"You're here!" Rong Yunhe seemed very happy to see Yun Qianmeng, but behind those eyes full of joy was a deep worry!
Yun Qianmeng looked up and saw Rong Yunhe standing two or three steps above the ground. He was wearing a dark silver silk robe with a piece of Hetian jade hanging from his waist. His dazzling white hair immediately attracted the attention of the diners in the hall. Fortunately, Yun Qianmeng put on a gauze hat before stepping out of the carriage today. Although it was a bit stuffy, it effectively blocked everyone's curious gazes and saved her a lot of trouble!
Through a layer of smoky veil, Rong Yunhe saw the faint smile on Yun Qianmeng's lips, and his heart suddenly ached. Such a woman, while others were enjoying their prime years, she was burdened with too many things. That faint smile on her lips was just a mask. The real her also had joys, sorrows, anger, and happiness, but she hid them deeply beneath that smile! As for those important to her, she also tried her best to protect them, just like when she stood up to protect the eldest daughter of the Fuguo Mansion on the night of Qiqiao. Such loyalty, I am afraid that few men in this world can do it!
Yun Qianmeng felt all kinds of inquiring gazes coming from all around, and just nodded slightly towards Rong Yunhe, then took Mu Chun to the third floor!
Rong Yunhe naturally knew that the eyes around him were mostly filled with the intention of watching the show, so he passed by Yun Qianmeng seemingly unintentionally. One went upstairs and the other went downstairs, and the two never met again!
"Miss!" When they went up to the third floor, they saw Jiao Da standing motionless at the door of the wing room. His dark eyes revealed the tenacity and caution that only soldiers possessed, which made Yun Qianmeng suddenly feel that she had found the right person!
"Thank you for your hard work!" Seeing Jiao Da not moving at all, Yun Qianmeng was deeply moved. However, before Yingqiu fully recovered, she was afraid that she would have to trouble him again!
However, Jiao Da's face turned slightly red, which was rare. He pursed his lips, looked straight ahead, and stood straighter, looking more and more like he was standing guard, which made Mu Chun smile secretly. Yun Qianmeng turned around and glanced at Mu Chun, and saw that Mu Chun immediately put away his smile and followed Yun Qianmeng into the room with a serious face!
"Miss!" It happened to be the time for Yingqiu to take medicine. Seeing Yun Qianmeng coming, Yingqiu struggled to get up, but Yun Qianmeng, who quickly rushed to the bed, gently pressed her down. Then she took off her gauze hat and handed it to Mu Chun behind her, and she looked at Yingqiu's face carefully!
Although Yingqiu's face was still as pale as paper today, it was much better than the grayish-white complexion on the day she was injured. After taking the medicine, she also looked in good spirits, which made Yun Qianmeng feel relieved!
"It's all my negligence! I didn't find a few guards to protect you and the nanny! You got injured so badly!" Helping Yingqiu lie down again, Yun Qianmeng carefully tucked the corners of the quilt for her, and said with a tone of self-blame!
Yingqiu was a simple-minded child, and she thought this incident was just an accident. But seeing Yun Qianmeng blaming herself so much, Yingqiu felt a surge of emotion in her heart. She ignored her wounds that had finally healed and tried to straighten herself up to explain, "Miss, this was just an accident!"
Yun Qianmeng helped her lie down again. The soft light in her eyes suddenly dissipated, and gradually a cold light appeared. She sneered, "Accident? Even if it was a robbery, it wouldn't cause loss of life! Besides, the criminals went in with weapons, which is enough to prove that they wanted to take lives, not money! I thought that Madam's status was special, and Su Qing's influence in the Prime Minister's Mansion was too great before, so for safety reasons I temporarily placed you outside! But I didn't expect that it would give someone an easy opportunity to attack!"
"Miss, do you know who did it?" Nanny Xia, who was sitting on the couch, immediately asked anxiously!
