Chapter 917 - 919 Achun’s Whereabouts_1
Bai Zepei felt a slight discomfort in his heart, not because Fang Guizhi once had an interest in him, and now she had developed feelings for Qin Kaichang that made him uneasy, but because he was displeased that Qin Kaichang hadn’t given him a heads-up.
Although Guizhi was not his biological sister, she was still his sworn sister. A friend of his was interested in his sister, so shouldn’t he have at least mentioned it to him, the brother? Just like Jiang Yichun had done before, he agreed with Jiang Yichun and Bai Ruozhu being together, but Qin Kaichang didn’t reveal anything at all. What was this supposed to mean? Were the two secretly exchanging favors without anyone knowing?
Bai Ruozhu knew, which meant Guizhi had told her, but Qin Kaichang hadn’t given away the slightest hint. Did he truly plan to marry Guizhi in the future?
"He hasn’t mentioned it, why didn’t he come to our house to propose?" Bai Zepei asked in a low voice.
"They say he wants to pass the examination for an official position first," said Bai Ruozhu.
Bai Zepei hummed in response, no longer discussing the subject, and then returned to his room to take care of Qin Kaichang.
Bai Ruozhu turned and went to the kitchen, where Fang Guizhi was squatting next to a small stove, watching the medicine soup, her eyes red and smeared with some soot on her face.
When the chief kitchen maid saw Bai Ruozhu arrive, she whispered, "Miss, we said we would help watch over the second miss, but she flatly refused."
The kitchen maid was afraid that Bai Ruozhu would blame them for slacking off. Bai Ruozhu waved her hand, "It’s alright, you all go busy yourselves. The preparation for this medicine is different, so the second miss has to watch it, lest the medicine loses its efficacy."
Hearing this, the kitchen maids all breathed a sigh of relief and busied themselves with their tasks.
Now that the Bai Family had more servants, many things didn’t require the attention of the family members, which is why the kitchen maids found Fang Guizhi’s behavior quite strange.
Bai Ruozhu squatted down next to Fang Guizhi, watching the medicine pot with her. Fang Guizhi realized her presence and quickly turned her head to look at her, asking, "Ruozhu, why are you here? Go rest, I can take care of this."
"I’m not worried about the medicine, I’m worried about you," Bai Ruozhu said with a sigh, "I understand how you feel, but Qin Kaichang is not incurable. You need to be strong and not lose sight of propriety. Also, about today’s incident, you should find a chance to explain it to father and mother as well."
Fang Guizhi’s face turned red; she thought Qin Kaichang was dying and had thrown all caution to the wind at that moment.
"I won’t be impulsive anymore. After I finish cooking the medicine, I’ll talk to my godparents," Guizhi said, biting her lip, which had turned a bit pale and was now slightly swollen from the bite, signaling her owner’s internal conflict.
Bai Ruozhu inwardly shook her head and probed, "What if I don’t really approve of you being with Qin Kaichang?"
Fang Guizhi’s head shot up, her face full of panic as she looked at Bai Ruozhu and asked, "Why? Is it because his injuries can’t be healed? Or is it that he can’t recover before the Rural Examination?"
"No, he should be able to get better soon. I was just asking." Seeing Fang Guizhi’s reaction, Bai Ruozhu already knew the answer; once a woman’s heart is involved, it’s very hard for her to turn back.
"Ruozhu, don’t keep things from me, why are you suddenly asking this?" Guizhi asked with concern.
Bai Ruozhu shook her head, perhaps it was just speculation.
After Bai Ruozhu left, Fang Guizhi continued to make the medicine somewhat distractedly. After the medicine was prepared, she brought it to her second brother’s room, told him, and then left, feeling exceptionally awkward in front of Bai Zepei.
Afterwards, she went to the main hall and explained the situation in a few words to Bai Yihong and Lin Ping’er. Both of them were very understanding, comforting her not to worry too much, without uttering a single word of complaint.
