Chapter 89 I have a feeling you're hiding something...
In the small kitchen of Zhaohua Hall, the stove was burning brightly, and the bitter smell of the medicine filled the kitchen, which could even be smelled in the courtyard.
Zhou Fuling fanned herself to control the heat, but her gaze fell on a box of pills that Physician Zhong handed to her.
Half an hour passed as the medicine simmered in the stove. A female official came in to urge, "Is Your Highness's medicine not ready yet?"
A sudden gust of cold wind rushed into the kitchen, and Zhou Fuling snapped out of her daze, quickly replying, "I was just about to turn off the stove, it'll be done soon."
The lady-in-waiting instructed, "Be quick and efficient, Your Highness needs to rest early after taking the medicine."
Zhou Fuling readily agreed. As soon as the female official left, she extinguished the fire in the stove, took a clean porcelain bowl, ladled out the medicinal soup, and carried it on a tray to Zhaohua Palace.
The female official reached out to take it, "Just give it to me. It's getting late, Physician Zhou should go back and rest too."
Zhou Fuling subconsciously gripped the edge of the tray tightly, her thin lips moving slightly. She glanced down at the note left by Physician Zhong on the tray, nodded to her, and said, "Please remind Your Highness, this box of pills can cure colds when taken with decoction, but it is not advisable to take it frequently or for a long time. Your Highness should focus on prevention, keep warm, and avoid catching a cold."
The female official was slightly surprised. She looked at the two medicines the woman mentioned, then nodded in agreement: "Understood."
…
At the beginning of the new year, everyone was busy visiting relatives and friends. The Yu family, because two of their younger members had obtained official positions, also saw an increase in visitors during the holidays.
After seeing off several groups of guests, Wu Qiuniang seemed to remember something and patted Yu Mingshu's forearm, "Have you discussed with Young Master He which day to visit the Duke's mansion for the New Year?"
Yu Mingshu swept the scattered fruit peels on the coffee table onto the tray that Luo Yan was carrying, and replied, "He said the fifth or sixth day is fine."
Wu Qiuniang noted down the date, "Then let's make it the fifth day. I'll have Qingque deliver the visiting card."
On the fifth day, the Yu family's carriage arrived at the gate of the Duke of Chongrenfang. The steward saw the carriage's tracks from afar and immediately went into the courtyard to announce its arrival.
The carriage came to a stop in front of the mansion gate, and He Zheng came out to greet them.
To show their respect for the Yu family, the He family did not receive any other visitors today. The whole family stayed at home and did not go out to offer New Year's greetings. Such a warm welcome made Yu Mingshu feel flattered.
Passing through the corridor to the courtyard in front of the hall, two chubby children were laughing and chasing each other.
The taller boy was so focused on turning around and making faces at the girl that he forgot to watch where he was going. His head was about to bury itself in Yu Mingshu's chest when He Zheng quickly stopped him.
"Guests have arrived, and you two are running around the yard like crazy, don't you know how to greet them?"
The boy was startled. He turned around and blinked as he looked at the group of people. He first timidly called out "Uncle," and then bowed to the two people beside him, saying, "Greetings, distinguished guests."
He Zheng put his arm around Yu Mingshu's shoulder and said to his nephew, "This is your aunt."
The boy immediately corrected himself: "I've met Auntie."
The little girl then strode forward and, imitating her brother, called out "Uncle, Aunt."
Yu Mingshu responded vaguely, then a sense of melancholy gradually welled up within her. Had she really become an elder just like that?
He Zheng patted the boy on the back of the head. "Go play."
The two children, as if relieved, skipped and hopped back to the backyard.
The Duke and his wife were still waiting in the hall. After dismissing his nephew and niece, He Zheng did not forget his business and hurriedly led Wu Qiuniang and Yu Mingshu into the room.
After exchanging greetings, they took their seats. He Xiao and Madam Tao both wore kind and benevolent smiles and ordered servants to serve tea and pastries.
