This was undoubtedly a provocation to Ryuji.
With a grim face, he pushed past Doctor Chen and strode to the bedside. He reached out to grab Ju Mu'er's wrist.
Yun Qingxian's face darkened, and he said in a low voice, "Don't hurt her." With a flick of his left hand, he slapped away Long Er's outstretched hand.
Long Er was even angrier. He had never hurt her before; he cherished her too much to even think about it. This man surnamed Yun not only dared to be disrespectful to his wife, Long Ju Shi, right in front of him, but also dared to smear him and frame him. Long Er flipped his palm and bent his elbow, pushing Yun Qingxian's hand away.
Yun Qingxian flicked his wrist and struck again. The two men then began to fight in front of Ju Mu'er's bed, seemingly for real.
Dr. Chen, carrying his medical kit, glanced at Dr. Liu, who had the same expression, with a bitter face. Dr. Liu had come with Yun Qingxian. The two doctors knew each other, but they both felt helpless and embarrassed by the situation before them.
Su Qing, holding the medicine, wanted to curse. What was all this fighting and commotion about? A married man and a man who had just divorced his wife—what right did they have to throw a tantrum? She had already prepared the medicine, but they wouldn't let her drink it. What kind of nonsense was it to bring a doctor along?
Su Qing opened her mouth several times, then held back again and again. Ju Mu'er had instructed her beforehand not to blame the Second Master, saying that the whole thing was her fault and had nothing to do with him. Although Su Qing felt that no man could be absolved of responsibility in a divorce, her sister's situation was indeed somewhat bizarre, and she had always been obedient, so at this juncture, she really didn't know how to scold him.
Well, on the other hand, Su Qing also admitted that the main reason she dared not scold Master Long was that her master, Li Ke, was Master Long's subordinate. Given Master Long's petty and vengeful nature, if she made him unhappy, what if he went back to cause trouble for her master?
After standing there for a while, Su Qing couldn't stand it anymore and said loudly, "Second Master and the Lord, let's talk outside. I'll feed my sister her medicine first."
The two fighters stopped abruptly. Taking advantage of the situation, Long Er snatched Ju Mu'er's hand and used the force to push Yun Qingxian aside.
Yun Qingxian was taken aback for a moment, but ultimately did not make any further moves. He took a step back, a fleeting look of annoyance crossing his face, but he quickly regained his composure.
Long Er saw his expression and figured that Yun Qingxian felt it was wrong of him to lose his temper and make a move in front of everyone. In fact, Long Er felt the same way. He thought Yun Qingxian was very wrong, that he shouldn't have come here, and that he shouldn't have sat by his Mu'er's bedside. He was simply asking for a beating.
Ju Mu'er was still unconscious. She frowned, looking extremely uneasy, and called out "Husband" again in a hoarse voice.
“I’m here.” Long Er squeezed her hand tightly and leaned closer to her, saying, “Don’t panic, I’m here. Be good, I’ll have the doctor examine you.”
Ju Mu'er shifted, seemingly feeling uncomfortable. Long Er turned slightly and offered his right arm. Ju Mu'er touched it, instinctively hugging his arm and snuggling her face against him like a child.
The two moved with fluid, natural grace, displaying remarkable chemistry. Yun Qingxian watched from the side, a hint of sadness in his eyes. Long Er noticed his expression, gave him a defiant glance, and then stroked Ju Mu'er's hair. Ju Mu'er nestled closer to him, murmuring softly, "Husband."
At Long Er's prompting, Doctor Chen stepped forward to take Ju Mu'er's pulse. He then asked Su Qing to bring over the prescription the doctor had previously written and looked at it. After examining the medicine Su Qing had prepared, he finally said that Ju Mu'er could drink this first, and he would write a different prescription for her tomorrow.
Su Qing breathed a sigh of relief. Under Long Er's watchful eye, she shook Ju Mu'er until she was half awake and carefully fed her the bowl of medicine.
Ju Mu'er was extremely restless while taking her medicine, and she even squeezed Long Er's hand tightly as if throwing a tantrum. After she swallowed the last mouthful of medicine, Long Er poked her forehead hard: "I'll spare you from punishment for now, since you're sick."
Yun Qingxian watched them administer the medicine, and after he finished, he led the doctor out the door. His face was ashen, and Doctor Liu dared not utter a sound, silently following behind him.
Upon leaving the wine shop, Yun Qingxian saw a carriage belonging to the Yun family parked not far away by the roadside. A thought struck him; he had the carriage that had brought him take Doctor Liu back, and then he went straight to the Yun family carriage.
Inside the carriage, Ding Yanxiang sat quietly. When she saw Yun Qingxian get in, she smiled and asked, "Husband, you're out now. Is Miss Ju feeling any better?"
Yun Qingxian nodded, but asked, "Why are you here?"
