Chills and fever
Feichun sent Helan Zhu's mother back home. She said she was Helan Zhu's friend. The old lady laughed and said there wasn't much good stuff at home, just some mountain products and medicinal herbs. She fumbled in the cupboard and pulled out a wild ginseng.
Feichun declined.
Seeing this, the lady next door laughed and joked, "Azhu, that boy, has never had a girl as a friend. The old lady is treating you as her daughter-in-law!"
"Ah?" Ye Feichun blushed, explained that it was all a misunderstanding, and pulled Liu Qingbai closer.
Helan Zhu's home was in a small village nestled in the mountains and beside a river in the northernmost part of Hanxiang County. Although the house was bare, it was still clean. His mother was blind, so they relied on the surrounding neighbors for care.
The neighbor lady spoke of the Helan family with tears of sorrow. The old man had lost his life while picking fragrant herbs in the mountains, the older one had died of illness, and the old mother had cried herself blind. The youngest son was the only one left in the family, and they depended on each other for survival.
After hearing this, Feichun thought of the night when Helan Zhu single-handedly led the yamen runners away. Her heart ached, she sniffed, and turned to leave. As she approached the door, the old lady suddenly asked, "Miss, if you see Ah Zhu, tell him to go home early. It's snowing outside and it's not safe."
"Okay." She agreed with a sob.
Feichun held Liu Qingbai's fingertips and walked in the snow with his head down, not knowing where he would end up. Even though his pointe shoes and socks were soaked by the snow, he didn't feel cold.
"You don't even ask where you're going?"
"Where to?" she repeated absentmindedly.
"Yin family."
"Yin family?" Feichun was stunned for a moment, frowning and looking up at Liu Qingbai in confusion. Suddenly, he shook off his hand and said awkwardly, "What are you doing?"
"Talk about business."
"Then... Helan Zhu...?"
"We'll go to the county government office to rescue him tomorrow morning." Liu Qingbai said calmly, as if he had made arrangements long ago.
Feichun was still worried and stood there hesitantly.
Liu Qingbai couldn't bear to watch her and picked her up horizontally. Surprisingly, she felt much lighter. This journey had taken more than two months, and it had been very hard for him.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine."
Liu Qingbai hugged Feichun close to him. Seeing her sleeping soundly with her eyes closed, he felt a warm feeling in his heart. He gently touched her forehead. When his lips touched her forehead, he realized that it was burning hot.
Liu Qingbai was suddenly panicked. How come he had never noticed anything wrong with her?
"Haitang! Find a clinic!"
Just as they were running around aimlessly like headless flies, the Yin family's carriage stopped in front of them.
Feichun was settled in the Yin family's wing room. The doctor also came to see him and said that he had caught a cold and would be fine after taking some medicine. There was nothing serious.
Liu Qingbai carefully examined the prescription before he felt comfortable preparing the medicine. It wasn't that he was cautious by nature, but rather that Hanxiang County was remote, and he was worried that the doctor's medical skills might not be up to par.
Feichun slept in a daze all night, and Liu Qingbai stayed by his side all night.
Seeing his insects so lively and energetic on weekdays, he often forgets that insects are also flesh and blood. They can get tired and sick.
In the past in the North Courtyard, it was Yulan who took care of Liu Er, running around for him and giving him her whole heart.
Liu Qingbai wiped Feichun's sweat, tucked in the quilt, and finally kissed her earlobe, saying softly, "Have a good rest. I'll take care of the rest."
The next morning, as the sky was about to brighten, Liu Qingbai stood at the gate of the county government office.
Ye Feichun woke up after a night of bizarre dreams. When she woke up, she saw Haitang walking towards her with a copper basin in her hand.
"Where is this?" Feichun only remembered that he finally left Helan Zhu's house and didn't remember what happened afterwards.
"At the Yin family." Before Haitang could speak, Miss Zi Yan lifted the pearl curtain and walked in.
She was graceful and elegant, and every step she took was like a lotus. Every step was in Feichun's heart. The closer he got, the clearer he could see. Miss Ziyan had skin as white as cream, eyebrows and eyes as beautiful as paintings, and her whole body exuded a fragrance that would make people fall in love with her.
Feichun thought she was beautiful, and so she felt even more inferior. Thinking of how she and Liu Qingbai looked like a perfect match yesterday, she lowered her head and stiffened. When Ziyan sat to her left, her left cheek burned hot, and her left limbs became awkward, not knowing what to do.
"You finally woke up. Young Master Liu took care of you all night last night." Miss Zi Yan picked up the medicine on the table, picked up the spoon and fed it into Feichun's mouth with her own hands.
Feichun wanted to refuse, but his mind was frozen by the beauty and he opened his mouth obediently.
She took a sip of the bitter potion, and before she could react, she was stuffed with a mouthful of fried cherry.
"Good medicine tastes bitter. Master Liu bought it specially for you, fearing you wouldn't be able to drink it."
"Where is Liu Qingbai?"
Feichun felt a little uncomfortable hearing Miss Zi Yan talking about Young Master Liu all the time.
"I went to the county government office early in the morning."
"Find Helan Candle?"
"I think so."
While they were talking, Yin Ziyan fed him most of the medicine in a bowl.
"Rest well, everyone. The people we rescued from the Tianxiang Inn have been well accommodated by the county government. I'm sure that little brother Helan will be back soon."
Feichun was still a little worried, after all, the arson was real.
