Chapter 749 - 751: Saying Dengdeng Caused a Sensation
Jianqi quickly relayed the message that a prince from Chengshui Country had arrived, but exactly which prince was still unknown. The prince had not accompanied the envoy team to Capital City. He had reportedly been held up due to an assassination attempt and would arrive in a few days.
Bai Ruozhu’s eyelids twitched as she asked, "Do you think it could be the sixth prince, Zhou Jue?"
"Not necessarily," Jianqi regretfully expressed. "I wanted to interrogate a representative from Chengshui, but the Capital City is different from other places. I’m afraid of creating a stir."
Bai Ruozhu thought for a moment, then pulled out a bottle of medicine from her sleeve, "Try this tonight, maybe you can extract the truth from them. Be careful and cautious, don’t leave yourself vulnerable."
Jianqi’s eyes lit up. He was aware that his master was skilled in medicine. He wondered what other strengths she possessed that allowed her to escape from Zhou Jue’s clutches.
Soon, Jianqi arranged for someone to carry out the plan while Bai Ruozhu and Dengdeng stayed in a remote location. She vowed not to go out again until the child was fully recovered, except if summoned by the Empress Dowager in the palace.
She had to think of a way to deal with the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet, it could potentially become a huge problem.
Later that night, Dengdeng wet his diaper and Bai Ruozhu got up to change it. After tossing the wet diaper into a basin by the door, she heard Jianqi whisper quietly from outside, "Master, I have an urgent matter to report."
Bai Ruozhu’s eyelid twitched at his words. Jianqi usually never sought her out late at night. She quickly responded, "Go ahead."
"We didn’t get any information about the prince of Chengshui Country. It seems that this envoy may not be the core of Chengshui’s delegation after all. However, he mentioned that the envoy team had arranged something and had already been in touch with a high-ranking person in the palace, ready to make their move," Jianqi’s voice was soft and faint, and Bai Ruozhu realized that he was using a secret communication method to speak with her. This pointed to the gravity of the situation at hand.
She was immediately filled with regret. She shouldn’t have given Jianqi that medicine to interrogate the Chengshui pathway, what she discovered was a larger and more dangerous conspiracy. She just wanted to grow crops and make money, not get involved with palace politics.
But could she just pretend to know nothing? And who was the high-ranking person in the palace who was colluding with the enemy?
"Master, what should we do?" Jianqi asked.
Bai Ruozhu frowned, "Is anyone else aware of this?"
Jianqi hurriedly replied, "I infiltrated the embassy and questioned them alone. No one else knows about this."
Bai Ruozhu stared at him, asking, "Will you report this to my master?"
Jianqi’s expression turned grim as he defended anxiously, "Since the old master gave us to you, we should act according to your will. We won’t violate your orders."
"Remember what you said today. This issue implicates too many. I don’t want more people to know. We can only stay put for now. We are not in a position to interfere with these matters," Bai Ruozhu said seriously with an icy glare.
Jianqi stood straight, his back taut, "Yes."
Bai Ruozhu returned to her room to sleep, but she was unable to close her eyes all night. Her head was swirling with thoughts. Did someone in the palace plan an assassination on the emperor in collaboration with Chengshui Country, or was it to usurp the throne? The most likely to usurp the throne was Prince Duan, wasn’t it? But he was far away in the northwest now. Who in the palace was conspiring with Chengshui Country? Was it Prince Duan’s people? Or was it a major spy from Chengshui Country in Danliang’s Imperial Palace?
Bai Ruozhu let out a sigh of regret. If only the envoy had known more, then maybe they could’ve learned more details.
It was only when dawn broke that she began to feel somewhat sleepy. She decided to rest a little with her eyes closed. With Dengdeng awake and La Mei watching, she called La Mei into the room and fell asleep. When she woke up again, it was already noon.
Dengdeng was happily playing nearby and Bai Ruozhu smiled at him, but her brow furrowed gradually.
Isn’t it that when a child has roseola, the rash will gradually fade after a few days? Counting the days, Dengdeng’s rash should have faded by now. Yesterday, there were signs that his red rash was fading. Why does it seem like it didn’t continue to fade today?
