Yun Si focused and looked around.
Apart from the rustling of leaves stirred by the breeze, there was nothing else.
Perhaps she was simply too tense.
Yun Si exhaled softly, forcing herself to calm down quickly.
She pushed open the door and looked inside.
Although the Marquis's Residence had been confiscated and everything valuable had been thoroughly looted, the most basic furnishings in the room were still there.
Yun Si stepped inside. Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could immediately see that there were only a few places where anything could be hidden.
After searching them one by one, she finally discovered a small, battered chest beneath the bed.
The chest was so worn that even if it had been placed in the most conspicuous spot in the room, no one would have given it a second glance.
But Yun Si knew very well that this little battered chest did not belong in her room.
She opened it and found a book inside.
The Admonitions for Women?
She frowned.
No.
Yun Si ran her fingers over the dust-covered book. Sure enough, beneath the cover, she felt an unusual thickness.
She gently pulled at it, only to discover that it was an old handwritten manuscript disguised as The Admonitions for Women.
The manuscript felt heavy in her hands, its parchment edges already yellowed and curling.
There was no light in the room, so she could not make out what was written inside, but it seemed to contain many other things as well.
Suppressing her excitement, Yun Si hid the manuscript against her chest and brought it back to Prince Xiao's Residence before dawn.
Once she returned to her room, she eagerly opened the thick manuscript.
The first part consisted entirely of records concerning medicine. Although her body was already exhausted to the extreme by the time she read it, her mind was exceptionally alert.
She read very quickly. No matter what kind of book it was, she could take in ten lines at a glance, and once she had read something, she could remember it deeply.
This was known as having a photographic memory.
If what she was reading was too complicated or difficult to understand, she could first commit it to memory and slowly interpret and analyze it later.
Yet for some reason, the contents of this manuscript felt more and more strangely familiar the further she read.
It was almost as if she could truly… master it without a teacher.
Yun Si forgot food and sleep, reading through the entire section on medicine in one sitting. Although she had committed it all to memory, there were some strange characters, mysterious symbols, and even the names of certain medicines that she could not understand.
But there was no need to hurry. She could study them carefully later.
Yun Si rubbed her sore eyes. In her groggy mind, a plan to restore her health suddenly began to take shape.
Because she had been born prematurely, her health had been poor since childhood. She had relied on various expensive medicinal herbs to keep herself alive, and every physician had told her that her condition could never be completely cured.
Only after reading this manuscript did she realize that her body could, in fact, be slowly healed. She merely needed some special medicinal ingredients and would have to put in a little more effort.
If she had not been so foolish in her previous life—if she had not blindly believed Shen Qian and driven her master away—she would surely have recovered long ago…
“Lan Xin.”
Yun Si put the manuscript away and took up her brush to write out a list.
She opened the door and instructed Lan Xin, “Go to the storeroom and take some silver. Help me buy all the medicinal ingredients on this list.”
Lan Xin accepted the list and glanced over it, a puzzled look appearing on her face, but she did not ask any questions. “This servant will go at once.”
Yun Si had not taken her dowry with her after the marital separation. It had remained in the storeroom at Qixiwu Court all this time. Now that she had returned, no one would stop her from using anything inside.
Thinking back, during the year or so she had been married to Prince Xiao, Qin Ye had truly given her enough freedom and respect.
How had she failed to see such a good man in her previous life? Instead, she had blindly trusted that sanctimonious bastard Shen Qian.
She had not only been blind in the eyes, but blind in the heart too.
After Lan Xin left, Yun Si instructed Lu Yu to clean out the empty room next door. From now on, she intended to use it as a pharmacy.
Lu Yu thought she must have misheard.
My lady… wants to set up a pharmacy of her own?
Why did she keep coming up with one idea after another?
Lu Yu did not really understand, but like Lan Xin, she obediently carried out the order.
Whatever my lady wanted done, they would do.
After giving the two women their instructions, Yun Si washed up briefly, ate something, and then went to catch up on sleep.
Perhaps she was simply too exhausted. She slept all the way until nightfall.
After she woke, Lan Xin had already bought the medicinal ingredients on her list and placed them in the empty room Lu Yu had prepared.
The room was very large. Yun Si planned to arrange it properly and purchase all the medicines and tools mentioned in the manuscript.
Merely reading was not enough. Even if she understood everything thoroughly, it would still be nothing more than learning from books without practical experience.
Besides restoring her health, she also needed to prepare some medicines and weapons for self-defense.
She absolutely could not end up like she had in her previous life—when faced with danger, she had not possessed even the slightest ability to save herself and could only let others slaughter her.
The previous night, if she had not been more familiar with the Marquis's Residence than Shen Qian, and if there had not been a secret mechanism and hidden chamber in her father's study, she would never have been able to kill the guard beside Shen Qian.
Of course, that guard had also been too arrogant and had not taken a frail woman like her seriously.
Next time, if she encountered someone even more dangerous, or faced Shen Qian directly, she would need to possess the ability to protect herself—and even kill in counterattack.
After dinner, Yun Si suddenly remembered that she had not gone to see Qin Ye at all that day.
That man was extremely cold toward her now. There was absolutely no chance he would come to see her of his own accord.
