Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Killing Husband
"Nonsense! How can you trust such folk remedies and heresy?"
Yinzhen was angry and anxious, his breathing was choking, his fingertips stopped at her red, swollen and ulcerated wound, he restrained himself and withdrew his hand, not daring to touch it.
"I...have tried it, it's okay." Chu Xian stuttered with fear, not daring to look at the Fourth Prince's sullen face.
Her kindness was really taken for granted. His serious and rigid expression was so scary that if you didn't know, you would think she was poisoning her husband!
"Su Peisheng, call the imperial physician! Order the judge to come in person."
Yinzhen was so anxious that he grabbed the cowpox pus at hand, cut his arm impatiently, and vaccinated himself with the cowpox.
Chu Xian was stunned by the Fourth Prince's hasty and smooth movements.
This man is really moody. Just now he was scolding her with a stern face for making trouble, but now he is in a hurry to vaccinate her with cowpox himself.
"Fujin, go back first and get some rest."
Yinzhen pressed the wound with one hand, his eyes always fixed on Fu Jin's red wound.
"Fujin, I will take you back to the main courtyard."
Su Peisheng bowed to Fu Jin, whose eyes were filled with panic.
Chu Xian suppressed her fear and was asked to leave the front yard by Su Peisheng.
He returned to the main courtyard of Fujin angrily, only to see Nanny Chun's eyes full of joy.
"Fujin, the Fourth Prince has such affection for you, and you have finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel." Nanny Chun cried with joy.
"Mammy, are your eyes okay? The Fourth Prince has already chased his wife out of the front yard. How can you be so affectionate?"
Xianrong was confused.
"You are still young. You will know when you get married." Nanny Chun smiled with her hands covering her lips.
"Mammy, let Suiqing help you check your eyes later..." Chu Xian joked.
"Madam, you don't know that the Imperial Hospital is full of cunning people who will treat you differently based on your situation. I was worried that the Imperial Physician would be perfunctory in your case, so I was anxious to vaccinate myself with cowpox."
"The prince and grandson of the emperor are ill, and the imperial doctors dare not treat them half-heartedly. My master loves you. If my guess is correct, Su Peisheng will come to bring you medicine in person."
"Madam, you are so weird. If your predictions are so accurate, you can set up a fortune-telling stall on Liulichang Street tomorrow and become a fortune-teller." Sui Qingtaokan chased after Madam Chun.
"I won't bother with you young girls." Nanny Chun smiled and retreated.
"Mammy, please don't leave. Let Suiqing help you check your eyes. I'm serious."
Chu Xian joined in the fun and picked up a piece of persimmon cake.
"Fujin..." Sui Qing rushed into the house in horror.
"Su Peisheng is here to deliver the medicine."
The room suddenly became silent.
Chu Xian looked out the door in surprise and asked after a while: "What medicine?"
Sui Qing wandered to the door and said, "It's said to be a good medicine for treating cowpox."
There was another moment of dead silence.
"Sui Qing..." Sui Qing's voice trembled. The Fourth Prince must be plotting against her again. Instead of being on the alert at any moment, it would be better to be frank with him today.
"Come with me to the front yard." Chu Xian showed determination. If you want to die, just die quickly. Why play with her like a cat and mouse? It's despicable.
"Fujin, the Fourth Prince has gone to the Guande Hall in the northeast corner of Jingshan to practice riding and archery. I don't know when he will return."
"Practicing horse riding and archery in the middle of the night?" Chu Xian was puzzled.
Guande Hall was the place where the princes practiced archery, and Emperor Kangxi often tested the princes' riding and archery skills here.
The Fourth Prince has already married and moved out of the palace to set up his own residence. Logically, there is a target in his residence, so why would he go so far away?
Suddenly, Chu Xian's eyes widened with excitement. Could it be that Shu'er was in Jingshan? Did the Fourth Prince go to Jingshan late at night to have a tryst with Shu'er?
"Let's go to Guande Hall."
If she didn't get to the bottom of it, she would be unable to sleep or eat. It would be better to let the butcher's knife hanging over her head fall as soon as possible. Maybe she could even reveal Shu'er's true identity and kill two birds with one stone.
If he wants to kill her, then he can kill her. She just washed her neck and prepared for her death. It's no big deal.
Chu Xian rushed to Jingshan, opposite the Shenwu Gate of the Forbidden City, in a panic.
