Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Breaking the Love
Lingmei, holding Zhang's red lacquer tablet in her hands, rushed into the village crying with her two burly brothers, dressed in mourning.
Chu Xian stood up calmly.
"Lin Shu, return my mother's life to me!" Lingmei's second brother Linglong shouted ferociously.
"What does your mother's life have to do with me? Why should I pay with my own life?"
Chu Xian was so angry that she couldn't stop caring about Lingmei's troubles.
"You stupid girl, if you hadn't instigated Lingmei to quarrel with my mother, my mother wouldn't have been so upset that she drowned herself." Lingmei's elder brother Linghu came over angrily, swinging a meter-long iron axe.
Before Sui Qing could step forward, Chi Zheng had already stood in front of her and kicked Ling Hu away.
"Aimi! You think so too?"
Chu Xian poked her head out from behind Chi Zheng, staring at Ling Mei with a half-smile, but her eyes flickered.
"Lin Shu, I was forced into this. I'm sorry, but my mother did end up drowning herself after an argument with you."
"I know it's my mother's fault, but they won't listen to me. I'm not here to embarrass you. Don't blame me, I have no choice."
Lingmei covered her face and sobbed, slowly retreating behind her second sister-in-law who was clamoring for compensation.
"Oh, no need to say more. I'm putting this out there today. After this autumn harvest, the lease on the thirteen acres of fertile land rented to your family will not be renewed. You and your entire family, including Lingmei's husband's family, must move out of the shed provided by the farm before the Lantern Festival."
"Lin Shu, this is a private matter between you and me. What does it have to do with renting the land? Besides, the matter of renting the land still needs to be decided by the manager of the manor. When will it be your turn to have the final say?"
Lingmei became anxious and stuffed the spirit tablet into the hands of her second sister-in-law who was holding a sickle.
The rent for the land in the farm where Lin Shu lived was the most reasonable in the area.
Although the rent is similar to that of the nearby manors, the small favors given can be accumulated to a level that no other manor can match.
Tenant farmers who rented land from her farm could not only buy high-quality seedlings on credit, but also borrow oxen and farming tools for free during busy farming seasons.
Every year the owner would send people to observe the growth of crops in the fields, and even help control aphids, flies, and root grubs on the vegetables and fruits. As a result, the tenant farmers on the farm almost had a good harvest every year.
The price of recycled grain is also fair.
If any tenant farmer could rent the land on Lin Shu's farm, he would set off two firecrackers and then have a feast with joy.
Therefore, no fool would be willing to give up the land on Lin Shu's farm.
She wished that her descendants could cultivate this land so that they could save money and not have to worry about not being able to afford meat during festivals.
"Manager Chi, what do you think?" Chu Xian smiled and looked at Chi Zheng.
Yinzhen said coldly: "No, they must leave before the first day of the twelfth lunar month."
"Anyone who comes to cause trouble today will be asked to leave."
"Ah! Manager Chi, we are just passing by. We will leave now." The peasant woman who was blocking the door was frightened and ran away in all directions.
"Manager Chi, I was wrong, I was really wrong. It was my elder and second brothers who started the trouble. It had nothing to do with me. I came here to mediate. Woo woo woo..."
"Please, this is my mother's family's business, and it has nothing to do with my in-laws!"
Lingmei prostrated herself on the ground and begged pitifully.
"It has nothing to do with it? Your man's hoe is about to hit my face!" Sui Qing said lightly.
"Lingmei, let's go back. You should kowtow to the steward Chi and Lin Shu and admit your mistake. Let's go back quickly, hey..."
Lingmei's man was so scared that he held Lingmei's neck and forced her to kowtow and admit her mistake.
Chu Xian sneered: "Master Chi, I am just a servant, how dare I be your master, Lin Shu, please step aside first."
It was really a case of repaying kindness with resentment. Chu Xian ignored Ling Mei who was pretending to be pitiful and turned away immediately.
At this moment, Sui Qing screamed from behind. Chu Xian turned around in confusion and was caught off guard and bumped into Chi Zheng's arms.
"Girl..." Sui Qing said subconsciously and quickly pursed her lips.
"Master!" Su Sheng cried out in horror.
In that split second, no one paid attention to what the two were saying.
Su Peisheng and Sui Qing rushed forward with fear in their eyes, stood in front of their master, and started to wrestle with Ling's family.
Several times, Su Peisheng almost couldn't help but signal the hidden guards to execute these troublemakers on the spot.
"Chi Zheng!" Chu Xian raised her head from Chi Zheng's arms and saw blood oozing from the corner of his lips. She was instantly scared to death.
"It's okay." Yinzhen suppressed a groan, but finally the pain became unbearable and he fell straight towards her.
"Chi Zheng!" Chu Xian's eyes were bloodshot and she hugged Chi Zheng tightly.
Sui Qing rushed behind Chi Zheng, and together with Su Sheng, they helped the unconscious Chi Zheng back to the west wing.