“It would cause gossip if my husband came alone, so I came along as a couple to visit the former Second Madam Long in her illness. Outsiders can’t say anything bad about it. I’ll just wait outside and won’t delay you.” Ding Yanxiang’s words were reasonable and dignified. Yun Qingxian gently took her hand after hearing them.
"Is Miss Ju's illness any better?" Ding Yanxiang asked again.
"Not good, but Ryuji is here."
Ding Yanxiang glanced at Yun Qingxian's expression, snuggled closer to him, and whispered, "I wonder why that Second Master Long divorced her."
Yun Qingxian stroked her hair and said softly, "Don't overthink it. I won't have any more feelings for her. It's just that she was recently divorced and is now sick, so I came to see her."
"I understand. Don't worry, sir."
"Let's go back." Yun Qingxian held her hand tightly and instructed the driver to drive. He looked at Ding Yanxiang's gentle smile, then looked down at their clasped hands, remembering that Ju Mu'er had also held his hand like that earlier and called him "husband."
Although he knew she wasn't calling for him, and although he knew she was delirious from her illness and didn't know what was happening, that soft "husband" still touched his heart.
However, the timing of their meeting was wrong.
If he hadn't married, would everything have been different?
He wouldn't bully her like Long Er did, he wouldn't divorce her, and he wouldn't leave her sick and alone in the house with no one to care for her...
"My lord."
Yun Qingxian looked up and heard Ding Yanxiang ask, "Is my husband going on a long trip tomorrow? Where is Father sending you this time? Has he done something to make you take the blame again?"
"Don't overthink it, it's just routine business." Yun Qingxian brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. "I'm not home, so take good care of yourself. If you feel bored, go home for a walk and let Shan'er keep you company."
Ding Yanxiang gave a faint, bitter smile, turned to look out the window, and could no longer see the tavern. She said, "Don't worry, husband, I won't do anything foolish again."
Yun Qingxian patted the back of her hand, smiled at her, and pulled her into his arms.
At the home-style liquor store, Long Er and Ju Mu'er were also cuddling together. However, unlike the respectful relationship between the Yun couple, the atmosphere between Long Er and his wife was fiery, or more precisely, it was Long Er himself who was burning with resentment. Their pent-up anger was so intense it almost burned the house down.
Su Qing and Doctor Chen both took their leave, and Long Er stayed by Ju Mu'er's side.
One minute he complains that her complexion is too bad, the next he complains that her nose is stuffy and her breathing is rough, and then he tricks her into turning her back to him and not hugging his arm... In short, he has to blame her no matter what.
Long Er scolded Ju Mu'er, who was still half asleep: "I only ignored you for a few days, and you got sick and needed my help. If I don't have time to come for ten days or half a month, are you planning to make a huge fuss?"
Ju Mu'er kept her eyes tightly closed, nestled in his arms, and slept without even moving her eyelids, unable to hear a word he was saying.
Long Er got bored of scolding her, so he poked her forehead again: "You'd better get better soon, you know? I still have a lot of scores to settle with you."
Ju Mu'er couldn't answer, of course. Long Er stared at her face, and after staring for a while, he finally let out a long sigh.
When Ju Mu'er woke up, she couldn't tell what time it was or where she was. She stared blankly for a while before finally remembering that she had returned to her parents' home and was staying in her own room.
She touched the bed and blankets; they were indeed from her room.
She remembered everything.
She and Long Er were no longer husband and wife; she had schemed against him, and he hated her.
Ju Mu'er blinked, sadness welling up again. But she didn't regret it; if time could turn back, she would still do the same thing. No, if time could turn back, she wouldn't marry him.
Lost in her thoughts, Ju Mu'er suddenly heard a noise inside the house. Startled, she tried to sit up but found her body limp and her joints ached. She remembered that she was sick and Su Qing had come to take care of her.
"Qing'er," she called out.
No one answered her. But there were definitely people inside the house.
Ju Mu'er was frightened, and she called out "Qing'er" again.
At that moment, a man's voice said, "She's not here."
Ju Mu'er breathed a sigh of relief and immediately fell back onto the bed: "Second Master...".
"I'm not like Second Master, I am Second Master." Long Er angrily stepped onto the bedside and looked down at her. The first thing this woman called out to when she woke up was Qing'er. Had he wasted a whole day taking care of her? He had even talked to her so much, and she had responded to some of it. Had she forgotten it all the moment she opened her eyes?
"Second, Second Master." Ju Mu'er swallowed hard, her mouth dry.
"Hmph." Ryuji showed his displeasure and asked, "Is there anything you want to say to me?"
Is there anything you want to say? Ju Mu'er's mind was blank, and she felt dizzy and didn't know what she wanted to say. She simply asked, "What are your orders, Second Master?"
