Chapter 85 Illness strikes like a landslide
Bai Mei, standing to the side, crossed her arms and spoke coolly:
“Miss Ying’er, what are you saying? Our young lady isn’t some god in the Temple of the Old Man Under the Moon, who can just randomly match people up and decide their marriages? You’ve asked the wrong person for this. You should go and ask the mistress for mercy.”
Ying'er cried uncontrollably:
"Young Miss, I was ignorant before. I beg you to show me a way out. I will repay your kindness in the future."
Qingzhu glanced at her:
"When a girl needs something from someone, she can really say anything."
Song Yiqiu smiled.
Raising his hand to stop the two from speaking, he leaned down slightly, approached Ying'er, and whispered:
"Oh? Since you know it's a dead end, why not find a way to make this path... never exist?"
She gazed into the distance and spoke softly.
"The autumn hunt... the mountains are high and the rivers are far, and spending so much time together would indeed be the perfect opportunity to cultivate feelings. But what if... Third Brother can't go at all? Wouldn't that naturally eliminate the chance for feelings to grow over time?"
Ying'er's eyes lit up, then dimmed again:
"But...but what can I do? It's the royal autumn hunt, the list is already finalized, and the master and madam personally approved it...How...how can I stop them?"
Song Yiqiu straightened up, pretending to straighten her sleeves, and pointed to the pastries on the table:
"Humans eat grains and other foods, so it's inevitable that they will have some minor illnesses and pains."
"If it is a sudden illness requiring rest for some time, even if the imperial physician diagnoses it, he can only advise the patient to take good care of himself. Naturally... he will not be able to go to the autumn hunt, which requires a long journey."
She gave Ying'er a meaningful look.
"But... this illness needs to appear to come on suddenly and seriously, yet it can't actually damage the body's foundation. More importantly, it has to be sudden to avoid arousing suspicion. Finding the right balance will depend on your skill, sister."
Seeing the confusion in Ying'er's eyes, she reminded her:
"I remember... in my sister's hometown, there seem to be some... uniquely effective folk remedies? Surely, with your extensive knowledge, my sister should know something about them, right?"
Ying'er instantly regained her senses. When she was at the Red Willow Pavilion, she had indeed heard some of the other women talk about a kind of herb that came from the south. After taking a small amount, it would cause symptoms similar to a severe cold.
High fever, chills, and general weakness may indicate a serious illness, but the medication is actually quite mild. With proper rest and a few days after stopping the medication, the patient will recover completely without any lingering effects.
Ying'er scrambled to her feet, not even bothering to brush the dust off her knees, and hurriedly said to Song Yiqiu:
"Thank you for the reminder, Miss! Ying'er knows what to do now!"
Without looking back, he rushed back to his yard in three quick steps and locked the gate.
Back in the courtyard, Ying'er's chest was still heaving violently. She immediately summoned her maid Cui Rui, whispered a few instructions to her, and slipped her a small piece of silver. Cui Rui understood and quietly slipped out of the mansion through the back door.
In less than half a day, he brought back a small, finely wrapped packet of brown medicinal powder.
Ying'er took the powder and mixed it into the bowl of warm tonic soup that Song Haochu drank every evening before dinner. She stirred it slowly with a spoon, watching the powder completely dissolve and disappear without a trace.
She was still muttering to herself, but her eyes were exceptionally cold, as if trying to excuse her actions:
"Brother Haochu, please don't blame me. I'm only thinking about our future..."
On the day of the autumn hunt, before dawn, carriages and supplies were already lined up in front of the Song residence, ready to go.
Several carriages waited quietly side by side, their servants standing at their sides, a mixture of tension and unconscious excitement in their eyes.
Song Sangyu dressed up carefully, wearing a shimmering, dark-patterned brocade dress specially made by Longsha Pavilion. The hem of the dress was embroidered with an intricate pattern of a hundred flowers in gold thread, which still revealed a dazzling brilliance in the dim morning light.
She wore a pink pearl headdress, surrounded by jewels, which made her delicate face look bright and beautiful.
She fiddled with her headdress and spoke sweetly to her maid, Liu Ye:
"Take a look, is my hair ornament still upright? Today I will show everyone who is the true jewel of the Song family."
Bai Mei helped Song Yiqiu out, and when she saw Song Sangyu's almost blindingly bright outfit, she couldn't help but whisper a complaint:
"Second Miss really went all out... Both are from Longsha Pavilion, but hers seems to be covered with stars and moons, while our Miss's moon-white cloud pattern dress looks too plain."
Qingzhu quietly chimed in, trying to smooth things over:
"The Second Miss has always loved to compete in these superficial things. But in my opinion, what is piled up with fancy decorations is actually inferior. Our Miss is as pure as a lotus emerging from the water, naturally beautiful without any artifice, which is the real beauty."
Today, Song Yiqiu wore only a moon-white outfit with silver thread patterns, her long hair neatly tied up and secured with a simple jade hairpin. She wore no other accessories, yet she exuded a cool and dashing aura.
Hearing what the two girls said, he helplessly tapped his forehead.
The group waited outside the mansion for a long time, but the third brother, Song Haochu, did not appear.
Song Sangyu couldn't help but become anxious, stomping her feet as she said:
"Why hasn't Third Brother arrived yet? If he delays any longer and misses the appointed time, what will we do if we are disrespectful before the Emperor?"
Upon hearing this, the second elder brother, Song Wenbin, and the fourth elder brother, Song Yutang, who were already mounted on horseback, exchanged knowing glances and teased each other mischievously:
"Could it be that my third brother overworked himself last night and hasn't gotten up yet?"
"Hehe, a life of pleasure is a hero's graveyard, I understand, I understand!"
Father Song Qingming frowned, clearly displeased.
"Haochu is always punctual, why is he so slow today? Could something have happened?"
He had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
Mother Song Shenshi hurriedly sent a capable old woman to urge them on:
"Go and see what's wrong with the Third Young Master. Even if he's still half asleep, get him up! What kind of occasion is this that allows him to be so slack off!"
The old woman hurried away, and returned a short while later, her face showing difficulty, and reported:
"Master, Madam, something terrible has happened! The Third Young Master... he suddenly caught a cold last night, and now he has a high fever that won't go down, his whole body is burning hot, and he's delirious!"
"The doctor is treating me, saying it's caused by a pathogenic wind entering my body, and I need to rest and recuperate completely. Even getting up is extremely difficult now, let alone traveling long distances..."
Upon hearing this, Madam Song felt both heartache and anger:
"How could he suddenly become so sick? How is Haochu now?"
Song Qingming's face grew even uglier, and he flicked his sleeve, saying:
"They all always fail at crucial moments!"
He was agitated. His eldest son couldn't go, and now his third son couldn't go either. The Song family's sons would probably lose out in the autumn hunt.
"Father, please calm down!"
Seeing this, Song Sangyu quickly stepped forward and gently advised, carefully considering her words before speaking:
“There’s nothing we can do about Third Brother’s illness; his health is the most important thing. But we can’t be late for the autumn hunt. If we’re late and His Majesty blames us, our Song family can’t bear the consequences.”
"Yes, Father,"
The second brother, Song Wenbin, also chimed in.
"It's a pity that my third brother can't go, but we can't let the whole family suffer because of him."
Fourth Brother Song Yutang nodded in agreement, seemingly unconcerned.
Song Qingming took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, glanced at the sky, and finally made up his mind. He then flicked his sleeve and said:
"That's enough! Let's not wait for him! Let's go, we can't be late!"
...
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