Chapter 26: Terrible "Is the prince looking for medicine, or something else...
"Many years?"
"Yes, he should be almost twenty years old."
Lin Meizhu was a little disappointed. Although the exact month of birth was unknown, Chen Huisheng had felt his bones on the seventh day of the first lunar month, and he was 22 years old this year.
The Yellow Book of the Wei Dynasty was recompiled every ten years. When Chuqi arrived at the county government office, she only submitted a temporary "blank book". Lin Meiju was a little unhappy when she saw the head of the village wrote the word "Chuqi" on the guarantee document.
"Why doesn't Grandpa help Chuqi pick a name?"
Chen Huisheng stood in front of the stone mortar, pounding medicine, and glanced at her. "His family will take him home sooner or later. Isn't giving him a name unnecessary?"
Lin Meizhu laughed joyfully and tugged at Chuqi's sleeve. Chuqi just smiled faintly and patted her little head.
Looking back now, the local county government could only post notices in their own county or neighboring counties looking for the deceased. In previous years, bandits were rampant, and famine and floods struck the Huguang region, leaving many displaced, not to mention the many children abandoned by the poor. Furthermore, since Chuqi couldn't remember his origins on the seventh day, tracing his roots was nearly impossible.
Lin Meiju thought that Chuqi probably understood the truth at that time, but did not tell her because he could not bear to make her sad.
Li Minzhi noticed the atmosphere was too heavy and interrupted, "The eldest princess served in the army when she was young and even worked as a military doctor for a while. Perhaps you could discuss this."
Lin Meizhu's fondness for the princess deepened. She replied, "I've only learned the basics. I wouldn't dare show off in front of the princess."
Li Minzhi had witnessed her medical skills. After her own heart attacks, she had always needed to rest in bed for a day or two to recover. She replied, "You're too modest. I've never recovered so quickly from a heart attack... Even if you were admitted to the Imperial Medical Bureau, no one would dare underestimate you."
When they first met in the bamboo forest, Li Minzhi's words touched Lin Meizhu's heart. It wasn't until today, when she suddenly realized, that she realized a seed had been dormant deep in her soul. After experiencing the scorching fire of karma, it suddenly broke through the dusty earth and suddenly illuminated the first rays of sunlight on this unknown morning.
This little seedling is destined to endure many storms, but it already has enough courage and perseverance to fight against the world.
For the first time, Lin Meizhu generously accepted the other party's compliment, "I'm glad I could help you."
Seeing that her attitude was not as firm as before, Li Minzhi was in a good mood. "What's the big deal? I want to ask you for a favor."
"What is it?"
As they were talking, Li Minzhi's maid Qingdai came to tell them that the guest had arrived at the guest room.
Li Minzhi blinked, "Speak of the devil, and he will appear."
Outside the room, the wind swirled muffledly in front of the window, and the shadows of the bamboo drooped lazily.
The sound of footsteps came from the bamboo corridor, and the mottled branches and leaves on the windows swayed gently.
"Why are you back so late?"
Not hearing the expected response, Shen Changfeng seemed to have sensed something and turned to face Qingsong's hesitant face.
"Sir, the county lady knows you're not feeling well and has brought a doctor here."
Shen Changfeng waved his hand: "Just say I'm going to rest and send him out."
Qingsong agreed, and Shen Changfeng stopped him, "Burn all the medicine she left behind."
Qingsong didn't understand why, but he still agreed. Shen Changfeng said slowly: "Don't harm others, these medicines... ordinary people can't bear them."
Qingsong groaned inwardly. The prince's guess was spot-on. How did he know he was planning to give it to his good brother Chen Yue? But then again, what kind of powerful medicine was this?
Of course Qingsong didn't dare to ask why. Just as he was about to leave, he saw Shen Changfeng staring at him. Qingsong hurriedly asked, "What are your instructions, my lord?"
