Yun was overjoyed and saddened. Her son had originally had a legitimate eldest child, but now... after a long while, she angrily said, "Chun Liu is truly guilty of a heinous crime!"
The young marquis' eyes were deep, and it seemed as if no emotion could be seen, but his hands were clenched tightly.
Wang Lingyi, still dizzy, came to the flower hall. After greeting her parents-in-law one by one, she finally spoke to them: "I want Chunliu." She added: "I will let her live."
The young marquis had been watching her since she entered, his heart agitated. Hearing these two words, he hesitated, his words choking. The old marquis had already agreed. Wang Lingyi bowed and thanked him, then said, "From today on, I will be the head of the household. If there are any issues, I hope my father and mother will guide me."
It seemed like the matter was over, and it had to be over. Wang Lingyi felt empty inside.
Everyone in the flower hall dispersed, and the women gathered together to discuss whether the child should stay or go.
The mother was unwilling to give up and asked the imperial physician if the patient could recover after the poison was removed and she could live to a ripe old age. The imperial physician shook his head and said that the patient would not get worse but it was almost certain that he would not live past thirty.
Seeing her mother in tears, Wang Lingyi comforted her, "Maybe I can recover. Isn't there still a tenth or twelve left? Or maybe I'll have the chance to receive treatment from the Ghost Valley Doctor."
The mother's tears fell even harder.
My sister-in-law Zhao Xinran said, "If we can get treatment from the Ghost Valley Strange Doctor, we will definitely be able to recover. The Strange Doctor often visits the imperial family, so we always have a chance in Kyoto."
Wang Lingyi agreed, but felt hopeless. The Ghost Valley Doctor's whereabouts were elusive, and even if they were found, they still had to follow his rules. The Ghost Valley Doctor's rules: treat relatives, treat the rich, treat the wealthy, and treat those who are willing to pay.
"Healing relatives" meant he only treated Guigu's children and relatives; "Healing in exchange" meant offering something in exchange. Last time, he agreed to save a life but demanded an eye. "Healing the noble" meant he only treated the most powerful of the powerful. Legend has it that after treating the Empress Dowager, he encountered Concubine Li, who begged him to save her daughter, the Fifth Princess. Upon learning that Concubine Li was a palace maid and that he himself was not favored, the eccentric doctor simply walked away.
A wealthy doctor can afford exorbitant medical fees. The Fuguo Duke's Mansion was one of the three former ministers of state, commanding the northern army. The western army, a rival to the Fuguo Duke, was actually divided into three branches. The Fuguo Duke was undoubtedly a powerful official. However, he sought a life of leisure and wealth, surrendering military power to Emperor Mingzheng. The young master of the Fuguo Duke's Mansion suffered from a heart ailment as a child. A strange doctor diagnosed him and prescribed another ten years of care before a thoracotomy could be performed to fully cure him. The Duke's Mansion then sold off their vast fortunes, treasures, estates, and shops to employ the strange doctor Guiguzi year after year. Furthermore, due to the doctor's unidentified offense, the Duke's personal guards protected him for three years. Emperor Mingzheng, grateful for the Duke's willingness to surrender military power, bestowed upon him a generous reward, effectively covering the final payment. It was at this considerable cost that the young master was cured.
Wang Lingyi believed she was no more noble than the Fifth Princess, and that her wealth and power couldn't compare to the Empress Dowager and the Duke of Fuguo. In the eyes of the Ghost Valley Strange Doctor, her husband's family and her own were just "an ordinary marquisate" and "an ordinary official family." Even if they found someone, they wouldn't necessarily treat her.
My mother left behind a box and four maids: Xuan Mo, Xuan Qing, Xuan Fei, and Xuan Ling, all of whom were martial artists. Inside the box were banknotes, land deeds, several prescriptions, and a few small bottles. My eldest sister-in-law left behind a jade token, which allowed her to use it to summon the judge. It was a favor from her family, originally reserved for her, but now given to her. My mother-in-law, Yun, also took a shop from her private property and gave her a set of ruby headpieces and a set of kingfisher feather headpieces to her daughter-in-law.
After everyone left, the young marquis arrived. Wang Lingyi knew that he had come to inquire about Chunliu's fate.
She remained silent, waiting to see how he would speak. After the incident, Wang Lingyi remained unconscious from the poison. Several maids heard that the young marquis had also slapped Chunliu, causing her to spit blood. There was a commotion in Lanting Garden for half an hour, then silence. When Wang Lingyi awoke and learned the truth, she discovered that her loving husband had refused to allow Chunliu to be punished. Their relationship quickly cooled. Now, they haven't spoken a word for days.
Wang Lingyi's maids were used to seeing the young marquis, who was often aloof and reserved in public, being so servile and shameless in front of his wife. In the past, they had blushed and laughed, saying they had never expected the noble young marquis to be like this. But now, their faces flushed with anger. They had never expected their son-in-law to stand up for the woman who poisoned her maid. This angered them time and again.
Wang Lingyi got engaged at the age of fourteen, married into the Marquis's mansion at the age of seventeen, and is now eighteen. The young Marquis is one year older than her. She looks at the nineteen-year-old him, as if she wants to see in him the six-year-old little brother, the nine-year-old boy, and the fifteen-year-old him.
When they were six, he held her hand and caught butterflies in the garden. When she fell, he used her as a human cushion. When he scratched his arm and it bled, he held her little hand and patted her back, coaxing her to stop crying and to stop feeling hurt. In fact, her hand was only slightly scratched and red.
The nine-year-old boy set off firecrackers and fireworks with her. He covered her ears with his little hands and then asked her quietly, "I noticed you didn't eat much for dinner. Are you hungry now? I have some warm lotus seeds with rock sugar in my room. Do you want to have a bowl?"
When they were fifteen, he and she had just begun to resemble a boy and a girl. He blushed and said to her, "I like you. If my family proposes marriage, would you be willing?"
Now, a year after their marriage, he asked her to let go of the maid who poisoned her. It seemed that she was being blamed and cruel. Wang Lingyi concealed the pain in her heart and broke the relative silence: "I want her to take the same poison for six months from today. Is the young marquis willing?"
The young marquis looked at Wang Lingyi. He had come here shyly because he felt sorry for her being poisoned and pregnant, but when he saw her say this, he said after a while: "Father said to send her to the farm and never let her return to the marquis' manor in this lifetime. I will send her farther away, out of Kyoto, and never let her return in this lifetime. What do you think, is that feasible?" This meant that he would not allow her to be poisoned.
Wang Lingyi refused, leaving behind a vengeance that was unrequited and a vicious person threatening her with covetous intent. It would have been better to leave him at the manor, right under her nose. Wang Lingyi was furious, and ordered the man to be sent to the manor, forced to drink a bowl of poison daily for six months! After that, he must be returned to her intact!
After hearing this, the young marquis looked at Wang Lingyi deeply and said, "I will send her away." He turned and left Fangfei Garden.
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