Chapter 196 Reunion (The Finale...)
The Meng family arrived at the city gate before the emperor. Liu Shi, supported by Granny Qi, got off the carriage. The city guards respectfully greeted her and led her to the door of the guardhouse, whispering, "General Li is asleep inside."
Liu had already soaked a handkerchief with tears on her way here, and now tears welled up again. Given Xiaoxiao's personality, how could she stay here instead of going home if she wasn't extremely tired?
She tiptoed into the duty room and immediately saw a person sleeping on the table, but this person was wearing a yamen runner's uniform.
Liu felt a pang of fear as she approached her hometown, and hesitated to go forward.
Is this really Xiaoxiao? Why is she dressed like that?
The small duty room was instantly packed with people. Everyone looked at the thin body sleeping there with tears in their eyes. It looked like her, yet it didn't look like her.
Finally, Liu couldn't hold back any longer. She stepped forward and touched her shoulder, her voice trembling as she asked, "Xiaoxiao?"
Li Xiaoxiao moved slightly and raised her head.
What came into view was Liu Shi, with tears streaming down her face, Aunt Luo, Granny Qi, Liu Zhi... almost all of her familiar family members were here.
She called out "Mother" in a hoarse voice and threw herself into Liu's arms.
Liu didn't truly feel that Xiaoxiao was back until she was in Liu's arms. She hugged her tightly and cried her heart out.
The room was immediately filled with crying, startling the unsuspecting passersby who all gathered around to see what had happened.
While crying, Liu pulled Li Xiaoxiao up and looked her over. The more she looked, the more heartbroken she became. How thin she had become! And why did her complexion look so bad? Where had she been all these days? How much suffering had she endured?
She took out a handkerchief to wipe Li Xiaoxiao's face and said repeatedly, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Don't say anything more, come home with your mother."
She wanted to take her home and take good care of her, get her medical treatment and medicine, and help her regain her figure.
The others wiped away their tears, and joy finally spread from the bottom of their hearts. The young mistress is back! That's wonderful! The family can finally be reunited.
As Liu was about to get into the car with Li Xiaoxiao and leave, she suddenly heard a deafening roar outside. She looked up in surprise and saw that the person in the lead was wearing a yellow robe, and it turned out to be Emperor Hongxing.
She gripped Li Xiaoxiao's hand tightly: "It's the Emperor! The Emperor has actually come in person!"
Emperor Hongxing took the lead, followed by more than a dozen riders, and in the blink of an eye they arrived at the city gate.
Upon seeing Li Xiaoxiao, dressed as a yamen runner beside Liu, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. He dismounted, and the crowd all knelt down, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"
Emperor Hongxing casually gestured for them to rise, then immediately reached out to help Li Xiaoxiao up. He frowned after just one glance; he had never seen Li Xiaoxiao so weak before. "Imperial Physician Xiao, quickly step forward and examine General Li. Is she ill?"
Xiao Yuanzheng responded and was about to step forward, but the city gate was already packed with people because of Emperor Hongxing's arrival. The city guards had even put down their checkpoints to prevent people queuing outside the city from entering. Li Xiaoxiao hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, there are too many people here. It's easy for accidents to happen. Why don't we go back to my home and see what's going on?"
Emperor Hongxing glanced at the crowd around him and nodded. The Li family immediately offered a carriage for Emperor Hongxing and Li Xiaoxiao to board. Emperor Hongxing gestured for Xiao Yuanzheng to follow, and Pang Shi shamelessly followed in as well.
Liu had no choice but to get into another carriage and hurry home.
His Majesty is about to arrive, so she, as the hostess, must hurry back to make arrangements.
Meng Ying, who received the news a step too late, rented a carriage and rushed to the city gate. Halfway there, he encountered his own carriage and learned that the person had been picked up and that Emperor Hongxing was also going to his home. He quickly signaled the carriage to return to the Li residence.