Jingshan is full of towering ancient trees and majestic temples, but it is not beautiful if you come here after dark. The vigorous ancient pines spread their ferocious branches in the dark night, and ghostly black shadows cover the sky and the moon.
"Fujin, is that crooked tree the place where Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty hanged himself?" Sui Qing suddenly asked.
"Yes...right..." It was the first time that Chu Xian came to Jingshan at night. It was rumored that Jingshan was full of gloomy energy and was haunted at night.
Chu Xian was frightened and hid behind Xian Rong.
Nanny Chun led the way, holding a sheep-horn lantern, and busily consoled them, "Fujin, you don't talk about strange things. There are gods enshrined on Jingshan Mountain. Which evil spirit would dare to come here?"
Chu Xian pursed her lips and said nothing. Ever since she traveled to this haunted place, she has been quite afraid of ghosts and gods.
"Mammy, please go quickly. I'm so scared."
"Don't be afraid, Madam. I will take you to the Guande Hall via a shortcut."
Suddenly, Xianrong stopped and drew her sword to block Chu Xian.
"Fujin, there's a sound of fighting!"
"Ah? Who is fighting in the dark?" Nanny Chun quickly blew out the sheep-horn lantern.
"There." Sui Qing drew his sword and pointed it at the northeast corner.
"Madam Chun, go down the mountain immediately and call the guards. Sui Qing and Xian Rong, come with me to take a look."
"Fujin, let Xianrong and Suiqing go. You should go down the mountain with me first."
Nanny Chun grabbed Fu Jin's wide sleeves.
Chu Xian pushed Nanny Chun away and said, "Go quickly."
Nanny Chun turned around and ran away in a hurry.
Chu Xian hid behind Sui Qing and Xian Rong and moved towards the northeast corner.
Under the silvery moonlight, the guards were fighting with several masked assassins.
"Master, let's go!" Su Peisheng shouted at the top of his voice.
Chu Xian stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide open, and she grabbed Sui Qing and Xian Rong. "Don't move. We can't defeat the assassins. Let's just hide here and wait for the guards to arrive."
The assassin was very skilled and his moves were deadly. He saw that the Fourth Prince's guards were gradually losing the upper hand.
Chu Xian's blood was boiling with excitement, and she grinned silently in excitement in the dark night.
Kill! Kill!
If she kills the Fourth Prince, she will be free.
Her hands were shaking, and she couldn't help but touch the hidden arrow on her wrist for self-defense.
The sleeve arrow is coated with deadly poison. Just one arrow is enough to kill the Fourth Prince instantly.
Just one arrow, even a scratch on his skin, could kill him.
Just one arrow.
She pressed her fingertips on the spring of the hidden arrow with trembling hands.
Whoosh whoosh!
Sharp arrows broke through the air, and she shot three arrows in a row, her eyes full of excitement and madness.
In the blink of an eye, several assassins suddenly pounced on the Fourth Prince, but he foolishly blocked the arrows.
Chu Xian felt limp all over and almost fainted.
"Fujin, hurry up!"
Seven or eight assassins attacked fiercely, and Sui Qing dragged the panicked Fu Jin and fled.
Chu Xian was in tears. She failed to steal the chicken and ended up losing the rice. She even had the misfortune of helping the Fourth Prince to lure away the assassin.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, a hidden weapon broke through the air and attacked from behind.
Chu Xian followed behind Sui Qing, running away with her head in her hands, unable to resist at all.
Sui Qing hid his wife behind the general's cypress and flew up to fight with the assassin.
I'm so unlucky tonight. Nothing good will happen if I meet the Fourth Prince.
Chu Xian huddled tremblingly behind an ancient cypress, and from time to time she could hear the muffled groans of fighting.
Suddenly her sight was blocked by a black shadow. Chu Xian looked up in horror, closed her eyes and desperately shot out the hidden arrow.
"Fujin, be careful!" Sui Qing exclaimed.
Xian Rong's eyes were bloodshot, and she gritted her teeth and threw the sword hard at the assassin.
Suddenly, a tall figure swooped down.
The buzzing sound of close combat entered my ears, followed by a strange clicking sound.
"Fujin...hide behind me."
Chu Xian looked up, eyes full of astonishment, feeling more uncomfortable than seeing a ghost. He had never expected that the Fourth Prince would block the knife for him, never expected it.
She bit her lip in pain to hold back her tears, wishing she would be killed on the spot by the assassin.
The person she least wanted to owe her life to was him.
