Emergency
Back at Ningxiang Residence, Mu Qing's throat was sore and numb. She could only say a few words before collapsing from exhaustion.
Shiyu had been sleeping soundly lately. In the middle of the night, she heard groans, lit a lamp, went to her mistress's bedside, and immediately cried out in alarm.
Countless red spots appeared on her fair cheeks, making it almost impossible to recognize her original appearance.
The doctor was called in overnight, and several bowls of medicine were brewed before dawn, but none of them were actually drunk; the medicine was always vomited up as soon as it was fed to the patient.
Mu Qing was in a daze, surrounded by constant noise.
At first, I heard people say that the rouge was wrong, the face powder was wrong, or the purple silk used to apply makeup to the young lady was the fault. After a burst of sobs, I heard her call out "Young lady" again and again.
She thought vaguely: Miss? It should be the eldest young lady.
Her father was the village chief, and everyone in the village called her "Miss," except for Ayu.
Ayu was someone she took a liking to at first sight and brought back to the mountain village. There weren't many girls in the village, so it was only natural that she would live with her.
Ayu knows a lot, but she doesn't like to talk. She never calls her "Miss," but she can't help but offer some pointers when she makes a mistake.
In the end, it was Ayu who pointed out a way to escape to her.
"You should hide in the mountains."
On that moonless night, Ayu hid behind a tree in the woods and coldly told her, "The authorities are waiting to arrest you and close the case. Those who hate your father are still thinking of eliminating you completely. And you're so stupid, you might be deceived to death without even understanding what's going on."
Mu Qing truly didn't understand, looking around at the dark forest with a sense of bewilderment. "Ayu, what about you? Where are you going?"
After waiting for a while, she murmured, "Didn't we agree to be half-sisters?"
But then Ayu's voice drifted from the woods: "Your father killed my parents, do you really think I can treat you like a sister?"
His words revealed years of forbearance and helplessness, and Mu Qing's heart trembled as she listened.
She had known all along that her father was not a good person.
How can someone who's afraid of being arrested by the authorities be a good person?
She thought that her father was the chieftain, and she was the eldest daughter of the village, so she was certainly not a good person either. They should share joys and sorrows, endure insults together, and bear burdens together.
But the older her father got, the more he drank. When he got drunk, he wouldn't recognize anyone and even hit her.
Sometimes she couldn't take it anymore and would get so angry that she would hold her head and think, "If only I could have a different father."
Heaven was kind to her; it really helped her change her father and gave her a mother.
"Miss."
Mu Qing opened her eyes and saw a face peeking in from the soft, light blue gauze curtains; it was Ning Gu.
Ning Gu looked at her with a mixture of sadness and joy, her voice full of concern: "You're finally awake. How are you feeling now?"
Several more people quickly appeared nearby; they were all from Ningxiangju.
"The doctor said that waking up means you're almost recovered." Shiyu smiled through her tears. "Miss, you've scared us so much these past few days."
"These days?" A hoarse voice squeezed out from Mu Qing's throat.
Ning Gu pursed her lips, and Shi Yu nodded, "It's been four days."
Four days? Mu Qing was bewildered, feeling only soreness all over her body.
Then Shiyu said in a tearful voice, "Today is already the ninth day of the second month."
The eighth day of the second lunar month is a wedding day.
Mu Qing looked at the gauze curtain above her head again; she was still in the Lu residence.
The marriage didn't happen, but that person's goal was achieved.
Seeing her lost in thought, Ning Gu said, "Miss hasn't woken up yet, so the wedding can't take place. But Princess Duanjing and the young prince have both come to visit, so the marriage is still valid. We just need to choose a new date."
Mu Qing responded softly. Ning Gu smiled and said she would tell the Third Madam the good news of her awakening and ask the doctor to come and take a look. Then she whispered to Shi Yu not to talk nonsense, so as not to make the young lady overthink.
Once outside, Ning Gu's expression turned cold.
When the young prince first proposed marriage, Princess Duanjing had initially objected because her daughter had been abducted as a child. However, after consulting a fortune teller who predicted her daughter's great fortune, she finally agreed to the marriage. Unexpectedly, her daughter fell seriously ill before the wedding. It is said that Princess Duanjing sought out a master to recalculate her daughter's fortune, but the outcome is still unknown.
Although the young prince's feelings remain unchanged, if Princess Duanjing dislikes her, the young lady will not have a good life after marrying into the prince's household.
The Third Madam has been overwhelmed with worries these days, and there are many rumors circulating outside the mansion. Those who once envied this marriage are now waiting for the next development like they're watching a play. Fortunately, the young lady has finally woken up.
Mu Qing had been lying in bed for many days, only being fed some thin porridge. She was weak all over and barely managed to finish her meal before Dr. Hua, who was to examine her, arrived.
Doctor Hua was a renowned physician in the city, with white hair, a slender figure, and a long beard. He had once cured the young prince of a stubborn illness.
When examining patients, Mu Qing did not want to involve innocent people, and only said that it was the first time she had fallen ill and she did not know the cause of the illness.
Dr. Hua still diagnosed her illness as urticaria and prescribed a detoxifying formula.
When Mu Qing got up from the bed, the Third Madam returned from outside. Seeing that Mu Qing's steps were unsteady, she quickly told her to lean back on the bed, "You've been lying down for so many days, it won't hurt to lie down for a while longer."
"I'm sorry to have worried my mother."
Mu Qing's face was covered by a veil, and her eyelashes were lowered.
She looked in the mirror and saw that her face was covered in red spots, more frightening than ever before.