In the afternoon, Bai Ruozhu bid farewell to her family and went to the yard next door to detoxify Chu Hai. The day she returned, she had arranged for Diao Yao and Chu Hai to stay in the adjacent yard, which was full of practicing guards, hence it was a bit noisy during the day.
Even though the people of the Bai family’s yard knew that Bai Ruozhu was going to detoxify Chu Hai, when Chu Hai screamed in agony, everyone was startled. It was Bai Zepei who reassured the family not to worry, explaining that the poison Chu Hai was suffering from was extremely potent, and that the detoxification process would be very painful.
"Er Lang, why did that good boy Chu Hai insist on testing the poison himself? There wouldn’t be such trouble otherwise. Just listen to how terribly he’s screaming, the pain must be immense," Lin Ping’er couldn’t help but exclaim.
"Mother, his mother was poisoned and fell into a coma because of someone’s evil deeds. He wanted to find a way to detoxify her, that’s why he tested the poison on himself," Bai Zepei explained simply.
Lin Ping’er and Bai Yihong immediately saw the cold and distant young man Chu Hai in a different light, praising his filial piety. They even suggested that he and Diao Yao should come over for a meal the next day.
Bai Zepei glanced at his father and said indifferently, "Aren’t you all worried about Jiang Yichun getting jealous?"
The smiles on Lin Ping’er and Bai Yihong’s faces froze, and the subject of inviting Chu Hai for a meal was immediately dropped. Of course, their own son-in-law was of greater importance.
But with Jiang Yichun’s name brought up, Bai Yihong became worried again, saying, "I don’t know when your brother-in-law will be able to finish his mission and return."
Bai Zepei’s gaze darkened slightly. If Jiang Yichun didn’t complete his mission well this time, not only would he be in danger, but Beiyu City itself would be in jeopardy.
Once Bai Ruozhu had finished detoxifying Chu Hai and tidied up, she saw that the morning wind had returned. She quickly bade farewell to Diao Yao and led her people out of the rented yard.
"How is it? Is there any news of Achun?" Bai Ruozhu asked impatiently.
"The master has gone to Xuantian Mountain. Please rest assured and wait at home," the morning wind said in a low voice.
Bai Ruozhu was stunned. Why had he gone to Xuantian Mountain? Because his last mission at the Bureau of Communication was unsuccessful, was the cooperation with the Bureau to eradicate Batianzhai now resumed on the agenda?
She shook her head secretly. No, Wu Yunfeng wasn’t such an irresponsible person. With Prince Duan possibly rebelling at any moment, there was no chance for another matter to disperse their troops. This likely meant that Prince Duan was connected to Batianzhai, and possibly even in cahoots with the Turkic Country.
With this in mind, Bai Ruozhu felt Beiyu City was no longer a safe place to stay. She wanted to find a reason to take her family to the capital, but believed that as long as it’s under the heavens, it’s the emperor’s land. If Prince Duan’s rebellion were to indeed cause widespread chaos, heading to the capital wouldn’t necessarily be safe.
But at least knowing Jiang Yichun’s current location gave her some peace of mind. He could mobilize the troops of the Northwest Main Camp, and without a spy like Li Yi to sabotage them, eradicating Batianzhai shouldn’t be too difficult or dangerous.
Before long, it was the next day. Bai Ruozhu took some gifts she had brought back from Jiangnan, boarded a horse carriage, and went to the Meng Residence to visit the old lady. On the way, she grew somewhat bored and lifted the carriage curtain to look outside, immediately spotting a familiar person.
It was the soldier who had some conflict with Qin Kaichang on the boat and called Qin a "fool." Bai Ruozhu thought for a moment and remembered his name was Zhang Dazhu.
The rather burly Zhang Dazhu, alongside his companion, was carrying a load dressed in common people’s clothes. He had just noticed Bai Ruozhu and his face immediately lit up with joy, but as he opened his mouth, he quickly looked away, pretending not to see Bai Ruozhu...