"Worldly Son Bu!" Biyu whispered in reminder.
She herself knew she was a woman, Shen Xihe knew she was a woman, but Xue Jinqiao didn't know. Speaking like this would surely damage Shen Xihe's reputation!
Bu Shulin, who had blurted it out without thinking, also realized she had said the wrong thing. She sheepishly rubbed her nose and put some distance between herself and Shen Xihe.
Shen Xihe turned and noticed Xue Jinqiao looking at Bu Shulin with some shadow in her gaze. She quickly spoke gently to her: "Worldly Son Bu and I are close friends. She's rather unreliable in her actions and often speaks without thinking. Please don't take it to heart."
Xue Jinqiao concealed the emotions in her eyes and nodded very obediently, but didn't respond.
Bu Shulin didn't take Xue Jinqiao seriously at all, but Shen Xihe knew that Xue Jinqiao had endless bad ideas. If she decided to hold a grudge against someone, she would torment them relentlessly. It was said that these past few days, Hu Yingrao had become a regular medicine pot.
"You are all my friends. It would be best if everyone got along harmoniously," Shen Xihe mediated.
"Am I one too?" Sure enough, the complexity in Xue Jinqiao's eyes vanished, replaced by clarity and innocence.
Just looking at her eyes alone, one would think she was a simple-minded, lively, and adorable young lady. Who would have thought she was capable of repeatedly drowning someone until they became a medicine pot, or even releasing a leopard to scratch a young lady's face beyond recognition?
Shen Xihe smiled slightly: "Yes."
"Can I often come to play with Sister Xihe?" Xue Jinqiao immediately pushed her luck.
Shen Xihe frowned slightly. She truly disliked social interactions.
"Sister Xihe has a weak constitution and prefers quiet. If you come every day, how will she have the energy to accompany you?" Bu Shulin immediately interjected. "Like me, if I don't have serious business, I come at most once every ten days."
"What counts as serious business?" Xue Jinqiao asked.
This...
Bu Shulin paused before saying: "Matters concerning Sister Xihe."
"Oh." Xue Jinqiao seemed thoughtful.
Bu Shulin finally realized this young lady's mind worked differently from ordinary people's and subtly moved farther away.
It wasn't that she was afraid of people with issues, but rather that she couldn't stand being pestered by such individuals.
"Did you come today because you had serious business too?" Xue Jinqiao suddenly asked.
Bu Shulin immediately straightened her back, smiled triumphantly at Xue Jinqiao, then bowed formally to Shen Xihe: "I specially came to thank Sister Xihe for blending incense for me. I find it most effective."
After speaking, she smiled meaningfully at Xue Jinqiao, eyebrows raised, and gently sniffed her sleeve.
Xue Jinqiao snorted at her, then immediately changed expression when turning to Shen Xihe, looking pitiful: "Sister Xihe, you said we're both your friends!"
Since they were both friends, there shouldn't be preferential treatment!
Shen Xihe glanced briefly at Bu Shulin before saying to Xue Jinqiao: "I'll make some for you another day."
This finally made Xue Jinqiao beam with joy, though the two of them continued bickering intermittently. Shen Xihe, her head aching from the noise, finally reached her limit and had Moyu and Mo Yuan escort both of them out.
With peace finally restored, Xie Yunhuai came to visit.
"Doctor Qi seems quite cheerful today." Shen Xihe could sense Xie Yunhuai was somewhat happy today.
"I encountered a rather satisfying matter," Xie Yunhuai said with a smile. "Actually, it's somewhat related to you, my lady."
"Oh?" Shen Xihe was puzzled. She hadn't done anything related to Xie Yunhuai."Miss Yuan was injured by a leopard at Xiangguo Temple and has been seeking renowned physicians to cure her." Xie Yunhuai already knew the full story of what happened at Xiangguo Temple - Miss Yuan had gone there hoping to encounter Shen Yungan by chance. "The Yuan family doesn't know me, but somehow heard of my reputation and invited me to treat her. After learning their identity, I declined three times. Later, the Yuan family brought a valuable medicinal herb to plead with me, so I went to examine her..."
