Chapter 89 Qi-Liang Realm (Part 1) Is there really something wrong with your body...?
Upon returning home, they inevitably disturbed everyone. Yu Qingxiu quickly turned on all the lamps inside and outside, making it as bright as day. The old lady also put on her clothes and came out. When she saw Jiuli crying and sobbing, she was very sad. She also saw that Yu Qi was covered in blood. She quickly pulled him over and looked him over, fearing that he might have a hole in his body.
Fengqiao and the others were fine with it, but Yu Qi was not used to the old lady's distressed expression. Sitting in the back room of the pharmacy, he said casually, "It's just a cut on her hand from a knife, and she's crying like this. You're all making a fuss over it. It's nothing serious, go to sleep. Fengqiao, just stay and apply some medicine for me."
Upon hearing this, Jiuli cried even louder, "What do you mean, a cut? It's a huge, deep cut! Otherwise, why would it bleed so much?!"
The old lady felt a pang of pain in her heart, but she knew that Yu Qi was not used to making a big fuss, especially for her, so she could only pull Jiu Li over and wipe away her tears. "Don't cry. If your uncle says it's nothing serious, then it's nothing serious. He's a doctor, how could he be wrong? Let's go to sleep, girl."
Jiuli broke free from his grasp, wiped away her tears, and squatted down in front of Yu Qi. "I won't go to sleep. I'll watch you apply the medicine."
When Yu Qi saw her cold face, he knew that even if he sent her back to her room, she would not be able to sleep. Instead, she would be anxious in the room. So he had no choice but to give up and raised his hand to urge everyone to go to sleep. "Then you all go to sleep. Leave Yu'er and Feng Qiao here."
Everyone had no choice but to disperse. Fengqiao rushed to fetch water, while Jiuli went behind the counter to find sore ointment, stopped the bleeding, cleaned, and bandaged the wound. They were busy for a while, and it wasn't until late at night that things calmed down. When they went into the courtyard, they saw that the lights under the eaves were still on.
Jiuli didn't go back to her room. Instead, she quietly followed Yu Qi around to his room. Yu Qi turned to look at her and was about to tell her to go to sleep when she rushed forward and slipped into the room. She added two lamps to the long table next to the bed, then held up another lamp and walked to the bedside, bending down to shine it on Yu Qi's face.
His face was deathly pale, even less vibrant than usual, and the beads of sweat on his face were clearly from the pain! He hadn't uttered a single sound on the way back and until his wound was bandaged. Her heart ached as if being pulled by threads, and she began to sob.
Yu Qi laughed back, "Why are you crying again? You weren't such a crybaby before."
Jiuli plopped down next to him, saying, "I won't cry if I hurt myself."
He nodded, thinking that she was probably eager to do something for him right now, so he deliberately walked to the washbasin stand and made her wring out a towel to wash his face.
The old lady was still worried about Yu Qi, so she got up fully clothed and went to the corridor. She heard the sound of running water coming from the east room, so she assumed someone was washing up. Just as she was about to knock on the door, she heard Jiu Li sobbing, "I just saw such a deep wound. How long will it take to heal?"
Her tone was reproachful, but you could tell she was worried. It was only natural for a niece to be concerned about her uncle's injuries, especially since Jiuli and Yuqi had always been so close, almost too close. The old lady's eyelids drooped slightly, her hand fell gently, and she quietly walked to the bedroom window.
Fortunately, Yuqing had left a window half-open to keep the room from getting stuffy. Looking inside, she saw Yu Qi with his back to the window, clutching a face towel in one hand and draping it over the washbasin stand. He then walked straight to the bed and said, "I've finished washing up too. You can go back to sleep now."
Before they had taken two steps, Jiuli suddenly turned around, wrapped her arms around his waist, pressed her face against his back, and remained silent for a long time.
After a while, she seemed to hear a sigh. Yu Qi turned around, and she nestled into his arms. He could only put his bandaged hand around her back and stroke her head, asking, "What do you want?"
