[Looking forward to Miss Jiang Shu's appearance! She's the ultimate wingman for the villainous female supporting character!]
About an hour later, a soft knock came from outside the courtyard.
Hongyu asked warily, "Who?"
“It’s our county princess.” Yunyu’s familiar voice came from outside the door. Hongyu glanced at Zheng Heyi. Heyi frowned. Although she didn’t like Yunyu very much, Jiang Shu had come to see her in the middle of the night, so she naturally couldn’t turn her away.
"Moon, are you resting?" Then came Jiang Shu's voice, her tone tinged with a barely perceptible urgency. He Yi quickly got up to open the door. Jiang Shu had brought Yun Yu with her, followed by an elderly man carrying a medicine box and a solemn-faced old nanny.
"Heyi, I heard that Uncle had an accident. I'm so worried. How is the old man? Take me to see him!"
As soon as Jiang Shu entered the room, she took He Yi's hand. Her hand was warm and cozy. The moment He Yi grasped her hand, she felt warmth. In the candlelight, Jiang Shu's eyes were full of urgency and worry.
He Yi felt a warmth in her heart and quickly thanked him. She saw the old man stroking his beard as he slowly approached He Yi and bow, "Little Princess."
Then, the man slowly and deliberately said, "My surname is Sun, and I was specially invited by the county magistrate. May I take a look at Minister Zheng's illness?"
"Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Sun." After bowing, He Yi quickly led them to her father's room. Her gaze, however, inadvertently fell on the old woman behind Jiang Shu.
The old woman was about fifty years old, with her hair neatly combed into a bun. Her face had a proper expression, but her eyes were as sharp as a knife. This must be the legendary "Granny Feng" that Jiang Shu had mentioned earlier, someone whose name she had only heard of but never seen.
He Yi was secretly surprised, realizing that this old nanny was indeed different from the maids and nannies in her own princess's mansion. However, she remained calm and continued to act slowly and methodically, leading everyone towards the main courtyard.
[Miss Jiang Shu is really generous; she brought the divine doctor and ginseng so quickly!]
That old woman, Granny Feng, doesn't look like someone to be trifled with.
[Mr. Sun? That name sounds familiar. Could he be related to Aunt Lin's lover, Sanlang?]
[Don't speculate wildly upstairs. Mr. Sun seems quite upright; he's probably not a bad person.]
While Mr. Sun was taking Zheng Shangshu's pulse, Jiang Shu pulled He Yi aside to talk. Jiang Shu slowly took out a brocade box from her sleeve, opened it, and handed it to Zheng He Yi.
He Yi was slightly surprised and looked down at the contents of the box with confusion. She saw that there was a thick ginseng lying in the box. The ginseng roots were clearly visible and shone with a faint golden light in the warm candlelight.
"This is a thousand-year-old ginseng that I finally managed to get. You should have someone stew it for your uncle." Jiang Shu forcefully stuffed the brocade box into He Yi's hands.
She spoke urgently, “And there’s Granny Feng. She was trained in the palace years ago and is my most capable assistant. She’s the best at managing the household. I’ve already told you about her. Now I’m sending her to your princess’s residence to keep an eye on things, so that no one can take advantage of the chaos.”
Looking into Jiang Shu's sincere eyes, He Yi felt a warm current surge in her heart.
She knew that Jiang Shu was trying her best to help her. With the Minister's mansion facing internal and external troubles, the Princess's mansion, as her support, absolutely could not afford any mishaps.
"Sister Shu'er, thank you so much." He Yi gripped Jiang Shu's hand tightly, her voice choked with emotion.
Jiang Shu patted He Yi's shoulder reassuringly and whispered, "Why are you saying 'thank you' to me? By the way, I heard my father say that the memorial impeaching Uncle seems to have been submitted by the Third Prince and his group, on charges of colluding with the Empress Dowager's relatives. But where did Uncle get any relatives? Isn't this obviously a frame-up?"
"The Third Prince?"
He Yi's pupils constricted slightly.
She remembered that the Third Prince had been openly and secretly fighting with the Crown Prince in recent years. Could her father's situation really be related to the princes' struggle for the throne?
A moment later, Mr. Sun slowly walked out of the inner room. He Yi hurriedly stepped forward to pay her respects. Mr. Sun stroked his beard and said, "Minister Zheng suffered a sudden attack of anger and also caught a chill. Fortunately, his colleagues had already treated him, and today the county princess brought this thousand-year-old ginseng to purify him, so his life is not in danger. However, when he will wake up depends on fate and your will, sir."
He Yi quickly thanked her and had the ginseng sent over to be stewed. Jiang Shu then gave Granny Feng a few instructions, telling her to keep a close eye on the Princess's residence, before reluctantly leaving with Mr. Sun.
Before leaving, Yunyu sneered, "Princess, you're just too kind-hearted, helping everyone. Don't you even know who Zheng Heyi is? Is she worth your heartfelt devotion?"
Jiang Shu turned around and glared at her: "Shut up! He Yi is my friend, of course I'll help her." After saying that, she left without looking back. He Yi watched Jiang Shu's retreating figure, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
She knew that Jiang Shu must have gone to great lengths to help her.
Now that Granny Feng is in charge at the Princess's residence, she can feel a little more at ease.
What's wrong with Yunyu?
[Jiang Shu is so cool! She's so protective of her friends, I love her!]
The Third Prince has gotten involved too? This is getting increasingly complicated.
[Granny Feng, hurry to the Princess's residence and establish proper rules! I want to see those unruly servants get their comeuppance!]
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Granny Feng, accompanied by several capable maids, went to the Princess's residence. He Yi wanted to go along, but Zheng Yu stopped her. Zheng Yu's eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating he hadn't slept all night.
"Dad just woke up, go and check on him first."
He Yi was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Dad's awake?!"
After saying that, she hurriedly went to her father's courtyard. Before entering the house, He Yi slowed down, afraid of bringing a cold wind into the house. Inside the room, Minister Zheng leaned against the headboard, his face still terribly pale.
He wore a headband, and his eyes gradually regained their clarity. Seeing He Yi enter, Minister Zheng smiled weakly: "Sui'er, you've come." Although Zheng He Yi is now the Princess of Yong'an, in her father's eyes, she will always be the "Sui'er" he lost for many years.
"Dad!" He Yi rushed to the bedside, grasping her father's hand tightly, her excitement overflowing—"You're finally awake! Yesterday, you really scared me to death! I thought..."
Minister Zheng comforted her and gestured for Zheng Yu to close the door.
After the door closed, he let the two of them sit down on either side of him. "Yu'er, Sui'er, there are some things... cough cough cough... it's time to tell you."
Zheng Yu and He Yi exchanged a glance.
"Recently, someone in the court has impeached Father," Minister Zheng said slowly, his face full of worry, "the charge being 'colluding with the Empress Dowager's relatives,' but what Empress Dowager do I have? This is just an excuse he's using to deal with me. In fact, Father has been..."
Minister Zheng glanced towards the door, and Zheng Yu hurriedly went over and listened intently.
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