Mrs. Zhao knew that Mr. Zhao was in a bad mood, so she had to take charge of the family business.
She ordered someone to get the medicine according to the prescription while seeing Dr. Xu out.
"Dr. Xu, thank you."
As she spoke, Mrs. Zhao offered the consultation fee.
Dr. Xu waved his hand and refused.
"I've been taken care of by your daughter. I can't accept your money." As he said this, Dr. Xu took out a white porcelain medicine bottle from his sleeve.
"That incense is effective on men. It's not very harmful to women, but inhaling too much of it isn't good either. Take this pill. It can protect your heart meridian. Take one pill a day, and the toxicity will be removed after half a month. Since you've achieved your goal, don't hurt your own body anymore."
Mrs. Zhao nodded and took the medicine bottle without hesitation.
Dr. Xu was highly skilled in medicine, and Mrs. Zhao never thought she could hide what she had done from his eyes.
Yes, it was she who had put a large amount of aphrodisiac incense for Mr. Zhao to inhale.
She had mixed it with the sandalwood incense in the Buddhist hall. The fragrance of the sandalwood had covered up the smell of the aphrodisiac incense.
She had been back for half a year, and Mr. Zhao had been exposed to the incense for half a year.
Even a pig would have absorbed the smell by now, let alone a person.
This was also one of the reasons why Mr. Zhao had become more and more infatuated with Mrs. Zhao in the past six months.
Of course, Mrs. Zhao was also sure that Dr. Xu wouldn't tell anyone.
Over the years, Mrs. Zhao had never fought for anything because she simply disdained to do so.
She came from a prominent family and was always proud. She always looked down on the means of flattering, competing for favor, and harming others.
Of course, Mrs. Zhao didn't feel any guilt now.
She was just an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
What she had done was not even one ten - thousandth of what Mrs. Zhao the Second had done.
Dr. Xu got on the carriage and looked back at Mrs. Zhao. He couldn't help but sigh.
Mrs. Zhao was such a gentle person, yet she had been forced to this point.
Dr. Xu, who had come from the palace, always had more sympathy for women.
He knew that many people who did evil didn't do it voluntarily.
In this environment that was so unfriendly to women, if a woman was naive and kind, she would only be exploited, used, and framed.
They didn't want to be like this. They just wanted to survive.
Dr. Xu didn't hate and blame these women like others did. Instead, he felt very sympathetic.
Of course, Mrs. Zhao the Second, who always looked for trouble and actively harmed others, was not within the scope of his sympathy.
Dr. Xu sighed.
After being an imperial physician for so many years, he had long learned to keep his mouth shut.
Moreover, he didn't think he was violating medical ethics. He was confident that no matter how many doctors Mr. Zhao invited, the result would be the same.
Dr. Xu just didn't tell Mr. Zhao that he had inhaled a large amount of aphrodisiac incense in a short period of time, which was why he was in this state.
This couldn't be considered as deceiving the patient.
After practicing medicine for many years, Dr. Xu was very good at eliminating psychological guilt.
After seeing Dr. Xu off, Mrs. Zhao turned around. A maid came to report, "Master has summoned Mrs. Zhao the Second."
Mrs. Zhao nodded. On the surface, she looked calm, but she quickened her pace.
Mrs. Zhao the Second was very eloquent and good at distorting the truth.
She had to keep an eye on her.
Just then, Zhao Luoning, dressed in men's clothes, and Zhao Luochun rushed over.
Hearing the noise, Mrs. Zhao looked back and saw Zhao Luoning. Her expression couldn't stay calm anymore.
She reached out in Zhao Luoning's direction. Zhao Luoning took a few quick steps and quickly supported her mother.
"My child!"
Mrs. Zhao stroked Zhao Luoning's face and held her arm, looking her up and down.
"You've lost weight. You've suffered."
Zhao Luoning didn't believe what her mother said.
Mothers always felt sorry for their daughters. Even if they didn't lose any weight, they would still think their daughters had suffered.
