Chapter 93 The Queen Returns
When Li Zan saw the prince shaking his head and sighing when he mentioned looking for the owner of Yichun Hall, he volunteered to arrange people to inquire everywhere.
After hearing what Li Zan said, the prince just shook his head and said nothing more. When Li Zan and Doctor Li saw the prince shaking his head, they also stopped talking and just sat there and looked at the prince.
After a long while, the prince stood up, walked to the window, looked out, and thought to himself:
"Second brother, where are you from? Looking at the medicines you put on the first floor, I know you are a person who cares about the people of the world. I never knew that Da Qi had such a great doctor. Fortunately, I became sworn brothers with you on a whim after drinking yesterday. Otherwise, I would have missed you in this life."
As I thought about this, my second brother's wild laughter and words rang in my ears again:
"If I cannot find a place to stay in this world one day, would you be willing to join me in the joyous life of lakes and rivers, and indulge in the mountains and rivers?"
"Ha, ha, ha... Don't mind me, big brother. I was a little reckless just now. Flowers are half-opened and wine is slightly intoxicating. I have enjoyed myself to the fullest today. So let's say goodbye..."
The prince shook his head with a wry smile, turned around and told Xiao Zongzi:
"Give the order. Yichuntang is my second brother's property. Send more people to protect it to prevent anyone from causing trouble and using insidious means to ask for the secret recipe. If anything goes wrong with Yichuntang, you will be held responsible. If my second brother comes back, notify me immediately. Oh, and send more people to investigate. Even the identity and background of the young manager of Yichuntang must be found out for me."
"Yes, I know what to do," Xiao Zong responded and walked out.
The prince turned around and told Li Zan:
"I heard that Old Lady Xiao's birthday is coming soon. Brother Li, please arrange for someone to prepare. Since the Xiao family is avoiding us, we will take the opportunity to go and visit them. We must let everyone in Pingyang City know that I will personally go to the old lady's house to celebrate her birthday this year. Brother Li, please stop hiding the relationship between me and the second master. Find a chance to publicize it in Pingyang City. Since the Xiao family can't play chess in secret, we might as well put it in the open. I want to see how the Xiao family will distance themselves from me and dare to flirt with King Yan under such circumstances!"
After hearing the prince's instructions, Li Zan nodded repeatedly, responded quickly, stood up and said goodbye.
…
Mengxi didn't know that her momentary indulgence yesterday had brought Yichuntang a free bodyguard. With the prince's words, her Yichuntang really took root in Pingyang City from then on.
At this moment, she was sitting in front of the dressing mirror, looking pale. Zhiqiu was combing her hair while saying:
"How about I send someone to tell the old lady that Second Madam is not feeling well and won't come over. Seeing you like this makes me feel uncomfortable. Second Madam, please don't do this in the future. Your small body can't stand it. You see, it's like you've had a serious illness."
"The old lady just came back from the palace. Normally, I should go out the second gate to greet her. Now she's at Shouxi Hall. As the granddaughter-in-law, how can I not go? This wine was just something I drank yesterday when I was excited. I felt great when I drank it, but I didn't expect it to have such a strong aftereffect. My body was already hollowed out, so I can't handle it. It seems I have to take good care of myself in the future."
"That's right. When Second Grandma fainted last time, the doctor said that Second Grandma's body was empty and prescribed medicine. But Second Grandma had the medicine thrown away because it tasted bitter."
"Medicine is three-quarters toxic. It takes time to regulate your body. How can you rely on medicine alone? What's more, it's so bitter. It's better to take some time to calm down and slowly make some medicinal food for yourself."
"It's easy for Second Madam to say that. Not to mention that you worry about the affairs of Yichun Hall every day, just look at this mansion and this courtyard. It's so chaotic because of Miss Xiu. Where is there a quiet place? In addition, you have to take care of the old lady and your father-in-law and mother-in-law. You have to wake up early every morning and you don't have a moment to spare. Especially the first wife, she is always thinking about making trouble. How can she be so kind as to let you stay in the east wing to recuperate?"