Su Peisheng was worried that Lin Shu couldn't handle it, so after settling the Fourth Master down, he immediately covered his mouth to suppress his nausea as he walked out of the west wing.
But Xianrong, who had returned at some point, was kicking the bloody heads of Ling's family members into the corner of the wall.
Suddenly, he looked into Ayami's bloody eyes, which were open to death.
Her bloodshot eyes were still subconsciously opening and closing, blinking at him.
At the corner, Lin Shu was covered in blood, hitting her head with a hammer like a madman.
Bang, bang, bang, the dull sound of hammers kept coming down, and the bloody heads were flattened and stuck to the ground like pancakes, unable to be picked off.
His stomach was ripped open, his internal organs splattered all over the floor.
Xianrong took the broom and scraped the bloody ground again and again.
There are people in this world who use cruel killing to appease their emotions.
At this moment, Lin Shu was like a wandering soul, dragging Ling Jia Dalang, whose limbs had been chopped off, into the cowshed.
Wherever it passed, a winding river of blood flowed out.
Seeing how Xianrong handled the aftermath skillfully, it was obvious that she was used to it and did this often.
"Lin Shu..." Su Peisheng just shouted out, but someone covered his mouth from behind.
Lin Shu slowly turned her face, her lips were a vibrant red, as red as a pool of blood, as if she had just eaten someone.
"Don't shout, Lin Shu can't hear you. If she can't hear you, you will die too if you call her over." Sui Qing's hands were shaking.
"Hey, what's going on? Why is Lin Shu so sick?"
Su Peisheng was frightened. Even if such a woman was a fairy from heaven, she must never serve the Fourth Master.
Who knows if she will suddenly go crazy and assassinate the Fourth Master in the middle of the night.
"It's okay. Lin Shu only has a few attacks a year. She hasn't had one in almost three years. Just let her wake up on her own. She'll be fine if she wakes up on her own."
"Ah? Doesn't she know she's killing people?"
Sui Qing put down her hand, her eyes showing worry: "She has a vague impression, but can't remember the details. She can't control her body. She only remembers that she killed someone, but can't remember the process."
"After she wakes up, don't say anything too detailed to her."
"This, this, this... Could she be suffering from soul-leaving syndrome? Was she bewitched? Or was she cast under a spell of yin and yang?"
"I don't know." Sui Qing shook her head. No one knew why the girl had this strange disease.
The Fourth Prince's fate is really incompatible with that of the girl.
Not long after the girl got engaged to the Fourth Prince, she accidentally fell into the water. After waking up, she seemed to have been reborn and had contracted this strange disease.
I thought this strange disease had not occurred for several years and had been cured, but I didn't expect it to occur twice in a few months.
How can I cancel the marriage with the royal family just like that? Now that the wedding is imminent, I have no choice but to force it. If I refuse the marriage, it will be a capital crime of disrespecting the emperor's grace and openly defying his order.
The master has been exhausted over the years because of the girl's hidden illness. The girl's brother, the fourth master, was transferred to Jiangnan on the surface, but in fact he had been secretly looking for medical treatment in Jiangnan for many years, but to no avail.
"This, this, this..." Su Peisheng was speechless.
"Does the young lady from the main family know that Lin Shu has a hidden illness?"
Su Peisheng always felt something was wrong.
How could a domineering and arrogant person like Nara allow her slaves to have insanity?
Sui Qing clutched the edge of her sleeves and lied to cover it up: "I know, that's why Lin Shu didn't serve the young lady closely. But the young lady can't do without her. The young lady's business still needs Lin Shu to steer it."
"That's right. Although Lin Shu has a hidden illness, it doesn't affect her ability to manage things for the young lady and make a lot of money." Su Peisheng sighed.
However, if Nara finds someone to replace Lin Shu in the future, given Nara's cruelty, Lin Shu will definitely not have a good ending.
"Anyway, don't tell Lin Shu too much about it."
After Sui Qing gave Su Sheng many instructions, she dared not hide it anymore.
He immediately hid in the kitchen and secretly wrote a letter to report the girl's illness to the master and the fourth young master.
...
A sharp pain came from my back, and I could hear the hushed conversation between Su Peisheng and Sui Qing.
However, he did not sense Lin Shu's breath, and Yinzhen suddenly opened his eyes.
"Chi Zheng, you're finally awake." Sui Qing's eyes were red, and she murmured, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
"Where is Lin Shu...?" As soon as he sat up straight, the injury on his back was immediately affected. Yinzhen frowned, endured the severe pain, and slowly sat up.
"She...she's not feeling well. She's sick...she's in the cowshed. She's not feeling well. It's terrible." Sui Qing glanced towards the cowshed from time to time.
"Why leave her alone!" Yinzhen stood up anxiously.
"Xianrong happened to return today. She is accompanying Lin Shu in the cowshed. Since you are okay, I need to go and look after Lin Shu."
After Sui Qing finished speaking, he held the acupuncture box in his arms and walked away quickly with a worried look on his face.
