Chapter 36: Say goodbye to the New Year.
On New Year's Eve, Qin Lie and the children bid farewell to the old year in the front hall.
Lingyi drank two cups of wine in her courtyard and then went to bed early.
She had just fallen asleep when Qin Xiaoshan knocked on the door, saying that the general had drunk too much and needed her to come and serve him.
Lingyi slowly got up to take a bath. While drying her hair, she looked at herself in the mirror. Nineteen years old was the age when many noble ladies were about to get married, but she had already traveled thousands of miles and could no longer turn back.
As she was about to leave, her maid reminded her, "Princess, you haven't tied your hair up yet."
Not to mention women, even men cannot go out to meet people without binding their hair.
Lingyi shook her head: "Why bother with all that?"
Bringing Huan'er here was itself a transaction.
Even without these things, if he insists on having them, do you think she can avoid them?
Lingyi brought the hangover soup to the bedside. Qin Lie leaned against it with his eyes closed, and he smelled strongly of alcohol.
"The general's injuries have not yet healed; he really shouldn't be drinking," she complained softly, like a caring wife.
He wanted to laugh at her, but felt it was a waste of time, so he simply grabbed her and pinned her down.
She gasped in surprise, and the porcelain bowl in her hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces, just like her clothes, which he tore with one hand and threw on the ground.
His hands were warm, soft, and smooth, and Qin Lie couldn't help but regret what he had been doing to himself, wasting so much time. His movements were urgent; it was less like kissing and more like biting and nibbling. Ling Yi was in pain, and her pleas for him were unresponsive. She couldn't push him away, so he had to change tactics and use some tricks.
Suddenly, a familiar aura filled the air. Lingyi looked at Qin Lie in disbelief, only to see him standing there, his face ashen, clearly more shocked than she was.
Lingyi secretly moved to the inside of the bed. Aunt Liucui had said that men are only powerful for a few years, and then they decline. She also taught her how to... amuse herself when that time came.
But Qin Lie is only twenty-six years old, and looks incredibly energetic, yet he also...
Perhaps the injury and poisoning damaged the root cause, but whatever the reason, this is the result.
Men are most prone to anger and embarrassment at this time. Lingyi even held her breath, unsure whether to feel frustrated that she could no longer seduce him with her beauty and fight for something for Huan'er. Or perhaps... that since his virility had faded, Huan'er would certainly not have any more siblings. For someone of his high position and power, who might have great fortune in the future, three sons and one daughter were hardly considered a large family. Huan'er would surely receive more attention and be overjoyed.
Qin Lie interpreted her inner conflict as something else entirely.
He grabbed her chin. "Princess, are you so dissatisfied? What? Do you think this humble general can't satisfy you?"
Lingyi didn't know how to answer, so she just forced a smile.
That smile was so fake it hurt. Qin Lie snorted coldly, stopped talking to her, and buried his head in her chest, proving it with his actions.
Lingyi never imagined that someone with only one hand that could move could still perform such a variety of amazing feats, and despite being seriously injured, still possessed incredible stamina.
The next day, Qin Lie went out feeling refreshed, leaving her to sleep until noon.
In the days leading up to the New Year, the children had no homework, Qin Lie had no official duties, and there were no relatives or friends to visit in Huangzhou. Qin Lie took the three children out riding every day, allowing Lingyi to spend all her time with Huan'er. Huan'er gradually became familiar with her, smiling whenever he saw her and even falling asleep in her arms.
At night, however, Qin Lie was quite demanding. Before, she was still a bit naive, but now she was the age when most noble ladies would get married. Like the most juicy and plump peach, he let loose more and was always thoroughly satisfied.
After drinking bitter medicine for several days, Lingyi couldn't help but complain, "Why not just give me a bowl of medicine to prevent me from having children? Why torture me like this?"
Qin Lie said, "That kind of medicine can shorten a person's lifespan. How could I do something so immoral and unethical?"
Lingyi didn't take it seriously: "Do you think I can live that long?"
Qin Lie held her hand, a half-smile on his face, "What nonsense are you talking about? You should at least wait until Huan'er grows up before you outlive me. Then you can openly move into Huan'er's house, enjoy your grandchildren, and live a life of family bliss."
He seemed to know everything and care about nothing, but Lingyi knew that he was narrow-minded, otherwise he wouldn't have asked her repeatedly "Who is he?" during their intimate moments at night.
If she hesitated even slightly in her reply, he would turn cold and start harassing her relentlessly.
She had no choice but to answer, yet she didn't want to be too insincere, so she said, "Evil deeds last a thousand years, so the general will naturally live longer than me."
