A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 84

"Is his illness really incurable?" Zhao Yu instinctively wanted to help them. "Why don't we invite the imperial physicians from the palace to treat him? Maybe there's still a way."

“Princess, they are just commoners, how can they be qualified to be treated by the imperial physicians?” Zhan Zhao asked tentatively.

"If I say it's okay, then it's okay."

“Princess…” Zhan Zhao said respectfully, “Actually, the doctor who treated Young Master Nangong was Mr. Gongsun’s senior brother, and his medical skills are also very superb, so there should be no mistake.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu remained silent. Gongsun Ce's medical skills were superb, no less than those of the imperial physicians. Since Nangong Ruoxu was treated by his senior brother, it was probably very close to the truth.

Seeing that Zhao Yu had taken pity on him, Zhan Zhao felt somewhat relieved. However, since they were meeting for the first time, it was not appropriate to tell her about the seven-leaf locust flower at this time to avoid being too hasty. Fortunately, Zhao Yu also invited Ning Wangshu to talk another day, hoping that there would be an opportunity to tell her then.

Ning Wangshu helped Nangong Ruoxu to bow and bid farewell to Zhao Yu, but Zhao Yu quickly told them to dispense with the formalities.

After bidding farewell to Zhan Zhao, the two of them went out and boarded the carriage, which slowly drove away in the light snow.

"They're gone..."

Mo Yan swallowed the plum blossom cake in her hand in a few bites, clapped her hands to shake off the crumbs, and jumped up, saying, "I'm going to find my senior sister to ask about the situation."

Ning Jin glanced at the street unhurriedly: "What's the rush? Xiao Yu'er hasn't left yet. What if you run into her if you go down now?"

Mo Yan hesitated for a moment. She was impatient and eager to know the details. She immediately pulled her cloak up, the hood pulled low, almost covering half her face: "She shouldn't recognize me, right?"

"Wait a little longer, there's no rush."

Fearing that she might cause trouble and jeopardize the entire plan, Mo Yan had no choice but to patiently sit down again and peek out through the bamboo curtain...

It was late afternoon, and with the snow falling, there were few pedestrians on the streets, and even fewer customers in the teahouse. The three were chatting idly while waiting when a waiter led a distinguished customer upstairs to sit down.

Mo Yan glanced at the man casually and saw that he was wearing deerskin boots and a black fox fur coat. His exposed hands had large knuckles, which indicated that he was a wealthy martial artist.

The man had already sat down, but when he turned his head, he caught sight of Wu Zichu, stood up and stepped forward, greeting him with a smile, "Brother Zichu!"

"Second Master Ding!"

Upon recognizing the person as an old acquaintance, Wu Zichu quickly stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "How come you have time to come to the capital on such a cold day?"

This man was none other than Ding Zhaohui, the second master of Ding Family Village. He and his brother Ding Zhaolan were known as the Twin Heroes, and were quite famous figures in the martial arts world. He lived in Jasmine Village, Songhua Prefecture, near West Lake. He had traveled a long way to the capital, so he must have important business to attend to.

“This is Ning…” Wu Zichu received Ning Jin’s look in time and changed his words to, “Sixth Master Ning, and Constable Mo from Kaifeng Prefecture.”

"A constable?" Ding Zhaohui saw that Mo Yan was clearly a young woman.

Mo Yan took out his official badge and waved it, saying sincerely, "I am indeed a constable from Kaifeng Prefecture. If you have any grievances, you can come to the Kaifeng Prefecture government office to beat the drum and appeal for justice."

Upon hearing this, Ning Jin coughed a few times.

Ding Zhaohui laughed heartily and nodded repeatedly: "If needed in the future, I will certainly do so, but I still hope that day will never come. I am Ding Zhaohui." He was a generous man by nature and an old acquaintance of Wu Zichu. He simply bowed to the two of them and sat down without waiting for them to offer him a seat.

"Since you are working in Kaifeng Prefecture, you must know Zhan Zhao, right?" Ding Zhaohui asked with a smile.

Mo Yan nodded: "I recognize it."

"Brother Zhan, have you been very busy with official duties lately?"

"Yes, he seems to be quite busy all the time," she said truthfully.

Ding Zhaohui laughed and said, "No wonder. I couldn't find him even when I went to the Kaifeng government office. The constables didn't even know when he would be back."

Wu Zichu called the waiter to add tea and snacks, then turned and smiled, "So, Second Master Ning's trip is to find Brother Zhan. May I ask what brings you here?" Mo Yan quickly glared at him secretly, with a hint of warning. Although Zhan Zhao was currently in the Qin House across from the teahouse, she couldn't tell Ding Zhaohui.