Long Er frowned, his eyes wide. That's it? She didn't even say a single comforting word to him after waking up? Then why did she cry in the first place? Why was she sick after he left? He's right in front of her now; shouldn't she at least say a few comforting words to him? But listen to what she's saying—what are her orders? Who is she talking to, giving orders?!
Long Er gritted his teeth and said, "Who are you to me? Why would I give you orders?"
Ju Mu'er stared blankly, saying nothing.
Ryuji became displeased again: "Is there anything else you want to say to me?"
"I'm thirsty, I want to drink water."
He didn't give any instructions, but she started giving him orders. Long Er suddenly turned around and went to pour water!
After Ju Mu'er drank two cups of water, Long Er spoke.
"The water I pour isn't for free."
Ju Mu'er was stunned. It was too late to spit out the water now.
"I want to make a bet with you. If I win, you'll do one thing for me."
Ju Mu'er remained silent, a bad feeling creeping over her. Was it still okay to feign fainting at this moment?
"Isn't this your usual tactic? When you can't reach an agreement, you resort to exchanges or bets. It's just that I'm not as roundabout as you are. You don't have anything to exchange with me, so let's make a bet: I'll find the murderer faster than you, how about it?"
75. A detailed examination of the arguments presented by the two individuals.
“Nothing. I won’t gamble with you.” Although Ju Mu’er was weak and spoke in a feeble voice, her tone was still very firm.
Long Er smiled and said, "Do you think I'm saying this for fun? Since I brought it up, I'm certain you'll agree."
"I won't agree," Ju Mu'er said quickly.
“If you don’t agree, I’ll investigate myself. But you know there’s so much going on here, and I haven’t figured it out yet. What if I accidentally touch a nerve and anger the person behind it all, or it gets to the Emperor’s ears? What if the Emperor blames me and convicts me, confiscating the property of the entire Long family? What then?”
Ju Mu'er panicked: "Second Master said that it's someone else's business and he won't interfere."
"I've been set up because of this. If I don't investigate, how can I sleep soundly at night?"
Ju Mu'er shut her mouth. She was so sick that she was delirious and her mind was completely blank. She didn't know how to refute her.
Long Er continued, "Do you think I'll pretend nothing happened just because you left the Long family? You don't want me to get involved, but I'm going to. You know I'm not some domineering or unreasonable person. I'll make this bet with you. If you agree, I can grant you one request first. See, I'm much more generous than you, aren't I?"
Ju Mu'er blinked. In the current situation, she couldn't argue with him no matter what. She was so dazed that she didn't even understand what he meant.
If she didn't gamble with him, would he just go and investigate recklessly on his own? She didn't believe he would disregard the safety of the Long family. But he was known for being petty and vengeful; what if he really got stuck on this?
But if she gambled with him, she would inevitably drag him into it again. Wouldn't all her efforts to divorce him have been in vain? She had clearly heard everything at the musical duel that day. The Emperor's attitude towards the case made overturning it even more difficult. Qian Jiangyi's actions had alerted the culprit, making the matter even more hopeless. That's why she hardened her heart and severed ties with the Long family. Despite suffering this heart-wrenching pain, he said he wanted to compete with her to see who could find the murderer first.
This is absolutely impossible.
She couldn't let him get involved. If the truth came out and the Emperor blamed them, the Long family had to be completely uninvolved. Ju Mu'er thought and thought, but her mind went blank; she was dizzy and couldn't think of anything.
She blinked again and said, "Second Master, I'm still sick. I can't open my eyes. I'll sleep a little longer and give you an answer when I wake up."
Pretend to be asleep first, and drag it out until then.
"You go to sleep." Long Er wasn't in a hurry. She cared about him and didn't want him to take risks, so he had the upper hand.
How could she possibly sleep? Ju Mu'er was filled with anxiety.
How should this be resolved? If he's determined to cause trouble, how can she stop him?
He said if she agreed to a bet, he would grant her one request. Was this an attempt to save face, or was he plotting something else? He was clever; he knew the principle of not going to extremes. He must have a backup plan. What could she do?
Ju Mu'er tried to pretend to be asleep, but the more she thought about it, the more dizzy she became, and she actually fell asleep.
I woke up again when someone pushed me awake.
Ju Mu'er vaguely heard Long Er's voice: "Get up, drink your medicine, and eat some porridge."
She was lifted up and felt herself nestled in a warm embrace. Then a spoon was placed against her lips, and she instinctively opened her mouth. A bitter, medicinal liquid was poured into her mouth, and the awful taste jolted her awake.
Ju Mu'er was given a bowl of medicine and half a bowl of porridge, and she felt much more energetic. It didn't seem appropriate to go back to sleep now, especially since her whole body ached from sleeping and she really didn't want to sleep anymore.
Long Er seemed to know what she was thinking, or perhaps he didn't want her to sleep any longer, so he called Xiao Zhu and Xiao Ping to help her go to the toilet, wash up, and change her clothes.