After Sui Qing walked away, Su Peisheng hurried to the side of the Fourth Master and knelt on the ground to help him put on his shoes.
"Master, Lin Shu...she's gone crazy again. The Ling family members who attacked her were...were...hacked to death by Lin Shu."
"Master, I dare to say that if Lin Shu's madness cannot be cured, you must not keep such a dangerous person by your side. When she goes crazy, she will really kill people, and her killing methods are too cruel and morbid..."
Su Peisheng's calves were trembling. He was used to storms and had taken many lives.
But I have never seen anyone kill people as cruelly as Lin Shu.
"Have Ye Tianshi come secretly to treat her and cure her at all costs. Everyone in the Ling family, deal with them cleanly."
Yinzhen walked slowly towards the cowshed.
When he met Xianrong, who was covered in blood, Xianrong handed the unconscious girl in her arms to Suiqing who came rushing over.
Wiping the blood off her face, Xianrong silently took a broom and bucket to deal with the crime scene.
Su Peisheng came trotting over. The ground was covered in blood and there was no place to step. He fetched water to wash the ground with a sad face.
Yinzhen followed Suiqing all the way back to the east wing and stood outside the door.
Only after Sui Qing helped the unconscious Lin Shu bathe and change her clothes did he turn around and go behind the curtain to accompany her.
"Chi Zheng, when Lin Shu wakes up, you and Su Sheng should stop talking nonsense. If Lin Shu has any questions, just tell her that Xianrong and I are the ones who can no longer tolerate it."
"At most, we can reveal that she also took action, but there's no need to elaborate on the murder and dismemberment process."
"Okay." Yinzhen's eyes were always on Lin Shu's pale cheek.
She had a hidden illness, but Nara, who was so mean, could tolerate her and treat her as her confidante. Lin Shu must have lived a harder life than others in order to gain Nara's recognition.
Yinzhen held her cold hand tightly with heartache and sat by the bed to accompany her.
Just after noon, Su Peisheng took advantage of Sui Qing and Xian Rong going to the back mountain to look for herbs, and brought Shen Ye Tianshi, who was disguised as a wandering doctor, to see the patient.
A pale wrist appeared from behind the curtain, and the slender hand wearing a deer antler ring gently lifted the woman's hand.
Ye Tianshi didn't know who was behind the curtain, so he just followed the usual pulse diagnosis procedure.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the patient's pulse, he suddenly heard the Fourth Prince's deep voice: "Diagnose the pulse with a hanging thread."
Ye Tianshi stood there in a daze, rolled up his sleeves, and wrapped the silk thread around the woman's wrist through his sleeves.
At first he thought it was an ordinary illness, but after taking his pulse, he was immediately shocked and stood up suddenly.
"Master, will you allow me to take her heart's blood?"
"Yes." Yinzhen pinched her fingertips, and the blood from her fingertips went straight to her heart.
Ye Tianshi tightened the silver needle and shook his head, saying, "Master, her condition is special. We cannot take blood from the heart through the fingertips. We need to draw blood from close to the heart, the closer to the heart the better."
"Blood needs to be drawn from the second to sixth costal cartilage, slightly to the left, between the two lungs."
Doctors see no difference between men and women, but that only applies to ordinary people. Ye Tianshi curled up beside the low couch and did not dare to lift the curtain.
Behind the curtain, Yinzhen was silent for a moment, then held out his hand: "Give me the silver needle. How much blood do I need?"
A silver spoon the size of a fingernail was passed in from the gap in the curtain: "Just take half a spoonful."
Yinzhen took the silver spoon and watched Shu'er undress without blinking.
There was a rustling sound of undressing from behind the curtain, and then it suddenly became quiet.
Su Peisheng was puzzled, then his eyes lit up: "Master, untie the belt around your neck first, then the one behind your waist. Remember not to tie it tightly, or you won't be able to tie it back up."
There was still silence behind the curtain.
"There is no thin belt around the neck..." Yinzhen frowned and moved his eyes away from the strange undergarment wrapped around her body.
"The two thin straps on the shoulders are sewn shut and there's no way to undo them."
"Huh?" Su Peisheng scratched his head. The bellybands women wear come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and they can usually be taken off by untying the thin straps around the neck and waist.
I don’t know what style Lin Shu’s bellyband is.
There was a slight sound of tearing silk, and Su Peisheng was dumbfounded. Well, there was no need to figure out how to untie the bellyband.
Behind the curtain, Yinzhen never expected that when his underwear was torn open, his plump body would be freed from restraints and become so soft that it was about to burst out.
He slowly closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, tightening the silver needle. His breathing became more and more disordered. In desperation, he opened his eyes and quickly used the silver needle to draw blood.
His fingertips inevitably touched something soft, and his breath was caught. He struggled to move his eyes away from the cinnabar-red mole under her left rib.
The cinnabar mole was so beautiful that it made him intoxicated. Before he even touched it, his breathing became more rapid.
