With Zhao Hu's instructions, one of his concubines soon came over carrying a set of clothes.
The concubine's face was flushed. She curtsied and said, "General, I've prepared the clothes for you to change into. The hot water is also ready. Please follow me."
Xiao Jingcheng followed the woman to the bathroom. Another concubine of Zhao Hu was already waiting inside.
Her name was Hongxia. When she saw Xiao Jingcheng coming, her eyes were watery, seemingly hiding boundless tenderness.
This man was not only valiant but also extremely handsome, much better than Zhao Hu. Moreover, Zhao Hu was very afraid of him, which meant his identity must be extremely noble.
If she could catch his eye and serve him, maybe she could enjoy wealth and honor for the rest of her life.
The two women glanced at each other, then swayed their waists like water snakes and coquettishly stepped forward. They reached out their hands, trying to touch Xiao Jingcheng's body.
"General, let me help you change your clothes..."
Xiao Jingcheng gave them a cold look. These two concubines of Zhao Hu came from the brothel. They were quite charming and had been trained in the brothel, so every gesture of theirs exuded charm. However, their eyes were filled with too much desire, and their intentions were immediately seen through by him.
His face darkened, and he said, "Get out."
One of the women named Hongying said aggrievedly, "My lord has ordered us to serve the general well..."
Xiao Jingcheng said coldly, "Want to die? I can grant your wish."
The killing intent in his eyes instantly gave them goosebumps. At this moment, two dogs rushed into the room and bared their fangs at them.
Seeing this, Hongying and Hongxia gritted their teeth reluctantly and had no choice but to retreat from the room.
Before closing the door, Xiao Jingcheng said to them, "Take good care of the dogs that came with me. Prepare ginger soup for them. If you neglect them, you will be severely punished."
The two women quickly agreed. They glanced at each other and saw helplessness in each other's eyes.
The two dogs guarded outside the door. Xiao Jingcheng took off his wet clothes that were clinging tightly to his body, revealing his strong torso.
He stepped into the bathtub and let the warm water surround him.
The warmth penetrated his skin and continuously spread into his body, dispelling the chill brought by the heavy rain.
Leaning against the bathtub, he opened his eyes and looked at the window lattice with a ray of light. He frowned slightly and remained silent.
Since he had chosen to return to Dongli Town to rescue Jiang Zhiqing, it seemed that he wouldn't be able to leave in the short term.
Such a big event had happened in the capital. Presumably, the news that the throne had changed hands would spread across the country before long, and there was bound to be a turmoil in the world. It was not wise to return to the capital at the moment.
The emperor and King Mu were brothers. In this battle, the emperor had lost. If the emperor was still alive, he would surely not be willing to hand over the country. Next, it would depend on whether the emperor would fight back or disappear from sight forever.
However, the current chaotic situation was not a bad thing for him. The fake corpse was still in the hands of his uncle. He could make good use of it to spread the news that he was still alive and make the situation even more chaotic.
As long as his mother knew that he was still alive, she would be at ease and would try every means to contact him.
He just hoped that King Mu would not harm his mother for the sake of the engagement they had in the past.
As for Xiao Yixuan...
Xiao Jingcheng sneered.
King Mu's rebellion had completely disrupted Xiao Yixuan's plan. At the moment, Xiao Yixuan was probably more worried than he was, so he naturally wouldn't have time to care about him.
And that woman from the Ye family dared to hire a killer to murder someone right under his nose. He would not let her off easily.
Closing his eyes, Xiao Jingcheng sank into the water and let the hot water completely surround him.
...
At Huichun Hall, Qi Wen was pacing back and forth anxiously in the room. Every time he wanted to go out to see what had happened, he remembered that there would be no one to take care of the medical clinic if he left, so he stopped.
After waiting for an unknown amount of time, Ye Wanmian, Mo Zhizhang and the others finally appeared in the rain curtain in the distance.
Seeing that Mo Zhizhang was carrying someone on his back, Qi Wen quickly removed a few more door panels to make it easier for them to enter and exit.