Although she was still docile, with small thorns occasionally sticking out to prick people, Qin Lie found it novel but didn't indulge her. He tightened his grip, leaving several cuts on her hands, and she cried out in pain. Qin Lie scolded her, "Huan'er is so young, even if you make a lantern, he can't lift it, let alone remember it. You think you have a loving mother's heart, but in reality you're just doing useless work."
How could Lingyi not know all this? It's just that they are about to leave, and apart from the Lantern Festival lanterns, there's nothing else she can do for the children.
The bamboo strips were sharp, and after several days of work, her hands were covered in cuts. The lantern was still not finished when Qin Lie couldn't bear to see her like that and helped her make it.
He was skilled at wielding swords and knives, but he was really bad at making these things, and the rabbit lantern he made in the end was as bloated as a pig.
Even so, Huan'er was easy to coax. Seeing the bright lanterns, he would babble and circle around them, overjoyed.
After the Lantern Festival, Qin Lie took the children back to Jizhou.
Before leaving, Qin Xiaoshan said to Lingyi, "If the princess is willing, she can stay in the manor indefinitely."
Lingyi refused and asked Qin Xiaoshan to send someone to take her back to Qi County. The carriage stopped far away, and she walked all the way back.
When she saw Aunt Zhou outside the courtyard, who was on her way to deliver food to Wang Hu, Aunt Zhou was very happy, but then scolded her: "Even if you have relatives who have come to Huangzhou to settle down, you should not have left without saying a word or even saying goodbye!"
Lingyi was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "But after staying there for a while, I'll still have to go home."
Aunt Zhou said, "That's good. I was really afraid you wouldn't come back!"
After returning home, Lingyi continued her life as usual. Meanwhile, Qin Lie returned to Jizhou and noticed something unusual after two days.
Qin Hong never bothered him.
Normally, if he came home at night, Qin Hong would shamelessly come over for a free meal the next morning.
Qin Xiaoshan reported: "Fourth Master accompanied a doctor to practice medicine in a nearby county—the same one from Hengzhou."
Qin Lie naturally knew that someone had cured the well water poisoning in Hengzhou. Qin Hong held this person in high esteem. However, after inviting him to a New Year's Eve banquet, this person left without saying goodbye. Qin Hong would mention it from time to time, feeling that this person was too ungrateful. He treated him as a brother, but the man left without saying goodbye. He felt that this man was really heartless.
Qin Lie was naturally suspicious. "This person... has come to Jizhou?"
Qin Xiaoshan had already found out that "this man's name is Zhang Dasheng. Zhang has been practicing medicine all the way from Hengzhou to Jizhou, only stopping for about ten days in each place, just to treat the common people. He does not associate with any officials or gentry. Although his medical skills are superb, he is taciturn and has offended many people because of this. Apart from his mysterious origins, he does not seem to have any ulterior motives."
Qin Lie nodded, putting aside his concerns.
I believe that in times of chaos, many talented people emerge, so I don't need to be too suspicious.
.
Qin Hong was carrying Zhang Dasheng's luggage in one hand and Zhang Dasheng's medicine box in the other, walking briskly through the mountains.
Zhang Dasheng said, "Brother Qin, this medicine box isn't heavy; I can carry it myself."
Qin Hong frowned: "With your frail body, you're out of breath just walking. Stop talking nonsense. You're a doctor, you've cured so many patients, how come you're in such poor health?"
Zhang Dasheng did not answer, but only said, "Thank you very much, Brother Qin."
After walking for a while, he came to a thatched hut, which was where he had been practicing medicine for the past few days.
Many people were already waiting here, some even arriving before dawn to reserve a spot. When they saw Zhang Dasheng arrive, they all called him "miracle doctor" with great respect.
If it were someone of standing in the room, they would have greeted him with a cupped-hand salute, but Zhang Dasheng ignored them, walked over with a blank face, sat down in the room, and tapped a small gong to signal the patient to come in for a consultation.
Qin Hong, with a dry blade of grass dangling from his mouth, squatted to one side and watched. After a while, he got sleepy and decided to lean against the wall and doze off.
He was awakened by a commotion and saw several servants in short clothes blocking Zhang Dasheng's way. Another man with a beard said smugly to Zhang Dasheng, "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences! You have to go today, whether you like it or not!"
Qin Hong yawned. He knew this kind of thing. It must be some wealthy family that wanted Zhang Dasheng to come to their house for medical treatment. After being refused, they got angry and simply kidnapped him.
He'd grown tired of this kind of drama over the past few days. Back in Jizhou, someone had kidnapped someone in the same way, and the people waiting for medical treatment started arguing with the kidnapper's servants. He happened to be passing by and stopped to watch the commotion, which is how he caught his runaway brother, Zhang Dasheng.
Qin Hong pulled over a nearby villager to ask, and learned that the kidnappers were the steward of the county magistrate's brother-in-law.