She had left the residence in the middle of the night, and although she had evaded the patrolling guards, she knew that there were many hidden guards within Prince Xiao's Residence. She did not know whether any of them had discovered her.
Qin Ye had shown no reaction even now, so presumably he had not noticed.
After all, when she had been a “ghost” in her previous life, she had known the locations of those hidden guards like the back of her hand. She had deliberately avoided those places when she left the residence the previous night.
Yun Si had not intended to hide anything from Qin Ye. It was simply that even if she were willing to tell him about certain matters now, he probably would not believe her easily.
Rather than that, it would be more convincing to wait for him to discover everything himself.
Yun Si went to the main courtyard, where Nanny Qian told her coldly, “His Highness is not in the residence.”
She asked Nanny Qian, “Then, Nanny, do you know where he went?”
“Is Mistress Yun joking? His Highness is the master, while this old servant is merely a servant. How would I dare ask about the master's whereabouts?”
“All right. I understand.”
Yun Si gave a faint nod before turning to leave.
She did not lose her temper or rebuke her.
Nanny Qian could not help showing a trace of surprise in her eyes.
If this had happened before, she would have thrown a fit long ago. After the marital separation, she really had changed quite a bit.
But so what? She had merely been driven into a corner and had no choice but to lower her head. Her temperament and character were not even remotely comparable to Miss Lin's.
Sigh.
Who knew what His Highness was thinking? A gentle and kind woman like Miss Lin, who was wholeheartedly devoted to him—how could His Highness not like her?
Yun Si returned to Qixiwu Court and entered the pharmacy. She sorted the medicinal ingredients into their various categories, then followed the instructions in the manuscript and tried preparing some simple wound medicine.
The manuscript provided detailed proportions for the ingredients. After making it only once, she successfully produced two bottles of wound medicine.
As for its effectiveness, however, that remained to be seen.
While Yun Si busied herself in the pharmacy, Lan Xin and Lu Yu stood guard outside the door. Watching her grind and prepare the medicinal ingredients with such practiced movements, both wore expressions of astonishment.
Was my lady serious?
When had she learned medicine?
The two exchanged glances, then shook their heads at each other.
…
The next day.
Yun Si rose early, dressed, and finished breakfast before plunging headfirst into the pharmacy next door once more.
Lu Yu and Lan Xin were bursting with questions. As they observed Yun Si, they felt that she had changed tremendously since returning from the Shen Family Villa.
But what use could there be in buying so many ordinary medicinal ingredients?
My lady had been in poor health since childhood and needed to take various medicinal decoctions year-round, but the ingredients used had always been rare and expensive.
As her personal maids, Lu Yu and Lan Xin had read many medical texts in order to care for her better. They both understood some basic medicinal principles.
These ingredients were of no use to my lady at all.
“A while ago, I met a miracle physician. I was fortunate enough to receive her guidance, and she even gave me a medical book that taught me how to regulate my own health. Don’t underestimate these ordinary ingredients. As long as they are combined properly, they can be made into miraculous medicines with various effects.”
Yun Si noticed their confusion and knew that she would eventually have to offer some explanation. Otherwise, her actions would make no sense.
Even if this reason was not particularly convincing.
As she spoke, Yun Si poured the ground medicinal powder into an earthenware pot. With practiced movements, she added water and stirred. The misty fragrance of medicine soon filled the entire room.
Lu Yu and Lan Xin watched in amazement.
They exchanged a glance. Although they still had their doubts, since their mistress had said this was the case, they only needed to obey. Besides, this was a good thing, and they could hardly be happier for her.
Lan Xin stepped forward and said softly, “My lady, is there anything else that needs to be done? Leave it to us. Don’t tire yourself out.”
“All right.”
Yun Si lifted her eyes and gave her instructions in an orderly manner.
“First, prepare some clean gauze and porcelain bottles for me. Boil them in water and let them dry. I also need some other medicinal ingredients. I’ll trouble you to make several trips to different medicine shops to buy them. Disguise yourselves when you go, and don’t let anyone recognize you.”
“Yes.”
The two women answered and withdrew.
Yun Si picked up the medicine grinder again and continued grinding the medicinal powder. She then carefully sifted it before placing it into different earthenware pots.
Her hands were busy, but her mind was not idle.
At this point in her previous life, Qin Ye had been gravely wounded while fighting to claim her corpse. Now that she had changed the course of events from her previous life, Qin Ye should not have to suffer that calamity again…
As evening approached, Yun Si had spent the entire day busy in the pharmacy. The table was now covered with medicine boxes filled according to precise measurements. She had also used mugwort leaves and dried ginger to prepare a medicinal bath.
At the same time, she had drawn up a diet to warm and nourish her spleen and stomach. Combined with the guiding exercises she had devised herself, her treatment would address every aspect, from medicinal remedies and food to physical conditioning. Given enough time, she would be able to uproot the chronic illness that had plagued her for years.
She was far too eager to restore her health, and the day's exertion left her utterly exhausted.
After eating a simple dinner, she took a medicinal bath that night, and only then did her body relax slightly.
Perhaps because of the medicine, she slept deeply that night. In a daze, she heard someone knocking on her door.
“My lady, wake up! Something has happened!”