Li Wanming looked at her for a while, then suddenly gave a soft laugh and reached out to help her up. "Sister-in-law has been in the prince's mansion for so many years. Even if you haven't made great contributions, you've at least put in a lot of effort. Besides, you were just eager to save your younger brother. What's wrong with that?"
Zhang Wang's wife staggered to stand steady, with tears still hanging on her face. She was a bit dazed for a moment, unable to figure out Li Wanming's intention.
"Qinglan," Li Wanming turned her head and called out. "Tell my eldest sister to go to the Zhang family later... Ginseng is good, but it has to be suitable for the illness. It's just a poisonous sore. It's not necessarily incurable."
"Really...?"
Zhang Wang's wife's eyes suddenly lit up. Her knees went weak and she was about to kneel down again. "Thank you, Princess Consort. Thank you, Princess Consort! This servant only has this one younger brother. If the Princess Consort can cure his leg, this servant is willing to be a slave to repay your great kindness..."
"There's no need to be a slave," Li Wanming lifted her fingertips slightly to stop her movement and smiled sweetly. "But there is indeed one thing I need sister-in-law to do."
Zhang Wang's wife held her breath. Her red eyes rolled, and suddenly she had an inspiration. "Does the Princess Consort want to know where the white jade Avalokitesvara went?"
Li Wanming smiled. "They all say sister-in-law is a smart person. Now that I've seen you today, it's really true. As long as you can help me with this, I will surely find a way to cure your younger brother's leg!"
Zhang Wang's wife gritted her teeth and finally made up her mind. "Don't worry, Princess Consort. This servant will surely find out about this matter!"
"In that case..." Li Wanming's fingertips gently pressed on her rough back of the hand. "I'll have to trouble sister-in-law then."
Zhang Wang's wife wiped away her tears and followed Qinglan out.
About the time it takes to finish a meal, Qinglan came back. "The eldest girl, upon hearing it was the Princess Consort's request, immediately took the medicine box and went to the Zhang family. The poisonous sore has grown to the size of a bowl, so rotten that the bone can be seen. Now he's only hanging on to life with ginseng..."
"The eldest girl said that this illness can't be cured by medicine, but she has a way!"
"As long as the rotten flesh on the poisonous sore is cut off with a knife and then the medicine for promoting the growth of muscles and activating blood circulation is applied, and he's nursed slowly, he may not be unable to recover."
"Zhang Wang's wife was so overjoyed that she was almost crazy. She even kowtowed to our eldest girl several times... She also asked this servant to come back and report to the Princess Consort that she will surely accomplish the task the Princess Consort has assigned!"
Li Wanming's fingertips gently tapped on the table. "Tell her that besides this matter, if there are any other shady dealings in the warehouse, let her write them down one by one."
"I'd like to see just how many things from the prince's mansion my good second aunt has embezzled in the twenty years she's been in charge of the mansion."
The candle crackled and popped, casting half of her face in shadow.
Li Wanming pondered for a moment and then said, "The inventory of the warehouse can't be delayed any longer. You and Chuntao will start to clean it up slowly tomorrow. With Zhang Wang's wife's testimony, even if the second aunt tries to frame us later, we'll have a countermeasure!"
After giving these instructions, Li Wanming suddenly felt extremely tired.
She raised her hand and rubbed her stiff neck. Qinglan immediately stepped forward to take out the hairpins for her. Her long black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, carrying a faint fragrance of osmanthus.
The hot water had already been prepared. Li Wanming soaked in the bathtub, letting the warm water wash away all her fatigue.
After she finished washing and dressing, Chuntao brought her a clean silk-lined undergarment and also served her the soothing tea. After she drank it, Chuntao lowered the curtain with the pattern of spring pears and intertwined branches.
Li Wanming fell into a deep sleep.
Summer is naturally the rainy season, and it seems to rain even more this year. It rained heavily all night outside.
In her dream, there were vague figures, a glint of swords, and the continuous sound of iron armor colliding.
Blood meandered down the cold armor and flowed into a shocking red in the mud. She saw countless blurred faces twisting and roaring in the rain, but she just couldn't see their features clearly.
"Princess Consort!"
Qinglan's anxious voice pulled her back from the battlefield. Li Wanming suddenly opened her eyes and found that her undergarment was already soaked through with cold sweat.
"General Gao requests an audience. He says he has something important to report!"
"General Gao?" Li Wanming's heart skipped a beat. She sat up quickly. "What time is it now?"
"It's just past the fourth watch." There was uneasiness in Qinglan's voice. The candle flame danced in her panicked pupils. "Princess Consort, General Gao is waiting outside the house. Shall I summon him in?"
Li Wanming immediately got up and put on her clothes. "Let him wait in the outer room. I'll come right away!"
In the ticking sound of the copper clepsydra, her fingers tying the belt couldn't help but tremble slightly.
Gao Yong has always been steady. For him to come and report in the middle of the night... She suddenly remembered the night of her wedding. Even the always-steady Lu Ping stopped Xiao Jingnan like this...
"This subordinate pays respects to the Princess Consort!"
Gao Yong didn't even have time to take off his straw rain cape. He knelt on one knee, and the rainwater dripped down the rain cape and formed a small puddle on the blue brick floor.
Without getting up, he said urgently, "An urgent report from eight hundred li away in the Southern Border says that when the prince was chasing the remnants of the Anluo Kingdom, because he was greedy for merit and advanced rashly..."
He paused here, his voice choking. He took a deep breath and finally finished the rest of the sentence. "He fell off a cliff... and has... has died of his injuries..."
A purple lightning bolt split the rain curtain, illuminating Li Wanming's suddenly pale face.
"What did you say?" She heard her own hollow voice. "You said... Xiao Jingnan he..."
Gao Yong kowtowed heavily, his face full of grief, indignation, and reluctance. "The battle report has already been sent to the palace. I'm afraid the imperial edict of inquiry will be issued early tomorrow morning... The other courtyard has already heard the news. The prince and the princess are rushing back overnight..."
Li Wanming's legs went weak and she fell backward. Her sleeve knocked over the candlestick on the table. The flame struggled on the ground for a while and then went out.
"Princess Consort!" Qinglan quickly supported her.
Outside the door, the wind was howling. The night rain lifted the bamboo curtain on the door, and the cold and miserable rain suddenly poured in.
The cold rain hit her face, and Li Wanming gradually came to her senses.
No!
There's something fishy about this!
Xiao Jingnan has always been steady and as cunning as a fox. He never acts without a good chance of success. How could he be greedy for merit and advance rashly?
Moreover, although he looks weak, he's actually very good at martial arts. Otherwise, he couldn't have escaped the pursuit of the Jinyu Guards and the Ghost Crying Path with her on that rainy night!
"Qinglan, prepare the horses." Li Wanming suddenly stood up. "I'm going to the Southern Border!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room was shocked.
"Princess Consort, think twice!" Gao Yong said anxiously. "The Southern Border is now at war. It's in a complete mess. You—"
There was a flame dancing in Li Wanming's pupils. "It's precisely because it's in a mess that I have to go!"
Her gaze swept across the people in front of her, and her voice was like broken jade falling to the ground. "General Feng's army is still on the way. The prince needs to stay in the capital to keep everything under control. Aunt is under the public eye and it's not convenient for her to go out... Now, besides me, there's no one else who can go to find out the truth for him!
"I don't believe Xiao Jingnan is dead. I'm going to save him back!"