Time is running out, and I haven't made any good preparations, so I'll just take care of things properly on the seventh day after Zhang Xiuniang's death!
Night fell, and the autumn wind was a bit chilly, growing even colder at night. Ji Wushang wrapped his robe tighter around himself, and Zhu'er came in to add some charcoal to the fire, making the room warmer.
"Miss, shall we have our meal?" Zhu'er looked at Ji Wushang, who was still curled up on the bed, and went over to her with some concern.
"Hmm, it's alright, let's set it up first." Ji Wushang opened his eyes, then closed them again.
Plum Garden.
Aunt Bai sat beside Ji Meiyuan the whole time, wearing thick clothes, and a charcoal fire was burning in the room. Ji Meiyuan, who was lying on the bed, had already had the silver needles removed from her body, and was covered with a quilt, looking relatively peaceful.
There were one or two doctors looking after Ji Meiyuan. Aunt Bai looked at the doctor and asked, "How is the Second Miss?"
"Reporting to Madam, the Second Miss's pulse is basically stable. She only needs to drink a little of the decocted medicine to fully recover," a doctor said respectfully.
"Can she stand up and get married on the fifteenth of November?" They can't be carried into the sedan chair, can they? And then have the wedding ceremony? They can't just go straight to the bridal chamber without the ceremony! Aunt Bai was a little worried.
“Yes,” another doctor said. “I have some family secret recipes that can help Miss recover quickly and will surely allow her to happily marry into the Marquis’s mansion.”
"Alright, have someone write down the prescription immediately, and then go and prepare the medicine for me properly," Aunt Bai ordered.
The doctor nodded and withdrew.
Aunt Bai looked at Ji Meiyuan, squeezed her cold hand, and a hint of emotion flashed across her face. "Meiyuan, your aunt will definitely make you the legal wife! No one can take you away! That little vixen, let her go to hell! Humph!"
Aunt Bai sat for a long time, and then dined in the plum garden without leaving.
After the doctor wrote the prescription, he showed it to Aunt Bai. Aunt Bai nodded and said, "Baoqi, go and prepare the medicine properly. Remember, you must not leave the pharmacy for a moment! Otherwise, if anything happens to the Second Miss, I will not forgive you!"
"Yes," Baoqi replied, and then followed the doctor out.
Baoqi watched intently as the doctor dispensed the medicine in the clinic, then, carrying the packaged medicine and followed by two third-class maids, headed towards the pharmacy.
Upon entering the pharmacy, they saw Pingting there. Pingting stepped forward, bowed slightly, and smiled, "Sister Baoqi."
"Mm." Baoqi nodded, which was considered a greeting.
"Are you decocting medicine? Do you need my help?" Pingting asked with a smile, noticing how tightly she was holding the medicine in her hand, knowing it was definitely for the second young lady.
"No need, what are you doing here?" Baoqi was the second young lady's head maid, and her rank was higher than Pingting, the fourth young lady's head maid, so she was naturally more arrogant than her.
"This servant is helping to prepare medicine for the Fourth Miss. She just woke up today and is not feeling well. The doctor prescribed some medicine and asked this servant to prepare it for her."
Baoqi listened to her and looked over. Sure enough, there were several medicine jars on the other side, all steaming.
“Well then, you can brew the medicine! Second Miss’s medicine was personally ordered by Aunt Bai to be brewed by me, so you should do it yourself!” Baoqi was also cautious. As she spoke, she blocked Pingting’s view, ordered the two maids to start a fire, and then began to brew the medicine herself.
Seeing that her plan had failed, Pingting smiled and left to return to her own side.
Pingting, accompanied by several maids, had someone tend the fire while she pondered how to lure Baoqi and the others away so she could administer the medicine. Looking across at the other side, she saw Baoqi meticulously instructing her maids to prepare the medicine, showing no hesitation whatsoever.
Pingting felt a little anxious. If she missed the opportunity, she would never be able to complete the task assigned by the Fourth Miss!
Unexpectedly, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.
"How could you not be blind! You actually bumped into the old nanny! Do you have a death wish?" Judging from the voice, it must have been a stern old nanny scolding him.
"Granny Shi, please forgive me. I was a little blind at night and accidentally bumped into you. Please forgive me!" It was the voice of a young maid, followed by the sound of her kowtowing.
"I think you're doing this on purpose! What do you mean by seeing things? How old are you? Are you trying to fool Granny Shi?" It was another old woman's voice.
"Didn't Xiangcao just say that it's not very clear at night? What, are you two thinking of bullying a little maid who just entered the manor?" The voice was that of a sharp-tongued old woman.
"She wasn't wearing glasses, and didn't Granny Fang wear them either?" Granny Shi raised her voice. "How could I, a grown woman, bump into her like that? Look, oh dear, you've made me all dirty. Are you going to compensate me, Granny Fang!"