Yingqiu has been taking care of her like a mother these days. In Nanny Xia's heart, she has long regarded this careful and gentle child as her own daughter. Now that she is seriously injured for her, Nanny Xia is naturally very excited. If she hadn't been dragging a broken body, she would probably find the murderer herself!
"Madam, don't worry!" Yun Qianmeng was overjoyed when she saw that Madam Xia was so excited that she could say a complete sentence. However, the most important thing now was to find out what style of boots Yingqiu saw before she went into shock. Only then could she confirm her guess!
"Yingqiu, tell me exactly what you saw! Don't miss any details!" Yun Qianmeng focused, causing Yingqiu's heart to tighten slightly, and her thoughts immediately fell into the chaos of that night!
"It was late at night. I put away the herbs and planned to go back to my room to rest! Because it was late at night, it was very quiet outside. Even if a leaf fell to the ground, I could hear it clearly! I was about to lock the door of the pharmacy, but I heard a burst of very light footsteps in the yard. Through the window, I saw several men in black jumping into the yard one after another, each holding a shining knife in his hand. I was so scared that I didn't have time to lock the door. I ran directly to Nanny Xia's room and moved her under the bed! Maybe my escape was too late. The footsteps attracted the attention of the thieves, who followed into the bedroom and stabbed me in the abdomen without a word! It happened to be a very hot day, and Nanny Xia slept with the window open. In the moonlight, I saw that the thief was wearing a pair of black cloth boots. Yes, black cloth boots! Then I fainted, and I don’t know what happened next! "Yingqiu tried hard to recall, especially when she mentioned the boots, she pondered for a while, and finally said it with certainty!
After hearing this, Yun Qianmeng's face turned cold, and the cold light in her eyes made people feel cold. After a long while, she murmured, "I still dragged you into this fight!"
Now, there is more than one person in Xichu who wants Qu Lingao's life. Those who hold great power have no shortage of people who are willing to work for them. Although a pair of shoes can eliminate some suspicious people on the surface, it is inevitable that this is not a trap set by the real mastermind behind the scenes, specifically to lead him astray!
Yun Qianmeng then came to Madam Xia and saw that she was also looking down in thought. She then asked softly, "Madam, are you willing to go back to the Prime Minister's residence with Meng'er?"
Although there are several factions in the Prime Minister's Mansion, Yun Xuanzhi is the Prime Minister after all, so those people will naturally think twice before taking action!
Besides, she would not feel at ease if Yun Qianmeng were to place Nanny Xia and Yingqiu outside the mansion. Jiao Da was still a member of the Prince of Chu's mansion. The Prince of Chu was willing to lend him out this time, which was already a concession to her. How could she cause trouble for others again?
When Nanny Xia saw Yun Qianmeng's determined expression, she knew that the young lady had made up her mind. She also knew that if she and Yingqiu stayed outside any longer, it would be even more dangerous, so she nodded immediately!
Seeing that Yingqiu looked a little tired, Yun Qianmeng asked everyone to watch her carefully and then took Mu Chun out of the room!
"Did you hear the conversation just now?" Yun Qianmeng asked Jiao Da only after Mu Chun closed the door!
After all, with Jiao Da's skill, it would not be difficult for him to hear the conversation in the side room just now!
Jiao Da looked at Yun Qianmeng and asked, "Miss, do you want me to investigate the owner of those boots?"
Hearing this, Yun Qianmeng smiled calmly and nodded slightly, but still with a hint of uncertainty, "Yes! However, this direction may also be wrong! I can only make you work hard!"
Hearing her say this, Jiao Da nodded and immediately replied in a low voice, "I understand!"
After she finished speaking, Yun Qianmeng walked downstairs and out of Tianfu Tower, only to see Rong Yunhe already waiting beside the carriage of the Prime Minister's Mansion!
Fortunately, the carriage stopped at the entrance of a small alley where there were few pedestrians, so Rong Yunhe's white hair was not as conspicuous as it was in Tianfulou just now!
