Li Shiyue withdrew her gaze and said to Chunling beside her, "Let's go."
Her voice was very soft as she led Chunling toward Chengyu Pavilion, ignoring the gazes behind her.
The distance wasn't short, and when Li Shiyue reached Chengyu Pavilion, the pain in her back became even more unbearable. She went inside and sat directly on the wide couch.
"Go and fetch the ointment that my aunt sent earlier, and help me undress."
She got up and went into the inner room. She took off her outer jacket in a hurry and a little flustered. She untied the belt of the narrow-sleeved blue short shirt underneath, revealing a silver-white lotus-patterned bodice.
Her clothes were removed, leaving her only in a silver-white bodice with thin straps piercing her collarbones.
A sash was tied around her waist, and her slender waist made even Lian Dong, who came in later, blush.
Holding two blue porcelain jars in her hands, she looked embarrassed and didn't think much before her eyes fell on the purplish-blue patch behind Li Shiyue. For the first time, she was so shocked that she lost her composure.
"Girl? What happened to you? Your back is so sore, it must hurt a lot."
"Please bear with me, young lady. I'll go fetch a basin of clean water." With that, Lian Dong placed the porcelain jar containing the ointment on the edge of the bed and hurriedly ran out.
When she came back in carrying a basin of water, Li Shiyue was already lying on the bed, untying the back of her clothes, revealing the apricot-pink magnolia-patterned undergarment underneath.
The style of the undergarment was the simplest, with a belt tied at the back waist and fair skin, making Lian Dong even more hesitant to use her hands, which were wet with water, as she held the handkerchief.
This time, there was no embarrassment at all, only worry. He used a little more force, and Li Shiyue cried out in pain.
"Please bear with it, young lady. Sister Lian Dong will wipe it with clean water before applying the ointment, which will make it easier for the medicine to work."
Chunling came in with fresh water, followed by Qiufan: "Miss."
Li Shiyue was surprised. Qiu Fan and Cui Xia usually served the outer courtyard and rarely had the opportunity to serve her personally. If the two of them came in, it was usually an outsider who came in to announce their arrival.
"Someone from the Duchess's side came to ask if the young lady was feeling alright, and whether she needed to go to the ancestral hall later. If she wasn't going, she could simply rest."
Qiu Fan paused as she spoke, then looked up at Li Shiyue: "The person who came said that the Duchess was very angry when she found out, and she will definitely give you an explanation so that you won't be wronged."
"They even had a female doctor invited, and she's outside right now."
Li Shiyue lowered her eyes. It seemed that Xu Yunci had already spoken to Madam Yang, but she wondered who else in the mansion already knew.
However, since Xu Yunci had ordered the ancestral hall to be opened, Xu Yunyang probably wouldn't be able to escape. That day, when she went out to play, Xu Yunci saw him on that street. It wasn't for nothing that she had planned this scheme for so long; she finally watched helplessly as Xu Yunyang struggled to escape.
"Please come in."
Her voice was very soft. She lay motionless on the bed, and the ointment applied to her back gradually brought a cooling sensation, soothing the burning pain in the purplish-blue area.
The female doctor was of average age, with regular features and a composed demeanor.
"Princess of the County".
Lian Dong and Chun Ling got up and moved aside from the edge of the bed to let the female doctor come closer.
The female doctor examined the two porcelain jars carefully, then sniffed them before rising respectfully: "The county princess is seriously injured, with bruises and swelling. Fortunately, the bones were not broken, only the tendons and veins were damaged. In the next few days, remember not to touch hot water or Yuhen."
"These two jars of ointment are excellent, but I will prescribe a medicine for both external and internal use, so that the county princess will suffer less."
"Thank you, Doctor. Chunling will go with you to get the medicine." Li Shiyue sat up and let Lian Dong help her put on her undergarments.
After seeing the female doctor off, Lian Dong saw Li Shiyue about to get out of bed and wanted to persuade her to rest more, but when she saw Qiu Fan still in the room, she thought about it and swallowed her words.
Although she didn't know what had happened, it had alarmed even the Duchess and caused the ancestral hall to be opened. Since she had been in the manor since childhood, the number of times the ancestral hall had been opened was very few, so it must be a big event.
This was the second time the ancestral hall had been opened since Li Shiyue entered the household. She dared not make a decision on her own. Although the young lady seemed approachable and friendly, she was not easy to trust and had her own opinions.
"Bring out my moon-white robe, help me dress, and come with me to the ancestral hall."
She had been looking forward to this occasion for a long time; how could she not be there?
She wore an elegant moon-white jacket with subtle patterns. After changing into a white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), she walked towards the ancestral hall with Lian Dong.
The room was packed with people, including Xu Yunbo, who was far away in the military camp in the western suburbs. He stood out among the young men, especially when he stood next to Xu Yunyao. The two had similar bronze skin and cold, handsome features, and their mere presence was enough to make them look imposing.
Perhaps because he had come directly from the military camp, his brownish-red coarse cloth robe was slightly dusty; in fact, everyone in the military camp wore the same robe.
He was the first to see Li Shiyue walk in. She had a calm expression, bowed, and stood obediently behind Madam Wei.
Today, he seems even more resolute than when he last came back. It has to be said that the change is really huge, so huge that it makes people sigh that he has been reborn.
The expressions of the four wives and their mistresses varied, especially Liu, the wife of the second wife, whose chest heaving clearly indicated her exasperation.
Upon seeing Li Shiyue, tears welled up in his eyes, and he glared at her as if spitting fire, as if he could hear her clenching her teeth.
Li Shiyue took in the expressions of everyone and finally looked at Xu Yunci beside Yang Shi, signaling him not to worry.
Ignoring the stares of others, Li Shiyue stopped as she passed by Madam Liu, glancing over out of the corner of her eye. In just one glance, she walked up to Old Madam Xu and suddenly knelt down.
Old Madam Xu's eyes were filled with sorrow. Leaning against Granny Chang's chest, she looked weak and breathless, clearly knowing everything, including all of this, including all of her meticulously planned schemes.
"Grandmother, uncle, aunt."
Before her knees even touched the ground, Old Madam Xu sat up straight, leaning slightly forward, and with someone supporting her, she took Li Shiyue's hands as she was about to kneel in worship.
Her eyes were filled with heartache, and she tremblingly reached out to touch Li Shiyue's cheek: "My darling..."
With a lingering tone, Madam Xu closed her eyes as if in regret: "It's all my fault. I was thinking of bringing you here to enjoy your retirement, but I didn't expect these wretched children to cause such a fuss."
"No, this can't be blamed on Grandmother." Li Shiyue knelt in front of Madam Xu, and perhaps because she moved too quickly, she pulled on Yu Hen behind her, causing him pain.
"Hiss." Li Shiyue gasped. Lian Dong was about to help her up when she pushed her away.
“You were injured, so I told you to go back and rest. Why did you have to come here?”
Xu Lingzi stepped forward with concern, but Li Shiyue's hand was being held by Old Madam Xu. She didn't know which part of Li Shiyue's back was injured, and was afraid that she might touch something that would hurt her again.
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