Chapter 106 Preparations
Meng Yutong did not hide anything from Bai Zhi and Wu Ming, frankly telling them about the fake marriage agreement and instructing them to keep it a secret.
Bai Zhi sighed softly after hearing this, but her expression also showed a sense of relief and relief: "Miss went through so much trouble before, and it was not easy to break off the engagement. I didn't expect that you would get engaged again now."
"However, after spending this time together, I have observed that Physician Ji is genuinely kind to you, Miss. Now that you have made things clear to him, I am relieved that you can be considerate of each other in the future."
Wu Ming shook his head, his brows furrowing slightly: "Why do I feel... there's something strangely coincidental about what happened today?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Zhi nudged him lightly with her elbow: "What nonsense are you talking about? If it weren't for this 'coincidence,' the young lady would probably already be betrothed and taken to the Dou family to become one of the many concubines of that young master Dou!"
"That's not what I meant..." Wu Ming muttered, swallowing the rest of his words.
The "coincidence" he was pondering was twofold: first, Physician Ji happened to appear at the Meng residence at that crucial moment; second, Liu Sijun and He Haochuan were both unexpectedly delayed, arriving so late.
A series of coincidences coming together inevitably arouse suspicion.
Fortunately, everything turned out alright in the end, and the head of the household was temporarily out of danger.
After today's harrowing experience, Meng Yutong was utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. After a quick wash, she returned to her room, took out the half of the jadeite double fish pendant that Ji Yun had given her earlier, and placed it under the lamp.
Under the soft glow of the lamplight, the jade pendant gleamed with a warm luster. Her fingertips lingered unconsciously on the cool jade surface, the initial chill quickly transforming into a comforting warmth that slowly spread from her fingertips.
His gaze fell on the half of the fish pendant in his palm. The lines were smooth, and the fish tail swayed slightly, as if it was about to swim into the void at any moment to find its other half.
The two fish are intertwined, head to tail, endlessly repeating, like an unbreakable knot.
Looking at the half of the jade pendant, she was filled with mixed emotions. Was she going to... marry Ji Yun again?
What kind of scene awaits her this time?
*
September 15th, Medical Officer's Hospital.
It was daytime, and the air in the physician's courtyard was filled with the aroma of medicine. Ji Yun was handing out bright red and gold wedding invitations to his colleagues one by one.
Zhu Zhi directly took the invitation, winked mischievously, and, in a high-pitched voice, deliberately imitated Ji Yun's tone at the palace banquet that day, mimicking it perfectly: "'All that happened before was my fault, I made you angry, please don't hold a grudge against me anymore, okay?'"
His expression was exaggerated, full of mockery, "Incredible, truly incredible! Is this still the same Ji Yun from our Medical Academy who is oblivious to romance and whose eyes are only on medical classics?"
Ji Yun was teased like this, but she didn't seem annoyed. She just glanced at him indifferently.
Zhu Zhi leaned closer and asked curiously, "How are the wedding preparations going? Do you need any help?"
“Everything is ready.” Ji Yun said calmly, listing the items: “The mansion has been repaired and arranged inside and out, all the necessary items for the ceremony are ready, and the guest list has been finalized.”
Zhu Zhi was astonished: "Good heavens! It's only been a month, right? You've been incredibly efficient! Anyone who didn't know better would think you were afraid the bride would change her mind and run away..."
He realized he had misspoke halfway through his sentence and quickly stopped, chuckling awkwardly, "Ahem, I mean, it's better to be cautious, after all, you've been jilted before."
Ji Yun frowned slightly: "The auspicious day is approaching, so don't say such unlucky things."
"Wow!" Zhu Zhi seemed to have discovered something extraordinary. He circled Ji Yun for a bit, clicking his tongue in amazement. "You've really changed! You never used to care about these auspicious sayings and taboos. Now you're all concerned about good or bad luck! Tsk tsk, even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman, and even an iron tree can bloom!"