"Why are you waiting here?" Yun Qianmeng chuckled, thinking that Rong Yunhe was really considerate. He knew that his white hair would attract attention, so he waited here. He didn't know how long he had been standing there, which made Yun Qianmeng feel a little ashamed!
Seeing Yun Qianmeng smile, Rong Yunhe also curled his lips slightly, which was rare. The young man's tense face was like being injected with warm sunshine, which instantly illuminated the entire expressionless face, causing Yun Qianmeng to lose consciousness for a moment!
Rong Yunhe took advantage of Yun Qianmeng's moment of distraction and placed a paper box in her hand, saying, "I've heard that the old lady of the Xiangfu Mansion loves Tianfulou's Emerald Green Bean Cake. Since you're here, take a box back with you!"
After saying that, he turned around and left with Si'er!
Yun Qianmeng looked at Rong Yunhe suspiciously when he suddenly brought her the mung bean cake, but he didn't give her a chance to ask questions and rode away from the alley early in the morning!
"Miss, get in!" Mu Chun held the box of mung bean cakes for Yun Qianmeng, and then helped her sit in the carriage!
But Yun Qianmeng was a little skeptical about Rong Yunhe's reaction today, so she asked Mu Chun to take the box of cakes and open it. There were several fragrant mung bean cakes neatly arranged inside. What was surprising was that in the middle of the mung bean cakes, there was another small wooden box!
Yun Qianmeng took out the wooden box with her bare hands and slowly opened it. Her black pupils immediately shrank. This...
"Miss, this is..." Mu Chun carefully observed Yun Qianmeng's expression. He saw that her eyes were filled with shock but also with indescribable joy. Then he looked at the wooden box that was gleaming with the rare light of sunken wood and knew that it must contain a treasure. So he boldly guessed, "Miss, could this be the Hu Ge?"
Only Yingxia and Yingqiu were involved in Huge's work, so Mu Chun was just guessing. However, she didn't expect that her guess was right. Yun Qianmeng nodded vigorously, and she knew that the Marquis was saved!
But after Yun Qianmeng felt that moment of joy, doubts arose in her heart!
How much kudzu was there? Why did every noble seem to have a box? And where did Rong Yunhe get this box? How did he learn that he was short of such a precious herb?
How can I repay such a generous gift and such a kindness?
Yun Qianmeng couldn't help but clutch the box of hard-earned Hu Kudzu with both hands. She felt a little hesitant. Should she use it to save her uncle's life, or return it to Rong Yunhe?
If I cannot repay the kindness of such a young man who is as bright as the moon and the breeze in the future, wouldn’t I be really hurting him?
"Huh?" Just as Yun Qianmeng opened the wooden box again, she saw a piece of rice paper inside. She took it out and opened it, and saw a line of beautiful cursive writing on it, which said "saving people is the most important thing"!
Seeing these four words, Yun Qianmeng understood in her heart that Rong Yunhe brought this box of Hu Kudzu just to save Qu Lingao's life. She was afraid that even if she returned it now, he would not accept it!
"Mu Chun, go to the Fuguo Mansion!" Having made up her mind, Yun Qianmeng immediately ordered Mu Chun to ask the coachman to change lanes!
When they arrived at the Fuguogong Mansion, they saw that the servants who hurried by all had heavy expressions on their faces. Yun Qianmeng stopped a maid who had just bowed to her and was about to leave and asked, "What happened?"
The girl immediately put on a mournful face and said in a depressed tone, "To answer my cousin, the Marquis just stopped breathing for a moment! The old lady, the mistress and the young lady are all rushing to Qingsong Courtyard. Doctor Nie is guarding the Marquis right now and doesn't dare to leave even for a moment!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Qianmeng was shocked. She immediately grabbed the wooden box in her sleeve and walked quickly towards Qingsong Courtyard!
As soon as she stepped into Qingsong Courtyard, she heard low cries coming from inside. Even though Yun Qianmeng was usually calm and steady, when faced with life and death, her calm heart suddenly jumped. She suppressed the bad premonition in her heart and trotted into the inner room!