He curled up his fingertips in panic and forced himself to close his eyes to avoid it.
"Master, it will take me two days to examine her heart blood."
"Can."
Yinzhen took out her bellyband from the bedside cabinet, picked up the goose yellow bellyband at random, looked at it for a moment, and finally found the clue.
Shu'er's bellyband is connected to the back with two rows of silver buckles. The bellyband can be taken off by unfastening the silver buckles. It is very clever.
After carefully dressing her, Yinzhen lifted a corner of the curtain.
Seeing Lin Shu's eyelids twitching, Ye Tianshi and his guards all hid.
Su Peisheng was quick-witted and quick-handed. He picked up the silver-red bellyband that was torn by the Fourth Master. In a hurry, he didn't know where to hide it. Just as he was about to stuff it into his sleeve, the Fourth Master raised his hand and snatched it away and hid it in his sleeve.
The Fourth Master had a gloomy face, and Su Peisheng was busy flattering him and lightly slapping himself in the face.
It was really a panic that caused chaos. That was Lin Shu's personal belongings, how could he have the right to hide it on his body.
"Sui Qing...I'm so hungry." Chu Xian woke up slowly.
"Su Sheng, get the food."
"Chi Zheng, are you okay?" Hearing Chi Zheng's hoarse and weak voice, Chu Xian grabbed his wrist anxiously.
"I'm fine, don't worry."
Yinzhen raised his hand affectionately and was about to hug her tightly when a silver-red corner of her clothes slipped out from her sleeve.
He calmly took the torn bellyband out of his sleeve, his eyes full of innocent apology: "Shu'er, I was feeding you water just now and accidentally spilled it on your clothes. Suiqing and Xianrong are not here, I'm sorry..."
Chu Xian pulled out the torn bellyband in surprise, crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the bamboo basket where dirty clothes were kept.
When I raised my eyes, I saw that Chi Zheng's handsome face was flushed, and his ears and neck were all red.
When had she ever seen him so shy? Chu Xian couldn't help but hug his neck tightly and kiss his cheek. "My bellyband is quite complicated. If you can't learn it, I'll teach you in the future."
"Cough cough...I got it." Yinzhen blushed and pretended to cough.
"It's not fair. You've seen me naked, but you haven't seen yourself yet." Chu Xian said, reaching out to pull Chi Zheng's collar, and in a few seconds she took off his clothes, revealing his muscular chest.
"What else do you want to see? I'll let you succeed today." Yinzhen said jokingly with a smile on his face.
But she went around to his back.
"What's so good about your back? You..." Before he could finish, he felt warmth on his back and she hugged him tightly from behind.
"Who needs you to stand in my way? If you try to be a hero again, we'll be done for."
Her tone was tinged with sobs.
Unable to see her face, Yinzhen felt inexplicably panicked and subconsciously held her hand tightly.
Waves of warmth kept hitting his back, making his heart ache. Yinzhen turned around and hugged Shu'er, who was in tears, in his arms.
"Even though you are the one who is hurt, I am still the one who feels pain in the end. It's better if it happens to me, at least I won't feel the pain." Chu Xian stroked Chi Zheng's back carefully.
There was a bruise on his back from a stick wound, and he didn't know if it was a bone injury. He would definitely find Xianrong to find out later.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Yinzhen comforted her gently.
Chu Xian burst into laughter and rubbed his chest affectionately.
"Chi Zheng, I killed all of Ling's family. Am I too vicious?"
Chu Xian was nervous and didn't dare to look up at Chi Zheng's eyes, for fear of seeing disgust in his eyes.
"Just kill them, and I'll take care of the aftermath and bury the bodies. I'll also chop the Ling family into minced meat. When it comes to viciousness, you're no match for me."
"Shu'er, I'm not a kind person either. If you see my true face, will you be afraid of me?"
Yinzhen felt uneasy, as he was just pretending to be a mask in front of Lin Shu.
If one day she saw his dark and cruel true face with her own eyes, she might be scared and run away.
But even if she wanted to escape, he would never let her go.
Whether it is love or hate, he and she must stay together through life and death.
"What am I afraid of? As long as you don't take concubines, and I'm the only woman in your harem, I'll be with you forever. I won't be afraid even if the sky falls."
The smile on Yinzhen's lips disappeared, and he lowered his eyes to suppress his shock.
He never expected that what she wanted was the only thing he could not promise her in this life.
"Shu'er, how can I let you endure the pain of bearing a child again and again?"
"Huh? That's totally irrational. I'm in good health, and it won't be a problem for me to bear children for you. Aren't two or three enough? If there are more, I really can't handle it."
When Chi Zheng mentioned the issue of having children in the future, Chu Xian took the opportunity to talk to him openly.
She snuggled in Chi Zheng's arms and whispered softly, "Two or three are enough. If there's no heir to the throne in the family, why would there be so many?"
