Chapter 997 - 999: Rescued and Teased_1
Bai Fu would have liked nothing more than to rescue Bai Yibo through the intervention of Old Master Bo immediately; he had no objections, and Bai Lu also wanted to see his mother’s relatives and agreed with a nod.
Liu Family’s matriarch rolled her eyes and said, "With someone to accompany the second master, I should accompany my family’s eldest master."
This way of addressing was something she learned from Bo Zheng; she felt it was exceptionally majestic in her heart.
Bai Ruozhu hurriedly took her arm and said, "Grandmother, Old Master wants to see the descendants of great-grandmother; you have no blood relation, so why join in the excitement? You’d better hurry back with me to check out our accommodations. That way, you can pick out a yard you like and settle in sooner."
Liu Family’s matriarch thought it over and decided that securing her territory was most important. What if, just as Bai Ruozhu had said, Old Master Bo didn’t welcome her, an outsider at all? Wouldn’t she be at a great loss then?
With this thought, Liu Family’s matriarch shook off Bai Ruozhu’s hand. "I can stand fine on my own. Don’t be so falsely solicitous."
Bai Ruozhu paid no attention to her and bowed to Bo Zheng and the others before getting back into the horse carriage.
Lin Ping’er held Dengdeng, who had a look of dissatisfaction, and snorted coldly, saying, "You just wait; that old lady will still have to put on an act for half a day once she gets back. Really, she can’t speak nicely."
Bai Zepei was with them in the same carriage and was rather calm, "Mother, there’s no need to worry with little sister here."
Bai Ruozhu gave him a big eye roll. What was he implying, that she was a fighter?
The horse carriage headed towards the yard set up for them in the Capital City, and it wasn’t long before it slowed down due to a commotion up ahead.
Bai Ruozhu lifted the carriage curtain and looked out, asking Jianqi outside, "What’s happened?"
"Master, two horse carriages ahead have collided by accident, and the families are arguing, blocking the road. Do you want your subordinate to go and urge them to make way?" Jianqi asked.
"No need. We’re new here, it’s better to have less trouble than more," Bai Ruozhu said.
After saying that, she waited patiently. Before long, she had heard enough of the two sides’ conversation to get the gist of it.
One party was the son of the Capital City’s prefect, Fan Siniang, and the other was King Rui’s cousin, Yang Hongwen—both hot-blooded young men, neither willing to give in. The servants of both families were also quite formidable, and it looked as though a fight was about to break out.
Bai Ruozhu also noticed that King Rui’s cousin Yang Hongwen’s coachman had suffered a leg injury, which seemed quite deep, and was bleeding profusely. No one paid him any attention, and Yang Hongwen had not even sent for a doctor.
Bai Ruozhu felt a surge of anger. Wasn’t a coachman human? How could they disregard his life like that? With the coachman bleeding like this, he would definitely lose too much blood, and he might miss the window for treatment, leaving his leg with problems later on.
"Father, mother, I’m going to take a look at the injured man," said Bai Ruozhu, announcing her intention to leave the carriage.
Lin Ping’er and Bai Yihong, both kind-hearted, also saw that the man had lost a lot of blood and immediately agreed, only instructing Bai Ruozhu to be careful.
Bai Ruozhu approached the coachman and said, "I am a student of medicine; let me have a look at your wound."
The coachman, having lost too much blood, had turned somewhat pale and, sitting on the ground, was about to faint when finally someone came to inquire after him. Grateful, he nodded his head and said, "Thank you for your kindness, my lady."
The onlookers quickly noticed a young lady dressed in expensive garments who, disregarding the blood on her own body, began to treat the wounds of a coachman.
Bai Ruozhu examined the coachman’s wound. The cut wasn’t large but was deep enough to have bled significantly. She produced a silver needle, and before the coachman could react, she quickly inserted it. To the astonishment of both the coachman and the surrounding crowd, the bleeding from the wound slowly stopped, not flowing anymore!
"Hey, that young miss actually knows a bit of medical skill!" someone exclaimed.
Unbothered by the gazes of others, Bai Ruozhu applied a high-quality Golden Wound Medicine to the coachman’s injury and dressed it simply before saying, "Later, you should get some blood-enriching medicine to brew at home, and do not allow the wound to get wet. Change the dressing every two days."
The coachman was still feeling faint, so Bai Ruozhu, after some thought, took out a pill and handed it to him, saying, "This will make you feel better."
Having been impressed with Bai Ruozhu’s brilliant performance with acupuncture, the coachman didn’t think twice before accepting and swallowing the pill.
"Thank you, madam, for your help. Zhao Shuan is forever grateful," the coachman struggled to stand and bow in thanks to Bai Ruozhu.
"Rest a while longer, making a good recovery is key," Bai Ruozhu said as she turned to go back to her carriage. She had just thought of Wei San, the earliest coachman of her family, and wondered where he was now and how he was faring.
Sudden hurried footsteps approached, and a frivolous voice from behind called out, "Madam, I am deeply grateful that you treated my coachman. I am Yang Hongwen."
"It was a small effort. If you care that he is a loyal servant, allow him a few days of rest to recover," Bai Ruozhu said without turning back.
To her surprise, Yang Hongwen rushed in front of her, blocking her path, and asked, "May I know how to address you, madam? You don’t seem to be from the Capital."
"Yang Hongwen, are you acting up again? Every time you see a lady, you can’t take your eyes off her. I really can’t stand to look at such sleazy beings like you!" Fan Siniang, the son of the Capital’s Prefect, caught up and began to tease.
Yang Hongwen was indeed the nephew of Yang Fei, King Rui’s mother, and the son of her brother, Yang Yunguang. During the Former Emperor’s reign, aside from the empress, Yang Fei was the most favored woman, and it was her illustrious family that controlled a significant number of Danliang Country’s troops.
Of course, since the current emperor’s successful ascension, the Yang Family had been suppressed considerably and no longer wielded the influence they once had in the Capital.
Undoubtedly, Yang Hongwen was a spoiled scion, and whether it was due to an overly strong Oedipus complex or some peculiar taste, he had a penchant for wooing married women, which was no secret among the aristocratic youth of the Capital.
Ignoring Fan Siniang’s provocation, Yang Hongwen’s roving eyes remained glued to Bai Ruozhu as if he wouldn’t let her leave until she revealed her name.
Bai Ruozhu’s face darkened. Jianqi and Muyu seemed ready to intervene, but she stopped them with a subtle gesture. She had just arrived in the Capital – it wouldn’t do for the guards to cause harm. However, if a woman were to be startled and acted in self-defense, no one could say a word.
"Why has the young lady gone silent? With such good medical skills, are you a female doctor? What is your husband’s family name?" Yang Hongwen said, taking two steps closer towards Bai Ruozhu. "I, the young master, greatly admire talented women like you. How about coming to my Residence for a cup of tea?"
Bai Ruozhu, holding back her disgust and about to take action against this unruly scion, suddenly saw a figure burst forward. Before she could get a clear look, a series of crisp slaps echoed around her.
The onlookers were all stunned. Who was this man clad in black with such a cool demeanor? Could he be the young woman’s bodyguard? How dare he strike a member of the Yang Family? Surely, being a foreigner and unaware of the situation, he was about to be in deep trouble!