Apply medicine

Wei Qiao went to Bao Ren Tang, the most famous pharmacy in the city, which the innkeeper had mentioned.

Unexpectedly, the manager of Baorentang was a woman in her early fifties. When it was Wei Qiao's turn to see her, he hesitated to speak. The woman had seen many patients, and seeing that Wei Qiao was so healthy for his age, she guessed that the only reason he had come to her was for that matter. After all, she was the most skilled urologist in the entire Xijin City.

Is it an erectile dysfunction or simply insufficient time?

Upon hearing her question, A-Gui, who was following behind Wei Qiao, burst out laughing. Wei Qiao turned and glared at A-Gui, then gestured for him to leave. Only then did A-Gui suppress his laughter and walk out of the consultation room.

"Alright, now it's just the two of us. You can speak now," the woman said.

"It wasn't me, it was my wife, she..."

After listening to Wei Qiao's words, the woman turned and went into the inner room of the pharmacy. A short while later, she handed Wei Qiao a small white porcelain box.

"Apply it three times a day, and it should be fine in a few days."

Wei Qiao put the porcelain box into his sleeve pocket, intending to get up and quickly pay and leave. The woman stopped him, saying, "Your wife has delicate skin; you'd better be careful in the future."

Wei Qiao left Bao Ren Tang with his ears red, and A Gui secretly suppressed a laugh behind him, remembering what had just happened.

Back at the inn, Wei Qiao went into the room, closed the door, carried her to the bed, washed his hands, and then applied the medicine to her.

"I'll do it myself." Xichun always felt a little embarrassed about that spot.

He gently brushed her hand away. "I'll do it."

That night, Wei Qiao, thinking of her injuries, simply held her in his arms as they slept, inhaling the fragrance of her hair, and slept soundly through the night. Xi Chun, leaning against his arm, thought of the letter she had sent, and the harm she had caused Brother Miao and Aunt Feng, and couldn't fall asleep for a long time, only feeling slightly sleepy around midnight.

Meanwhile, in Lantai County, Wei Qiao's men had delivered the letter and silver notes to Granny Feng by midday. Miao Wendao, however, didn't wake up until after nightfall. After hearing Granny Feng recount the events of the previous day and reading Xichun's handwritten letter, he disregarded his aches and pains and got up to get dressed and go find Xichun.

"I don't believe Xichun would go back on her word. I'm going to find her!" Miao Wendao cried out in anguish.

Aunt Feng guessed that Xi Chun had her reasons, but she still remembered what the messenger who delivered the letter said to her today: "If you want to save Miao Wendao's life, tell him not to bother Jiang Xi Chun anymore."

Xichun is a good person, but she dares not gamble with Suqing's life. Yusheng is gone, and Suqing is her only child left; Suqing absolutely cannot be harmed.

Aunt Feng hugged Miao Wendao, who was about to go out to look for someone with his sword, and cried, "Suqing, I beg you, just let Xichun go with that person. Don't go looking for her anymore."

“Mother, you know Xichun isn’t that kind of person. If she really wanted to leave, she would have come to me herself to explain. I was drugged, and she left before the wedding—these are all evidence that she was kidnapped. Mother, I can’t abandon her. I promised to take care of her for the rest of my life.” Miao Wendao knelt before Aunt Feng, begging her to let him go.

Suddenly, Aunt Feng drew the sword from Miao Wendao's hand and held it to her own neck, saying sternly, "Suqing, if you want to go find Xichun, kill your mother first."

"Mother, why are you doing this!" Miao Wendao snatched the sword from Aunt Feng's hand and threw it to the ground. Then he looked up at the towering roof beams and cried bitterly.

Why were Xichun and he ultimately destined to be apart?

The next morning, Wei Qiao applied the ointment to Xi Chun again. After breakfast, he ordered his men to pack their luggage.

"Xichun, let's return to the capital today."

Xi Chun didn't say anything, but helped A Gui and the others pack. After lunch, the group set off on their journey back to the capital.