At this time, the old lady and the other two were lying on Qu Lingao's body and crying softly, while Doctor Nie stood aside with a frown on his face and pursed lips, and he was still holding the slender silver needle in his fingers!
"My uncle..." Yun Qianmeng felt her heartbeat suddenly slow down, her face turned slightly pale, but her eyes were fixed on the young Doctor Nie!
Doctor Nie shook his head slightly at Yun Qianmeng, then spoke softly, "Three days at the fastest, seven days at the slowest! Old Madam, I have failed to live up to your trust. Please punish me!"
Hearing his words, Yun Qianmeng secretly thought that something was wrong and turned her gaze to Qu Lingao. She saw that his face had gradually turned gray, and there was no trace of pain in his chest. He lay on the bed without any sign of life, and he really looked like a dead person!
"No! Doctor Nie, please save daddy! He..." But Qu Feiqing grabbed Doctor Nie's sleeve and shook him hard, and the tears in her bright eyes slid down her face like beads from a broken string!
"He has lived for so long, just let him live a little longer!" Although there were traces of tears on the old lady's face, her eyes were full of sternness and she would not allow Doctor Nie to give up at this moment!
Yun Qianmeng immediately pulled out the kudzu root and the recipe from her sleeve and handed them to Doctor Nie. "Here are the kudzu root and the recipe. Doctor Nie, please check them. If there are no mistakes, we can still prepare the medicine now!"
When the others heard Yun Qianmeng say this, their faces were startled. Doctor Nie was the first to react. He immediately opened the wooden box and checked the Hu Ge. He then took out the recipe and carefully read it. A look of joy immediately appeared on his face, and his tone was filled with a rare sense of ease, "I'll go make the medicine right away!"
Hearing what he said, the expressions of the other three also changed. They looked at Yun Qianmeng in disbelief. Old Lady Gu was the first to speak, "Meng'er, isn't this the antidote?"
Yun Qianmeng smiled lightly and simply replied, "It was a gift from a friend! The most important thing now is to save my uncle!"
When Old Lady Gu heard her say this, she knew she didn't want to reveal the man's life, so she just nodded. Looking at Qu Lingao, who had already gone into shock several times on the bed, her brows were full of distress and worry. "In the past few days, your eldest cousin has also been secretly visiting everywhere, but there has been no result! Seeing your uncle..."
"Grandma, please don't worry too much. Now that we have the antidote, Doctor Nie will definitely do his best!" Yun Qianmeng walked to the bedside and helped Old Lady Gu to stand up. The two of them walked out at the same time. Coincidentally, Qu Changqing strode in at this moment!
"Changqing, your father is saved!" Old Lady Gu was rarely so excited, and she spoke first without waiting for Qu Changqing to salute!
Qu Changqing was originally in a heavy mood, as he had been secretly investigating for these days without any clues. But now his grandmother told him that his father could be saved, which surprised Qu Changqing. He was unable to react for a moment, and then he looked at Yun Qianmeng who was standing next to Old Lady Gu, and there was a hint of understanding in his eyes!
"Meng'er, you..." Yun Qianmeng was a young lady, how could she have gotten the antidote? Qu Changqing was afraid that Yun Qianmeng had made a deal with someone else to save her father!
Yun Qianmeng, however, simply smiled faintly, not taking any credit for it. Instead, she calmly said, "Thanks to the help of my friends, my uncle is now saved. This is truly the best news I've heard recently!"
Seeing that Yun Qianmeng didn't want to discuss the matter in depth, Qu Changqing didn't force her, but he was still keeping it in mind. Knowing that this Hu Kudzu was extremely precious, he naturally couldn't let Yun Qianmeng take the risk alone. If she really needed him, he would definitely help her!
Doctor Nie prepared the antidote in just one day!
However, this time, for safety reasons, the antidote was mixed into dog food and the beast was allowed to eat it first. Seeing that there was nothing unusual, everyone dared to let Qu Lingao take it!