Granny Fang looked at her and said, "Pay? How could Xiangcao girl be worthy of it? I don't have much money either! If you want to pay, pay it yourself! Humph!"
"Stop arguing, everyone! It's almost time for us to rest!"
"What did you say? Are we arguing?"
...
Judging from the sound, it seems like it will never end.
Pingting rolled her eyes and said, "What's going on outside? Youlan, Shuipei, you two go out and take a look."
"Yes." The two maids, Youlan and Shuipei, immediately went out to see what was going on.
Baoqi listened and looked outside curiously, while her two lower-ranking maids, though thinking of going outside to see what was going on, were still focused on decocting the medicine.
"Reporting to Sister Pingting, it was Xiangcao who accidentally spilled the plate she was carrying on Granny Shi. Granny Shi is very angry and says that she did it on purpose, but Granny Fang says that it was because she couldn't see clearly at night. They are arguing about it now!" Youlan said after Youlan and Shuipei came in.
Pingting nodded, "Let's go out and see. Sister Baoqi, do you want to come out and see what's going on?" She wanted to get everyone out of the way first, then slip the medicine into her mouth when the opportunity arose!
“Me? No, I need to prepare the medicine.” Bao Qi refused.
"Sigh, go and try to persuade them! They're all from the same household, how could they be arguing? Sister Baoqi, you're the best at mediating, and you're such a kind person, everyone likes you and listens to you. If you don't try to persuade them, they might even start fighting! Good Baoqi, good sister, how can you bear to let them argue and harbor resentment at night?" Pingting said, "I'm just preparing medicine for the Fourth Miss, aren't I? I'll be back in a little while."
"You're right," Baoqi nodded. Pingting's words made Baoqi overjoyed. She was best at comforting others and was such a kind person! What a delightful compliment!
All six maids went out together, and the pharmacy was now empty.
As soon as I went outside, I saw Granny Shi and Granny Fang arguing not far from the doorway, while Xiangcao was also arguing with Dongxue, the maid Granny Shi brought with her. They were talking about their own things, making quite a scene.
Pingting glanced at Baoqi and said, "Sister Baoqi..." Before she could finish speaking, a cold shout rang out, "Who's arguing over there!"
Upon hearing this, the people around immediately turned around and saw Ji Wushang arriving with Zhu'er, Xian'er, and several maids. The one who had been shouting coldly was indeed Zhu'er.
Ji Wushang stood in the corridor, coldly watching the group of people, and slowly walked over. "What's wrong?" he asked in a calm tone, but his eyes were sharp as he looked at everyone.
"You dare not kneel before the young lady? You must have a death wish!" Zhu'er said angrily to the group.
Immediately, those who were arguing and those who had tried to mediate all knelt down, saying, "May the young lady be well!" Everyone bowed their heads, and Pingting, seeing this, immediately knelt behind them, thinking of moving away.
Ji Wushang's gaze swept over everyone. "Stand up, one by one, and speak slowly. Granny Shi, you go first. What's going on? It's so noisy, you'd better watch your rice bowls!"
"Yes. Reporting to Miss, when this old servant and Granny Xue were passing by this pharmacy, I didn't expect that this maid Xiangcao would be so blind and bump into me, spilling all over me. Please, Miss, do justice for me!" As she spoke, Granny Shi immediately turned out her stained clothes and showed them to Ji Wushang.
Ji Wushang glanced at it, then said, "What's your explanation for that vanilla?"
"Reporting to Miss, it was truly because of the darkness that I didn't see Granny for a moment, and that's why I accidentally bumped into her. Please handle this matter impartially, Miss," Xiangcao said, bowing her head.
Ji Wushang nodded, "Then why are you arguing, Granny Fang?"
“Miss, it was Granny Shi who insisted that Xiangcao had offended her, which made this old servant feel that it was unfair to Xiangcao, so I argued with Granny Shi.”
...
Pingting glanced at the crowd as they spoke, noticing that everyone was bowing their heads to report to Ji Wushang, and Baoqi was also keeping his head down, neither daring to speak nor move. Pingting's heart stirred. If she could sneak away, put out the drug, and then sneak back, she probably still had time!
But you must be careful when looking at the young lady.
Ji Wushang listened attentively to the report from those people, while Xian'er and Zhu'er stood to the side, both drawn in by their conversation.
Pingting took a few steps back, and finding no one paying attention, she moved a little further, and finally crouched down and slipped into the pharmacy.
Of course, none of this escaped Ji Wushang's eyes. Ji Wushang looked at Pingting's voice and sneered inwardly, but listened to the maids and servants talking without changing his expression.
Pingting was a little flustered, but she still managed to take out the packet of Broken Heart Powder from her bosom, open it, and then uncover Ji Meiyuan's medicine jar. She poured all the Broken Heart Powder into the medicine, stirred it with a spoon, and then threw the Xuan paper into the stove to burn it.