Tao and Wu Qiuniang were talking, and the conversation eventually turned to the wedding date and wedding arrangements.
He Xiao never interrupted in such matters, listening silently while his gaze shifted between He Zheng and Yu Mingshu.
He saw He Zheng whispering something in Yu Mingshu's ear, making the girl smile broadly. The two were so intimate that it seemed like not even a needle could poke them together.
He Xiao shook his head, secretly sighing that his son had finally tasted the benefits of a harmonious marriage, with a family and a job to look forward to, thus relieving him of a worry.
At this moment, the steward of the manor trotted in, bypassed the side guest seat, ran to He Xiao's side, bent down and whispered anxiously.
Yu Mingshu caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye and subconsciously looked over. He saw that the steward had a serious expression and a troubled look on his face, and his eyes kept glancing at He Zheng.
She gently tugged at He Zheng's sleeve, meeting his puzzled gaze, and gestured for him to look in the direction of the steward.
He Zheng, puzzled, gave the steward a look, and the steward bowed his head and left through the door.
He Xiao took a sip of tea, cleared his throat with a light cough, and said to He Zheng in a deep voice, "There are guests from Youzhou outside the door, looking for you."
"A traveler from Youzhou, looking for me?" He Zheng frowned. "Who from that place would come to Chang'an to look for me?"
He Xiao looked at her with an ambiguous expression. "She said her surname was Yun."
Upon hearing this, He Zheng's expression stiffened, and a name immediately flashed through his mind—Yun Ying. Alarm bells rang instantly, and he subconsciously looked to see Yu Mingshu's reaction.
Seeing that her expression was normal, he lowered his voice and said, "I'm going out for a bit, I'll be right back."
Although Yu Mingshu didn't know what the steward had said to He Xiao, nor did she know when He Zheng had gained a friend from Youzhou surnamed Yun, she could tell from his strange expression that he was hiding something.
She pursed her lips, suppressing the probing look in her eyes, and nodded as if to show understanding, "Go ahead."
He Zheng did indeed return quickly. After returning, he spoke with Yu Mingshu as usual and had lunch with his family.
Yu Mingshu tentatively asked him, "Your old friend from Youzhou has traveled a long way to the capital to find you, why don't you invite him in for a meal?"
He Zheng mumbled, "I told him to go back to the inn first, and I'll go see him later."
Yu Mingshu neither agreed nor disagreed.
After lunch, the Yu family mother and daughter took their leave, and He Zheng saw them off.
Once outside the Duke's mansion, his eyes searched both sides, his entire demeanor as if he were on guard against something.
Yu Mingshu gently nudged his elbow. "I'm going back to the official residence today."
The man seemed lost in thought, and after a moment of stunned silence, he turned back and asked her, "What did you just say?"
Yu Mingshu stopped responding to him, helped his mother into the carriage, instructed Qingque to send the person back, and then went to his secluded residence.
He Zheng panicked and hurriedly followed her, reaching out to take her arm. "Ming Shu, are you going back to the official residence?"
"Go and visit your friends in Youzhou," Yu Mingshu said irritably, shaking off his hand.
Watching her walk away, He Zheng's right hand clenched, the muscles on the back of his hand taut and distinct.
Jinghong hesitated before stepping forward, murmuring, "My lord, was it really Miss Yun who came to visit just now?"
"I didn't see her. The person who came was a female guard. She left a note and told me to go to the inn to see her."
"My lord, are you truly going to keep our appointment?"
"I'd be crazy to walk right into a trap."
He Zheng glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "Go to Ruyi Inn immediately to find out how Yunying entered Chang'an and what her purpose is. Also, have someone keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't disturb Mingshu."
"Yes." Jing Hong accepted the order and left.
At night, candles were lit in the main room of the courtyard.
A shadow appeared in front of the door. Yu Mingshu turned around and opened the door for him. The man squeezed into the room through the crack in the door, shook off the chill, and took off his dark black cloak.