After getting into the car, Li Xiaoxiao couldn't help but look around at the crowd. Even Emperor Hongxing had come out of the palace, but she didn't see Meng Guanqi. Didn't he know that she had returned?
Emperor Hongxing saw through her thoughts at a glance: "Attendant Meng is not in the capital. He took up a post in Jincheng five days ago. According to his habit from the past few months, he won't be back for at least a month."
Li Xiaoxiao couldn't hide her disappointment: "Why?"
Emperor Hongxing said irritably, "Why? Of course, I'm going to find you."
At this point, he couldn't help but sigh: "So much time has passed, even I can't believe you're still alive. But he hasn't given up. Whenever he has time, he keeps searching for you along the counties and prefectures near that river. The bounty is getting higher and higher, it's reached 20,000 now, right?"
Li Xiaoxiao murmured, "I saw it, the proclamation of His Majesty's one thousand taels of gold and twenty thousand taels of silver."
Emperor Hongxing asked in surprise, "You saw it too? Then why didn't you have someone send you back? And why were you dressed up like this?"
Li Xiaoxiao's eyes widened: "Your Majesty, are you kidding me? I was trying to avoid it as soon as I saw that notice. If I really let them send it back, wouldn't I be bankrupt? Meng Guanqi, that spendthrift, just because he didn't earn the money, he squanders it recklessly. Making money isn't that easy."
The car fell silent for a moment.
Emperor Hongxing's lips twitched, and it took him a long time to find his voice: "So you came back disguised as this person because you saw the bounty notice?"
Li Xiaoxiao replied matter-of-factly, "Of course! I'm trying to avoid the government officials, so why would I offer myself up for them?"
Emperor Hongxing rubbed his forehead. When would she ever get rid of this poor, stingy attitude? She's clearly set for life.
But this is the real Li Xiaoxiao. She's always had this personality since the day he met her, and she can't change it.
Emperor Hongxing bantered with her for a while, reminiscing about the past, before gesturing to Imperial Physician Xiao: "Take a look at her health. Why does she look so haggard?"
Xiao Yuanzheng placed his hand on Li Xiaoxiao's pulse. After listening for only a few breaths, his expression changed. There were only a few people in the carriage, and Emperor Hongxing and Pang Shi were watching closely. After seeing everything clearly, Emperor Hongxing immediately asked, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Yuanzheng released her hand: "The carriage is shaking, so I might not be able to hear clearly. Let me treat her after General Li gets home."
But judging from his pale face, Li Xiaoxiao's pulse was probably not very good.
They arrived at the Li residence quickly. Meng Ying and Liu Shi arrived home first and immediately welcomed Emperor Hongxing and the others inside.
Emperor Hongxing was concerned about Li Xiaoxiao's injuries. After sitting down, he immediately asked Imperial Physician Xiao to take Li Xiaoxiao's pulse. This time, Imperial Physician Xiao listened for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea. The more he listened, the stranger it seemed. He began to ask Li Xiaoxiao questions: "Did the general ride a horse into the capital?"
Li Xiaoxiao nodded.
Xiao Yuanzheng seemed taken aback for a moment: "How long has the general been on the road?"
Li smiled and said, "Seven days, more than six hundred li."
Everyone in the room looked at Li Xiaoxiao in surprise. How did she get there, more than 600 miles away?
Dean Xiao then asked, "Were you ever bedridden before?"
Li Xiaoxiao lowered her eyelids: "Yes, I was in a coma for a long time. After I woke up, I couldn't move for more than half a month. Later, I slowly regained my strength and felt that I could walk, so I tried to come back."
Meng Ying and Liu Shi's hearts clenched tightly. It turned out that she had returned to the capital after being missing for nearly five months because she was so badly injured that she could not move at all.
Judging from Xiao Yuanzheng's complexion, she must have been unable to fully recover before forcing herself to continue her journey.
