A strange light flashed quickly in Ayu's lowered eyes. "Please come in with me, my lord."
The curtains were drawn, obscuring the woman's face from the bed.
Ayu squatted by the bed and took out one of Nanqianyue's hands, which was covered with red rashes. She explained softly, "Sir, the young lady does not want anyone to see her like this. I hope you can understand."
Bai Shu nodded; he knew that A Yue loved beauty very much.
He carefully examined the hand covered in red rashes and diagnosed it as "hidden rash."
He then took out silver needles and inserted them into several acupoints on Nanqianyue's hand, gently rotating the needles with his fingertips.
Suddenly, his movements stopped abruptly, but he quickly resumed as usual.
After finishing the acupuncture, Bai Shu quietly packed up her medicine box, turned around, and walked out.
In the courtyard, Bai Shu took out the ointment and handed it to A Yu, saying, "Apply it once in the morning and once in the evening, and eat a light diet. You should recover in three days."
Ayu bowed and said, "Thank you, Lord Bai. Granny Wang, please see Lord Bai off. I still need to watch over the young lady."
Meanwhile, outside Qingyun Courtyard, Nan Kezhi was rushing over.
She muttered to herself as she walked, "Why does my older sister have a rash?!"
A dark figure blocked her path without warning.
Just as the maid was about to shout "Stop thief!", Nan Kezhi stopped her in time, saying, "Don't shout."
She recognized him; he was her elder sister's bodyguard. She seemed to recall her elder sister calling him Vida.
"What happened?" Nan Kezhi asked, guessing.
Wei Da's face was serious. "I would like to ask Miss Nan for help."
Nan Kezhi didn't suspect anything too much and asked, "Is it related to my eldest sister?"
Vida nodded and leaned down to whisper a few words.
Nan Kezhi's pupils gradually dilated, and her heart pounded violently.
On the other side, Bai Shu didn't rush to leave, but said he was a little thirsty.
Granny Wang then invited him to sit down in the courtyard and brewed him a pot of tea.
Just as he picked up his teacup to drink, Nan Kezhi walked in.
Their eyes met, and surprisingly, they understood each other perfectly. Without saying much, they simply smiled and nodded in greeting.
"I've come to see my eldest sister," she said as she walked, her steps never faltering.
Inside the room, Ayu covered Nan Qianyue with a blanket and hurried to greet Nan Kezhi, "Second Miss, the Eldest Miss has already retired for the night."
Nan Kezhi smiled gently, "It's alright, I'll just take a look, otherwise I won't feel at ease."
She walked straight past Ayu and headed into the inner room...
At the east gate, an ordinary horse-drawn cart slowly drove out of the city.
"Halt!" The guard stopped him.
The coachman turned out to be a burly old woman. She smiled obsequiously at the guard and handed him a bag of silver. "Sir, this is just a small business. I'd appreciate it if you could be lenient with me."
The guard pocketed the silver with satisfaction, then glanced at the carriage. "What's in the carriage?"
The old woman said with a forced smile, "They're just some low-grade cloth, nothing to be proud of, sir."
The guard gave a disdainful and arrogant smile, waving his hand dismissively as if he were a beggar, "Go on."
"Thank you, sir. You've worked hard." The old woman waved the reins and drove away.
At this moment, Xie Yanzhou rode in on horseback. He glanced briefly at the departing cargo wagon, then fixed his gaze on the guards.
The guard who had just accepted the bribe immediately became nervous upon seeing him.
"This humble servant greets Military Commander." The guard tightened his grip on his pocket.
Xie Yanzhou's expression was stern. "If there's a next time, you'll be suspended from your post."
The guard's back was covered in cold sweat. "Yes, yes, I will never dare to do it again."
The Prime Minister's Residence, Qingyun Courtyard.
Nan Kezhi sat on the edge of the bed and called softly through the curtains, "Elder sister?"
After a moment of silence, the person on the bed slowly woke up and softly hummed, "My sister is here."
Just as Nan Kezhi was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she suddenly remembered Wei Da's words and asked, "Big sister, let me see you."
Before Nanqianyue could answer, she abruptly lifted the curtain and was met with a pair of unfamiliar eyes.
"Who are you? Where is my older sister?" Nan Kezhi exclaimed, standing up and pointing at the strange woman to question her.
Vida, who had been waiting in the shadows, immediately ordered his guards to surround the house.
The strange woman sprang to her feet with a swift movement, drew a short knife, and held Nan Kezhi hostage, shouting, "Don't move, or I'll kill you!"
The woman resumed her original voice, which was stern.
Ayu quickly darted behind the woman, saying, "Second Miss, we need your cooperation. We won't hurt you."
Nan Kezhi refused to give in. "My older sister was so good to you, and you actually harmed her! Where did you take my older sister?!"
"Shut up!" The woman grabbed her shoulder and squeezed hard.
Nan Kezhi broke out in a cold sweat from the pain and was unable to speak for a moment.
The alarmed servants immediately summoned the guards of the Prime Minister's residence, who then surrounded the entire Qingyun Courtyard.
The Prime Minister and his wife rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
"Kezhi!" The Prime Minister's wife said anxiously.
Nan Kezhi cried out in pain, "Mother, my eldest sister has been captured by them!"
The Prime Minister's brows furrowed with anger, his voice sharp and menacing: "You audacious scoundrels, daring to cause trouble in my Prime Minister's residence! Release my daughter immediately, or you will all die a horrible death!"
The woman sneered, bringing her short knife a few inches closer to Nan Kezhi's neck. "Stop talking nonsense. If you want your daughter to live, prepare horses for us!"
"I'll count to three. If she still doesn't act by then, I'll kill her!"
"one!"
"two!"
"Wait!" Nan Xiang stretched out his palm to stop them, then turned to instruct the steward, "Do as she says, prepare two horses."
"Yes!" The butler wiped the sweat from his brow and ran off in a hurry.
Bai Shu leaned closer to Wei Da and asked in a low voice, "Have you informed the Prince?"
Veda's expression was grave. "I've already sent someone."
He was terrified that if anything happened to the girl, he would be guilty beyond redemption.
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