Second Master is in trouble.
Xie Zhuo prepared a carriage for Fu Zhi Qiao. She and Yin Xing sat in the carriage, while Cheng Ye Xuan rode a horse to protect them on the side. They traveled at high speed and finally arrived in Yuzhou five days later.
"Summon all officials and bring them to the yamen immediately for discussion."
"Your Highness, you and Miss Fu must be tired from your journey. Would you like to rest for a while?"
"I don't need it. Arrange accommodations for A-Qiao first." Xie Zhuo arranged a courtyard for Fu Zhi Qiao, while he went to find Min Kunzheng to learn about the current situation in Yuzhou.
Stepping onto the land of Yuzhou once again, Fu Zhiqiao's feelings were complicated. She did not want to get involved with the second and third branches of the Fu family anymore, so she did not reveal her identity.
The next day, a red sun slowly rose from the east. Fu Zhiqiao stood on the attic, took a breath of fresh air, and then stepped down.
"Miss, come and have breakfast." Ginkgo helped her set out the bowls and chopsticks. "Today's breakfast was bought by the young master from Tianfu Restaurant. Try it and see if it tastes the same as before."
The original owner of this body had lived in Yuzhou for more than ten years and had eaten a lot of food at Tianfulou. Upon hearing this, Fu Zhiqiao picked up a piece of golden thread flower roll with her chopsticks and said, "Hmm, it tastes the same as before. You should try it too."
After breakfast, Fu Zhiqiao went to the clinic to teach the doctors how to use alcohol.
Although Imperial Physician Gao also uses alcohol, he is bound to make mistakes when facing a group of doctors who have never been exposed to alcohol before. Fu Zhi Qiao decided to personally supervise the process.
People hurried through the streets and alleys of Yuzhou, each with a quick step and a face mask covering their face completely, leaving only their eyes exposed, as if afraid of getting infected if they stayed outside for even a moment longer.
It seemed that the plague in Yuzhou was more serious than she had imagined. On her way to the yamen, she ran into Zhao Xialan and her daughter Fu Yan'er. Because they were wearing face masks, neither of them recognized the other.
In the instant they brushed past each other, Zhao Xialan suddenly turned around. Why did it feel... somewhat familiar?
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt, and she couldn't help but ask, "Yan'er, didn't you think that person who just walked by looked familiar?"
Fu Yan'er followed Zhao Xialan's gaze.
Fu Zhi Qiao had already disappeared into the crowd. Fu Yan'er looked back and could only vaguely see a blurry figure. "No, Mother, we haven't gone shopping in a long time. Summer is almost here. Come with me to choose some new fabric to make clothes!"
Fu Yan'er has grown up quite a bit compared to two years ago. She has a standard oval face, fair skin, and a small nose and mouth that make her look very delicate.
"Good, good, our Yan'er has grown up and knows how to dress up now."
Although Yuzhou had just experienced a disaster, the situation inside the city was relatively good, and the damage was not severe. Zhao Xialan and her daughter Fu Yan'er usually lived in the inner courtyard, so the flood outside the city did not have much of an impact on them. The two chatted and laughed as they walked towards the embroidery workshop.
*
At the entrance of the clinic, Wang Qianxin was already waiting for Fu Zhiqiao. "Miss Fu, the young master is waiting for you."
Because Xie Zhuo had been discussing matters with a group of officials until very late last night and had stayed at the yamen, the person who brought her to the clinic today to meet familiar faces was Wang Qianxin.
Fu Zhiqiao nodded and calmly walked into the clinic. She had experience in preventing and treating plagues in Qingzhou, and now that she was in Yuzhou, she was simply repeating what she had learned in a different place.
The government officials had already come and told the summoned doctors that a noble person had brought some good medicine that could cure diseases, and that they must learn how to use it.
The clinic also set aside a separate teaching room for Fu Zhiqiao.
As soon as Fu Zhiqiao stepped into the room, the eyes of seven or eight doctors all stared at her. The doctors were all surprised to see that the expert they had been waiting for who could cure the plague was actually a woman.
Fu Zhi Qiao did not miss the surprise, incomprehension, and disdain that flashed in their eyes.
