Chapter 114 It Has to Be Her
On November 14th, the Taiji Hall was filled with the fragrance of incense.
Through the efforts of Princess Jingfu and the Minister of Works, all the evidence was presented to the Emperor.
In court, Jin'an accused Consort Xian of orchestrating several major cases and frankly admitted that she was involved in the murder of Jingfu, the assassination case, and the sudden death of her husband, Shen Duo, years ago.
The Jiang family's long-standing case, which had remained unsolved for decades, has finally been vindicated.
Wu Ju, who was involved in the case at the time, was exonerated as a result.
The Emperor, mindful of the Dowager Consort's advanced age, granted her special permission to guard the imperial mausoleum, forbidding her from leaving it for the rest of her life. Upon hearing this decree, Prince Rong sat quietly in his residence for a day and a night, and the next day submitted a memorial to express his gratitude, offering no further words.
*
As the year drew to a close and the weather turned cold, Lin'an City welcomed its first snowfall of the winter. The snowflakes, as white as goose feathers, fell in a flurry, and within half a day, the entire city was adorned in a blanket of white.
In the small courtyard of Zhaoyutang, several trees were covered with a thick layer of white snow, and the black cloth covering the top of the herb garden was also covered with snow.
Beneath the wall, only a few wild grasses could be vaguely seen stubbornly peeking out a bit of green.
Ji Yun arrived through the snow, followed closely by Yun Zhou, who carried several newly tailored winter coats in his arms. The weather had turned cold recently, so he had specially asked the embroiderers in the manor to sew new clothes according to Meng Yutong's measurements, and also made a set for each of the other people in Zhaoyu Hall.
In the front hall, Yunzhou and Wu Ming exchanged pleasantries while distributing clothes, while Ji Yun strolled towards the back courtyard. Reaching Meng Yutong's room, he was about to knock when he heard whispers from inside between the mistress and servant.
“Miss,” it was Bai Zhi’s voice, “the old case has now been cleared, and the Dowager Consort and Princess Jin’an have both been brought to justice. This is all thanks to Physician Ji for his tireless efforts. What are your plans for the future… between you and Physician Ji?”
Ji Yun had intended to avoid the question, but upon hearing it, he couldn't help but stop. This question had been lingering in his mind for a long time.
In the past, thanks to the Empress Dowager's connection, he was able to keep her by his side as a temporary measure. But now times have changed, and he can no longer find any respectable reason.
If she was determined to leave... Ji Yun's hands, hanging by his sides, tightened unconsciously, as if something was gripping his heart.
Inside the room, Meng Yutong's voice was calm and even: "The marriage that day was just a temporary measure. Now that the predicament has been resolved, everyone should return to their respective places."
"But this servant sees that Physician Ji treats you with utmost sincerity..."
“To give your heart is to give your everything.” Meng Yutong interrupted her, her tone carrying a detached indifference that reflected a profound understanding of the world. “I have also given my all before, and I know what that feels like. All your worries are tied to one person, and you are no longer yourself. You are at the mercy of others, and you may even lose your life. I don’t want to live like that anymore. In this world, I only trust myself.”
She paused, her voice growing even deeper: "When he comes next time, ask him to come see me. It's time to put the divorce on the agenda."
Ji Yun stood frozen in place, as if his limbs and bones were frozen by ice and snow. He turned around blankly, and the snow in the courtyard fell even more heavily.
Snowflakes fluttered down like goose feathers, falling one by one. Large, icy snowflakes landed on his neck and brow bone, the chill seeping through his skin, making his limbs feel as if they were immersed in ice.
In the front hall, Yunzhou saw him come out looking dazed and hurriedly went up to him with concern: "Young master, what's wrong?"
Ji Yun shook his head, his voice hoarse: "Let's go back to the manor."
The figures of the master and servant gradually disappeared into the vast snow, leaving only a shallow line of footprints on the ground.
After the heavy snow, news of a plague spread from the outskirts of the city.
