☆, Chapter 212 Is she really the wife of the top scholar?
The villagers guessed that Zhou Mujiao was the wife of an official, and knew that Jin Ling also came from an extraordinary background and was most likely also a daughter of an official. But they never expected that one of them was the wife of a top scholar, and the other's identity was even more frightening—she was actually a princess of the current dynasty!
The top scholar's wife and Princess Jinling are both unattainable figures, people you could never even dream of, yet they actually came to this poor and remote village of Wuqi to treat the illnesses of lowly people like them!
The villagers were terrified. Some of them instinctively knelt down before Princess Jinling, muttering "Princess, have mercy!" as they trembled all over.
Aunt Fang, being older and more experienced, calmed herself down and said, "Everyone, don't panic. Even if they really are who they claim to be, we didn't beg them to come down; they threatened us to stay. Since they made a promise, they should keep it! Besides, officials have two mouths; what they say in the end is up to them. Moreover, nobody knows if they really are the wives of the top scholar and the princess of the court!"
The villagers snapped out of their daze and stared at Zhou Mujiao and her group, while even more people blocked the village entrance.
At this moment, a male voice came from outside the village: "I can testify that Doctor Zhou is indeed the wife of the newly appointed top scholar, and Physician Jin is Princess Jinling of the current dynasty!"
It is Magistrate Liang of Qili County!
Lord Liang stepped forward from the crowd and stood in front of Zhou Mujiao's horse. Facing the villagers, he said sincerely, "There has been a great flood in Jiangnan. Houses have collapsed and countless people have died or been injured. Lord Zhao fell into the water and disappeared during several days of flood relief efforts! Lord Zhao is a meritorious official. The Emperor himself said that he has great talent and is a capable official in governing the country!"
Now that Lord Zhao is in trouble, Doctor Zhou, as a family member, must rush to Jiangnan. Everyone, please make way and don't delay Doctor Zhou. If we are late, I'm afraid Lord Zhao—”
“Lord Liang!” Zhou Mujiao interrupted, “Thank you for your concern, Lord Liang, but my husband will be fine. He will live to be a hundred years old.”
"Yes, yes, Lord Zhao will surely live to be a hundred years old. Everyone, please make way!"
Everyone looked at Aunt Fang and her friends. They exchanged glances and stood aside. Then, the villagers parted to make way for a road leading out of the village.
Zhou Mujiao cupped her hands in greeting to everyone: "Dear sisters, before I return, Princess Jinling will be in charge of this place. Also, Xi'er and Le'er are imperial physicians in the palace, so please trust their medical skills! Jinling, I'm leaving this place to you!"
"Master, please rest assured, Jinling will not let you down!" Princess Jinling shouted. "Master, you must bring Lord Zhao back! Eighteen, I'm waiting for you!"
"must!"
Zhou Mujiao galloped on her horse, and half an hour later she reached the official road. She suddenly stopped and looked back at Lord Liang: "Lord Liang, the matter of Zhao Yunjing falling into the water is top secret. Even the imperial court has not received it yet. May I ask where you got this information, Lord Liang?"
Lord Liang dismounted, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and whispered a name, which surprised Zhou Mujiao.
Lord Liang said loudly, "Even a thousand miles of farewell must come to an end. I wish Madam a safe journey, and I also wish Lord Zhao a safe and peaceful journey. I will await good news from Madam and Lord Zhao in Qili Village! Bye!"
The road forked ahead, and Lord Liang spurred his horse toward the county town at breakneck speed. Zhou Mujiao didn't hesitate either, spurring her horse and cracking the whip: "Giddy up!"
It's several hundred miles from Qili County to Nanjiang City. Even if the weather is fine and they travel day and night, it would still take seven or eight days to arrive. Zhou Mujiao had been traveling for three or four days when the weather turned bad as she entered the Jiangnan region. There were strong winds and torrential rains. She was worried about Zhao Yunjing, so she had no choice but to temporarily put aside her eighteen and continue her journey in the rain.
That night, Zhou Mujiao arrived at Nanhua City, which was a day's journey from Nanjiang City.
Nanhua City is located in front of Nanjiang City. The Chunlan, Qiulan, and Donglan Rivers flow out of Nanhua City and are called Chunlu River within its territory. Nanhua City is even more backward than Nanjiang City, but its waterways are exceptionally well-maintained. In addition to the three main tributaries, Chunlu River also has three smaller streams.
These three streams are more like small irrigation canals than streams, used to irrigate farmland during spring planting.
When Zhou Mujiao entered the city, she had read the local chronicles and knew that the previous magistrate had built a large reservoir at the entrance of the Chunlu River. The dam was very high, so even if Nanhua City encountered a once-in-a-century rainstorm, the water from upstream would not enter the city so quickly. Moreover, the water in the city could be discharged through the six tributaries, so it would be difficult to cause a flood.
Unfortunately, this caused great suffering to Nanjiang City, which is located downstream.
The severe damage to Nanjiang City this time was caused by the sudden flood discharge in Nanhua City. Of course, it was also because the rain was too heavy, and the main rainfall point was between Nanjiang City and Nanhua City. Due to various factors, Nanjiang City ended up in its current situation.
After traveling for several days, although they could change horses frequently along the way, they were all exhausted. Not only did Shi Ba have cold symptoms, but Zhou Mu Jiao herself looked pale and sickly. The escorts also looked tired. Under these circumstances, even if they arrived in Nanjiang City tonight, it would only increase their burden.
So Zhou Mujiao decided to rest in Nanhua City for one night and continue her journey early the next morning. If all went well, she should arrive in Nanjiang City by this time tomorrow.
Of course, she did not stop writing to Nanjiang City along the way. Nanjiang City would reply to her almost every day, but each letter only contained two simple words: Not yet returned.
What are people who stay at home most afraid of?
What I fear most is that those who have traveled far away want to return but cannot!
Another letter arrived. Zhou Mujiao unfolded it, and it still read "Not Returned." She stared at the note for a long time, then suddenly crumpled it into a ball and threw it out the window, her frustration growing: "Not returned! Not returned! It's been days! The floodwaters in Nanjiang City must have receded by now, right? The stones in the riverbed are showing. Even if something terrible happened to him, how could such a grown man be nowhere to be found?! Ma Dalang and the others—"
"Ah Jiao!"
A male voice rang out in surprise: "Ah Jiao! It really is you!!"
Zhou Mujiao frowned: "Why are you here too?"
"How could I not come when Zhao Yunjing was in trouble?" Young Master Chen strode over and looked at her through the window. "You've lost weight."
"When did you arrive? What's the news from your side? How much information have you found out about the officials in Nanjiang City? Are they involved in any problems?"
Young Master Chen was stunned by her barrage of questions, and it took him a while to speak: "Ah Jiao, do you mean that Zhao Yunjing's sudden fall into the water was done on purpose?"
“I’m not sure, I have a reasonable suspicion. Zhao Yunjing has always been steady and cautious. Unless someone plotted against him, and it was someone he trusted very much, he wouldn’t have gotten into trouble so easily.”
And this person she trusted so much included Hu Peiran, He Jiu, and the escorts she had personally trained.
If her suspicions come true, the consequences will be unimaginable!
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