Although the doctors didn't understand why a woman was coming to teach, they knew that Wang Qianxin, who was standing next to Fu Zhiqiao, was no ordinary person. Now, seeing Wang Qianxin standing behind Fu Zhiqiao with a respectful attitude, they were taken aback and dared not question him.
Fu Zhi Qiao didn't care what the doctors were thinking; she was only responsible for teaching.
When Xie Zhuo arrived, Fu Zhiqiao was demonstrating to the doctors how to use alcohol.
The sunlight outside the window shone on her, enveloping her in golden light. Her skin was crystal clear, like a piece of jade soaked in water, making her look unreal.
Xie Zhuo stopped, his eyes revealing admiration.
"Remember, children are delicate, so when applying alcohol, you need to add more clean water. The dosage for adults is different from that for children, so you must not make a mistake! Also, give the person who has been treated with alcohol water immediately. Do you all remember that?" After teaching the lesson on the use of alcohol, Fu Zhi Qiao considered her task complete. She was not surprised to see Xie Zhuo outside the door when she turned around.
Xie Zhuo entered the room and stood side by side with Fu Zhi Qiao, his voice cold: "Have you all learned how to use alcohol?"
"I've learned it." The doctors had met Xie Zhuo yesterday and knew he was a young master from the capital. Their voices and expressions were filled with careful flattery, their attitude many times more respectful than when they faced Fu Zhi Qiao.
Xie Zhuo nodded in satisfaction: "The method of reducing fever with alcohol can resolve the disaster in Yuzhou. You must all work together to assist, and there must be no mistakes."
The doctors quickly bowed their heads and agreed.
After Xie Zhuo finished speaking, he turned to Fu Zhi Qiao and his tone immediately softened: "Let's go back!"
After Xie Zhuo and Fu Zhi Qiao walked out of the room, the doctors looked at each other, all thinking the same thing: even the young master was so kind to her, it seems that this girl is really someone important. Fortunately, they did not speak rudely just now.
"An important person has arrived at the clinic. Let's go and see."
"Not only that, I heard they also brought life-saving medicine."
"Really? Let's go!"
Many patients' family members in the clinic, upon hearing the news that an important person was coming, peeked out to take a look.
As Fu Zhi Qiao walked to the entrance of the clinic, a gust of wind blew by, lifting her veil and revealing her fair and beautiful face.
Suddenly, a doctor who had just walked in from outside the clinic called out to her, "Miss? Are you the eldest daughter of the Fu family?"
Fu Zhiqiao turned around, not expecting anyone to recognize her here, but she didn't have any recollection of the doctor who recognized her.
Seeing that she didn't respond, the doctor introduced himself: "Miss Fu, my surname is Li. When you were still in Yuzhou, I took your pulse. Do you remember me?"
Dr. Li reminded her, and Fu Zhiqiao remembered.
In order to leave the Fu family smoothly, she and Yu Roulan used a little trick. The doctor who came to take Yu Roulan's pulse was this Dr. Li. She smiled and said, "So it's Dr. Li."
After Fu Zhiqiao left, the doctors who had just learned the alcohol-based fever-reducing method surrounded Dr. Li and asked her questions.
"Old Li, do you know that important person from earlier?"
The doctors selected to learn how to reduce fever with alcohol were all well-known in Yuzhou City. Doctor Li's medical skills were inferior to theirs, so he answered all their questions without reservation. He nodded and explained, "She is the eldest daughter of the Fu family."
"The Fu family?"
"The Fu family, medicine merchants."
"How come I didn't know there was such a person in the Fu family?"
"Miss Fu is from the eldest branch of the family. It's normal that you don't recognize her since she hasn't lived in Yuzhou for the past few years. The current patriarch of the Fu family is the second master, and he has an older brother. Miss Fu is the eldest daughter of the eldest branch of the family." Doctor Li briefly introduced what he knew.
“I remember now. When Mr. Fu passed away, Miss Fu took Madam Fu to the countryside to recuperate.”
"Now that you mention it, I do remember."
...
Even knowing Fu Zhi Qiao's background, the doctors dared not spread the word, after all, they had seen the young master's attitude towards her earlier.
The plague prevention and control plan had been implemented in Qingzhou, and now it could simply be copied to Yuzhou. Xie Zhuo and his men were busy with this, leaving Fu Zhiqiao with no time to spare.