Bai Ruozhu quickly took the child’s pulse and found that everything was normal. She breathed a sigh of relief and laughed at herself for being too nervous. The speed at which the rash would disappear varied from person to person. Perhaps Dengdeng’s red rash would completely fade tomorrow.
La Mei served Bai Ruozhu by bringing water for her to wash, then brought four plates of light dishes, and a bowl of millet porridge for Dengdeng. Although Bai Ruozhu was a foodie, she preferred to keep things simple when she was outside.
She held Dengdeng and fed him millet porridge. Dengdeng ate less than half a bowl, so Bai Ruozhu instructed La Mei not to force Dengdeng to eat more. He has not had a good digestion these days, and forcing him to eat more might get him more upset.
While La Mei was nodding her head, a servant’s voice came from outside saying, "Miss Bai, Lady Jiang asks for an audience. She heard that the young master is ill and has sent over some medicinal materials and tonics."
Bai Ruozhu had a bad impression of the Jiang Family, especially this Lady Jiang. She said directly, "It’s kind of her, just leave the things and let her leave, so as not to infect her when the child is recovering."
The servant went out to relay the message. He served in the mansion that the Commerce Association provided for Bai Ruozhu. His eloquence is quite sharp.
"Lady Jiang, Miss Bai appreciates your kindness. But the child is ill and won’t be able to receive you; she doesn’t want to pass on the illness to you."
Upon hearing this, Lady Jiang’s eyes rolled around and she asked, "Has my poor nephew’s condition improved? What’s his condition like?"
"It seems pretty serious. I saw La Mei holding the child yesterday, and there was a red rash on the child’s face. Alas, it’s probably because he’s not acclimated to the environment. I hope the child will get better soon." The servant said with some emotion.
"Red rash? Is it smallpox? My God, it’s contagious!" Lady Jiang said, and turned around and walked away as if avoiding the plague.
The servant couldn’t help but spit, muttering, "She’s been asking everyday, saying she cared about the mother and son. Turns out it was all fake."
Bai Ruozhu was unaware of this incident until late in the afternoon when Lin Zhenghui rushed over hurriedly and said, "Ruozhu, Dengdeng doesn’t have smallpox, does he? Why are people outside saying that he has smallpox and that you knew about it and did not report it, and still visited the Empress Dowager after contact with the sick child? Your intention is clearly ill."
Bai Ruozhu thought of Lady Jiang who came today and said coldly, "Master, does Dengdeng look like he has smallpox? When Dengdeng’s rash fades away in a day or two, I’ll take him out for a stroll. The rumors will naturally be dispelled."
"I also know it’s not but, all those strange rumors, what’s really going on?" Lin Zhenghui asked.
"Lady Jiang came at noon today, saying she heard that the child was ill and brought medicinal materials and tonics. We have to ask the servants of this mansion." Bai Ruozhu replied with an unhappy face.
The servant was soon brought over. He dutifully explained that Lady Jiang had mentioned to him that she was a relative of Bai Ruozhu’s but there had been some misunderstandings between them, so she wanted to show more concern for Bai Ruozhu now. Furthermore, she had learned about Dengdeng’s illness from the servant as well.
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Last night, Mouka had another two nosebleeds, and then felt dizzy and wanted to sleep a bit. Accidentally, he slept until almost 12 o’clock. In the morning, he was also lethargic and planned to go to the hospital tomorrow. Ugh, this time I owe even more. I’m three Chapters down from yesterday, making it 14 Chapters in total. It’s not good being in debt...
Here is a recommendation for a book titled "Bursting Pet: Wolf King, You’re Annoying" by my good friend Shiba Ye. It’s been recommended on all platforms, let’s go and check it out~
Synopsis: Before getting married, Ye Xiaoxiao was considered by the young ladies in the Capital City as the most typical bad example. After getting married, she transformed into a virtuous model in the eyes of the common people.
Ye Xiaoxiao: If others slight me, cheat me, slander me, bully me, laugh at me, envy me, insult me, harm me, then I will beat them, beat them, and beat them hard!
Wolf King: Let me rule the world and protect your innocence, okay?