"Which young lady is it?" Xiao Jingxi asked.
"It's a young lady surnamed Zhou who came from the capital."
Lady Xu frowned. "How could she suddenly faint for no reason?"
Clearly, the guard couldn't answer this question. After sending the physician over, he had briefly inquired about the situation before hurrying back to report to his master.
Although the physician had already boarded the painted boat, it was gradually beginning to dock at the shore.
As the host, Xiao Jingxi naturally needed to stay and inquire about the situation at this moment. He glanced at the few people present, then said to Pei Zhiyan, "Shall I have someone escort Mr. Pei back to the guesthouse first?"
Pei Zhiyan looked toward the direction of the painted boat. "I'll wait until the situation is clear before leaving." After all, these young ladies had come with him, and it wouldn't be appropriate to ignore the matter.
Xiao Jingxi nodded, then turned his gaze to the Xu couple.
Ouyang Shi smiled gently and said to Xiao Jingxi, "The painted boat is full of young ladies, and someone has fallen ill. It might not be suitable for you to go up and check. Why don't Yaoqi and I go up first to see what's going on?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingxi couldn't help but glance at Ren Yaoqi.
If Ren Yaoqi were merely a young lady of the Ren Family, such a task of visiting the sick naturally wouldn't fall to her. It would be best if there were female relatives from the Yanbei Prince's Mansion present at this time, but unfortunately, neither the Princess Consort nor Xiao Jinglin had come. So, if Ren Yaoqi were to go now, she would be representing the stance of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion.
However, since Ren Yaoqi had not yet formally married Xiao Jingxi, it might be somewhat awkward for her to socialize with those young ladies from the capital on her own. But if Lady Xu accompanied her, it would be more appropriate.
Meeting Xiao Jingxi's gaze, Ren Yaoqi naturally understood his and Lady Xu's intentions. Knowing that Lady Xu meant well by wanting to help her establish some authority, she nodded. "Alright, I'll go with you first to take a look."
Hearing this, Xiao Jingxi gave her a smile in return.
Not long after, the painted boat docked. Once it was securely moored, Lady Xu and Ren Yaoqi boarded with their maidservants.
An unfamiliar young lady was lying on a chaise longue in one of the resting rooms on the painted boat, her eyes closed and her face pale. The physician who had boarded earlier was instructing a maid to feed her medicine pills dissolved in water. The room was filled with a strong, pungent medicinal scent.
Upon smelling this, Ren Yaoqi felt that this young lady likely didn't have a serious illness. Such strongly scented medicine was generally used to clear the mind and dispel wind.
Yun Qiuchen, Yan Ningshuang, and several other young ladies were gathered around, looking concernedly at the fainted young lady. When they saw Lady Xu and Ren Yaoqi enter, they all turned to look.
Yun Qiuchen quickly stepped forward to greet them. "Madam, Miss Ren, you've come?" Her gaze was still fixed on Lady Xu, clearly treating her as the primary figure.
However, Lady Xu subtly glanced at Ren Yaoqi.
Thus, Ren Yaoqi promptly took over and asked, "What happened? I heard Miss Zhou suddenly fainted? Is it serious?" With her taking the lead, it immediately positioned her as the main figure, with Lady Xu as the accompanying guest.
Yun Qiuchen looked at Ren Yaoqi and Lady Xu, responding with a proper smile. "I heard that several young ladies caught colds and felt unwell on the way here. They might not have fully recovered yet. Earlier, Miss Zhao also felt unwell and has already returned first."Ren Yaoqi nodded, then stepped forward and asked the physician with concern in her eyes, "Physician Liu, how is Miss Zhou?"
In truth, Ren Yaoqi did not know this physician; she had only learned his name by casually asking a guard upon entering.
The physician was one of Xiao Jingxi's men, a clever and perceptive person. Seeing Ren Yaoqi call him by name and noticing Lady Xu standing behind her without speaking, he immediately rose and approached, bowing respectfully before standing up to reply, "In answer to the young lady, Miss Zhou merely caught a chill that hasn't fully healed, and today she was exposed to some gentle wind, which caused her to faint. It's nothing serious. I have already had someone give her some medicine, and she should wake up soon. There is no need for the young lady to worry."
Ren Yaoqi nodded and asked a few more gentle questions, to which the physician answered each one in turn.
The young ladies present observed the physician from Yanbei Prince's Mansion addressing Ren Yaoqi with the self-referential "subordinate" and his respectful demeanor, and they felt quite complex emotions. Although this Miss Ren had not yet married into Yanbei Prince's Mansion, she seemed to be well-liked by everyone there. Just moments ago, Physician Liu had been quite casual in his attitude toward Yun Family Eldest Miss.
Yan Ningshuang's gaze had been fixed on Ren Yaoqi since she entered, but because Ren Yaoqi was backlit, it was difficult to discern the expression on her face. Ren Yaoqi naturally noticed her gaze but pretended not to.
Yun Family Eldest Miss, Yun Qiuchen, maintained a perfectly appropriate smile from beginning to end. Such a flawless smile made it impossible to guess what this eldest miss was truly thinking.
Seeing that the intended effect had been achieved, Lady Xu spoke up and asked, "Physician Liu, do you think Miss Zhou should be sent back now, or should she rest here a while longer and be sent back after waking up?"
