21. Visiting the Sick

◎If I don’t trust you, who else can I trust◎

Chapter 21

It was a cold and damp winter night in Shengjing, and the door of Guihong Hall was not locked.

Ji Ci asked the coachman to get on the carriage, and he went forward with the food box in hand, and gently pushed open the door. As expected, the hall was empty, without any candles, and it was very dark.

Only a flicker of fire was lit in the kitchen.

He walked around the small table in the hall and came to the kitchen, where he found Jiang Qiuye cooking. She seemed startled when she heard his movement and turned to look at him.

The young widow's cheeks were a little red. She didn't wear her hair in a bun today. She just tied her long hair lightly with a hairband and wore a thin nightgown.

"Your Majesty?"

Ji Ci put the food box in his hand down on the kitchen stove and said in a firm voice: "I have something important to do after dinner today. I will pass by here by the way. I will bring the food box and soup bowl with me."

Jiang Qiuye really didn't expect Ji Ci to come, and was a little flattered. She said, "Then... then thank you very much, Your Highness. It's just a food box and soup bowl. Xiaopang can pick it up next time he delivers the meal."

"Oh." Ji Ci choked a little. His normally efficient brain seemed to stagnate at this moment. "Then, then I'll take my leave."

Are you really here to deliver a lunch box?

His Royal Highness Prince Qi came down to deliver a mere food box?

Since he was here, Jiang Qiuye naturally didn't want him to leave.

She pursed her lips, her breathing a little unsteady, and said in a delicate voice, "Your Highness, I've had a cold and a fever lately, and Jinhong has been away for a few days due to family matters. I've had no choice but to drag my sick body to take care of myself. It's so hard."

"In that case, you should just lie down and rest. Why bother cooking for yourself?"

"But even if I'm sick, I can't let the prince starve. Besides, there's no one to look after me, so I can only make some medicinal food to make myself feel better quickly."

Ji Ci's heart softened. This young widow was worried about whether he was hungry and not eating well even though she was sick.

He looked down at the stove, picked up a honeysuckle at random, and asked doubtfully, "Since you have caught a cold, you should take cold-relieving medicine. Why do I remember that honeysuckle is used to reduce dryness?"

Jiang Qiuye was startled, and felt a little scared when she saw the honeysuckle in Ji Ci's hand, but in the blink of an eye, she regained her composure, stepped forward and took the honeysuckle away, her eyes moist.

"Your Highness, I'm sick and feeling unwell. What are you looking at with this honeysuckle?"

Ji Ci came back to his senses and was surprised to find that Jiang Qiuye directly took his hand and placed it on her forehead. Although it was not the first time for them to have physical contact, his palms were still slightly sweaty and the skin under his hands was burning hot.

Jiang Qiuye felt the cool palm on her forehead and felt a little tired. After a moment, she let go of his hand.

This time, Ji Ci no longer thought about the honeysuckle that could reduce dryness. He put down his hand, but still felt his palms burning.

"I didn't expect the fever to be so severe. Have you seen a doctor? How can I help you?"

Jiang Qiuye was surprised by Ji Ci's attitude. She didn't know why, after the Queen's chrysanthemum viewing banquet, this cold and wooden man suddenly gave people a different feeling.

"A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen, and I've almost finished everything. Your Highness, could you please go to the second-floor bedroom and wait for a moment? I have something to say to you."

Seeing this, Ji Ci nodded and left the kitchen and went upstairs.

There were not many rooms on the second floor, and the maid Jinhong's room was locked. Xiaopang walked out of his room and bowed to Ji Ci nervously, then hid back and never dared to come out again.

The only room left was Jiang Qiuye's.

This was his first time in Jiang Qiuye's dormitory. He pinched his fingers under his sleeves, and for some reason, he felt a little flustered.

When I opened the door, the fragrance of the young widow wafted in. The room was simply and neatly decorated. There was a painting hanging on the wall, which was a painting of the young widow herself.

The only inscription I saw was "A Lady and Her Returning Wild Geese in Autumn".

The painting is so exquisite that it resembles the young widow.

Why did he only say it was very similar? Ji Ci couldn't explain it. He felt as if the person in the painting was both her and not her.

But the reason is unclear.

The bedding on the bed had a faint smell of soapberry, as if it had been washed many times.

There are many books on the bookshelf in the room, but there are only two types of books, one is medical classics, and the other is storybooks.

She really loves reading storybooks, no wonder there are so many plays.

Jiang Qiuye didn't dare to let Ji Ci wait any longer, so she quickly took the heat-relieving medicinal food she had just prepared, and went upstairs without cleaning up the remaining pots and pans. But she was really feeling unwell now, and after walking a few steps, she broke out in sweat on her forehead. When she arrived at the dormitory, she really couldn't hold on any longer, so she sat down on the bed without caring about the guests.

After a pause, he said, "Excuse me, Your Majesty."

Ji Ci looked at her listless appearance and didn't say much.

"It's okay, just lie down."

He pulled a chair over and sat down beside the bed. He looked at Jiang Qiuye intently and said, "What is it that you want to tell me?"

Jiang Qiuye bit her lip and thought for a moment before finally speaking, "Ever since what happened at the chrysanthemum viewing banquet in the palace that day, the Duke's Mansion and I have been at loggerheads. I never imagined that my second sister would team up with Huo Heng to harm me to this extent."

Huo Heng was extremely bold and had done such things many times. No wonder he was so bold as to do such obscene things in the palace.

Suddenly wanting to comfort the young widow, Ji Ci's expression remained indifferent. He said, "Don't worry. The Huo family has done a lot of illegal things over the years. In fact, before that palace banquet, I had already investigated and obtained a lot of evidence. I have submitted it to the Dali Temple today, and a civil servant will impeach Mr. Huo at tomorrow's morning court."