Ji Yun, unwilling to dwell on the matter any longer, straightened his expression and got to the point: "Your Excellency, as I mentioned to you before, the weather has turned cold and damp recently, making it an opportune time for the spread of pathogenic factors. Last October, there was a small-scale outbreak of 'livestock plague' in the northern border. Although it did not reach Lin'an, we must still take precautions."
"We must strictly monitor all poultry and livestock markets in the city. We especially need to strengthen the verification of live poultry and livestock coming from outside the city to find out the source of the epidemic, so as to prevent the introduction of unclean items and the outbreak of epidemics. This matter concerns people's livelihood, and we hope that the Prime Minister will give it more supervision."
He was referring to a large-scale plague that occurred shortly after this time in his past life, caused by diseased poultry entering the city from outside. The response was hasty and resulted in significant losses. Now that he knew of it in this life, he needed to do his utmost to prevent a recurrence.
Zhu Zhi also put away his joking expression and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, I have already made arrangements for this matter. I have sent people to patrol the poultry and livestock markets in the east and west markets every day, and set up checkpoints to inspect and record relevant goods entering the city from outside. Once any abnormality is found, it will be reported and dealt with immediately, without any leniency."
Ji Yun nodded slightly. These past few days, besides preparing for the wedding, this matter had been his biggest worry. He had secretly acquired and stockpiled a batch of commonly used medicinal herbs to combat the epidemic, and had also drafted several preliminary preventative prescriptions based on the epidemics of his previous life, just in case.
However, the source of the plague in his previous life was mysterious, and he could not trace it back to the exact route and place from which it entered. Now he could only take these rough precautions and preparations, hoping they would be of some benefit.
In addition, there are assassins who mysteriously appeared in the palace in the previous life, and now Jin'an and the Dowager Consort are colluding more and more closely... All these undercurrents require him to be vigilant at all times and take precautions in many ways.
Thinking of this, Ji Yun couldn't help but raise his hand and rub his slightly swollen brows, a hint of fatigue hard to hide.
Seeing this, Zhu Zhi patted him on the shoulder: "Have you been working hard these days? The groom must cheer up, lest you look tired on your wedding day and displease the bride!"
Ji Yun dodged his movement, got up and walked out, not wanting to say anything more.
Zhu Zhi called out from behind him, "Where are we going this time?"
Ji Yun didn't stop walking, and expressionlessly uttered a sentence:
"Go fetch the lady and have her try on her wedding dress."
"Hey!" Zhu Zhi grinned from ear to ear behind him. "They haven't even had the wedding ceremony yet, and he's already calling her 'Madam' all the time. Aren't you ashamed!"
The weather was fine today. After leaving the Imperial Physician's Office, Ji Yun personally drove the carriage to the front of Zhaoyu Hall.
Meng Yutong was checking the accounts for medicinal herbs when she saw him arrive, so she put down the booklet in her hand. Ji Yun was not wearing his official robes today, but a sky-blue casual dress, which made his features appear clear and bright, less cold and stern than usual.
"The wedding dress has arrived. Mother asked an old embroiderer who had retired from the palace to sew it by hand. Go and try it on to see if it fits." His voice was gentle, and his gaze fell on her face, carrying a subtle warmth.
Meng Yutong was slightly taken aback, then nodded. Since it was an act, they naturally had to go all the way.
The carriage did not return to the Ji residence, but instead went to a secluded villa in the west of the city. This place was the Ji family's private property, elegantly furnished, and the servants were quiet and orderly.
Inside the main hall, two sets of bright red wedding gowns were neatly displayed on a sandalwood shelf. The groom's gown was dignified and upright, embroidered with phoenixes and auspicious clouds in silver thread, the fine stitches making the fabric appear even more crisp. The bride's gown was gorgeous and elaborate, with layers upon layers of skirts embroidered with mandarin ducks playing among lotus flowers in colored gold thread, and tiny pearl buttons adorning the flowers and leaves, shimmering and dazzling in the light.
"Try it on in the next room first. If it doesn't fit, the embroiderer is in the outer room and can make alterations immediately," Ji Yun suggested.
