Once she made up her mind, Cheng Ruyi's entire mindset changed immediately. She quickly asked, "Manager Wen, if I may ask, how is Master Wen's condition...?"
Upon hearing this, Wen He stopped and looked at her with some confusion. "Thank you for your concern, Madam Cheng. Although my master's health is a little weak, he is fine now."
“I didn’t mean anything by it. I just noticed that Master Wen seemed to be coughing quite badly. Could it be typhoid fever caused by the recent abnormal weather? I’ve heard that quite a few people in the city have fallen ill with it recently. Although it’s warm in spring, we can’t be careless.”
She actually suspected it might be a lung disease, since if someone coughs, the first thing to do is check their lungs for problems. However, she wasn't sure if Wen Jingqing had only recently started coughing or if he had always been like this.
"That's right. The master went out a few days ago and caught a cold after returning, which is why he has been coughing incessantly. He had recovered in the past few days, but I guess he caught a cold today, which triggered the old illness again."
If it weren't for the master's special instructions, Wen He would never have casually revealed his master's situation to outsiders. Although he didn't understand the master's intentions, it didn't stop him from doing so.
Wen He pondered for a moment and continued, "Our master has been prone to illness since childhood. After that serious illness, he almost lost his life and it took him a whole year to recover. Afterwards, the doctor instructed the master not to overthink things, otherwise he would continue to overdraw his body and affect his lifespan."
"But how could the master listen to advice? He still reads until late at night every day. Over time, this has caused headaches, making it difficult for him to sleep at night. He has also become increasingly thin and weak. He always falls seriously ill when the seasons change! Several times over the years, he has almost... Alas!"
Ruyi saw that Steward Wen was getting more and more emotional as he spoke, and he almost choked up at the end. She figured that he must have followed Wen Jingqing for a long time and that he must have really been very affectionate to show such genuine feelings.
Recalling her recent experience, she realized that although Wen Jingqing had been tormented by the disease for so long and suffered so much, she was still emotionally stable, treated people with gentleness and politeness, and loved to laugh. It was really rare. If it were her, she would definitely have bipolar disorder even if she didn't have depression!
However! Although she had a decent impression of him, it wasn't enough for her to risk exposing her secret.
So until she finished discussing the rabbit meat with Wen He, she had no intention of providing any pills, thinking that at most she would just give away some vegetables and eggs with each rabbit delivery.
The Wen family doesn't need many rabbits, just three per ten days, which won't change her rabbit breeding plan. This way, she can do them a favor and make some money at the same time, so why not?
As for what happens next, we'll have to wait and see how Wen Jingqing fares in a few months.
After finalizing the business deal, Ruyi was in a much better mood. She was about to stand up and say goodbye to Wenhe when a hurried voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Steward Wen! I heard the master has fallen ill again? What exactly happened?"
The newcomer was a young woman, no more than twenty years old, with a very pretty face. She walked straight up to Wen He with a worried expression and loudly questioned, "How have you been serving the master? Such negligence has worsened his condition!"
“Aunt Qi, Master has just had a relapse of his cold. Doctor Kong is taking care of him, and he is fine now. Please don’t worry.” Wen He seemed to be used to this and handled the situation with great composure and experience.
"In that case, I think it's alright if I take Ziyue to visit the master?" After saying that, Aunt Qi took a little child of about three or four years old from the nanny behind her and walked directly into the courtyard.
Upon seeing this, Wen He immediately stepped in front of the two and blocked their way. "Aunt Qi, Madam has instructed that the young master has just recovered from a serious illness and it is not appropriate for him to see the master at this time. It would probably be bad for both of them."
"How dare you! Wen He, you're just a lowly steward, how dare you stop me! You're so eager to become the Gu family's lackey, aren't you afraid of offending the Qi family?"
"shut up!"
Just as the two were standing at the door in a stalemate, Gu Pingting suddenly walked out of the courtyard. Her face was calm but imposing, and she coldly said to Aunt Qi, "Qi Hui, what kind of behavior is it to shout like this in front of guests?"
"Greetings, Madam." Upon seeing Gu Pingting's appearance, Wen He bowed respectfully and stepped aside.
However, upon seeing Gu Pingting, Qi Hui not only didn't calm down, but became even more agitated, saying, "Gu Pingting, what are your intentions in going to such lengths to prevent my son and me from meeting the master? Ziyue is the master's biological son, what right do you, an outsider, have to prevent them from seeing each other!"
"Qi Hui, I'll remind you one more time." Gu Pingting's expression remained calm and composed, but her tone was colder. "I am the legal wife, and you are merely a concubine! Logically speaking, Ziyue is my son, and you are just his aunt. Between us, you are the outsider."
"You!!!" Qi Hui's face turned red with anger after hearing this. "Gu Pingting, you've gone too far! It was clearly me and Cheng-gege who met first! It was clearly me who had been by Cheng-gege's side since I was little! It was clearly Grandfather who promised to help me find a wife! It's all your fault! If you hadn't interfered, I would be Cheng-gege's wife! Waaaaah~~~"
Unexpectedly, Qi Hui started crying as she spoke. This reversal really startled Cheng Ruyi, who was watching the show quietly from the sidelines. Just a moment ago, she was acting arrogant, unreasonable and domineering, but now she was crying with tears streaming down her face, looking very aggrieved after being told a few words.