Jiuli didn't know either. She wasn't speaking because she had nothing to say, but simply because she didn't want to leave. After thinking for a moment, she looked up and said, "Are you hungry? I'll go see if there's anything to eat in the kitchen and heat it up for you."
Yu Qi chuckled, "Forget it, you wouldn't know how to heat up food, and you can barely manage to make a pot of tea."
She muttered to herself, "You've made me sound like I know nothing, like I'm just a freeloader."
"Who said you can't do anything? Aren't you quick-witted, good at solving cases, and very capable?" Yu Qi smiled and leaned down to kiss her on the lips.
Still not satisfied, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself even tighter against him, forcing him to stumble back half a step.
He felt her breasts rubbing against his chest; even though they weren't very thick, they were surprisingly soft. Men, perhaps because everything about them is firm and hard, instinctively like the softness of women. His hand unconsciously slid down a little towards her lower back, then stopped, his palm clenching slightly. He forgot about his injury, and suddenly felt a sharp pain.
He smiled helplessly, wincing in pain. "This is at home."
He didn't really want to say such things, as it seemed sneaky. He was someone who couldn't stand the light of day anyway, and it would be shameful to talk about avoiding people. He always felt that the pale gray moon in the sky was a cold, scrutinizing eye.
She reluctantly lowered her arm, still gazing at him with a hint of unease, then suddenly smiled mischievously, "Is there really something wrong with your health?"
"Nonsense—" He slapped her on the buttock in annoyance, then, with a half-smile, he leaned forward slightly. "Would there be a problem?"
She blushed instantly, as if she had been lightly poked with a stick. He really said such things to her, and she felt very embarrassed. She didn't know where to look, so she just lowered her eyes. Then she felt like she was looking down at something, so she quickly raised her head, put her hands behind her back, and pretended to be generous and calm.
"Are you relieved now?" Yu Qi's face flushed slightly, but thankfully the candlelight didn't show it. He never wanted to show any weakness in front of her. If they hadn't been together for over a decade and she knew his background very well, he would have preferred to appear as an expert in this area.
He was surprised by this idea and felt a little embarrassed, like the naive young man he once was.
When Jiuli saw his expression for the first time, she was both curious and excited, and playfully circled around him.
He grabbed her and pulled her to a stop, whispering, "Go back to sleep."
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek.
For a moment, the scene inside the window seemed to sway precariously, just as the old lady's heart was in turmoil. Seeing that Jiuli was finally willing to come out, she hurriedly hid behind a pillar. After she returned to the west wing, she quietly went back to her room. Lying on the bed, she still felt the earth shaking and the sky spinning.
There was no strong smell of incense, only the sweet fragrance of roses in the tent, and Jiu Li finally slept soundly that night. When she got up in the morning and lifted the curtain, she saw that the sun had already spread across her desk, and realized that it was quite late.
Looking at the sunlight streaming across the table, she felt that Qinglian Temple was a nightmare, but she also knew that this was just a way of comforting herself.
Xiuzhi brought in water for her to wash up, and said with a smile, "Du Zhong is back too. He's in that room paying his respects to the old lady. Why don't you get up quickly?"
No wonder there was some noise. It must be that some yamen runners went to Qinglian Temple this morning to report that Huixin had been arrested, so the yamen withdrew its men. After washing up and changing her clothes, Jiuli came out and saw that the doors and windows of the east wing were still closed. Yu Qi probably hadn't gotten up yet, probably because her wound hurt so much last night that she couldn't sleep for half the night.
As soon as we entered the main room, we heard the old lady saying, "Lord Yan said he would solve the case within five days, and it's only been two days. Isn't Lord Yan happy? If he's happy, he'll surely reward us, right? Money isn't important, our family isn't short of money. What's important is that we'll have face!"