"Didn't you tell the Crown Princess that I was going back to the villa?"
Qingsong shook his head like a broken wave drum, "I have asked Qing'er to pass on a message."
"Then what?" Why hasn't he come back after half a day?
Qingsong said: "The Crown Prince's Consort said 'I understand'."
Shen Changfeng: "No more?"
Qingsong said with embarrassment: "The princess rewarded me with a bowl of ice."
Shen Changfeng: "That's it?"
Qingsong felt even more embarrassed, yet he couldn't hide his happiness. "I had a bowl of iced tea, two pieces of red watermelon, and five iced cherries... They were all prepared by the Crown Princess herself, and they were delicious! The Crown Princess said it was too hot outside and asked me to finish eating and go back quickly to avoid getting sunburned..."
Shen Changfeng looked at the silly smile on Qingsong's face and suddenly felt itchy. He clenched his palms and endured it, then asked: "Why doesn't she come back?"
Qingsong’s smile stopped: I don’t know.
Qingsong immediately understood: "Let me ask..."
Shen Changfeng: "Wait!" She was so pushy, like he was in such a hurry. He knew women's minds all too well, and he guessed Lin Meizhu was just sulking because she saw him and Su Qinxue together. He felt his conscience was clear, so there was no need for any explanation or self-justification.
It happened that at this time the secret guard delivered a secret letter from the Eighth Prince. Shen Changfeng felt that Lin Meizhu would come back sooner or later, so he didn't take it seriously.
In the poplar forest, the sound of talking and laughing came from the quaint little courtyard.
"One penny!"
"Wait...four consecutive, knot!"
Everyone laughed and sighed: "The child is holding gold, the Crown Prince's Consort has won three games in a row!"
Li Minzhi was lying on the couch reading a storybook. Upon hearing this, he put the book down, stood up, and said with a smile, "Our Meizhu is really lucky."
Lu Fei'er, who was sitting next to Lin Meizhu, pushed the mahjong tiles in her hand and said in a feigned anger, "No, no! It must be a position problem. The east side has been winning for two consecutive days. I think we need to rotate the positions!"
Lu Fei'er, the daughter of the Minister of Justice, was Li Minzhi's best friend. She had received a letter from Li Minzhi the previous day, which announced the contact of a trusted female doctor, and had rushed here immediately despite her illness. It turned out that Lu Fei'er's belt meridian had been damaged after a miscarriage, and now she was leaking urine even with a sneeze, requiring her to change her mattress more than three times a day. She was too embarrassed to speak of her condition, especially since the doctors she had consulted were all men. She couldn't openly share the details, so she only mentioned it once to a close friend.
She just wanted to give it a try, but she didn't expect that after just one moxibustion session, she felt as if there were golden needles moving three inches below her navel and ants gnawing inside her uterus. When the moxa burned out, she felt as if her abdominal cavity was immersed in a hot spring, and at the same time she felt a surge of air in her throat, and she couldn't help but burp lightly.
At that time, Lu Fei'er forgot to address her and asked her, "Doctor, can I get better?"
Doctor Lin gave her a reassuring smile: "Your symptoms are relatively mild. Two treatments every two days will significantly improve your symptoms in about a month. I will prescribe some medicine for you..."
Lu Fei'er felt a little ashamed. If she had known it was Lin Meizhu who would be treating her, she would never have come. But after two days of getting along, she realized the power of "three people make a tiger." Lu Fei'er was also straightforward, and being around the same age as Lin Meizhu, they quickly became familiar with each other after putting aside their differences.
Several people changed positions with laughter. Just as the cards were dealt, Lin Meizhu suddenly raised her palm to stop the game, smiling mysteriously: "Wait a minute." Then she spread the cards on the ground, and everyone shouted in unison: "It's Tianhe!"
Lu Fei'er was almost jealous. "I've been playing for more than ten years, and this is the first time I've seen someone so talented! Sister Meizhu, you should open a casino and be the banker."
