After watching the maid leave, Wang Qiaozhen couldn't help but feel nervous. She paced around the room, anxiously waiting for news.
Fortunately, after a quarter of an hour, the maid knocked on the door and returned.
"How's it going?" Wang Qiaozhen trotted over, holding her breath as she asked, "Did she have her tea?"
The maid nodded repeatedly and whispered, "It's been drunk. The cup and medicine have been thrown into the dry well outside the alley. Also, I didn't serve the tea myself, but sent the old maid to do it. I think it should be safe."
"good!"
"Well done!" Wang Qiaozhen beamed, but then her smile faded. She asked worriedly, "Little Hoof, is that medicine really effective? Have you been tricked by some quack doctor?"
The maid opened her mouth, hesitated for a few breaths, and then replied with a weak voice, "I have always been loyal to the Madam and would never dare to lie. According to the quack doctor, the medicine is genuine. Just take a fingernail-sized amount and it will induce apricot tinea the next day. But the exact effect will not be known until tomorrow."
"Real? Tsk, a quack doctor is always on the move. He might be in Heqin today, but he might be gone tomorrow and nowhere to be found. Well, let's wait and see!"
Wang Qiaozhen rolled her eyes and asked, "How toxic is it? Could it kill someone?"
The maid was startled, her face pale and she shook her head vigorously. "Amitabha! I followed your instructions and explained the situation to the doctor again and again. Only after we had everything clear did he prescribe the medicine. We only agreed to drive away 'Mr. Liao'. How could we dare to poison someone? We bought moss-inducing powder, not arsenic."
Wang Qiaozhen was nervous, but she said timidly, "Why are you so nervous? You coward, I was just asking casually."
"Human life is at stake. I would never dare to do that." The maid stammered.
"Alright, alright! Who dares? Even this lady doesn't dare."
Wang Qiaozhen paced back and forth, lost in thought for a moment, then instructed, "If Xiaodie develops tinea versicolor tomorrow morning, you must buy rose saltpeter to treat it. Humph, if rose saltpeter doesn't work, she'll definitely beg for a doctor, but the doctor won't be able to cure her. Once the tinea-inducing powder takes effect, you'll follow my instructions for the next two days and spread the word about Fang Sheng's medical skills. Do you understand?"
"clear!"
The next day. Early morning
The sound of reading could be heard in the west wing study. Gong Yipeng had nothing to do, so he patiently taught Guo Yu the "Three Character Classic".
Wang Qiaozhen slept until dawn as usual, washed and dressed, and when the maid brought her breakfast, she couldn't eat in her room. She calculated the usual time and walked slowly towards the main room.
She stepped over the threshold and looked up:
Wang was leaning on a low couch, while Liao Xiaodie was sitting beside the couch with her back to the door, serving her in a soft voice. The two of them were talking and laughing.
When she was in the Marquis of Jingyang's Mansion, Liao Xiaodie was also like this. She would visit Wang every morning and evening, accompany her tirelessly, and try every possible means to make the old man happy.
Hearing the servants' greetings and footsteps, Liao Xiaodie stood up, turned around and smiled, "Cousin." Her cheeks were flushed and had some small red spots, which were very conspicuous.
"My cousin got up really early."
Hahaha, it worked! She really got sick!
Wang Qiaozhen's heart instantly blossomed. She sneered secretly, then slowly approached and asked with concern, "Did you sleep well last night, Madam? The weather is getting warmer, and you're feeling sleepy. You should get more sleep."
Mrs. Wang patted the edge of the couch, and Wang Qiaozhen sat down in understanding. The old man helplessly replied, "What time is it now? No matter how sleepy you are, you should wake up. You always go to bed early and get up late. Be careful not to get dizzy if you sleep too much. Learn from Xiaodie, she always gets up early."
"It's spring sleepiness. I really couldn't get up early in the morning. Anyway, I had nothing to do, so I slept a little longer." Wang Qiaozhen leaned close to her mother-in-law, covered her mouth and yawned lazily.
With their family in dire straits and once again living under someone else's roof, Liao Xiaodie once again endured the humiliation and quickly agreed, "It's true that it's easy to get sleepy at this time of year. I was originally too sleepy to get up, but then my apricot lichen came back and it was so itchy I couldn't sleep, so I had to get up and look for rose saltpeter."
