Chapter 34: Healing You Know, Why Ask?
A cold voice came from behind the screen, "Did the Queen Mother punish you?"
The medicine bottle in Lu Tingwan's hand suddenly fell to the ground, rolling next to Cheng Xianyi's pair of black boots inlaid with silver thread. When she turned around, she saw a figure standing outside the screen, looking surprised. "You, why are you here?"
Cheng Xianzhi didn't answer but asked, "Did they beat you because you testified in court at the Jingzhao Prefecture?"
"Since you already know, why are you still asking?" Lu Tingwan came back to his senses and quickly pulled his coat back over his shoulders. He was not wearing any other clothes inside, so he could only turn his back to prevent anyone from seeing his private parts.
"When you come back next time, could you please have someone pass the message across?" Lu Tingwan said, accusingly. "We had an agreement beforehand."
Cheng Xianzhi said nonchalantly, "There was no one guarding your yard, so I came in."
Feng Xin had just returned. When he entered through the courtyard gate, he saw Cheng Xianzhi standing outside the main house. Thinking that he was still inside, Feng Xin had no choice but to go over and called out from behind, "Sir..."
Seeing Feng Xin about to go in, Cheng Xianzhi showed no intention of giving way. He said coldly, "Get out."
Feng Xin looked worried and embarrassed, but then he heard Lu Tingwan say, "Feng Xin, bring in the ice. You can go down and rest first."
Feng Xin walked in cautiously, sticking close to the wall, and put down the ice. "Second Madam, this is all the ice we have in the kitchen. It's cold, please don't..."
"I know my limits. You go down first."
Feng Xin was still heartbroken when she left. Seeing her injured, she still had to deal with Cheng Xianzhi.
The two of them were left alone in the room. The originally cold voice seemed to soften, "If the Queen Mother summons you to see me later, please send someone to tell me first."
Lu Tingwan took a handkerchief, wrapped a few ice cubes in it, and applied it to the wound. The pain was slightly relieved, and her mind became clearer. "What can I do if I tell my master?"
"In fact, you can also tell the Queen Mother the truth. If you can hear the news, it will not affect me in any way."
Lu Tingwan sneered, "Your Excellency overestimates me. I don't have the ability to get any information from you that I can report to the Queen Mother. If the Queen Mother were so easily fooled, she wouldn't have given me a beating tonight."
"Not only can I not complain, I should also be grateful to you."
"Your Excellency knew that I was the Queen Mother's spy, but he was still willing to spare my life. This is already a blessing for me, Lu Tingwan." She spoke lightly and calmly, as if she really had no complaints.
"I don't ask for anything else, I just ask you to remember your promise."
"It's up to you." Seeing that she didn't appreciate it, Cheng Xianzhi left Yansheng Hall.
After Cheng Xianzhi left, Feng Xin came back to continue applying medicine to Lu Tingwan.
"Is your coming here causing trouble for Madam?"
Lu Tingwan smiled bitterly, "If he wanted to embarrass me, it would be easy for him to do so. There's no need for him to come here to disgust me."
But that's also why he suddenly came here without saying anything important.
"I'm afraid your injury will leave a scar. Why did you get whipped for no reason? The eldest lady and the master are all in the palace. The master, his wife, and the eldest lady are all here, but no one has said a word for you." Feng Xin didn't know the truth, but he felt heartbroken. "In my opinion, they are not as sincere to you as Young Master Luo."
Lu Tingwan couldn't help laughing, but the more she laughed, the more painful the wound became.
"Okay Feng Xin, let's not talk about that anymore."
"But there is one good thing."
"Getting beaten is considered a good thing? You are too careless."
"Good news, the Queen Mother has agreed to let me go out and manage Zhichunli under the identity of Lu Tingwan. That is to say, even if Cheng Xianzhi regrets using Zhichunli to force me to do something I don't want to do in the future, no one can control us without the Queen Mother's order." Thinking of this, she looked forward to her next plan.
She played the game between the Queen Mother and Cheng Xianzhi, and was willing to accept punishment to gain their trust, which was also a way to show her loyalty to the Queen Mother.
