Chapter 184 Unworthy
Guan Yi'an and Dong Qing had been traveling for three days straight. He was eager to return to the capital to inform the Emperor of Meng Lingge's pregnancy, in order to avenge his unsuccessful pursuit and the humiliation he had suffered over the past month.
The thought of the Meng family being punished and Meng Lingge losing her baby filled him with a sense of exhilaration, making him radiant and full of energy.
He was comfortable, but Dongqing's spirits were declining day by day.
Although they traveled by carriage and stayed at inns the whole way, Dongqing put herself in the position of a servant. She had to do chores such as washing clothes and packing luggage, and she also had to rush to do things like grooming and massage.
The work wasn't too much or too tiring, but Guan Yi'an always booked only one room, so she had to sleep on the floor. Coupled with traveling while she was ill, her health deteriorated, and the bruising in her lower body never completely cleared up.
She could barely hold on for the first day or two, but by the time she arrived at the inn on the third day, she was pale and weak.
The joy of being able to serve her beloved at such close range had slowly faded. Her body was exhausted, and she had no strength left, which made her feel powerless and panicked.
She recalled the journey to Jiangnan with Meng Lingge and Qiu Lan. The trip took more than half a month, and there were several times when they rushed along. However, the young lady cared about her and Qiu Lan's health. If they had a headache from the slightest breeze, she would take them to see a doctor. She would not let her get so sick, and she would not disregard her life or death.
She had thought Brother Zheng was a thoughtful and considerate man, but now it seemed that he was too careless, or perhaps he didn't care enough about her.
She seemed to have a little regret, but what way could she turn back?
The young lady no longer wants her.
"Consider it repaying Brother Zheng for saving my life," Dongqing repeatedly told herself. She wasn't used to troubling others, but if she didn't trouble them now, she felt like she was about to die.
"Brother Zheng, could you rest for a couple of days before you leave? Also, my stomach hurts a lot. Could you please call a doctor for me?"
Guan Yi'an sat at the table drinking tea. In the past, Dong Qing would immediately refill his cup after he finished it, but today he was dawdling. Just as he was about to call out to him, Dong Qing spoke first.
He had noticed that Dongqing looked unwell and extremely tired, but she was just a girl, it was normal for her to be unwell and try to tough it out. As long as she didn't die and could make it to the capital to testify for him, that was enough. He didn't want to waste any more time and energy on Dongqing.
But now that Dongqing has taken the initiative to bring it up, and his expression is really quite unpleasant, it wouldn't be right for him to ignore it.
He thought to himself that women are just being pretentious, but on the surface he pretended to be concerned.
“I’m in a hurry to get back to the capital to heal my injuries, so I haven’t paid much attention to you these past few days. You do look a bit pale. Why don’t you lie down on the bed for a while, and I’ll go and get a doctor for you right away?”
He got up and helped Dongqing to the side of the bed, even thoughtfully taking off his shoes and socks to cover Dongqing with a blanket before leaving the room.
This sudden concern made Dongqing feel a little dazed. Could it be that Young Master Zheng was just being negligent, but actually still cared about her a lot?
Their inn was in the center of the street, and there were clinics nearby. Soon, a doctor came in carrying a medicine box.
After examining Dongqing's condition, the old doctor was startled and then asked Guan Yi'an with a serious expression, "Who is this girl to you?"
Guan Yi'an paused for a moment, then looked at Dong Qing and said calmly, "She is my wife."
Holly's eyes lit up with unbelievable joy, and all the discomfort in her body seemed to lessen considerably.
Although Brother Zheng had expressed his affection for her, she thought that at most he would make her a concubine or maidservant, and she never expected that she would have a high status. But she never expected that Brother Zheng would tell others that she was his wife.
This was truly a great honor for her.
Startled by those four words, Dongqing didn't even notice the doctor's angry expression. He even avoided her and called Guan Yi'an outside to talk.
After closing the door and walking to the end of the corridor, the doctor said angrily, "Young master, you look like a scholar, how can you be so heartless? Your wife must have taken the wrong medicine and hurt herself. She has been bleeding from her lower body for many days. Instead of letting her rest properly, you took her running around, not only disregarding cold food but also making her work hard. You are trying to kill her!"
"Is it that serious?" Guan Yi'an frowned. "I have urgent business to attend to in Beijing. What will happen if I continue my journey without treatment?"
The old doctor's eyes widened, and his voice rose two decibels, "She's already like this, and you're not going to let her rest for a few days? If this girl weren't young, she'd be dead by now! But no matter how young she is, you can't ruin her health like this. If you ignore it and continue like this, she'll live for at least a year, and at most three!"
Guan Yi'an let out a long sigh of relief.
One to three years is enough.
As long as he can hold out until he reaches the capital and testify against Meng Lingge, Dongqing will be of no value to him; a month will be enough.
Guan Yi'an said casually, "I understand. Please prescribe some medicine so she can rest for two days before setting off again."
The old doctor's expression softened slightly, but he still patiently advised, "Two days is too short. I'll prescribe half a month's worth of medicine for her. It's best to finish the medicine before setting off. During this time, let her rest in bed and don't let her do any work. Even if it's difficult for her to have children, she can still live for several more decades."
Guan Yi'an didn't want to listen to the old doctor's rambling anymore, so she nodded perfunctorily.
When he saw that the old doctor prescribed ten taels of silver for half a month's worth of medicine, he used the excuse that he didn't have enough money to reduce the amount of medicine by half.
While he couldn't compare to the wealth of the Meng and Du families, he had won the princess's favor during those months at her residence. The gold and silver jewelry he received as a reward, even if only a small portion of it was converted into cash, amounted to several thousand taels of silver. It was impossible for him to be unable to pay a mere ten taels of silver.
He simply thought that Dongqing was unworthy; a little girl like her didn't need to live that long, nor was she worthy of spending so much of his money.
After seeing the old doctor off, Guan Yi'an returned to the room with the medicine. Dong Qing quickly sat up and asked softly, "Brother Zheng, what did the doctor say? This medicine must be very expensive..."
She felt a little guilty, as she hadn't repaid any of the favors yet, and instead, she was asking her benefactor to spend money.
Just accept the money the young lady gave you.
Guan Yi'an smiled faintly, "It is indeed a bit expensive, but it's worth it no matter how much I spend on you. The doctor said that you were injured last time and it wasn't fully cured. You'll recover after you finish these medicines. It's not a big problem, and you can continue your journey."
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