Lu Yunxiao glanced at Xia Qingyu and saw her hands were covered in blood. She had just finished washing them in a wooden basin held by a woman. He could not help but sneer and whisper, "You really have changed a lot. Someone who used to be so fastidious about cleanliness is now ignoring such filth. Could it be that you think doing this will lighten your sins or soothe your guilty conscience?"
Xia Qingyu was stunned for a moment, then looked at him as if he were insane and said, "I know you hate me to the bone, but that is completely unreasonable. What sins do I have? And by what right should I feel guilty? Don't think that just because I praised you twice earlier, you can get on my nerves and accuse me of groundless crimes. I was only trying to help Sister-in-law Zhou look forward to a better future and motivate her to survive."
Lu Yunxiao had originally felt his impression of her improve slightly because of this incident, but upon hearing this, his impression of his ex-wife plummeted to the ground again. He said coldly, "Noble people have short memories. You are nothing but an abandoned woman now, and your memory is this poor? Have you forgotten how Xing Yuan's child died? Or did you deliberately forget this just so you wouldn't have trouble sleeping at night or lose your appetite?"
Xia Qingyu then remembered that the charge for which she was divorced was supposedly harming the child in that concubine's womb. She did not have the memories of the original Xia Qingyu, but she trusted Bai Wei and Bai Kou. Moreover, since this was something the original Xia Qingyu had been obsessed with before she died, she had a slight impression of it; the concubine's child was indeed not harmed by her. Looking at Lu Yunxiao's fire-breathing eyes, the temper of this transmigrated woman was also ignited: Damn scumbag, you didn't have the Fiery Eyes Golden Gaze and were deceived, yet now you dare to come and pick a fight.
She sneered, "Rest assured, I eat well and sleep well. Although I was a bit domineering in the past, fortunately, I didn't commit any major mistakes, so I have a clear conscience and am naturally happy and at peace. I wonder if your gentle and soft bedfellow, who didn't hesitate to harm her own flesh and blood to destroy me, can eat and sleep well? In my opinion, the Young Marquis should really be concerned about her. As for me, an abandoned woman, there is no need for you to be a busybody."
The two glared at each other, sparks flying between their gazes. However, apart from Zhao Yun, Mu Yun, Bai Kou, and Bai Wei, no one else noticed the war of words unfolding here. Zhao Yun shrank his neck and whispered to Bai Kou, "Goodness, the Eldest Madam is becoming increasingly fierce. She actually dared to call the Master a dog. I have served by the Master's side since I was young, and I have never seen anyone so bold."
Bai Kou raised her eyebrows and sneered, "Well, haven't you witnessed it today? Our Grandmother is no longer the soft dough she used to be, someone you could knead however you wanted."
Zhao Yun squinted at her, "Give it a rest. You should check your conscience before saying that. Was the Eldest Madam ever soft dough? Is there any dough as hard and unreasonable as her? Hmph! Regardless, calling the Master a dog is going too far."
Before he could finish speaking, Mu Yun said hesitantly, "Actually... it's not that bad. If the Master is a dog, wouldn't the Eldest Madam... become a mouse? Although a dog isn't something great, it's still better than a mouse, right?"
They say that honest people don't speak often, but when they do, they can kill the conversation instantly. As soon as Mu Yun said this, Bai Kou and Bai Wei were left speechless. Even Lu Yunxiao and Xia Qingyu, who were glaring at each other not far away, were shocked. After a long while, Lu Yunxiao said with a leisurely smile, "A lowly mouse that cannot see the light, hmm, that is indeed a very fitting description."
"Unable to recognize people's hearts and being fooled by others, you truly were born with a pair of dog eyes." Xia Qingyu did not show any weakness. The former husband and wife glared at each other fiercely once more, then turned their heads and snorted in unison.
Waking up from a sweet dream in the middle of the night and performing these tasks—even though it was just a minor surgery—had left Xia Qingyu feeling exhausted. She had been busy for days gathering medicinal herbs, drying them, and preparing simple medicines, such as the Hemostatic Powder she had just used. She had no time to rest.
Having no mood or need to bicker with her ex-husband, Xia Qingyu decided she had more important things to do—sleep. Therefore, she did not stay to wait for the Zhou family's profuse thanks, but instead disappeared into the rainy night with Bai Kou and Bai Wei.
By the time the Zhou family remembered to thank their benefactor solemnly, where could they still see Xia Qingyu's figure? Even Lu Yunxiao and the others had disappeared.
"If it were the old her, she would be standing there with her head held high, waiting for these lowly villagers to kowtow and thank her, wouldn't she?"
Back in the room that Old Master Zhou had lent them, Lu Yunxiao, who had not wanted to speak anymore, brought up the topic again for some reason. Zhao Yun and Mu Yun understood that the Master still held a grudge against the Eldest Madam. Even if he wanted to forget, seeing her always inevitably brought out feelings of hatred, along with a refusal to acknowledge her seemingly noble actions.