Qin Hong was delighted; he had met many "big shots," but this was the smallest one.
He was so embarrassed that he didn't dare to bully others, so he beat them all up, leaving them bruised and battered and scrambling back home.
Unaffected, Zhang Dasheng continued to sit and practice medicine until it got dark and he could no longer see clearly.
There were still dozens of people waiting. Zhang Dasheng struck the gong three times to signal the end of the day.
Although the people were unwilling, they knew the doctor's temperament: he didn't talk much, but he always kept his word. He would stop after the three gongs that day and wouldn't watch anymore.
Some people asked, "Will the miracle doctor come again tomorrow?"
Zhang Dasheng said, "I said when I came that I would only stay here for five days. Now that time is up, I will return to Jizhou tomorrow."
The people were disappointed: "We came all this way, couldn't we stay one more day?"
Zhang Dasheng said, "You can go to Jizhou to find me. I will practice medicine there for fifteen days, and then I will go to other counties."
Hearing this, the people were relieved. "We're glad we know where the divine doctor is. We'll go to Jizhou to find you!"
Zhang Dasheng was not moved at all, and instead said stiffly, "It's better not to go for a minor illness, otherwise it will just be a waste of my time."
Qin Hong was astonished. He himself was not considered a good speaker, yet Zhang Dasheng was far inferior to him.
The people, however, did not take offense and bid farewell to the common folk.
Qin Hong picked up the medicine chest, which was much lighter than when he arrived. He shook the cloth chain, and only a hundred copper coins dangled from it, indicating that he had lost quite a bit again. Looking at Zhang Dasheng, although he wore two or three sets of clothes back in Hengzhou and could still be considered neat, his clothes now had several patches on them.
He couldn't help but ask, "Do you have a grudge against silver?"
Zhang Dasheng said, "Of course not."
Qin Hong asked, "Look at your clothes and shoes, yet you stubbornly refuse to treat high-ranking officials and nobles. Is this simply resentment towards the rich? Or is it simply a chivalrous heart that wants to help the poor?"
Zhang Dasheng was slightly surprised. "When have I ever refused to treat high-ranking officials and nobles?"
Qin Hong was speechless. "If you were willing, why would you keep getting into trouble?"
Zhang Dasheng recalled the people from earlier and explained, "If they lined up and came over, I wouldn't ignore them. But they want me to go to their residence and stay there until the patients recover. Even after they recover, they're afraid I'll still have to stay at their homes so they can take their pulses and examine them at any time. With that kind of time, I don't know how many patients I'd see. One person is worth a hundred people, it's really not worth it."
Qin Hong was surprised by this answer. It was the first time he had ever seen someone compare the lives of nobles and ordinary people in terms of quantity.
While feeling a sense of novelty, he also felt a surge of emotion within him, an indescribable feeling, as if something was stirring within him, but he was unable to speak and could not describe it. Looking at Zhang Dasheng, he felt that although he was of ordinary or even ugly appearance, he seemed to radiate a light.
Just as he was feeling touched, he heard Zhang Dasheng say, "However, if some important person invites me, I will definitely go."
Qin Hong asked curiously, "What important person?"
"Princess Yongjia".
Why?
Zhang Dasheng was honest and frank: "Everyone has a love for beauty, and I am no exception as a man."
Qin Hong sighed, his feelings complex and difficult to describe.
During this trip back to Jizhou, the Prince's Mansion secretly spread rumors that the Princess had given birth to a child for her third brother, who was being raised by the old lady.
He didn't believe it at first, until he saw the child with the old lady.
The old lady certainly wouldn't raise a child for no reason. And since the child's name is Qin Huan, he must be an illegitimate child of the Qin family.
My second brother is in poor health. In the past few years, he has only had one concubine who gave birth to a son, whom he cherishes dearly. If it were his child, how could he not acknowledge him?
Third Brother has always been bold and responsible, so why hasn't he said a word yet?
Qin Shen, that kid... he won't even get married, he doesn't even have a concubine, how could he possibly have a child?
As for those born out of wedlock, even if they gave birth to children, they could not be sent to the old lady's place.
After going through all that, no one is a suspect? Could it be his own?!
Qin Hong almost got himself confused. After thinking it over, the only possibility was that the princess was born to his third brother. He didn't want to upset his sister-in-law, which was why he hadn't made it clear.
In Qin Hong's mind, Qin Lie was not only invincible but also skilled in planning, practically omnipotent. However, this matter was so absurd that it seemed as if he had lost his mind.
Looking at Zhang Dasheng again, he seemed to have lost his mind.
He sighed again and advised, "Don't mention this again."
Zhang Dasheng asked, "Why?"
Qin Hong pondered for a moment before saying seriously, "This Princess Yongjia is a bit strange, so it's best to stay as far away from her as possible."
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