Sister and Brother

When Zhang Xuezhou stood at the gates of Chang'an City again, he was wearing a garment with many patches.

Then there was Wei Shao'er, also dressed in the same old clothes, standing timidly at the city gate, waiting.

They didn't have to wait too long.

Nearly an hour later, Zhang Xuezhou saw the greeters striding towards him from afar.

"Wei Qing?"

Zhang Xuezhou looked up and finally confirmed that he hadn't mistaken the person for someone else.

Moreover, Wei Shao'er and Wei Qing share the same surname, so the chances of him making a mistake are zero.

This was the coachman who drove the Crown Prince's carriage back then. As the Crown Prince ascended the throne, Wei Qing's status obviously rose accordingly, and he even had a badge for the Imperial Horseman of the Palace hanging from his waist.

"Younger brother!"

Wei Shao'er waved repeatedly, which prompted Wei Qing to hand over the token, and then he quickly ran out of the city.

"Second Sister, what brings you here?" Wei Qing asked in surprise. "Did the Princess send you to Chang'an City to do some work?"

"No, I just missed my brother and came to Chang'an City to see how you were doing!"

Wei Shao'er touched her lower abdomen.

The place of the Holy Mother of Wudang is not suitable for long-term residence, and the slums Chang'an City are in great chaos. If her health were to collapse, Wei Shao'er was certain that some local thugs would take action against her.

As for the princess's residence that Wei Qing mentioned, that's a place she can't return to for the time being.

Since the princess's residence didn't have someone like Zhang Xuezhou who was skilled in treatment, Wei Shao'er felt that staying close to Zhang Xuezhou would save her life before she had an induced abortion or miscarriage.

She held Wei Qing's hand and poured out her longing for him, which immediately made Wei Qing blush.

"Who is he?"

After the siblings finished their lively chat, Wei Qing pointed to Zhang Xuezhou and asked Wei Shao'er in a low voice.

"The journey was arduous, and he was the farmhand I hired to help," Wei Shao'er said.

"Then he's done helping out. Let's settle his wages with him and send him home quickly," Wei Qing said. "Sister, how much should we give him?"

"He also wants to go to Chang'an City with me to see the sights. Would you like to take him in?" Wei Shao'er shook Wei Qing's arm and said coquettishly, "He's helped me a lot along the way!"

"The entire Chang'an City now under strict surveillance... Alright, alright!"

Wei Qing looked at Zhang Xuezhou and felt a vague sense of familiarity with Zhang Xuezhou's face, but he couldn't remember Zhang Xuezhou.

For him, whose attention was entirely focused on the former crown prince, even though Zhang Xuezhou accompanied him, he merely glanced at Zhang Xuezhou's face and had few other thoughts.

Wei Qing eventually managed to open a back door at the city gate.

Just like entering the pass through Yanmen Pass, as long as they had a person of high status and position to vouch for them, they could enter Chang'an City without any problem, even if they lacked a "pass".

"A-Shuo, things are different here than outside. Don't cause trouble once you're in Chang'an City!"

As Wei Qing led Wei Shao'er and Zhang Xuezhou into the city, Wei Qing couldn't help but give them a few more instructions, which Zhang Xuezhou nodded repeatedly in agreement.

The group boarded the carriage, with Zhang Xuezhou occasionally peeking out from under it, while Wei Shao'er kept pointing, instructing Wei Qing to drive to the guesthouse where Zhang Xuezhou was staying.

"Second sister, we have some money now, we can stay in some nice inns!"

"Be careful with your money, buy the house first. If you don't have enough, your second sister has some travel expenses!"

"The housing prices in the capital are a bit too high, I think I'll pass on buying a house. I'll just be content with living in a crowded place!"

"How many strings of cash does that house cost?"

"The cheaper ones are around 300 strings of cash, the more expensive ones are 500 strings, but even the best houses Non-Self official rank to afford!"

On the carriage, Wei Qing couldn't help but complain about the high housing prices in Chang'an City.