Fortunately, thanks to Ji Yun's earlier warning, the Imperial Medical Academy had been closely monitoring the situation both inside and outside the city, and thus detected the outbreak as soon as it began to emerge. Zhu Zhi immediately ordered people to be dispatched to farmhouses in the suburbs to provide medical treatment and strictly control the spread of the epidemic.
Ji Yun volunteered to go.
When Yunzhou came to Zhaoyutang to deliver the news, Meng Yutong was in the backyard covering the patch of Purple Snow with straw mats. The snow had been very heavy these past few days, and she was afraid that the carefully cultivated herbs would freeze.
“Young Madam,” Yunzhou bowed and reported, “Several farming households outside the city have been infected with the plague. The young master went there yesterday with several physicians to treat them. The situation in those places is unclear as they are near Pingjiang Prefecture. The young master specifically instructed you to take good care of yourself and not to worry.”
The cloud boat also brought some winter bedding, food, and medicinal herbs that Ji Yun had prepared earlier.
"The young master also said that you should not go out these days, especially not leave the city."
Meng Yutong's heart sank upon hearing this. The plague in her previous life had arrived around the same time. However, after learning of Ji Yun's rebirth, she had specifically mentioned this to him, and he said he had informed the Imperial Medical Academy in advance and made preparations.
She had thought she could avoid this calamity, but unexpectedly the source of the epidemic shifted from the city to the suburbs.
If this epidemic is the same as in her previous life, Ji Yun should know how to deal with it. Initial control isn't difficult; only when there are multiple infections will the Purple Snow Ginseng be needed. And she happens to have this medicine on hand… Thinking of this, she felt somewhat relieved.
Before I knew it, my palms were sweating.
She told Yunzhou to wait a moment, then went back to her room and, relying on her memory, carefully wrote down the prescription that the old master had given her when Yun was seriously ill in the last century. She then went to the backyard and carefully dug up a purple snow ginseng, wrapped it in a silk handkerchief along with the soil, and added some heat-clearing and detoxifying herbs, which she then gave to Yunzhou to take with him.
Even after Yunzhou left, she still felt uneasy. Returning to her room, she took out the book "Pharmacology" and carefully read through it. The rustling of the pages gradually calmed her restless mind, with only the occasional sound of snow falling on dry branches outside the window breaking the silence.
*
A month later, thanks to the timely discovery of the epidemic in the suburbs and Ji Yun's accurate response upon arrival, the disease, though spreading on a small scale, was basically brought under control thanks to the efforts of everyone at the Medical Academy.
However, this epidemic is ultimately dangerous, and if the elderly and weak contract the disease, they will find it difficult to resist the invasion of the disease.
Even the residence of the Empress Dowager in the imperial mausoleum on the outskirts of the city was not spared from destruction.
The Dowager Consort was guarding the imperial mausoleum, and was only allowed to have one nanny by her side. That nanny was also quite old, and by the time the nanny found the people from the Imperial Medical Academy after the Dowager Consort fell ill, a lot of time had already passed.
Although the Imperial Medical Academy promptly dispatched people to the imperial mausoleum to administer medicine, she was already advanced in years. Moreover, life in the imperial mausoleum was austere, a world apart from the palace. This proud imperial concubine, who had spent half her life in poverty, had long lost the will to live. Thus, she could not survive the illness and eventually died in this desolate mausoleum.
To prevent the spread of the disease, the corpses of those infected with the plague must ultimately be cremated. The Empress Dowager was no exception.
It's lamentable that she spent her life pursuing power, never imagining that after her death she would turn into a handful of unknown yellow earth.
After the epidemic subsided, Zhu Zhi personally visited the affected farmers. Those who had been infected and had been taking medication and resting for over half a month all showed improvement.
The other medical officers who had come had already packed their bags and were preparing to return to the city. Only Ji Yun said that he wanted to stay and observe for a while longer before leaving.