In this deep pool where it is like walking on thin ice, there is still a pure land that belongs only to her, and that is Zhichunli.
Feng Xin was right. At least as far as Luo Yunchu was concerned, he treated her sincerely without any exploitation, calculation or trade-off.
Tonight is Mid-Autumn Festival. Yesterday, I went to the Weiyang Street Chamber of Commerce Building to eat mooncakes with him. Lu Tingwan told him that he had to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival at home and could not come out to accompany him.
Luo Yunchu knew it all, and just said that there was no need to worry about him. With Lu Tingwan, he always gave her unconditional support and understanding, and also gave her hope and encouragement when she was at her lowest point.
Perhaps Luo Yunchu is, for her, the last ray of sunshine in the darkness of Kyoto.
Thinking of this, she no longer felt bitter. Instead, an lingering smile appeared on her face. The smile at the corner of her mouth made her look energetic.
Feng Xin teased her, "Second Madam couldn't hide her smile when she heard about Young Master Luo, but you have to stay in the mansion for a few days to recuperate from this injury before you can go out. You will be gone for several more days."
"It's okay," Lu Tingwan instructed, "Just keep this medicine."
"Madam, please rest early after applying the medicine," Feng Xin instructed her. "Although the ice has a soothing effect, the autumn nights are chilly. Don't catch a cold."
Lu Tingwan thought she was nagging and nodded perfunctorily. At night, she could only sleep with her stomach on a soft pillow. The pain was so severe that she couldn't fall asleep. She was so sleepy that she didn't know when she fell asleep.
The next day, Gongsun Xue woke up with a heavy head, and the first thing she asked was whether Cheng Xianzhi had come to rest last night.
Luzhu said truthfully, "Madam returned home first, and it was already midnight when the master came back. You were drunk and couldn't wait any longer, so you went to bed first. The master went to the study for a while, and then..."
"What happens next?" Gongsun Xue asked anxiously, noticing that she had something else in her words.
"After that," Luzhu said slowly, "the master went to Yansheng Hall..."
"My lord went to Yansheng Hall?" Gongsun Xue's heart skipped a beat and she stood up suddenly. The string that had been taut for her broke.
"He'll be out in a little while," Luzhu noticed something was wrong and continued, "After that, he went back to his study and didn't go anywhere else. This morning during court, he even asked the kitchen to make some hangover soup for Madam."
Luzhu's words calmed Gongsun Xue, who was originally nervous.
"He still cares about me..."
"What are you talking about, Madam? My Lord, you are in my heart."
Even so, Gongsun Xue always felt uneasy. Cheng Xianzhi had always been very fond of her, but only she knew in her heart that she was not important enough to control his emotions. Compared to his official duties, everyone else was secondary.
Now Lu Tingwan was moving around the front courtyard more and more frequently, and had more opportunities to see Cheng Xianzhi. At the banquet, he even took the initiative to give her his food and waited for her to return home at the palace gate.
Last night I went to Yansheng Hall...
What have you been doing?
She was puzzled and finally made up her mind: "After breakfast, go to Yansheng Hall."
Lu Tingwan was in so much pain last night that she couldn't sleep well. In the early morning, she woke up and took some medicine before going back to sleep.
It was not until Gongsun Xue entered Yansheng Hall that Lu Tingwan slowly opened his eyes in the sunlight. Feng Xin stopped people outside and spoke to the people who were half asleep and half awake in the room.
"Why is the eldest lady here? This..."
"Why? My master has entrusted me with the management of the household affairs. Is there any place in the backyard that I cannot go to? Do I need to explain to you, a servant, what I want to do?" Gongsun Xue put on the tone and airs of a mistress.
Feng Xin's status was there, so naturally he didn't dare to stop her, but he kept her there to give her enough face. "No, it's just that the Second Madam caught a cold last night and ran a fever in the middle of the night. I'm afraid she can't get up to pay her respects to the First Madam."
"Caught a cold?" Gongsun Xue stood in the courtyard, her voice deliberately raised. "My sister is delicate. She was chatting happily with the other young ladies in the palace yesterday. She doesn't seem like she would be sick."