Wang was moved and sighed, "Alas, the mansion is far from what it used to be. Many things are not fully stocked. If I want to use rose saltpeter, I have to send someone out to buy it."
"Strange, why are you having it again?" Wang Qiaozhen frowned, then glanced at him nonchalantly. "When I lived in the Marquis' Mansion in the capital, I saw you having it every year, and I treated you every year. How come you haven't been able to cure it yet?"
Liao Xiaodie felt an unbearable itch. She pulled out a handkerchief and gently scratched her face. She smiled bitterly and replied, "From childhood to adulthood, I've had it every year. The doctor said it comes back every year. It's a natural condition, and there's no cure."
Wang Qiaozhen asked casually, "It's only the end of March now, isn't it a bit early?"
"The weather warmed up exceptionally early this year, and the flowers in the yard have begun to bloom. In my opinion, there is a high probability of a late spring cold snap." Wang guessed.
Liao Xiaodie nodded in agreement, "Yes. There's no need for a charcoal brazier at night. When you open the door early in the morning, the sun will be so bright."
"Hmm." After going through many hardships, Wang buried the grief of losing her husband and son and the ruin of her family deep in her heart. The older she got, the less she liked to take things seriously and the calmer her temperament became. She had a kind face and was cheerful and cheerful when chatting about family matters.
Liao Xiaodie frequently rubbed her face with a handkerchief to relieve the itch. Wang Qiaozhen saw it and felt happy.
After a while, the servant who had been ordered to go out to buy medicine returned. The maid handed him a paper bag and said:
"Madam, I've bought the rose saltpeter."
Wang raised her hand to signal, and Liao Xiaodie took it. "Hurry up and wipe it off. Your face is getting redder and redder."
"Well, I'll go back to my room, wash my face, and then apply the medicine."
"Go ahead."
Liao Xiaodie hurried back to her room, washed her face, and applied some medicine. Because she was short of money, with only a few taels of cash left, she was unwilling to spend it easily and decided to rely on the Guo family for everything.
Unexpectedly, after applying rose saltpeter, not only did the itching fail to be relieved, but her face became more and more swollen. She was so scared that she could not sit still and rushed to the main room for help.
In the afternoon, the sky was bright. Wang squinted her presbyopic eyes and studied it for a moment, wondering, "How could this happen? Could it be that the pharmacy gave the wrong medicine?"
"It shouldn't be. I'm very familiar with rose saltpeter. There was nothing wrong with the medicine I applied this morning, but for some reason it didn't work." Liao Xiaodie was terrified because it concerned her appearance.
Wang Qiaozhen knew it perfectly, but pretended to be angry, saying, "The pharmacy must have been careless and mismeasured the dosage! Humph, this is outrageous! It's truly like 'a tiger in trouble is bullied by a dog.' Back then, who dared to fool the Marquis of Jingyang's mansion? Now, even small vendors dare to fool us. Old Madam, why don't you have my third brother go to the county government and ask Magistrate Liu to seek justice?"
"Cousin, calm down. There is really no problem with rose saltpeter. I have used it so much that I can recognize it with my eyes closed. Please don't sue me." Liao Xiaodie forced a smile.
Wang sighed, "Qiaozhen, you're impulsive again. What kind of place is the government? Home is different from the past. It's better to have less trouble than more, to avoid the bad reputation of bullying others and making others hate you." She thought for a moment and ordered:
"Well, let's get a doctor in right away to see what's going on so we can prescribe the right medicine."
"Yes." The maid bowed and accepted the order, then told the boy to go out and call a doctor.
Liao Xiaodie expressed gratitude, "Thank you, Madam. I'm really worried about causing you so much trouble."
"It's nothing. This is just an old problem of yours, and you didn't want to get it. Now that it's happened, you can only see a doctor and get some medicine."
Not long after, the doctor came to the clinic to diagnose the patient. After observing, smelling, asking and feeling the patient, he started to write a prescription.
Gong Yipeng was standing by and asked worriedly, "Doctor, is my wife's illness serious?"
"It is indeed tinea versicolor, but it also has symptoms of acclimatization, plus the patient is physically weak, so it is a bit serious." The old doctor said slowly, put down his pen, and blew dry the ink.
