Huangpu Ze sighed with a hint of shame. It wasn't that he didn't want to believe Li Se, but rather that in the face of profit, he had chosen it, and consequently, he paid a heavy price: half of the Huang family's assets and absolute loyalty to Li Se!
Li Se then spent some time healing Huangpu Ze and said, "You should get plenty of rest during this period, and pay attention to your diet. I'll prescribe some medicinal cuisine to aid your recovery."
"Thank you, Imperial Physician Li!" Huangpu Ze said gratefully.
"No thanks are needed. You've also paid a considerable price," Li Se said calmly.
Huangpu Ze asked, "Half of my assets, Imperial Physician Li. Do you plan to take it in cash or as shares?"
"Shares!" Li Se replied after some thought. Taking it in cash would be meaningless as he didn't need that much money.
"Alright, I'll draw up a contract to give you half of my company's shares!" Huangpu Ze nodded.
Seeing that Li Se was finished, Du Jinglong smiled and said, "Young friend Li, can we talk?"
Li Se looked at Du Jinglong in surprise. He had initially thought that Du Jinglong was here to ask him to treat Fu Qingfeng, but it seemed there was another motive.
The two walked along the county town's streets, with Fu Qingfeng following behind, but not too close. He knew they had matters to discuss and it wouldn't be appropriate for him to be near.
"Have you thought about when you might go to the capital?" Du Jinglong finally broke the silence.
Li Se raised an eyebrow and said, "President Du, we agreed before. Although I've become an Imperial Physician, it doesn't mean I have to go to the capital, right?"
Du Jinglong looked at Li Se with a strange expression. "You're building your influence like this, are you not preparing to go to the capital?"
So, this guy had seen through him. Li Se wondered if he was that obvious. He then smiled and said, "I'm not building any influence. If it weren't for Huangpu Ze repeatedly acting this way, I wouldn't have demanded half his assets and loyalty. Perhaps he wouldn't have had to spend a single cent for my treatment."
Du Jinglong fell silent for a moment before saying, "You can treat strangers unconditionally, but you demand a heavy price from those you don't trust. If you were to go to the capital, you could stir up quite a storm!"
Li Se chuckled, "I'm just an ordinary doctor, how could I possibly cause trouble?"
Du Jinglong shook his head, "You are no ordinary doctor. You are an Imperial Physician. Do you know that even wealthy merchants like Huangpu Ze, and even I, dare not offend an Imperial Physician lightly? This is why many people still feared Gu Tianhe even after his retirement. This is the capability of an Imperial Physician!"
"I know you want me to go to the capital, but for now, I still want to be just an ordinary doctor," Li Se shook his head. He knew he would go to the capital, but not yet.
Du Jinglong was silent again, a strange expression on his face. After a long pause, he said, "Have you ever considered why so many people want you to go to the capital? And from what I know, even a first-rate noble family in the capital is sending people to target you. Do you want to know why?"
Li Se's expression changed slightly. He did want to know, but after looking at Du Jinglong for a while, he said, "You're not going to say that if I want to know, I have to go to the capital, are you?"
"Uh..." Du Jinglong was speechless. "How did you know? Has someone else told you the same thing?"
"Yes!" Li Se nodded seriously. "If you know, you can tell me directly. If you don't, I'll pretend I didn't hear."
He was puzzled. Many people did want him to go to the capital, and there were top families in the capital who wanted him dead. But until now, he didn't know why. He had considered it might be due to his medical skills, but quickly dismissed the idea. The capital certainly wasn't lacking in Imperial Physicians.
Du Jinglong didn't know what to say. Which scoundrel had told Li Se the same thing? If he found out, he would teach them a good lesson.
Meanwhile, in the capital, at the Xiao family, Xiao Zhanguo was listening to music when he suddenly coughed twice. He touched his nose, feeling strange. Was he catching a cold? Never mind, he'd continue listening to music...
Du Jinglong said helplessly, "Alas, young friend Li, perhaps someone has told you, but I still want to say that some things, you will only know the reasons for if you go to the capital yourself."
"Oh, then I'll go when I feel like it," Li Se shrugged, not overly concerned. He had heard similar things quite often, and besides, the family in the capital that had been targeting him hadn't appeared recently.
"Don't you know who your father is?" Du Jinglong suddenly asked.
"My father?" Li Se was slightly stunned, his brows knitting tightly. "Isn't he dead? What, is my father still alive?"
"Perhaps he is still alive?" Du Jinglong's gaze was piercing.
Li Se's expression turned serious. He suddenly recalled when Lin Junhao and Lin Wanqiu had mentioned his background. He hadn't paid much attention then, but with Du Jinglong bringing it up today, he couldn't help but wonder if his father was a prominent figure in a capital family.
This was quite possible. Otherwise, why would so many people want him to go to the capital, and why would some top families want to assassinate him? Perhaps it was all related to that father.
"If he is truly alive, then he doesn't deserve to be my father!" Li Se said coldly.
"Perhaps he had his reasons?" Du Jinglong couldn't help but say.
Li Se shook his head. "No matter what his reasons, abandoning his wife and child for over twenty years means he doesn't deserve to be my father. And I won't go to the capital for such a person!"
Hearing this, Du Jinglong felt a pang of regret. He shouldn't have brought this up, but he was on a mission today to lure Li Se to the capital. Unfortunately, it seemed to have failed.
As they chatted and walked, Chen Xiulian approached them. However, when she saw Du Jinglong, her body trembled, and she instinctively tried to shy away.
"Mom..." Li Se called out.
Du Jinglong also noticed Chen Xiulian at this moment and was surprised. This woman seemed very familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before, but he couldn't recall where for the moment.
Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and his expression turned somewhat grim, but he still managed a slight smile and said, "Miss Chen, long time no see!"