Physician Liu replied, "It would be better to wait until she wakes up. This old man will administer another dose of medicine and perhaps apply a couple of acupuncture needles."
Lady Xu then looked at Ren Yaoqi, who nodded and said, "That sounds good. We'll wait here for a while."
Not long after, Miss Zhou indeed woke up groggily, though she was still somewhat dazed and her complexion remained rather poor. Physician Liu quickly gave her another bowl of medicine and then took out silver needles to apply acupuncture. Before long, Miss Zhou's complexion improved.
Lady Xu and Ren Yaoqi went over to see her. Miss Zhou was now fully conscious and explained that she had caught a slight chill on her way to Yanbei. It had seemed to get better, so she hadn't paid it much mind, but today it had flared up again.
"Come to think of it, quite a few young ladies have fallen ill. Today, Miss Li and Miss Lu didn't go out due to illness, and now Miss Zhao and Miss Zhou are also unwell," one of the young ladies whispered.
Upon hearing this, Yun Qiuchen asked Physician Liu with concern, "I've heard that colds and flu can spread to others. With so many young ladies falling ill, won't it be a problem if they live together?"
Hearing Yun Qiuchen's words, Physician Liu couldn't help but hesitate. In principle, Yun Qiuchen's concern made sense—these young ladies were already frail, and if they passed illnesses back and forth, it could become endless. However, after glancing at Ren Yaoqi and Lady Xu, he replied cautiously, "Well, if proper precautions are taken, it shouldn't be so easy to catch."Yan Ningshuang then spoke up, "So there's a possibility they could infect each other?"
After some thought, Physician Liu nodded.
Yan Ningshuang looked at Ren Yaoqi and said, "In that case, it would be better for us to stay separately. After all, the Thousand Gold Banquet hasn't arrived yet. If we all fall ill now, I'm afraid we won't be able to fulfill the Empress Dowager's decree. What do you think, Miss Ren?"
Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "Miss Yan's concern is quite reasonable. I'll go back and request instructions from the Princess Consort to see if further arrangements can be made. You young ladies have traveled a great distance to come to our Yanbei and are our honored guests. No matter what, you should be properly accommodated."
Yan Ningshuang said nothing more.
After Miss Zhou rested a while longer and Physician Liu confirmed she was fine, Ren Yaoqi and Lady Xu arranged for people to escort Miss Zhou and the other young ladies off the painted boat.
Just as they were boarding the carriages, Xiao Jingxi and Pei Zhiyan arrived. Although Ren Yaoqi had already sent someone to inform them of the situation, they still inquired about it in person.
Miss Zhou and the other young ladies left by carriage first, while Yan Ningshuang and Yun Qiuchen lingered behind.
Yan Ningshuang glanced at Pei Zhiyan, then turned her gaze to Xiao Jingxi. "So the distinguished guest of Young Master Xiao is actually Lord Pei?"
Pei Zhiyan smiled lightly and said casually, "Second Young Master Xiao and I met when he visited the capital. Coincidentally, two old acquaintances were also here today, so we gathered for a small reunion."
Yan Ningshuang's gaze swept subtly over Ren Yaoqi's face. She smiled, appearing both surprised and curious. "Old acquaintances? Is Miss Ren also an old acquaintance? That is rather unexpected."
Pei Zhiyan raised an eyebrow, his smile gentle, refined, and graceful. "Miss Ren? Isn't Miss Ren the hostess? She was merely attending to guests. After all, besides us, there was also Lady Xu, a female guest present on the painted boat. It wouldn't have been appropriate to leave all the hosting to Young Master Xiao."
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but smile faintly. Although Pei Zhiyan might have spoken up for her now simply because he was displeased that Yan Ningshuang had spoken rudely and tried to drag him into it, she still felt a warm glow in her heart.
Yan Ningshuang seemed to want to ask something more, but Xiao Jingxi spoke up, "The carriages are here. Please return to the villa first, ladies. Later, I'll send a few physicians to check your pulses. If anyone is ill, it's better to treat it early."
Xiao Jingxi's voice was gentle, his face smiling. Yan Ningshuang looked at him, and perhaps because his smile was too captivating, her face flushed slightly. With that one glance, she found it hard to look away, naturally not pondering Xiao Jingxi's words carefully.
Ren Yaoqi, however, felt a bit odd upon hearing this. She couldn't help but glance sideways at Xiao Jingxi, thinking to herself, was he actually insulting people? Why did it sound so awkward?
But considering Second Young Master Xiao, who always appeared graceful and ethereal in public, Ren Yaoqi thought she might be overthinking it. Second Young Master Xiao didn't seem like someone who would publicly insult young ladies!
Yun Qiuchen then said with a smile, "I'll go to the Yanbei Prince's Mansion to report today's events to the Princess Consort."Xiao Jingxi glanced at her, his gentle smile unchanged, yet carrying a measured touch of distance and politeness: "You've worked hard today, Miss Yun. However, having accompanied Miss Yan and the others for so long, you must be tired. It would be best for you to return and rest now. Lady Xu and Miss Ren can go see the Princess Consort on their own."
The author has some free time today and is here with an extra update~ It's not yet 12 o'clock~ o(∩_∩)o.
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