Zhao Luoning didn't want her mother to always worry about her suffering outside, so she quickly changed the topic.
"I just met Dr. Xu's carriage on the road. What's wrong? Are you not feeling well, Mother?"
"No, it's your father." Mrs. Zhao sighed. "I'm afraid he's not going to make it."
"Ah?" Hearing this news suddenly, Zhao Luoning was also very shocked.
She felt a pang in her heart.
Didn't they say that evil people live a long life?
Her father, this evil person, wasn't very qualified!
Zhao Luoning supported Mrs. Zhao and rushed to see Mr. Zhao.
Zhao Luochun, who had been silent all the time, was about to follow. Just then, a maid ran over in a hurry and said, "Young Master, there's a family letter for you."
A family letter? Who would write him a family letter?
Zhao Luochun opened the letter and was overjoyed.
After hearing that Zhao Luoning had returned and the Ji Mansion's lockdown was lifted, Zhao Luoyu had come back first on the pretext of arranging the affairs of the mansion.
The letter said that he would arrive at the city gate at dusk today.
Zhao Luochun was overjoyed. Just as he was about to step out to greet him, he stopped.
He had also heard the conversation between Zhao Luoning and their mother just now. Their father was seriously ill, and as a son, he should go to see him first.
Although he was closer to Luoyu emotionally.
During the days when Zhao Luoning was away, Zhao Luochun had no one to rely on at all. He had to manage the family business by himself, so he had gained a lot of experience.
In terms of human relationships, he was no longer the naive Zhao Luochun he used to be.
Zhao Luochun said to the maid who came to deliver the message,
"Go back and give the letter to Yarong. Ask her to make the arrangements."
Hearing this, the maid took the order and withdrew.
Zhao Luochun then quickened his pace and quickly followed his mother and sister.
The three of them walked to Mr. Zhao's door.
The mansion had been in chaos, and the old maids guarding the door didn't know where they had gone.
The three of them had to lift the curtain and enter by themselves.
As soon as they entered, they saw Mr. Zhao slap Mrs. Zhao the Second hard on the face.
This slap was not light. Mrs. Zhao the Second's face instantly turned red, and blood oozed from the corner of her mouth.
Mrs. Zhao the Second was also a tough - minded person. Even after being slapped, she didn't care about her face. She crawled forward crying and hugged Mr. Zhao's leg.
"I know you're angry, Master. You're so angry that you hit Xiulian. But you have Xiulian in your heart. You love Xiulian."
Mrs. Zhao the Second was so shamelessly approaching Mr. Zhao just to try the same old trick again.
When Mr. Zhao sent a servant to summon her, she had inquired.
The servant said that Mr. Zhao's face looked very bad.
So she had quickly taken her sachet with her when she went out.
Unexpectedly, this weapon that had always worked for her had now failed.
As soon as Mr. Zhao smelled the fragrance, he thought of his illness.
He kicked Mrs. Zhao the Second in the chest and kicked her away.
This kick was very heavy. Mrs. Zhao the Second covered her chest painfully and couldn't get up for a long time.
"Master."
Seeing this, Mrs. Zhao stepped forward and quickly supported Mr. Zhao.
"Don't be so angry. It's bad for your health. You're not well. Take a rest. Sister didn't do it on purpose."
Mrs. Zhao's words were like pouring oil on the fire.
"Harming Luoyu, harming Luoning, and harming me. Was someone forcing her to do all these?"
Mrs. Zhao the Second coughed violently a few times and struggled to get up from the ground.
"Master, I swear to heaven that I've never harmed you. This is definitely a false accusation." Mrs. Zhao the Second turned her head and looked at Mrs. Zhao with a venomous look in her eyes. "It's you, you vicious woman who framed me!"
Zhao Luoning was very good at grasping the key points. She interjected in time.
"You said that the accusation of harming Father is false. So you admit the other two charges?"