Doctor Xue had observed Ye Chaoxi's acupuncture techniques and acupoints twice yesterday. He was already well-versed in medical principles and possessed exceptional talent; after only two observations, he had completely grasped the concepts and was eager to try them out. Upon hearing Xie Qinglan summon him, he quickly grabbed his medicine box and followed, saying, "I'll do it, you go and rest!"
The next day, news spread throughout Tinglan Garden that Xie Qinglan had gone out seriously ill and that her condition had worsened upon her return.
Xie Qinglan stayed indoors and never went out, and the smell of medicine being decocted filled Tinglan Garden every day.
Upon hearing this news, Madam Zhang, who lived in the main courtyard, sent someone to Tinglan Garden to inquire. The result was that Xie Qinglan might not be able to hold on much longer. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Upon hearing that Xie Qinglan had personally gone to the Pingchang Marquis's residence to fetch Ye Chaoxi, Madam Zhang assumed that Xie Qinglan had recovered, causing her to worry all night. She prayed that Xie Qinglan would die soon; if he died, her son could be rightfully made heir apparent, and even the Emperor could not say anything.
For the next two weeks, Ye Chaoxi could sense that Xie Qinglan was intentionally or unintentionally distancing herself from her. She would leave tasks that required close physical contact, such as acupuncture, to Doctor Xue or Zhuo Qing, leaving Ye Chaoxi without any opportunity to use her skills.
Ye Chaoxi didn't understand. Could it be because he wasn't kissed in the carriage last time?
What a jerk! All he does is think with his lower body!
Ye Chaoxi cursed him hundreds of times in her heart.
Xie Qinglan's leg injury was not long ago. After half a month of treatment, Xie Qinglan's leg has regained sensation, and she can even take a few difficult steps with Zhuo Qing's help.
In order to recover as quickly as possible, he spends an hour every day practicing walking.
There are few people in Tinglan Garden, and no one usually comes here, so no one in the manor knows that Xie Qinglan's leg is already recovering.
Zhang Wanshu had come a few times, her eyes filled with tears, saying she wanted to visit Xie Qinglan, but Zhuo Qing always sent her away, saying that the young master was still in a coma and it was inconvenient for him to see people.
Ye Chaoxi learned from Zhuo Qing that Zhang Wanshu was the daughter of Zhang's younger brother. After her brother passed away, Zhang Wanshu was taken to the Marquis's mansion by Zhang and raised there. It can be said that she grew up in the Marquis's mansion.
Zhang Wanshu always liked to get close to Xie Qinglan, but Xie Qinglan didn't get along with Zhang Shi and ignored all of Zhang Wanshu's attempts to get close to her.
Xie Qinglan deliberately distanced herself from her, and a scheming cousin was also eyeing her, which was really delaying her plans.
In an effort to thaw the ice between the two, Ye Chaoxi commissioned a jade pendant from Yuzhenlou, intending to give it to Xie Qinglan on his birthday five days later.
If I kiss him again then, Xie Qinglan can't still be angry, right?
Two days later, she received a message from Yuzhenlou that there was a problem with the custom-made jade pendant and that she needed to go over to discuss the follow-up matters. Without thinking too much, Ye Chaoxi changed her clothes and went to Yuzhenlou.
Yuzhenlou divided the third floor into private rooms for guests to rest and drink tea. Ye Chaoxi was led to one of the rooms as soon as she arrived.
The private room was filled with the smoke of incense. Ye Chaoxi looked around but found no one there, which puzzled her. As she turned to leave, a nimble figure suddenly darted out from behind the screen and covered her mouth and nose with a cloth from behind.
Alarm bells rang in her mind. The cloth was soaked in a sleeping drug, and even though she held her breath as fast as she could, she still inhaled some, and her mind quickly became hazy.
The man didn't care whether she was completely unconscious or not; he carried her and opened a hidden door to leave.
Ye Chaoxi was not completely unconscious, but her whole body was limp and she couldn't muster any strength. She didn't make any rash moves and waited for the person to carry her away from Yuzhen Tower. After many twists and turns, they carried her to their destination—a small courtyard in a deep alley.
The man left her in a room and then left.
Ye Chaoxi fumbled in her small space and took out an antidote pill, swallowing it. She quickly felt her strength gradually returning. She lay there motionless, still pretending to be weak, quietly waiting to see who had brought her here.
It wasn't until darkness fell that there was movement outside the door. A masked man walked in, and through the mask, his greedy and lewd eyes fell on Ye Chaoxi's body, brazenly scrutinizing her.
Ye Chaoxi recognized that gaze. For the past two weeks, she had often felt a cold, sticky gaze, like that of a venomous snake, watching her from the shadows, making her feel extremely disgusted.
"Xie Changyu, do you think I won't recognize you just because you're wearing a mask?"
The man paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting to be recognized. He then removed his mask, revealing a face that bore a striking resemblance to Xie Qinglan – it was Xie Changyu.
...
Tinglan Garden.
Xie Qinglan sat at the table, having no appetite for dinner. Although he was determined to keep his distance from Ye Chaoxi and not take things any further, he would still eat with her every day.
Every time he ate with her and heard her enjoying her food, his appetite would also improve.
As dusk approached and the person who had gone out in the afternoon had not yet returned, Xie Qinglan couldn't help but ask, "Why hasn't Madam returned yet?"
Zhuo Qing wanted to say, "If you don't know, how would I know? You've been giving her the cold shoulder lately, but now you're concerned about where she is."
Just then, Ye Chaoxi's maid, Qiu Shu, ran back in a panic, "Young Master, something terrible has happened! Madam, Madam is missing!"
Xie Qinglan abruptly turned her wheelchair to look at her, and hurriedly asked, "How could she be gone?!"
"This servant doesn't know either. Today, Yuzhen Tower sent a message saying that there was a problem with the jade pendant that Madam had ordered. So Madam and this servant went to Yuzhen Tower. Madam went into the private room alone, and this servant waited outside the door but didn't see Madam come out! When this servant went in to check, there was no one in the room!"
"Yuzhen Tower!" Xie Qinglan's mind was in turmoil. "I remember Yuzhen Tower was owned by the Zhang family!"
The thought that Yuzhenlou was a property of the Zhang family immediately brought a name to Xie Qinglan's mind.
Who else could be so capable of silently taking someone away from a private room in Yuzhen Tower, except for someone closely connected to Yuzhen Tower?!
"Investigate! Zhuo Qing has ordered people to investigate Xie Changyu's properties and find out where he went today!"
Xie Changyu is a scumbag, a guy who can't resist women. He's probably been eyeing Ye Chaoxi for a long time!
It's all his fault for being careless; he never expected Xie Changyu to dare to covet his sister-in-law!
Thinking about what Ye Chaoxi might have encountered after being missing for so long, Xie Qinglan's heart, which had finally calmed down after years of self-cultivation, was now burning with raging anger.
He wanted to kill someone!
Zhuo Qing realized the seriousness of the matter and acted quickly. Fortunately, they had spies planted in each courtyard and soon learned Xie Changyu's whereabouts.
He went to a small courtyard in Yanyu Lane, and it had been half an hour since he left.
In a moment of panic, Xie Qinglan disregarded her leg injury, stood up using her wheelchair, and tried to rush outside.
His training and recovery over the past few days were simply not enough to support such a big movement. He lost his strength in his legs after taking only two steps and fell to the ground.
Xie Qinglan's eyes reddened; for the first time, she hated her two useless legs so much.
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