Chapter 254 The Prince Visits
A very ominous weather phenomenon occurred in Da Qi, and Prince Yan took the opportunity to launch a sudden attack, striking hard, causing the crown prince to be in a desperate situation and his position as heir to the throne to be in jeopardy. Amid calls for the crown prince to be deposed, the Xiao family was the first to feel the disaster.
The old lady's birthday on August 18th is approaching. In previous years, the Xiao family's guest rooms would have been overcrowded at this time, and the servants would have been so busy that they wished they could not sleep. This year, only a few close relatives came here and there. The Xiao Mansion, which used to be bustling with people, is now deserted. Most of the guest rooms that were cleaned a month in advance are still empty.
Grandpa Xiao Qing and grandma Xiao have taken a long vacation and returned to Pingyang as ordered by the eldest master. The eldest wife is bedridden, and the birthday lady has lost her previous spirits. She simply handed over all the birthday matters to the eldest and second wives . She eats vegetarian meals every day, recites scriptures, and prays to the Buddha to bless the Xiao family to survive this disaster safely.
Putting down the pen in his hand, Xiao Jun breathed a sigh of relief. Almost all the affairs here should be sorted out. As soon as grandma's birthday is over, the three brothers will set off to the south. Originally, according to Xiao Jun's idea, grandma and father should also go to Fuli Mountain to hide, but grandma refused to do so, saying that she was old and wanted to die in the ancestral home of the Xiao family. Besides, the Xiao Mansion was so big that someone had to stay behind. If the old lady didn't leave, the eldest master would naturally accompany his mother. He only told the three brothers that after going to the south, no matter what happened in the Pingyang Xiao family, they should not be emotional or obsessed with trivial matters, and they must protect the ancestral foundation...
After a violent cough, Xiao Jun quickly covered his mouth with a handkerchief. Looking at the blood on the handkerchief, Xiao Jun was distracted. He had been coughing up blood more and more frequently these days due to his hard work. He was going to the south soon, and was afraid that asking a doctor would make his grandmother worry again. He went to the Imperial Hospital yesterday, and the words of Doctor Li rang in his ears again:
"Second Master, you have tuberculosis. I can only prescribe a prescription for you to recuperate. Second Master, please work less. You can control your illness for the time being and relieve your symptoms. But Second Master, don't be discouraged. Medicine God's medical skills are unparalleled in the world. Second Master, please ask him to give it a try. Maybe there will be some results. I heard that Medicine God is ill in the south recently. Second Master, why don't you go to the south and give it a try..."
Looking up at the silver fox leather soft chair that Mengxi often sat on, she felt dazed. What would she do if the God of Medicine couldn't cure his illness? He couldn't leave her alone in the Xiao Mansion.
Take her to the south? This time it was a secret and urgent trip. Not to mention whether she could bear the bumpy ride, with the King of Yan around, I'm afraid she wouldn't be safe along the way, and it would be dangerous. It seems that it is better to secretly send Mengxi out of the Xiao Mansion and find another place to settle in Pingyang. In case of an accident to him, she won't have to suffer in the mansion. But will she listen to his arrangements? Thinking of Mengxi's stubbornness, Xiao Jun shook his head unconfidently.
No matter what, she must leave the Xiao Mansion!
When Xiao Jun thought of this, an idea flashed across his mind, and he remembered the books that disappeared from the south room of the east wing. He asked Li Quan and Li Gui about this, and they told him that Xiangrui Jade Shop had been doing very well in the past two years, and the second wife had enough money to buy a house outside.
Mengxi must have a concubine's house, but he couldn't find where it was. He looked down at the blood coughed up on the handkerchief and decided that it was time for him to arrange for her to leave.
Thinking of this, he looked up and shouted at the door:
"Come here"
Xiao Yan pushed the door open and came in, bowing and saying:
"Second Master, what's the matter?"
"Tell Xiao Yuan, Xiao Qi, Li Gui, and Li Quan to come to my study to see me immediately."
Xiao Yan quickly responded, turned around and walked out.