Dean Xiao's spirits lifted; he had just realized it: "What medicine did you take? Do you remember the prescription?"
Emperor Hongxing asked in surprise, "What's wrong? Did she take the wrong medicine?"
Xiao Yuanzheng shook his head: "The general's physique is extraordinary. According to my diagnosis, her injuries are extremely serious. Anyone else would have been bedridden by now, but she still managed to walk more than 600 li and was still able to stand and talk to us. This is already a miracle. There must be a folk doctor who prescribed her good medicine to support her to come to the capital."
Everyone in the room turned their attention to Li Xiaoxiao, wanting to know what she had been through and which doctor had treated her.
Li Xiaoxiao gave a wry smile and said frankly, "I have not taken any medicine. I was rescued by a couple in a very remote village. They couldn't even get enough to eat, let alone buy me medicine."
Everyone gasped in shock, and Emperor Hongxing was even more incredulous: "You, could it be that you've been unable to move because you haven't taken your medicine?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "Not only is there no medicine to take, but there is also no food to eat. I only have two bowls of porridge every day, one in the morning and one in the evening. I have been awake for more than half a month but I still can't get up because I have been hungry all the time."
She only gets two meals of porridge a day, and she usually eats three to five times more than others in one meal. It's a miracle she hasn't starved to death.
It was truly heartbreaking to hear, and Liu's tears were endless. She wished she could take Liu's place and suffer in her place. Liu had saved so many people, so why was there not a single person to help her when she was in pain? If someone had called a doctor for her or provided her with a decent meal, she might have returned long ago.
Emperor Hongxing was so angry he nearly fainted. He slammed his hand on the chair: "Outrageous! Which county official dared to treat you so disrespectfully? Didn't you identify yourself to them?"
Li smiled and said, "I told them, and they thought I had gone mad."
Emperor Hongxing asked incredulously, "Didn't you tell them to report to the authorities? I issued a search notice to all the prefectures and counties in the country. Which county government neglected its duty?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "That village only has twelve households, and it's about thirty or forty miles away from the county town, a journey that takes two days. Many people in that town have never been to the county town in their entire lives, and since I appeared there all alone, they all thought I was crazy..."
A long silence fell over the room. How could she have encountered so many unlucky things? So it wasn't that she met a good doctor and took good medicine, but that she had to tough it out until she could stand up again before she could come back.
Pang Shi couldn't help but ask, "What kind of hellish place is that? How did you end up in such a remote and isolated place?"
Li Xiaoxiao sighed, not answering the question, but smiling gently: "That's not important anymore. What's important is that I'm back, isn't it? Physician Xiao, my body is a little different from others, so just treat it as a serious illness."
This must be a painful memory. Since she doesn't want to talk about it, no one will force her to. She's right, she's back, and that's the most important thing.
After a moment's thought, Xiao Yuanzheng bowed and said, "I will prescribe a medicine for General Li right away. However, although it is a serious illness, it is not advisable to use strong medicine. Fortunately, the general has already returned. I will first prescribe a few milder medicines for seven days to regulate his body. I will then prescribe more appropriate medicine depending on the situation."
Emperor Hongxing said, "Whatever medicine you need, just use it on her. Take it slowly and don't rush it. Make sure her injuries heal completely."
Following the order, Dean Xiao wrote a prescription for Li Xiaoxiao, and Zhao Jian personally took the prescription to get the medicine.
After looking at Li Xiaoxiao, Emperor Hongxing felt much relieved. There were still a lot of state affairs waiting for him to handle back in the palace. He stood up and said, "When I get back, I will have someone send the Crown Prince and Rui Rui back together. Let the Crown Prince stay at your house for a few days. He has been heartbroken ever since you disappeared."
Li Xiaoxiao agreed and personally escorted Emperor Hongxing to the door.
