As night fell, Lu Qiqi went to bed early, her eyes fixed on the ceiling.
Having fled from Yushan Town all the way to Luzhou Prefecture, she had overcome numerous obstacles and killed bandits and Tartars. However, she never expected to be targeted by local ruffians, which made her feel somewhat constrained.
Lu Qiqi knew that although she had martial arts skills, she could not protect her family in this era of supreme monarchy, which made her feel unprecedentedly frustrated for the first time.
Lu Qiqi tossed and turned for a long time, unable to fall asleep. She got up, left the room, walked through the kitchen, opened the back door, and went out.
"Awoo."
"Awoo."
Lu Qiqi looked at Wangcai running towards her and said softly, "Stop howling, or I'll beat you if I wake him up."
Wangcai ignored Lu Qiqi's harmless threat and rubbed its chubby head against Lu Qiqi's trouser leg.
Lu Qiqi's heart melted at Wangcai's touch. Taking advantage of the quiet of the night, she brought Wangcai into her space and said, "From today onwards, you should stay in the space at night so as not to scare Auntie and Ayao."
Bringing Wangcai to the space and letting it roam freely improved Lu Qiqi's mood considerably. She remembered that there were many insidious poisons left behind by bandit leaders in the small wooden house in the space. Having no other choice, she decided to administer them to those bullying thugs.
......
The next morning, Lu Qiqi did not go to the spicy noodle shop with Zhu Zi and Dun Zi, but instead rode her horse to the largest clothing store in Luzhou Prefecture.
Lu Qiqi paid the money, stored the horse properly, and after asking around, finally found Bixiu Pavilion.
Lu Qiqi stood in the middle of the road, looking up at the plaque of Bixiu Pavilion and the tightly closed door, clutching the jade pendant that Song Yanqing had left her, but feeling deflated.
With nowhere else to turn, Lu Qiqi asked the female owner of the perfume shop next door, "Why is Bixiu Pavilion not open for business?"
The female shopkeeper smiled and said, "This embroidery shop hasn't been open for three or four days. I don't know what happened. Miss, would you like a box of face powder? This face powder is a favorite item of the ladies of high society in the new capital."
Lu Qiqi's request for help went unanswered, and she had no interest in buying perfume. She thanked the shopkeeper and turned to leave, only to hear the shopkeeper's clear voice behind her, "Miss, come again next time."
Lu Qiqi rode back to Qingshui Town, intending to go to the spicy noodle shop in the West Market to help Liu Tong and the others.
As Lu Qiqi passed by the city gate, she saw a group of people gathered under the city wall looking at the list.
Lu Qiqi was afraid that Qingshui Town would experience another major disturbance like the last time the refugees vandalized the town, so she decided to go and check it out.
There were too many people looking at the list, and Lu Qiqi couldn't squeeze in at all, let alone see what was written on it.
Lu Qiqi waited a moment, then patted the uncle who had just squeezed out from the crowd and asked, "Uncle, what does this list say?"
The uncle, panting from the crowd, took a deep breath before saying, "Magistrate Hao's mother has contracted a strange illness. She is bloated and has lost her appetite. Magistrate Hao's filial piety has moved Heaven, and he is now issuing a reward of fifty taels of silver to anyone who can cure her."
Lu Qiqi had another plan in mind, and asked again, "The reward money given by Magistrate Hao is the same as the price for entering the city gate of Heshun Prefecture. The best medicinal herbs are worth more than this amount of money."
Seeing Lu Qiqi's earnest question, the uncle said, "Young lady, you are from out of town and may not know this, but Magistrate Hao of Luzhou Prefecture is a very good official. A few days ago, he took in a lot of refugees, distributed land to them, and even paid out of his own pocket to give them a bowl of thick porridge. Tell me, where can you find a few officials as good as Magistrate Hao?"
Lu Qiqi nodded. There were plenty of corrupt officials who held positions without doing their jobs; wasn't that one in Heshun Prefecture a prime example of profiting from national disaster?
Lu Qiqi thanked the uncle, and the wall of people surrounding the notice loosened considerably.
Lu Qiqi pushed through the crowd, stepped forward, and glanced at the information on the notice. It was exactly the same as what the uncle had said. Lu Qiqi then raised her hand and peeled the notice down.
When everyone saw that a little girl had taken the answer to the question, they were furious.
A man in a blue robe stepped forward and coldly questioned, "Miss, this is no joke. Magistrate Hao's mother is not someone you can treat haphazardly. Quickly put the notice back where it belongs."
Lu Qiqi folded the notice carefully, put it in her pocket, and said with a slight smile, "How do you know I can't cure it, or that I can't cure it?!"
"You damned bastard, you actually wanted to use the old lady as a test subject for medicine? Do you have any conscience? You think you can live a peaceful life without Lord Hao? Dream on!" Someone shouted, and in an instant, Lu Qiqi aroused public outrage.
"You little brat, how dare you use the old lady as a test subject for medicine! I'll teach you a lesson!" A bearded man rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward to lift Lu Qiqi up.
Lu Qiqi was speechless. Just because she was a woman didn't mean she couldn't heal.
Just as she was bracing herself for a fight, she was interrupted by an excited voice, "Miss Lu, what are you doing here?"
Lu Qiqi saw a middle-aged man carrying a medicine box walking towards her. The bearded man also stopped and stared at the newcomer.
When Lu Qiqi saw the man carrying the medicine box, whose skin was several shades darker, she almost didn't recognize him. She said, "Doctor Huang, weren't you in Heshun Prefecture? Why are you in Luzhou Prefecture?"
Doctor Huang's ancestral home was in Luzhou Prefecture. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he said to Lu Qiqi, "Miss Lu, once you take down this notice, the old lady's illness will surely be cured soon."
Hearing Doctor Huang's high praise for Lu Qiqi, the bearded man nudged Doctor Huang and said, "Old man, don't you dare team up with her to deceive people."
Doctor Huang was not angry when he was pushed, but he was angered by the bearded man's words. He said, "I have been practicing medicine for many years and have never treated human life lightly. This Miss Lu is a hero who cured the epidemic in Yi'an Village, Heshun Prefecture. How dare you say that I am lying? You are not right."
The bearded man was somewhat swayed by Doctor Huang's words, and his voice softened. He looked at Lu Qiqi suspiciously and said, "She's just a girl, yet she can cure an epidemic?!"
Lu Qiqi didn't offer any further explanation. At this moment, she finally understood why some people preferred to see bald doctors at the hospital—it was because seniority was determined by hair.
When you come to her, it's not just about whether her hair is white or not, you also have to see if her gender is a good match.
When the two soldiers at the city gate heard that Lu Qiqi had cured the plague in Heshun Prefecture, they erased the charge of Lu Qiqi causing trouble.
Two soldiers stepped forward and respectfully escorted Lu Qiqi to the magistrate's residence.
Lu Qiqi was led by a soldier through a side gate and through layers of courtyards. She didn't see many servants in the courtyard, which showed that Magistrate Hao was indeed an honest and upright person.
Lu Qiqi was taken to a courtyard to wait. The soldier asked someone to report to her, and soon an old nanny came out.
"Please come with me, young lady."
Lu Qiqi nodded and followed, entering Madam Hao's room. Lu Qiqi glanced at the two hanging plants on the flower stand; their long leaves had a faint yellow tinge, giving off an impression of withering and decay.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com