After giving the instructions, Xiao Jia stood up and wanted to go to the east wing. She had been busy with affairs these days and often returned to Xiao Xiangyuan late at night. She hadn't seen her for a long time. She wondered what she was busy with and whether she was scared by the rumors outside.
Just as he reached the door, Xiao Xia was pushing it open. He looked up and saw the Second Master standing at the door. He was startled for a moment, then said:
"Replying to the Second Master, the Crown Prince has come. The Master is accompanying him in the guest room outside. He said he wants to see you."
After hearing this, Xiao Jun was slightly stunned. It was always Li Zan who came to the prince when he had something to do, so why did he come to him in person today? Thinking of the rumors in the market, Xiao Jun felt a strong sense of uneasiness in his heart. He said nothing more, just nodded, and strode out.
Xiao Jun and Xiao Xia came to the outer guest room. After entering the door, he turned around a rosewood screen with ladies viewing a treasure map and saw the prince and the eldest master sitting on it drinking tea. Xiao Jun hurriedly walked forward, knelt down and kowtowed, saying:
"I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
When the prince saw this, he extended his hand and said:
"Xiao Jun, there's no need to be so polite. Please get up quickly..."
After getting up and sitting down, a servant had already served tea. Xiao Jun took a sip and asked:
"I wonder why Your Highness has come to visit my humble abode and asked me to come here?"
"this……"
After hearing what Xiao Jun said, the prince hesitated and looked at the master.
When the eldest master saw him, he exchanged a few words of greeting and stood up to take his leave. Seeing his father leave, Xiao Jun waved his hand to send away all the servants in the hall, motioned Xiao Xia to guard the door, and then looked at the prince.
The prince waved his hand and sent away the two followers standing behind him. Then he said:
"Recently, there have been rumors in Pingyang that the God of Medicine is ill in the south. I am not happy with what Brother Xiao said. At the morning court today, my father ordered me to leave and go south to find the God of Medicine and cure the plague in the south."
He was not familiar with the God of Medicine, so what did the prince have to do with him if he received an order to go to the south to look for the God of Medicine? Could it be that the prince had heard of his power in the south and wanted to borrow it? He was also looking for the God of Medicine, so he could just go along with it...
After hearing this, his mind raced, but his expression remained unchanged. Xiao Jun picked up the tea, opened the lid, blew on it, took a sip, and sat there without saying a word.
After waiting for a long time, seeing that Xiao Jun remained silent, the prince continued:
"Xiao Jun also knows that although I am sworn brothers with the God of Medicine, he has always been elusive and it took me a long time to find him. But this time is different. Disaster relief is like putting out a fire. The plague in the south is spreading on a large scale and it is urgent. This time when I go to the south, I must bring someone who knows the whereabouts of the God of Medicine."
"Your Highness means..."
"Xiao Jun, you may not know that I have been searching for clues about the God of Medicine these days, and I accidentally discovered that the younger sister of Manager Li of Yichun Hall is a maid in your house. Perhaps she knows the whereabouts of the God of Medicine."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jun sat up straight and said:
"Is your source of information reliable? I think that Shopkeeper Li's sister is also very strong. How could Shopkeeper Li allow her to be his slave?"
After talking for a long time, seeing that the prince was silent, Xiao Jun sat back and said:
"Your Highness, please tell me what this person's name is and which courtyard he lives in. I will call him over and Your Highness will know once you ask."
"Manager Li's sister's maiden name is Li Cui. She was sold to the Xiao family two years ago and changed her name to Zhiqiu. She serves the Madam personally."
Hearing this, Xiao Jun's body trembled as if he had received an electric shock. His hand holding the tea cup shook, and the tea spilled out and splashed onto the ground. He placed the cup heavily on the table, looked at the prince and said:
"You must not speak nonsense about this matter. Is what Your Highness said true? Do you have any evidence?"
"How dare this king speak nonsense about such a big matter?"
Looking at the prince's meaningful eyes, Xiao Jun was in a trance. He suddenly remembered that he had been injured many times during this period. Mengxi always found various excuses to get him good medicine from Yichuntang and bandaged him personally. He had doubted how Mengxi could be so proficient in medicine, but when he thought of her room full of books, he subconsciously thought that she learned it from books...