Properties near the capital are never cheap, and this price made Wei Qing give up on the idea.

However, since he served between the palace and Princess Pingyang's residence, he could not live too far away if he went out to buy a house, otherwise he would be punished or even beheaded.

This put Wei Qing in an extremely awkward position when it came to buying a house. He couldn't afford the expensive ones, and the cheap ones were useless to him. In the end, he had no choice but to live in the servants' quarters of the old residence of Princess Pingyang.

The servants' quarters, shared by a group of men, were clearly unsuitable for Wei Shao'er to squeeze in.

Wei Qing had no choice but to find a guesthouse for Wei Shao'er first.

When Zhang Xuezhou stepped off the carriage and returned to the inn, Wei Shao'er followed him in and booked a ten-day stay at the inn.

"Uncle Dongfang, you're finally back!"

As usual, Zhang Xuezhou's inn was packed with clients, including many junior officers who came in to queue during their time off, as well as some just to watch the spectacle.

The inn was extremely lively, but seeing such a group of Northern Army soldiers in the inn would undoubtedly deter anyone who wanted to stay.

The shop owner's business has been a bit slow these past few days.

At this moment, he was just hoping that Zhang Xuezhou would send these Northern Army officers away as soon as possible. He didn't even ask why Zhang Xuezhou hadn't opened the door but walked in through it, nor did he have any intention of reporting it again.

"Grandpa Dongfang?"

Wei Qing narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing something was amiss, while Wei Shao'er squeezed his younger brother's hand, forcing Wei Qing to put aside his doubts.

"The Divine Healer of the East!"

The shop owner's words caused all the officers to turn their heads, and then someone spoke up to identify the culprit.

"Greetings everyone. To avoid disturbing anyone, I've broken a window to go outside and absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, striving to have sufficient internal Law Power to heal you all as much as possible," Zhang Xuezhou said, clasping his hands in a fist and bow. "I'll go back to my room to change my clothes first, and then I'll come down to expel your old ailments!"

"Dr. Dongfang, could you treat a couple more today?" a general asked hopefully.

"As long as your injuries aren't serious, we can handle not just two, but even three or four!"

Having rid himself of the bad luck, Zhang Xuezhou was undoubtedly less conservative.

However, he was not overly greedy and did not want to treat dozens of people a day. He simply mentioned that he would heal everyone as long as he had the ability.

He clasped his hands in a fist and hurried upstairs. Only when he pushed open the door of the side room and saw Rong Tianding squatting behind the door, spying on the situation downstairs, did Zhang Xuezhou feel relieved.

Seeing Zhang Xuezhou return safely, Rong Tianding also breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't rush to ask any questions, but instead closed the door very naturally.

"Is he really your long-term worker?"

Sitting in a corner of the inn, Wei Qing ordered a plate of beef and half a chicken, and ate slowly with Wei Shao'er, asking questions in a low voice.

"I'd like him to work for me long-term, but I'm afraid I can't afford the price," Wei Shao'er said helplessly. "He knows healing arts, and my second sister is counting on him to save this little one in my belly!"

"You're pregnant, whose child?" Wei Qing asked anxiously.

"Are you worried that Second Sister will suffer a loss?" Wei Shao'er laughed. "Anyone who can be a match for Second Sister must be an exceptional person, no less!"

"Sigh, don't believe a man's words," Wei Qing said. "I've seen many high-ranking officials and noblemen in Chang'an City who shower each other with sweet words before getting into bed, but turn their backs on you the moment they get out!"

"You still watch this kind of thing?" Wei Shao'er asked curiously.

"After finishing my official duties each day, I also drive carriages for some important people to earn some money. I've seen a lot of these kinds of things," Wei Qing said. "Second Sister, you mustn't be fooled!"

"He's a gentleman; he wouldn't lie to me!"

Wei Shao'er shook her head and touched her belly again.

Compared to worrying about the child's father, Wei Shao'er was more worried about whether the child, who was suffering from repeated severe bleeding due to her own body, could survive, and even about her own safety.