Supplement Prepared by the Madam
But as the two reached the winding corridor and before they could leave the courtyard, a servant girl quickly rushed over towards them. Seeing Jin Zhen, she let out a sigh and greeted her: “It’s good that I made it.” Then, seeing that granny Sun was also present, she pulled Jin Zhen to the side.
If granny Sun had been present when the medicine was delivered, then she would recognize her at present. This was the servant girl who worked in the guest courtyard and took care of the court physician. It was also this girl that brought the cup of aphrodisiac to Willow courtyard.
Jin Zhen was obviously not unfamiliar with this girl. Seeing that this girl was presently looking for her, her heart skipped a beat, “Did something happen?”
The girl tilted her body and blocked granny Sun’s line of sight. Only then, did she pull something out from her waist and passed it to Jin Zhen: “Just now, someone placed this in front of the doctor’s door. Doctor Xu told me to deliver it to you. Could you please help figure out if something has happened?”
Jin Zhen received it. Although the thing was wrapped in a white cloth, her heart began to beat heavily. She knew it was something bad.
She quickly removed the cloth and looked at it. Her head exploded with a “boom” sound- it was her shoe.
But it was only one shoe!
“Who sent this?” She asked with a quivering voice. Her face went from a rosy lustre to a pale white, as she clasped the shoe in her hands so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
“I do not know.” The girl shook her head, “It was placed in front of sir Xu’s door. We asked all of the servants around, but none saw any strangers enter.”
Jin Zhen took a few deep breaths and put the shoe in her sleeve. She patted the girl, “Quickly return. Tell the doctor that I have received his message and that he should not worry.” She then turned around and pulled granny Sun. Her words carried a sense of urgency, but her tone was much kinder than before: “Granny, let’s walk faster. We shouldn’t make the second young miss wait too long.”
Granny Sun did not know what happened, but she saw the girl who came over to speak had run away. As for Jin Zhen, she practically trotted the whole way to Willow courtyard. There were a few times where she wanted to slow down, as her old body could not handle running like this. But Jin Zhen moved as though the house were on fire and completely ignored her.
When they finally reached Willow courtyard, granny Sun held the entrance for support, as she gasped for air! That Jin Zhen lifted her skirt slightly and directly rushed inside. Only when she reached the door to Feng Yu Heng’s room, did she stop and yell: “Second young miss! Servant Jin Zhen requests to meet second young miss!”
There was no reaction from inside for quite a while.
Jin Zhen banged on the door a few more times to no avail, so she turned and ran towards the other main room.
That room was the one Feng Zi Rui lived in. When Jin Zhen entered the room, she saw an empty cup on the table. The cup still had a few drops of medicine remaining.
She immediately drew a blank, as she continued to stare at that cup. She then looked towards Feng Zi Rui, who lay on the bed. It was then that she felt her leg begin to cramp up.
“Oh!” Huang Quan, who was attending to Zi Rui, turned her head and cruelly looked at Jin Zhen, “Isn’t this the head wife’s Jin Zhen girl? Why are you standing there?”
Jin Zhen just felt that her heart was about to leap in to her throat, as she pointedly asked: “Where is the second young miss?”
“The young miss has become tired from taking care of young master. She is resting in her own room.”
“I will go look for her.” Jin Zhen did not care for anything else Huang Quan had to say. She turned and headed back to Feng Yu Heng’s door. Pondering her next course of action, she decided she may as well kneel. She continued to bang on the door and call out: “Second young miss, requesting the second young miss meet with Jin Zhen. The medicine sent to the second young master was the wrong one. It really was the wrong one!”
The door squeaked open, and Wang Chuan appeared behind Feng Yu Heng, who stood before her. With her brows furrowed, she asked: “Hm? The medicine was prepared personally by doctor Xu, how could it be wrong? Furthermore, if the medicine was the wrong one, then it should be that servant girl from the guest courtyard who came to beg forgiveness. Jin Zhen girl, what are you doing? Quickly stand up, the ground is cold.”
