Chapter 13 The maid was dizzy and couldn't stand steadily. She stood up, then bent down again...
She stood up and bent down to hug Zhuozhuo.
Zhuozhuo knew that Jiang Zhuoying had come to hug her, and happily snuggled into her arms...
Feeling the weight in her arms, Jiang Zhuoying gritted her teeth and used all her strength to lift the slippery red carp.
The earthenware jar filled with water was on the shore, and she moved towards it with difficulty.
With the resistance of the water and the unbearable weight in her arms, she struggled to walk.
"Don't press down on the fiery tail fin."
The cold voice, with the only trace of concern in it, was clearly not meant for her.
As the cool autumn evening breeze blew, Jiang Zhuoying felt a chill run down her spine and couldn't help but shiver.
The chubby red carp in her arms trembled slightly, and Jiang Zhuoying quickly hugged it tighter...
Recalling the eight-character mantra for getting close to someone, Jiang Zhuoying suppressed her displeasure and replied softly, "Your Highness, please rest assured, this servant will definitely not hurt Zhuozhuo."
"Mmm." A soft voice carried by the autumn breeze reached Jiang Zhuoying's ear.
She secretly glared at him from the side before continuing forward...
Finally reaching the shore, Jiang Zhuoying bit her lip, took a deep breath, and in one go lifted the red carp in her arms and threw it into the earthenware jar.
With a "plop," water splashed everywhere, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
The man immediately asked, "Was it returned to the earthenware jar?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Jiang Zhuoying said softly.
"Well, just bear with it a little longer, someone will bring you a cloak."
Jiang Zhuoying: "..."
She endured it!
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."
Jiang Zhuoying answered timidly and shyly.
Her clothes were soaked, which was really unseemly, so she had no choice but to retreat back into the water.
As darkness fell, the pool water grew increasingly icy cold, and she couldn't help but shiver as she immersed herself in it.
Footsteps approached again in the courtyard, followed by a familiar, high-pitched voice: "Master, this servant has brought your cloak."
"Um."
Chu Yixin stood with his back to the pool. Jiang Zhuoying took the black cloak from his hand, wrapped it around herself, and then huddled back to the shore.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I have already wrapped my cloak around myself."
The girl's voice was soft and weak, and upon closer listening, it even trembled, as if she had been chilled in the pool.
Qi Fan then looked at her properly.
The little maid with her hair styled in double buns, wrapped in his dark patterned black cloak, was petite and delicate like a droopy rabbit, standing on the shore shivering.
He was tall, and the cloak was too big for her; a long section of it dragged on the ground, leaving a long, obvious water stain.
"Take her to change her clothes." The man looked away.
"Yes." Chu Yixin turned her head slightly, but her eyes did not look directly at the girl behind her. "Please come with me, young lady."
He led Jiang Zhuoying into the main room, then found a stack of clothes for her: "There are no women's clothes in this courtyard. This outfit is newly made, so please make do with it, Miss."
Jiang Zhuoying immediately nodded and smiled gratefully at him: "Thank you very much, Eunuch Chu."
Chu Yixin gave her a few more instructions, then walked past her and left, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.
Jiang Zhuoying then touched the smoky-colored robe placed on the table; the material and color were extremely understated.
She lifted the robe to measure the length; it should be the Second Prince's own robe.
The fabric clinging to my body felt sticky and uncomfortable.
She immediately changed out of her original dress and put on this obviously oversized men's clothing.
Chu Yixin also prepared another dry cloak for her, which she put on and wrapped herself up tightly.
It's getting late, so it seems she'll be staying here for the time being.
I wonder which room Eunuch Chu will arrange for her to rest in?
Jiang Zhuoying tiptoed out of the room, mentally rehearsing her tone for expressing gratitude later...
The tall figure remained standing beside the earthenware jar, presumably still observing Zhuozhuo inside, while Chu Yixin stood behind him holding an oil lamp.
Jiang Zhuoying held the edge of the cloak and slowly moved to the front of the earthenware jar, then bent down: "This servant has already changed her clothes. Thank you, Your Highness, and thank you, Eunuch Chu."
She lowered her eyes slightly, her gaze fixed on the red carp in the earthenware jar, motionless.
Wasn't it said that the Second Prince preferred gentle and obedient women?
Today she was extremely obedient, gentle, and charming.
"How did you know there was something wrong with this pool of water?" A clear, cold voice rang out above.
Jiang Zhuoying was taken aback, and immediately blurted out the words she had prepared: "Your Highness, I have been learning to raise carp since I was a child, and every move of this red carp has a reason."
"Zhuozhuo's actions just now were an attempt to escape this pool. If Your Highness has any doubts, you may send someone to investigate."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion came from the courtyard gate.
It was Yu Ji who invited Doctor Wang over, and as soon as he arrived, Yu Ji left again without stopping.
Jiang Zhuoying secretly observed the doctor, confirming that this was the same veterinarian from the palace she had seen when she woke up from the vat.
It was also the same Doctor Wang who accepted the Second Prince's jade pendant with trepidation.
Qi Fan immediately ordered him to thoroughly investigate the pool water and find out the reason why Zhuozhuo suddenly went mad.
Jiang Zhuoying stood silently to one side, as she was feeling a little sleepy.
No matter what, she had just recovered from a serious illness and had just gone through this ordeal, still wearing her wet clothes.
She wanted to lie down and rest.
Just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard the man's command: "Have someone send her back."