Ding Zhaohui laughed heartily: "To be honest, Brother Zichu, I'm only here to see Zhan Zhao because my mother urged me. Three years ago, Zhan Zhao visited my home, and my mother took a great liking to him. But at that time, my younger sister was still young, and nothing else was mentioned. Now that my sister is of marriageable age, my mother thinks that Zhan Zhao is a man of upright character and has a far-reaching reputation for chivalry, someone she can entrust with this matter. Therefore, she urged me to come to the capital to discuss this matter with him..."

Mo Yan was stunned. She held a sesame shortbread in her hand, stuffed it in her mouth, and forgot to chew. She never imagined that this person was here to arrange a marriage with Zhan Zhao. Ning Jin lowered his head and drank his tea as if nothing had happened. Afraid that Ding Zhaohui would be embarrassed, Wu Zichu could only politely smile and say, "I have heard that Miss Ning is virtuous and kind, and has excellent martial arts skills. She and Zhan Zhao are a perfect match."

After saying that, he dared not look at Mo Yan, who stared at him with eyes that seemed to shoot arrows.

No time to pay attention to her, Ding Zhaohui was clearly pleased with Wu Zichu's words. The Ning brothers were renowned in the martial arts world, and were a perfect match for Zhan Zhao. His younger sister was also beautiful and skilled in both literature and martial arts, so he had no reason not to agree.

"this……"

Mo Yan swallowed the pastry in her mouth with difficulty and said slowly, "...Master Ding, I'm sure you'll be disappointed on this trip. Lord Zhan has been sent by Lord Bao to Xixia on a very important official business, and he probably won't be back for a year or two, no... probably three to five years. Your younger sister is in the prime of her life, how can she afford to be delayed? For her sake, perhaps you should find another suitable man."

"Zhan Zhao went to Western Xia?! What a coincidence!" Ding Zhaohui was slightly surprised.

Wu Zichu lowered his head and gulped down his tea, while Ning Jin stared intently at the falling snow outside the curtain. No one answered him. Only Mo Yan looked at him earnestly and nodded vigorously.

Chapter 18 [VIP]

Just as Ding Zhaohui was about to ask Wu Zichu, Mo Yan interjected with concern, "It's not easy for you to come all the way to the capital. It wouldn't be good to go back empty-handed. Why don't you buy some pastries to take back with you? The old folks love soft things. There's a shop near Zhouqiao that makes excellent sugar cakes, and they have many different flavors. If you don't know the place, I can take you there. Also, buy some jewelry for your sister. I know a jade shop that has very pure jadeite. If you like antique jade, they have it there too. How about I take you there to pick some out later..." She glanced at the street out of the corner of her eye and saw Zhan Zhao and Zhao Yu leave the qin shop and disappear from sight, which immediately put her at ease.

Ding Zhaohui hadn't expected that she would act on her impulse and immediately want to take her there. She quickly said, "No rush, no rush. I want to stay in the capital for a few more days and meet some old friends."

Unexpectedly, this was exactly what Mo Yan feared. Her expression turned serious, and without thinking, she said, "The Laba Festival is just a few days away. It might not be right for you not to go back and keep the elders company."

Beside him, Ning Jin coughed several times in a row, unable to swallow a mouthful of tea.

Ding Zhaohui was somewhat taken aback, and hesitated before saying, "I still have an older brother at home..."

Before he could finish speaking, Mo Yan shook her head repeatedly: "On the Laba Festival, we worship our ancestors and all the gods. How can you not go back? The Ding brothers are also famous heroes in the martial arts world. If they don't even go home to worship their ancestors, wouldn't people despise them?"

"...It can't be that bad," Wu Zichu said quietly, unable to stand it any longer.

“How could it not be!” Mo Yanyi interrupted him sternly. “Of all virtues, filial piety comes first. If we are serious about it, one should not travel far away while one’s parents are still alive.”

Despite her naturally bold and forthright nature, Ding Zhaohui's face turned pale and then red when this young girl accused her of being unfilial.

“Of course, Master Ding, you certainly wouldn’t be an unfilial person.” Mo Yan quickly put on a smiling face. “But speaking of which, Laba Festival is coming soon, you should go back and have some porridge with your elders. There’s a place near Zhouqiao that sells Penglai rice, which is fragrant and soft, and it’s perfect for mixing into porridge. Why don’t you buy some and let your elders try it… Come on, come on, I’ll take you there!”