Chapter 118 Carrier Pigeons
"But you've stopped taking your medication for several days now!"
Xie Yunyun clutched the purse tightly, unwilling to let go.
"Let me tell you, if you lose consciousness, I'll immediately squander all this money on jewelry and silk, so that you'll never be able to repay that so-called favor even after you die!"
"Xie Yunyun!" Xie Tingzhou gritted his teeth, spitting out each word one by one.
"This was given to me by the fifth daughter of the Xiao family, I cannot use it."
"Miss Xiao Wu?"
Xie Yunyun raised an eyebrow: "So what?! If you hadn't been so hesitant, she would be my sister-in-law by now. If she gives me money, I might as well take it."
Xie Tingzhou closed his eyes.
"Miss Xiao is no kind person; we'd better not provoke her."
"My dear brother, look at the time! I don't care, if you don't want this money, use it to buy jewelry!"
Xie Yunyun was frustrated with Xie Tingzhou's lack of ambition, so she could only provoke him verbally, hoping that Xie Tingzhou would weigh the pros and cons and agree to use the money to buy medicine.
It wasn't that she felt particularly sorry for her brother; the main problem was that if Xie Tingzhou were to pass away, she and her mother would truly be left all alone.
Without Xie Tingzhou's status as a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) which exempted them from exorbitant taxes and corvée labor each year, as well as the imperial government's grain allowance, they wouldn't even be able to afford enough to eat, let alone live in such a house in the capital.
"Hmph! I'm going to buy jewelry!"
Seeing that Xie Tingzhou was still deep in thought, Xie Yunyun grabbed her purse and ran outside in a fit of anger.
"Yunyun!"
Xie Tingzhou shouted so urgently that he choked on his throat and coughed violently. A strange, sickly flush rose to his cheeks, making his handsome face look eerily unsettling.
"Cough cough... Don't go, I'm taking my medicine."
Seeing him like this, Xie Yunyun was also very worried. What if Xie Tingzhou died before she could even get the medicine?
She pursed her lips and gripped her purse even tighter.
"Brother, please wait for me. I'll go get the medicine right away and be right back."
Xie Tingzhou released his grip, his withered fingers falling limply to the side of the bed. He closed his eyes, slowly turned over, and swallowed the metallic taste rising in his throat.
In the end, we still owe Miss Xiao Wu.
Fifty li west of the capital.
A low-key young man dressed in plain clothes looked up and gazed at the night sky, which was so blue it was almost black.
Suddenly, supporting his right arm with his left hand, he pressed down sharply on the hidden trigger of his sleeve, facing the azure sky. A short arrow flew out of his sleeve and shot straight into the air—
It was a messenger pigeon, slender and agile, with a small bamboo tube tied to its feet.
Few families in this dynasty could afford to use pigeons to send messages. Firstly, the manpower and resources required to raise carrier pigeons were too great, and secondly, there was a risk of losing the letters. Using pigeons felt like a waste of resources.
The messenger was probably very confident in this method, because apart from greedy hunters, no one would pay attention to such an ordinary pigeon.
The pigeon was struck by an arrow, let out a short cry, and then fell rapidly, crashing heavily into the forest in front of the boy, making a rustling sound as it hit the leaves and bushes.
The boy whistled and picked up the pigeon in a few quick steps.
"You're unlucky to have been born into the Xiao family as a pigeon. Remember to be reborn into a better family in your next life, so you won't be a pigeon again."
With nimble fingers, he removed the bamboo tube tied to the pigeon's leg in a few movements. He didn't intend to eat the pigeon, so he tossed it back into the bushes.
"Although it's best for people in our line of work not to infringe on their clients' privacy, there are no outsiders here anyway."
The boy pondered to himself, then, with a quick glance, opened the bamboo tube.
He unfolded a thin strip of paper inside, revealing a few words inside.
He finished reading it in a few seconds and then suddenly smiled.
"This Minister Xiao is really good at playing tricks; he's completely fooled the Lin family."
The most basic skill of the person who came out of the Tianji Tower was that he could remember everything he saw. He folded the note back to its original form, put it into the bamboo tube, sealed it, hummed a little tune, and swaggered towards the city center.
The Xiao residence.
It was already late at night, and everyone in Lanting Pavilion was on edge, waiting for the main courtyard to summon them.
Xiao Yuxuan also sat down in front of the dressing mirror and personally took the eyebrow pencil to carefully draw her eyebrows.
As expected, there's another good show to come.
"Has Fifth Miss gone to sleep? Master and Madam need you to go to the main courtyard."
Suddenly, Xinrui's voice came from outside.
"No, he's probably reading a book right now. I'll go in and let him know."
A maidservant answered.
A moment later, she walked in quietly and reported the matter to Xiao Yuxuan in a soft voice.
"I understand, that's all for now."
"Bihui, help me change my clothes."
They arrived faster than expected; I don't know if Qin Yuan and Cheng Yan will make it in time.
It was late at night. She changed into a light and soft plain-colored silk dress, and put on a simple yet elegant jade hairpin. Then she followed Xinrui to the main courtyard.
Xinrui walked ahead with her head down. Bihui glanced at Xiao Yuxuan and asked:
"Sister Xinrui, do you know why Master and Madam want to see you so late?"
The lantern's light was limited, but Xiao Yuxuan still caught a glimpse of difficulty in her eyes:
"Young lady, you'll know when you get there..."
"This servant is not good at guessing what my master means, but whatever the master and mistress say, I will do. In any case, the master and mistress will not harm me."
Xinrui also convinced herself in this way.
Fifth Miss is the master and mistress's own daughter, the only legitimate daughter of the Xiao family. If the master and mistress don't love her, who else can they love?
She thought Lanting Pavilion was a good place just a few days ago, but she didn't expect that in just a few days, the maids of Lanting Pavilion would start looking for ways to leave.
Sometimes, the master might not even know it, but the servants below might have already spread the word.
The old lady wanted to support the fourth daughter and officiate at the wedding of the eldest son and the fourth daughter, but she said that the fifth daughter was an "evil spirit" and wanted her to return to Jiangnan alone. The master and madam actually agreed.
This matter can be considered a big deal or a small deal. On a small scale, it's just that Old Madam Xiao is worrying unnecessarily and meddling in her granddaughter's affairs. On a larger scale, it means that Fifth Miss is practically all alone, with even her parents not caring about her future and focusing all their attention on their adopted daughter.
Given this, what future does Lanting Pavilion have?
"Thank you for informing me, Sister Xinrui."
Bi Sui replied, and the smile between her brows vanished instantly.
The master and mistress are truly heartless towards Fifth Miss! They've only just found her, and they're already sending her back to Jiangnan. I've never seen such biased parents!
Suddenly, someone patted the back of her hand that was holding the lantern.
Xiao Yuxuan looked at her, her eyes shining brightly under the light, while a gentle smile played on her lips.
"I'm fine."
She mouthed it.
Bi Sui twitched her nostrils, nodded firmly, then turned her head away, blinked, and let the soreness in her eyes dissipate.
Upon arriving at the main courtyard, Xinrui announced her arrival and then called Xiao Yuxuan inside.
"Father, Mother, what urgent matter do you have that you summoned Yuxuan here so late at night?"
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