Chapter 79 The Immortal in the Hermitage (Twenty-Two) Mr. Yu is in trouble! ...
These words softened Grandma Chen's expression slightly. She thought to herself that if it was Chen Jia's idea, not agreeing would be offending him. Although they were all surnamed Chen, her Chen was not the same as other people's Chen. If she helped them, Chen Jia might secretly remember her husband's favor.
Jingzhen then advised, “Your family also shares the surname Chen, and you serve in the same court as the eldest son. Even if the two young masters don’t say anything, they will remember your kindness and will naturally repay you in the future. You can trust me; you won’t go wrong. Isn’t your husband also waiting for the court to appoint him to an official position? Isn’t this small matter something that the two imperial brothers-in-law can decide?”
After saying this, she just kept looking at Granny Chen. Seeing that she didn't say anything, she knew that she had agreed. Jingzhen pushed the small packet of medicine back, "That Mr. Yu doesn't eat breakfast every day, but he drinks tea. Tomorrow, just put the medicine in his tea when you see the right opportunity. You don't need to worry about anything else."
Grandma Chen never expected that after so many years, she thought she had long since escaped this cage, but when she came back, she still had to listen to them. She should have known better than to come here! But it was too late to regret it now. She could only put the medicine bag back in her bosom, and refused to stay in the room for a moment longer, nor to look at Jingzhen again. She got up and left.
Outside, the sun was partly shining and partly overcast; a hazy, shapeless sun shone, yet it was as hot as a steamer. Jiuli sat in the carriage, bouncing back and forth, her mind replaying the moment Yu Qi kissed her. Regardless, it was the first time he had ever kissed her first. His most intimate gesture towards her before had been simply holding her. Looking back now, although both were skin-to-skin contact, the feeling was vastly different.
But she didn't like to distinguish things one by one. She wasn't like Yu Qi, who was used to things being exactly as they were. She also didn't like to ponder when her feelings for him had changed. Anyway, things had already changed, so she just treated it as a messy account and couldn't be bothered to calculate it.
She waved her hand, saying that Yu Qi's argument was completely untenable. What did she mean by "habit" and "dependence" on him? Isn't that what love is all about? Does it have to be a strange flutter between two complete strangers from different parts of the world to be considered "love"? Who set this rule? Does love have to happen only in a fateful encounter?
She couldn't help but touch her lips, her emotions shifting between laughter and resentment, seemingly chaotic. Yet, these ever-changing feelings, densely packed within her heart, made it feel full and overflowing. Unlike before, when happiness was there, but inevitably thin. Thinking this, she smiled and tilted her head, still feeling that "love" was a wonderful thing; even in sorrow and resentment, there was an indescribable beauty to it.
Suddenly, Zhang Da lifted the carriage curtain from the outside and bent down on his horse, asking, "We've passed Yuhua Gate, where are we going?"
"Go to Wei's Brokerage Firm on Changtian Street."
What are you going to Wei's brokerage for?
Jiuli leaned against the window and chuckled, "Wang the Cripple just wants to keep his business going. Let's find a reason for him to prescribe medicine haphazardly and ask Old Man Wei to order all the pharmacies to stop dispensing medicines prescribed by Wang the Cripple. If he can't do business, he'll have to listen to us."
"But how do you get hold of this leverage?"
"I have my own way. Anyway, let's go to Wei's brokerage first and find Brother Wei the Second."
"Looking for Master Wei, huh?" Zhang Da's smile was slow, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "If I may ask a blunt question, who do you actually prefer, Lord Qi or Master Wei?"
Jiuli's face darkened, and she pouted and squinted, "Then you'll have to ask my uncle whether he likes Xu Bai or Wei Hong."
“I’m asking you, and you’re telling me to ask Mr. Yu. What does it have to do with him?”
"If I like someone but he doesn't like me back, isn't it all for nothing?"
Zhang Da didn't believe it. "In other families, people would naturally obey their parents' orders, but your family is different. I don't think Mr. Yu can persuade you otherwise. You're not like other girls who dare to talk back or disobey. Who can control you when you're stubborn? In the end, he'll still have to give in to you."
Jiuli draped her other arm over the window as well. "Are you listing all the faults my uncle has for me? Am I really as disrespectful and unfilial as you say?" She snorted coldly. "Besides, he's not always right. Why should I listen to him in everything?"
"Mr. Yu, what did you do wrong?"
Although he hadn't done anything wrong, he hadn't won her over either. She muttered, "Not everything is right or wrong. He didn't do anything wrong, so why am I wrong?"
"That's true, but I'll say something you might not like to hear: since you're so determined to marry Lord Qi, I think it's best to avoid getting involved with Master Wei. A woman who's fickle isn't a good thing."
Jiuli suddenly felt a little guilty after what he said, but then she thought, what does he know? Who doesn't want to be liked? Once a man has money and power, doesn't he also love to attract attention? If she wasn't liked by several men, wouldn't all her good looks be wasted?
She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm just asking him to help us with something important. Brother Zhang, has your wife never said anything about you being ungrateful?"
After speaking, he tossed down the curtain with a stern face, leaving Zhang Da speechless.
Before long, they arrived at Changtian Wei Family Brokerage. There, a plaque reading "Official Brokerage of Medicine" hung in front of the door. Wei Hong was seeing a medicine merchant out from under the plaque. The two talked for a long time. Jiu Li watched from afar and thought that Wei Hong was not like he was talking to her when he was doing business. It turned out that he was also very eloquent and had a long tongue.
After a short while, Wei Hong walked a few steps towards the medicine merchant on the street, then turned around and saw Jiu Li. Suddenly, his face turned red again, and he walked over with his head down as if he had become a different person. "Miss Yu'er, what a coincidence to run into you here." He then pointed to the door and said, "Oh, this is my brokerage."