Ji Shuyu personally held up Qu Lingao's body and asked him to straighten his upper body slightly to facilitate the use of medicine later!
The antidote for Yingxia and Yingqiu was originally made into pills, but Qu Lingao's condition was special now, and he couldn't swallow even the smallest pill. The only solution now was to turn the pills into a decoction and let the potion slide down his throat into his stomach!
Doctor Nie saw the old lady personally holding Qu Lingao's jaw to facilitate his feeding, so he no longer hesitated. He scooped a small amount of medicine with a silver spoon and patiently fed it into Qu Lingao's slightly opened mouth bit by bit...
"Miss!" In the evening, Mu Chun led Le Yao, who was beside Qu Feiqing, into Qiluo Garden. Seeing Yun Qianmeng enjoying the cool under a big tree, Mu Chun immediately spoke!
"Your servant greets my cousin!" Seeing the joy in Le Yao's eyes, Yun Qianmeng knew that the Hu Ge must have been used correctly!
"Get up! But has your uncle been rescued?" Yun Qianmeng put down the book she was reading and asked softly. She had guessed the final result from Le Yao's expression, but the waiting process still made her feel a little uneasy!
Hearing Yun Qianmeng say this, Le Yao nodded her head like garlic, a wide smile on her lips, and immediately continued, "Yes! My cousin is really smart! Although the Marquis hasn't woken up yet, Doctor Nie has taken his pulse and said he's getting better. I followed Miss and saw with my own eyes that the poisonous blood in the Marquis' body actually flowed out of the wound. It took a long time for the black blood to slowly turn bright red! Doctor Nie is guarding the Marquis at this time. Miss was afraid that my cousin would worry, so she sent me here to inform you first!"
Hearing this, Yun Qianmeng finally felt relieved. Qu Lingao's illness had dragged on for such a long time, and today there was finally a turn for the better. Not only would her grandmother and the others be overjoyed, but she herself felt deeply relieved!
"Go back and tell grandma and everyone else to take care of themselves! I'll go visit my uncle after he wakes up!" Yun Qianmeng couldn't help but smile from the bottom of her heart!
"Yes! I'll take my leave first!" Seeing that her mission was completed, Le Yao bowed to Yun Qianmeng and slowly left Qiluo Garden!
Half a month passed quickly, and Qu Lingao had completely recovered. After sleeping for a whole day after taking the medicine, he woke up slowly amid his family's eager anticipation. The dark clouds that had been hanging over the Prince of Fuguo's Mansion had finally cleared and the moon was shining!
Even the Empress Dowager in the palace sent people to inquire several times, and all kinds of supplements were continuously sent to the Prince of Fuguo's Mansion by the Empress Dowager!
Yun Qianmeng also came to visit Qu Lingao several times. She saw that although Qu Lingao was thin now, he was in better spirits than when he was seriously ill. Although his face was still pale, it was not as gray as death. She also saw that he could now sit up and eat some millet porridge. Only then did Yun Qianmeng feel relieved!
In early September, summer slowly passed away, and what followed was the ceremony of the Emperor's enthronement of the imperial concubine on the ninth day of September!
In the past few months, Western Chu has been plagued by disasters. Now Emperor Yugan and the Queen Mother want to use this enthronement ceremony to pray for Western Chu!
But who would have thought that on the night of the first day of September, urgent news was sent from the border post eight hundred miles away, and it turned out that King Rui had been captured by the Crown Prince of Northern Qi!
Emperor Yugan was furious and summoned all the civil and military officials overnight to let them see the root of the evil hidden under this seemingly peaceful and prosperous era!
The urgent report stated that King Rui, due to disagreements with King Hai, led 30,000 soldiers alone to leave the Western Chu camp in the north. However, he was ambushed by Qi Jingyuan and others on the way. All 30,000 soldiers were wiped out, leaving only King Rui, who has now become a hostage of Northern Qi!
