back up, committing no overstepping acts whatsoever.

He remarked, "Why are you glaring at me? You were the one who said just now that you didn't want me to warm your bed."

Le Qianxue pouted. The words she had spoken herself could not very well be eaten back.

With a soft huff, she turned her face away and said, "Then leave."

Zhan Lianjing chuckled. To think she could be so petty.

Even so, it was inappropriate to cross that line. What if Le Yongcheng was still lurking outside? How could he possibly do such a thing under those circumstances?

"Alright, stop sulking. Come find me tomorrow," Zhan Lianjing said.

Le Qianxue muttered under her breath, "You claim you're protecting my reputation, but back at the Thousand Gold Pavilion, countless people already assumed we were intimate. Look at me, my cinnabar mark is still intact, but if people talk, am I supposed to roll up my sleeves and show them my arm to prove I still have it?"

Zhan Lianjing laughed helplessly; that previous incident had indeed been poorly arranged on his part.

He said, "Then what about now? Do you mind that we haven't made things official yet? Very well, let's finish it right now. It's not too late."

Le Qianxue said with helpless resignation, "You'd better leave. Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing with your hands?"

Seeing him move to pin her down, Le Qianxue panicked slightly once more.

Zhan Lianjing let out a light laugh and stopped teasing her. "Alright, get some rest. I won't mess with you anymore."

Le Qianxue finally released her grip, understanding his stance—he was unwilling to cross the boundary before they were formally wed.

Still, Zhan Lianjing pressed a kiss to her forehead before taking his leave.

Long after he left, his scent lingered in the room.

Le Qianxue remained in a daze for a while, but thinking of what Zhan Lianjing had done today, a happy smile spread across her face.

Still feeling a lingering sweetness, she let out a quiet giggle before calling Huatao in to help her wash up, change, and retire for the night.

By the next day, the news had completely blown up. Everyone knew that Zhan Lianjing had caused a citywide sensation just to win a smile from his beauty.

Such a high-profile display naturally reached the imperial palace.

While some scoffed at the spectacle, others were undoubtedly wishing they could immediately have Le Qianxue proclaimed as Prince Zhan's consort.

Naturally, Zhan Lianjing's status, power, and influence were the highest among the three princes, and the General's Estate also held military authority. If the two families forged an alliance, their combined strength would be beyond question.

Le Qianxue was well aware of all this, and she soon learned that preparations for the wedding were already underway within the General's Estate.

Le Yongcheng was exceptionally joyous, having summoned a tailor to measure Le Qianxue for clothes.

Le Qianxue said with mild exasperation, "Dad, he hasn't even formally proposed yet! Why are you in such a rush? If word gets out, people will think I'm throwing myself at him. How embarrassing is that?"

"Didn't he propose before? Though you didn't agree back then, I was clever enough to keep all the betrothal gifts. Look, that saves us so much trouble now; we don't have to run back and forth at all," Le Yongcheng said smugly, convinced he had made a brilliant decision at the time.

Le Qianxue sighed, equally helpless. "That was before. This time, someone actually needs to ask him first."

Le Yongcheng waved his hand dismissively. "Ask whom? He's definitely willing. Rest assured, leave it to your father to handle. Truly, the ancestors are blessing us—you're finally getting married off!"

Le Qianxue's mouth twitched. Was Le Yongcheng implying she was a burden who ate too much rice and wasted his money?

After taking her measurements, the tailor promised to finish the wedding robes within ten days.

Le Yongcheng urged, "Can't you make it faster?"

"General Le, fine work demands meticulous effort. This timeframe is already the absolute fastest. If we rush it any further, the embroidery and tailoring simply won't be as exquisite," the tailor explained.

"Then take your time. My daughter must have the very best," Le Yongcheng laughed heartily, eager for Le Qianxue to put on the wedding robes immediately.

Le Qianxue said, "Dad, there's no need to rush. Once we decide on the wedding, there will be countless things to busy ourselves with. We'll need at least a month to prepare properly. There's really no need to panic."

Le Yongcheng nodded in agreement. "That's true. It seems I was just being overly anxious."

