In the back courtyard reception hall of Yunluo Cloth Shop in Luzhou Prefecture, a brocade tablecloth was laid on the tea table, on which sat three cups of steaming tea. Two men and a woman sat around the tea table, discussing important matters.
Lin Bai took a sip of the precious tea and said, "General Wu has already defended the border city, and the young master will also set off for the border city in the next two days. It's just a pity that General Feng fought desperately to defend the city, but in the end, even his remains were not found."
At this point, even the usually unreliable Lin Bai fell silent.
Gu remained silent, while the woman in brocade sitting beside him sighed deeply.
Suddenly someone came to report from outside the door.
The newcomer, dressed in black, clasped his hands in a fist salute and bowed to the three, saying, "The woman whom the young master ordered to be looked after was ordered to be killed by the second master of the Feng family at the General of the Cavalry and the old residence of the Feng family. She suffered a minor injury to her arm but is otherwise fine and is recuperating at the Feng residence."
The guard finished speaking in one breath, and Lin Bai felt a strange thought rise in his mind after hearing what the guard said.
The fact that the Crown Prince of Libei would instruct his subordinates to look after a woman is quite a piece of gossip news in the new capital.
If the noble ladies of the new capital city found out, they would surely destroy all the famous porcelain and paintings in their homes before they would be satisfied!
The woman sitting in the main seat nodded and said coldly, "Understood. Call An Jiu in. You may leave."
Gu Chen remained expressionless, as if he had never heard such a juicy piece of gossip.
Lin Bai was less composed. He asked, "Sister Yi, what kind of wonderful person is she that makes the young master so interested?"
Feng Yi took a sip of tea and said, "How would I know about the Crown Prince's affairs? He was just instructed to keep an eye on him a few days ago."
Despite Feng Yi's usual cheerful and shrewd nature, she is definitely among the top five most discreet people working for the young master.
Seeing Feng Yi's nonchalant attitude, Lin Bai curled his lip and continued drinking his tea.
An Jiu quickly went inside to receive his orders, and stood below waiting for Feng Yi to speak.
Feng Yi said, "An Jiu, immediately report the news to the Crown Prince and tell him..."
Before Feng Yi could finish speaking, Lin Bai interrupted, "The young master's beloved woman is in critical condition, her life hanging by a thread. Tell him to prepare the best medicine and come to the General of the Cavalry's mansion to save her."
"Go, go, go quickly, or the people will be gone!"
An Jiu accepted the order and withdrew.
Feng Yi glared at Lin Bai and said, "If you dare to spread false information, the young master will skin you alive!"
Lin Bai chuckled and said, "Sister Yi, we're in this together now. Besides, don't you want to see what our celibate young master will be like when he meets this woman?"
Feng Yi calmly took a sip of tea. The reason she didn't stop Lin Bai was that she wanted to see what kind of status the person the prince had ordered to take care of held in his heart.
Anyway, she's just an accomplice at most. With Lin Bai, the mastermind, taking the blame, she's not worried.
Gu Chen watched Lin Bai's antics, and after a moment of silence, said, "The young master traveled three hundred li from the army."
The round trip is six hundred li, and the prince, who will be setting off soon, would certainly not make himself so tired and travel so far for a woman at this critical juncture.
Lin Bai knew exactly what Gu Chen meant. He pretended to smile and said, "Then let's make a bet. If I win, all the thousand-gold tea in your mansion will be moved to my mansion. If I lose..."
Lin Bai slapped his thigh and said, "I can't possibly lose, just you wait and see!"
Feng Yi watched Gu Chen and Lin Bai, one quiet and one lively, grow up since she was a child.
Lin Bai was always the one bullying Gu Chen, but Gu Chen was a quiet person who never complained or held a grudge even when he was wronged.
Feng Yi would also stand up for justice if she couldn't stand it, such as this time, "Today's Thousand Gold Tea, you moved it from Gu Chen's residence, didn't you? If you wanted to just take it, would he stop you?!"
Lin Bai chuckled and said, "It's alright, Sister Yi. I'll have my mother introduce a beautiful wife to Gu Chen another day. It won't be a waste of all the money he's spent on his 'precious tea' over the years."
Having said that, Fengyi asked, "What do you think of the Prime Minister's daughter that your mother mentioned to you the other day?"
Lin Bai covered her face and begged for mercy, "Let my mother talk to Gu Chen. I really can't stand the spoiled young lady's temper. Gu Chen has a good temper and can handle it. They're a perfect match."
Feng Yi smiled faintly, "If you're so capable, try saying that to your mother, and see if she doesn't break your legs!"
Lin Bai dared not, otherwise he would have returned to the new capital with Gu Chen long ago, instead of hiding in Luzhou Prefecture and living a boring life without any gossip.
...
Lu Qiqi didn't dare to return to the veterans' village despite her injuries. If her family found out she was hurt, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Lu Yao would shed tears in front of her, her nose turning red from crying.
Lu Dahai and Li Qingshan would think of avenging her, but the most troublesome would be Li Shi and Lu Shi, who would definitely scold her until her head was swollen.
With this in mind, Lu Qiqi decided to follow Feng Yuer's arrangement and stay at the Feng residence for a few more days.
Firstly, although Madam Feng has just woken up and her condition has improved, she needs to take good care of her health. Otherwise, she will not be able to recover from her age, and a minor illness could be fatal in the future.
Secondly, since Madam Feng ordered Second Master Feng to be expelled from the Feng residence, who knows what other trouble he might cause?
If Lu Qiqi were to return to the veterans' village at this time, it would be bad if she caused trouble for her family and the villagers. They were all honest farmers, how could they possibly fight against Master Feng, who, although he had no real power, was a sixth-rank official?
Therefore, Lu Qiqi felt that staying at the Feng residence was the best course of action.
Lu Qiqi took a short nap and just got up. She poured herself a glass of cold tea and drank it, which made her shiver from the cold.
As soon as I put down my teacup, I heard Feng Yu'er's voice, "Qiqi, I'm here to change your dressing."
“Come in,” Lu Qiqi said.
Feng Yu'er pushed open the door and entered, without any maids or anything accompanying her; she carried the medicine in herself.
After placing the medicine tray on the coffee table, Feng Yu'er said, "Stretch out your hand, let me see how well the wound is healing."
Lu Qiqi reached out her hand, and Feng Yuer rolled up her sleeves, revealing a section of her slender, white arm.
Her arm was bandaged with gauze. Feng Yu'er seemed to be used to treating wounds, and she could bandage and change dressings with ease.
Lu Qiqi guessed that Feng Yuer, being the daughter of a military general, must have bandaged General Feng's wounds several times in Shanhaiguan in her early years and was probably used to it by now.
For a moment, Lu Qiqi felt sorry for Feng Yuer, thinking of her loss of her father and the cruelty she suffered at the hands of her second uncle.
She is clearly a young lady who could be naive and innocent, but now she is forced to grow up and will have to take on the responsibility of taking care of her grandmother and supervising her younger brother.
As Lu Qiqi sighed that things were as usual, Feng Yuer removed the gauze, picked up a brown porcelain bottle, opened the lid, and applied medicine to Lu Qiqi.
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