Chapter 27 Exhaustion Makes One Susceptible to Illness in Winter; I've Been Extremely Busy These Past Few Days…
She whispered to Yu Yan, "Sister Yu Yan, wait for me. I will come back to redeem you one day."
Yu Yan's graceful figure stopped, her thoughts unreadable.
After a long while, she turned to the side and gave him a flirtatious wink: "You little rascal, then I'll wait for you to come and redeem me from now on. At least I'll have something to look forward to."
She took it as a boast from Xiao Liu'er, and left with a giggle.
The three of them jumped onto the waiting carriage.
As the carriage departed, Zhao Liangxu seemed to hear the madam of the Drunken Flower Brothel shout incredulously.
"Liangxu, how much are those silver notes worth?"
Xiao Liu'er obviously heard the voice too, and couldn't help but ask. Then she counted the silver she had brought on her fingers and said, "I have prepared silver notes and silver, a total of five hundred taels. I guess the madam is greedy and might ask me for the money to redeem myself. I wasn't a famous girl back then, and the redemption fee for an ordinary girl is definitely not as high as that for a famous courtesan. This is all the money I've saved over the years. Maybe three hundred taels will be enough to shut the madam up."
With a barely perceptible smile, Zhao Liangxu said, "All the silver notes I have add up to no more than one hundred taels."
"When Zhu Mu and I went out, we always carried the smallest silver notes. We happened to show them off in front of her, and she probably thought they were notes worth hundreds of taels."
Zhao Liangxu patted her, her pale eyes revealing seriousness: "Zhilantang doesn't seem like a place that can make a lot of money. I'm afraid Qiu Cheng subsidized you with that money. I'll pay for it for you, which will also save you money so you can use it in a more suitable way."
Little Willow refused and took out her silver to return it.
"One hundred taels is a lot!"
Zhao Liangxu rejected Xiao Liu'er.
She lifted the curtain and looked at the scenery outside, saying, "You said it yourself, for ordinary people, one hundred taels is enough for a family to live on for several years. It's not easy for you to save money, so why not keep it for yourself? My money was bestowed by His Majesty, and I can't spend it all on a daily basis. If it can help you, then it's the best place for it, isn't it?"
Xiao Liu'er still had something to say, but Zhao Liangxu continued, "Besides, your master got the new medicinal herbs for me but didn't charge me. How about I pay for the medicine?"
"That won't do! The medicine costs more than that!"
Zhao Liangxu looked at her helplessly, then suddenly remembered the two people she had met at the entrance of Zuihua Fang. She asked with interest, "Those two looked fierce at the time, but you were standing very upright. Do you know some martial arts?"
Xiao Liu'er didn't know why Zhao Liangxu suddenly asked this, but she still nodded: "My master hired someone to teach me how to use it for self-defense. Actually, I'm not very good at it. It just looks decent. I guess I'm just a pretty face in the eyes of others."
After she finished speaking, she regained her composure and steered the conversation back on track: "Don't change the subject! I have to pay you back!"
“I’m not trying to change the subject. I was thinking you could teach me self-defense skills, or find a skilled person to teach me. That would be a way of repaying my money,” Zhao Liangxu thoughtfully suggested.
"Learning some self-defense skills is much more valuable to me than those hundred taels of silver."
Hearing this, Xiao Liu was somewhat convinced.
She nodded in agreement, hesitated for a moment, and replied, "I can't teach you anything myself, but I'll definitely find you a skilled master when I get back, and I promise you won't be shortchanged by your hundred taels!"
She made a solemn promise to Zhao Liangxu.
Zhao Liangxu naturally wouldn't refuse.
"Then thank you in advance, Xiao Liu'er."
For the next month, Zhao Liangxu lived an exceptionally peaceful life.
Every day, with nothing to do, he would stroll around the streets with bamboo and wood, or go to Zhilan Hall to chat with Xiaoliu and Qiu Cheng. Life was very pleasant.
Xiao Liu'er originally wanted to introduce her master to Zhao Liangxu, but after asking Qiu Cheng in detail, she learned that her master had returned to his hometown early to prepare for the New Year, as the end of the year was approaching.
Xiao Liu'er stared blankly with a helpless expression: "I forgot about that. The master who teaches martial arts comes from a security escort agency. He doesn't have much to do in the capital on weekdays, but he's getting older and doesn't work as hard anymore. Now that it's the New Year, he's naturally going home to see his wife and children."
Qiu Cheng had already learned from Xiao Liu'er that Zhao Liangxu had spent one hundred taels of silver, and she quite agreed with Xiao Liu'er's approach, so she also helped to find a good master.
Zhao Liangxu wasn't in a hurry, since she needed to recover her health before she could put martial arts training on her agenda.
As usual, she would have Qiu Cheng diagnose her every eight or nine days, and Qiu Cheng would keep a close eye on Zhao Liangxu's physical condition.
Qiu Cheng withdrew her hand from Zhao Liangxu's pulse, picked up a few mint leaves and put them in her mouth. As she chewed the mint, she felt her mind clear up considerably.
"It seems you've been taking your medication properly."
Qiu Cheng was quite satisfied with Zhao Liangxu, this obedient patient.
"Your health has improved a lot now, your pulse sounds much stronger, and you haven't been as sleepy as before these past few days?"
Zhao Liangxu felt that her health had improved a lot. Although she still slept more than the average person, she was no longer as drowsy and listless as she had been at the beginning.
Seeing Zhao Liangxu's somewhat relaxed expression, Qiu Cheng first poured cold water on her: "You should stop now. Although you are much better, it doesn't mean you are healthy. You still need to continue taking the medicine. I will prescribe another milder medicine for you. You should drink this medicine until at least next spring."
