Chapter 135 - 134: Shocked Him for 10,000 Years (Third Update)

Chapter 135: Chapter 134: Shocked Him for 10,000 Years (Third Update)

Xu Jing raised her eyebrows slightly and chuckled softly, "Just a simple deduction."

What could Tianyi Hall possibly see in her? She always wore a veil in public, and even if she narcissistically believed they were interested in her face, there were not enough reasons. It must be her medical skills they were interested in.

But Tianyi Hall wasn’t short of good doctors. Even if she had developed some unprecedented medicines, it shouldn’t compel the head of Tianyi Hall to lower himself to seek cooperation with her.

Moreover, linking Madam Song’s treasure-like demeanor upon meeting her, along with her lament that there are too few good female doctors in Great Chu, anyone aware of Mr. Zhou’s ambition wouldn’t find it difficult to arrive at her deduction just now.

Zhou Qi was momentarily stunned. He shook his head helplessly and said with a smile, "Miss Xu, this kind of deduction is truly not something ordinary people can do. If our intentions were so easily guessed, the Lin Family would have intervened long ago.

Miss Xu, you’re correct. We have been searching for highly skilled female doctors, and we have been cultivating them in secret, but the time is too short. It’s really difficult to cultivate exceptional female doctors who would stand out to noble family ladies in such a short time.

Then, when we were at our wits’ end, Miss Xu appeared."

And her actions far exceeded their expectations of her.

Zhou Qi couldn’t help but sigh, "To tell the truth, I initially wanted to offer a high price for Miss Xu to join our Tianyi Hall, but after meeting her, I knew that approach wouldn’t work.

Miss Xu earlier said I am ambitious, and this statement applies equally to her."

He looked at the woman before him, half-smiling.

When he went to treat her wounds that day, he only had a fleeting encounter but already knew she had great ideas and wasn’t one to willingly subordinate or take orders from others.

So, trying to lure her with money or other things to use her for oneself wouldn’t work.

Not to mention, he later discovered something even more incredible.

The maid by the side, seeing Xu Jing’s cup was empty, immediately came forward to refill it. Amidst the misty steam, Xu Jing said calmly, "Mr. Zhou praises me too much. Even though I can somewhat guess the reason Mr. Zhou wants to cooperate with me, there is something that bothers me. Why hasn’t Mr. Zhou approached our Xinglin Hall directly? When Mr. Zhou came to help me with my wounds that day and showed goodwill, I thought Mr. Zhou would approach us soon afterward."

Zhou Qi looked at the woman in front of him without speaking.

He wanted to see how far the woman could guess.

Xu Jing continued, "Mr. Zhou is a cautious person. You didn’t rush to approach me because, firstly, you wanted to further assess my skills, and secondly, my identity concerned you, perhaps."

After all, she was a single woman who came to Anping County halfway through, with only two maids by her side and no family, which was unusual in itself.

At first, Cheng Xianbai was wary of her due to her unclear background, let alone Zhou Qi, who carried the burden of an entire family business. Before figuring her out, he dared not hastily tie Zhou Family’s future to her.

Zhou Qi could no longer find words to describe his admiration for this woman. If she were a man, in Great Chu, where men are favored everywhere, her achievements would surely far surpass her current ones!

He smiled slightly and said, "So, would Miss Xu be willing to reveal your identity to us, to show your sincerity for this cooperation?"

Cheng Xianbai, on the side, saw the conversation taking a more intriguing turn and couldn’t help but look at Zhou Qi and then at Xu Jing nervously.

How did the conversation suddenly turn to Miss Xu’s identity?

Although he was also curious about where Miss Xu came from and what kind of person she was before... but what does it have to do with their cooperation?

Xu Jing paused for a moment, her lips curling into a slightly cool curve, "I fear, with Mr. Zhou’s abilities, you’ve long since found out who I am, haven’t you?"

Though she never told anyone about her identity, she didn’t deliberately conceal it either, even using her real name, Xu Jing, all along.

