Chapter 6
Qi Chengxuan?
The second son of the Qi family, whose father is none other than Qi Pingzhi, the magistrate who is now investigating criminals at the city gate, is young and good-looking. However, he failed the imperial examination two years ago and is now preparing for the exam at home, hoping to show his knowledge again next spring.
The Qi family may not be as prestigious as the Wen family, but Qi Chengxuan is the second son of the legitimate wife and now has academic achievements and a bright future. It is not considered a mismatch for him to marry a concubine's daughter from the Wen family.
but...
In his previous life, Qi Chengxuan married Zhuang Yan, and then less than half a year later, he took a pregnant concubine into the family. How did this happen?
"girl...?"
Seeing that she was staring blankly at the teacup in her hand, Hanxiang waved her hand in front of her eyes.
Wen Shu blinked belatedly, put down her teacup, and her amber pupils gleamed. "It's been a long time since I've seen Madam Zhuang. Let's invite her to our residence tomorrow."
Hanxiang gave a slow, dull "hmm." Weren't we talking about the Qi family's young master? How did we suddenly turn to Lady Zhuang?
Puzzled, she helped Wen Shu to rest, then turned off the light and left.
Outside, the rain poured down like a waterfall, but Wen Shu lay in bed, unable to fall asleep at all.
My thoughts were a jumbled mess, tangled together in my mind, forming knots that I couldn't untangle or break.
Wen Shu thought that she had to get rid of Pei Lingjun as soon as possible. In her previous life, he disguised himself as the grand-nephew of the old lady of the Wen family to get close to the Wen family, and then went to great lengths to marry her, scheming against everyone in the Wen family.
No matter what, we must not let Pei Lingjun enter the Wen family this time.
With her worries settled, Wen Shu breathed a sigh of relief, letting the overwhelming drowsiness engulf her.
The next morning, the weather was even more refreshing after the rainstorm. The dust on the green leaves was washed away, and birds sang and flowers bloomed outside the window.
Wen Shu took advantage of the early morning hours, avoiding the servants of the mansion, and went to the medicine shop with Han Xiang.
This estate was part of my mother's dowry, and we've been running it for many years. The income is meager, but it still helps supplement our household expenses.
The people on the estate are trustworthy. In the vast Anyang Prefecture, besides this estate, she really doesn't know where else such a living person could be hidden.
As Wen Shu turned into the courtyard, she saw from afar that the main house door was tightly closed and a food box was placed at the door. When she opened it, she saw that the dishes were no longer fresh, but she didn't touch them.
"He didn't eat anything last night?"
The servants who were brought in were trembling with fear. "Miss Hanxiang instructed that no unauthorized personnel were allowed to approach, and we dared not disturb her easily. We only knocked on the door and placed the food box on the ground. We really don't know..."
"It's not your fault, go downstairs." Wen Shu pushed aside the food box and suddenly opened the door. The heavy rain last night had finally reduced the faint smell of blood in the room. She looked around the room but did not see Pei Lingjun make a move.
"Could it be that he's dead?" Wen Shu asked with a rare smile as she leaned closer to the screen and peeked inside.
A young man lay on the couch, his upper garments removed, his wounds wrapped haphazardly with gauze, and a snow-white undergarment stained with blood placed beneath him.
Seeing that his face was pale and his chest was not rising and falling, Wen Shu took a few steps forward to feel his pulse.
Just as her hand reached for her wrist but before she could even touch it, someone grabbed her arm from behind. Wen Shu cried out in pain and furrowed her brows in pain.
When she opened her eyes again, she was met with a pair of handsome, cold eyes, like ink dots. She shook off his hand and scoffed coldly, "I thought you were dead. You made me happy for nothing."
Pei Lingjun was speechless; her blatant ferocity was completely different from the little girl in his dream.
It really was a dream.
"Sorry, did I hurt you?" As soon as he spoke, Pei Lingjun frowned in discomfort. His throat was dry and itchy as if he had swallowed sand. Since he was seriously injured and fled to Guangfu Temple, he had not eaten or drunk anything for two days and three nights.
"Thank you..."
"Pour it yourself." Wen Shu interrupted him, taking the medicine she had given him yesterday. There was still some left in the two porcelain bottles. Wen Shu put it in her bosom, not noticing that Pei Lingjun was putting on his undergarments and staggering off the bed.
With a sharp "snap," Wen Shu was startled. She turned around and saw that the shadow cast on the screen had fallen to the ground and was no longer moving.
The crisp sound just now was from Pei Lingjun knocking over the teacup, and Wen Shu quickly stepped forward to pull him away.
"Miss?! What's wrong?" Hanxiang didn't have time to knock before she pushed the door open and came in.
In a few fleeting moments, she saw her daughter crouching down, her hands resting on the arms of a handsome man, while the young man lying on the ground had his eyes closed and his collar wide open...
"Ah—Don't look at what you shouldn't see! Don't look at what you shouldn't see!"
Wen Shu struggled to grab Pei Lingjun's arm. "What time is it? You still say 'don't look at what's indecent'? Aren't you going to help him to bed?"
After a flurry of activity, Hanxiang stood by the bedside tending to the medicine box, while Wenshu checked the pulse of the unconscious Pei Lingjun. The room was unusually quiet for a moment.
"After the serious injury, he developed a high fever. Fortunately, the wound was not severely ulcerated. Bring the scalpel; we need to remove the necrotic tissue."
Wen Shu withdrew her hand; Pei Lingjun was burning up, he must have had a fever for a while. The fact that he had managed to remain somewhat lucid and speak to her since she entered the room showed he had some willpower.
Hanxiang handed over a small, thin-bladed knife, examining it closely, and said, "This young man doesn't seem like a bad person, so why is he kidnapping a young lady in the temple?"
Wen Shu glanced indifferently at the festering wound and asked, "Do you think bad people would have those words written on their faces?"
Someone as cunning as Pei Lingjun, if she hadn't known his true colors from the beginning, she probably would have been deceived by his harmless appearance just like she did back then.
She gestured at the wound twice, pondering the best way to proceed, and then said to Hanxiang, "Put some cotton cloth in his mouth. It would be a loss if he bites off his tongue."
In about half an hour, the rotten flesh was cut off, medicine was applied, and the wound was bandaged. When Wen Shu came to her senses and got up, her neck was stiff.
"Get the prescription and have the pharmacy prepare one dose of medicine every day."
"This person is so badly injured, do you think he can survive?" Hanxiang pulled the cotton cloth out of his mouth. "If he really dies, his body will be difficult to dispose of."
Wen Shu rubbed her neck and laughed, "What's so difficult about it? See that plum tree in the yard? We don't need to do anything about it. If it really dies, we can just bury it under the plum tree and use it as fertilizer."
The fragrance wafts softly.
"Kill it...bury it under the tree...use it as fertilizer."
Pei Lingjun heard a sentence intermittently in his confusion. His eyelids twitched for a moment. He really wanted to ask what deep hatred this girl had for him that made her want him to die.
Wen Shu ordered two packets of medicinal herbs to take back to the mansion to avoid attracting attention. As soon as she stepped out, she saw the servants of the Wen family waiting by the carriage.
Those were the people around the First Madam. As soon as they saw her, their eyes lit up, and they said with a smile, "Fourth Madam, we've finally found you! Master Qi from the Qi family has come to visit, most likely to discuss the marriage. He's inviting you over."
Wen Shu's expression changed slightly. "The Qi family has come to visit?"
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