"People who eat grains and cereals are bound to get sick," Feng Xin said respectfully, "It is because of my negligence in taking good care of the Second Madam that she has suffered."
"It's true that I haven't taken good care of her," Gongsun Xue said. "I see that the Second Madam's courtyard is deserted, and there are only a few servants. If Feng Xin is too busy, I can ask the housekeeper to arrange for a few more people to come over, so that the master won't be neglected if she wants to come over to rest one day."
In the inner room, Lu Tingwan spoke with a nasal voice, leaning against the screen: "Greetings to the Madam. I'm sorry that I can't come in person to greet her, as I'm afraid that my illness will spread to her."
"Sister, you're awake," Gongsun Xue took a few steps closer. The figure behind the screen was half-leaning, his posture unsteady, as if he was having trouble holding himself up. "Since you're ill, I'll ask the doctor to come back and take your pulse."
"Thank you, Madam." Lu Tingwan coughed heavily a few times, "Feng Xin, please see me off. When I recover, I will personally go to Yingyue Pavilion to pay my respects to Madam."
"Just take a good rest." Gongsun Xue turned and walked out, passing by the study and was about to go in.
Luzhu came over from the side and said, "Madam, the imperial physician has arrived."
"Imperial Physician?" Gongsun Xue was confused. "The palace hasn't sent a letter to invite anyone from the Imperial Hospital."
"The master invited him," Luzhu said. "Cangshu said that the master specially invited the experienced imperial physician He to come to the mansion to take the eldest lady's pulse. You drank too much last night, and the master was worried that you might be hurt, so he specially asked the imperial physician to take care of you."
Gongsun Xue's face was filled with joy. Hearing that Cheng Xianzhi had invited the doctor specially for her, she quickly said, "Please ask the doctor to go to Yingyue Pavilion."
Luzhu nodded and helped the person walk back together. Gongsun Xue looked back at the eaves of Yansheng Hall.
Feng Xin came in with breakfast. "Why is Second Madam coughing so badly? Feng Xin shouldn't have left so much ice for you."
"It's fake," she said, her voice brightening, but still nasal. "I just coughed on purpose."
She didn't want Gongsun Xue to know about her injuries. It was too difficult to explain, and it was not difficult to make up a reason. But it was better to have less trouble than more, and she was happy to have some peace and quiet.
"But this injury really needs to be treated by a doctor, otherwise if you delay treatment for too long, the scars will be more difficult to remove later." Feng Xin said with concern.
"Then after dinner, go to the West City Clinic and ask a doctor to come back." Lu Tingwan stirred the hot porridge in the bowl. The wound on his arm became redder and redder. These past few days were difficult.
"Why go so far west to look for him? There are doctors in the streets near the palace."
"Leave it to the trouble." She took a sip of hot porridge and said lightly.
Feng Xin understood and said "yes" and went into the inner room to pack up.
When Cheng Xian returned home from court, he ran into the imperial physician who had just finished taking his pulse. The physician bowed and said, "Your humble servant greets Cheng Pushe."
Cheng Xianzhi returned the greeting and said gently, "Thank you, Doctor He. Is my wife feeling well?"
"Madam, you are simply drinking too much. Alcohol is harmful to your health. I have already prescribed a prescription for you to recuperate. You can just follow the prescription and boil the medicine regularly. Don't worry, my lord."
"Well, thank you Doctor He for making the trip."
"Then I will take my leave first."
"Doctor He, please wait," Cheng Xianzhi turned around and called out, "If it's a whip wound, is there any medicine that can relieve the pain without leaving a scar?"
Doctor He thought for a moment and said, "Yes, there are, but the medication should be tailored to the individual. Only after examining the injury can we prescribe the right medicine."
Cheng Xianzhi ordered, "Cang Shu, take Imperial Physician He to Yan Sheng Hall."
Cang Zhu led people to Yansheng Hall. Lu Tingwan had just finished his meal and was standing on the windowsill, smelling the fragrance of flowers outside the window.
A strange figure at the courtyard gate caught her eye. She turned around and asked the person cleaning up inside, "Feng Xin, the courtyard is quite lively today. Go and see who it is."
Feng Xin received the order to go out to welcome the guests.
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