Duan'er nodded and sighed, "That's right. I listened carefully outside, and that Young Marquis is indeed Lu Yunxiao. Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou treat him like a god descended to earth..."
Before he could finish, a voice from the couch by the window sneered, "So what? It's not certain that Lu Yunxiao can expose our identities. Besides, we are here to find the Divine Doctor to treat an illness; this has nothing to do with him, so why fear him?"
The Vajra Strongman nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, saying, "Exactly, exactly." Before the words faded, the Young Master sighed, "What kind of person is the current Emperor? Do you think he values this brother-in-law just because he favors the Imperial Consort? Hmph! He has plenty of brothers-in-law; why is it that he doesn't show such favor to others? As the common saying goes, a reputation is rarely unearned. How important is our mission this time? If any complications arise and arouse this man's suspicion, our centuries-old foundation might be washed away. How can we not be careful?"
The person on the couch sighed, "The Young Master's concerns are valid. However, you know the current situation; not everyone in the organization is loyal to you. The Young Master's illness is strange. I previously heard people whispering that this condition resembles symptoms that lead to sudden death once they flare up. If those old fellows with ulterior motives find out, the great situation the Young Master spent years building might fall apart. This cannot be ignored. Therefore, I suggest we let that Madam Xia take a look. She is just a woman staying here temporarily; she certainly won't recognize our identities."
As soon as he finished speaking, Duan'er muttered, "Brother Mi, that... might not be true. I... I listened carefully to their conversation earlier. It is very clear that Madam Xia and the Young Marquis know each other, and they seem to have a deep connection. However, they act like enemies, so it's hard to tell if there's any friendship. But regardless, they are definitely acquaintances, so we really cannot make a hasty judgment about Madam Xia's identity."
Mi Ming was stunned by Duan'er's words. He got off the couch, walked up to Duan'er, and said in a deep voice, "Are you telling the truth? Does the Divine Doctor really have a relationship with that Young Marquis?"
Duan'er nodded affirmatively, "Although I don't know what their relationship is, I am certain that the tone they used to speak to each other was completely different from how strangers meet for the first time. And... although they look like a pair of enemies who argue the moment they meet, and you can see they hate each other, that kind of familiarity could never be formed in a day. At the very least, they have known each other for several years, and it's even possible they were childhood sweethearts."
"A childhood sweetheart of the Young Marquis ends up in a mountain village? What are you thinking, kid?" The Vajra Strongman tapped Duan'er on the head lightly. Suddenly, the Young Master beside them said in a deep voice, "News came from the Capital a few days ago, saying that the Heir of the Shouning Marquis Manor divorced his first wife because of a concubine. It was a hot topic in the Capital for a while. Could it be..."
Before he could finish, Mi Ming's eyes lit up, and he nodded, "The Young Master is right. Now it seems they must have been husband and wife. It's just that they had a falling out and parted ways. It is normal for love to turn into hatred."
Duan'er also nodded in agreement, adding, "That's right, that's right. I heard that the wife the Young Marquis divorced was the daughter of the former Director Xia of the Imperial Hospital. This Madam Xia is also surnamed Xia, so that must be her." Although Duan'er was young, he loved gossip, so he knew the most details about that news.
"That must be it." The Vajra Strongman slapped his head and laughed foolishly, "Since Madam Xia hates the Young Marquis to the bone, it will be foolproof to ask her to treat the Young Master. I don't believe she would reveal the Young Master's identity. Besides, she grew up in a deep manor; it's impossible for her to know the Young Master."
Mi Ming, however, put away his smile and said in a deep voice, "Not necessarily. We must still be careful. We have been active in the interior a lot these past two years; how do we know we haven't been noticed? Even if Madam Xia is the wife the Young Marquis divorced, she is still a person of the Chen State. Once she becomes suspicious and discovers our identities, what does her grudge with the Young Marquis matter?"
The Young Master also nodded seriously, "Mi Ming is right. We cannot be too careless. However, my illness is truly inconvenient. How about this: when Madam Xia sets off, we will also set off and follow her to see what her situation is. If there is nothing suspicious, we will then ask her to treat me."
Mi Ming nodded, "The Young Master's words are very true. Let's do that. I think that Director Xia had superb medical skills and was famous throughout the country, but because of a moment of negligence—or perhaps it wasn't even his negligence—he was beheaded and his family ruined. Madam Xia was also divorced by the Young Marquis. If it were me, I probably wouldn't have a good impression of the monarch and officials of the Great Chen. If that's the case, why not recruit her into our alliance? In the future, if our brothers get injured or have any difficult illnesses, we will have a Master of Medicine to treat us, and we won't have to worry about going to the interior for medical care."