As she pondered, she wrote down a new prescription and casually picked up a mint leaf.
"And the ointment, I've switched to a gentler formula. You should use that all the time, don't think it's too much trouble."
She instructed Zhao Liangxu and placed the newly made ointment in Zhao Liangxu's hands.
Zhao Liangxu accepted the ointment and thanked her. Noticing the dark circles under Qiu Cheng's eyes, she asked, "Have you been too busy these past few days? I noticed you haven't been sleeping well, and you've been eating mint leaves to stay awake?"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Cheng rubbed his temples and replied, "I have been quite busy these past few days. With winter approaching and the New Year just around the corner, I've been very busy before the New Year. My body is so busy that I'm sweating profusely, and I'm easily sick if I'm exposed to a gust of wind. Many people in the palace have caught colds of varying degrees. Since the palace servants can't afford to hire an imperial physician, they naturally come to me to have their health checked."
"Lady Qiu is truly the kindest and most amiable lady in the palace."
Zhao Liangxu made a joking compliment, and Qiu Cheng shuddered uncomfortably at her words.
She got up to count the medicinal herbs on the wall and said, "Don't tease me. Most people in the palace say I'm inflexible."
Qiu Cheng was looking down at the medicinal herbs when he suddenly remembered something. He put the herbs down and said to Zhao Liangxu, "Didn't you say you wanted to learn some self-defense skills? I have a suitable candidate here, but I don't know if you'd be interested."
Zhao Liangxu became interested and pretended to listen attentively.
"He's a young man favored by my maternal grandfather. Now at twenty-six, he's already a deputy general. He's extremely skilled and a very composed person. I doubt he'd have the same prejudice against you as outsiders. It's just..."
Qiu Cheng hesitated for once, and said carefully, "The only shortcoming of this person is that his name is Lu Xuan, and he is Zhou Feng's deputy general. I suppose you don't have a good impression of Zhou Feng, and I don't know if you have ever met Lu Xuan."
She remembered the rumors circulating in the streets and knew exactly who had brought Zhao Liangxu into the An family. Zhou Feng had given Zhao Liangxu to An He as an object, so Zhao Liangxu must have some resentment towards the people around Zhou Feng.
Zhao Liangxu's eyebrows twitched when she heard Zhou Feng's name. She hadn't forgotten the way this so-called general acted when she first transmigrated.
As for this deputy general, if she remembered correctly, the soldier who dismounted to check on her first that day should have been the one next to Zhou Feng, and perhaps that person was Lu Xuan.
In that case, he was indeed a rare person who didn't join Zhou Feng in mocking her, and it's reasonable that such a personality could catch the eye of Qiu Cheng's maternal grandfather.
"I might know him, perhaps we could meet? But I don't know if he'd be willing?"
Seeing that Zhao Liangxu didn't object much, Qiu Cheng smiled and replied, "Of course, I asked him first. It's because he has a connection with my family that I thought of asking him to teach. In terms of skill alone, he is an excellent candidate."
As the two were talking, a commotion suddenly arose outside, and the sound of horses' hooves stopped outside the Zhilan Hall.
Zhao Liangxu peered out the door and was greeted by Zhang Sheng walking towards her.
"Eunuch Zhang?"
Qiu Cheng asked in confusion, "Why is Eunuch Zhang outside the palace if he doesn't work there?"
Although she was a lady-in-waiting in the palace, she was entitled to leave. She had been too busy these past few days and only took leave when she had some free time. Now, however, Eunuch Zhang had come to Zhilan Hall.
Zhang Sheng was surprised to find Zhao Liangxu also in Zhilan Hall, but he still hurriedly greeted Qiu Cheng: "It is really inconvenient to disturb Lady Qiu's vacation, but the Imperial Concubine has caught a cold recently and her cough has become more and more serious. The other imperial physicians have no way to make an immediate difference. As you know, my godfather respects the Imperial Concubine. Now that the Imperial Concubine is not feeling well, my godfather is also very anxious. We had no choice but to come to you."
Qiu Cheng frowned, packing her medical kit and corrected her, "There are also imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital whose medical skills are better than mine. Does that mean they don't have a good solution, but I do? Never mind, since it is the Dowager Consort, I will go back to the palace."
As she spoke, she had already packed her medical kit, picked it up, and left.
Zhang Sheng also knew Qiu Cheng's personality; he was sharp-tongued but his medical ethics were truly admirable.
He led Qiu Cheng out, glancing sideways at Zhao Liangxu, who seemed at a loss for what to do.
Zhao Liangxu said directly, "The Empress Dowager has treated me very well. Now that she is ill, how could I not go to see her?"
Zhang Sheng had no reason to refuse, and Zhao Liangxu also had a token that allowed her free entry and exit from the palace. Even if he refused, Zhao Liangxu could still enter the palace if she wanted to.
Therefore, he didn't say much, but simply bowed and gestured for him to enter.
Zhu Mu had always been with Zhao Liangxu. She usually stayed quietly by her side and didn't talk much, but she got along very well in Zhilan Hall.
Now that Zhao Liangxu is going to the palace, she doesn't know if she should stay in Zhilan Hall.
Zhao Liangxu naturally greeted Zhu Mu: "What are you standing there for? Let's go into the palace."
Several years later, Zhu Mu entered the palace again with Zhao Liangxu and the others.
When Zhao Liangxu arrived at the Empress Dowager's palace with Zhang Sheng, she could hear An He's sinister and hoarse voice even before entering the hall.
"What are the Imperial Medical Academy members doing? They can't even diagnose the Empress's illness? Are they looking for death because His Majesty is young and they can't control you?"
A note from the author:
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