"Tiefeng, what is the most famous medical clinic in the capital?" Ji Wushang asked.
“Miss, I recently heard that someone from somewhere suddenly built a medicine shop in the east of the capital, and I heard that the doctor there is Doctor Cui.”
"Doctor Cui? Panyaoju?" Ji Wushang seemed to be thinking. Could it be that the Ghost Doctor went into seclusion because of his mother's matter, and now his senior brother has set up Panyaoju to help people?
"Big sister, why don't we go there and take a look? We'll know what's going on once we find out," Ji Yinxue said upon hearing this.
“Yes, that’s perfect.” Ji Wushang nodded. “Then let’s go to Panyaoju first. It sounds like a good name.”
"Yes!" Tie Feng replied and urged his men to hurry to Panyaoju.
Sitting in the carriage, Ji Wushang felt bored and thought he should take a nap, since he had gotten up a bit early.
Unexpectedly, the carriage suddenly stopped, and Ji Wushang and Ji Yinxue both lurched forward, almost falling out of the carriage. Ji Wushang frowned, "What is it?" He then gently lifted a corner of the curtain.
Tie Feng immediately stepped forward and said, "Miss, someone stopped the sedan chair just now! They have been apprehended! I was just about to ask you how you intend to punish this person!"
Ji Yinxue listened, her eyes gleaming. She lifted the curtain and looked at the man in plain clothes who was being forced to kneel in front of her by several guards. "Raise your head and speak."
Upon hearing Ji Yinxue's voice, the man raised his head. Ji Wushang looked at him; the man's face was quite handsome, and his simple clothes couldn't conceal his noble air. This man was definitely not an ordinary commoner. Ji Wushang said calmly, "Who are you? How dare you stop a sedan chair on the street?"
The man looked up at Ji Wushang, sized her up, and then asked, "Are you Miss Ji?"
"Your older sister asked you who you are, why are you asking about other people?" Ji Yinxue looked at him and said angrily.
The man wasn't angry, nor did he glance at her. Instead, he looked at Ji Wushang and said, "In that case, you must be Miss Ji. My master has brought you a letter; please take a look." There seemed to be a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Ji Wushang looked at him, her eyes slightly cold, "Who is your master?"
"I'm sorry, I can't tell you." The man's lips curled into a slight smile as he took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to the guard beside him. The guard had barely taken the letter when the man, taking advantage of that brief moment, had already slipped away and disappeared from the group's sight in a few leaps!
Ji Wushang was speechless. This man's skills were unfathomable. If he was just a servant, then how powerful was his master? Who gave him that letter? "Bring it here."
"Yes." The guard respectfully presented it.
Ji Yinxue also looked at the letter in Ji Wushang's hand, but Ji Wushang did not open it. Instead, he stuffed it into his bosom. "You must not mention today's events to anyone. If anyone finds out, you will be severely punished! Continue to Panyaoju and do not delay any longer."
"Yes!" The servants and guards around him responded, and Tie Feng immediately ordered the sedan chair to be moved. That man could come and go freely right under their noses—how could these guards save face? But thankfully, the young lady didn't blame him. Sigh! Tie Feng felt frustrated and ashamed.
Ji Yinxue looked at Ji Wushang with a questioning gaze, "Big sister, why don't you open the letter and take a look?"
"Hmm, I'll look at it when I get back. I don't want anything to spoil my mood right now."
"What if it's an emergency?" Ji Yinxue looked at Ji Wushang with her beautiful eyes. "Aren't you afraid that something urgent might happen that you won't have time to deal with?" As she spoke, Ji Yinxue looked at Ji Wushang, wanting to see what her expression would be.
Ji Wushang's expression remained unchanged. "First, the person didn't say it was urgent. If it were urgent, they would have told me directly instead of giving me a letter. So, I don't need to rush to open it. Second, to say you're giving me a letter in front of so many people... I think these private matters shouldn't be discussed here."
Ji Yinxue was speechless after hearing what she said, so she could only nod and say, "Yes, eldest sister is right."
"Why are you in such a hurry? I'm not even in a hurry! You're acting like it's your letter that's so important to you!" Ji Wushang teased.
Ji Yinxue was taken aback, turned her head and said awkwardly, "No, I was just asking because I saw that my older sister wasn't opening it!"
"Yes. We'll be almost at the eastern part of the capital soon. You can stay in the carriage for a bit. I'll go and get some medicinal herbs and come right back," Ji Wushang said.
"good."
Ji Wushang glanced at her and said nothing more.
Before long, they arrived at the medicine shop. The three characters were written in a grand style, but when Ji Wushang looked at them a few more times, he felt that the font was very familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
Every stroke, every outline, was so grand. Ji Wushang suddenly recalled the moment when Nan Xuzong added words to her painting with gold thread. He sat in his wheelchair, gold thread in his hand, stained with ink, that grand technique, those words, "Soaring through the nine heavens, a phoenix startling the heavens." Ji Wushang thought, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips. Tie Feng saw her standing there, stunned, then grinning foolishly, and stepped forward, asking, "Miss, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing." Ji Wushang came to his senses. "Come in with me, the rest of you can wait here."