The third wife looked at you with pity, "Those rashes need to be aired out to heal, why cover them up? I've seen them before, and I've even applied medicine to them for you several times these days."
Mu Qing's eyes were filled with tears. She knew that this maternal love was not meant for her, but she was still deeply moved.
Just then, a maid entered and said, "The young prince has arrived."
Mu Qing looked towards the doorway and touched her veil with trembling hands.
She was born with good looks, which she was proud of and also troubled by, but now she feels like she has lost her support.
The third madam smiled slightly and told her not to panic, saying, "He also came to see you when you were unconscious, and he has no prejudices. Besides, the doctors who came all said that as long as you get better, the rash on your face will disappear on its own, and with proper care, it will not leave any trace."
Afterwards, the Third Madam let the young prince in, chatted briefly, and then left.
Xiao Yu, adorned with a jade crown and jade pendants, had already taken off his fur coat when he entered the warm pavilion, wearing only a long robe with narrow sleeves and pine-patterned flowers.
He had visited Mu Qing several times while she was unconscious. He was already familiar with the place and entered the boudoir with light steps. He saw Mu Qing looking left and right but not daring to look at him, so he simply sat down on the embroidered bed.
"Are you trying to emulate the musicians of Yiyeju by concealing yourself like this?"
Mu Qing couldn't avoid his gaze, "Let's just say that."
Xiao Yu smiled, "Would you like to hear that musician's 'Forget-Me-Not' again?"
"I don't want to go out," Mu Qing said in a barely audible voice.
Going out looking like this, I don't have to worry about being recognized, but it's not much better than being recognized.
Xiao Yu was not surprised. He raised his head slightly and said, "I can play it for you."
Mu Qing blinked, recalling the various nonsensical pieces he had been forced to play before, and became very suspicious.
There was a zither in Ningxiang Residence. Mu Qing tried to learn it for a few days, but he was too slow, so he put it aside.
The zither was entirely black with a hint of green. It was placed in front of Xiao Yu, who waved his hand and said, "A fine zither," before leisurely beginning to play.
The sound of the zither is like flowing water, washing away invisible sorrows.
When the music ended, Mu Qing felt refreshed and relaxed.
She stared at Xiao Yu's hands on the strings for a moment before saying, "How come Your Highness knows how to play this piece?"
"Once you get the sheet music, practice a bit, and you'll learn it." Xiao Yu leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed and carefree.
Mu Qing was somewhat puzzled, "That musician makes a living from this, what benefit would he get from handing over the sheet music?"
"Of course she wouldn't hand over the score directly, but there are many musicians and performers in Weizhou City. If they go to Yiyeju to listen to the zither together, each of them can write down a few sections, so it won't be difficult to reconstruct the score."
Xiao Yu smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about her. It's precisely because the score has been made public that she's become famous. On the day she plays the piano, Yi Ye Ju teahouse is packed with customers. If you don't make a reservation in advance, you can't even get in."
Mu Qing nodded, recalling the scene when she heard the music that day, "When she played, it seemed even more sublime and profound."
Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow. "Is this because you think I didn't play well enough?"
“It’s a feeling, yes, a different style.” Mu Qing tried to correct him, “I was unable to appreciate Your Highness’s zither skills before, probably because I didn’t understand zither music. After listening to this piece today, I realized that Your Highness can also play normally…”
Xiao Yu glanced at her sideways and said, "It doesn't sound like a compliment."
Mu Qing could only look at him longingly and said softly, "Anyway, Your Highness plays well, and I feel comfortable listening to it."
Xiao Yu chuckled, "Speaking of which, that musician also has the surname Lu. Perhaps you two have some connection. It's no wonder you thought highly of her."
The Lu family was a prominent clan in Weizhou. Although the main branch was not large, there were many collateral branches, including many local gentry, wealthy merchants, and low-ranking officials.
Hearing that the musician was an orphan girl surnamed Lu, several members of the Lu family's collateral branches tried to contact her, and although they didn't formally acknowledge her kinship, they still established some contact. Those who wanted to take advantage of her, upon hearing that the musician was protected by the Lu family, had to give up their plans.
After Xiao Yu left, Old Madam Meng and the Third Master of the Lu family came to visit her one after another, telling her to rest assured and recover without worry, assuring her that the family would take care of everything. Mu Qing was deeply moved.
As evening approached, Lu Tongxue returned from outside and, having heard the news, also came to Ningxiang Residence. Since attending the wedding at the Liu family's house, she had gotten to know several young ladies and had been in frequent contact with them recently. She had heard some rumors circulating in the city, but she was loyal to her own family. Upon hearing rumors that the marriage had been called off, she immediately dismissed them. She was naturally happy to see her cousin wake up.
Lu Fei was the last to visit that day. After returning from the academy each day and completing the homework assigned by his father, he had time to go out and socialize with friends.
Upon arriving at Ningxiang Residence, he saw Mu Qing wearing a veil and asked in surprise, "Are you disfigured?" He reached out to pull it off.
Mu Qing stepped back, "You haven't come to see me before?"
Lu Fei pointed to the maid beside her, "They won't let me see."
Shiyu lowered her head and said, "At first, we didn't know what illness Miss had, and we didn't let anyone see her. Later, the doctor said it was urticaria, which is not contagious, but the young master never came again."
Lu Fei pursed his lips and remained silent.
Mu Qing stared intently at him.
After an eerie silence, Lu Fei rolled his eyes. "Okay, I admit I was wrong. But since you weren't awake, there was no point in me coming over. Now that you're awake, I'll come see you every day from now on, how about that?"
It was as if they had been given an immense blessing.
Mu Qing refused: "No need. I might recover faster if you don't come to see me."
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