Surviving in the General's Mansion - Chapter 92

Zhao Die held Xia Heng down until she finished drinking a traditional medicinal decoction intended to improve circulation and clear blood stasis. Doctor Lin’s homemade swelling-reduction oil had also been rubbed over the lump on her head.

She did not dare approach any crowds. At present, the smell of her entire body could clear the mind and sharpen the senses.

Of course, Chuqing was no better.

The two women handed all the pelts they brought back to Aunt Chen.

The aunties at the Washing Workshop each had their own talents. Several of them knew how to tan hides, and Chuqing had learned from them.

The finest pelts naturally had to go to the General.

The rest could be made into several fur coats, fur scarves, and the like. Once everything was finished, Uncle Zhao would decide how to distribute them.

Aunt Chen said the tiger hide Xia Heng requested could be made into several tiger-fur hats.

When the time came, each of the women could have one!

Xia Heng offered to pay for the work, but Aunt Chen refused no matter what she said.

Helpless, Xia Heng could only find another way to make it up to the aunties at the Washing Workshop.

She returned to her room, opened the cabinet, and placed inside the white-jade peace buckle she had torn from Xia Lang’s neck.

Then she counted her possessions.

One saddle, already scrubbed clean. One Purple-Gold Crown. One Golden Scimitar. And the white-jade peace buckle she had just reclaimed.

Very good. Every item had come from someone else…

Did she perhaps have the makings of a bandit?

After washing, Xia Heng burrowed into her little bed and released a contented sigh.

No place in the world was as comfortable as her own kennel!

Early the next morning, Xia Heng and Chuqing finally returned to their familiar communal kitchen.

Breakfast today was steamed buns!

Chef Xiang’s buns could not be called thin-skinned and bursting with filling, but the thick dough had a charm of its own.

Holding up a bun, Xia Heng told Chef Xiang about the Winter Hunt.

“Chef Xiang! You have no idea how popular those dried noodles were! The General loved them, and even the masters of other households fought to get bowls!”

“Is that true? You aren’t teasing me to make me happy, are you? They were only dried noodles. Surely all those high officials and nobles have eaten them before?”

“Why would I lie about that? The little pot you gave us never stopped cooking! Ask Chuqing if you don’t believe me!”

Xia Heng turned to look at Chuqing.

Chuqing’s mouth was stuffed completely full, and she clutched one bun in each hand. She could not speak at all.

All she could do was seize a spare moment to give Chef Xiang a thumbs-up.

She could not help herself. They had eaten plenty during the Winter Hunt, but how could any of it compare with large steamed buns fresh from their own kitchen?

“Hehehe, it’s true? Ah, that makes sense!

“It was bitterly cold outside. After eating roast meat, nothing would be more comfortable than a mouthful of hot noodles!

“Slow down, Chuqing. Another batch is steaming. If these aren’t enough, you can have two more later!”

Chef Xiang’s entire face lit up.

“Next time, Uncle Xiang will pack you some other good things! We’ll be stuffing sausages in a few days. Once they’re ready, if you go out again, take two links with you. Just imagine that fragrance!”

Xia Heng nodded eagerly at once. Sausages! They were delicious steamed or stir-fried, and they would not spoil easily in winter.

“Ah! I wanted to bring back all the game the General hunted, but these last two days weren’t cold enough to freeze it!

“Otherwise, the mansion could have added another meat dish! You didn’t see it, but our General hunted more game than anyone at the Winter Hunt!” Xia Heng said regretfully.

“Of course he did! Our General has been an excellent shot since childhood!

“Ah, what a pity about all that wild game!

“Back when we marched to war, we could occasionally go hunting and give everyone an extra meal!

“…”

Chef Xiang began reminiscing about the past again. Xia Heng, meanwhile, began stealing buns from Chuqing’s bowl. Had they not heard him? The next batch was not ready yet.

Little Wude moved his own bowl out of reach to avoid becoming collateral damage.

“Uncle Xiang! When will the next batch be ready?”

* * *

Inside a private room on the third floor of Lehua Tower, a man and woman sat facing each other.

“Yaqing, you asked to see me?”

Dongfang Wei’s face was pale. He had not wanted Yaqing to see him in this condition.

But he feared she truly had some urgent problem she could not resolve. In the end, concern won out.

Xiao Yaqing said calmly, “There are things you do not wish to tell me, so I will not ask.

“By the same token, do not ask me about this either.”

She pushed a small paper packet into the center of the table.

“Guangji, if you trust me, take this medicine home and use it.

“If you do not trust me, I will take it back now, and today never happened.”

Sixi stood at the side with his heart in his throat.

Oh, his Emperor! Medicine was not something one could take at random!

It was true he had known Miss Xiao since childhood, but she was no miracle doctor!

Without hesitation, Dongfang Wei reached for the paper packet.

Xiao Yaqing swiftly covered it with her hand.

“Let me explain first.

“One: this medicine treats the symptoms, not the cause. All it does is make you fall asleep. Take only one pill, and make absolutely certain you are somewhere safe when you do.

“Two: you cannot take this medicine too often. It is very easy to become dependent on it.

“There are five pills in this packet. Do not take them every day. One every three or four days is enough. Normally, you must continue drinking the medicine prepared by the imperial physicians on schedule.

“Three: I happened to learn the location of Miracle Doctor Luo and have already sent people to find him. You must promise that once I bring him back, you will let him examine you.”

Dongfang Wei smiled helplessly. He had known she would not let the matter go.

“Very well. I understand.”

“Miss Xiao, the imperial physicians have prescribed many sleep aids, but they have had little effect. The next day, His Majesty also suffers dizziness and a heavy head…” Sixi could not help interjecting.

Dongfang Wei cut him off.

“Sixi.”

“Eunuch Sixi, rest assured. Yaqing knows ordinary medicine may not work on him. We will know whether this succeeds after one attempt.

“The medicine is very powerful, so I must trouble you to watch him and make certain he does not take too much.

“Also, the pill must not be broken open. He must swallow it whole with water.”

After hearing this, Sixi began to feel a trace of hope. Perhaps Miss Xiao’s medicine truly could let His Majesty sleep well?

Dongfang Wei picked up the packet.

“Yaqing, where did this medicine come from?”

Xiao Yaqing raised one finger in front of him.

“I said just now not to ask where it came from.

“If you trust me, take one and try it. If you do not, then pretend this never happened.”

Dongfang Wei finally stopped asking and tucked the packet into his sleeve.

Watching him put it away, Xiao Yaqing slowly released a breath.

To hide the original packaging, she had wrapped each capsule inside a hawthorn pill.

Taking too many sleeping pills was dangerous, so she had given him only five and kept the other five herself.

If Dongfang Wei truly investigated later, the trail would stop with her and never implicate Ah Heng.

She intended to make these ten pills last him for more than a month.

For someone who had suffered chronic sleep deprivation, she did not dare let him take the medicine every day. She feared there might be side effects.

It would be enough if the pills eased his current mental strain and headaches.

Her people should already have reached the area where Miracle Doctor Luo lived.

One month would surely be enough to bring him back!

That evening, Sixi dismissed the other attendants from the sleeping chamber.

He poured water for Dongfang Wei and asked nervously, “Your Majesty, do you truly intend to try the medicine Miss Xiao gave you?”

Dongfang Wei opened the packet.

He studied the five black pills inside, pinched one between his fingers, and sniffed it.

The scent of a hawthorn pill?

He shook his head with a smile, placed it in his mouth, and swallowed it with water.

Who knew what trick Yaqing was playing? He might as well try it.

That night, he slept without dreams.