Du Zhong laughed and said, "What's so special about Lord Yan's reward? This case will inevitably be reported to the imperial court. Lord Yan said he will also submit a memorial to the emperor to commend my uncle. The imperial court will definitely reward him then. Wouldn't that be even more glorious? Hmm? Where is my uncle? He's still not up?"
When Yu Qi was mentioned, the old lady fell silent, heavy with worry, thinking of what had happened the night before.
Jiuli chimed in, "Uncle is injured; he must have been in so much pain last night that he didn't sleep well."
Du Zhongyuan was lying crookedly on the couch, but upon hearing this, he hurriedly stirred up, "Injured?! I didn't hear the yamen runners who went to Qinglian Temple say that this morning."
Jiuli recounted in detail what had happened the night before when she rushed to the brothel. Only then did the old lady learn the reason for Yu Qi's injury. At this moment, she realized that this was a dangerous task, forgetting whether it would bring her any honor.
Just then, Du Zhong heard the door to Yu Qi's room open. He turned and glanced out the window, then hurriedly went out to the east wing. As soon as he entered, he knelt down under the screen of the bedroom, tears streaming down his face. It was the first time he had witnessed Yu Qi being injured, and he was quite frightened.
Yu Qi was tying his belt in front of the gantry when he glanced back at him and found it quite amusing. "You're a grown man now, why are you acting like a little fish, crying and whining?"
Du Zhong kowtowed, wiped away his tears, and said, "Master should have told me to go with you last night. If I had gone with you, you wouldn't have gotten hurt!"
Yu Qi, dressed in a bronze-green robe, walked up to the screen with a smile, put his hands behind his back, and glared at him. "You've got some skills, haven't you?"
He sobbed, "Although I have no skills, I am willing to go through fire and water for my master, unlike Xiaoyuer, who is terrified by the sight of swords and spears! She only knows how to hide behind her master!"
"You've got guts to compete with a girl," Yu Qi chuckled, then sighed. "Get up. I'm not going to die. No need for you to show your filial piety here. Do you think I don't know what you're up to?"
Someone outside chuckled. Du Zhong saw that it was Xiu Zhi bringing in water, so he quickly got up. Feeling ashamed of crying, he didn't dare look at her. He just lowered his head, took the basin, and put it on the washstand. Yu Qi walked over to the washstand and saw that Du Zhong's face was flushed. He felt something was wrong and turned around to look. Xiu Zhi's skirt was just slipping off the threshold.
Xiuzhi walked into the main room, and Jiuli, who was on the couch, tilted her head and asked, "Uncle, have you taken your seat?"
"He's up. Du Zhong is helping him wash up." Xiu Zhi wiped her hands and walked into the inner room, pulled up a stool and sat down in front of him. "Just now you were saying how that Second Master Chen is doing?"
Jiuli snorted, "I don't know if he's dead or not. When my uncle and I left last night, he was still breathing, and his servants were frantically trying to revive him. But it's no use if he's alive; he's destined to be childless anyway."
The old lady was already horrified by what she heard. She shoved her hand and said, "Your uncle is just like that. How old is he? Why is he so impulsive? It would be one thing if he hurt someone elsewhere, but it had to be that place. Doesn't that make people hate him to death? Didn't they say that the Chen family is very powerful in the capital?"
Jiuli laughed and said, "Uncle is still very young! Oh, don't worry. Even Uncle Zhao said that the Chen family wouldn't dare to do anything. Many officials in the court don't hide anything from the Chen family. At this time, he wouldn't dare to be presumptuous. He can only hold his anger in. Besides, he and Qinglian Temple's affairs have been exposed to the court. He secretly forced women into prostitution to win over local officials. How could the emperor accept that? They haven't even cleared the snow off their own roof yet. If they cause trouble for us now, wouldn't that be adding fuel to the fire?"
The old lady didn't understand these things. She swallowed hard and turned to Xiuzhi, saying, "Go to the kitchen later and tell Yuqing to stew a pig's trotter for the master to nourish him."
