After examining her closely, he found nothing about the woman that he liked.
Not tall enough, too thin, weak, willful, and overestimating her abilities.
"What do you want with me?"
He withdrew his gaze and asked in a cold voice.
Yao Youqing shuddered, unsure whether it was from the cold wind or his icy tone.
She pursed her lips, which were dry from nervousness, and said, "My maid is ill. Please have the army doctor treat her, Your Highness."
Wei Hong frowned: "Just for this, you resorted to threatening suicide to force me to come here? Is this the Yao family's way of doing things?"
Yao Youqing, feeling wronged, sniffled and said, "It was clearly the prince who refused to send anyone to treat Ling Shuang, and I had no other choice but to resort to this tactic. Now you're blaming me... You're being unreasonable!"
Wei Hong was known for being unreasonable, but this was the first time someone had accused him of being unreasonable to his face, and in such a tone...
His brows furrowed even more: "When did I stop sending someone to treat your maid?"
Yao Youqing paused for a moment, wanting to point at the young man, but unable to free her hand, so she raised her chin and said, "He, he said it!"
Wei Hong turned his head, and the man hurriedly explained, "His Highness has ordered us to hurry on our journey and not delay the trip. I heard that the maid was just feeling dizzy and unwell from the bumpy ride and was not seriously injured, so I did not disturb you."
You're lying!
Yao Youqing said, "Ling Shuang is very ill. We have looked for you many times, but you ignored us and even drew your sword to stop us from going to the Prince! Many people saw it!"
Wei Hong looked at the man again, who was already covered in cold sweat and whispered, "Your subordinate... Your subordinate just didn't want to delay our journey..."
Wei Hong nodded: "Do you remember what I said?"
He paused after speaking, then asked, "And now?"
Hasn't this caused any delays in your journey?
Upon hearing this, the man knelt down with a thud: "Your subordinate knows his crime!"
Wei Hong ignored him and raised his hand to call out to someone beside him: "Go and have that maid take a look."
The other party agreed and immediately followed Qiongyu and the others to the carriage where Ling Shuang was.
Wei Hong took a few steps forward and stopped beside Yao Youqing. He looked at the streak of blood on her neck and then at her trembling hands, which were shaking from the weight of the knife: "This knife, is it fun?"
Yao Youqing then realized that she still had a knife to her neck and hurriedly tried to put it down.
As a result, with the blade off her shoulder and no one to brace against, the weight of several dozen kilograms pressed down entirely on her wrist.
She had been holding the knife for too long, and her already weak hand became even weaker. She lost her grip, and the tip of the knife, just like when she had just pulled it from its sheath, sank downwards again, causing the entire hilt to fall from her hand due to its weight.
Unfortunately, Wei Hong was standing right in front of her, and the falling blade struck his left foot squarely.
Wei Hong didn't expect her knife to slip from her hand. He quickly stepped back with his left foot, but it was too late. Although his foot dodged the blade, the tip of his shoe was hit by the blade, instantly tearing a large gash in it.
It all happened so fast. In the blink of an eye, the broadsword had already fallen. Those around Wei Hong didn't even have time to block it, and they all cried out in alarm, "Your Highness!"
Fortunately, upon closer inspection, it was discovered that there was no blood on the torn shoe surface; only a part of Wei Hong's shoe had been cut off.
Yao Youqing was so frightened that she almost cried again, and explained in a trembling voice, "I...I'm sorry, it's too...too heavy."
Wei Hong's face was ashen as he looked at the toe of his shoe that had been cut off, and slowly straightened his toes, which had instinctively curled up when he pulled his foot back.
Several toes were exposed to the cold wind without warning, looking very white, much lighter than the skin on his face.
Upon seeing those toes, Yao Youqing instinctively exclaimed, "Your Highness, why... aren't you wearing socks?"
Wei Hong: "..."
Is the problem with the socks?
The author has something to say: Wei Hong: Not tall enough, too thin, weak, willful (crossed out), and overestimating his abilities.
Chapter 6 Rabbit
The military doctor named Douzi quickly got out of the carriage, walked over to Wei Hong, and whispered a few words to him.
Wei Hong's already unpleasant expression darkened further because of his words. He glanced at the soldier who was still kneeling on the ground, and although he didn't say anything, he made the soldier lower his head even further, almost prostrate on the ground.
Yao Youqing didn't know what they were talking about. She was anxious, but because of what had just happened, she didn't dare to ask Wei Hong. So she went to ask the military doctor instead.
"Dr. Dou, how is my maid?"
Douzi's real name is Li Dou. He is only eighteen or nineteen years old this year. He was picked up by his master, Li Tai.
When Li Tai found him, he was as thin as a monkey and was eating beans thrown down from the second floor by high-ranking officials and nobles along with several other little beggars.
The nobles took pleasure in teasing these beggars, often adding pebbles to the beans and throwing them in together.
Some beggars, upon finding beans, would stuff them into their mouths without even looking at them to avoid having them snatched away, often breaking their teeth and bleeding profusely. The wealthy people upstairs would laugh heartily, and if they were in a good mood, they would have someone give the beggar with broken teeth a few pieces of silver for medical treatment.
This is why they can keep using the same tricks, yet there are always people vying for them.
For these beggars, the pain in their mouths was bearable and they didn't need to waste money. They could use the money given by the benefactors for other things, and at least they wouldn't have to suffer from hunger for a long time.
But none of this mattered to Li Dou, because he was too thin and small to squeeze to the front or grab any beans. He could only pick up a few beans and roll them aside where no one would notice while the adult beggars were fighting for them.
When Li Tai saw him, he ran into the middle of the road to pick up a bean, and a carriage just happened to pass by and almost hit him.