In a trance, he leaned over, hugged her waist tightly, and held her in his arms.
Chu Xian subconsciously pressed the spring of the hidden arrow. If she shot an arrow at his heart at this moment, he would surely die.
She could also blame the Fourth Prince's death on the assassin, and everything was perfect.
"Xian'er, don't be afraid."
His soothing tone was extremely soft and gentle. Chu Xian felt like she was struck by lightning. She must have gone crazy when she heard Chi Zheng's voice in her ears.
Just hearing Chi Zheng's voice easily soothed her fear and anxiety.
Cleanse the most vicious resentment in her heart.
Chu Xian calmed herself down, suppressed her fear, and pressed her hand on the spring of her sleeve arrow, loosening and tightening it several times. Chi Zheng's extremely disappointed expression appeared in front of her eyes. Her heart trembled, and she withdrew her vicious hand.
"Thank you for saving my life, sir." Chu Xian hid in the Fourth Prince's arms and trembled.
"Catch the assassin!"
The candlelight along the mountain path was rapidly approaching, and the assassins fled in all directions.
Chu Xian was in a daze while being held in the arms of the Fourth Prince. When she came to her senses, he had already carried her sideways into the carriage.
"Master, the imperial physician is here to take your pulse." Su Peisheng reminded outside the carriage.
"Well, let me check Madam's pulse first." In the dim carriage, Yinzhen's forehead was covered with cold sweat and he clenched his left wrist.
"No, no, no, take my pulse first." Chu Xian waved her hands hurriedly.
"Master, my carriage is at the back. Let the imperial physician take your pulse. I will go to the carriage at the back."
Chu Xian stood up anxiously and got out of the carriage as if escaping.
Yinzhen was extremely disappointed, but he didn't even have the strength to raise his hand to keep her.
At this moment, he was enduring the pain of broken bones.
"Su Peisheng, go check on Fu Jin's injuries."
Su Peisheng let out a cry outside the carriage and trotted over to guard outside the Fu Jin's carriage.
Ye Tianshi rushed into the carriage carrying the medicine box.
When he took off the Fourth Prince's wrist armor, Ye Tianshi took a breath of cold air and saw bloody broken bones poking out of the skin in a strange posture.
"Master..." If it weren't for the wrist guard, the Fourth Prince's left hand would have been cut off long ago.
"Save your left hand." Yinzhen sighed, "If you can't save it, don't amputate it."
"I can protect it, but... but from now on you can no longer use your left hand to draw the bow and wield the hammer."
"No one is allowed to lift anything heavier than 100 kilograms."
"A hundred pounds?" Yinzhen actually breathed a sigh of relief: "Not bad."
She is thin, weighing less than 100 pounds.
No way.
Yinzhen frowned. She was too thin, which was not good for her health. She needed to eat more.
As the broken bones were reset, Yinzhen frowned and made no sound, for fear of scaring her.
"A broken bone needs to be healed for a hundred days. Master, you must not get hurt again. If you break another bone, medicine will be useless and your left hand will no longer be able to bear any heavy objects."
"Well, how is Fu Jin?"
"Master, the lady is fine and not injured. I have sent someone to escort her back home first." Su Peisheng replied repeatedly.
"Okay, send the order to Tanzhe Mountain."
Su Peisheng was stunned for a long time, took the reins from Chai Yu, and went to the farm overnight.
Meanwhile, Chu Xian returned to the Fourth Prince's residence, still in shock.
"Sui Qing, go to the front yard and ask if the Fourth Prince has returned home."
"Someone from the front yard has come to tell me that the Fourth Prince has gone to the Lion Garden outside the capital."
Chu Xian was dumbfounded. He was really moody. He had just been assassinated, but now he had the leisure to go to the Lion Park.
Well, it’s not too late to ask him when he comes back.
"Just now, the Fourth Prince blocked a fatal blow for you. I guess the injury was serious. I thought I heard the sound of bones cracking."
Chu Xian shook her head, her tone firm: "Impossible, he's wearing wrist armor, how could he be so fragile?"
If his bones were broken, he would have cried out in pain long ago, but seeing his expressionless and calm face, he was definitely not injured.
Life is barely better now that the Fourth Prince is not at home.
Chu Xian spends her days leisurely eating, drinking and having fun, and in the mornings she carries a basket of vegetables to visit the morning market on Guozijian Street.
Before I knew it, tomorrow would be the day I would meet Chi Zheng.