Yinzhen had a hard time expressing his grievances. Although he did not need to inherit the throne, he would inherit the throne sooner or later.
There is no way he could stay with just one woman in his life, let alone be with her for the rest of his life.
He needs to consider and weigh the various forces in the harem, treat everyone equally, and ensure that his descendants are prosperous and numerous.
Being born in an imperial family, there are things that you cannot help.
Even if he was unwilling, he had to marry Nara. Even if he disliked her, he had to treat the women in the harem well and protect them throughout their lives, regardless of love.
How should I explain to her that being the only favorite may not be the best thing in the world, but rather her death warrant.
"Okay! Chi Zheng, do you want to take a concubine?" Chu Xian pushed him away with an angry look on her face.
"Although you and I are in love, we must be frank. If you can't be with me alone, there's no need to talk about marriage. You and I..."
Chu Xian was choked with sobs, tears welling up in her eyelashes. "We're done here, parting ways. There's no need to cry about marriage."
"Do you have a new love? It's okay to tell me."
Chu Xian turned her back and ignored him.
I didn't expect that after being with him for less than two months and not even getting married, he was already thinking about taking a concubine.
They even said they were worried about the pain she would suffer during childbirth.
She originally thought that the poor couple from a poor family could stick to their original intentions, but she was too naive.
Fortunately, her relationship with Chi Zheng has not reached the point where she must be with him and it is irreversible, so she can still get out of it safely.
"Where does your new love come from? Some people are used to confusing right and wrong. Who is the person who is behaving intimately with others and sharing persimmons by the wild lake? And who is the person who is being intimate with another man?" Yinzhen teased coldly.
"So what if it's me! What does it have to do with you!" Chu Xian left the bed angrily.
The more Chi Zheng changed the subject and talked about other things, the more meaningful his words became: he wanted to take a concubine.
"Hey... why are you arguing? Let's talk it out nicely, Lin Shu."
Su Peisheng stood at the door and watched Lin Shu leave in anger, but did not move to persuade her.
He really didn't want the Fourth Master and Lin Shu to continue to be entangled.
Lin Shu must never serve the Fourth Master. If anything happens to the Fourth Master because of Lin Shu's madness, all the servants around him must be buried with him. That is a serious crime punishable by genocide.
Both publicly and privately, Su Peisheng did not want to see Lin Shu and the Fourth Master get too close.
After Lin Shu hid in the west wing and closed the door heavily, Su Peisheng turned around and went to serve the Fourth Master.
Yinzhen sat alone on his bed, feeling depressed and helpless.
"Master, I think you are right. Lin Shu's ideas are too unconventional. Even in a small family, who doesn't have a beautiful wife and concubines? She has a bad temper."
"If a noble son does not have a beautiful concubine, he will appear shabby and will surely be laughed at."
"In my opinion, if you give her the cold shoulder for a few days, she might figure things out herself."
"Yeah." Yinzhen held his forehead with his hand due to a headache, and was frowning for a moment.
After a series of crackling sounds in the west wing, Chu Xian's face turned pale as she moved all the items in the west wing back to the east wing.
The man lay on her bed like a piece of wood.
She pretended not to see it and went behind the screen to change her clothes. After getting dressed, she left in a huff.
At lunch, Yinzhen took the initiative to show his goodwill by serving her rice and stacking the peeled river shrimps in a small celadon bowl in front of her, waiting for her to eat together.
Xianrong strode in and brought a tray. "Suiqing, Lin Shu hasn't been feeling well these past few days. She said she wanted to stay inside to eat."
After saying that, Xianrong put the food into a large bowl and left with the bowl in her hand.
"Huh? What's going on? Since Xianrong and I came back today, Lin Shu has been acting strangely." Sui Qing was confused and looked thoughtfully at Chi Zheng who was chewing slowly.
The girl usually wanted to be in close contact with Chi Zheng all the time, but why did she avoid Chi Zheng today?
"Hmph!" Sui Qing snorted coldly, and her face became increasingly unpleasant towards Chi Zheng.
No matter how many mistakes there are, it is not the girl's fault.
No one wants to see the illicit relationship between the girl and Chi Zheng, so it would be better to end it completely.
Sui Qing finished her lunch in a few bites, stood up and glanced at Su Sheng: "Remember to wash the dishes! Clean the stove too, and use the slop bucket to feed the pigs."
"I understand. I have never been lazy." Su Peisheng responded with a smile.
Yinzhen felt as bored as chewing wax and ate lunch absent-mindedly. When he returned to the west wing, his face darkened.
The dressing table was empty except for a peach wood comb, and all her hairpins and jewelry had disappeared.
Her most precious rouge and powder box was also empty, and his heart instantly felt empty and extremely sad.
He pursed his lips and lay on his back on the bed with only a lonely porcelain pillow left. He subconsciously reached into the bed, but found nothing and felt a palpitation in his heart.
In the east wing, Chu Xian was using a pair of small scissors to cut the half-finished purse into pieces.