That time, I was hit by the sword of the man in black. Mengxi took me to Yichun Hall without saying a word. Thinking of the man in black, the two times I was attacked by the man in black suddenly flashed in front of my eyes. I mentioned it to Mengxi worriedly, and her flickering eyes...
Her daughter was poisoned, but she miraculously saved her life. Was it really the medicine given by the monk?
When she was in the south, Mengxi often sneaked out of the house to drink tea at Yipin Tea House...
Mengxi was poisoned by the dragon's saliva and had stopped breathing for four days, but he miraculously came back to life. Zhiqiu, who was now free, was willing to be a slave in the Xiao Mansion...
In an instant, all the doubts that had been lingering in his mind and all the bits and pieces of information from the past two years flooded into his mind like a tide. An invisible thread connected them together, and Xiao Jun suddenly understood what was happening. He felt his whole body trembling and his ears buzzing. He sat there for a long time without saying a word.
"Brother Xiao, Brother Xiao... "
The prince called out for a long time before Xiao Jun came back to his senses. He looked at the prince and asked:
"Your Highness, are you visiting today to confirm who the Medicine God is?"
"Brother Xiao, urgent reports are coming from the south six hundred miles away. Hundreds or even thousands of people are dying from the plague every day. Some villages are already littered with corpses, and nine out of ten houses are empty. The people of Da Qi are in a panic. For the sake of the people of the world, I must take the Medicine God south. This matter cannot be delayed!"
After the prince finished speaking, he saw Xiao Jun sitting there with a gloomy expression, and continued:
"Now that the army on the northern eastern front has just been defeated, floods and plagues are rampant in the south, and the Yan Wang's followers in the court are even more rampant, rumors are everywhere in the court and the country, and the undercurrent is surging. It is a time of trouble. Xiao Jun must put the overall situation first and the people of the world first..."
Seeing Xiao Jun remained silent, the prince shook his head. No one could accept this news for the first time. Just as he was about to persuade him again, Xiao Jun took a deep breath and said:
"Okay, since Your Highness has confirmed that Manager Li's sister is in the Xiao Mansion, I will introduce her to her. If Your Highness has anything to ask, you can ask her in person?"
"Okay, Brother Xiao is really straightforward. I often hear Li Zan mention that your wife is very talented. I admire her very much. Xiao Jun, can you please come out to meet her?"
What the prince said was extremely rude. In ancient times, no matter how high your status was, you could not go to someone's house and say, "I admire your wife, ask her to come out so I can take a look." If you met a rude man, he would have slapped him away. Why would you be left here to sit here and drink tea?
After all, the Xiao family is an aristocratic family. As the mistress of the family, how can you easily come out to meet outsiders?
But the prince was also helpless. After all, these were all guesses made by him and Li Zan. He didn't dare to say anything before confirmation. What if it wasn't true, or the other party refused to admit it, he would be put in a passive position and might return empty-handed.
The prince, who was not very familiar with him, actually said such words, which further confirmed Xiao Jun's guess. His body seemed to be immersed in ice water, so cold that he could not breathe. He tried his best to suppress his heartbeat and sat there stiffly.
"Second Master, please don't misunderstand me. I didn't..."
Seeing Xiao Jun sitting there with a gloomy face, the prince had no choice but to explain. However, he was interrupted by Xiao Jun as soon as he opened his mouth. He nodded and said:
"Okay, Your Highness, please follow me to the inner study."
Although the prince's words were rude, Xiao Jun also knew that the matter was of great importance and it was not the time to be fussy about details. Moreover, he knew that the prince had seen the God of Medicine and only he could confirm the identity of the God of Medicine.
Compared to the prince's impoliteness, Xiao Jun was more afraid that he would say something suspicious about Mengxi. He only hoped that after meeting Mengxi, the prince would deny his guess. Subconsciously, he didn't want his Xier to have that kind of background. He only hoped that she was a little woman who could be protected in his palm.