Everyone was joking. Lin Meiju took out some change and asked Qing'er to go outside and buy some fresh fruits to entertain herself.
When she lifted the curtain, Lu Fei'er happened to see Qing'er talking to someone outside, and suddenly made a gesture to keep quiet.
Lin Meizhu saw her teasing look and anticipated something. Sure enough, she heard Qingsong say, "I wonder if the prince has a stomachache. He hasn't felt any better in the past two days. I want to ask if the princess has packed some medicine."
Qing'er thought for a moment and replied, "The red sandalwood treasure box in the west wing contains commonly used pills. The Baohe pills are on the top lid, and there are tangerine peel and Amomum villosum underneath..."
Qingsong said stiffly, "The servants have looked for these medicines but haven't found any. I may have to trouble the Crown Princess to go back and check."
Many of the friends Li Minzhi invited were married, and they chuckled when they heard this.
Lu Fei'er teased, "Did the little guard understand what he said? Is the prince looking for medicine, or something else?"
Li Minzhi's teeth ached so much that he sat up from the couch and scolded with a smile, "You come asking me questions every day, you're a match for Shao Jia Erlang. I really can't stand you!"
This Shao Erlang was Lu Fei'er's husband. If Lu Fei'er went out to meet friends and came back late, Shao Erlang would wander around the capital after eating, and then happen to pass by the place where they were meeting, and then inadvertently realize that it was so late, and finally take his reluctant wife away with a smile.
Lu Feier spat at her, "What are you talking about? You're also a clingy person! I'll see who will deal with you when the time comes!"
Lin Meiju just smiled faintly and didn't express anything.
Everyone stopped playing cards, ate melon seeds and sipped tea, and started chatting nonsense about all sorts of things.
"Your Highness is feeling unwell too? I just passed by the lake and saw a doctor hurrying along. From a distance, the pavilion looked crumbling, and I could smell a foul, sour odor from a distance."
Lu Fei'er said, "Don't mention it. My servant was a curious person. He ran over and saw that he was so stinking that he passed out on the spot. It is said that the pavilion was full of feces and vomit."
Li Minzhi was shocked and said, "There is such a thing? I don't know what's going on."
Lin Meiju thought to herself: It's actually very simple. Just take a walk by the lake and add some ingredients to the jars of wine prepared for the banquet, and it's done.
Lu Fei'er added, "As the saying goes, evil will be punished by evil. Maybe his enemies drugged him..."
Someone else said, "You are so bold, aren't you afraid of retaliation?"
Shao Erlang worked at the Dali Temple, so Lu Fei'er naturally knew more about the situation than anyone else. She said, "He has countless enemies. Now that such a scandal has occurred in front of the Buddhist holy land, he will be drowned in spit or even stoned to death by impeachment memorials. How can he dare to conduct a high-profile investigation..."
Li Minzhi thought for a moment and said, "Wu the Shorty? Is that Wu Duozhi, the aide to Bage?"
Although Li Minzhi was born in the royal family, the emperor had always deliberately prevented her from participating in disputes. In addition, she had a good relationship with her half-brothers, so she did not know as much about what was happening in the court as the outside world.
Lin Meizhu nodded and said, "It was him. He was commended by the emperor for his contribution in expelling the Japanese pirates from the coast."
Li Minzhi seemed to be lost in thought: "I never thought he would be such a person with bad morals..."
Lu Fei'er interrupted, "I heard that the Yellow River flooded badly recently. I wonder how the situation is now?"
Qingsong heard people chatting in the room as if nothing had happened, and he became very anxious. How could he report to his work?
While Qing'er was returning to her room, he quietly moved so that the person inside could see him when the curtain was opened.
He was lucky, Lin Meiju just looked up and saw his tanned face.
Although there were poplar trees providing shade, the sun was still scorching hot. Even if there were several people in the room, they would still need to be fanned from time to time, let alone standing in the sun as punishment.