"Yes." Tie Feng immediately gave a series of orders.
Ji Wushang looked at the floor beneath his feet, which was made of marble slabs, decorated in a very elegant manner. Inside, the room was full of medicine cabinets, and the shopkeeper was dozing off on one side. Ji Wushang smiled to himself. It turned out that no one was coming to buy medicine.
"Shopkeeper," Ji Wushang stepped forward and called out softly.
The shopkeeper was immediately startled and came to his senses. "Ah, sir, sir!"
Ji Wushang laughed and said, "Where are you calling me a VIP? You're quite the smooth talker, shopkeeper."
"I think Miss is very beautiful, and the servant behind her is so dashing and handsome, which makes Miss look even more noble!" the shopkeeper said with a smile.
Ji Wushang turned around and glanced at Tie Feng, who scratched his head sheepishly, looking rather simple and honest.
Ji Wushang turned his head and smiled, "I'm not here to joke today. I've heard that Doctor Cui is the one sitting here. May I introduce him to you?"
☆、097 A love letter? Ridiculous! Bring me a fire!
"Dr. Cui? Oh, Miss, you're really out of luck! As you can see, this place is deserted, not a soul in sight. Dr. Cui was displeased and went home to sleep. I couldn't stop him!" The shopkeeper looked troubled and embarrassed.
"Well, alright then. Get some medicinal herbs according to my prescription. I also need to prepare these, big and small, and then I'll take them back to my residence." Ji Wushang took out two prescriptions and handed them to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper glanced at the prescription, nodded, and immediately ran to get the medicine.
A waiter came out, glanced at Ji Wushang, then leaned close to the shopkeeper's ear and whispered a few words. The shopkeeper nodded in agreement. The waiter looked at Ji Wushang again before going back inside.
The shopkeeper said, "Miss, I'm so sorry, my master has urgent business and wants me to go in. Please wait a moment."
Ji Wushang was annoyed. How could such a thing have happened? Oh well, it's not my business to know about other people's affairs. "Please go ahead!" Ji Wushang said.
"Waiter, bring some tea quickly! Let the young lady rest for a while." The innkeeper gave the order and then went inside.
Ji Wushang sat to one side watching the innkeeper go in. Remembering there weren't many people around, and finding nothing amiss, he took out the letter from his robes. At that moment, a different waiter came forward to pour tea, which Ji Wushang naturally didn't allow him to see.
Tie Feng looked at it, stepped forward and took the teapot, "Please let me have your tea, Miss!"
Ji Wushang nodded. Tie Feng was a shrewd man. If he could become a capable assistant in his household, that would be great!
The waiter then obediently went downstairs.
Ji Wushang tore open the envelope and saw the words inside: "My beloved loves me, and I reciprocate his feelings. Our vows of eternal love remain unfulfilled. My affection is deep, let us elope to the ends of the earth." Ji Wushang broke out in a cold sweat. Whose letter was this?! What did they mean by "my beloved loves me, and I reciprocate his feelings"?! She didn't even know who the other person was! How could they possibly reciprocate her feelings?
This couldn't be him... How could such clumsy handwriting come from him? Such shallow and pretentious words, so obviously fake, I just can't believe it's him! So, there's only one explanation left: something is about to happen to me!
Without hesitation, Ji Wushang looked around but saw no open flame, so he asked Tie Feng, "Tie Feng, bring me some fire."
"Young Miss?" Tie Feng was confused. Why would she suddenly want to set it on fire? This was a pharmacy; was she planning to burn it down? But seeing Ji Wushang's serious expression, he immediately asked, "Is a tinderbox available?"
"Okay." Ji Wushang nodded after hearing this.
Tie Feng immediately took out the tinderbox from his pocket and handed it to Ji Wushang. Ji Wushang blew on the tinderbox and immediately put the letter on it to burn. Looking at the incense burner next to her, Ji Wushang placed the burning letter on it. Tie Feng was really surprised. "Miss, what are you doing?"
"It's nothing," Ji Wushang replied coldly, and Tie Feng didn't ask any further questions.
The shopkeeper went inside, and the waiter immediately came up to him and said, "Shopkeeper, the master has ordered you to close Panyaoju!"
"What happened? The medicine that was just sold to Miss Ji is gone!" the shopkeeper asked.
"We only sell to Miss Ji, we don't sell to anyone else! Master said we'll only open for business when Miss Ji leaves the manor!"
"You're really treating me specially!"
"Don't joke around. I mean what I say. If you get punished, don't blame me for not warning you!" The waiter's eyes drifted to the other room, then he pointed.
The shopkeeper broke out in a cold sweat. "Why didn't you say so sooner!"
"Why aren't you going to apologize right now? My business is important, you need to take responsibility!"
"Yes." The shopkeeper immediately went into the inner room.
