Chapter 180 – A bowl of medicine (1)
Ning Yuxuan’s eyes finally had a trace of a smile. He pursed his lips and looked at the bowl of medicine. “Your master certainly spent a long time preparing this medicine. Bring it over. Let’s see what it tastes likes. How bitter could it possibly be?”
Dengxin put on a bold face and brought the bowl of medicine over to him.
He picked up the spoon and drank spoonful after spoonful of the medicine until it was completely gone. In the end, the trace of the smile had disappeared and he asked, “I didn’t taste any ginseng or young antler. What’s this medicine for?”
“It’s… for nourishing the body.” Dengxin guiltily answered.
“En.” Ning Yuxuan didn’t think any further about this. He put down the bowl and gestured for Dengxin to leave.
Dengxin ran back to Feiwan Courtyard as if she was fleeing for her life. Once she returned, she quietly asked Nie Sangyu, “Master, nothing bad will happen to the marquis from drinking that medicine, right?”
Ji Man covered her face with her hand and said, “Probably… should be okay. Go and ask Doctor Li for another packet of that medicine, then secretly prepare that medicine for me.”
“Okay.” Dengxin walked two steps away, then she turned back and asked out of curiosity, “Where’s Gancao? Master, she left with you. Why didn’t she come back with you?”
Ji Man pursed her lips, then she retold what had happened to Gancao while they were outside.
Dengxin was shocked and frightened. Ji Man hurriedly comforted her by saying that Young Master was already looking for Gancao.
—
Dengxin still felt a bit worried, so when she went to Doctor Li’s room to get the medicine, she was absent-minded. On the way back, she almost bumped into Danzhu.
“Old sister Dangzhu,” Dengxin hurriedly stopped while holding the medicine.
Danzhu had the same gentle and benevolent personality as her master, Honored Concubine Xue. She didn’t rebuke Dengxin and only smiled at her. “What’s wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?”
“This servant is fetching medicine for my master… and was distracted because this servant was thinking about something.” Dengxin forced herself to return Danzhu’s smile and said, “This servant is going back now.”
“You seemed to be troubled over something, ah.” Danzhu held her hand and softly said, “If there’s anything I can help with, feel free to ask.”
These words were enough to warm anyone’s heart, and Dengxin was also a person that wasn’t good at hiding secrets. She immediately thought that Dengxin was a good person and sat down with her on the side of the covered corridor. Then, she told her about the matter of Gancao’s kidnapping.
Danzhu sighed and said, “This is truly an unexpected and sudden disaster. Poor Gancao. I hope Young Master will be able to find her and bring her back.”
Somehow, the packet of medicine fell out of Dengxin’s hand while they were talking. Danzhu lowered her head, picked up the packet, and put it back in Dengxin’s hand. She said, “It’s not early anymore. You should go back to prepare the medicine. Perhaps, Ganxao has already been found.”
Dengxin didn’t feel any suspicion towards her. Feeling a deep sense of gratitude towards Dangzhu’s wiliness to lend a pair of sympathetic ears, she bid her farewell and returned to Feiwan Courtyard.
—
Wen Wan had returned to Marquis Moyu’s room and was currently looking at the bowl Dengxin had brought over. She used a pair of chopsticks to fiddle with the medicinal dregs at the bottom of the bowl. “I keep thinking that this medicine has a familiar smell. It doesn’t look like an ordinary nourishing soup.”
Ning Yuxuan lightly coughed twice before saying, “If it’s not nourishing soup, then what is it? You can’t possibly think that Sangyu would send me poison to drink, right?”
Hearing how warmly he said Sangyu’s name, Wen Wan’s felt a bad taste in her mouth. Back when he despised Nie Sangyu, he would always refer to her by her surname. But now, he addressed her so intimately.
However, she couldn’t express her true feelings. In the past, her mistake had been showing that she was small-minded. She wouldn’t repeat her previous mistake.
And so, she smiled and said, “Aren’t I just worry about your health? I just wanted to know what this medicine was. Of course, Madam would never do anything to harm you.”
Ning Yuxuan licked his lips. He had also thought that the medicinal soup had tasted a bit weird. However, other than some light coughing, his body was feeling much better. He was already well enough to leave his bed.
And so, he simply got up, put on another layer of clothes, and said, “Let’s go to Feiwan Courtyard and take a look around then.”
Wen Wan’s smile slightly stiffened. “You haven’t recovered from your cold yet. What’s worth going over there to see? Won’t it be fine if I just ask Madam for the prescription?”
“It’s stuffy in this room. I want to go out to get some fresh air.” Ning Yuxuan pulled her hand and started walking out.
Although she wasn’t happy with this result, she could only follow after him. On the entire way there, Wen Wan kept trying to figure out a way to divert Ning Yuxuan’s attention from Nie Sangyu to herself. Although her pretense of getting lost yesterday had successfully gained his worried attention, she didn’t have any new follow-up ideas today. It was so annoying that he wanted to go see that vile woman.
—
Just as Dengxin had finished cooking the medicine and was bringing it over for her master to drink, she heard a voice coming from the courtyard’s entrance. It seem that Marquis Moyu had come.
Startled, Ji Man hurriedly had Dengxin bring the medicine to her. Since she had started this, she had preserve until the end. However, the medicine was too hot, just a sip of it was enough to almost burn her tongue.
“Master!” Dengxin hastily took the medicine away. “You have to wait until the medicine has cooled down a bit before drinking it.”
Ji Man wanted to cry, but she didn’t have tears. This medicine was simply a scourge. If she had known this would happen, she would have decided against drinking this medicine at the beginning. What would she do if someone figured out what this medicine was for?
While Ji Man was feeling anxious, Wen Wan had already led the marquis into the room.
It was rare for Marquis Moyu to be in the leisurely mood to visit her, so it wouldn’t be good for Ji Man to show a sullen expression. She could only smile and ask, “My lord, why are you here?”
As soon as Wen Wan entered the room, she saw the bowl of the medicine on the table. “Eh?! Didn’t you say that the previous bowl was for the marquis? Who are you giving this bowl of medicine too?”
Ji Man said with a smile, “This one is for me. I need to drink something nourishing.”
Ning Yuxuan had walked into the room with an indifferent demeanor. He glanced at the medicine and said, “Why do you need to drink something nourishing? Are you sick?”
“It wouldn’t be considered an illness…” Ji Man resourcefully figured a way out of her emergency situation and said, “My period hasn’t been regular lately. This medicine is to help make it more regular.”
“Really? Why does this servant feel that Madam is looking very guilty right now?” Wen Wan smiled. “It’s bad if you take the wrong medicine. It happens that the residence has a Doctor Liu that has slightly more experience with women’s health problems. This servant will leave right now to fetch him to come here to check on this medicine.”
“You don’t need to trouble yourself with this,” Ji Man said, “This is my medicine. I wouldn’t drink something that’s bad for me.”
However, Wen Wan had moved swiftly and had already gone out the door.