Lin Meizhu's eyes flickered as she picked up the fine wine that Qingdai had brought back. She sighed inwardly and said, "I should have some spare medicine in my room. I'll just give it to him when I get back."
Lu Fei'er glared at her and said, "I think this little guard is not easy to deal with. Why don't you go back and take a look?"
In reality, the round trip only took half an hour, but the feud between Shen Changfeng and the Princess was already well known, and even if the Princess wasn't there, he probably wouldn't have been able to bring himself to come here. People outside said Shen Changfeng disliked Lin Meizhu, but now it seemed the opposite was true.
Lin Meizhu shook her head: "It's hard for me to go back." She looked at Lu Fei'er and the others and held out the back of her hand, "The prickly heat hasn't gone away yet."
Li Minzhi and Lu Fei'er exchanged glances, knowing full well that the prickly heat was caused by her accidentally touching the nettles while picking flowers, and would not be contaminated by others.
The two of them knew clearly in their minds: the couple was just having a quarrel.
But they were also happy that Lin Meizhu stayed. Lu Fei'er hadn't been out for a long time and was hanging out with friends. When she learned that she had a chance of recovery, she drank a few more glasses of warm wine and became more talkative.
She put a cake in her mouth and chewed it. She felt that the taste was somewhat familiar. She sighed and said to Lin Meizhu: "Sister, sister, I am so sorry for you."
"Erlang once brought back some of your cakes from the government office and told me, 'How bad can someone who can make such delicious cakes be?' I scolded him for being useless." Lu Fei'er slapped her thigh, "I really... damn it, damn it!"
Lin Meizhu couldn't help laughing: "Did you eat my snacks later?"
Lu Fei'er couldn't sit up straight and leaned against Lin Meizhu. "I ate, I ate Erlang's share too." She took Lin Meizhu's hand and said with a beaming smile, "Erlang will be very happy to see you. He has always wanted a sister. No, it would be better if he had my sister. I'll take you to the rouge shop."
Lin Meizhu teased her deliberately: "I won't refuse medical expenses just because you are my sister."
Li Minzhi noticed the dimness that flashed across Lin Meizhu's eyes. She had also heard a little about the Lin family's affairs. She straightened Lu Fei'er, who was sitting crookedly, and joked, "That's right, don't try to be relatives!"
Lu Fei laughed heartily and concluded, "I know Erlang likes children. When he didn't have one, he told me it was okay, saying we were still young and would have more in the future. But I know he cried even harder than I did behind my back." Lu Fei wiped away her tears and continued, "Then the doctor said I had some symptoms from the miscarriage. He told me that at worst, I could just adopt a child from the clan. It's no big deal."
Lu Fei'er covered her face and started crying, "He has never said a word of disdain for me, but it is because of this that I feel sorry for him..."
Lin Meizhu put her arm around her shoulders and soothed her gently, "Don't think like that. You've suffered a lot along the way, and it's not easy for you. It's normal to get sick. What's more, as Master Shao said, you're in your prime. Once you're well, you'll definitely have your own children."
Li Minzhi also wiped Lu Fei'er's tears: "Look, you have seen Doctor Lin's medical skills. Doctor Lin has spoken, so don't let your imagination run wild. If Erlang knows you are crying here, he will think you are wronged and may not let you come out to play next time."
Lu Fei'er raised her eyebrows: "He dares?"
Everyone burst into laughter again, and Lin Meizhu laughed too, raising her cup and downing it all. Before she married, her aunt had often told her that it didn't matter if she had no emotional connection with her husband, that feelings could be cultivated, and that in the end, they would just be living together. Looking at Lu Fei'er, who was now laughing through her tears, she felt the rice wine burn from her throat all the way to her stomach, and thought to herself: This is different. Very different.
Just at this moment, a report was heard from outside the door.
Shen Changfeng is here.
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