Chapter 71: Three Don't Help

The morning rooster crowed its report, and Chen Ji detached himself from the battlefield of his dream, slowly rising. He limped into the main hall of the medical clinic and sat on a bamboo chair, waiting for Joy Cake’s arrival.

Liang Mao’er had changed into a set of gray cloth clothes and had also gotten up early to go out and fetch water.

Chen Ji wanted to help sweep the floor, but he was pressed back onto the bamboo chair. "Your injury still needs a month to heal. Don't move around carelessly. I can handle all the work in the medical clinic by myself."

Chen Ji said curiously, "Actually, you can see that everyone doesn't object to you all living here. So, Big Brother Mao’er, you don't need to rush to get all the work done."

Liang Mao’er said in a low voice, "It doesn't matter how much work I do, as long as you all don't blame my brother for not helping yesterday. He had his difficulties."

"Why did he impose those three 'nots' on himself?" Chen Ji said doubtfully. "Did he often deal with the Dongchang before?"

Liang Mao’er stood in the main hall with his carrying pole, silent for a long time. Finally, he said, "Actually, I lied before. My sister-in-law wasn't completely lost after she left the Ning Dynasty."

"Where did she go?"

Liang Mao’er hung his head. "When my sister-in-law left the Ning Dynasty, she was discovered by the Mijian Si. Tian Ma intercepted her at the border town. How could she be Tian Ma's opponent? She was captured on the spot. At that time, the inner minister sent people to find my brother and said that he could not send my sister-in-law to the inner prison, but could send her back to Luoyang City. But the condition was that my brother would never be an enemy of the Dongchang afterward, and additionally, he had to help the Dongchang do three things."

"Then why didn't your sister-in-law come back?"

Chen Ji suddenly realized that the Dongchang must have long suspected that female knife guest's identity and had been waiting for her to escape, then using her to control Liang Gou’er.

Liang Mao’er laughed. "My brother agreed to the inner minister's condition, but he didn't let the Dongchang send my sister-in-law back. Instead, he chose to let the Dongchang release her."

Chen Ji was silent for a moment. He hadn't expected such an answer. "That girl, Yan’er, from Hongyi Alley, likes your sister-in-law very much, right?"

"Mm," Liang Mao’er laughed honestly. "I'm going to fetch water. I still need to cook later."

Just as he went out, he saw the girl, Joy Cake, lifting the hem of her skirt and hurrying along the bluestone road of Anxi Street. She just happened to brush shoulders with Liang Mao’er at the doorstep.

Chen Ji laughed and welcomed her. "Miss Joy Cake, why have you come to the medical clinic so early?"

Miss Joy Cake saw him and hurried to say, "Chen Ji, I was just looking for you. Bai Boruo has been injured again by some bad person. Madam asked you to go and treat it. I don't know who is so vicious, actually harming Boruo twice! Too immoral!"

Chen Ji lowered his head slightly, feeling a little ashamed. "Miss Joy Cake, I can't go to the Wangfu to treat it. I was stabbed and injured by a bad person a few days ago, and the injury on my leg still hasn't healed."

According to the principle of intelligence transmission, Chen Ji should have met Yun Fei face-to-face to convey important information and avoid transmission errors. But there were still Jin Zhu’s people watching from the second floor across the street. If he limped to the Wangfu, it would definitely make Jin Zhu suspicious.

Chen Ji stood beside the red wood counter and picked up a brush. "I'll write you a prescription. Wait a moment, and I'll get the medicine for you to take back. It will be fine to apply it externally to Bai Boruo."

Joy Cake hesitated for a moment. "Okay."

Chen Ji weighed the medicinal ingredients, wrapped them in yellow oil paper, and tied them with hemp rope. After tying them, he also tucked the prescription into the gap of the hemp rope. "Go back and apply it externally twice a day. Bai Boruo will be fine."

Joy Cake took the medicine package from his hand and returned to Feiyun Garden.

Outside the building of Feiyun Garden, Yun Fei's gentle voice came from the room. "Bai Li, Mister Wang said that you always doze off during class recently. This won't do. Your father will definitely scold you when he comes back."

"Mister Wang is a great scholar, so why...?" Bai Li mumbled. "...Speak ill of people behind their backs!"

Yun Fei pretended to be angry and slapped Bai Li's palm. "This isn't speaking ill of you, it's being responsible for you. Don't speak of Mister Wang like that again later."

"Okay..."

At this moment, Joy Cake took a few quick steps and came to the room. "Madam, Doctor Chen is injured and cannot come, but he has written a prescription and gotten the medicine. Doctor Chen said that Bai Boruo's injury is just an external injury, and it will be fine with some medicine."

"Joy Cake, put the medicine package here first. You go and explain to Joy Tang, say that the Prince has sent a fast horse back with a message. He has already prepared the military provisions and is preparing to return. Let Joy Tang bring people to clean the Wangfu thoroughly, especially Jing’an Hall and Mingzheng Hall. Even the glazed tiles need to be wiped clean."

After Yun Fei finished speaking, she turned to Bai Li and said, "Bai Li, go review your lessons. You need to hand over the copied characters to me tonight, otherwise I'll cut your monthly allowance... Bai Li!"

Bai Li came back to his senses and rose to take the medicine package from Joy Cake's hand. He took out the prescription clipped on top and looked at it carefully again and again. Except for some incorrect characters, he didn't find any clues. But according to normal circumstances, the medicine package should have been directly handed over to the servant. Why would his mother let Joy Cake leave the medicine package in the building and find an excuse to send Joy Cake away? There must be something wrong here.