Only family members remained in the courtyard. Liu Zhi had already prepared hot water for washing up, and Mama Mao had also prepared a large amount of food. Li Xiaoxiao suddenly relaxed, feeling extremely tired, but she still let Liu Zhi help her wash her hair and take a bath. Liu Zhi looked at the large and small wounds all over her body and cried uncontrollably, helping her bathe while she was crying.
She fell asleep while soaking in the hot water.
Feeling the water getting colder, Liu Zhi woke her up. The meal prepared by Mama Mao had already been brought out. Li Xiaoxiao was very hungry and ate five bowls of rice in one go. She also drank the medicine prescribed by Dean Xiao and fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.
She slept until the next morning, and when she woke up, she found someone in her arms. Little Rui Rui was sleeping soundly in her arms, holding her clothes tightly.
A soft voice came from outside: "Has Sister Xiaoxiao woken up? She's been sleeping for a long time."
Liu Zhi tiptoed in and, seeing her open eyes, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes: "Young Madam is awake!"
Aze couldn't wait any longer and said urgently, "Sister Xiaoxiao, are you up? I'm coming in."
He's ten years old now, so he can no longer freely enter and leave Li Xiaoxiao's bedroom like he did when he was little.
Li Xiaoxiao sat up: "Come in."
Aze rushed in immediately, looked at her excitedly, and threw himself into her arms, bursting into tears: "Why did you take so long to come back? You scared me to death! I thought I would never see you again."
His crying woke Rui Rui up. He immediately rolled over and got up. He saw A Ze holding Li Xiaoxiao and crying. He rushed over and hugged Li Xiaoxiao's waist tightly, refusing to let go.
The two children witnessed her being injured by the silver wolf and didn't even get to see her one last time. They must have been terrified. Now that she's back, all their worries and fears from that day have come back to haunt them, and they're clinging to her and won't let go.
After comforting one person and then another, Li Xiaoxiao hurriedly brought out breakfast, filling the table with a large amount of food that Li Xiaoxiao loved.
Li Xiaoxiao ate a meal with the two boys, and only then did they believe that she had really returned and would never leave again.
After the breakfast dishes were cleared away, a bowl of hot medicine with a strong bitter smell was brought in. Aze looked at her sympathetically, but was afraid that she would not drink it, so he handed her a piece of candy: "Sister Xiaoxiao, don't be afraid of the bitter medicine. You can eat the candy after you finish drinking it."
Rui Rui quickly took a piece of dried fruit and placed it in her hand.
Two children, they treated her like a child.
Li Xiaoxiao was satisfied. She swallowed the medicine in one gulp, ate candy, and then ate dried fruit.
She sighed contentedly, "It's so good to be home."
She doesn't have to think about anything right now; getting better is her top priority.
After finishing her meal and taking her medicine, she asked Liuzhi to move a deck chair to the yard so she could sunbathe. A small child lay on either side of her, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.
The palace's rewards flowed into the Li residence like water. In addition to various precious medicinal herbs and tonics, there was also a thousand taels of gold bestowed by Emperor Hongxing. Li Xiaoxiao returned on her own, and he ordered the reward notice to be withdrawn and gave the money to her.
Meanwhile, the news of Li Xiaoxiao's safe return officially spread throughout the capital. The officials who had escaped from the wolf's clutches that day were grateful for her life-saving grace and sent their families to visit her and bring gifts. The Li residence was immediately crowded with people. Meng Ying and Liu were extremely busy, but apart from their very close relatives, when others asked to see Li Xiaoxiao, they were all stopped on the grounds that Li Xiaoxiao was seriously injured and recuperating and it was inconvenient for her to see people. Therefore, apart from seeing Meng Liniang and a few close aunts and uncles, Li Xiaoxiao ignored everyone else and stayed in the backyard to recuperate.
Seven days later, Chief Physician Xiao personally came to examine the patient. After listening to the pulse for only a dozen breaths, he exclaimed in surprise, "General's constitution is indeed extraordinary. In just seven days, his physical condition has recovered considerably. I can now prescribe the appropriate medicine."