"Don't worry, at most we'll have to compensate Zhang Luzi with some silver. We went to the county government office yesterday and made a scene, so the officials don't dare to do anything to us. If it were just you outsiders reporting the case, I'm afraid it would have been suppressed directly, for fear that you would tell others and affect the county magistrate's career. It just so happens that they kidnapped me, so I can testify for you. Who in Hanxiang County doesn't recognize me? Who wouldn't give me, Yin Ziyan, some face?"
Yin Ziyan paused and continued:
"In the final analysis, I still have to thank Miss Ye for kicking open the Yin family's door yesterday. I also have to thank Master Liu for his planning, Master Helan for his righteousness, and Master Bao and Miss Haitang for their help. Otherwise, I would never have been able to return to Tianxian Pavilion from that devil's cave."
As soon as he finished speaking, several maids came into the room carrying a tray. On the tray was a thick stack of silver bills and a jade pendant carved with two fish.
"What does Miss Yin mean?"
Yin Ziyan placed the jade pendant around Feichun's neck and explained, "It's just a token of my appreciation."
"Absolutely not. Miss Yin has just returned to the Yin family and there must be a lot of work to do. It's time to spend money."
Feichun wanted to take off the jade pendant but was stopped by Ziyan.
Her hands were as soft as catkins, and they brushed across Feichun's collarbone with a cool touch, causing her face to flush.
"The world is becoming increasingly unstable these days. I'll definitely need the money when I return to Fengcheng. As for the jade pendant, I have some connections in the martial arts world. If you run into any trouble, take it to Mingyue Mountain and find someone named Nie Qing. Once she sees the jade pendant, she'll help you."
"Mingyue Mountain?" Feichun seemed to have heard of this place somewhere.
As she lowered her head and thought, her cold fingertips gently stroked her forehead. Miss Zi Yan said jokingly, "The fever has gone away, so why is your face still so red?"
Feichun felt as if Ziyan had teased him, but he couldn't put his finger on why. He just felt that he suddenly didn't feel so aggrieved, let alone inferior.
She looked at the Pisces jade pendant, and suddenly the previous haze disappeared, and she felt enlightened.
After Zi Yan left, Hai Tang leaned against Fei Chun and asked, "Is this reliable?"
"I think Miss Yin should be reliable."
"Why do you think so?" Haitang asked in confusion.
"Looking at his appearance..."
"You can actually tell fortunes?"
"No, but Miss Yin is very beautiful, she wouldn't lie to me, right?"
As expected! Haitang muttered to herself, Yulan also said that the incident with the Second Young Master was "lust at first sight".
The Liu family has many faults, but one good thing is that it is still quite wealthy. What's more, Liu Qingbai went out to discuss business, and he spent some money to get Helan Zhu out. He was also smart and didn't suffer much in prison.
But this incident made Zhang Luzi very angry.
The Tianxiang Inn was burned beyond recognition and remained at the gate of the county government office. Liu Qingbai paid some more compensation, fearing trouble.
Helan Zhu thanked Liu Qingbai and hurried home. His mother was unable to move around easily and couldn't stay away from him for too long.
Liu Qingbai understood in his heart, and he hoped that Helan Zhu would not appear in front of Feichun again to annoy him.
"Once I'm settled, I'll come to the Yin family to thank you."
No need to do that!
Liu Qingbai didn't want to talk, but just made a few polite remarks as usual.
Bao Fu had been there for a few days. He disguised himself and bribed the guards at the pass to reach Wengcheng and come before the Censor.
The censor's surname was Lu and his name was Changxin. He was a relative of General Feng Zheng, the garrison commander of Yanxia Pass.
After reading Liu Qingbai's petition and listening to Bao Fu's account of Hanxiang County, Lord Lu angrily slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Beasts in human clothing! Officials are tigers, bandits are lackeys, sucking the blood of the people to enrich themselves! They truly deceive the emperor and oppress the people. They are wolves in power! How could such a thing exist under heaven?"
After saying that, he personally followed Bao Fu back to Hanxiang County with a team to find out the truth.
This trip to Hanxiang County was not only for the matter of "Tianxiang Inn", but also for personal matters with General Feng.
A few days ago, Lord Lu's daughter wrote him a letter. The content of the letter was vague, which was unlike his daughter's usual style. He also wanted to go to the border to find out the truth.
To go to the border of Wengcheng, you must pass through Hanxiang County.
However, no one expected that the journey back to Hanxiang County would be even more difficult. Not only was the road slippery due to heavy snow, but the guards were also in a difficult situation. Bribes and tokens were of no use, and they were repeatedly delayed at the city gate.
"We only recognize the token of Marquis Tongyi. We don't recognize Lord Lu or Lord Li. Even if the crown prince of the current dynasty is passing through, we have to inform the Marquis." Most of the guards said this.
Marquis Tongyi? What a boast.
Lord Lu personally dismounted and took out the imperial pass, but it was of no avail.
In the end, it took several twists and turns to inform Tongyi Hou before he was allowed to go.
The journey was bumpy and bumpy, and Lord Lu cursed more than once: "Jackals are in power."
I guess Tianxiang Inn is just the tip of the iceberg.
Bao Fu whispered to the attendant beside him, "Who exactly is this Tongyi Marquis? How could he be so all-powerful?"
The attendant looked around and whispered, "Marquis Tongyi is the current emperor's foster brother. He originally worked at the imperial court, but later committed a crime and was banished to this bitter cold place. Since his arrival, the emperor has turned a blind eye to his behavior. I heard that there are many impeachment memorials every year, but it's all talk and no action. Lord Lu was only transferred here in the second half of last year, so there are some things he may not be familiar with."
Bao Fu nodded, not quite understanding.
"Young man, don't underestimate the big scene this time. All new officials are like this. It will die down after a while."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com