After finishing, Pingting's heart was still pounding with nervousness. Seeing that no one was around, she immediately slipped out again, then stood at the back, head down, listening to the maids still reporting.
"Where are you two, Baoqi and Pingting? What are you doing here?" Ji Wushang seemed to only remember Baoqi and Pingting at this moment.
"Reporting to Miss, I came here to mediate the fight, but I didn't expect you to arrive first. I'm currently preparing the Second Miss's medicine." Baoqi said, a little worried. She turned her head and saw that Pingting was still there before she felt relieved. She was just afraid that someone might poison the Second Miss!
"Alright, then go and check the medicine!" Ji Wushang didn't make things difficult for Baoqi and her two lower-ranking maids, waving them away to the pharmacy. Then, turning to Pingting, he asked, "What about you?"
"Reporting to Miss, I was preparing medicine for Fourth Miss. I saw some people arguing just now, so I came out with my maid to see what was going on," Pingting reported, calming herself down.
Alright, you've already done all that, how could I possibly let you live? Pingting, if you die, let's see who will work for Ji Yinxue! You're probably planning to poison Ji Meiyuan? Fine, I'll grant your wish!
Ji Wushang waved his hand, "Alright, go down! Go see if Fourth Sister's medicine is ready."
"Yes." Pingting was delighted and immediately took her two lower-ranking maids, Youlan and Shuipei, with her.
Seeing that he had dismissed everyone, Ji Wushang said to the four arguing people, "It's getting late, so go down! As for the stain, it can be washed off. You don't need to argue for so long over such a simple matter. Go down now!" After saying that, he left with Zhu'er and Xian'er, and before leaving, he gave Granny Shi a wink.
Granny Shi immediately understood, and nodded and winked at the three people facing her. The four of them then pretended to part on bad terms.
Pingting looked at Baoqi without suspicion, and seeing that the medicine she had prepared was ready, she said, "Youlan, Shuipei, quickly pour out the medicine and present it to the Fourth Miss."
"Yes," the two maids replied.
Pingting said to Baoqi, "Sister Baoqi, this servant will go back first."
"Okay, go ahead!" Baoqi had a pretty good impression of her and smiled.
Pingting smiled in response, and then immediately took two maids and carried the medicine back to Lan Garden.
Baoqi looked at the prepared medicine and nodded, "Alright, bring it to the Second Miss." The task of preparing the medicine was finally completed.
Ji Wushang watched from afar as Pingting happily led the way, and soon Baoqi also left with the decocted medicine.
"Call Tie Feng here." Ji Wushang glanced at him and returned to his courtyard.
Zhu'er immediately obeyed and went to call Tie Feng.
Tie Feng arrived at Ji Wushang's Xinyuan shortly afterward. Ji Wushang was standing at the door, looking at him, handing him a small note, and then went inside.
Tie Feng opened the note, read it, nodded, then chewed it up and swallowed it before walking out.
Plum Garden.
"Auntie, Second Miss, the medicine is here." Baoqi said happily, carefully carrying the medicine inside.
Aunt Bai was practically asleep leaning against the table when she heard Baoqi bringing the medicine. Her head maid, Tianxiang, immediately went to greet her, "Sister Baoqi, why did it take you so long to bring the medicine?"
"It was my fault, please punish me, Madam." After giving the medicine to Tianxiang, Baoqi knelt down to beg for forgiveness. Facing Madam Bai, unless there was something particularly wrong, one should never argue; simply kneeling down and admitting guilt was the best course of action!
"Never mind!" Aunt Bai glanced at Baoqi with her eyelashes. "Get up!"
Tianxiang brought the medicine over and placed it on the table. "Auntie, should we give the Second Miss her medicine now?" she said, stirring it as she did so, noticing that the steam was still rising.
Aunt Bai nodded, looked at the medicine, and said that it would be better to drink it while it was hot so that she would recover faster.
Just then, someone walked in from outside. Aunt Bai recognized him immediately – it was none other than Ji Dingbei!
"Master, why are you here so late?" Aunt Bai immediately walked over, her slightly protruding belly protruding. "Master, you should rest."
"Hmm, I'll just take a look. I heard that Er Yatou has already woken up?" Ji Dingbei looked at Ji Meiyuan behind the beaded curtain in the distance.
"Yes, I'm almost better. The doctor said I just need to take some medicine." Aunt Bai was delighted. "Baoqi just brought the medicine over!"
"Then let Er Ya drink it while it's hot," Ji Dingbei said, heading to serve the medicine to Ji Meiyuan. But Aunt Bai beat her to it. This was the perfect opportunity to show off her virtue as a wife and mother! How could she let it slip by? She wanted Ji Dingbei to see how much she loved her daughter and how qualified she was as a mistress! After she gave birth to a son, she would definitely be able to secure her position as the mistress of the inner quarters!
"Let me do it! Master, you must be tired. Please sit here and rest." Aunt Bai smiled broadly, her eyes practically disappearing into her smile.