The journey to the capital was long and arduous, with the cold weather adding to the difficulty. Despite He Xiao's meticulous care of Shangguan Yun along the way, the latter still inevitably caught a cold and was burning with fever, feeling groggy.
He Xiao was in a complete panic, while Wu Luoluo remained relatively calm. A few days ago, the young master had ignored the advice and exposed himself to the cold wind every night. The wound on his back hadn't fully healed yet, and his body was too weak to withstand the elements. It was only natural for him to fall ill. A dose of traditional Chinese medicine and a few days of rest would gradually improve his condition.
So, they stopped at the next post station and stayed there for a few days. Shangguan Yun looked pitifully at Wu Luoluo, who was sitting beside the fire. He was forced to open his mouth and drink the medicine fed by He Xiao. After that, he curled up in the quilt and fell asleep.
It took Shangguan Yun four or five days in bed before he finally recovered a little. He Xiao was secretly anxious. The young master had lost a lot of weight after this illness. How could he explain this to the prince and princess when they returned?
During these days of illness, Shangguan Yun became especially clingy to Wu Luoluo. He insisted on holding her soft body at night before he could fall asleep. Wu Luoluo gently patted his back and hummed a Xiliang folk song in a low voice to lull him to sleep.
In the past two days, He Xiao received a letter from Cheng Hao, saying that Miss Cuihuan from the Su Mansion in the capital was getting married, and he had to rush back to the capital on horseback to attend the wedding. Normally, He Xiao was ordered by the Fifth Princess to stay in Jiangcheng to assist Cheng Hao. On such a happy occasion, he should have gone with Cheng Hao to congratulate them. However, with his own master still ill, he really couldn't leave. So, he replied to the letter, telling Cheng Hao to go back to the capital alone and be careful. They would meet up for a drink when he also returned to the capital.
So, Cheng Hao set off in a hurry, carrying a large sum of money, and traveled day and night to get back to the capital for the wedding.
Shangguan Yun's condition gradually improved, and the group set off again. With He Xiao and Ouyang Yuqing helping out, Wu Luoluo no longer had to worry about the shortage of food and herbs. Every time they arrived in a city, the two of them would quickly go to buy medicine and stock up on food and daily necessities. So, the journey was relatively smooth, and they didn't have to worry about food and clothing. Moreover, she was surprised to find that some of the local specialties and snacks in the Tianchao were actually quite delicious!
He Xiao corresponded with Pin Hao, and in the letter, he mentioned the situation in the capital. The Ninth Prince had already ascended the throne in front of the spiritual tablet and was now in charge of the overall situation in the court. To avoid the loss of the letter and the leakage of information, Pin Hao didn't directly mention that the real Ninth Prince, Murong Yuchen, was already dead. Shangguan Yun was quite surprised. "With Dongling's support, Yuchen can actually take over the government affairs? It seems that I underestimated him in the past!"
He Xiao said speechlessly, "It is said that the young prince, Murong Xuan, has been running around and strongly supporting the Ninth Prince, saving him a lot of trouble."
"Prince Xuan, Murong Xuan?" Shangguan Yun frowned and thought for a long time but still couldn't remember who this person was. It was only after He Xiao patiently explained that he vaguely remembered. Shangguan Yun nodded repeatedly. "Prince Xuan is a man of excellent character. With his help, Yuchen should be able to handle things more easily."
On the night of the 15th of February, the moon was especially round. Wu Luoluo finally, following her great-uncle's teachings, tremblingly removed the silver needle from Shangguan Yun's Baihui acupoint on the top of his head.
A large amount of dark brown and smelly secretion gushed out from Shangguan Yun's Baihui acupoint. Wu Luoluo quickly wiped it clean with a handkerchief. It was a long time before Shangguan Yun slumped down and fell asleep in a daze. Wu Luoluo looked at the long and thin silver needle in her hand in surprise. The simple patterns on the silver needle looked extremely special, as if it contained some mysterious power.
Wu Luoluo couldn't help but marvel. Not only was her great-uncle strange, but the needles he used also looked strange. She'd better keep this silver needle for now and return it to him when she met him in the future!
After several stops and starts, they finally arrived in the territory of the capital on the 23rd of February. He Xiao originally planned to take the young master back to the prince's mansion to pay respects to his parents first, and then go to the palace to meet the Ninth Prince, the Fifth Princess, and Lord Pin Hao. These people would surely be overjoyed to see the young master return safely!
Shangguan Yun looked at Ouyang Yuqing, who was full of expectation, and waved his hand. "Let's go and diagnose Aunt Ouyang's illness first. Her condition can't wait." Old Lady Ouyang had been very kind to Wu Luoluo, and Luoluo had always remembered this. Anyway, he still hadn't figured out how to face Wei Dongling when he returned. So, it would be better to diagnose Aunt Ouyang's illness first and then go back to the prince's mansion.
Ouyang Yuqing was overjoyed and thanked his master repeatedly. He Xiao had no choice but to accept the order helplessly. He took the note with the address of Aunt Ouyang's husband's family and headed all the way to the remote north.
The Xiang family that Aunt Ouyang married into was in the cloth business in the northern suburbs of the capital. Their family was quite well-off.
The group stopped in front of the Xiang family's mansion and took a look. He Xiao and Ouyang Yuqing got off the carriage and went to knock on the door.
Shangguan Yun was dozing off in Wu Luoluo's arms. When he heard that they had arrived, he got up and tidied his clothes. Just as he put on his silk socks, he heard a commotion coming from the main gate of the Xiang family.
Ouyang Yuqing had the loudest voice and seemed very angry. From afar, they could hear him shouting at the top of his lungs. "We won't leave until we see your mistress, Mrs. Ouyang!"
Shangguan Yun and Wu Luoluo looked at each other and quickly got off the carriage to find out what was going on.
The doormen blocked Ouyang Yuqing and He Xiao from entering and even spoke rudely to them, trying to drive them away. Shangguan Yun stepped forward with Wu Luoluo and coldly asked, "What's going on?"
Ouyang Yuqing's face was ashen with anger, and he gritted his teeth and replied, "Master! We've traveled a long way from Phoenix City in Xiliang, but they refused to let us in on the grounds that their mistress, Mrs. Ouyang, has run away and disappeared. They even tried to drive us away! Is this how the Xiang family treats their guests?"
The two doormen saw that Shangguan Yun was handsome and imposing, looking like the young master of a wealthy family. They glanced at each other and didn't dare to offend him easily. They stepped forward and bowed. "Our mistress is really not at home. Our master has also ordered us that if anyone from the Ouyang family comes to the door in the future, we should drive them away. We, as servants, can't go against our master's wishes. Please be kind enough to leave early and don't make things difficult for us."
Shangguan Yun raised his eyebrows. "We've come from afar. Even if their mistress, Mrs. Ouyang, has really run away, your Xiang family should at least let us know the details. If you can't make the decision, then call your steward over to talk to us."
The two of them looked at each other and finally had to turn around and call Steward Xiang to deal with these people at the door.
Not long after, a middle-aged man who looked like a steward came out. He looked up at the four of them and quickly came over with a smile to greet them. Steward Xiang led them to the corner of the wall, looked around, and then lowered his voice. "You may not know this, but our master of the Xiang family made such an arrangement for a reason. It's a family scandal, and normally, we wouldn't talk about it. But there's really no other way now, so I'll tell you the truth. On the night of the 15th of February, our master came back from the dyeing workshop. He caught our mistress, Mrs. Ouyang, and a long-term worker in the courtyard in bed..."
Everyone: ...