"So, the Huo family will soon..." Jiang Qiuye immediately looked up, his eyes full of pity, "Thank you so much, Your Highness."

"Yeah." Ji Ci nodded and accepted her thanks.

Jiang Qiuye tugged at the corner of the quilt, rubbing it in his hands, and continued, "I've been lonely and helpless since I was a child. With that father, it's like having no father at all. Now I'm in Shengjing, and I thought I'd be protected by the Zhang family, but this disaster happened. Now I don't even dare to hope for the Duke of Anguo's Mansion. Your Majesty, you once said that three people were following me. Do you remember?"

Ji Ci nodded, "Yeah."

"Your Majesty, those three are actually my father's men."

He frowned. He had guessed about this possibility before, but even a tiger won't eat its own cubs, so he never dared to believe this guess.

Seeing this, Jiang Qiuye continued, "My father despised me for bringing disgrace to the Anguo Mansion and causing him to be impeached. He was furious and sent people to monitor me. It wasn't until my last conversation with my second sister that I learned that my cruel father originally wanted to kill me. But his family is too timid and not up to doing evil. Seeing that there was no opportunity to do it, he sent those three people away."

As she spoke, tears welled up in Jiang Qiuye's eyes. "I'm a weak woman here, helpless and worried that one day I'll be harmed by my father or the real culprit of the Zhang family tragedy. Woo woo."

Ji Ci couldn't find any cold words to say to Jiang Qiuye like this, so he just comforted her: "Don't worry..."

Jiang Qiuye interrupted, saying, "Your Highness, last time I said I wanted to enter the palace and become your personal herbalist, it was because I had money and reputation. But now I want to ask Your Highness again, would you be willing to let me enter the palace? I don't dare to ask for money or reputation anymore, I just want a place of shelter."

Ji Ci was stunned, lowering his eyes and thinking silently. Jiang Qiuye did not urge him, but just looked at him.

The cold wind whistled outside the window, and the clepsydra ticked inside the room, indicating the hour of the dog. Other than that, everything else was perfectly quiet.

Finally, Ji Ci said, "Don't mention this matter again. I promise to protect your life and safety."

Jiang Qiuye lowered her eyes and bit her lip, "But, Your Majesty..."

"There's no need to talk about this anymore."

She sighed slightly. It seemed that Ji Ci still didn't trust her enough.

"Your Majesty, can you really... protect me?"

Ji Ci looked at her face full of fear and worry, and his heart softened. He reached out and helped Jiang Qiuye pull the quilt, saying, "Of course, can you trust me?"

She hung her head, unwilling to look at him, and said in a weak voice, "I believe it, of course I do. If I don't believe you, who else can I believe?"

Seeing Jiang Qiuye so lost, Ji Ci felt a little uneasy and embarrassed. He turned his head and tried to find a topic to break the silence: "Why did you name this shop Guihong?"

Jiang Qiuye didn't dare to push too hard. The moon will wane when it is full, and the water will overflow when it is full.

She raised her head and said softly, "Although I have been able to read and write since I was young, Your Highness knows that I have not learned much. When I was young, when I was reading poetry and books, I could not remember anything else, but I only remembered one sentence."

"I can't even write a single word. But I've forgotten the second half of the poem, even though I clearly love it."

Ji Ci smiled slightly and said, "Autumn is best known when leaves fall from branches."

Jiang Qiuye was startled and couldn't help laughing. "Your Highness, now that you've mentioned this, I finally remembered. It's such a good poem."

The startled returning wild geese cannot form a word, and the falling leaves from the branches are the best sign of autumn.

Now that she heard the second half of the sentence, she couldn't help but ask, is this what fate means?

"What a pity, it's winter now."

Ji Ci stayed in Guihong Hall until the hour of Hai before leaving.

In the second half of the night, Jiang Qiuye kept thinking about how to enter the palace, and finally came up with an idea.

Ji Ci, such a righteous and pure person in his heart.

But she could only take advantage of the justice and purity in his heart.

…

Qiu Ying's birthday was at the end of the month, so she quietly returned to the Anguo Mansion the next day and invited Qiu Ying to hang out with her.

Duke Anguo looked uncomfortable when he saw Jiang Qiuye again, and he only ate a few quick bites before leaving. Qiu Ying and Concubine Qian naturally had no idea what had happened between Duke Anguo and Jiang Qiuye.

After the meal was over, when Qiu Ying was left walking alone in the courtyard, Jiang Qiuye said, "Sister, you've long since gotten over what happened at the last chrysanthemum viewing banquet in the Queen's palace."

"Is that so?" These words hit home.

Since that day, Qiu Ying has been hiding at home. Although the murder was unknown, the person who had committed adultery with Huo Heng was her maid, and she felt completely humiliated.

She was always unsure whether Jiang Qiuye had noticed that she had drugged her.

Later, it was only heard that it was the maid Jinhong who saved her.

"Second sister is also a kind-hearted person, it's just a pity..." Jiang Qiuye's eyes turned, "Second sister, do you still want to marry Huo Heng now? This man has committed adultery with a maid before marrying second sister."

Qiu Ying was filled with anger over this matter. "Since that day, my cousin swore he would never have anything to do with other women again. That day, that slut seduced him."

After she said this, she saw Jiang Qiuye looking at her strangely, and she couldn't help but feel panicked. It was hard to say how she felt at the moment.

Jiang Qiuye spat at Huo Heng in her heart and thought that her sister was really stupid.

She was probably already deeply in love, and now that Huo Heng was begging her not to cancel the engagement, she used this lame excuse to convince herself in her heart.

Never mind, everyone has their own business.

She couldn't care less about so many things. The most important thing now was to enter the palace and get the antidote.