Gong Yipeng was stunned and asked in surprise, "Are you not used to the local climate? We've been living in Xicang for many years, and my wife has already adapted."
"Where? Xicang is mountainous, and the weather changes every ten miles. Even though it's the same place, the climate and soil are the same. Your wife has just arrived in Heqin, and she's worried and weak, so it's not surprising that she's sick." The old doctor handed over the prescription and instructed, "Follow the prescription, take the medicine on time, and rest for a while. You will recover."
Gong Yipeng didn't know any medical skills, so he could only choose to trust the doctor. "Thank you."
As a result, after Liao Xiaodie drank the medicine, her face became even more swollen. By the evening, her eyes were so swollen that she couldn't open them. They were extremely itchy. When she cried, her eyes filled with tears, which made her feel even more uncomfortable. She felt that life was worse than death.
Gong Yipeng never cared about money. When his wife said they were short of money, he went to Wang for help.
Wang couldn't just ignore it, so she had to send someone out to invite another doctor to prescribe new medicine. She worked until late at night before she could rest.
next day
Wang Qiaozhen was afraid that she would be exposed in a hurry, so she slept in and paid her respects to her mother-in-law calmly. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law visited Liao Xiaodie together and returned to the main house to discuss.
"Oh, what's going on? I've asked many famous doctors in the county to see me, and they all said it was 'spring moss' and 'acclimatization', but none of the prescriptions they gave worked!" Wang sighed in worry.
Wang Qiaozhen bit her lip and said fearfully, "Oh my god, yesterday morning it was just redness on the skin, but today I see that his eyes are so swollen that he can't even open them? His face is scratched too! How scary!"
"Oh, what should I do?" Wang was upset.
Wang Qiaozhen brushed off her sleeves, stole a glance at her mother-in-law's expression, and muttered, "It doesn't look like spring moss. Could it be leprosy? Is it contagious? If it spreads to our family, it would be terrible. Especially the two children, their bodies are not as strong as adults, and they can't withstand it."
The two grandsons were Wang's most precious treasures. When the old man heard this, his expression suddenly changed. He could no longer sit still and said solemnly, "That's absolutely not possible! Yu'er is the only bloodline left by Hongyao in the world... In short, nothing can happen to these two children!"
"Immediately give orders that Yu'er is not allowed to get close to Xiaodie until she recovers. Also, tell the nanny not to take Ye'er out to bask in the sun for the time being. Keep him indoors to prevent infection."
Wang Qiaozhen was secretly happy. "I'll do it right away. Don't worry, Xiaodie might be well by tomorrow morning."
"I can't help but be anxious! If I can't take good care of my grandson, I won't be able to explain to Honglei when I'm alive, and I won't be able to face my ancestors when I die." Wang sighed, feeling very depressed.
Wang Qiaozhen comforted her mother-in-law with a few words, then went back to work, gritting her teeth and restraining herself so as not to show any sign of triumph.
Evening Guest Room
"Brother Peng!"
"My face, my face...is it disfigured?" Liao Xiaodie was panicked and extremely frightened. Her whole face was abnormally red and swollen, and her skin was broken in several places. Her eyes could only open a thin slit.
Gong Yipeng was extremely worried and replied comfortingly, "It's not disfigured. It won't be disfigured. Don't let your imagination run wild. Come, drink the medicine. I prepared and brewed it myself."
"I don't want to drink it!" Liao Xiaodie raised her hand and hit him, the medicine splashed half over her husband's body, and the porcelain bowl broke into pieces with a clang.
"Quacks, all of them are quacks! There isn't a single skilled doctor in this damn place called Heqin. Brother Peng, please think of a solution. I'm almost dying of pain, and I don't want to die." Liao Xiaodie hadn't slept for two days and two nights. She was exhausted and at a loss. She grabbed her husband's collar and shook him hard.
Gong Yipeng was in a panic, supporting his wife with his left hand and wiping her tears with his right hand. "Don't cry, your face will itch more if you cry."
"Think of a way, think of a way quickly!" Liao Xiaodie had disheveled hair and was completely irrational.
Gong Yipeng sighed and said helplessly: "Heqin is a small place and it is indeed lacking in doctors with superb medical skills. But -"
"But what? Tell me!"