"Sui Qing, it's Chi Zheng's birthday on the 30th of next month. You can just give him a birthday gift according to the standards for the Zhuangzi steward's birthday."
"Every year on his birthday, the chief official is entitled to two taels of silver, two carps, a pork leg, ten kilograms of birthday gifts, a silk shirt, and a sun hat. Is there anything else he needs to get?" Sui Qing asked.
Chu Xian casually threw the shredded purse into the sewing basket and pondered in silence.
"Add three sets of clothes, shoes and socks for each of the four seasons, three ounces of silver, and buy him some books on classics, history, and literature related to the imperial examinations, as well as some writing brushes, inkstones, and paper."
"When it comes to scientific research, seek out the best."
Chu Xian didn't expect that she would be able to get out of this relationship so quickly. At this moment, she even began to plan and scheme to support Chi Zheng to become an official in the court and cultivate her secret power in the court.
She would never act on impulse and cut off all contact with Chi Zheng.
Although she has no chance to marry Chi Zheng, she must try her best to make him work for her.
The next morning, Chu Xian had a calm expression as she went to the kitchen to have breakfast.
Seeing Chi Zheng and his servant approaching, she nodded politely, "Here we are."
Yinzhen paused. He didn't like her distant look at the moment, just like when she first met him, distant and indifferent.
After greeting Chi Zheng, Chu Xian walked out of the stuffy kitchen with her large bowl and sat under the persimmon tree to eat.
"Xianrong, harness the carriage and go check out some of the nearby farms."
The autumn harvest had just passed, and she needed to visit the other five dowry farms to see how much income she had earned this year.
"Why are we going so early this year? In previous years, we always went in early spring." Xianrong swallowed the sour radish whole.
"Go soon. The wedding is coming soon, and I'm afraid it will be too late in the spring."
Chu Xian put the egg yolk that she didn't like into Xianrong's bowl.
Xianrong loves fried egg yolks the most, and she immediately smiled.
"Go and tell Chi Zheng and his servant that we will not be at the manor for the next three to five days."
"Oh." Xianrong's eyes fell on Chi Zheng and his servant, who were ten steps away behind the girl.
They are not deaf, they should have heard it.
"Tell him again that last month's accounts need to be sorted out in the next few days. I need to go back and file accounts in October."
"good."
Chi Zheng's low voice came from behind, but Chu Xian didn't turn around.
Sui Qing watched the girl and Xian Rong leave, and called Su Sheng.
"Su Sheng, go and harness the ox cart. I'll take you into the city to buy Chi Zheng a birthday present. Three sets of clothes, shoes, and socks for each of the four seasons, and three ounces of silver. Give it to him on his birthday next month."
"Go buy him some books related to the imperial examinations, such as classics, history, and miscellaneous books, as well as writing brushes, inkstone, paper, and inkstone."
"I'm not familiar with the items for the scientific expedition. You need to judge for yourself. I'm only responsible for paying the money."
"Ah? A birthday gift so early? Isn't there a purse? I saw Lin Shu holding an embroidery frame these past two days..."
"You wish! Who told you that Lin Shu wanted to embroider a purse for Chi Zheng? How could you just give a purse away? It's a token of love. Don't slander Lin Shu."
Sui Qing put her hands on her hips and glared angrily.
Su Peisheng scratched his head. Sui Qing scolded him so harshly that he was ashamed and dared not talk back.
"Don't scold me, grandma. I'll go with you. I know your measurements." Su Peisheng hung his head and begged for mercy: "I'll go."
"Su Sheng, please stop gossiping. There's nothing wrong between Lin Shu and Chi Zheng."
Su Peisheng smiled repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes."
Su Peisheng finally managed to calm down the hot-tempered Sui Qing and turned around to look for the Fourth Master.
He didn't need to report it specifically, Sui Qing's voice was so loud that the whole village could hear it, and the dogs passing by outside the wall were so scared that they tucked their tails between their legs.
She did it on purpose, deliberately shouting to let everyone know that Lin Shu and the Fourth Master had no personal feelings for each other.
Su Peisheng hesitated and was about to speak, but he saw the master rubbing his eyebrows and said solemnly: "Go."
After Su Peisheng and Sui Qing left, Yinzhen sat on the spring stool for a long time, then got up and went to the east wing where Lin Shu lived.
The empty embroidery frame was casually thrown on the chest of drawers, and the embroidery pattern of intertwined branches wrapped on the frame was placed somewhere unknown.
It was clearly yesterday that she was talking and laughing, asking him what kind of embroidery pattern he liked.
With her clear distinction between love and hate, she would definitely not want to stay.
At this time, Ye Tianshi came quickly with a serious expression.
"Master, Lin Shu was poisoned by the forbidden drug Qianji, and an unknown drug. That drug restrains the Qianji poison, forming a slow poison that can cause hallucinations and hysteria."