Although he managed to dodge in time, the beans he had been holding fell to the ground and were immediately spotted and snatched by several other young beggars of similar age.
His thin, frail body was no match for the others, and in the end, he was left with only a single bean.
Li Tai passed by and clicked his tongue: "Why didn't you eat it while you were at it? Did they steal it?"
The little beggar ignored him and walked away, clutching the last bean covered in dirt in his hand.
Out of curiosity, Li Tai followed him and saw him walk into a dilapidated alley, come to a little girl who looked about two years old, and hand her the beans: "Little sister, here, have some beans."
The girl sat in the corner, dressed in tattered clothes, with a tattered blanket that she had picked up from who-knows-where covering her knees. She looked even thinner than Li Dou, just skin and bones, and most importantly, she had a foul stench.
Li Tai frowned, lifted the blanket and took a look, and was immediately stunned.
The girl's calf was covered in rotting flesh infested with maggots, indicating that the injury had been long-standing and had not received any treatment.
He reached out and touched her forehead again, then checked her breathing and pulse, before finally giving the little beggar two words: "Dead."
He had just died; his body was still warm.
Li Tai helped the little beggar bury his sister. The little beggar personally added the last handful of soil to his sister's grave and buried the bean he hadn't eaten in front of her grave. From then on, he followed Li Tai, took his surname, and was named Li Dou, with the nickname Douzi.
As for the formal name Li Dou, it was given by Li Tai based on his own name, which together form "Tai Dou".
He hoped that the boy would inherit his medical skills and that the two of them would one day become medical giants.
When the King of Qin returned to the capital this time, Li Tai was too old to endure the long journey, so he did not accompany him. Instead, he sent his apprentice Li Dou to go with him.
Li Dou is usually called either Douzi or Xiao Li, and this is the first time he has been seriously called "military doctor".
Military doctor it is, I guess. So what if I'm a military doctor?
He quickly considered the form of address in his mind. Seeing that Wei Hong did not say anything, he knew he could answer Miss Yao truthfully. So he said, "Miss, your maid is indeed very ill and should not walk. Otherwise, her life may be in danger."
Upon hearing the last sentence, Yao Youqing's face turned deathly pale.
She immediately turned to look at Wei Hong, and before she could speak, she heard him say, "The team cannot stop because of this."
After a slight pause, he said, "However, I can send a few people to take your maid to the nearest town to find the best doctor there for treatment. She can come back after she has recovered. If you are worried, you can also send a few of your own people to accompany her."
Yao Youqing's heart was in turmoil because of his words, but she finally breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the end.
She originally wanted Ling Shuang to go to a nearby town for proper treatment and leave after she recovered.
Seeing that Wei Hong also said so, he quickly nodded: "Okay, I'll go and make the arrangements right away."
After saying that, he turned and left, but after taking two steps, he remembered something, hurriedly turned back, and bowed: "Thank you, Your Highness!"
Wei Hong watched her departing figure until she was far away before stepping up to the young general who had kept the secret: "After returning to Lingnan, go and receive your punishment."
The man nodded, not daring to refute.
After Wei Hong finished speaking, he did not leave immediately, but added two more sentences.
"Take double. Do you know why?"
The young man paused for a moment, thought about it carefully, and realized that one reason was that he had taken it upon himself not to report Miss Yao's situation, but the second reason...
Unable to figure it out, he happened to look down and see something, and hesitantly replied, "Because... the prince's shoes?"
Wei Hong had just changed the broken shoes and had almost forgotten about it, but the sudden mention of it made his eyes twitch again.
When did his subordinates become so stupid?
He took a breath, suppressing his anger, and said, "As a member of the Jingyuan Army, your personal weapon was stolen by a woman who can't even kill a chicken. You're quite capable."
The young man suddenly realized what had happened, his face filled with shame.
After Wei Hong finished speaking to him, he turned to look at Guo Sheng and said, "You too, go back and accept your punishment."
As for why he didn't say it, Guo Sheng knew the answer in his heart.
This young general had no grudge against Yao Youqing and the others. Even if he knew that his lord was at odds with the Yao family, he would not dare to target them so openly without explicit authorization.
Unless someone said something to him to make him do that on purpose.
Wei Hong knew without even thinking who this person was.
Guo Sheng lowered his head in agreement without arguing and left with him.
...
Yao Youqing quickly made arrangements for the people who stayed behind. Zhou Mama and the others continued to follow her, while Qiongyu and two maids took care of Ling Shuang until she recovered and they caught up with their group.
"If you can't make it in time, that's okay. Just walk slowly and don't rush. Don't let your condition relapse!"
Yao Youqing carefully instructed that she wanted to leave some medicinal herbs behind before leaving, but when she asked someone to go and look for them, she remembered that her dowry was still behind her and that the medicinal herbs were in the trunks containing her dowry, so she had to give up.
The two groups separated. Wei Hong sent a dozen or so people to take Qiong Yuling Shuang and the others to the nearest town, while the rest continued on their way.
Yao Youqing had been hoping that Ling Shuang would recover quickly and return, but she didn't know that Li Dou was actually hiding some things from her.
That means Ling Shuang's illness is more serious than she thought. The best way is of course to go to town to find a doctor for treatment immediately, but even if she goes, it is not certain that she can be cured. It is up to fate.
Yao Youqing was completely unaware of this. Although she was worried about the upcoming trip, she did not consider the worst-case scenario.
After this incident, Wei Hong clearly slowed down the Jingyuan Army's journey. Although they were still traveling day and night, the carriages were no longer so bumpy, and they had more time to rest than before.