At this moment, Bai Li had countless doubts in his heart. She suddenly remembered that when she had just returned from Donglin Academy, she had also seen Chen Ji in Feiyun Garden, but she hadn't paid attention at the time. Now, she clearly knew that Chen Ji's identity was problematic, and thinking back to Chen Ji's visit, she felt that Chen Ji's body had even more mystery. Outsiders might not understand the situation, but she was familiar with the people in the medical clinic and naturally knew that those three apprentices did not have the qualification to visit. Why would a person being investigated by the Mijian Si be connected to Feiyun Garden?

At this moment, Yun Fei casually took the prescription from Princess Bai Li's hand. "What's wrong, Bai Li, suddenly so interested in the prescription?"

Bai Li shook her head. "Nothing, just looking at what medicine the Taiyi Hall prescribed for Bai Boruo..."

Outside the Taiping Medical Clinic, an ox cart slowly stopped. Shopkeeper Yuan jumped down from the cart, smiled with narrowed eyes, and walked into the medical clinic, cupping his hands in a bow. "Imperial Physician Yao, it's time to restock medicinal materials again. I've come to deliver your goods."

Old Head Yao looked up and glanced at him. "Let's look at the quality."

He slowly came to the side of the ox cart and untied the only hemp bag on the cart. He reached into the bottom of the hemp bag and took out a handful of Luohan Guo, holding it in his palm to examine it. Old Head Yao glanced at Shopkeeper Yuan, then threw the Luohan Guo back into the bag. "The quality is not bad. It looks like you put in the effort when collecting the medicinal materials."

Shopkeeper Yuan smiled with narrowed eyes and said, "When has the goods of our Bailu Pavilion ever had problems? They are definitely all the best. Take a look, and see which medicinal materials you plan to prepare."

Old Head Yao took out a list from his sleeve. "According to the list, additionally add ten branches of wild ginseng with age. Remember, I don't want any that are less than fifty years old."

Chen Ji was startled inside the medical clinic. What did Master want ten branches of ginseng for all of a sudden?

But he heard Shopkeeper Yuan outside saying with difficulty, "Imperial Physician Yao, who would just carry ten branches of ginseng around everywhere? The cart might not have them, only some common medicines."

Imperial Physician Yao slowly said, "It doesn't matter, just send them before evening. You note this down, and I'll check the quality of the other medicinal materials again."

At this moment, Liang Mao’er came back to the medical clinic with his carrying pole in big strides. Chen Ji saw at a glance that the chest of the gray cloth clothes on the opposite person's body had a long cut from a sharp weapon. "Big Brother Mao’er, what happened to your clothes?"

Liang Mao’er heard the words, lowered his head to look, and suddenly became anxious. "It must have been that person who bumped into me just now. I'll go find him. These are She Dengke's clothes!"

When Liang Gou’er and Liang Mao’er came to the medical clinic, they didn't bring any change of clothes. He had only borrowed She Dengke's clothes to make do. Now the clothes were torn, and Liang Mao’er was so anxious he was fuming. How was he going to explain to She Dengke?

Old Head Yao's face sank. He pulled back Liang Mao’er, who wanted to find the thief to settle accounts. "He's definitely a habitual thief. You won't find him. You first carry the water back to the yard. Later, let Liu Quxing take a needle and thread to mend it."

Liang Mao’er was so anxious he almost cried. "But you can still see it after mending! She Dengke only has two sets of clothes, and his family isn't wealthy..."

Old Head Yao sighed. "Don't be sad, he won't blame you." Towards the stingy Old Head Yao, he couldn't be stingy with Liang Mao’er.

Taking advantage of Old Head Yao talking to Liang Mao’er, Shopkeeper Yuan smiled with narrowed eyes and walked back into the medical clinic. He stood beside Chen Ji and asked in a low voice, "Joy Cake just came, did she set the time and place for the second batch of delivery?"

Chen Ji answered calmly, "Tonight at midnight, Hongyi Jinzuofang. It's still reporting the words 'Luotian' to the old madam. This is not the alley, so we shouldn't trade in the same place twice, but my leg and foot are inconvenient now, and I can't meet Yun Fei face-to-face. So I can only transmit intelligence through the prescription and set the old place."

"The old place is the old place." Shopkeeper Yuan slowly exhaled, smiled, and patted Chen Ji's shoulder. "Very good, very good! If this time is successful, I must report truthfully to the Division Head and ask for merit for you."

Chen Ji was silent for a moment. He turned his head and stared at Shopkeeper Yuan. "Why did you still need to injure someone today?"

Shopkeeper Yuan laughed happily. "I didn't know if you would follow what I said. Moreover, it's good to let you know that even with Liang Mao’er and Liang Gou’er by your side, they won't become your reliance. Work hard for the Junqing Si and don't have other ideas."

"Understood."

Chen Ji looked indifferently at Shopkeeper Yuan and his helper riding away in the ox cart, then turned around and went back to the backyard. Behind that ox cart, there were still two small tabby cats following.

In the yard, a crow stood on the branch of the apricot tree, looking at Chen Ji lying on the bamboo chair, becoming more and more calm. Chen Ji slowly closed his eyes, returning to the battlefield in his dream. There were still many things to do today.

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