"Why didn't you knock before you came? Is it fun to stand outside in the cold?" Yu Mingshu said, handing him a steaming cup of jujube tea.
"I was just about to knock when you saw me." He Zheng took the teacup, took only a sip, and put it aside. He smiled and took her hand. "Perhaps this is what you call telepathy."
Yu Mingshu took a step back to create some distance between them, sat down, and asked seriously, "You went to visit that friend from Youzhou this afternoon?"
“I didn’t go.” He Zheng frowned slightly. “Actually, I wouldn’t call her a friend, we were just acquaintances…”
Before she could finish speaking, she met Yu Mingshu's bright, piercing eyes. She looked at him with a half-smile.
"I have a feeling that you're hiding something from me."
His Adam's apple visibly moved.
He Zheng was somewhat agitated at the moment. His gaze drifted to the side ahead, and he couldn't help but recall Yun Ying's affair.
He asked himself honestly about that matter, and he hadn't made a single wrong move; he shouldn't have been so conflicted about it or kept it a secret.
It was precisely because he had no shady dealings with Yunying and hadn't left any room for gossip that he didn't want to create unnecessary trouble for himself.
Yu Mingshu cupped his face, forcing him to confront himself again.
"He Xingzhao, you don't believe me."
"I'm not..."
He Zheng met her calm, still eyes and suddenly felt a surge of unease; his heart began to beat faster.
“You have something on your mind, and it concerns me, but you won’t tell me. This only shows that you don’t trust me. You don’t believe that I can make rational judgments, and you don’t believe that I have basic trust in you.”
Her voice was clear and crisp, like white waves crashing against his heart.
What are you worried about?
He Zheng remained silent for a long time before finally opening his mouth and uttering a hoarse voice, "The entire family of the Sangyang County Magistrate was killed by the Northern Yan people, leaving behind only an orphan girl named Yunying."
He paused, his mind racing as he considered where to begin.
"Actually, her real name shouldn't be Yunying; that's her younger brother's name. Her brother was also killed in the war, and she worried that she, as an orphan, would face many difficulties in the world, so she used the identity of Yunying."
“Initially, I planned to send her to Youzhou Academy and entrust the governor and the teachers of the academy to take care of her, but she insisted on staying in Sangyang and wanted to be a military doctor in the army. I couldn’t persuade her otherwise, so I acquiesced.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Mingshu inexplicably recalled some dramatic plots: a general was seriously wounded in battle and saved by a highly skilled female physician. To repay her life-saving grace, he brought her back to his residence, and over time, they fell in love. He even abandoned his wife for her...
Her reading scope is still too broad.
She coughed lightly to cover up the jumbled thoughts in her mind, then pressed on, "And then?"
He Zheng's face showed an expression of reluctance to speak. "I was accidentally injured in battle with Liang Feng, and she cured me of the poison. Then, on the eve of our army's great victory over Northern Yan and our return to the capital, she came to ask me if I could take her back to Chang'an... I refused at the time."
He hesitated for a long time, but still couldn't bring himself to tell the shameful story of being drugged by Yunying. He only said, "This time she came to the capital without warning and sent someone to invite me to a meeting at an inn. I was afraid there was a trap, so I didn't agree."
Yu Mingshu looked at him thoughtfully. If it was just as He Zheng said, why would he hide it?
The girl Yun is an orphan who saved his life, but she only asked him for a favor once, which he refused. Why does He Zheng suspect that the girl Yun is trying to scam him?
Judging from his reaction, it's clear that he's been bitten by a snake once and is now afraid of ropes for ten years.
That's it?
"That's all," He Zheng answered confidently, but he didn't dare to glance at her.
Yu Mingshu smiled and didn't press the matter further. "If you don't want to see her, then don't. Since she has a way to come to Chang'an, she probably doesn't need to ask you for help anymore."
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