Chapter 244 Worried
Seeing the second wife asking, Zhixia replied:
"Before I could even say anything, Second Master seemed to have already known it."
"Second Master knows?"
"When the news of your poisoning spread, the old lady and the others came. When the eldest lady heard that the bird's nest porridge was sent by the eldest aunt, she ordered people to check on the eldest aunt and her personal maid..."
Zhixia told Mengxi what happened that day, and finally said:
"Second Madam, you don't know that when the first wife heard that the second master was looking at Aunt Zhang, her face turned pale. I guess she must have something to do with this matter."
After hearing this, Zhiqiu gritted his teeth and said:
"Let the Second Master call them all over, and we'll know after the first trial."
"Why bother with this? Aunt Zhang committed suicide a long time ago."
"Committed suicide?"
Mengxi was startled when he heard this, and asked in surprise. Seeing Zhixia nod, he said casually:
"Ping'er is still young, and the matter has not been concluded. Aunt Zhang should understand that I am not a member of the Xiao family. Even if the Second Master wants to execute her, the Old Lady will spare her life for Ping'er's sake, so that Ping'er will not hate the Old Lady and the Second Master when she grows up. How can she be so stubborn?"
After hearing this, Zhixia recounted what had happened in the mansion in the past few days, and finally said:
"Although I was watched, such a big thing has already spread widely. I heard from the people in Bamboo Garden that Aunt Zhang did not commit suicide, but was murdered. However, the old lady and the eldest master did not care about it. It was all handled by the eldest wife. The conclusion had been made long ago. Later, the eldest wife also heard the rumors in Bamboo Garden and simply bought all the servants in Bamboo Garden. Now, no one in the mansion dares to spread this matter. Only the second master is kept in the dark."
After hearing this, Mengxi's expression darkened and she felt sad. She had never expected that so many innocent people would be harmed in order to leave the mansion. The price she paid was too high. She really couldn't go on like this. She was wrong and should have confronted the Second Master earlier. After a long silence, Mengxi looked up and asked:
"Is Zhichun okay? How's business at Yichuntang?"
When the Second Mistress asked, Zhiqiu's expression darkened and he said in frustration:
"Zhichun is fine. This time she cried and shouted that she wanted to come back with me, but Master Ouyang stopped her. He was afraid that if we came back together, the Xiao family would be suspicious. Most of the medicines that Yichuntang needed you to prepare were out of stock."
After hearing this, Mengxi fell into deep thought. Zhiqiu thought of the prince, so he told him again about the prince's visit to Yichun Hall, and finally said:
"I guess that the prince must have suspected that you in the carriage were the Medicine God, otherwise he would not have stayed there for four days. Before he left, he said that the Queen Mother was seriously ill and that the Prince of Yan was about to start a fight early. He and the Prince of Yan were about to have a fight, so he asked my brother to tell you not to make things too awkward with the Xiao family."
"You also know that the Crown Prince has long suspected that I am a woman. We met at Yichun Hall last time. A while ago, Li Zan frequently invited Second Master and me. I guess it was the Crown Prince who instructed him to verify my identity. Otherwise, he would not have invited me again and again, causing Second Master to doubt Li Zan's invitation."
Mengxi paused for a moment, sighed, and said:
"What happened in the court has nothing to do with us, but Yichuntang can't continue like this. Let's have a showdown with the Second Master."
"Second Madam, do you mean to make your identity as the owner of Yichun Hall known to the Xiao family?"
After hearing this, Zhixia asked in disbelief. When Zhidong heard this, his face turned red with anxiety and he said impatiently:
"Second Madam, you must not do that. The First Master and the Second Master have both knelt before you. Once you reveal your identity, how will the Second Master and the First Master cope with it? I'm afraid, I'm afraid..."
As Zhidong was speaking, he saw Second Mistress staring at him, so he swallowed the rest of his words. After a while, seeing that no one was talking, he whispered again:
"What I mean is that the Second Master loves you deeply. He gave up being the head of the family for you and turned against his parents for you. I really don't want you to hurt the Second Master again."
After hearing Zhidong's words, Mengxi felt a dull pain in her heart. The Second Master treated her so well, how could she want to hurt him? She did n't dare to tell him about opening a pharmacy before, and she couldn't tell him now. But this pharmacy is not something that will disappear without a trace if you don't tell him, and you can't keep it secret forever. The truth will come out sooner or later. The Second Master will find out about the pharmacy, and by then, the result will be the same, and the pain will be the same.
Instead of that, it would be better to just speak it out while she has not let go of her feelings and make a complete break with Erye, so that he won't continue to disobey her parents for her and bear the stigma of being unfilial.
The prince has deep feelings for her, but she can't keep this matter secret just for the sake of the prince's position, which will eventually get out of control. She also believes that the second master is not a narrow-minded person, and she believes that he will not miss out on important things because of personal grudges. The old lady is a person who puts the interests of the Xiao family first, and she believes that she will also judge the situation and choose the most beneficial way for the Xiao family to get along with Yichuntang.
She had been hiding the matter of Yichuntang some days because she was afraid of the entanglement from the Xiao family. She just wanted to draw a clear line with the Xiao family and live freely in the world alone. But now, she secretly hoped that after she and Erye became strangers, Erye would know where she was going. When his love had become a thing of the past and buried deep in his memory, he would occasionally think of her and visit her. When they were old, the two of them could become a pair of close friends and watch the sunset together.
Thinking of this, Mengxi said to himself:
"The truth will come out sooner or later. It's better to cut it off sooner rather than later."