Once these words were spoken, Duan'er and the Vajra Strongman nodded repeatedly. Duan'er giggled, "Brother Mi is right. Young Master, it's not that I'm being talkative, but those Mongolian doctors in our organization are truly too incompetent."
The Young Master shook his head and sighed, muttering, "What kind of business are we in? It's already good enough that we can find a few Mongolian doctors; how can we ask for more? Enough, the night is deep. Let's discuss this tomorrow. Let's sleep first."
Duan'er and the Vajra Strongman agreed and returned to their own beds. Although it was still noisy outside, because they had been tossing and turning for half the night, they soon fell into a deep sleep. Only Mi Ming was responsible for keeping watch; he sat cross-legged on the couch by the window, eyes closed, breathing slightly, listening to the movements outside.
Early the next morning, Lu Yunxiao got up to prepare for his journey. The Zhou family tried their best to persuade him to stay for two more days, but upon hearing that he was in a hurry to go to Jiangnan for disaster relief, they stopped persuading him. In their hearts, they secretly praised this Young Marquis for not being like those dandies who spent their days shopping and listening to operas. No wonder the Emperor entrusted such an important responsibility to him.
Lu Yunxiao and Sang Luzhi left, and the happiest person was Xia Qingyu. She had originally planned to set off in two days, but now, in order to avoid that group of people, she simply decided to stay for a few more days.
The three of them were not in a hurry. They rested for a day on the second day, and on the third day, after the sun came out, they went up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs again. This made the Young Master's men very anxious. They were also in a hurry to return, but since Xia Qingyu wasn't leaving, how could they move? Where could they observe whether she still had any connection with Lu Yunxiao? Were there any soldiers by her side?
In the end, Mi Ming had no choice but to run to the mountain where the three of them were gathering herbs and howl like a wolf for a long time. While howling, he worried in his heart, fearing that Xia Qingyu and the others had never heard a wolf howl and might mistake it for a rabbit or an antelope, and would come over to investigate or hunt, which would be a disaster.
Fortunately, Xia Qingyu did not let him down. Hearing the wolf howl getting closer, she took Bai Kou and Bai Wei and hurried down the mountain. She had watched television and used computers in her past life, and she had also lived in the countryside, so she was no stranger to wolves. As soon as she heard the sound, her liver trembled, and she dared not go up the mountain to gather herbs again. This proved that the wolf howl Mi Ming imitated was very realistic and could pass for the real thing.
Since they couldn't go up the mountain to gather herbs, staying here was useless. So, Xia Qingyu cut the herbs that could be decocted into segments, simply processed the herbs that could be prepared, sorted them into paper bags, and packed them all into her bundle. This was their mobile medicine store. Although it was simple, it was complete in every detail. Xia Qingyu calculated that this small medicine store was enough to handle common headaches and fevers.
The three of them carried their bundles and said goodbye to the villagers. Although they had only stayed for less than half a month and the time spent together was short, the people here liked Xia Qingyu's lively and enthusiastic personality. Especially with her around, everyone didn't have to go to the city to find a doctor when they were sick. Yet, this beautiful life was about to be lost in less than half a month.
However, on second thought, Xia Qingyu had accomplished a lot in the twelve days she was here. Not to mention treating others' illnesses and injuries, just the fact that the Zhou family's wife and her son both survived was something they should thank her for. Otherwise, let alone both surviving, the child and Madam Zhou might not have survived if they had delayed any longer. Therefore, when Xia Qingyu left, the Zhou family thanked her profusely and prepared a lot of dry rations for them. Coupled with other villagers stuffing a few boiled eggs or giving them a couple of Laobing, by the time they reached the village entrance, the bundles on the three of them had grown a size larger.
The Young Master, Mi Ming, and the others stood behind a few trees at the village entrance, having waited impatiently. When they saw the three of them finally come out, they breathed a sigh of relief. Mi Ming shook his head and sighed, "She's just a woman with medical skills, yet she can win such sincere love and respect from the common people. If we... could all achieve this level, why worry about the hopelessness of restoring the country?"
The Young Master gave a bitter smile and secretly thought, restore the country? I fear this wish will be difficult to realize in my lifetime. Unless that wise Emperor in the Capital suddenly falls ill and dies of a sudden death. However, he is the True Dragon Emperor; how could the heavens not protect him? Enough, let's take it one step at a time. There is no iron-clad empire. Even if I cannot restore the country in my lifetime, who knows if my children and grandchildren won't have this opportunity? The Xiao family's empire cannot truly be like an iron bucket, never rotting for thousands of years.
While thinking this, he saw Xia Qingyu and the others walking past them. The three of them were chatting happily, talking about the simplicity of the villagers, without noticing that there were a few people hiding behind the trees by the road, paying attention to their movements.
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