Since being recognized by Doctor Li at the clinic, Fu Zhi Qiao has been going out less. Yuzhou is where the Fu family started their business, and she has lived here for more than ten years. It's hard to say that other people might recognize her.
Since Fu Zhiqiao didn't go out, Cheng Yexuan didn't need to be a coachman anymore, so Fu Zhiqiao sent him to inspect the shops.
Cheng Yexuan accepted his job as a coachman and errand boy well. Having survived numerous life-or-death battles, this stable life was exactly what he had been looking for. Moreover, Fu Zhiqiao had given him a law-abiding citizen's household registration, helped settle the brothers from Black Tiger Stronghold, and even given him the status of a transport team leader with a high monthly salary. Cheng Yexuan was willing to work for her.
She didn't take much of the property left by Fu Changyue back then, and she hasn't come back to see it in the past two years. She doesn't know how those shops and estates have developed. It's a good opportunity to send Cheng Yexuan to check on them.
In the evening, Ginkgo returned from Tianfulou as usual with some food.
Fu Zhi Qiao's current residence was arranged by Xie Zhuo. She will return to Qingzhou once the plague in Yuzhou is resolved. She won't be staying in this courtyard for long, so no cook has been arranged to come and prepare meals.
Just as Ginkgo placed the food on the table, Xie Zhuo arrived.
Xie Zhuo glanced at Fu Zhi Qiao, then looked at the food on the table. Before he could ask Yin Xing to add another pair of chopsticks, Fu Zhi Qiao immediately started picking up food with her chopsticks.
The refusal was so obvious that Xie Zhuo felt somewhat embarrassed.
Wang Qianxin's heart skipped a beat upon seeing this. The young master and Miss Fu had not yet reconciled?
The atmosphere was a little awkward, and Wang Qianxin immediately spoke up to persuade him: "Young Master has been busy from morning till afternoon and hasn't even had lunch yet. Why don't you stay for dinner before you leave? I'm sure Miss Fu won't mind."
Xie Zhuo gave him an appreciative look, then covered his mouth with his hand and cleared his throat. "Then let's bring out a set of chopsticks and a bowl."
Seeing that Fu Zhiqiao did not speak, Yinxing went to fetch a new set of bowls and chopsticks.
The two finished their meal quietly, facing each other.
From that dinner onward, Xie Zhuo would come over to eat and talk to Fu Zhi Qiao from time to time, regardless of her attitude, Xie Zhuo continued to do as he pleased.
During her time in Yuzhou, apart from occasionally having to deal with Xie Zhuo's shamelessness, Fu Zhi Qiao was very relaxed. She hadn't been this relaxed in a long time, and she slept until noon every day before getting up.
"Young lady, young lady, something's happened!"
Fu Zhiqiao was lying on the soft couch when she heard Yinxing calling her. She sat up straight. "What's making you so surprised?"
"It's Second Master! Something's happened to Second Master!"
Fu Zhi Qiao was stunned for a moment before she realized that the only person Yin Xing would call Second Master was Fu Ming Jie. She immediately became interested: "Tell me what happened."
Yinxing took a few breaths and started talking. Since the alcohol was used, the patients in Yuzhou had gradually lowered their body temperature. They had been drinking the medicine prescribed by Doctor Gao for several days. In theory, it should have been effective, but the patients' conditions had not improved at all. Instead, a lot of alcohol had been wasted.
"The Crown Prince ordered Imperial Physician Gao to find out the cause as soon as possible. Imperial Physician Gao firmly believed that there was no problem with his prescription. Finally, the Crown Prince asked Imperial Physician Gao to suspect that there was a problem with the medicinal materials. So the yamen arrested the Second Master for questioning."
The Fu family is the largest pharmaceutical merchant in Yuzhou. Apart from the medicines distributed by the imperial court, the Fu family provides the most medicinal materials used by the government. If there is a problem with the medicinal materials, the Fu family will definitely be the first to be implicated.
Fu Zhiqiao seemed to be deep in thought. If there really was a problem with the medicinal herbs, then Fu Mingjie was in trouble.
"Let's go take a look together."
Fu Mingjie is probably in big trouble. How could she not be there for such an important moment! Yinxing quickly dressed her up and they went to the yamen to watch the excitement.
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