Accompanied by Bai Zhi, Meng Yutong entered the east wing. The wedding dress was intricately constructed, with several layers and numerous ties and buckles, making Bai Zhi somewhat flustered. Just as she was struggling to adjust the waist sash, Ji Yun's voice rang out from outside the door: "Do you need any help?"
Meng Yutong wanted to refuse, but Bai Zhi had already raised her voice and replied: "Physician Ji has come at just the right time. This servant has always found the belt around my waist too loose."
The door was gently pushed open, and Ji Yun walked in. He had changed into his bright red wedding attire. His usual aloof demeanor was accentuated by the intense color, revealing a breathtakingly handsome appearance. He looked less distant and indifferent, and more charming and down-to-earth.
He walked behind Meng Yutong and took the brocade ribbon from Bai Zhi's hand. His fingertips inevitably touched the thin fabric of her undergarment on her back, and both of them paused.
"Excuse me," he said in a low voice, which was a few decibels deeper than usual.
Meng Yutong could feel his warm breath brushing lightly against the back of her neck, bringing a slight shiver. She lowered her eyes slightly, looking at the overlapping figure reflected in the huge bronze mirror in front of her. He stood behind her, head down, focused on tying her sash, his movements gentle yet swift.
“You seem to have lost some weight again,” he said, fastening his belt. His hand didn’t leave immediately, but instead lightly circled her slender waist, his brows furrowing slightly. “Didn’t you use the bird’s nest soup that Yunzhou sent me every day?”
"I used it," Meng Yutong answered truthfully. The soup was sweet and cloying, which she didn't actually like, but she didn't want to waste it.
Ji Yun glanced thoughtfully at her slightly pursed lips reflected in her glasses, then stopped asking questions.
Ji Yun simply said, "Send some different things tomorrow."
She had already begun to consider which medicinal diets were gentler, more nourishing, and would suit her taste.
In her previous life, Meng Yutong rarely drank these health supplements. She preferred to drink cold and sweet drinks, which is why her health was so poor after catching a cold. She worked hard every day and had to take good care of her body. She wouldn't prepare these things herself, so he had to be more careful.
As he adjusted her collar after she put on her outer robe, his fingertips inadvertently brushed against the delicate skin on the side of her neck.
Meng Yutong took half a step back. "I'll do it myself."
Once they were fully dressed, the two looked at themselves in the mirror.
Looking at the woman in the mirror, dressed in a phoenix coronet and wedding gown, her face made even more radiant and beautiful by the bright red of the wedding dress, Meng Yutong could hardly recognize herself.
As Ji Yun looked at her beside him, her hair in cloud-like hair, her face in bright red, and her figure as dazzling as a flame, his eyes were filled with undisguised amazement, as if a glimmer of light had suddenly been cast onto a frozen lake, causing ripples to spread.
"Sister Meng!" Ji Ming's voice, accompanied by cheerful footsteps, came from afar. The little guy ran in like a gust of wind, circled around Meng Yutong twice, and stared wide-eyed. "Wow! Sister Meng, you're so beautiful! Like a fairy in a painting!"
Li Wan also walked in with a smile. Looking at the two beautiful people standing side by side, her eyes were full of satisfaction: "Good, good, it fits perfectly. This color makes Yu Tong look very healthy."
She walked over to Meng Yutong and straightened a slightly crooked gold phoenix hairpin in her hair, saying in a kind tone, "If there's anything that's inappropriate or you don't like, just tell me, and I'll have someone change it."
Meng Yutong smiled gently and said, "Madam Ji, the clothes fit you very well, the embroidery is exquisite, and the style is beautiful. I like them very much."
"This girl, even at a time like this, what are you still calling me?" Li Wan said reproachfully, holding her hand with a hint of hope in her eyes.
Meng Yutong couldn't help but look up at Ji Yun. Ji Yun stepped forward and pulled Li Wan over, saying, "Mother, since there's nothing wrong with the clothes, you and the embroiderer should go back first."
Li Wan's gaze returned to the two of them, her eyes filled with uncontainable joy. "Alright, alright, let's head back now. There are still some things to prepare at the manor!"
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