Gong Yipeng asked, "Fang Sheng, Doctor Fang, do you remember?"
"I remember, but isn't he taking care of the medicinal fields in Yuehu Town?"
"Right." Gong Yipeng had no other options, so he explained, "Although Doctor Fang is young and not well-known in the capital, he once studied under a famous doctor. I heard that he is very good at treating acclimatization. When the old lady and her friends first arrived in Xicang, they fell ill one after another, and it was he who cured them all."
"Oh? That's great! There's always a way out!"
Like a drowning man grasping at a life-saving piece of driftwood, Liao Xiaodie said without hesitation, "Who cares if he's a famous doctor or not? Let's give it a try. Since that's the case, there's no time to lose. Brother Peng, I can't stand it for another quarter of an hour. Go and say goodbye to the old lady and ask for a car. We're going to Yuehu Lake right away!"
"Traveling all night?"
The disease was tormenting, and Liao Xiaodie was worried about being disfigured. She was extremely anxious and asked in tears, "Do you want to watch me die in pain?"
"What? Of course I didn't mean that." Gong Yipeng stood up and walked hurriedly. "You take a rest. I'll go report to the old lady."
In the main hall
"Traveling at night?"
"Isn't that a good idea?" Wang Qiaozhen pretended to be surprised. "It's so dark, how can we catch a bus? It's best to wait until tomorrow morning."
Wang frowned, "We haven't been to Yuehu Lake, but we heard it's a long way off, with high mountains and dense forests, and many wild animals."
Gong Yipeng replied sadly, "I understand, but there's nothing we can do. Xiaodie is very ill. To avoid any further complications, we can't wait until tomorrow morning. The sooner we can see Doctor Fang, the sooner we can get treatment. So, we decided to leave right away."
"This..." Wang thought for a moment and finally agreed, "Alas, there's really no other way. The county doctor is useless. Let's let Fang Sheng try. Qiaozhen, have someone prepare a carriage and select two more people to lead the way."
"Yipeng, be careful on your journey."
Gong Yipeng bowed and said, "Yes. But the pearl...?"
"Let the child stay. She's used to living here." Wang replied tiredly.
"Thank you, ma'am!"
So, not long after, in the twilight, a carriage left Guangchang Lane and headed towards Liu Village, Yuehu Town.
After the success, Wang Qiaozhen returned to her room and collapsed on the couch, laughing so hard that she pounded her pillow. She asked triumphantly, "I told you it would be successful within three days. How's that?"
"Madam is extremely intelligent and can foresee things like a god. I admire you!" The plot succeeded, and the maidservant complimented her skillfully.
Wang Qiaozhen raised her head and sneered, "Humph, Liao Xiaodie is still a little naive to fight me."
At this moment, Yongzhou Chu Festival
After days of traveling and surveying farmland, Jiang Yushu and others were exhausted. In the evening, they returned to the car to rest, still following the soldiers of Tu Ningwei.
Since her husband was leading the way ahead, Jiang Yushu was not worried about her safety at all. She and Cuimei snuggled up to each other and fell asleep peacefully.
I don't know how long I slept, the carriage gradually stopped, and the two of them suddenly leaned forward and woke up at the same time.
Cuimei groaned, rubbed her eyes, stretched, and asked dazedly, "Hey? It's getting dark. Are we at Chujie County yet?"
"It should be." Jiang Yushu took a sip of water, lifted the curtain, and looked out: it was dusk, and the dilapidated Chujie County was only a hundred meters away.
At the city gate, in addition to Guo Honglei and his men, there was also a group of strangers gathered in a circle, and no one knew what they were doing.
Jiang Yushu didn't think too much about it. She lowered the curtains and said, "A lot of people want to go into the city. I guess the inspection will last until dark."
"The warrant to enter the city is with the young master. He will definitely let us in first." Cuimei lowered her head to pack her bag.
Jiang Yushu smiled and said, "Even if we enter the city first, we still have to wait for him." As soon as she finished speaking, a sudden noise came from the city gate, mixed with the woman's angry scolding:
"Pei Wenfeng!"
"You are hypocritical, but you are colluding with corrupt officials. You are not a good person either!"
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