He quickly wrote out a prescription and asked Zhao Jian to go outside and get the medicine. This time, Dean Xiao did not leave; he wanted to personally observe Li Xiaoxiao's reaction after taking the medicine.
This time, the medicine was potent, containing even terrifying ingredients like earthworms and leeches. The mother who was preparing the medicine was terrified and dared not tell Li Xiaoxiao anything, fearing that she wouldn't be able to drink it.
The bowl of medicine was pitch black and smelled even worse than the medicine from the previous seven days. Li Xiaoxiao had already considered herself capable of enduring bitterness, but she still couldn't help feeling nauseous after finishing it. When Mama Mao saw that she was about to vomit, she couldn't help but say, "This medicine costs twenty taels of silver per dose."
Li Xiaoxiao opened her eyes wide and immediately suppressed the nausea. How could she vomit such expensive medicine? Hold it in!
After drinking such a potent medicine, she felt a reaction in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. She felt a hot sensation rising in her abdomen, her blood surging upwards and rushing to her chest. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her whole body became burning hot, as if there was fire burning in her abdomen. Before long, she was drenched in sweat.
Although Li Xiaoxiao felt unwell, she was not panicked at all. Firstly, Dr. Xiao had been observing her reaction the whole time, and secondly, she was already very familiar with this feeling, so the medicine was effective for her.
She didn't feel any pressure on her body, but as time went on, the pressure on her chest grew heavier and heavier. Finally, as if she had been hit hard, she spat out a mouthful of black blood with a "whoosh".
The women, including Liu, who had been staying inside, were terrified and screamed, "Xiaoxiao! Imperial Physician!"
After Li Xiaoxiao finished spitting out the blood, she didn't stop. Dean Xiao quickly brought over a basin to catch it. She vomited three more mouthfuls of blood before the strange feeling finally disappeared.
Having vomited so much blood, she was covered in cold sweat, her face was pale and she was in a daze, as if she was about to faint at any moment.
Everyone looked at Dr. Xiao in alarm. Dr. Xiao carefully took her pulse and a smile appeared on his face: "It's alright. This blood stasis has been blocking General Li's heart meridian. Now that it's been vomited out, her recovery will be much more effective. It's nothing to worry about."
He stayed here to see her reaction after taking this strong medicine so he could prescribe a treatment plan. He never expected it to be so effective.
Liu Zhi brought hot water for Li Xiaoxiao to rinse her mouth, and then helped her to the inner room to change into a set of dry clothes. When she came out, Xiao Yuanzheng took her pulse again and prescribed a third prescription: "This prescription is moderate and mild, mainly for nourishing. If there is a cook in the mansion who can make medicinal cuisine, it would be best to make some medicinal cuisine to eat with her. Eat it for half a month, and then I will come to take your pulse again."
He glanced at the listless Li Xiaoxiao and added, "General Li will enter a drowsy period after vomiting blood. This is because her body needs rest. Please try not to disturb her sleep. Just give her some water to drink."
Liu thanked Doctor Xiao sincerely, personally escorted him to the door, and gave him one hundred taels of silver as a consultation fee.
Xiao, the Imperial Physician, declined, saying, "I am here on orders to treat General Li. Madam, you need not be so polite."
Although it was an order from above, the family couldn't just leave without showing any gratitude. Liu said sincerely, "Doctor Xiao, please don't refuse. This is just a small token of my appreciation. Xiaoxiao has suffered so much to get the doctor's good prescription, and our whole family is very grateful."
Xiao Yuanzheng could not refuse and had no choice but to accept it.
When Liu returned to the inner courtyard to visit Li Xiaoxiao again, she was already asleep from exhaustion.
Liu carefully examined her face. Although she had just vomited blood, the ashen color on her face had faded by seven or eight parts, leaving only paleness.
