Chapter 2 Distracted Mind Bai Xingzhi looked at the slender, delicate object in his hand…
Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, Bai Xingzhi carried Gu Xi off the carriage, and Zhu Yin quickly got off and followed.
The steward of the Bai family was quite surprised to see his master bring back two women, but dared not ask any questions.
He had been in the Bai family for so many years, but he had never seen the young master bring a woman back before. This time, he brought two women with him, so he couldn't help but take a few extra glances.
After the steward settled the two in a side room in the West Garden, a servant soon led the doctor in.
The doctor was about to bow when he saw Bai Xingzhi, but Bai Xingzhi stopped him with a look and pointed his gaze at the woman who was lying unconscious on the bed.
The doctor followed his gaze and could vaguely see a woman lying on the bed through the curtains. He immediately understood, grabbed his medicine box, and jogged to the bedside to take the woman's pulse and examine her.
"Doctor, how is my young lady?" Zhu Yin asked anxiously.
The doctor pondered for a moment and said, "Miss's cold is severe, and her high fever has not subsided. I'm afraid it will trigger her old illness. If that happens, there will truly be no way to save her." The doctor asked with a worried look, "Do you have any medicine to suppress the flare-up of your young lady's old illness?"
"Yes, yes..." Zhu Yin quickly took out a porcelain white bottle from her bundle and handed it to the doctor.
The doctor opened the medicine bottle, sniffed it, and examined it carefully. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he asked in surprise, "Young lady, did you obtain this medicine from Medicine King Valley?"
Zhu Yin was astonished. How did the doctor know?! Oh right, there was the Medicine King Valley mark on the medicine bottle! How could she have forgotten!
Medicine King Valley is so famous that if people find out about the young lady's relationship with Medicine King Valley, it will cause a lot of trouble. We must not let them know.
Zhu Yin glanced quickly at Bai Xingzhi, cleared her throat and said, "Yes, doctor, these were obtained by the master and madam through a large sum of money many years ago, and these are all that's left."
"Medicine King Valley?" Upon hearing this, Bai Xingzhi narrowed his eyes dangerously. The medicines of Medicine King Valley are not something just anyone can obtain. It is said that the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley has an extreme aversion to members of the royal family. Even when the late Emperor sought medicine for the Empress Dowager, he was turned away. For ordinary people, it is even more difficult to obtain them.
How did he obtain the woman? He didn't believe in the idea of paying a large sum of money for medicine.
Bai Xingzhi became increasingly curious about the woman's identity.
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, the doctor was overjoyed and continued to say to himself, "No wonder, no wonder... it turns out that he received medicine bestowed by Medicine King Valley. If an ordinary person were to contract this disease, they probably wouldn't live for more than a few years." If he had the chance, he really wanted to pay a visit, but unfortunately, the master of Medicine King Valley had an eccentric temperament and rarely saw people.
However, now is not the time to pursue this matter. The doctor quickly said seriously, "Your young lady is very lucky. With this medicine on her, her life is safe. I will also prescribe a few more doses of medicine to dispel the cold and strengthen her body. She can take them together." As he spoke, the doctor wrote down the prescription. "Once the medicine takes effect, she will sweat and the fever will subside, and she will wake up."
"Thank you, doctor!" Zhu Yin thanked him repeatedly.
The doctor continued to advise, "From now on, you'll have to take good care of yourself." He sighed and said earnestly, "This illness is very troublesome. You can't overwork yourself or get angry, and you especially shouldn't experience extreme joy or sorrow. You must remind your young lady to be careful!"
Zhu Yin nodded seriously. She knew everything the doctor said. If Madam hadn't been in critical condition, she wouldn't have let her young lady act recklessly. Fortunately, her young lady was alright, otherwise she would never forgive herself for the rest of her life.
After listening to their conversation, Bai Xingzhi frowned almost imperceptibly. The woman's old ailment sounded quite serious. Could this be the reason she was hiding in the capital?
After the doctor finished prescribing the medicine, Bai Xingzhi dismissed everyone and instructed that no one should come to the west wing without his permission.
After the steward of the Bai family put down the prepared medicine, he left, leaving only Zhu Yin and the unconscious Gu Xi in the room.
After taking the medicine, Gu Xi's high fever persisted, and Zhu Yin was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Just when the fever finally subsided, it suddenly returned. Gu Xi's temples were soaked with cold sweat, and Zhu Yin didn't know how many handkerchiefs she had to change.
During this time, Bai Xingzhi sent people to inquire several times, but Gu Xi still did not wake up.
It wasn't until noon the next day.
Gu Xi woke up with a stabbing headache. She felt like her whole body was falling apart, as if her limbs and bones didn't belong to her. Her throat hurt terribly, and her eyelids felt like they were glued shut.
She struggled to utter a weak sound: "Water...water..."
"Miss!" Zhu Yin, who had been keeping watch by her side, couldn't help but shout excitedly upon hearing the voice, "Miss, you're finally awake! That's wonderful!"
Zhu Yin quickly filled a glass of water and fed it to Gu Xi.
After drinking the water, Gu Xi became much more awake. She forced her eyes open and saw Zhu Yin's worried yet joyful expression.
"Zhuyin, where is this? What happened to me?" Gu Xi held her forehead with one hand and tried to sit up with the other, but her head was still a little dizzy.