She reached out and helped her up. Jin Zhen instantly drew a blank.
That’s right! She had been too rash. Seeing the shoe, she assumed that matter had been exposed. Especially since the shoe had appeared in front of the doctor’s door at such a critical juncture. She was certain that this matter had been exposed by this second young miss.
From the moment she lost her shoes that night, she had never once been able to relax. She was always pondering whose hands that pair of shoes had fallen in to and where and when they would turn up again. Now, she finally saw signs of an answer, but it was the result she wanted to see the least. Even more… the other party still had the other shoe.
But how should she respond now? The medicine was not delivered by her, but the guilt was hastily admitted to by her. Jin Zhen knelt before Feng Yu Heng, shocking her for a moment.
Feng Yu Heng curled her lips and snorted. This was called taking advantage of unrest. The thing she exploited was Jin Zhen’s unrest.
In delivering the shoe to doctor Xu’s door, and with him suffering from a guilty conscience, he would definitely think of the happenings of today. Even if concubine mother Han’s paper slip did not mention it, she still understood. There was no possibility that Chen shi could directly speak to this doctor, so Jin Zhen just happened to be a link the two parties. The shoe in doctor Xu’s possession would eventually end up in Jin Zhen’s hands. Jin Zhen, fearing that her outings with Li Zhu would be exposed, had to retrieve that devious medicine in order to beg forgiveness.
“Doctor Xu’s servant is truly too careless.” Feng Yu Heng helped her justify herself, “But since mother told Jin Zhen girl to watch take care of the prescription, naturally it would be this girl who helps more seriously with the second young master’s illness. Even the medicine that was sent was wrong. Jin Zhen girl, this can not be considered a job well done.”
Jin Zhen bowed her head and shakily plead guilty: “It was this servant’s negligence. I did not go to the guest courtyard to oversee the process. I don’t know… did the second young master drink that medicine?”
She raised her head, looking hopefully towards Feng Yu Heng. She hoped even harder that the empty cup in the room next door did not have that medicine!
“He did not drink it.” Feng Yu Heng truly gave her hope. Seeing that Jin Zhen let out a long sigh, she added: “The medicine is still here. Jin Zhen, quickly bring this medicine over to father.”
“Huh?” Jin Zhen yelled loudly: “Sen-send it to who?”
Feng Yu Heng faked a surprised appearance: “Of course it’s to father!” She tilted her head blushing, “I also have some medical knowledge. This medicine must be something mother requested from doctor Xu for father. Quickly send this to father.”
“N-n-no, that’s not right.” Jin Zhen repeatedly shook her head, “It’s not for master.”
Feng Yu Heng looked even more surprised: “How is that possible? What nonsense are you spouting. If this isn’t for father, then who else in this manor can drink it?”
Jin Zhen felt her legs tremble as she knelt. She felt that no matter what words came out of her mouth, she was trapped. She pondered for a long time and spoke through gritted teeth: “It must be the doctor who prepared it for himself.”
Feng Yu Heng raised her eyebrows and walked away, pulling Wang Chuan with her: “Then I need to go ask doctor Xu what it is he intended to here in this manor do after drinking the medicine.”
“You can not ask! Second young miss, please wait!” Jin Zhen turned around and crawled a few steps. Grabbing on to the hem of Feng Yu Heng’s dress, she begged, “Second young miss, please wait!” She could not allow Feng Yu Heng to go ask. Once she did, doctor Xu would definitely give her up. Although this matter was orchestrated by the head wife, communication with the doctor had always been through her. The head wife definitely would not come out and admit to any wrong doing, and even if she did, she was the head wife. What could the Feng family do to her? In the end, wouldn’t her anger be vented on her body. Jin Zhen continued to ponder. Her eyes spinning, she finally spoke: “This servant will send it! This medicine is indeed for the master. It was mistakenly sent to the second young master’s side. Would the second young miss please forgive. This servant will immediately deliver this to the master.”