Wei Qiao's carriage was spacious and comfortable, and fearing that Xi Chun might feel uncomfortable from the bumpy ride, he had several layers of cushions laid out on the seat. Wei Qiao read a book in the carriage, while Xi Chun leaned against the window, gazing at the scenery outside. Spring had come again, the grass was growing and the birds were singing, everywhere was full of springtime beauty. Facing the vibrant world outside, she felt a certain part of her heart wither.

Wei Qiao insisted on keeping her by his side, but he didn't love her that much. He still wanted to marry the eldest daughter of the Ming family, and she could only be a concubine at most. She didn't want to be a concubine, not even Wei Qiao, but now she had no choice.

Seeing Xi Chun gazing out the window, looking rather forlorn, Wei Qiao put down his book and stepped forward to embrace her waist.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" he asked gently.

"Should we go back to the Wei residence?" Xichun turned to look at him and asked.

Wei Qiao reached out and stroked her face, his eyes smiling. "Of course, you'll be wherever I am. If you don't want to stay at Shiliu Courtyard when we go back, I can have someone change your courtyard."

"No need, Shiliuyuan is fine."

"Okay, then we won't change it." Wei Qiao rested his head on her shoulder and looked out the window at the spring scenery.

"Xichun, I will treat you well. After Chuqing and I get married in September, I will make you my concubine. We will have two children, a son and a daughter. The son will look like me, and the daughter will look like you. We will accompany the children as they grow up, and then grow old together. What do you say?"

Hearing his words, tears welled up in Xichun's eyes. She swallowed hard to stop herself from crying. Gazing into the distance at the verdant mountains surrounded by white clouds, she finally spoke after a long while, "And what about Miss Ming? Are you going to grow old with her too?"

Wei Qiao kissed her cheek and smiled, "She is the wife bestowed upon me by the emperor, so of course I want to grow old with her. Don't worry, Chu Qing is from a respectable family, and she will definitely treat you well after she enters the household."

Xi Chun turned his head away and wiped away a tear that had slid down the corner of his eye with his finger. Then he nodded and said nothing more. His thoughts remained unchanged: the eldest daughter of the Ming family was the wife he desired, while she was at most a concubine.

The carriage traveled during the day and rested at inns or post stations at night. When they were still three days away from the capital, they stayed at an inn in Yiyang City.

Night rain fell outside the window, and spring thunder rumbled across the earth. Wei Qiao, confirming her wound had healed, then pressed himself against her again. Having recently lost his virginity and been abstaining for several days, he longed for her touch. Afraid of hurting her again, he patiently comforted her from the beginning, teasing her with words that made Xi Chun blush.

He got the taste and became more and more energetic. Xichun couldn't take it anymore and begged for mercy repeatedly.

"Wei Qiao, shall we stop here? We still have a long journey ahead tomorrow."

Hearing the sob in her voice, he kissed her lips. "No rush, we'll rest in Yiyang City for a day tomorrow." Then he leaned closer and said, "Xichun, let's do it one last time."

Wei Qiao's words in bed were meaningless, and he tossed and turned until the wee hours before finally letting Xi Chun go. He ordered water for them to bathe, but she was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open, so he had to hold her and wash her. Smelling Xi Chun's sweet fragrance, Wei Qiao held her in his arms and watched her rest her head on his arm before finally falling asleep contentedly.

The next morning, Xichun woke up in Wei Qiao's arms. He was still fast asleep, lying on his side facing her. Xichun was thirsty and carefully pushed his arm away. She tried to turn over, but he grabbed her wrist.

Wei Qiao's voice was low and husky, "Where are you going?"

"I'm drinking water."

Wei Qiao lifted the bed curtains to watch Xi Chun's movements. At this moment, her hair was not yet styled, her black hair cascading down like a waterfall, with a few long strands falling in front of her chest. She reached out and brushed away the strands of hair that were covering her face, revealing a section of her jade-colored arm. She did not look at him, yet every move she made stirred his heart.

