There were only Meng Changde and his wife, Eldest Madam Meng, in the Longevity Courtyard when Su Muge walked in.
On the way, she was told by Meng Tiantian that her father had left for the prefecture yamen an hour ago. With an official position appointed, he could not easily get slack at his work.
âLord Meng and Eldest Madam Meng, my greetings to you.â
âEldest Miss Su, thereâs no need to be too polite.â The smile on Meng Changde was gentle, and the face of Eldest Meng also showed tenderness.
âDid you sleep well last night in the mansion?â
âYes, very well, Eldest Madam Meng. Thank you for asking.â
An Mama opened the curtain and walked out the main room while they were greeting each other.
âLord Meng and Eldest Madam Meng, Old Lady is awake.â
Meng Changde stood up. âEldest Miss, please come with me and have a look at my mother.â
Su Muge nodded. âSure.â
When they entered the room, Old Lady Meng was seated with An Mamaâs careful help.
Although with her face still a bit pale and grey, Old Lady Meng was in good spirits.
âMom, do you feel better now?â Old Lady Meng fell in a deep sleep shortly after taking her medicine last night.
She took a look at Su Muge and nodded. âMuch better.â
Su Muge went forward. âPlease let me feel your pulse.â
âSure.â
Old Lady Meng reached out her hand from the quilt, and Su Muge sat aside on a small stool, listening to her pulse carefully.
A moment later, Su Muge frowned with her two eyebrows almost touching each other.
Meng Changde, who had eased his mind before, now frowned after her. But he didnât say a word.
Su Muge put down the hand. Before Meng Changde could open his mouth, Old Lady Meng herself asked, âWhat happened? Am I going to die?ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
She said those words in a relaxed tone with no sign of panic or fear. People always die. It would be a pity to die now, but she could accept it.
âMother!â Meng Changdeâs face was twisted.
âHowâs my grandmother? Come on, tell us!â Meng Shushu took this silence as a sign that Su Muge wanted everyone to guess on purpose.
Keeping her eyes down, Su Muge didnât talk for quite a while, and then she finally said, âThe body condition of Old Lady is a bit complicated.â
Eldest Lady Meng was in worry. âCan it be cured?â
Su Muge frowned harder.
âEldest Miss Su, if you have any difficulties, itâs all right, but please let us know.â After so many years in the officialdom, Meng Changde soon understood that there was something inconvenient for Su Muge to say out.
âOld Ladyâs illness can be cured. If the chronic and stubborn disease were treated with enough time, it was not impossible to cure. Itâs only a matter of time.â
Meng Changde was a bit confused, while Eldest Madam Meng and Old Lady Meng were soon aware of what Su Muge was talking about.
Being an unmarried woman as Su Muge, if she went to the Meng mansion too frequently, there could be rumors that may ruin her reputation. When that happened, how would she be able to find a descent family to get married?
With a tacit eye contact, both Eldest Madam Meng and Old Lady Meng knew the reason behind her hesitation.
If Su Mugeâs reputation were ruined, the Meng family should no doubt take the responsibility. Since she was their benefactor, they could not marry her to a son of some unknown and distant concubine...
Su Muge was thinking hard on the therapy there afterwards. She had not wanted this connection with the Meng family. However, things hadnât turned out as planned, but as long as she could gain her freedom of getting in and out the Su mansion, she had no complaints. It was just that she didnât expect the mother and the daughter-in-law were considering so much.
Meng Changde couldnât get why there was nobody speaking, yet it seemed not appropriate for him to ask more. So he said, âEldest Miss Su, if you think itâs inconvenient, we can arrange people go over to the Su mansion to pick you up every day.â
Eldest Madam Meng moved her lips when she heard Meng Changde said so, but she didnât say anything. If she stopped Su Muge from coming to the Meng mansion at this moment, his husband would have thought she didnât want her mother-in-law to be cured!
Old lady Meng took a look at Su Muge deeply. âThen Iâll count on you to treat this old body of mine!â
Su Muge nodded her head gently. âI shall do my best.â
After another acupuncture treatment, Su Muge left the Longevity Courtyard.
She refused Old Lady Mengâs dinner invitation of lunch, saying that she missed her mother and brother.
Meng Changde was told that she had to come to the Meng mansion every day for the next whole month, because Old Lady Meng needed her daily treatment.
She left other things behind to Meng Changde, who was going to talk to her father, Su Lun, about the arrangements. And she believed that Su Lun would be very happy to meet Meng Changde.
...
In a town a few miles from Shunyang prefecture, a few black shadows flashed into a humble house.
With no one else in the yard, the air around sunk when the shadows went inside.
April took a look around. âItâs us.â
Soon, the air was back to normal again.
May helped June to walk into the room in the most central.
It was a bit dim and could make people feel uncomfortable when first entered.
âLord, June is back.â
Xia Houmo were reading the information in his hands from the secret agent when they went in. He slowly lifted his eyes and glanced at them.
Only with that one look, the three were already under great pressure which made them feel hard to breathe.