Even so, he remained beaming with joy.

Seeing this, Le Qianxue felt happy as well, as she rarely saw Le Yongcheng looking so jubilant.

She walked over and teased, "Dad, it looks like you really can't wait to marry me off."

Le Yongcheng nodded. "Of course! Back then, I was genuinely worried you wouldn't find anyone. Who would have thought things would turn out like this? It seems my daughter isn't lacking at all."

Le Qianxue pouted. "I was never lacking to begin with."

Le Yongcheng gave a hum of agreement and smiled again. "Well, you go get some rest. I need to go discuss the banquet arrangements with Old Zeng."

"Dad—" Before she could finish, Le Yongcheng had already strode out.

She let out a soft laugh and shook her head helplessly.

Even she wasn't in a hurry, yet Le Yongcheng had managed to work himself into such a frenzy.

However, that afternoon, Zhan Lianjing sent people to pick her up. Upon arrival, she discovered that Zhan Lianjing had long since begun preparing a medical clinic.

There were three such clinics established across the capital, all staffed by skilled physicians, operating as charitable establishments for commoners with fair and reasonable pricing.

After inspecting the clinics, Le Qianxue was pleased. "He certainly put a lot of thought into this."

"His Highness personally ordered the preparations, and everything is fully equipped," Haoyue said with a smile. "Lady Le can even come here to hold consultations on occasion, though there is no remuneration."

Le Qianxue minded little and remarked, "That's fine. However, opening these clinics requires a massive amount of capital, and charging ordinary people only half the price for medical care means the expenses will be far too high."

Haoyue gently shook his head. "His Highness has already arranged for that, so Lady Le need not worry. All the medicinal herbs are supplied by the Yan family at low cost, and the Yan family has also contributed funds. They consider this a virtuous deed, and the Yan family is more than willing."

Le Qianxue nodded. "That's not bad at all. Still, I have a way to make the clinic turn a massive profit to help subsidize the costs."

Haoyue looked slightly puzzled, only to realize shortly after that Le Qianxue intended to use the moniker of the Ghost Doctor Maiden for her consultations here.

The reputation of the Ghost Doctor Maiden had long since skyrocketed, though she had seemingly vanished after Zhan Lianjing searched the entire city for her.

Now that she had reappeared to hold consultations at a commoner's clinic, it naturally caused a wave of astonishment.

To ensure fairness, patients seeking treatment had to draw lots to determine which physician would see them.

Moreover, with Zhan Lianjing backing the establishment, no one dared to cause trouble.

In truth, Le Qianxue only casually saw a few patients, as her consistent principle was to treat a maximum of ten people a day, refusing any more beyond that.

One had to establish their own rules in this world, otherwise people would simply assume you were easy to bully.

No one had expected Le Qianxue to actually be the legendary Ghost Doctor Maiden. The news spread rapidly, completely overshadowing the spectacle from the previous night.

Overnight, Le Qianxue's renown soared to new heights. It turned out the eldest miss of the General's Estate was far from being a good-for-nothing.

Naturally, there were still skeptics among the crowd. That very day, a physician stormed in and shouted directly, "Where is the Ghost Doctor Maiden?"

Le Qianxue, who was in the innermost room, poked her head out and frowned upon seeing an arrogant-looking old man. "Who is this?"

Haoyue, who had been standing nearby, stepped forward and asked, "My mistress is no longer seeing patients today. Furthermore, I must ask you to mind your manners."

The old man didn't even deign to look at Haoyue. With a cold snort, he said, "Who's here for a consultation? I'm here to challenge the place! I heard the Ghost Doctor Maiden is none other than the eldest miss of the General's Estate—a mere seventeen-year-old girl pretending to be the Ghost Doctor Maiden. Isn't that enough to make people die of laughter? If it's true, then this so-called Ghost Doctor Maiden is nothing more than a quack. If it's false, then the eldest miss of the General's Estate has no shame at all, daring to fraudulently impersonate the Ghost Doctor Maiden!"

Haoyue's face darkened, his gaze turning razor-sharp. "What did you say? Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you're inviting by speaking such nonsense here?"