Mengxi felt depressed after hearing what Zhiqiu said. He sighed and asked casually, "Did Miss Xiu go to the second gate to welcome the old lady and the first lady?"
"I heard from Baozhu that Miss Xiu and her two maids, Bingxin and Yuxin, had been waiting at the second gate early in the morning. As soon as they saw the First Madam, they started to grumble. Who knows, maybe they are doing something bad behind her back? The Second Madam must think of a way to suppress Miss Xiu's arrogance."
"How did Miss Xiu know that the old lady had returned? In such a large courtyard, no one informed us. The maids and servants in the entire Xiaoxiang Courtyard are all deaf. Even Hongzhu didn't know that the old lady had returned?"
"The First Madam's people must have concealed the news, hoping to embarrass the Second Madam so that she would be punished by the Old Madam. If the pillar on the second gate hadn't seen the Old Madam's carriage returning to the mansion and you didn't go out to greet it, he would have sent a message back. We would still be in the dark. In my opinion, apart from the people in the east wing, there is no one else in the Xiao Mansion who is on our side."
As the two were talking, Zhixia came in with a message, saying that the old lady had arrived at Shouxi Hall and had sent someone to ask the second lady to come over and report. Zhiqiu and Mengxi were both stunned when they heard this and looked at each other. Zhiqiu turned around and told Zhixia to go out and send away the old lady's people, and said that the second lady would be there soon.
Mengxi looked at her pale face in the mirror, feeling a little uneasy . She said to Zhiqiu, who was a little flustered:
"I look particularly pale today. It would be bad for others to see me when I go out. I'd better put on some rouge."
"Second Madam, the old lady has just entered the Shouxi Hall and has not even sat down yet, but she has already sent someone to call you over. She must be blaming you, the new granddaughter-in-law, for not going out the second door to greet her. Let's just go over there, so that we can have someone to block the way for us."
After hearing Zhiqiu's words, Mengxi thought for a while, nodded, and stood up. Her feet felt a little weak and she almost fell. Zhiqiu supported her and called Zhichun in. The two of them helped the second grandma change her clothes and supported her out of the east wing. The sedan chair outside had been prepared long ago. Zhiqiu helped the second grandma get on the sedan chair, lowered the curtain, and walked all the way to Shouxi Hall.
Arriving at Shouxi Hall, she asked the maid to pass on a message. After a while, Shihua came out and saw the Second Mistress supporting Zhiqiu standing outside. She hurried forward and said:
"Second Madam is finally here. The old lady is waiting for you in the east wing. The first wife and Miss Xiu are also here. Second Madam, please follow me in."
Mengxi nodded in thanks, and helped Zhiqiu and Shihua to the east wing, which was where the old lady lived. Mengxi had been married for so long, and every time she came to Shouxi Hall, she served in the hall. This was her first time in the wing.
When Shihua entered the room, she looked up and saw that the First Madam and Miss Xiu were both there. There was a green satin cushion on the kang with the old lady reclining on it. Shishu was kneeling on one side, massaging her legs. Miss Xiu was sitting on the other side of the kang, talking to the old lady. There were four chairs on the floor, covered with green satin cushions. The First Madam was sitting on one of the chairs, and Baozhu and Ziyue were standing behind her.
Mengxi walked forward slowly and glanced at the old lady and the first wife, but saw that the old lady was leaning against something. When she saw her come in, she didn't even look up and looked unhappy. When the first wife saw Mengxi come in, her face darkened. She was about to scold her, but suddenly remembered that this was the old lady's house and her mother-in-law was still sitting there. She swallowed the words that were about to come to her mouth and just sat there calmly, waiting for the old lady to make a move. When Miss Xiu saw her cousin's wife come in, she stopped talking and looked at her cousin's wife with a glimmer of gloating in her eyes.