Chu Xian specially bathed with milk, moisturized her hair with egg white, and applied jade powder on her face.
"Suiqing, iron the phoenix-tail kimono I cut last month."
“Yeah.”
Women dress up to please themselves. Fu Jin spent the whole night carefully preparing for her secret meeting with Chi Zheng tomorrow.
Sui Qing and Xian Rong looked at each other, both filled with fear and panic.
On the morning of the second day, the dew was still thick and the frost was heavy, and the morning mist was hazy. Chu Xian sat in the carriage, drawing her eyebrows and eyes in the mirror.
Inside the manor, Ye Tianshi was removing the bamboo board and gauze used to fix the broken bones of the Fourth Prince.
"Master, you must not lift heavy objects. Your wounds have not healed yet." Ye Tianshi repeatedly warned.
"Okay." Yinzhen wiped away the traces of the herbs with a handkerchief.
"Master, the Consort's carriage has bypassed the official road at the southern slope."
Yinzhen stood up and walked to the gate of the manor to wait for her.
Inside the carriage, Chu Xian saw from afar Chi Zheng's graceful figure standing in front of the manor's gate.
Before the carriage stopped, she was already standing in front of it with a smile on her face, and leaped towards him.
Su Peisheng was so frightened that it was too late when he tried to stop Fu Jin.
The moment she threw herself into Chi Zheng's arms, Chu Xian heard a suppressed groan of pain. Chi Zheng suddenly half-knelt on the ground, still holding her tightly.
Chi Zheng stumbled and fell to the ground, and Chu Xian was so scared that she fell into Chi Zheng's arms.
Crack, a creepy crisp sound was heard.
Chu Xian was so frightened that she stood up from Chi Zheng's arms in panic.
"Oh no, Chi Zheng has a broken bone!" Sui Qing was shocked and hurried forward to check Chi Zheng's injuries.
"Young Master, wuwuwu..."
Su Peisheng wanted to cry but had no tears. It was over. He was afraid that his left hand could not be saved.
"Chi Zheng!!"
Chu Xian felt extremely guilty and was heartbroken, holding back her tears. She really deserved to die. Chi Zheng had just recovered from a serious illness and was already weak, yet she actually jumped on him to commit suicide.
"Chi Zheng's left wrist was broken, and it broke again today, injuring the tendons and bones."
Sui Qing took out the bone-setting medicine from the medicine box and broke out in a cold sweat: "My left hand can only bear four and a half weights at most from now on."
Sui Qing secretly felt lucky that Chi Zheng was a scholar and not a Chongwu Manchu who was good at archery, otherwise his life would have been ruined.
"Young Master injured his wrist while repairing corrugated tiles at the beginning of the month. He hasn't recovered yet, and..." Su Peisheng's face was pale and he looked miserable.
Four and a half strengths! He could only lift a 50-jin child, which was equivalent to a disabled person. Even Fu Jin could easily pull a seven-strength soft bow.
In the past, I could easily pull a twelve-strength boxwood bow.
I like riding, shooting and bowing the horse the most. How should I ride and shoot in the future?
If people knew that I had a hidden disease in my left hand, they would definitely ridicule me. How could I realize my ambitions, let alone the unspeakable grand plan?
It's over...
"I need to go into the city immediately to look for Xuejie and Drynaria. Xianrong, you go to the mountain stream north of Tanzhe Mountain to look for the earthworm, which can break up blood, remove blood stasis, and heal tendons and bones. Lin Shu, come with me into the city." Sui Qing hesitated to speak.
Chu Xian felt panicked and helpless, and raised her hand to wipe away her tears. Sui Qing specifically asked her to go with him, as these medicines must be extremely difficult to find.
"Su Sheng, take good care of Chi Zheng." Chu Xian choked and let go of Chi Zheng's hand.
"Shu'er, I'm not taking part in the martial arts exam, so don't worry. I can hold you tight without using my left hand."
Chu Xian burst into laughter, feeling even more sorrowful: "From now on, I'll be the one to hold you."
"I'm lazy, and four and a half strength is just enough for me to hold the child, which is great. When the child grows up, I won't need to hold him anymore." Yinzhen reached out and wiped the tears from the corners of Fu Jin's eyes.
"I don't agree. No matter how heavy the child is, you still need to hold him." Chu Xian lay on Chi Zheng's shoulder, crying.
"Wait until I come back, wait until I come back."
