https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-45-Who-Dares-Lay-a-Hand-on-the-Governor-s-People-/12582431/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-47-Who-Does-the-Grand-Commander-Bow-Down-To-/12582433/
Chapter 46: The Treasured Piglet's Body Trembles
Chapter 46: The Treasured Piglet's Body Trembles
At Ting Lan Garden, a physician felt Meng Qianqian's pulse and shook his head, sighing heavily.
He then moved to the adjacent room.
Lu Yuan sat in a chair, sipping tea, with the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard by his side. Seeing the physician approach, the commander inquired, "Zhang, how is she?"
The physician helplessly cupped his hands and replied, "I'm afraid I am powerless in this matter."
A frown creased the commander's brow as he asked, "Is it that serious?"
Lu Yuan casually responded, "Commander Chen, please see the physician out."
Chen, who had been standing by the door, entered the room, picked up Zhang's medical box, and politely said, "Zhang, please."
Zhang bowed to Lu Yuan and then turned to leave.
The commander was incredulous. "But...how...this...oh dear! Just from kneeling...and she's in this state?"
He wasn't sure if he felt more regret or shock.
"Sir, should I...invite the imperial physician?"
To be fair, Zhang's medical skills were not inferior to those of the imperial physician, which was why he was qualified to practice medicine in the governor's mansion.
However, each physician had their own specialties, and some had inherited secret family remedies that might just happen to cure Lu Furen.
But Lu Yuan simply said, "Qing Shuang."
Qing Shuang swiftly entered the room and knelt on one knee. "This subordinate is here."
Lu Yuan's gaze remained on the cup of tea in his hands as he instructed, "Go to Wan Hua Tower."
"Yes!" Qing Shuang acknowledged the order.
The snow fell relentlessly throughout the day, blanketing everything in a pristine white.
The once bustling streets were now deserted, except for the ever-lively Wan Hua Tower, where revelry and indulgence reigned.
The sound of music and laughter filled the main hall as guests were entertained by dancers and musicians.
"Attendant! Prepare a tea set for this young master!"
An elaborately dressed madam, fanning herself with a round fan, climbed the stairs to the second floor, holding a newly acquired gold ingot and a smile on her face.
"The bigger the snowfall, the better the business. All the damn men are the same!" she muttered.
She retracted her smile as she pushed open the door to her room, only to have a long sword pressed against her neck the moment she stepped inside.
Her eyes narrowed, and she smiled coyly, gently pushing away the sword blade with her fingers before turning to face the unexpected visitor. "Well, well. What's this about?"
Qing Shuang stated, "The Grand Governor has ordered me to invite the owner of Wan Hua Tower to the governor's mansion."
She twirled gracefully, her movements full of allure, and sat down in a chair. "What if I refuse to go?"
"Then I'm afraid we'll have to force you."
Qing Shuang took a step forward, placing his left hand's two fingers together to press on her acupoint while simultaneously drawing his right hand to sheath the sword back into its scabbard at his waist without missing a beat!
Then, Qing Shuang hoisted the woman onto his shoulder and leaped out of the window into the silent, snowy night.
When Qing Shuang placed the woman in the chair opposite Lu Yuan, her face had turned green! Qing Shuang released her acupoint.
She glared at Lu Yuan and asked bitterly, "What's the meaning of this, Grand Governor?"
Lu Yuan smiled. "It's been a while, Miss Yan. I hope you are well."
"Pfft!" Miss Yan scoffed, "Cut the act in front of me! Your lackeys almost shut down my Wan Hua Tower the other day, and you're not going to mention that?"
Lu Yuan remained unperturbed by her outburst, his smile as warm as a spring breeze. "It was merely a routine inspection, and I did not wrong Wan Hua Tower. We did find an assassin, after all."
Miss Yan sneered, "Oh? From the sound of it, are you planning to pin the blame on me for harboring spies?"
Lu Yuan's smile remained unchanged as he replied, "Miss Yan, you're overthinking things."
Miss Yan rolled her eyes. "Hmph!"
"The reason I invited you here today—"
"You kidnapped me here!"
Miss Yan interrupted, clearly annoyed.
Lu Yuan continued smiling and didn't bother to argue, choosing instead to get to the point. "—is to ask you to save someone's life."
"No!"
Miss Yan refused without hesitation.
Lu Yuan tapped his fingers on the table.
Qing Shuang picked up a white handkerchief from the table and walked over to Miss Yan to hand it to her.
On the handkerchief lay a silver needle, longer and heavier than the usual kind, with a unique thread pattern on the needle's handle.
Miss Yan's eyes narrowed slightly as she recognized it. "This is..."
Lu Yuan explained, "Miss Yan, haven't you always wanted to obtain the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles of the Chu family? Years ago, Madam Chu used them to kill her husband, Marshal Chu, and then burned down the entire Chu family residence. She took her own life out of guilt, and after that, the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles were lost."
Miss Yan gave Lu Yuan a suspicious look. "Are you saying the person you want me to save is related to the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles?"
Lu Yuan's smile was enigmatic. "Whether there's a connection or not, you'll find out once you save her, won't you?"
Miss Yan laughed. "You think you can trick me into helping with just a needle? I can make these kinds of silver needles myself! I can make as many as you want!"
Lu Yuan remained silent, lifting his teacup to his lips and slowly blowing on the steaming liquid.
Miss Yan glared at him. "Where's the patient?"
Qing Shuang led Miss Yan to the next room, and after a quarter of an hour, she returned.
A cup of hot tea had been placed on the table.
She picked up the cup and took a slow sip before smiling and saying, "Oh my, what a stunning beauty. No wonder the Grand Governor doesn't fancy the girls from Wan Hua Tower. Turns out he has a heavenly beauty hidden away in his mansion."
Lu Yuan smiled and asked, "Can she be saved?"
Miss Yan replied, "This young lady suffers from a cold constitution. She can't tolerate even the slightest cold. Each time she's exposed to it, her condition worsens. The old cold hasn't dissipated, and today she knelt in the snow for so long. She's practically half-dead now. And on top of that, she has repeatedly forced herself to use her strength, causing internal injuries. The cold has invaded her heart meridian. There's no hope... What a waste of such excellent natural talent..."
Lu Yuan casually remarked, "If you can't even cure such a minor illness, then I suppose obtaining the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles won't be of much use to you anyway."
"Don't try to provoke me!"
Miss Yan rolled her eyes, not for the first time that day. "It's not that my medical skills aren't up to par. It's just that for her level of cold constitution, the prescription requires Chi Lingzhi as the main ingredient, supplemented by Mahuang, Guizhi, and Perilla. The treatment involves acupuncture and moxibustion, along with oral medication. Other medicinal ingredients are easy to find, but Chi Lingzhi is extremely rare, and I can't get my hands on it!"
Lu Yuan turned to Qing Shuang and instructed, "Go and get it."
Miss Yan's body trembled slightly, surprised that he had such a thing.
Her eyes darted around the room, and she pointed to a small bun hiding behind the doorframe, eavesdropping. "I'll save the person, but I want to play with this little rascal for two days."
Lu Yuan said, "Three days. I'll give you one extra day."
The treasured piglet, whose body trembled at the treasure: "......!!!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