For the common folk of Great Chu to leave their residential area and go elsewhere, they need to apply for a travel document, essentially a travel pass, from the government.

Originally, after being abandoned by Xiao Yi and expelled by the Xu Family, Chunyang and Chunxiang wanted to take her to Bianzhou to seek refuge with her maternal family. Therefore, they asked the people of the Xu Family to help them apply for a travel pass to Bianzhou. Who knew that shortly after arriving in Anping County, her illness rapidly worsened, and she was adamant about not leaving Western Capital, forcing them to temporarily stay in Hutou Village.

Local governments conduct regular household registration checks, especially when outsiders stay for over seven days; someone will inevitably come to inquire about their situation. During her stay in Hutou Village, people from the Anping County government came to inquire about her situation, and Chunyang and Chunxiang showed them the travel pass and slipped them some silver, and thus passed the check.

Otherwise, why would her savings deplete so quickly?

Thus, the Anping County government has her related information recorded. Although the travel pass doesn’t detail her family background clearly, the basic information is present—where she’s from, her age, when she left Capital City, her intended destination upon leaving Capital City, and which states and counties she would pass through, all clearly documented.

After deciding to live in Anping County, Xu Jing began to consider how to obtain residency there. Great Chu allows the establishment of female households, but the conditions are very stringent. It requires confirming that both the woman’s father and husband are deceased and that there are no male descendants for the woman to inherit the household status. Simply put, there must be no men in the family.

Later, after her relation with Xiao Yi improved and through him meeting the new County Magistrate, handling this matter became easier. If she hadn’t come to Western Capital, Xu Jing had planned to ask Deng Youwei for help.

In summary, her information is recorded in the county government, and Zhou Family, having been rooted in Anping County for years, certainly has its people in the county government. If Zhou Qi intends to investigate, it wouldn’t be difficult to find a lot of information about her. By comparing the women named Xu Jing departing from Western Capital during that period, he could essentially know who she was.

Gazing into the woman’s eyes, which seemed to see through everything, Zhou Qi chuckled gently, suddenly stood up, and bowed deeply to Xu Jing, saying, "It seems nothing can be hidden from Miss Xu. I dare not present myself as a fool in front of Miss Xu any longer. I extend my greetings to Xu Siniang.

Honestly, upon learning of Miss Xu’s identity, I was shocked for quite a while, ensuring there wasn’t a mistake. I hope Miss Xu wouldn’t mind my private investigation into you."

Xu Jing’s lips curved slightly, and she said calmly, "Mr. Zhou needn’t be so courteous. Mr. Zhou was merely looking out for his family’s interests, and there’s nothing blameworthy in that. Although I am Xu Siniang, I am no longer the Xu Siniang of the past. I now have no ties with the Xiao Family and Xu Family. If Mr. Zhou approached me hoping to establish relations with these two families, then Mr. Zhou has chosen wrong."

Zhou Qi was slightly taken aback and stood straight, somewhat hesitantly saying, "I thought Miss Xu and Vice Minister Xiao were already..."

"Not at all. Vice Minister Xiao and I are no longer husband and wife."

Xu Jing said, "Originally, Vice Minister Xiao and I got together due to some accident, without much marital affection, and later, it was merely by chance that we interacted."

Zhou Qi, not one to miss cues, saw Xu Jing’s firm and cold demeanor, thus not pursuing this topic further, smiled gently, and said, "Regardless of Miss Xu’s ties with the Xiao Family and Xu Family, it does not affect my sincerity in wanting to cooperate with Miss Xu. With Miss Xu’s abilities, even without the help of the Xiao and Xu Families, you can surely carve out a path for yourself."

On the side, Cheng Xianbai was already shocked to the core.

He, he didn’t hear wrong!

Miss Xu and Vice Minister Xiao used to be—husband and wife!

This is so shockingly unbelievable it could stun him for a million years!