Nan Xun was heartbroken: “Oh, Young General, be careful! You haven’t finished the medicine yet! This medicine is expensive! Twenty taels! One bottle can sell for twenty taels outside!”
“Commandery Princess used three bottles of that medicine on you last night—sixty taels of gold! Young General, your backside is truly made of gold now…”
Yan Du stared straight at him, his face cold as jade, his words spoken with heavy emphasis: “What, this medicine can be applied externally and taken internally?”
“Yes, Commandery Princess gave me several bottles and told me to use them on you, General. These are all gold!” Nan Xun sighed, then let out an “oh” and took out a gold ingot to hand over.
“This is the money Commandery Princess earned from selling medicine today. She told me to give it to you, General, saying it’s… ahem, for the room.”
Yan Du’s lips pressed even tighter.
He took the gold ingot with such force that it nearly deformed in his grip.
“Young General, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
“Wait.” Yan Du spoke up: “Go to the accounts office and reimburse her for the medicine, at market price.”
“Huh?” Nan Xun looked troubled. “Commandery Princess giving you the medicine was out of goodwill, General. Paying her back might seem like pushing her away…”
“Just do as I say.”
Yan Du knew San Qi wanted to “repay” him, but if anyone should be repaying, it should be him repaying her.
He had also been inconsiderate. Although the rewards from the Emperor were splendid, they were only for display. She had left the Yu Family alone and must be struggling financially; otherwise, why would she sell medicine?
But since she chose to support herself outside and didn’t confide her difficulties to him, she must not want to “trouble” him further.
He didn’t want her to feel like she was living under someone else’s roof or that she owed him anything.
In that case, he would buy the medicine from her, as she said, with payment settled.
This way… it wouldn’t count as him helping her, right? The medicine was so effective that even Baochun Tang coveted it. If anything, he was getting the better deal.
“One more thing.” The young general lowered his eyelashes, speaking as if casually: “She has already severed ties with the Yu Family, so that arranged marriage is just empty talk. Don’t bring it up again.”
Nan Xun: “That’s hard to say. What if the heir of Boyuan Hou insists on marrying her? The key is, General, you don’t have the final say in this matter.”
Yan Du closed his eyes and took a deep breath: “Get out and run fifty laps around the estate!”
Nan Xun felt as if the sky had fallen. Why?!
And it wasn’t just Nan Xun who felt that way. As soon as Yu Tang returned to the Yu Family, she wanted to run to her eldest brother, second brother, and mother to cry about her grievances. But a servant informed her that Chu Yuebai had sent a servant over and had been waiting for her.
Yu Tang nearly fainted on the spot. She could only make excuses, saying the new medicine was being prepared and would be ready in a few days.
Back in her own courtyard, Yu Tang kept only Mo Xiang and said urgently: “Mo Xiang, find someone with an unfamiliar face to go to Baochun Tang and inquire about that medicine.”
“Yu Sanqi must have gone to sell medicine. That’s all she’s good for.”
Mo Xiang agreed, then added: “That talkative boy following Third Miss today looked like he was from Young General Yan’s estate. Fourth Miss, I really feel it’s unfair for you. You’re still Young General Yan’s lifesaver—how could he be so unreasonable and help Third Miss?”
Yu Tang was also puzzled. Who knew how Yu Sanqi and Yan Du had met?
But she had no energy to dwell on it now. First, she needed to get her hands on the medicine. After that, she would make Yu Sanqi pay!
Yu Tang waited anxiously until Mo Xiang returned with the results.
Good news: San Qi really had gone to sell medicine.
The bad news was that they refused to sell to the Yu Family and Boyuan Houfu.
Yu Tang gritted her teeth in frustration, but she had no choice but to purchase it. She instructed Moxiang to find someone else—the medicine had to be bought no matter what.
She was so overwhelmed that blisters formed on her lips. Yu Tang didn’t notice that every time she opened her mouth to speak these days, the servants around her looked at her strangely.
Only when she closed her mouth did those nearby dare to breathe.
Two more days passed. Instead of waiting for Moxiang to bring back the medicine, Yu Tang received a visit from Chu Yuebai.
As soon as he saw her, Chu Yuebai said, “Tang, did you know that Yu Sanqi is selling medicine at Baochun Tang? It’s the very same medicine you gave to the old madam.”
Yu Tang’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally sank.
She lowered her head and began to cry, sobbing, “I didn’t want to tell you, Brother Yuebai, but Third Sister… she stole my prescription… mmm…”
As soon as these words left her mouth, a sharp pain shot through her throat, as if she had swallowed a needle.
She endured it without crying out, gasping for breath in agony as tears streamed down her face. This time, she was truly weeping.
Seeing her tears, Chu Yuebai wanted to step forward to comfort her, but as he approached—wow—a foul stench hit him, forcing him to retreat three steps in haste.