Just as merchants won't turn away money and officials won't reject power, he naturally wouldn't refuse good medicine.
He intended to treat her as an ordinary patient, but when he went for a follow-up visit this morning, Madame Yuan, wife of Duke Xie, happened to arrive. When he returned to retrieve a forgotten item, he overheard Madame Yuan speaking with her sister-in-law and discovered that this Miss Yuan wasn't actually her niece, but rather her daughter from her previous marriage.
After her husband's death,
Madame Yuan discovered she was pregnant. To avoid being detained by her husband's family, she concealed it. She originally planned to take an abortion potion, but her constitution couldn't tolerate abortion medicine - not only would it endanger her life but it might also cause future infertility. Thus, she gave birth to Miss Yuan, passing her off as her sister-in-law's daughter. No wonder she was so concerned about Miss Yuan's marriage prospects and personally devised plans.
"She wants to marry her daughter to the Northwest, not for wealth and status, but because her former husband's brother is reportedly being transferred back to the capital this year, and Miss Yuan closely resembles her late father."
At this point, Xie Yunhuai gave a cold laugh: "All these years, she has frequently used her reluctance to meet her former husband's family as an excuse to have Duke Xie suppress his achievements, delaying his return to the capital."
Now that she can no longer suppress it, she wants to marry her daughter off far away before he returns.
A clever scheme, though now that Miss Yuan's face is disfigured, while she may be heartbroken, she might also feel somewhat relieved.
"Your father and his current wife are truly a match made in heaven," Shen Xihe remarked.
Both were individuals who would disregard family bonds and human decency for their own selfish interests.
Xie Yunhuai nodded in strong agreement, and the topic was dropped as Shen Yungan happened to wake up and come looking for them.
Shen Xihe made introductions. After they exchanged greetings, she said: "Brother, the medicine I took last night came from Doctor Qi. Today Doctor Qi came to check my pulse to confirm this medicine is safe for me."
Shen Yungan immediately questioned Xie Yunhuai in detail about Shen Xihe's physical condition. One asked meticulously while the other answered patiently. Shen Xihe simply left them to their discussion and went to the kitchen to make Sugar Crisps. When she returned after finishing, the two were conversing happily.
"For this miraculous medicine, I thank Ruogu on behalf of the Northwest soldiers." Shen Yun'an bowed solemnly to Xie Yunhuai.
"Brother Buwei, you're too kind." Xie Yunhuai quickly helped him up. "As a man, guarding the frontiers is beyond my capability. Being able to make some small contribution to the soldiers on the battlefield is my great fortune."
"What's this..." Shen Xihe asked curiously as she entered and saw their serious atmosphere.
"Ruogu gave me some Trauma Medicine that stops bleeding immediately upon application." Shen Yungan was quite excited.
For soldiers like them on the battlefield, their greatest fear was severe injuries with excessive bleeding that couldn't be treated in time.
"What kind of Trauma Medicine?" Shen Xihe asked curiously. She had heard of many trauma medicines, but none so miraculous.
Shen Yungan glanced at Xie Yunhuai and, seeing no objection, handed the prescription to Shen Xihe. The prescription contained basic trauma medicine ingredients like rosin, musk, and yellow wax, but it also included a special ingredient - Dragon Bone."I also happened to learn that Dragon Bone can be used in medicine and is extremely effective for stopping bleeding," Xie Yunhuai said gently. "It's just not easy to find."
"Dragon Bone can be found both in the Northwest and Shu regions," Shen Xihe smiled faintly. "Coincidentally, Worldly Son Bu owes me some favors."
It's even more common in Turkic territories. Doesn't Hua Fuhai want the Northwest Trading Market? Let him go gather it there!
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