"The person who poisoned me was extremely vicious. The yin-yang syndrome is not without a cure, but he had ingeniously tampered with the properties of the yin-yang syndrome. If we hadn't taken blood from my heart, no one would have been able to detect it."
"Once her emotions get out of control, she will lose the ability to distinguish between hallucinations and reality, and her mind will split and she will go crazy. In as little as two years, her whole body will be convulsing, her back will be bent, and she will die suddenly."
With a loud bang, Yinzhen's face turned ashen and he smashed the teacup.
"Find out who's behind this, no matter the cost! Go find out!"
"Yeah." The guard standing by the door slipped away.
"Ye Tianshi, do you have any good prescription?" Yinzhen asked anxiously.
"Master, please forgive me. The pulling mechanism and the secret medicine are restraining each other, and they have reached a strange balance within her body. If you want to release them, they must be released together. Otherwise, if the pulling mechanism is released, the secret medicine will be unable to suppress it, and her body will not be able to withstand the poison."
"The two are countering each other, but they have to consume... consume..." Ye Tianshi was covered in cold sweat and didn't dare to say anything more.
What does it cost? It can only cost lives.
When the body is riddled with holes by the two overbearing poisons and can no longer be balanced and restrained, that is the time when the energy is exhausted.
"Ye Tianshi, you must save her no matter what. Just tell me what you want."
Yinzhen's voice was hoarse and he closed his eyes in pain.
"Master, I urgently need a piece of top-quality wild ginseng to use as medicine to nourish the young lady."
Yinzhen frowned. Ye Tianshi was not short of rare medicinal materials from heaven and earth. He said that this mountain ginseng must be extraordinary and even a prince like him could not satisfy him.
"What medicine do you want? Just tell me." Yinzhen's eyes fell on the plum vase on the windowsill. The camellia he gave her yesterday was plucked by her until only scattered leaves were left.
"The ginseng needs to be quite old, preferably...old ginseng that can sustain life."
No wonder Ye Tianshi was in such a dilemma. It turned out that it was the rare mountain ginseng that kept him alive.
Changbai Mountain ginseng was a tribute, and ginseng that was over a hundred years old was exclusively for direct descendants of the royal family.
Even though he was a prince, he was only rewarded with one plant, which was used to prolong his life in the future.
"Also... there are also old Dongzhu, ambergris, and camphor. We also need..."
Ye Tianshi hesitated to speak.
A flash of shock flashed across Yinzhen's eyes, and he slowly said, "Imperial possessions?"
Ye Tianshi lowered his head in panic, even saying this was a daunting thought: "I also need a piece of black gold ink weighing one or two ounces. It needs to be old ink, so that it can have the effect of calming the mind and cooling the blood."
"If she can take the nourishing medicine on time every year, I guarantee that I can make an antidote within five years."
When these words were spoken, Yinzhen looked shocked.
Black gold ink is priceless. Although he has a collection of it, it is less than a hundred years old.
No wonder Ye Tianshi hesitated. The hundred-year-old black gold ink was not something that even the prince could easily obtain, let alone him.
Khan Ama ruled the world, but the registered imperial aged black gold ink weighed only six taels, and he never used it easily on a normal day.
The last time Khan Ama gave three qian of aged black gold ink to the dying Emperor Xiaoyi to prolong his life. The time before that he gave one liang to the Empress Dowager to use as a last resort.
If he insists, he will have to pay a heavy price.
After a dead silence in the room, Yinzhen smiled bitterly.
"Ye Tianshi, make the antidote as soon as possible. I can't wait five years, so I'll only give you two years."
"Master, you'd better kill me now, wuwuwu..." Ye Tianshi crawled on the ground.
Yinzhen took a deep breath and said, "Three years, how much manpower, material resources and financial resources are needed? Just tell me."
"Yes." Ye Tianshi straightened his back tremblingly, and finally, he stammered and reminded: "Master, that black gold ink is only a year's supply..."
With a light sigh, Yinzhen slowly spoke, "As for the other items, feel free to ask Chai Yuti for as much as you want. I'll give it to you by the end of this month at the latest."
He gritted his teeth, raised his hand and threw the dead branches and leaves in the plum vase out of the window.
......
Chu Xian inspected the nearby farms and did not go back immediately. Instead, she asked Xianrong to take her to Zhili to inspect several farms in Zhili.
It was not until November 20th that she slowly returned to the city.
"Miss, Sui Qing wrote to say that Chi Zheng found a part-time job as a tutor the other day. He's paying two taels of silver a month, teaching Chinese to a bannerman's son in the south of the city. The host provides food and lodging."
"Su Sheng came back with a message saying that he would be back on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month."
"Let him be."
Chu Xian huddled in her fox fur cloak, shivering. She looked out the window and saw the sky and earth turning white, with dense winter snow falling.
Two days after she left, Chi Zheng asked for a month's leave, saying that he was going back to his hometown to worship his ancestors.
She and he seemed to have returned to the time when they first met, and gradually became strangers.