âI apologize for being incompetent and hurt so badly by that spy. I shouldnât have let him escaped!â
âGo and get your punishment.â The tone of Xia Houmo was normal with no sense of happiness or anger. However, June, and those who had been serving him for years, knew that it was a sign of anger!
âYes.â
The three of them were going to leave.
âWait.â
The three figures froze in a sudden.
âLord, whatâs your order?â
The dark eyes of Xia Houmo were set on June.
âYou said you were hurt badly by him?â
âYes. I was shot by him with an arrow in the abdomen during my momentary oversight...If it were not for a female miracle-working doctor, I could have...â
Xia Houmoâs eyebrows raised a bit. âA female miracle-working doctor?â
June nodded. He could still remember it clearly that he was breathing with pain and was almost dying before the doctorâs treatment. But then, except for the weakness he felt, his wound was almost healed!
If it were not for encountering such a doctor himself, he couldnât have never believed that besides Doctor Gui there could be a person with such excellent medical skills.
Looking down a little bit, a slim figure flashed over in Xia Houmoâs mind.
âNow you may leave.â
âYes.â
Donglin walked in upon their leaving.
âLord, it seems that there have been some unusual actions from those southern barbarians. I think what happened to Princess Huazheng were connected to them.â
Only a few days after Xia Houmo had sent Princess Huazheng to the capital, the southern barbarians were ready to make trouble, so the emperor asked him to return to the frontier to guard the state.
âWell, how many days had it rained?â
Donglin was not fast enough to react to this question, and he paused. His lord was changing the topic of conversation so quickly!â
âIt has been whole three days.â
Xia Houmo poked on his fingertip on the table with rhythm. The bone joints of his fingers were as obvious as those of the bamboo.
âVery soon.â
Donglin looked puzzled. Very soon? What does the lord mean?
Before Donglin could ask, the door was opened by a strong push, and a figure with anger ran into the room all of a sudden.
âXia Houmo! You crazy thing! Whatâs wrong with your men? Are their heads kicked by a donkey?â I was in my bathtub with foams on me and they dragged me out! I want my face back!â The voice of his complaints was full of anger.
Donglin raised his head and saw a man with his hair in a mess. The man wore a half-transparent robe, which could almost be considered transparent if the light were a bit brighter...
Xia Houmo frowned as he saw the man.
âTake him away and dress him up.â
The man almost jumped to his feet in fury when heard this.
âFine, you love cleanness and you cannot stand up with me looking like this. You should know it clearer than anybody else that who made me into this! How dare you dislike and avoid me like this!â
Guima was about to lose his mind!
He was taking a bath in an inn of Shunyang prefecture when suddenly several people broke in and carried him on their back on the street without a word. He had almost thrown up the food in his stomach from last night because of the bumping!
Yet when he had arrived at the place of that big boss behind the scene, he had been blamed of being dirty and untidy!
Something was swaying down there under the manâs white robe and Xia Houmo could not stand looking at it any longer.
âTake him away!â
âDoctor Gui, please come with me and weâll dress you up...â
It seemed that the swearing was not enough for Guima. However, when he saw those eyes of Xia Houmo with coldness, he snorted, waved his sleeve and left.
âI want a hot bath, and with lily petals! A whole basket of lily petals! Also, a scented soap!â
Didnât Xia Houmo love cleanness and didnât he dislike any scent? Fine! He would have enough scent now!
...
Su Muge rubbed between her eyebrows impatiently when she saw the person blocking her way.
âSu Muge, tell me, when did you learn those medical skills!â Su Jingwen glared at Su Muge with the look of envy, as if she was going to tear Su Muge apart.
âOf course, it was...it was the time youâll never know.â
âYou! Donât think brother Meng will like you! You bitch are not qualified to be even his concubine!â
âWell, so you mean you are qualified to be Master Mengâs concubine?â Su Muge sneered.
âYou!â Su Jingwenâs chest was going up and down because of anger.
âBitch, if you dare to win the affection from Brother Meng, I... Iâll definitely have my revenge back!â
The last sentence was sounded like a war inevitable.
Su Muge frowned a bit. Although she couldnât think of any brilliant methods of Su Jingwen, her mother and brother were not strong enough to fight against her.
Such a thought fueled the anger and hatred in Su Muge. She raised her eyebrows and set her cold eyes on Su Jingwen, fixed.
âSu Jingwen, youâd better donât make yourself regret. I can save oneâs life, and Iâm also able to make one die quietly!â
âHow, how dare you!â
âHow dare I? Why not give it a try?â
Su Muge ignored her and went to Peachblossom Courtyard.
Watching the figure of Su Muge vanishing at the arc door, Su Jingwen staggered and almost fell down. The maid caught hold of her just in time.
âSecond Miss, are you okay?â
Opening her hands, Su Jingwen found that her palms were covered by cold sweat. She was...scared by Su Muge into a cold sweat!
When Su Muge entered the Peachblossom Courtyard, she saw Li Mama standing outside the door. Her face turned cold.
Li Mama saw her as well, came forward and bowed to her with courtesy. âEldest Miss, you are back.â
âYes.â An and Zhao were sitting in the room when Su Muge entered, and they were smiling!