After Chu Xian finished speaking, she rode away worriedly.
After the concubine and her servants left, Ye Tianshi rushed to the Fourth Prince's bed and beat his chest and stamped his feet.
"Master, please forgive me. I am incompetent. Even Hua Tuo would be powerless to help you."
"I don't blame you." Yinzhen raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Master, I don't understand. You and your wife have come this far, and you are clearly deeply in love. Why don't you confess your true identity to your wife?"
Su Peisheng was heartbroken.
"Heh..." Yinzhen smiled bitterly, "How can I confess? The person she loves most is Chi Zheng."
"Chi Zheng promised me something, but I can't do anything about it."
What she wanted, to be with someone for the rest of her life, was her death warrant, and he didn't dare to give it to her, nor could he give it to her.
How to confess?
Once he confesses, there will be no room for maneuver between him and his wife, and they will eventually become the most distant couple and become strangers.
"But sooner or later, the truth will be revealed. Fu Jin is so smart, but right now, she's trapped by love. Love has blinded her. If this continues, how can she conceal the truth?"
"It's a one-day secret that can be hidden for a long time." Yinzhen was unable to close his eyes. He was completely helpless.
Last night in the dark night at Jingshan, he was suddenly attacked by hidden arrows, which had pierced him with holes.
People who practice martial arts have sharp ears and eyes. Although she was hidden in the darkness, his eyes never left her. He could clearly see the joy and bloodlust of the concubine.
The three poisonous arrows she used to assassinate him were hidden in a secret compartment in his study, which would cause harm if touched.
Yinzhen smiled bitterly and laughed at himself. He was so cowardly that he didn't dare to show his true face in front of her.
It would be nice if I could never pierce this layer of window paper covering my shame and stay with her for the rest of my life.
Just can't.
He is deceiving himself. What will happen even if it is Chi Zheng when the truth is revealed?
It is difficult to continue a broken relationship, which is the irreversible fate between him and her in this life.
Chu Xian and Sui Qing rode their horses to the official road and tightened the reins.
"Suiqing, what problem do you need me to solve? Just ask."
"Fujin, Chi Zheng is seriously injured. Ordinary blood-jelly and bone-healing vines will have little effect."
"The best quality Blood Drainage Herb can invigorate blood circulation, relieve pain, dissipate blood stasis, and stop bleeding. The aged Drynaria Rhizome can heal tendons and bones, invigorate blood circulation, dissipate blood stasis, reduce swelling and relieve pain, and accelerate the healing of broken bones. Furthermore, I'm still lacking a herb called Dipsacus asper, which strengthens tendons and bones and heals fractures."
"Go to the big pharmacies in the capital, no matter how much money it costs! Go quickly!" Chu Xian urged anxiously.
"These herbs are rare. The imperial court is currently engaged in a fierce war with the Dzungar Khanate, and they are under strict control. The best quality herbs must be supplied to the army first."
"Sui Qing! Tell me where I can find it." Chu Xian interrupted anxiously.
"Imperial Pharmacy!"
When Chu Xian heard about the Imperial Pharmacy, she looked embarrassed. No wonder Sui Qing was so embarrassed.
The imperial pharmacies in the Forbidden City required prescriptions from imperial physicians to dispense medicine.
The imperial physician needs to prescribe the right medicine for the right condition.
During each consultation, two imperial physicians would take turns to check and examine each other's prescriptions and discuss the final prescription.
The imperial physician wrote out a prescription, and the imperial pharmacy dispensed the medicine based on the prescription signed by the imperial medical office. The prescription also had to be kept on file for verification. The procedures were extremely complicated and interconnected.
Even if she was willing to spend time and effort searching every pharmacy in the city, Chi Zheng couldn't bear it.
"I will find a way to get medicine from the Imperial Hospital!" Sui Qing looked determined.
"No need! Let's go back home first." Chu Xian gritted her teeth. Even the imperial doctors in the Forbidden City were changing their attitudes and following the advice of the rich.
She is not favored by the Fourth Prince, and they will only add insult to injury. It will be useless for her servants to go to the Imperial Medical Bureau, and the medicine the imperial physician gives her servants will only make things worse.
She is the only one who has to bear this disaster today. After all, she is the prince's wife. Even if she is not favored, she is still the prince's legitimate wife!
For the first time, she absurdly hoped that she could be favored so that she could protect the person she loved. It was ridiculous.
