East Gate, Wu Guangping's camp.
"What did you say? Say it again?"
Just as dusk was falling, Wu Guangping finished inspecting the city gate guards and was preparing to have dinner when he heard a report from someone in his residence. He was so shocked that his eyes widened in disbelief.
The servant was so startled by Wu Guangping's sudden increase in volume that he knelt down with a thud, his shoulders trembling and his voice stammering.
The servant replied in a hoarse voice, "General, the First Madam said that she felt unwell after the banquet today and asked you to invite Princess Kangle to the manor for treatment."
Upon hearing this, Wu Guangping's face instantly darkened. "Does that madwoman think she's the Queen Mother of the West? The Princess of Kangle Township is personally appointed by the Emperor; she's not someone who can be ordered around at will!"
The servant was merely a messenger; he neither understood the meaning nor dared to speak, nor did he dare to look up at Wu Guangping.
After a moment, Wu Guangping thought about it and knew his husband's temperament well. Since the Lord of Kangle Township was willing to treat even a concubine, he probably wouldn't refuse this request. He could just send more gifts over.
The woman's conversation might actually be of some benefit to him.
"Alright, go back to the manor and have the steward select a few decent gifts. Tomorrow, send them to the camp of the Township Head of Kang Le, saying that the lady is unwell and requests the Township Head to come to the manor for a consultation."
Be mindful of your tone of voice; never make anyone feel threatened.
Wu Guangping knew the true nature of the servants in his mansion. They were as docile as cats and dogs in front of him, but behind his back, they all used the reputation of the General's Mansion to intimidate others to some extent.
The servant thought General Wu was pointing at him, so he bent his bowed body even lower.
Then, he respectfully replied, "Yes."
Wu Guangping glanced at him indifferently and said, "Alright, you may leave."
After the servants were taken away, Ye Lin, the commander of a thousand men in the battalion, came to see him.
Wu Guangping thought about all the recent misfortunes. The Tatars had recently ceased hostilities, and he wondered what tricks they were up to.
"This humble general greets the general."
As soon as Ye Lin entered the tent, he gave Wu Guangping a military salute.
"No need for formalities," Wu Guangping said, eager to know the answer. "How is the situation?"
Ye Lin straightened up. "Reporting to the general, I have searched everywhere I could think of, but I have not found any trace of the Cen family."
Wu Guangping took a deep breath and said, "They can't just disappear without a reason. Send more people and find them as soon as possible."
After Ye Lin accepted the order and left, Wu Guangping picked up a piece of the cooled braised pork and put it in his mouth, finishing the meal with a tasteless staleness.
......
The next day, Lu Qiqi got up early.
Recently, she noticed that Wangcai was acting strangely, always urinating indiscriminately and making the tent smell terrible.
This forced her to lock it in her space, and at night, she would only let one tiger, Xiao Ye, out of the tent.
"Lord, someone from General Wu's residence has arrived."
Just as Lu Qiqi finished her breakfast and was about to head to the wounded soldiers' camp with her medicine box on her back, she was stopped by Shijiu.
She turned around and saw three people following behind Nineteen, including a soldier in armor who appeared to be of rank.
The other two were dressed in dark blue robes and looked like stewards of the Wu family.
A servant dressed in a gray short jacket carried a mountain of gift boxes in his hands.
Are they here to deliver a gift?
Aunt Xiang has such great influence?
General Wu actually sent people to deliver gifts three times.
wrong!
Lu Qiqi quickly denied her previous speculation. It was probably because Aunt Xiang had given birth to a baby girl that she was no longer favored, otherwise nearly half of the servants in the courtyard would have been dismissed.
Before she could figure out why, she heard the middle-aged man in the dark blue robe say, "This humble servant greets the village head. I am the steward of General Wu's mansion. My mistress attended a banquet yesterday and has been feeling unwell since returning. I would like to ask the village head to come to the mansion to check on her."
I have prepared this small gift, and hope that the host will not find it offensive.
It was actually Madam Wu who invited us!
Lu Qiqi recalled the scene when she first entered the Wu residence and saw the First Madam and the nanny beside her. The two of them were not warm towards her that day. Why are they acting so differently now?
They came seeking medical advice and also brought generous gifts. Normally, she would definitely have accepted them, since there aren't many wealthy families who can afford to pay such a high price for a consultation.
However, since it was not her day off yet, she said, "It's not that I'm unwilling to help, it's just that it's not my day off yet, so it's not appropriate to leave the military camp at will."
Please, Madam Wu, see a doctor as soon as possible, lest your condition worsen.
The steward of the Wu residence simply smiled at her words and did not continue to refuse. Instead, he said, "Princess, there is no need to worry. Physician Ren will have someone help you ask for leave. You can just go to the residence with peace of mind. The carriage is already waiting outside. Please prepare everything as soon as possible."
"Please."
The manager seemed to have everything arranged perfectly, but he didn't think Lu Qiqi would refuse at all. His last sentence even implied that she absolutely had to go.
Lu Qiqi raised an eyebrow. "So, if I don't go, it would be disrespectful to the General? The servants in the General's mansion are certainly quite impressive!"
Upon seeing the sudden outburst of anger from the head of Kang Le Township, the steward froze in place for a moment.
It wasn't until he realized what he had said that he understood.
Having done this kind of bullying and intimidation so often, even after being reminded by the head steward before leaving home, he couldn't shake off this habit of coercion and bribery in a short time.
Instantly, his face turned pale, and he slapped himself, leaving a handprint on his face.
After punishing himself, he respectfully said, "Please don't be offended, Lord. I just spoke carelessly and meant no harm."
As the wife of a general, the general rarely returned home from his military camp, so the wife managed all the affairs of the household.
Over time, they toiled day and night.
"I hope the village head will consider that we are all women and allow me to enter your residence to examine your wife."
If it were just a slap from the steward, Lu Qiqi would definitely not have softened her heart. The way the servants acted showed what kind of person their master was.
However, the manager's last words made her hesitate.
Madam Wu's illness is probably not ordinary, after all, wealthy families like her usually have regular doctors who come to their homes for treatment.
Unless there are special circumstances, it is unlikely that anyone would choose the more convenient option.
It seems that only women's illnesses are difficult to treat by doctors.
Well, she should take a look. After all, this era is really harsh and unfair to women. Even seeing a doctor has to be done in secret.
This reminded her of Aunt Xiang's illness; if she hadn't met her, she probably wouldn't have been able to seek medical treatment for it for the rest of her life.
This visit to the manor will also provide another acupuncture treatment for Aunt Xiang, which will help her recover faster.
However, she was wary of Madam Wu from the bottom of her heart, even though the two of them had never had any unpleasantness or estrangement.
Women are generally very sensitive, so Lu Qiqi naturally wouldn't categorize it as a sixth sense.
Thinking of this, Lu Qiqi added, "Entering the manor is fine, but let me go home and find a helper first."
She figured it was Li Changlong's day off, so she brought her cousin to visit without giving anyone cause for gossip. Even if Madam Wu had any tricks up her sleeve, she would have to consider the proper boundaries between men and women.
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