Nan Xuzong was staring blankly at the sky inside the room. He didn't even look up when the shopkeeper entered. Gong Shu, seeing this, immediately stepped forward and said to the shopkeeper, "You'd better get on with your business! The master doesn't want to see anyone right now."
"Yes." The shopkeeper finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Knowing the shopkeeper had left, Nan Xuzong suddenly spoke up, "Gong Shu, tell me, if I were to propose marriage, would you say yes or no?"
"Ah!" Gong Shu was startled, dumbfounded. "This, this, sir, you, you've really thought this through?"
“I didn’t want to involve her in this, but everyone is using her as a pawn. How can I not be anxious? Tomorrow, probably tomorrow, she will marry someone else.”
"Master, Madam Bei has just passed away. It's not so easy for someone to come and propose marriage so easily. Everyone knows that. It would be a great disrespect to the deceased!" Gong Shu could only say whatever came to mind for the moment.
"But Ji Tiankui was still ordered to get married by imperial decree, wasn't he? The Emperor is eager to recruit talented people now that he knows something big is coming," Nan Xuzong said quietly.
Gong Shu listened, unsure of what to say. After a long silence, he finally said, "Well, sir, if you insist, I will support you to the end! Whatever you say, I will do!"
"But I don't want to hurt her." Nan Xuzong looked out the window. "Tell me, can I give her happiness?"
Upon hearing this, Gong Shu was even more at a loss for words. "Master, if you have confidence, why can't you give her happiness?"
Nan Xuzong shook his head and remained silent.
"Master, the young lady is in the hall. Would you like to go and see her?" Gong Shu saw that he was concerned about her. Although he had some doubts about his own abilities, Gong Shu still supported Nan Xuzong in sticking to his principles.
Nan Xuzong's gaze fell on his legs, he sighed and shook his head.
Gong Shu felt distressed seeing this, but didn't know how to comfort him.
Finally, the shopkeeper arrived. As soon as he came out, he smelled a burning odor. Looking around, he was relieved to see that there was no fire. Ji Wushang looked at him and said, "Please hurry up and prepare the medicine! I have some things to take care of." A young lady like her shouldn't be out in the first place, and if she is, she shouldn't stay for so long, lest she become the subject of gossip and damage her reputation.
"Yes, yes, yes." The shopkeeper immediately went to pack the medicine and called a waiter to help him.
Ji Wushang nodded, and only when he saw the letter in the incense burner, which had already burned to ashes, did he calm down a little.
When they got back to the carriage, Ji Yinxue had a long face. "Big sister, why are you so late? Did you run into some important person?" Her words were somewhat teasing, as if she had seen something.
Ji Wushang rolled her eyes at her, "What could have happened? The shopkeeper was called away for a while, and I was just sitting here for a bit."
"Really?" Ji Yinxue still had a slightly embarrassed smile on her lips. "Alright, I won't tease you anymore, let's hurry up and go to the September Pavilion."
"Okay." Ji Wushang nodded and told Tie Feng to head towards the September Pavilion immediately.
The carriage swayed, and Ji Wushang was so jolted that he was getting drowsy. Ji Yinxue looked at him and whispered, "Big sister, if you're sleepy, just rest well! I'll wake you up when we get there."
"Hmm..." Ji Wushang murmured, wondering why he was so sleepy, he hadn't felt it just now!
Ji Yinxue watched her fall asleep, then lifted the curtain to look around. To make sure no one was paying attention, she reached out her hand, intending to reach into Ji Wushang's arms. Ji Wushang turned around and rested her head against the car window, dodging Ji Yinxue's hand. Ji Yinxue was startled and withdrew her hand slightly.
Ji Yinxue stared at her, her eyes somewhat uncertain, wondering to herself, "Who sent this letter? Can't I even take a look?" Ji Yinxue leaned closer and softly called out, "Big Sister."
"Don't make a sound!" Ji Wushang shouted a little loudly, then fell into a deep sleep.
Ji Yinxue rolled her eyes. "I knew I shouldn't have let you sleep. You were sleeping so soundly!" After thinking for a moment, she still resented her for harming Aunt Nangong, so she took out a silver needle from under her sleeve.
"Elder sister, don't call me cruel. If it weren't for you, my aunt wouldn't have ended up like this! It's true that I harmed you, and I wanted to ruin you, but all I wanted was for my aunt to become the madam! What crime has she committed? The position of madam should have been my aunt's rightfully!
If that Consort Bai gives birth to a boy, and Father can't bear to deal with that cursed loner, then what status will my consort have? And Consort Qin, that wretched woman spends all her time in the West Garden, thinking she can live a peaceful life—bullshit! My consort can't have children, and I'll make sure they can't either! You've already gotten rid of Ji Wuxia and Ji Meiyuan for me, why don't you get rid of yourself too?”
Ji Yinxue's silver needles were small, no more than three inches long. Ji Yinxue looked at her and found the acupoints on her head, about to insert the silver needles!