After returning to the mansion, she changed her clothes without saying a word and returned to her identity as the Fourth Lady.
She walked quickly to the windowsill and her eyes fell on the walnuts in the red lacquer tray.
Inside the red lacquer tray, there is an exquisitely carved small gold hammer placed diagonally, which is used to crack walnut kernels to pass the time.
Sui Qing was holding a cup of tea and was entering the house through the curtain.
Suddenly there were several loud bangs, followed by the sound of Fu Jin's suppressed sobs.
"Fujin!!" Sui Qing was so scared that she dropped her teacup and pulled open the door curtain.
When he saw the broken and deformed left little finger of Fu Jin, he burst into tears: "Fu Jin..."
"Go get the imperial physician! Quick, discuss the prescription with him. Just tell him how many herbs Chi Zheng needs! We must get them!"
"girl!"
Xianrong, who came rushing over after hearing the noise, hurriedly wiped the girl's flattened little finger with a handkerchief.
At noon, Su Peisheng helped the Fourth Prince take his medicine, then sat by the door in a daze with a sad face.
The Flying Guillotine sent a message saying that Sui Qing had arrived.
"Huh? Why is only Sui Qing here? Why didn't Fu Jin come?"
As he was speaking, the sound of rapid and frantic horse hooves was heard outside the door.
"Su Sheng, come and make the medicine quickly!"
Sui Qing was so anxious that she didn't even have time to get off the horse. She hurriedly threw a dose of medicine to Su Sheng.
"Just boil three bowls of water into one bowl and drink it. I have something else to do in the mansion, so I'll go first."
"Why are you in such a hurry? I've saved you lunch. It includes your favorite cold-mixed bamboo shoots with red oil. Can't you eat it before you leave?"
Su Peisheng's eyebrows twitched. Although Sui Qing had a loud voice, he was calm and composed. He had never been so panicked.
I was shocked. Could something have happened to the lady?
When everyone was in doubt, the Guillotine brought bad news.
"Eunuch Su, the wife asked Imperial Physician Zhou and Imperial Physician Chen to see her an hour ago."
"What!!"
Su Peisheng was so frightened that his face turned pale. These two imperial doctors were good at treating external injuries, especially bone setting injuries and sword injuries.
"It is said that Fu Jin was cracking a walnut and was hit by the hammer. The injury was severe and the bones of her left little finger were shattered."
Su Peisheng opened his mouth in shock, stared down at the medicine that Sui Qing threw to him in a panic, hummed for a long time, and couldn't help but lower his head to wipe away his tears.
He clenched the medicine bag tightly and was about to step forward to report, but was stopped by Ye Tianshi, whose eyes were filled with fear.
"Eunuch Su, this matter... needs to be suppressed for now. Let the Fourth Prince take his time before speaking. The Fourth Prince has just taken the bone-setting medicine. If the broken bones cannot heal, I'm afraid he won't even be able to lift his left hand, let alone lose all his strength."
"If the master makes any mistake, you and I will be guilty of a thousand deaths. At least we should suppress the news for two months to allow the broken bones to heal. If we can delay it for three months, that would be the best."
Su Peisheng clutched the medicine bag tightly. "Let me think about it. Oh, yes, the Yuqing Palace sent a memorial yesterday. The Crown Prince ordered the Fourth Prince to go to the Zunhua Temporary Resting Palace to pay tribute to Empress Xiaozhuang Wen. Zunhua, a round trip, will take at least ten days."
"That's not enough." Ye Tianshi's face turned red with anxiety.
"Wait a minute... The day before yesterday, the eunuch in charge of Yuqing Palace chatted with me quietly, asking if the Fourth Prince could still go to Jiangnan on business. He said that Emperor Kangxi would go to Jiangnan again in the spring of next year."
"An imperial envoy needs to be dispatched to handle the affairs of the imperial carriage's southern tour. The Crown Prince intends to let the Fourth Prince handle the imperial carriage's stays in Shandong along the way."
"I haven't had time to report to the Fourth Prince yet."
"It's a good idea to go to Shandong. Once we finish dealing with the trivial matters, three months will be just right." Ye Tianshi applauded.
Su Peisheng was uneasy and secretly sent someone to Yuqing Palace.
After dinner, news came from the front yard that the Fourth Prince would have to go to Jinan Prefecture on business tomorrow and would not return until around the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.
Chu Xian was in so much pain that she drank a lot of medicine. After hearing the good news, she felt that the pain of the broken bones was relieved a lot.