After finishing speaking, Jin Zhen stood up wanting to receive the medicine in Wang Chuan’s hands.
So long as it entered her possession, she just empty it somewhere along the way.
Unfortunately, how could Wang Chuan go along with her intentions. Jin Zhen did not see clearly when the other side had moved, but Wang Chuan was now only five steps away from her.
“Jin Zhen girl, I will accompany you! You are the head wife’s first rate maid servant. Willow courtyard is far away, so leaving something like carrying a tray is best left to me.”
Jin Zhen panicked: “No need, no need. I can carry it myself.”
“I still think taking Wang Chuan with you is best.” Feng Yu Heng spoke up, “Father’s medicine is very important to him. I am really worried.” After she finished speaking, she did not even glance at Jin Zhen. Instead, she just waved her hand, turned and went back in to her room.
Jin Zhen heard the door close, her heart wanted to leap out of her throat.
“Jin Zhen girl, please lead the way.” Wang Chuan glanced at Jin Zhen then set off. Jin Zhen was helpless and could only obediently follow.
Along the way, Jin Zhen lost track of how many times she thought about that medicine. Sadly, that Wang Chuan moved as if she were on skates. How many times would she think about reaching out for Wang Chuan’s clothes, but as she remained in a daze, Wang Chuan continued to advance.
Feng Jin Yuan had just returned to the manor and was in Pine courtyard. This was what Wang Chuan had ascertained from asking the servants en route. At the same time, she also determined the path to Pine courtyard, successfully preventing Jin Zhen from leading her down the wrong path.
Arriving at Pine courtyard, Jin Zhen was about to collapse. No matter what was said, she did not wish to enter.
Not long after, a servant came out. Seeing Wang Chuan, he felt a little unfamiliar, but seeing Jin Zhen, they immediately reacted: “Oh, isn’t it Jin Zhen girl? Could it be that the madam has something to discuss with master?”
Wang Chuan proactively spoke up and responded for Jin Zhen: “The head wife has prepared a nutritional supplement for the master. Jin Zhen girl and I came to deliver it.”
The servant did not feel it odd, as the head wife and concubine mothers often sent supplements to Pine courtyard. It would often happen twice a day.
He turned his body and gestured for them to enter then led them in to Pine courtyard. He then led them to the study where Feng Jin Yuan was.
“Girls please wait. I will go report to the master first.”
The servant entered the study and returned not long after. Gesturing for them to enter the study, he alone stayed outside to keep watch.
Feng Jin Yuan had originally heard the servant say that it was the head wife that sent the supplements, so seeing Jin Zhen was not odd; however, when he saw Wang Chuan, his brows furrowed.
He recalled very clearly that this was a servant sent by Prince Yu’s contingent to Feng Yu Heng yesterday. Why was there a servant of Willow courtyard walking with Jin Zhen?
Wang Chuan was from Prince Yu’s contingent, so she naturally understood the rules. Last time, when she saw the master of Feng manor, she knelt regardless of how she felt. Her face respectful, she spoke: “Servant Wang Chuan greets the master.”
Feng Jin Yuan nodded, “You’re called Wang Chuan?” What a unique name.
“Responding to master, that is correct.”
“Hm.” Feng Jin Yuan was not certain how he should speak to Wang Chuan. With just Feng Yu Heng he already felt overwhelmed, but now a maidservant from Prince Yu’s contingent appeared as well. Who knew how the unreasonable ninth prince would teach them.
Seeing that he did not have anything to say, Wang Chuang took the initiative to speak: “Master, this is a supplement prepared for you by the head wife.”
Feng Jin Yuan felt there was something to talk about, “The supplement prepared by the head wife was carried here by you?” He glanced again at Jin Zhen, “What is happening here?”
Jin Zhen felt her tongue become hard and did not dare raise her head to look at Feng Jin Yuan.