Yu Tang stopped crying, puzzled. “Brother Yuebai, what’s wrong?”
As soon as she spoke, another wave of stench wafted out.
Chu Yuebai’s stomach churned. He fought back the urge to vomit, his face stiffening.
“N-nothing, just… suddenly my nose isn’t feeling well,” Chu Yuebai said through clenched teeth.
He didn’t hear a single word of what Yu Tang said afterward. Holding his breath for too long, he was on the verge of fainting.
“Tang… Tang, I must go now. Please hurry with the medicine.”
Chu Yuebai couldn’t stay any longer. He turned around, took a deep breath, and only after walking some distance did he look back, his expression odd. “Tang, you should… see a physician.”
Yu Tang was confused. She wasn’t sick—why see a physician?
Of course, Yu Tang didn’t know the reason. Every time she lied, it was a karmic retribution for her deceitful words. Besides enduring the pain of swallowing needles, the more lies she told, the fouler her breath became.
The stench emanated from her very soul. At first, it was only noticeable when she spoke, then even her breath turned foul. If she remained unrepentant, the stench would cling to her like a shadow—wherever she went, the foul odor would follow!
Shortly after Chu Yuebai left, Liu Shi summoned Yu Tang to discuss another matter.
“The Seventh Princess actually sent me an invitation to attend a banquet with her?” Yu Tang exclaimed in delight.
Liu Shi nodded, her spirits lifting for once. “If you can win the Seventh Princess’s favor, our family’s fortunes might finally turn. This opportunity must not be missed.”
Yu Tang eagerly nodded. “Don’t worry, Mother. I will prepare with all my heart.”
Just as Liu Shi was about to agree, she suddenly frowned. At first, she couldn’t believe it, but after sniffing again, she hurriedly covered her nose and mouth, exclaiming in surprise, “Tang? What have you been eating?”
Yu Tang was stunned. “Daughter… daughter hasn’t eaten anything unusual…”
“Then why… why do you…” Liu Shi couldn’t bring herself to say “stinky breath,” so she vaguely advised Yu Tang to avoid eating strongly flavored foods and instructed the kitchen to prepare some cooling sweet soup for her.
Yu Tang’s face burned with embarrassment. She knew there was an odor coming from her mouth.
But she truly couldn’t smell it herself, and she hadn’t eaten anything unusual…
Remembering Chu Yuebai’s “reminder” before he left, Yu Tang felt like dying. She hid in her room, weeping bitterly, too ashamed to face anyone.
The more heartbroken she cried, the more delighted San Qi became.
On the other side, San Qi also received an invitation, delivered personally by Shopkeeper Zhou of Baochun Tang.
The invitation came from the establishment behind him: Dingbei Houfu.
The elderly matriarch of Dingbei Houfu was hosting a plum blossom appreciation banquet, inviting many distinguished young talents and ladies from noble families.
San Qi accepted the invitation, lost in thought as she walked. When she looked up, she saw Yan Du, who had just finished his martial arts practice.
The young general was exceptionally tall. After training, he was sweating, his thin inner robe clinging tightly to his body, revealing the contours of his well-proportioned and powerful muscles—broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and the warm breath from his exhalations turning into white mist. As the mist dispersed, it revealed his face, as noble and handsome as cold jade.
It was as if Gushe Xianren had descended to the mortal realm, breathtakingly beautiful.
“Are you going to attend the banquet?” Yan Du walked toward her.
She stood on the corridor, while he stood below it. His arrival brought warmth.
A gentle warmth.
San Qi blinked. She seemed to understand why Dingbei Houfu had sent her an invitation.
“Is the young general also attending the banquet?” she asked softly.
Yan Du hummed in agreement. “We’ll go together.”
He paused, then turned his head slightly to look elsewhere, as if to cover up his words. “It’s just on the way.”
San Qi smiled and thanked him. Before leaving, she said, “The gold Nan Xun sent on your behalf was too much. The cost of the Chang’an Pill isn’t actually that high.”
The herbs used were quite ordinary; it was just the refining technique that was special, along with the need for her blood as a medicinal catalyst.
For ten bottles of medicine, only a single drop of her blood was required.
Yet Yan Du had Nan Xun deliver a hundred taels of gold. Even by market price, it was far too generous.
“The Empress tends to cough easily in winter. I wanted to order more to send to the palace.”
San Qi didn’t expose his excuse and accepted his kindness. In her heart, she thought that giving Yan Du only the lightning-struck ebony wood as a return gift might not be enough. What else could she give him?
Yan Du suddenly called out to her.
“San Qi.”
She turned around.
The young general stood below the corridor, gazing intently at her. “Don’t call me ‘young general’ anymore.”
“Call me Yan Du.”