I couldn't help but jokingly chat with Nanny Chun: "Nanny, look, I told you that even if I passed the seventh day of my twelfth month, the Fourth Prince might not have the time to even look at me."
"It's impossible... Why would this happen..." Nanny Chun wiped her tears. The Fourth Prince was so cruel. Everyone in the mansion knew about the noise of the Concubine's severed finger, but the Fourth Prince turned a deaf ear to it.
After all, she was the legitimate wife. Even if the Fourth Prince was unwilling, he should have sent someone to ask about her well-being, but he never sent anyone to say a word.
What a cruel heart! Poor girl... Aunt Chun secretly shed tears for the girl.
At the beginning of October, it was the day for Chu Xian to meet Chi Zheng again, but she was restless.
The injury on her little finger has not healed yet and is still tied with a bamboo board and wrapped with ointment.
It takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone, so it will take at least three months to remove the bamboo board. Even if the bamboo board is removed, it cannot be concealed that her fingers are deformed.
"Sui Qing, go to the manor to see how Chi Zheng is injured. Tell him that I am going back to my hometown with my husband to worship our ancestors and will be back at the end of the twelfth lunar month."
"Take the nourishing medicine I prepared yesterday, along with your clothes, shoes, writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."
Sui Qing accepted the order, but unexpectedly failed. She saw a letter left by Chi Zheng in the study in the west wing.
Coincidentally, Chi Zheng went to Shengjing City seven or eight days ago to attend his uncle's funeral, and returned on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month.
Sui Qing took the letter back to the mansion.
When Chu Xian saw the letter, she was disappointed for a moment and then secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fujin, the imperial physician is here to review your injuries."
"Oh, please ask for more medicine later. Keep it just in case."
Chu Xian put Chi Zheng's letter into the charcoal brazier and burned it to ashes, then walked to the front hall to find the imperial physician.
Imperial Physician Zhou and Imperial Physician Chen left the Fourth Prince's residence in cold sweats.
"Master Zhou, the Fourth Lady's injuries are not in good condition."
"I'm also puzzled. I quietly asked the maidservant next to the Fourth Lady, and she said that the Lady disliked the bitterness of the medicine and didn't like to drink it. She always drank half and poured the other half out."
"Hey, hey, hey, no wonder it's like that. We'll add more licorice to the prescription later."
"It's too late. If we delay too long, even if the Fourth Lady's broken finger heals, it will be twisted and deformed, and extremely ugly."
Doctor Zhou took off his hat and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "We wrote down the truth in the pulse record. The Fourth Lady was willful and unwilling to cooperate with the diagnosis and treatment. It has nothing to do with you and me. Besides, I heard that the Fourth Prince and the Fourth Lady..."
Imperial Physician Zhou raised his eyelids to hint at Imperial Physician Chen.
Doctor Chen nodded in understanding: "It's a pity that you don't get favored, otherwise you and I would both be skinned alive."
"Yes, you and I are very lucky."
On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, Wan Ning came to visit as soon as she returned from the Mulan Autumn Hunt, bringing two large carriages full of leather materials.
"Xian'er, why are you wearing armor? Didn't you always dislike the trouble of growing nails and never grow them in the past?"
Manchu noble ladies all had the habit of wearing armor to show their noble status. Noble ladies wearing armor did not have to do any housework and did not need to do anything by themselves, as they had servants to serve them attentively.
The higher the status, the more luxurious the armor.
"I'm just wearing it for fun." Chu Xian felt guilty and put the armor back into the wide sleeves of her cloak.
"Eh? No, your armor's pattern isn't right. Why doesn't it fit your skin so well? It's too fat and ugly."
"Xian'er, let me see!"
Wan Ning grabbed Xian'er's wrist without saying a word and took off the luxurious armor with gold enamel.
When Wan Ning saw Xian'er's twisted and deformed little finger, she was dumbfounded and her face flushed with anger: "Xian'er! What's going on? Is the Fourth Prince bullying you?"
"No, I was distracted while cracking walnuts and broke my finger." Chu Xian retracted her finger.
Seeing Wan Ning worried and angry, she quickly picked up a piece of Dingsheng cake that Wan Ning liked and handed it to her lips.
"I'm really fine. Don't worry about me. You'll be getting married in the spring of next year. How's the mansion going? I live next door. If you need my help, just send someone to let me know."
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