Zhu sensed something was amiss. He looked at Ji Yun, who had lost a lot of weight and looked quite haggard after a month of busy treatment, and tentatively asked, "Huaizhi, tell me the truth, did you and your wife have a fight?"
Ji Yun remained silent, only adding more medicinal herbs into the medicine furnace.
Zhu Zhi shook his head. When had he ever seen this kid so distraught? He must have guessed right. How could he, who liked that Miss Meng so much, be willing to stay outside and not go back?
The young couple must have had a fight.
Since he is unwilling to talk, he has his own ways to get him to talk so that he, as the teacher, can help him.
The decisive and efficient magistrate immediately sent a fast horse to Zhaoyutang to deliver a message, and also asked the local farmers for a few jars of village wine and prepared some side dishes.
As night fell, he pulled Ji Yun to sit down at the stone table in the courtyard, poured wine from the pot, and said, "Let's rest."
Ji Yun never drank alcohol, but tonight, perhaps annoyed by Zhu Zhi's urging, or perhaps because he was still troubled, he drank cup after cup. After downing two jars of wine, his usually aloof face gradually flushed red, and his eyes, which were always as clear as a cold pool, became misty and watery.
The moonlight shone on his slightly furrowed brows, making him appear like a piece of snow porcelain, as if he would shatter at the slightest touch.
Seeing that Ji Yun's face was finally showing signs of drunkenness, Zhu Zhi leaned closer and tentatively asked, "Huaizhi, you don't want to go back, did you quarrel with your wife?"
"She wants a divorce." Ji Yun lowered his eyes, the corners of his eyes reddening, picked up another jar of wine that had just been opened on the table, and drank it down in one gulp.
Zhu Zhi had never seen him like this before, and quickly stopped him, "Wait, wait, why does she want a divorce? Is there some misunderstanding? Couples always argue, just talk it out."
Ji Yun wiped her lips with her sleeve, a bitter look on her face: "It's not a misunderstanding. It's because I wronged her in the past and broke her heart. She doesn't want to believe me anymore."
"Sigh," Zhu Zhi put his arm around his shoulder and said earnestly, "You did something wrong, have you admitted it?"
Ji Yun nodded. "I admit it."
"Is she still holding a grudge?" Zhu Zhi asked again.
Ji Yun nodded silently.
Zhu Zhi sighed, rubbing his forehead: "Is it really her I can't live without?"
"It has to be her."
The four words resonated deeply.
"If that's the case, what's the point of you hiding here?" Zhu Zhi patted his shoulder. "Haven't you heard the saying, 'Where there's a will, there's a way'? You should stay by her side every day, no matter how much she chases or scolds you, never leave. If she wants a divorce, you should play dumb. The way to win back a wife is to humble yourself and be shameless. Those who achieve great things don't concern themselves with trifles!"
Ji Yun looked at him with suspicion.
"I'm a few years older than you, but back in the day, I was the man who captivated the hearts of all the girls in the city."
Zhu Zhi stroked his beard smugly, "I just sent someone to Zhaoyu Hall to tell you that you are ill. If your wife comes today, it means she still cares about you. Just do as I say, and you will surely win her back."
After saying this, he stood up and straightened his clothes: "It's getting late, I should go back to the city. If I'm late, my wife at home will be worried."
After saying this, he left the courtyard, mounted his horse, and returned to the city.
Only Ji Yun remained, sitting alone at the table, his eyes lowered in thought, as if savoring what he had said.
Zhu Zhi sent someone to tell him that he was ill. Will Meng Yutong come?
Ji Yun stood up and stood by the roadside, looking at the official road ahead. It was dark and gloomy, with no sign of any carriages or horses coming or going.
He tugged at the corners of his lips, a bitter smile appearing on his face.
She won't come.
Although he had already clearly anticipated this outcome, he still stood outside in the freezing cold for more than an hour.
As night deepened and all was quiet, the surroundings were empty except for the howling wind.
He gave a self-deprecating twitch and walked back to his room.
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