Chapter 841 - 843 Lost a Person_1
"You, you’re just assuming the worst of me," Dang Youshen strained to say.
Bai Ruozhu lifted the corners of her lips indifferently and said, "Isn’t there a saying that women and villains are the hardest to raise? So what if I am of a villainous heart? I’m neither a military doctor nor an Imperial Doctor. I dare not prescribe medicine recklessly—I can’t shoulder that responsibility."
"But you’ve prescribed medicine for all the people on the ship," Dang Youshen said, not convinced.
"That’s because everyone trusts me, and I feel confident prescribing for them. As for you, Master Dang, stick to your own family’s medicine. I’m sure it’s all good stuff, and I wouldn’t dare to embarrass myself," Bai Ruozhu said with a smile.
Immediately, someone chimed in: "Right, we trust Madame Jiang!"
"Yes, we trust her!"
Dang Youshen was so angered he couldn’t get his words out and just pointed at Bai Ruozhu, stuttering "you, you" for a long time until someone went over to stop him. Another gave him a shove and said gruffly, "Show some respect to Madame Jiang, or else we’ll throw you into the river!"
The soldiers of the Northwest Main Camp were indeed fierce; many had killed numerous enemies on the battlefield and carried with them an air of bloodlust and ferocity. Such a threat frightened Dang Youshen, making his calves tremble, and in the end, he could only return to the ship cabin with his tail between his legs.
Afterward, his throat felt so uncomfortable that he went off to find Jiang Yichun and even lodged a complaint against him.
"Officer Jiang, today soldiers on the boat threatened to throw me into the river, and your wife wouldn’t treat my illness. Aren’t you afraid people will say she’s petty and it will affect your reputation?" Dang Youshen struggled to speak as his voice became even hoarser.
Jiang Yichun couldn’t help but frown—it was the kind of voice that made people want to dig at their ears.
"Oh? The soldiers of the Northwest Main Camp may be tough, but they’re not unreasonable. Perhaps Master Dang provoked them. As for my wife, that’s my family affair, and it’s not your place to worry," Jiang Yichun’s voice grew colder, and by the end, it carried a chilling edge.
Dang Youshen couldn’t help shivering. Why were both members of the Jiang couple so difficult to deal with? The woman wasn’t afraid of being called petty and lacking grace, and the man didn’t care about his reputation. What a pair of fools!
In reality, he didn’t realize that to others, his words were as insignificant as a fart—who exactly was the fool?
That afternoon, the boat stopped at the pier of Xiashui City due to its itinerary, but since they were pressed for time, it would set sail again that evening. This few hours’ stay was meant for replenishing the boat’s supplies.
Feeling cooped up on the boat, the folks from the Beiyu Study Palace suggested they take a walk ashore and promised to return within four hours.
Jiang Yichun, seeing that it was the head of the Academy who made the suggestion, agreed and even dispatched a team of twenty to protect them.
Bai Ruozhu, holding Dengdeng, also disembarked. Staying on the boat this long made her feel like she was swaying naturally. Tu Ying, as if set free, dragged her to wander through the city. Bai Ruozhu thought that since Jiang Yichun was still busy organizing the troops and checking for venomous snakes, she might as well accompany Tu Ying for a walk, especially with so many dark guards around.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yichun had no objections. Besides Bai Ruozhu’s dark guards, he also made sure Chinfeng and Muyu followed, and with Tu Ying there, there shouldn’t be any problems.
Bai Ruozhu and Tu Ying strolled around, bought some specialty snacks from Xiashui City, and then indulged in a lovely meal at a restaurant. The food on the boat was limited and only so-so, leaving both women feeling quite frustrated.
After eating, Bai Ruozhu visited the Commerce Association, where she indeed found a letter from her master. It said that the matter of brand taxes was nearly settled and would soon be implemented. Unfortunately, someone else had taken credit for her brilliant idea.
The letter didn’t mention who had taken the credit, but Bai Ruozhu wasn’t too concerned. She had made her presence known at the Commerce Association because of her suggestion, and that was enough for now; she would take her time with future matters.
She asked the manager for some paper and pen and quickly wrote a reply to Lin Zhenghui. The contents weren’t important—just instructions for Lin Zhenghui to make sure to register the trademark for Hua Xiangrong.
Seeing that the time was nearly due, Bai Ruozhu bought Dengdeng a few novelties and then returned to the ship.
But after a long wait, there was still no sign of anyone from the Beiyu Study Palace, even when the designated time had passed. By all accounts, the headmaster was not someone known for being late, was he?
Finally, a soldier came back with news, saying to Jiang Yichun, "Sir, a student from the Study Palace is missing. The headmaster and others are searching for them, which has caused a delay."
Bai Ruozhu’s heart tightened upon hearing this, and she hastily asked, "Which student is missing?"
"Responding to the madam, it is a student named Du Xueru," the soldier reported.
Bai Ruozhu breathed a sigh of relief, thankful it wasn’t her second brother, but she quickly felt a bit embarrassed. Her overly obvious expression of relief was perhaps too conspicuous.
Jiang Yichun, with a cold expression, said, "You go tell the headmaster to have everyone return immediately to the ship. I will send people to continue the search for Du Xueru. They need not look for him, lest we fail to find Du Xueru and lose someone else in the process."
"Yes, sir," the soldier responded promptly and hurried away.
Jiang Yichun deployed two small squads, each consisting of twenty men. He instructed them to split into groups of ten and search the city from all four directions. Xiashui City was not that large; he couldn’t believe a person could just vanish into thin air.
He then sent the deputy officer with his token to notify the local officials, as their help might be necessary for a thorough door-to-door search if needed.
Soon, the soldiers sprang into action, and in a short while, the headmaster and his group returned safely, though everyone was downcast and the headmaster’s face was etched with concern.
"Headmaster, rest assured, I have already arranged a search," Jiang Yichun said.
The headmaster bowed to Jiang Yichun, "I have caused you trouble, sir. It was my fault for leading them astray."
"Now is not the time to assign blame. I will find the person. You all go back to the ship and wait there; no one else should leave the ship," Jiang Yichun instructed before nodding to the headmaster with clasped hands, and then rode off on his horse.
Bai Ruozhu, taking Tu Ying by the hand, also boarded the ship. Tu Ying, however, seemed eager to help, saying, "Why don’t I join the search? The more people we have looking, the faster we might find him, and we won’t delay the trip."
"Don’t act recklessly; if you get lost, when the ship departs, you’ll have no choice but to head back to Beiyu City," Bai Ruozhu warned.
Tu Ying shrank back a bit, "Then I’ll stick with you. After all, Sir Jiang won’t leave you behind, no matter what."
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but laugh; Tu Ying really had a way with words.
She held Dengdeng and, with Tu Ying, went to find her second brother and the others. Tu Ying felt somewhat embarrassed upon seeing Bai Zepei, but Bai Ruozhu immediately brought up the urgent matter at hand, and Tu Ying’s awkwardness was quickly washed away.
"Second brother, is Du Xueru a key member? Has he had any conflicts with anyone usually?" Bai Ruozhu asked.
"Are you suspecting that there’s an issue within the Study Palace?" Bai Zepei looked up at his sister and reached out to hold Dengdeng in his arms.
"Think about it. With twenty soldiers accompanying us and more than twenty people from the Study Palace, how could someone just disappear? There must be a saboteur among us; otherwise, how can a living person just vanish into thin air?" Bai Ruozhu said.