Zhao Yun was about to speak, but saw Lu Yunxiao turn his gaze to Mu Yun, so the honest man simply nodded and said yes.
Lu Yunxiao frowned, a trace of hatred flashing in his eyes. Suddenly, he heard Sang Luzhi beside him say indifferently, "The Young Marquis is right. It is not that I am speaking ill of others behind their backs, but because of my father, I have met Sister Xia a few times. She is truly a proud person. According to her past temperament, she would never have extended a helping hand to these lowly villagers. That she can do this now is clearly because the Young Marquis is here. Perhaps she just wants to use this act to dispel the Young Marquis's hatred for her."
Lu Yunxiao glanced at her and suddenly sneered, "How is that possible?" After saying this, he cupped his hands toward Sang Luzhi and said indifferently, "I have troubled you tonight, Young Lady. It is late, so you should rest. We have to continue our journey tomorrow."
Sang Luzhi bowed, turned, and left with her maid Guihua and the iron-faced man A Chou. Her expression was calm, and her posture remained as graceful as a willow. No matter how much resentment she felt inside, she did not want to show any loss of composure in front of the man she admired.
However, this composure vanished once she entered her room. Her slender, graceful body began to tremble after the door was closed.
The scene of her wanting to help earlier but being frozen in fear by the sight of blood, and then screaming and running away after getting blood on herself; then Xia Qingyu's scolding, the miraculous healing hands the other woman displayed upon entering; and the whispered discussions of the village women coming in and out. It all flashed through Sang Luzhi's mind like a revolving lantern. She only had the silent A Chou and Guihua beside her, but she felt as if she were still standing in the crowd, hearing those ignorant, stupid women whispering, "Look, I heard that is the daughter of the Director of the Imperial Hospital. I thought she was a doctor with miraculous healing hands, but what happened? She ran away in fear, far worse than Madam Xia..."
A fire was burning in her heart, burning so intensely that Sang Luzhi almost lost her sanity. She couldn't help but want to smash everything in the room, just as she did when she encountered unpleasant things at home. However, as soon as she moved, she heard Guihua whisper urgently, "Young Lady, don't! We are outside, and the Young Marquis is right next door..."
The words "Young Marquis" brought Sang Luzhi back to her senses. She stared at the strange room, knowing she couldn't use these items to vent, but soon, her gaze turned to A Chou. Very well, there was at least one person who could bear her anger. She picked up a broom from the corner of the room and smashed it toward A Chou.
A Chou lowered his head slightly. Facing this unreasonable venting, he did not dodge, nor did he offer any defense or cry out in pain. He simply endured this sudden, unprovoked disaster like a tree without consciousness. After a long time, until Sang Luzhi was tired from hitting him and the foul air in her chest had been vented, he left the room in silence, leaving the bed for the two women to rest.
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"Duan'er, did you see it with your own eyes? Was it really that woman? She saved that dying pregnant woman?"
The main room outside was still bustling. Although it was the latter half of the night, the rain was easing. The villagers knew that Madam Zhou had escaped death by a hair's breadth, so they didn't care about the darkness or the rain and came to offer their condolences. The side room, however, remained closed as before, so no one noticed the few guests staying there.
At this moment, a tall, burly man who looked like a Vajra Strongman was using the noise outside to cover his voice, urgently asking the young boy Duan'er who had returned from delivering silver. Upon hearing Duan'er's affirmative answer, the Vajra Strongman couldn't help but rub his hands in joy. Looking at the young, elegant master lying half-reclined on the bed, he said excitedly, "Young Master, although this illness is not severe, it drags on and flares up every few days, which is truly annoying. In the past, seeing those so-called famous doctors and taking so much medicine didn't work. Now, it is heaven's blessing that sent such a Divine Doctor. We will let her examine you tomorrow, and I guarantee this illness will be cured at the root."
The young master heard this, but there was no joy on his face. He only said indifferently, "What is the background of that Divine Doctor? Have you checked it clearly? I heard mention of a Young Marquis earlier. Could it be that Lu Yunxiao has come here?"
Duan'er looked at his master in surprise. After a long while, he gave a thumbs up and whispered, "Young Master, you are too amazing. There are many Young Marquises in the Capital City, how did you know it was Lu Yunxiao who came here?"
The young master sneered, "Although there are many Heirs of the Marquis's Estate in the Capital City, most are dandies. Even if there are two or three good ones, why would they run to Jiangnan to suffer through a disaster for no reason? Only Lu Yunxiao, carrying an Imperial Edict as the Disaster Relief Imperial Envoy, would have a logical reason to pass through here on his way to Jiangnan."
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