"Are you all speechless? Where are your eloquent words when you usually compete with each other? Why are you all acting like cowards now?" Emperor Yugan was furious, and the whole hall was shaking slightly because of his anger, not to mention those officials who only knew how to bully the weak and fear the strong!
But even though Emperor Yugan was so furious, those officials still just lowered their heads and dared not say a word!
After all, Prince Rui is the younger brother of Emperor Yugan. Although they are not born of the same mother, they are connected by blood after all!
Besides, Prince Rui is the prince of Western Chu. Being captured by Northern Qi this time is a disgrace to Western Chu. Moreover, the capital of Western Chu was previously in an uproar because of the prince of Northern Qi. If they stand up to negotiate peace at this time, Emperor Yugan will be furious. Not only will their heads be in danger, but even the lives of their entire families will be in danger!
But if he advocates war, King Rui is in the hands of the enemy. If something happens to King Rui, the people in the world will think that Emperor Yugan is cold-blooded and ruthless, and he doesn't even care about his own brother's life!
They were in a dilemma, so even if they were scolded by Emperor Yugan at this time, no one dared to speculate on the emperor's intentions without authorization, so as not to bring disaster upon themselves!
"Prime Minister Chu, you have led troops to fight in the past, tell me what you think!" Seeing that these officials kept silent with their heads down, Emperor Yugan's face was gloomy, but he also knew that these officials with fat brains and big intestines were all cunning people. Even if he was angry again and again at this moment, they could still hold back and keep silent!
In that case, don't blame him for asking about them one by one!
Chu Feiyang's face was calm and serious at the moment, completely different from his usual laziness. When he heard Emperor Yugan called his name first, his eyes flickered slightly, and the light in his eyes rippled slightly like water waves, as if he was hiding countless strategies, which made people envious!
"Your Majesty, victory and defeat are common in the military! However, instead of discussing here whether to save Prince Rui or attack Northern Qi, we might as well study why Northern Qi is so aggressive this time! Although Northern Qi has been eyeing Western Chu in the past, the two countries have been at peace! But in recent days, Northern Qi has repeatedly broken this balance, and it seems that it wants to put Western Chu to death! If we can find the root cause and attack its weaknesses, Northern Qi will surely let the prince go! I wonder if my analysis is correct!" Chu Feiyang spoke slowly. He did not say that he would fight, nor did he say that he would make peace. He did not accuse Prince Rui of ignoring military discipline and abandoning his post. Instead, he found a compromise method, which was to find the weaknesses of the opponent and attack it when the time comes. Northern Qi will surely lose its current advantage!
As soon as these words came out, all the officials nodded, and praised Chu Feiyang in their hearts!
However, whether they were praising Chu Feiyang for his ability or praising Chu Feiyang for rescuing them, I'm afraid only they themselves know the answer!
"What I just said is what I was thinking. I wonder if King Chen has any unique insights?" After saying that, Chu Feiyang turned his gaze slightly to King Chen standing opposite him. There was a hint of inquiry in his tone, which made people feel that he was very humble!
But when Jiang Muchen heard his words, a cold light flashed in his eyes. He then pondered for a moment before speaking, "According to what Prime Minister Chu said just now, don't the 30,000 generals we sacrificed in vain count as human lives?"
"Then may I ask Your Highness what trick do you have that can both save Prince Rui's life and avenge this blood feud?" Chu Feiyang's expression suddenly changed, and he quickly asked Prince Chen!
"Then, according to what Prime Minister Chu just said, we should investigate the other party's motives this time. How do we know if Qi Jingyuan has the patience to wait until we find out the truth? What if something happens to Prince Rui on the way? Not only will we delay military intelligence, but Prince Rui will also suffer. Who will bear this responsibility?" Jiang Muchen immediately retorted!
As soon as he said this, some ministers who had been silent just now and treated him as invisible people came forward to agree with him, which made Chu Feiyang glance at these people as if they were jumping clowns!
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
I'm very sorry, my mood today was affected by work and I couldn't calm down, so I can only update these for now. Please forgive me!