Seeing this, she felt relieved and couldn't help but admire Dr. Xiao's superb medical skills. Being a little thin was alright; as long as the root of the illness was removed, her body would recover gradually.
Li Xiaoxiao slept for even longer than when she first returned, a full two days and one night. During that time, she vaguely felt someone feeding her water. She was extremely thirsty and drank it all, but she couldn't open her eyes and fell back asleep.
When I opened my eyes this time, I felt incredibly energetic, my stomach was rumbling, and I was so hungry I could have swallowed a whole cow.
She sat up, stretched, and was about to call Liu Zhi when she suddenly noticed someone lying on the edge of the bed.
The man had a full beard, dark circles under his eyes, and sunken cheeks, giving him a sickly appearance.
Li Xiaoxiao scoffed. This man was really strange. Even though she was the one who was seriously injured, he was still in this inhuman and ghostly state. If he went out looking like this, who would remember his reputation as the most beautiful woman in the world?
While complaining, she gently stroked his cheek, tears falling drop by drop onto his face.
Meng Guanqi's long, feathery eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes.
His eyes met hers filled with tears, and his tears flowed even more fiercely than hers, his eyes filled with endless longing, endless attachment, endless grievances and endless regret.
The two of them stood there, stunned, tears streaming down their faces. Li Xiaoxiao pulled him up, touched his face, his thin shoulders, his long arms, and couldn't help but sob softly, "All the muscles I worked so hard to build are gone now."
Meng Guanqi chuckled lightly: "If you like, I'll practice it again."
Seeing him staring at her so intently, Li Xiaoxiao finally couldn't resist throwing herself into his arms and hugging him tightly.
Meng Guanqi used all his strength to repay her, unable to believe that the scene that had played out countless times in his dreams had finally come true. He wept uncontrollably, unable to utter another word, only calling out affectionately, "Xiaoxiao, Xiaoxiao..."
Li Xiaoxiao choked up and said, "I thought I would never see you again..."
Meng Guanqi was no different. On countless sleepless nights, he would see Li Xiaoxiao in his dreams. She was dressed in armor, holding a long spear, and walking forward step by step. He could not catch up with her no matter how hard he tried. When he woke up, there was nothing but a pillow wet with tears and nothing beside him.
The longer time went on, the farther she went, and he realized he would never be able to reach her again in this lifetime.
While in Jinzhou, he received letters from both the imperial court and his family, saying that Xiaoxiao had returned and urging him to return to the capital immediately. He traveled day and night, rushing back under the stars and moon. As an imperial envoy, he should have gone to the palace to report to the emperor as soon as he returned to the capital, but he couldn't care less about anything else and went straight back to the Li residence.
Seeing her sleeping peacefully in their bedroom, her breathing even and her face serene, Meng Guanqi immediately knelt down and kowtowed several times to the sky, thanking God for bringing her back.
He whispered in her ear, "I'm so afraid this is all a dream, and when I wake up, you'll be gone again."
The pain of this separation was too deep and too long for him. Even when he held the person in his arms, he was still in a daze, fearing that it was just his imagination.
Li Xiaoxiao wiped away her tears, looked at the man who had cried for her and looked haggard for her, and chuckled: "Meng Guanqi, we are both sick, let's have some medicinal food together."
Once they've recovered, she'll be twenty-one, and he'll be twenty too; then they can consider having a child.
She smiled slightly and kissed him gently. For the first time after he took the initiative, she didn't insist on being on top. Considering how much more haggard he looked than she did, why not give him a break?
(End of text)
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Author's note: The main story is finally finished! Hooray!
I'd like to recommend my pre-order, "My Days as a Underworld Messenger in the Human World." Is it because the synopsis is so terrible that there are only thirty-something pre-orders? I really struggle with writing terrible titles and synopses; I'd rather write ten thousand words than come up with a good one. But I expect to revise the synopsis soon, so I hope you lovely readers can lend a hand and add it to your favorites.
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