Chapter 201 Overthinking
Yun Rong looked up and saw the girl's stunned expression. As if she had thought of something, she said, "Yuan Yuan, don't worry about this."
"I didn't intend to interfere either," Mu Jianjian said softly, her head lowered as if lost in thought.
"This matter has a great impact, concerning the reputation of the Red Mansion. If something goes wrong, it will naturally be difficult to resolve..." Yun Rong explained in detail.
Although Mu Jianjian felt awkward, she didn't take it to heart. The main reason was that her true energy was currently sealed, so she had no strength and was powerless even if she wanted to.
"Yuanyuan, please take the drawings I've been working on to the steward in the front yard," Yunrong paused, then added, "Go through the east side gate."
"Okay." Mu Jianjian nodded in agreement.
After finishing her meal, she tidied up the paintings in Yunrong's room and then jogged towards the front courtyard. Yunrong would take the paintings she made to the steward's office to give to the young masters and officials who came to the Red Mansion. Thinking of this, Mu Jianjian felt a little sour.
Even the beautiful older sister has never painted for her!
"Miss Mu!"
Just as Mu Jianjian was about to step onto the stone steps leading to the east side gate, a clear female voice called out to her from behind.
She stopped and turned around, only to see the woman in front of her smiling at her. "Miss Mu, there's news about the thing you asked me to keep an eye on last time."
The woman's surname is Yu. When the beautiful sister heard that she was looking for a woman with the number 148, she recommended her to her, saying that Miss Yu had been in the Red Mansion for more than ten years and could find out a lot of information because she was in the front courtyard.
"Thank you, Miss Yu." Mu Jianjian said crisply, then stopped walking towards the side door and looked at the other person.
“I heard from the older generation of nannies that the women who entered the Red Chamber were numbered. Apart from those who were dealt with at the beginning and those who were later sent to the tenement, the remaining ones who disappeared without being recorded were taken away by the higher-ups.”
"The people above?" Mu Jianjian repeated what the other person had said. "Do you mean the people in Duyunfang?"
Miss Yu said in a low voice, after hesitating for a moment, "I'm afraid not. If they are from Duyunfang, they would be registered at the manager's office in the front courtyard..."
She lowered her voice and said, "I'm afraid it will be even higher up, and those who disappeared back then were all young girls, it's hard not to make people think of something."
"Miss Yu, if you discover anything new, please keep an eye out for it." Mu Jianjian took out some low-grade spirit stones from her sleeve and stuffed them into the woman's hand.
"Miss Mu, you're too kind," Miss Yu said, weighing the number of spirit stones in her sleeve. Her smile widened, and she whispered mysteriously in the girl's ear, "It is said that the pavilion behind the north-facing side gate records the whereabouts of the numbered women in the Red Chamber."
Mu Jianjian nodded, then held the drawing paper and watched the woman's departing figure, recalling what the other woman had just said.
Who is this person...?
Even though he doesn't seem to care at all in front of Zhuang Mei, he still cares about her quite a bit.
After handing the drawing paper to the steward in the front yard, she turned back on her original plan to go back and headed towards the north side gate.
First, go and observe the surrounding terrain to plan for the future.
——
Unlike the east side, the north side does not connect directly to the pavilion. The pebble path is partially hidden in the bamboo forest swaying in the wind. Mu Jianjian looked around quietly and then saw a maid carrying a wooden basin coming out of a small door in the front courtyard.
Upon closer inspection, the cloth soaked in the water in the wooden basin shimmered with blood under the sunlight, and a faint smell of blood permeated the air.
Mu Jianjian hid among the trees and was about to use her divine sense to explore the house when she discovered that not only were there guards outside the courtyard, but the surrounding area was also covered with talisman arrays.
She has no cultivation energy, so even if she uses a Qi Condensation Talisman to sneak in and get close, she will be blocked by the talisman array.
Given the situation, Mu Jianjian memorized the appearance of the maid carrying the wooden basin and left along the path. The bamboo shadows swayed, and not far away she saw an elderly doctor walking towards her and his young apprentice following behind him. She stopped in her tracks.
"Is there something wrong, young lady?" The doctor walked to her side, leaning on his cane, and stroked his long white beard.
Finding a doctor in the Dream of the Red Chamber was difficult. If a woman of high status fell ill, it would be easier to get help, but if she was of low status, she might not even be noticed even if she died. Therefore, the women in the Dream of the Red Chamber would stop others from seeking a doctor and pay for their own medical treatment.
Mu Jianjian smiled gently and lightly touched the wound that Baili Yicheng had inflicted on her earlier. "I injured my forehead a few days ago because of a guest, so I wanted to get some ointment from the doctor to apply, in case it left any scars."
Seeing that the woman's expression was sincere and anxious, and knowing that women from the Red Mansion cared a lot about their appearance, the old doctor also extended his hand without hesitation, "Five medium-grade spirit stones."
Mu Jianjian gasped, not feigning it, but genuinely shocked by the outrageous demand from the other side.
The wound on her forehead had already healed to almost full size under the care of the beautiful older sister, leaving only a small mark. Yet it was still so expensive. If someone else were seriously ill and needed medical treatment, wouldn't the price be sky-high?
"Could...could you make it cheaper?" Mu Jianjian stammered, trying to find the right answer.
“My master is going to the front courtyard to treat someone. If he can’t even afford this little bit of money, then he shouldn’t be blocking our way and wasting our time.” The man behind the old man looked the girl up and down, his eyes gleaming with lewd light.
The two pretended to leave, but Mu Jianjian's eyes flashed and she quickly pulled them back, saying, "I'll give you a medium-grade spirit stone, don't go!"
Seeing the two of them stop in their tracks, seemingly having finally made up their minds, she reached into their sleeves and began slowly pulling out spirit stones. "Doctor, which girl are you going to treat in the courtyard ahead?"
"Hmph, we're not here to treat the girls here, they are—" Before the man could finish speaking, the old doctor silenced him with a glare.
This is news that the manager specifically instructed us not to spread, so we can't let it slip!
The old doctor glared at the man, then looked at the girl who was still struggling to extract spirit stones, his eyes filled with disdain. "Why do you ask that, young lady?"
"I'm afraid I won't be able to see the doctor next time, because one of my sisters in the building is also sick. I'd like to wait here on the road next time. Our courtyard is small and dilapidated, so I don't want to trouble the doctor to make the trip." Mu Jianjian finally took out the last medium-grade spirit stone and reluctantly placed it in the man's hand.
“Then the young lady can bring her people tomorrow,” the old doctor said, his eyes narrowing to slits. “But the prices for external and internal injuries are different, so I hope the young lady will be prepared.”
After thanking the doctor, Mu Jianjian watched the figures of the master and apprentice walk away and lowered her eyes.
She was overthinking it.
I initially thought the injured person in the courtyard might be related to the previously missing woman, but judging from the words of the master and apprentice, it's probably the half-demon that the beautiful sister mentioned.
That makes sense... Even if an ordinary woman were imprisoned, she wouldn't need to use a talisman array.
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