"Enough! What nonsense are you spouting in front of the guests?" Gu Pingting finally frowned and said to the nanny outside the door, "Nanny Li, take Ziyue back to her room to rest properly."
“...Yes, Madam.” Li Mama hesitated for a moment, then, seeing that her mistress was still crying, she went up and picked up Wen Ziyue and took her back to her room.
Cheng Ruyi glanced at the child. He was very good-looking, but unfortunately, he was thin and didn't seem to be in good spirits. He hadn't made a sound since the beginning and didn't react no matter how the adults held him.
"Madam Cheng, please forgive my embarrassment." Gu Pingting ignored Qi Hui, who was still crying, and instead walked up to Ruyi and spoke to her.
Ruyi immediately realized that this meant she had to leave. She understood; family scandals shouldn't be aired in public.
So she very tactfully replied, "No, no, ah... well, it's getting late. Manager Wen and I have already discussed the rabbit matter. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave..."
Gu Pingting didn't stand on ceremony or pretend to try to persuade Ruyi to stay. She simply nodded to Ruyi and then gestured for Wen He to see her off.
Leaving the backyard required navigating around the entire pond to reach the other side, so Ruyi could faintly hear the two people talking.
"Ziyue has just recovered from a serious illness, and you have been taking care of him the whole time. Now you both look sickly. Have you thought that going to see the master like this will worsen his condition? Is this your way of caring for the master?"
"That's not what I meant. I just haven't seen him in so long... I heard that Physician Min has retired. My grandfather was quite close to him, so perhaps..."
"The old physician, Min, retired and returned to his hometown due to poor health. Fengzhou and Huaishan County are quite far apart..."
"This won't work, that won't work, your Gu family... the collateral branch... our Qi family..."
After passing through the moon gate and returning to the long corridor she had come through, Cheng Ruyi had a feeling of being in another world. She hadn't expected the Hundred Flowers Banquet to be so elaborate, and that it even included a play as a gift before she left.
Aunt Qi Hui... Oh right, she remembered, this spoiled little girl should be the famous granddaughter of the headmaster of Lingshan Academy!
No wonder she didn't take the Gu family seriously at all. As a concubine, she dared to use the first wife Gu Pingting's name directly. Even when she was scolded and cried, she only felt wronged rather than afraid.
When talking about Lingshan Academy, one cannot help but mention its headmaster, Qi Baihai.
It is said that Lingshan Academy was founded by Qi Baihai and several of his friends when they were young. Several like-minded friends later entered officialdom together. As their official positions and status rose and their fame grew, the reputation of the academy naturally rose as well.
Of course, the most famous among them was Qi Baihai. So after he retired from his official post, he served as the headmaster of Lingshan Academy. From then on, countless students flocked to the academy, hoping to gain the favor of this contemporary Confucian scholar who was admired by thousands.
Those who could catch the eye of Qi Shan were extremely rare, and all of them were exceptionally talented, such as Wen Jingqing.
It's likely that Wen Jingqing met Qi Hui, the granddaughter of his mentor, during his studies at the academy, forging an inexplicable bond between them. It's even possible that Qi Hui had secretly harbored feelings for him since childhood, but due to various twists of fate, Gu Pingting intercepted her, which is why she said those words just now.
Thinking about Qi Hui's behavior just now, Cheng Ruyi couldn't help but feel curious. With a family as upright as the Qi family, their granddaughter should be a well-mannered and dignified lady like Gu Pingting, even if she wasn't a great talent. So where did Qi Hui's spoiled personality come from?
Could it be a case of grandparents doting on their grandchildren? Or is it because the Qi family only has one pampered granddaughter, which is why they spoil her so much?
However, considering Wen Jingqing is so ill, it's really hard to understand why the Qi family would still marry their granddaughter to him, and as a concubine at that...
Wen Jingqing himself is quite remarkable. Despite his poor health, he still managed to marry two wives, both of whom came from excellent families and were exceptionally beautiful. They even bore him two sons and a daughter. Wow!
For some reason, Cheng Ruyi suddenly felt less sympathetic towards him.
As it turns out, no matter how upright, modest, or virtuous a man may be, he never refuses a wife when it comes to marriage.
Of course, in this social environment, it is not a bad thing for a man to have three wives and four concubines. In fact, it may even be considered a good thing. It is unrealistic to expect a man to be faithful to one woman for life.
After all, even with laws in modern times, many men still can't do it, let alone in ancient times.
Cheng Ruyi thought of Gu Pingting. Gu Pingting had a good family background and a beautiful appearance. She was even proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting from a young age. Such a beautiful girl was still trapped in the backyard after getting married. She had to do housework, take care of her husband and deal with the relationship with the concubines every day.
She couldn't help but sigh inwardly. If she had been born in modern times, Gu Pingting could have lived a completely different life... Of course, how can one know the joy of another? Perhaps she would find it delightful?
After everything that happened today, Cheng Ruyi silently made a decision in her heart:
A wise person doesn't fall in love; a man isn't worth it!
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