Soon, Ye Wanmian and the others returned to the front of the medical clinic.
"Qi Wen, come and give us a hand!"
Qi Wen quickly stepped forward to help Li Zhao and Ye Wanmian take the umbrellas. Ye Wanmian said, "Uncle, please carry my mother into my room. Thank you!"
Mo Zhizhang didn't say a word, but he had already walked towards her room as she said. Ye Wanmian and Li Zhao walked side by side behind him, leaving Qi Wen standing there in shock.
What did Miss Jiang just say?
Her mother?
How could Miss Jiang's mother be in Dongli Town?!
Soon, the unconscious Jiang Zhiqing was carefully placed on Ye Wanmian's bed by Mo Zhizhang. He sat on the edge of the bed, picked up Jiang Zhiqing's hand, and placed his fingers on her pulse. After carefully distinguishing for a moment, he said,
"Fortunately, her pulse is steady."
Looking into Ye Wanmian's nervous face, he gave up his seat and said, "Niece, you come and take a look too."
Ye Wanmian sat down in the seat where he had just sat. Her trembling fingers landed on the skin of Jiang Zhiqing's wrist. Through her skin, she felt the slightly beating pulse below. Her eyes were red with sobs, and she reached out to stroke Jiang Zhiqing's sleeping face.
"Mother, it's my fault that I didn't notice your danger in time and made you suffer."
If she had known that her mother would suffer this disaster, she would have taken her mother to her side no matter what.
It was her fault. How could she have left her mother alone in that place?
Mo Zhizhang was an outsider. He didn't know what Jiang Zhiqing had experienced, nor did he know why Ye Wanmian was not with her mother. However, he could tell that Li Zhao had a close relationship with this woman who had almost died from poisoning, which also meant...
The relationship between Li Zhao and Ye Wanmian was not just that of an employer and an accountant as he had thought.
This small Huichun Hall really hid many secrets.
Li Zhao stood aside. Hearing Ye Wanmian's soft whisper, his eyes also became hot, and he clenched his fists tightly.
"No, Mujuan, it's not your fault. It's all my fault." He said, "If I had told you who I was earlier and brought Yingniang to my side earlier, this wouldn't have happened today."
Ye Wanmian suddenly raised her head. With tears in her eyes, she said, "Yes, it's all your fault! You clearly recognized me a long time ago and knew everything, but why did you hide it from me?"
Li Zhao moved his lips, wanting to say something, but a sudden and indescribable pain came from his chest. His face instantly changed. He raised his hand and pressed it tightly against his chest. Finally, he couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood. He fell to the ground.
Ye Wanmian suddenly stood up. She didn't care that she was still angry just now. She rushed forward and knelt in front of Li Zhao, supported his body and shouted, "Uncle Li!"
Li Zhao's breath was extremely weak. She completely broke down. She subconsciously hugged Li Zhao tightly, looked at Mo Zhizhang with red eyes and cried, "Uncle, didn't you say that Uncle Li was okay?"
Mo Zhizhang touched his nose and said, "As long as his emotions don't fluctuate violently, he really won't be in danger of losing his life."
But such a big thing had happened to Jiang Zhiqing today. How could he remain indifferent?
"Don't worry. I will do my best to cure him."
Night had fallen unconsciously. It was still pouring rain outside. Mo Zhizhang's door was tightly closed. At this moment, he was inside, trying his best to rescue Li Zhao.
Ye Wanmian sat on the ground, curled herself up, hugged her knees tightly with both hands, and rested her head on them. She stared blankly at the stone table exposed to the rain not far away, as if she had turned into a stone.
The rain splashed and wet her dry clothes again. Dahuang nestled closely beside her, trying to warm her body.
Suddenly, Dahuang stood up straight and barked. The next moment, a shadow fell on her body, and the splashing rain was blocked by someone.
Ye Wanmian blinked and slowly turned her eyes forward.
Xiao Jingcheng squatted in front of her, holding an umbrella in his hand to block the rain from wetting her body.