Xiuzhi was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening and agreed to go out.
The old lady turned back and tucked a stray hair behind Jiuli's ear. "When you're done with your work, come with me to the Wei family for a visit. Old Mrs. Wei has been thinking about you. She's asked me about you several times. I told her that you've been free and have been helping your uncle investigate cases. Old Mrs. Wei doesn't think you're unruly. On the contrary, she says you're clever and quick-witted, even better than many men."
Jiuli just smiled and changed the subject, saying, "Let's wait until Uncle's injury heals. If we go now, people will ask about Uncle and know he's injured, and they'll definitely come to see him. You know Uncle doesn't like socializing."
The old lady sighed inwardly, "It's all over." It seemed that this girl really only had Yu Qi in her heart. No one knew who had provoked her first.
However, in her opinion, Yu Qi bore more responsibility. Firstly, he was a man, and secondly, he was an elder. Even if the girl meant well, he should have advised her. Why was he pulling and tugging at her instead? Jiu Li was young and didn't think long-term, and acted without considering the consequences. Didn't he think the same way?
She silently blamed Yu Qi in her heart.
Seeing that she didn't speak and her face seemed somewhat troubled, Jiu Li smiled crookedly and asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"If you don't agree, is it because you secretly like Qi Xubai?"
Why did you suddenly become so clear-headed?
The old lady muttered, "Anyway, whether it's the Wei family or the Qi family, we have to choose one."
Jiu Li's heart skipped a beat. She paused for a moment, then gave an awkward smile and said, "I understand."
He said he didn't want to publicize Yu Qi's injury to avoid having to entertain guests. Unexpectedly, even though it was still raining two days later, Yan Shu came in person, bringing some fish, meat, snacks, and several dozen taels of silver. He told Yu Qi to rest at home and that he and Xu Bai would take care of the aftermath.
As he was leaving, Jiuli hurried to the front of the hall and asked him, "Lord Yan, how is Huixin doing now?"
Lord Yan raised an eyebrow and said, "Didn't Constable Zhang come to say anything? She committed suicide in prison out of fear of punishment." He then turned to Yu Qi and sighed, "Fortunately, she confessed everything before she died. The case files have all been organized and sealed yesterday and sent to the Ministry of Justice. I reckon the Ministry of Justice has already sent them to the capital."
Jiuli wasn't particularly surprised by the news. In any case, these people had already endured the hardships of this life. If there really was reincarnation, who knew what the next life would be like? People only think about the next life when they have no hope in this life. Thinking about this, she felt somewhat sad and desolate.
She stayed under the corridor for a while. Yu Qi brought Yan Shu in and walked to the bottom of the corridor, touching her arm. "Why aren't you going in yet? It's quite chilly today, and you're still standing here in the wind."
Their hall was open at both ends, with a breeze blowing through it. The rain was light, but it did have a hint of autumn. They realized that summer was over and the Mid-Autumn Festival was just a few days away.
She looked somewhat listless, as if she had a thousand words to say to Yu Qi, but in the end, it all boiled down to, "Has Du Zhong changed your dressing?"
Yu Qi raised his hand slightly to show her; it was a clean gauze. "Go inside, under the eaves of the corridor. Don't run into the yard in the rain."
Seeing that he was about to leave again, Jiuli quickly grabbed his sleeve, "Where are you going?"
There are two patients waiting to see a doctor outside.
"Then you came in again?"
"If I don't come in, how long are you going to stand here like an idiot?"
He knew her too well. Just by looking at her expression after hearing about Huixin's suicide out of guilt, he guessed that she would be lost in thought here for a while. Her mood had been unpredictable these past two days, and she had been too lazy to add or remove clothes, always wearing gauze shirts and skirts.
She knew he had come in again because he was worried about her, and she felt guilty for being too willful. Yuqing and the others had reminded her several times that morning, but she hadn't listened. She should change into some thicker clothes.
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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