Zhang Da gave him a look of exasperation, "What a coincidence! I came here specifically to your brokerage."
Although Wei Hong wasn't familiar with them, they had met before, so he quickly bowed and greeted them, inviting the two inside. While there were some medicine cabinets inside, they weren't for retail; they contained samples of medicinal herbs stored there by various medicine merchants for buyers to look at. If a buyer liked a particular herb, the Wei family would then arrange for both parties to meet at the pharmacy. Therefore, from the main hall to the back courtyard, there were several smaller halls.
The three of them sat down in the small hall and talked for a while. After drinking a bowl of tea, they went to Zhang Da's house and discussed things with Sui Zi. Then they asked a woman in the neighborhood to invite Wang the Cripple.
Having received instructions, the neighbor woman deliberately spoke cryptically to the cripple Wang on the way, saying, "When you get there, don't ask any questions. Just take his pulse and prescribe medicine. That's a shameless thing to do."
Wang the Cripple understood immediately; it must be that adulterous affair again. Arriving at Zhang Da's house, not knowing whose house it was, he saw a handsome young man open the door and lead him into a room in the west wing.
There were curtains on the bed. The official walked to the bedside and said softly, "The doctor has arrived. Don't be afraid. Let's see what's wrong. Maybe it's just because of the hot weather."
Immediately, a thick, fair arm stretched out from the tent. When Wang the Cripple saw the arm, he thought to himself that this official had a unique taste. With his eyes closed, he put his hand on the woman's wrist. Sure enough, his affair had caused trouble. The woman was more than two months pregnant!
Upon hearing this, the official turned deathly pale and stammered, "What...what should we do?!"
Seeing that the official was well-dressed, Wang the Cripple assumed he was wealthy. Before the official could speak, he rushed to help him out, saying, "Don't worry, sir, I have a prescription for an abortion pill. Take it and all your worries will disappear!"
Although the official didn't respond, he clearly looked relieved. Wang the Cripple quickly drew up a prescription and handed it to him, boasting about how the medicine would induce an abortion without harming the body. Just then, Jiu Li came in with a grin, took the prescription, and saw that it was indeed a prescription for abortion.
Wang the Cripple was utterly astonished at the sight of such a beautiful girl when Wei Hong suddenly changed his expression, spun around to sit down, and slammed the prescription on the table. "Who are you? What kind of prescription are you? My sister-in-law has finally become pregnant, and the whole family is overjoyed. We invited you here to prescribe some medicine to help her maintain the pregnancy, but you've taken it upon yourself to try and kill her!"
Wang the Cripple's eyes were wide open, still dazed, when Sui Zi rushed off the bed, grabbed his neck with both hands, and shook his head violently. "Well, are you a doctor or the King of Hell?! I have no grudge against you, and you come here to harm the child in my belly!"
Jiu Li sneered from the side, "Doctor, do you even know whose house this is, or who's sitting in that chair, yet you dare to prescribe abortion pills so casually? Let me tell you, this is the home of Constable Zhang, the head of the yamen. This woman is Constable Zhang's wife, and the person sitting in that chair is a pharmacy agent. You just walked in without any warning, and before they even gave you a word, you're already coaxing her into having an abortion. It's utterly unethical and inhumane! Because of what happened today, not only will your business be in trouble in the future, but Constable Zhang will also charge you with the crime of wrongfully taking a life!"
It wasn't until Zhang Da walked in with a smile that Wang the Cripple understood what had happened. It turned out that these people had deliberately lured him here to get this prescription!
Now that they had the leverage over him, he was helpless and could only sigh and tilt his head, "You just wanted to know where that nun lived, why go through all this trouble to set up such a trap?"
Jiuli laughed and said, "If I hadn't set this trap for you to fall into, would you have been willing to tell the truth?"
Wang the Cripple let out a deep sigh of relief. "I said! That nun lives near Lion Bridge, not far from my house. She rented a room there to stay temporarily."
After getting the address, and seeing that it was getting late, Wei Hong came over to Jiu Li and said, "It's not too late to go tomorrow. It looks like it's going to rain again. Let me take you home in my carriage first."
Jiuli had no choice but to agree. She left the Zhang family and rode with him in a carriage back to Liuli Street. As soon as they arrived home, it started to rain. The old lady was overjoyed to see the two of them and took the opportunity to invite Wei Hong to stay for dinner.
The rain fell all night, so it got light more than half an hour later than usual. It was still dark even after 5 a.m. The young nun who was delivering morning tea to Yu Qi had just reached the corridor when she heard a rustling sound coming from behind the rockery. The young nun thought it was just a stray cat. In such heavy rain, if it got caught on the flower vines, wouldn't it get soaked?
Seeing that Yu Qi's room was still dark, she assumed he hadn't gotten up yet, so she temporarily left the tea and umbrella on the veranda and went around to the back of the rockery to rescue him. Taking advantage of this, Granny Chen slipped out from behind the rockery, quietly went to the veranda, shook half a packet of medicine into the teacup, and hid behind a pillar. She waited for the young nun to come out, see that Yu Qi's room was lit, and then take the tea to knock on Yu Qi's door and go in. Only then did Granny Chen quietly push open her own door and slip into the room.
The two maids were still asleep on the couch. She was only thinking about what Yu Qi had said that day: arsenic is colorless and tasteless when added to water. She thought she had done it without anyone noticing, but her heart was still pounding. So she pressed her hand to her chest and went back to bed to wait.
After waiting for about 15 minutes, we suddenly heard a few loud bangs from the other room, and then the doors of several guest rooms creaked open. Amid the commotion, someone shouted, "Mr. Yu is in trouble!"
Startled, she trembled and quickly pulled the blanket over her head!
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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