Zhu Yin helped Gu Xi sit up, quickly tucking two mattresses behind her back, and asked, "Miss, how are you feeling now?"
"I feel much better. How long have I been unconscious?" Gu Xi suddenly remembered that she had fainted on her way back to the Gu family mansion. "Where am I?" Gu Xi asked, looking around.
After Gu Xi sat down, Zhu Yin began to speak: "Miss, this is the Bai residence in the west of the city. A young master surnamed Bai saved us on the road. You have been unconscious for a day and a night. I was so afraid..." Afraid that she would not wake up, Zhu Yin choked up as she spoke.
Gu Xi gently patted Zhu Yin's head and comforted her, "Silly girl, I'm fine."
After sobbing for a while, Zhu Yin began to tell Gu Xi what happened after she fainted. When she heard that the scarf and hat had fallen off, Gu Xi's head started to throb again.
Her parents always hoped that she could stay away from the royal family and high-ranking officials. She disguised herself on weekdays, firstly to put her parents at ease, and secondly because she needed to travel frequently between the capital and Medicine King Valley, which would save her some trouble.
If this young master Bai were an ordinary person, she wouldn't need to worry so much. However, according to Zhu Yin, he is not an ordinary person.
Our dynasty is quite particular about the etiquette of carriages. The emperor drives a six-horse carriage, the feudal lords drive five, the ministers drive four, the high officials drive three, the scholars drive two, and the common people drive one. The carriage that brought them to the Bai residence was pulled by four horses, so Gu Xi guessed that this young master Bai was not a low-ranking official.
People in the imperial court are always deep and calculating, especially those in high positions.
A woman of unknown origin appeared in the icy wilderness, and by chance, she moved into a house. It didn't seem like a coincidence at all, and she was even connected to Medicine King Valley.
Gu Xi guessed that this young master Bai was probably already investigating her in secret. Once the travel document was checked, how could she not be found out?
Perhaps he already knows who he is.
During the day and night she was in a coma, she had already lost the initiative.
*
Following Gu Xi's instructions, Zhu Yin informed the steward of the Bai family that Gu Xi had woken up, and also said that her young lady wanted to thank Young Master Bai in person. After saying this, she returned to the west wing.
While waiting, Gu Xi looked around the Bai residence. Judging from the furnishings and decorations, the house was quite old, but it was well-maintained, and the tables and chairs inside were polished to a shine, showing that the owner of the house was a person who paid attention to detail.
Bai Xingzhi came alone.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw this scene: a girl of seventeen or eighteen years old was sitting on the edge of the bed, her face uncovered, smiling at him with captivating eyes. Her peach blossom eyes were mesmerizing and extremely beautiful, as if her illness could not diminish her beauty in the slightest, but rather gave her a cool and elegant beauty.
Even though he had seen countless beauties in the palace over the years, he still had to admit that such a face was enough to be described as stunningly beautiful.
His gaze was involuntarily drawn to her, and from the moment he entered the room, his eyes remained fixed on her until Zhu Yin coughed a few times, which brought Bai Xingzhi back to his senses.
Zhu Yin couldn't help but think to herself, "Miss has been disguising herself for so many years, she doesn't know how alluring her smile is right now. Not to mention Young Master Bai, even I can't help but take a few more glances."
"Are you feeling better, young lady?" Bai Xingzhi coughed a few times after speaking, as if to cover up his earlier lapse in composure.
"I feel much better. Thank you, Young Master Bai, for saving my life!" After saying that, he was about to get up and bow in gratitude.
As soon as Gu Xi stood up, she felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground.
Zhu Yin immediately put down her teacup to help him, but she was too late.
Bai Xingzhi swiftly caught Gu Xi before she collapsed, his deep voice coming from above her head with a hint of urgency: "Are you alright?"
She shook her head slightly.
Looking at the slender waist that Bai Xingzhi could easily grasp in his hands, he felt a surge of warmth and softness in her body, which made him lose his composure. He quickly moved his hand from her waist to her shoulder and gently helped Gu Xi sit back down.
"Thank you, Young Master Bai. I'm sorry you had to see this." Gu Xi's cheeks flushed slightly, and the tips of her ears felt a little hot. The charcoal fire in the room made her feel hot, and she felt as if she were on fire again.
She had never been hugged like that by a strange man before, which made her feel very uncomfortable, even though it was just an accident.
"It's alright." After saying that, Bai Xingzhi found a chair by the window and sat down, putting some distance between the two of them.
"I have another favor to ask," Gu Xi hesitated for a moment before saying, "Could you please do me another favor, young master?"
"Please speak freely, young lady."
"We are returning to the capital to deliver medicine to our seriously ill mother. Could you please trouble you to send someone reliable to deliver it on our behalf?" Gu Xi asked with a troubled expression. "If I were to return in my current condition, I fear something might happen on the way. My mother's condition is critical, and any further delay could damage her health." The most urgent matter is to deliver the medicine back to her mother.
Bai Xingzhi looked at the woman's anxious eyes but did not answer immediately.
He picked up the celadon teapot from the table, weighed it lightly, and poured himself some tea. As he raised his hand, the wide, plain sleeve slipped down, revealing his well-defined wrist. He slightly raised his wrist, and the tea poured out, the steam rising and instantly filling his eyes and brows.
The tea is too hot to drink.
He put down the teapot, turned to look at Gu Xi, and asked casually, "Where is this medicine going, young lady?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com