Jiang Zhuoying abruptly raised her head: "?"
She had just rescued Zhuozhuo from the water, looking so pitiful, and it was already completely dark. Yet this person made her drag her exhausted body back to the mansion.
Her guess was correct.
Chu Yixin was already walking towards her with an oil lamp in hand: "Miss, come with me, I'll have someone take you back to your residence right away."
Jiang Zhuoying frowned; she couldn't go back at this time!
If this opportunity is missed, it will be difficult to find another reason to get close to the Second Prince.
"Miss?" Chu Yixin called out again in a high-pitched voice.
Jiang Zhuoying suddenly staggered, clutching her forehead and looking up: "Eunuch Chu, this servant... this servant is terribly dizzy, what were you just saying..."
As soon as she finished speaking, she fell to the side and fainted on the soft grass.
Chu Yixin was startled and quickly turned around: "Master, that girl has fainted!"
Jiang Zhuoying closed her eyes, waiting for the Second Prince to speak.
But the cold voice never rang out; instead, she heard a series of scattered yet hurried footsteps surrounding her.
"Sir, what should we do? Steward Yu has gone back to the other courtyard, and we... don't have a doctor here?"
Jiang Zhuoying was relieved that it was already dark, and the light was dim, making it difficult to see her expression.
It would be too easy to expose the deception if it were taken seriously...
She soon smelled a bittersweet aroma of sandalwood.
It felt as if someone pressed their palm against her forehead, and then came the clear, cold voice she had been waiting for: "You're getting hot."
She has a fever? She actually has a fever? But she's clearly faking it.
"She has a fever?" Chu Yixin exclaimed in surprise. He turned around and called out loudly, "Doctor Wang, if this woman has a fever, can you treat her?"
Jiang Zhuoying: "?"
She forced herself not to wake up on the spot and refute him. If she remembered correctly, Dr. Wang was a veterinarian!
"Oh dear, Eunuch Chu, please don't make things difficult for me. How could I possibly treat this person? Quickly, go and fetch the imperial physician!"
Dr. Wang's shouts could be heard from afar.
Jiang Zhuoying immediately breathed a sigh of relief...
"Go into town and fetch a doctor." The man pursed his lips, glanced at Chu Yixin, and then picked up the little girl from the grass.
As soon as he stood up straight, he frowned.
The person in my arms was petite and delicate, light and soft, and exuded a faint, gentle floral fragrance...
The man braced himself against his arms and pulled Jiang Zhuoying a little further away from him, his expression becoming increasingly stern.
*
Jiang Zhuoying knew that she had been carried into the room and laid flat on the couch.
Unable to open her eyes, and with her mind growing increasingly foggy, she actually drifted off to sleep...
When she woke up, it was already daylight.
Jiang Zhuoying opened her eyes, feeling completely exhausted and powerless. She forced herself to sit up and looked outside.
A figure approached more and more indistinctly outside the gauze curtains, and then with a 'whoosh' the curtains were pulled back.
"Who are you?"
Jiang Zhuoying frowned. The person in front of her was a woman, but as far as she knew, there were no other women in this courtyard.
Her throat was dry and sore, and then she coughed a few times.
“Young lady, I am a female doctor who runs a clinic in Luojing City. I came here last night. Your fever has just subsided, so it’s normal for you to feel weak. Why don’t you rest a little longer?”
Jiang Zhuoying was somewhat surprised. A female doctor?
She took the medicine bowl from the person and lowered her eyes to sip the medicine.
At the same time, she realized that this was a doctor whom the Second Prince had sent to fetch overnight.
In today's world, it's already difficult for women to learn medicine, let alone open their own clinic.
She raised her head and took a closer look at the female doctor; she had a beautiful appearance and a refined temperament.
"Don't complain about the bitterness of this medicine. Good medicine tastes bitter, so drink it while it's hot as soon as possible."
Jiang Zhuoying was slightly taken aback, only then realizing that she had been staring at a woman so intently.
She frowned as she drank the medicine, her mouth immediately filled with bitterness.
The medicine bowl in her hand was taken back: "Your body is still weak. This medicine is enough for six days. Remember to drink it all."
The woman turned around, put down the medicine bowl, and picked up a small porcelain bottle: "This is my own concoction of Jade Skin Cream. I see you still have some minor acne scars on your body. Applying this cream will help them heal faster."
Jiang Zhuoying nodded absentmindedly, "Thank you."
"By the way, I saw you wearing a wet undershirt last night, so you probably didn't have any suitable clothes to change into. This morning I went home specifically to get a few of my own clothes."
"These are all handmade by me and have never been worn before. If you don't mind, I'll give them to you."
Jiang Zhuoying felt a warmth in her heart. She looked at the few thin pieces of fabric in the woman's hand and sincerely thanked her: "Thank you."
The woman returned her a gentle smile: "My name is Liu Zhiyou, you can call me Ayou."
"Ayou, my name is Jiang."
Jiang Zhuoying paused slightly, then immediately added, "Jiang Zhuo, the Jiang of rivers and the Zhuo of scorching heat."
"Well, A-Zhuo, you're all better now. I need to hurry back to the city; there must be a long queue outside the clinic."
Jiang Zhuoying nodded repeatedly: "Okay, thank you for your hard work last night. It's not easy for you to come in the middle of the night."
Liu Zhiyou paused in packing the medicine box, then smiled at her and said, "Fortunately, my husband came with me."
A note from the author:
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Qi Gou's arm strength is still pretty good.
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