Green Bamboo used to work for Xiangli Mingzhu and was very familiar with the servants who served her. She quickly learned from the carriage and horse stables that Xiangli Mingzhu had recently gone to Wuji Palace. As for what exactly she did there, the carriage and horse stables staff naturally wouldn't know.
All she needed to do was tell Yuan Qi the news.
Yuan Qi didn't say anything after learning about it, and just dismissed Lü Zhu. She knew that she was very likely being watched by the people of Wuji Palace. Logically speaking, they were all colleagues in the Daoist sect and should help each other when something happened, but the people of Wuji Palace didn't seem to want to help their colleagues.
Fine, you've used the King of All Gu against me, so naturally I won't kindly return your Gu worms. We'll see.
The next morning, Yuan Qi secretly slipped out again, changed into a Taoist robe, and set up a stall under the big locust tree on Tianshui Street.
Even after a while, her stall was still there, and Zhang Liu and Meizi cleaned it for her every day.
Meizi spoke much more fluently now: "Why haven't you come for more than half a month? There's someone who comes here every day to wait for you and eat noodles at our noodle stall. Just wait, he'll be here soon."
It's not surprising that people are looking for her; she's handled quite a few important matters lately, so it's perfectly normal for people to introduce acquaintances to her.
"Who is it?" Yuan Qi asked as soon as he sat down.
Meizi said, "He was an official, not very old, only about thirty years old. My father didn't dare to ask too much, and he didn't really want to say anything either."
The two chatted about the strange things that had happened on Tianshui Street recently.
A caravan passed by Yuan Qi. Instead of horse-drawn carriages, camels were used to transport the goods. The caravan leader rode on the back of a camel. He had yellowish-brown hair that was naturally curly, fair skin, deep-set eyes, and a high nose bridge. He was clearly not from the Central Plains.
Meizi pointed at them and said, "I know, they are a caravan from the Western Regions. Caravans from the Western Regions pass through here every year. The spices and gems they sell are very popular in the capital."
The caravan was quite large, consisting of over thirty camels, each carrying a considerable amount of cargo. Many of the caravan members were traveling on foot.
Yuan Qi noticed several beautiful young women among them. One of them, dressed in red and with her face veiled, had a graceful figure and exchanged a glance with Yuan Qi without expression.
Meizi exclaimed, "That lady in red is so beautiful!"
The woman in red seemed to understand Mei Zi's words. She smiled slightly at her, then looked away and walked forward.
Meizi explained to Yuan Qi, "This caravan comes to Kyoto every spring and summer. I recognize that lady in red."
Yuan Qi responded with an "oh," not paying any attention.
Before long, a man in his thirties got off the carriage and ran over to Yuan Qi as soon as he saw him: "Little Celestial Master, you've finally set up your stall! I've been waiting for you for seven or eight days!"
Yuan Qi observed that his face showed a full and prominent children's palace and a rosy complexion in his parents' palace, indicating that his parents were alive and well, and that he had both sons and daughters, bringing him much happiness. Moreover, he did not have any evil aura or karmic debts on his body, so she wondered why he had come to see her.
Moreover, the other party has the appearance of someone destined for a successful official career; although their current official position is not high, their future is limitless.
"Please have a seat, sir," Yuan Qi said, pointing to the stool opposite him.
Zhu Feiling was still a little anxious, but seeing Yuan Qi made him feel much better. He sat down neatly and said, "Little Celestial Master, you've been waiting for a long time. My surname is Zhu, and I am a minor official of the fourth rank. To tell you the truth, I have come to invite you to come and take care of something."
Yuan Qi then asked, "What has happened to you, sir?"
Zhu Feiling was eloquent and spoke fluently: "My son was seven years old. During the New Year, he went to watch fireworks. A pile of fireworks was ignited by a spark, and a whole bunch of fireworks exploded, injuring several people nearby. One teenager even had his head blown off. My son was terrified and cried incessantly. From that day on, my son became somewhat mentally challenged. He just laughs foolishly all day long, doesn't know how to eat, and doesn't even know how to poop or pee. He was such a bright child, and suddenly he became like this. I was so worried. I went everywhere to find doctors, and even invited several imperial physicians to examine him, but they couldn't find anything wrong with him."
“My son’s mother is in tears all day long, begging me to find her a doctor. She’s pregnant again, and because of her son, she can’t eat or sleep well. The pregnancy is unstable, and I’m afraid she won’t be able to keep it. If this isn’t handled properly, I’m afraid my second child will also be…”
Yuan Qi smiled slightly: "Your Excellency is destined to have both sons and daughters and a house full of descendants. Your wife's pregnancy is fine."
Zhu Feiling beamed: "Thank you for the auspicious words, Celestial Master. If my wife gives birth safely, I will definitely come here to fulfill my vow."
Yuan Qi chuckled: "You can make your vow at Fusang Temple; there's no need to come here."
Zhu Feiling chuckled and continued, "A few days ago, Lord Qian found his long-lost only son. My father went to congratulate him, and Lord Qian mentioned you, Celestial Master, to my father. Lord Qian asked me to ask you to take a look at my son, saying that you might be able to cure him. As long as my son can be cured, money is no object."
"Shall we leave now?"
Yuan Qi packed her things and followed Zhu Feiling into the carriage. On the way, she asked about the situation of Lord Qian's son.
Zhu Feiling sighed, "Lord Qian's only son does seem to remember everything about the Qian family, but not the people. Lord Qian even consulted the imperial physician, who said it was a miracle that the young master hadn't become mentally impaired after hitting his head. As for when he would remember his past, the physician couldn't say for sure. It's probably because too much time has passed and he can't recover. But Lord Qian doesn't seem to care much. If he can't recover, so be it. His son has been found, he's not crazy or stupid, and he's even willing to study. He's already content."
"That's not bad."
Before long, they arrived at the Zhu residence.
Zhu Feiling personally led Yuan Qi inside.
“Because my son is somewhat mentally challenged, and my wife doesn’t quite trust the servants, my wife will take care of him personally. Little Celestial Master, come with me.”
Yuan Qi followed Zhu Feiling into the inner courtyard, where they arrived at a spacious, bright, and elegant space.
A beautiful lady was holding a seven or eight-year-old boy in her arms, patiently feeding him water.
The boy had a fair complexion and a dull gaze, like a puppet, occasionally chuckling to himself.
Zhu Feiling sighed, pulled his son from his wife's arms, put down his teacup, and introduced him to Yuan Qi: "This is my son, Huiquan. You can see he's been pregnant for over five months."
He then introduced her to his wife, Cao: "This is the Little Celestial Master that Lord Qian mentioned. Her Taoist name is Yuan Qi, and she is the seventh young lady of the Jiang family."
Yuan Qi's eyes lit up: "How did you know?"
Zhu Feiling: "Lord Qian said that you were reluctant to say it was the seventh young lady of the Jiang family, so he didn't mention it, but he knew. He also told me not to go to the Jiang family to find you, but only to wait at your stall. What's wrong with my son?"
Yuan Qi could tell at a glance that the child had lost his soul.
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