After hearing this, Zhixia and Zhidong knew that this was the truth and lowered their heads listlessly. After hearing this, Zhiqiu was slightly stunned, and suddenly stood up and knelt on the ground with a plop, saying:
"I beg you, Madam, not to do this."
Seeing Zhiqiu like this, Mengxi was stunned for a moment, and stretched out his hand to pull her up, only to find that he had no strength in his body. He said to Zhiqiu:
"Zhiqiu, what's wrong? Stand up and sit down to talk first."
After hearing what Second Madam said, Zhixia had already helped Zhiqiu up and sat him down on the embroidered cushion beside the bed. Zhiqiu then spoke:
"After all this trouble, Second Madam still hasn't been able to go to the Xiao Mansion. Originally, according to this servant's opinion, I, like Second Madam, should just tell the Xiao family about your identity. Even if the Xiao family doesn't write a divorce letter, we will forcefully leave the mansion. With the power of Yichun Hall, the Xiao family can't do anything to us. They will just keep pestering us. We accept it."
"Yes, the dispute with the Xiao Mansion has reached this point. There is no way out. If we continue to waste time, Yichun Hall will eventually be dragged down. Let's keep fighting. I have to leave this mansion eventually."
"Second Madam is right. But before I came back, my brother and Master Ouyang analyzed the current situation and felt that now is not a good time for you to reveal your identity. They were afraid that you would worry about Yichuntang's business when you woke up and would go all out to confront the Xiao family. So they specifically told me to persuade you. At least wait until these days have passed."
"What do they say?"
"Normally, given the status of the Crown Prince, you would be fine. The Crown Prince would not discuss court affairs with my brother. So my brother and Master Ouyang were both surprised by what the Crown Prince said that day. They guessed that the Crown Prince suspected that you were the God of Medicine, so he repeatedly emphasized that the Queen Mother was seriously ill and asked you not to fall out with the Xiao family. He probably didn't want you to reveal your identity now."
Hearing this, Mengxi couldn't help but think of the spices made from red bananas that she had given to the prince. She was startled and asked casually:
"The Queen Mother is seriously ill? Is the Crown Prince worried that the Prince of Yan will take me to the palace to see the Queen Mother?"
"To treat the Queen Mother, why do we need to arrest her? An imperial decree will be enough. What I'm afraid of is that Prince Yan is worried that the Queen Mother will not live long, so he will start an attack in advance. He will first eliminate the Xiao family and Yichuntang and cut off the Crown Prince's wings. Let's not talk about the Xiao family, just us. As long as Prince Yan catches you, Yichuntang will be in his hands. You are in the dark, and it will be difficult for Prince Yan to catch you. Once you reveal your identity and put yourself in the light, Prince Yan will have a target. You also know that except for Master Ouyang, Yichuntang is just a bunch of ordinary bodyguards. They are good at escorting some goods, but how can they defeat the numerous masters around Prince Yan? Even if the Crown Prince sends more people to protect you, we live in fear all day long."
After hearing what Zhiqiu said, Mengxi was extremely depressed. After thinking hard for a long time, he looked up and said:
"They are right, but I can wait, but Yichuntang's business can't wait!"
"My brother and Master Ouyang asked me to persuade you not to be anxious. The Queen Mother is old and now seriously ill. I'm afraid she won't live long. Once the Queen Mother dies, Emperor Jin will be free of restraints, and the Crown Prince will have a chance to overthrow the King of Yan. Then we won't be afraid. Ouyang also said that if we ask the Crown Prince to recognize you as his sister, maybe the First Lady will be afraid of your status and accept you. Maybe you and the Second Master will really have a good ending."
After hearing this, Mengxi shook his head and said nothing. Zhiqiu saw this and continued:
"Second Madam, Master Ouyang said that the Crown Prince had long suspected your identity, but he did not come to the Xiao Mansion to verify it. It was probably because of this consideration. My brother also said that Yichuntang has so many branches that even if they don't have the medicines you dispense, they won't lose money if they only dispense the medicines from Baicao Garden. They will just make less money. When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, we will finally have our cake and eat it too. Besides, a blessing in disguise. The medicines on the second floor are out of stock, so we can use that as an excuse."
After hearing this, Zhixia asked in confusion:
"As an excuse, what excuse?"
"My brother and Master Ouyang are worried that if the imperial physician is helpless with the Queen Mother's illness, the Emperor will issue an imperial decree to Yichuntang, summoning you to the palace for treatment. If Second Madam does not go, it would be disobeying the order. Once you go, I'm afraid you will never come back. The Prince of Yan and the Queen Mother will directly put you under house arrest and use you to threaten Yichuntang. The consequences will be disastrous. So you can only escape this disaster by claiming to be sick. Now the employees of Yichuntang have begun to spread the word that Yichuntang is out of stock because the God of Medicine is sick in the south and is bedridden and unable to dispense medicine."
After Zhiqiu finished speaking, he saw the Second Mistress leaning on the bed with a gloomy expression, not saying a word. Zhiqiu also closed his mouth and looked at her cautiously.
Mengxi knew this truth very well. Money is something outside of one's body. She was not particularly worried about the business of the pharmacy. What she couldn't say was that she was worried that if she and Xiao Jun continued to waste time like this, they would both be in the same state of injury when they really left the house.
After a long silence, Mengxi's voice seemed to come from a distant and empty space, faint and full of helplessness:
"You all go down, I'm tired and want to rest for a while"
