At that moment, Chen Zhang, seated at the head of the room, set down his teacup and spoke gently, with a measure of solemnity. "Sirong, I also have something I need to trouble you with."
Ye Sirong immediately straightened in her seat, her expression turning serious. "Please go ahead, Fifth Master."
Thoughts raced through her mind as she guessed what task Chen Zhang might entrust to her.
Chen Zhang nodded slightly. "Here's the situation. My sister-in-law has been in Heaven Dou lately. When she's at the Duke's Mansion, there's no problem, but she also often goes to the underground Iron Jaw Fortress to treat the wounded admitted there."
"With all that coming and going, and Iron Jaw Fortress only recently captured, the Underground City's network is still in utter chaos, with fish and dragons mingling together. It's not the ten thousand safe journeys we fear, but the one mishap. I really can't help worrying about her safety."
He paused, his tone expectant. "You used to be my younger sister's personal attendant, so you have plenty of experience. You also come from a family with a deep medical tradition and have medical expertise yourself, which means you could lend my sister-in-law a hand. How about staying with her for the time being?"
His words stunned everyone present.
Ye Sirong's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around her teacup, and astonishment flashed in her eyes.
She had imagined many tasks Chen Zhang might assign her-intelligence on the Iron Bone Corps or Bloodfang, perhaps, or persuading Dou Jing to surrender-but never had she expected a responsibility like this: protecting the clan head's wife while also serving as her medical assistant!
This position was no small matter!
The person she would protect was Ye Xiuxin, the reigning Matriarch, whose exalted status went without saying.
As her