To dispel the lingering sense of loss, Chu Xian opened the carefully prepared gift and examined it carefully again.
The day after tomorrow is Wan Ning’s thirteenth birthday, and she has to attend Wan Ning’s birthday party.
"Xianrong, are Chi Zheng and his servant still at the manor?"
Chu Xian lifted the curtain of the carriage and handed the hot roasted sweet potato to Xian Rong.
"No, he went to the master's house yesterday."
He wasn't at Zhuangzi, which was perfect. Chu Xian immediately lowered the carriage curtain.
"We'll stay at the Zhuangzi for two days, and then go to Liuquanju for a banquet at noon the day after tomorrow."
"Ah? You're not going home?"
"No, let Suiqing prepare the copper furnace hot pot and cut some venison to grill."
"Yes." Xian Rong stopped talking, guessing that the girl was avoiding Chi Zheng.
The wind was strong and the snow was heavy. Chu Xian and Sui Qing and Xian Rong were eating hot pot in the main hall. After eating a few pieces of venison and drinking a few glasses of Guilingji wine, they were sweating all over.
Suiqing and Xianrong are both lively and have already started throwing snowballs and playing in the yard.
Chu Xian was also eager to try. She rolled a loose snowball the size of a fist and threw it at Sui Qing with a giggle.
He turned around and scattered a handful of remaining snow to tease Xianrong, then turned around again and was hit by a snowball by Suiqing.
"Okay, Suiqing! Just wait and see!" Chu Xian's eyes were full of smiles as she chased after him while holding a snowball.
There were the sounds of footsteps behind her. Chu Xian tried to hold back her laughter, but after turning around and throwing a bowl-sized snowball at Xianrong, her smile froze.
After just a moment, she smiled calmly: "I'm back."
After not seeing each other for nearly two months, Lin Shu looked at her with increasingly distant eyes, and Yinzhen suppressed the sadness in his heart.
"I have something to tell you."
Chu Xian didn't move, she stared down at the remaining snow on her shoes: "What's the matter?"
"You've lost weight."
Yinzhen took a step closer, wanting to raise his hands to embrace her, but he smiled bitterly and dropped his hands.
He knew everything about her in the past few months.
In Zhili, she fought against stubborn slaves, litigated cases, and sought official schooling for the children of tenant farmers. In her spare time, she brewed tea by the fire, brewed wine with pine flowers, and sang and danced with the peasant women, but she was unwilling to write back to him.
"Nothing, I just happened to come back today to get some clothes, and I have something to give you."
Chu Xian was stunned. She and Chi Zheng had nothing to do with each other anymore. It was fine for him to send her gifts when they were in love, but why did he send her gifts again when they broke up?
He took out a green porcelain bottle from his sleeve and poured out a white pill the size of a soybean from the bottle.
"What is this?" Chu Xian was confused: "Why are you sending medicine?"
If someone else brought her medicine, it would be like cursing her for being sick, and she would be so angry that she would beat the person out with a stick, but she knew that Chi Zheng would not be so despicable.
"This medicine has the effect of cooling the blood and calming the mind. Taking one pill a year can warm the qi and blood."
It's just a pill, how can it be so valuable? The scientific research supplies she prepared for Chi Zheng can buy a bunch of pills.
Chu Xian happily took the pill, but Sui Qing snatched it away first.
"All medicines are poisonous. You can't take them casually. Let me take a look first." Sui Qing clenched the pill and turned around to check.
Any medicine that a girl takes must not be taken without her checking.
"Thank you very much. I heard that you found a job as a teacher. Don't worry, I will go and mediate with you, young lady."
"There's hot pot in the kitchen, but do you want to finish it before you leave?"
Yinzhen stared at her pale face. She lowered her eyes and didn't even want to look at him.
He felt bitter in his heart, realizing that he was the only one tossing and turning.
"Okay." Knowing that she was ordering him to leave, he still responded angrily.
Chu Xian was puzzled. Her words were obviously an order to leave. With Chi Zheng's intelligence, how could he not understand?
Helplessly, she looked around but could not find Xianrong. Little did she know that Xianrong had just been tricked by Su Peisheng to tie the horse.
Sui Qing took the pills and disappeared.
Chu Xian had no choice but to bite the bullet and take Chi Zheng to the kitchen to eat hot pot.
The two of them sat at the square table, looking at each other in silence.
Chu Xian calmly turned her eyes away, turned around and took the bowl. Suddenly, she felt a warmth on her back and was embraced by him.
"Shu'er, stop making trouble."
She was too hot-tempered, and Yinzhen had no choice but to humble himself and coax her into changing her mind first, and then take his time.
His wedding with Nara was approaching, and he must not cause trouble at this critical moment.
After the wedding, he will have a lifetime to coax her.
"Why am I making a fuss? Master Chi, please respect yourself. If others see you and I hugging each other, it will definitely ruin my reputation."
Chu Xian was so angry that she stretched out her hands to pry open his hands that were wrapped around her waist.
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