For over a decade, he had never been one to stay in bed too long. His father had set a specific time for him to get up each day when he was young, and he had always followed this rule without fail. But now, sharing a bed with her, he found himself feeling lazy several times, sometimes even wanting to stay close to her even after waking up.

When Xi Chun changed her clothes, she realized that she wasn't wearing the nightgown she had worn the night before, and she didn't feel sticky at all. She figured Wei Qiao must have changed her clothes for her. Thinking of this, a blush crept onto her face, and she avoided Wei Qiao's gaze throughout the meal.

After breakfast, Wei Qiao took her hand and said, "Today, I'll take you to see the world's tallest building, Jin Yun Lou."

Jin Yun Tower is located at the eastern foot of Green Screen Mountain within Yiyang City, with the shimmering waters of Emerald Lake stretching for dozens of miles at its base. Jin Yun Tower is twelve stories high, offering a panoramic view of the entire city from its highest point. Funded by the wealthiest merchant of the previous dynasty and constructed by renowned master builders from Jiangnan, the tower uses only the finest materials, and is adorned with exquisite carvings and murals throughout.

Although it has been a century, this building is famous throughout the world. Literati and poets from all over the country come here to admire the scenery and leave behind many popular poems. The local government specially sent people to maintain and repair it, so the building is still well preserved and can still see the splendor of its original construction.

Xi Chun and Wei Qiao climbed the twelfth floor hand in hand. There were no other tourists on the upper floors, and the two of them had this private space to themselves. Standing by the railing, Xi Chun looked at the surrounding scenery and felt a sense of vastness and immensity. Her depressed mood was temporarily relieved.

Seeing the relaxed smile on her face, Wei Qiao asked, "How is it? Are you satisfied with the scenery here?"

Xi Chun nodded. "This is the first time in my life that I've stood on such a high building and seen the scenery. The flowing clouds, green mountains, clear waters, and human habitation—all the beautiful scenery of the world is within my view. It truly deserves to be called the No. 1 Building in the World."

“I think you’ve missed mentioning one beautiful scene,” Wei Qiao said with a smile, glancing at her face.

Xi Chun looked around and asked him, "What's missing?"

Wei Qiao walked up to her, took her hand, and said earnestly, "I'm missing this beauty in front of me."

Upon hearing this, Xichun chuckled, pulled her hand away from his, and walked to the other side of the building to look at the distant scenery.

The two spent nearly an hour browsing upstairs. After coming downstairs, it was almost noon, so they had a casual lunch at a restaurant in the city. After lunch, Wei Qiao took Xi Chun out for a walk to digest. When they passed a jewelry shop, Wei Qiao took Xi Chun inside with great interest to browse around.

"What would you two gentlemen like to see? The silver jewelry we sell is the best crafted in the entire city of Yiyang. Sir, why don't you choose a few pieces for your wife?" the shopkeeper, dressed in a dark red outer robe with a longevity character pattern, said enthusiastically.

Xi Chun had no shortage of jewelry; she hadn't even had a chance to wear all the various pieces that Wei Qiao had prepared for her. She turned her head and whispered to Wei Qiao, "I don't want anything. Let's go look around somewhere else."

Wei Qiao immediately spotted the silver lotus-patterned bracelet in the counter. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and the two twin lotus flowers on the bracelet were lifelike.

Seeing Wei Qiao's gaze fixed on the bracelet, the shopkeeper quickly took it out from the counter and handed it to him. "Sir, take a look. I'm not bragging, but the craftsmanship is just as good as that of the Qiongyu Pavilion in the capital."

Wei Qiao nodded to him, picked up the silver bracelet, turned around and put it on Xi Chun's right hand, "Your bracelet looks rather lonely, let's make them a pair."

After spending another night at the inn, they set off for the capital the next morning.

As the carriage drove into the south gate, Xichun sighed inwardly. She had thought it was a farewell last time, but she never expected to return here after only a few months.