Qian Xingzhi truly understood what it meant to be as frantic as an ant on a hot pan.
She had used all her strength to drag Lu Yu onto the bed, then turned to look around. Only then did she realize—this wasn't her own doghouse?!
Wouldn't the assassin follow? On second thought, she was a new court favorite, affiliated with the Third Prince's faction. Too many entanglements might be disadvantageous for the assassin. Besides, Lu Yu must have his own considerations.
As she thought, she went out to call for a servant to boil water. Once boiling, she tossed cloth strips in, then fished them out to dry. She didn't know if the sword was poisoned, but disinfection and bandaging were a must. Qian Xingzhi swiftly changed into women's clothing and slipped out through a side path to buy medicine.
Even though she was extremely uneasy leaving Lu Yu alone in the room, if she didn't treat the wounds in time, unless Lu Yu was truly fortunate and tough enough to fight it off, he might get an infection and develop sepsis. With Nansheng Kingdom's medical conditions, even a god would only prepare a coffin for him.
Besides, staying by his side 24/7 wouldn't help. If the assassin really came, it would just mean one more corpse on the ground.
With that thought, Qian Xingzhi quickly locked the door and dashed straight to the apothecary.
"Doctor, my husband was working and accidentally cut his hand. Could you tell me which medicines to buy?"
"I'll give you some gold wound medicine?"
Qian Xingzhi nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, gold wound medicine. Please give me the best kind, and also some fever-reducing powder for internal use. I'll take as much as you can spare. Here's two taels of silver—keep the change."
Qian Xingzhi's generosity delighted the doctor, who kept chatting. "Oh, you and your husband have such a good relationship! We also have some prescriptions for health tonics. Would you like to see?"
While the apprentice packed the medicines, Qian Xingzhi quickly asked about the dosage and then hurried back home.
Fortunately, Lu Yu was still sleeping soundly on her bed, with no signs of fever.
Qian Xingzhi deftly removed Lu Yu's shirt, disinfected the cloth strips with liquor, and meticulously cleaned the wounds.
Was the alcohol pure enough? As she disinfected, she muttered, "Bear with it, Lord Lu. Limited conditions. Hope there's no infection."
Perhaps because the cold hadn't fully healed and new injuries had been added, the sleeping man didn't even groan. After disinfecting and applying the gold wound medicine, Qian Xingzhi tightly wrapped Lu Yu's wounds with cloth strips, layer by layer.
Afraid that the wounds would fester, Qian Xingzhi stayed by his side, disinfecting every three hours without changing her clothes.
At midnight, a high fever indeed set in. Qian Xingzhi decocted the fever-reducing powder and forced it all down Lu Yu's throat.
The next day, Qian Xingzhi went to court with dark circles under her eyes. Ironically, she had to report the recent celestial anomalies from Nanchuan.
"Your Majesty, it is currently winter. Recently, the stars governing Nanchuan are the Winnowing Basket and Dipper. Observing their movements, I fear there will be more rain in Nanchuan soon. I believe we should send a message to His Highness the Third Prince, advising him to prepare early."
Nanchuan was remote and difficult to traverse. Even riding day and night, it would take at least half a month from Shengjing to reach it. The Third Prince definitely hadn't arrived at Luo County yet—he was lucky not to be dawdling in the prosperous areas.
After her memorial, she had no more duties, just watching the old ministers argue. She had more or less gauged the court situation. Recently, the Crown Prince's faction had been very subdued, the Third Prince's faction had also kept a low profile, while the Seventh Prince was making some moves.
No one argued today, so Qian Xingzhi let her mind wander.
Lu Yu, oh Lu Yu, I've done everything in my power. If anything happens to you, I'll just have to pick a good coffin for you.
What should a comatose person eat? Eggs? Tofu? She couldn't exactly hang a saline drip to keep him alive. What a headache.
After court, she went to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to ask for leave, requesting Yang Mingwan to cover for her for a few days. After some thought, she didn't dare tell him the truth, only obliquely asked if he knew where Yuan Bai was.
Yang Mingwan, not looking up from his documents, said, "I don't know. Take your time, Lord Qian."
A total blockhead. Qian Xingzhi was certain.
Qian Xingzhi increased the servant's monthly stipend and sent him to buy fresh ingredients. Before transmigrating here, she had always lived alone and had been forced to learn passable cooking skills. She had planned to ditch the kitchenware here, but now she was back in the kitchen for the patient.
When Lu Yu woke up, she would fleece him good. She'd make him hire the most expensive chef for the Qian Mansion, cooking delicacies every day. Best if Lu Yu had a conscience and threw in three hundred thousand taels for free.
The dishes turned out quite well when they came out of the pot, but unfortunately, Lu Yu had lost the ability to chew and swallow. Qian Xingzhi grandly picked a few dishes into a large bowl and mashed them into a paste. The presentation was… amazing.
Holding this mysterious object, Qian Xingzhi couldn't help but laugh unkindly. For some reason, she was very excited about shoving this stuff into Lu Yu's mouth.
But as soon as she entered, Lu Yu was already awake, leaning against the bedside, looking down at his upper body wrapped almost like a mummy.
The room was a mess—blood-stained cloth strips scattered on the floor, gold wound medicine covering half the table, failed decoctions, and a few scattered medical books. Everything testified to the chaos created by the perpetrator.
"Thank you."
That's it? Qian Xingzhi was rather dissatisfied, but she was magnanimous and wouldn't quibble with an unhealed patient. "I thought you were still unconscious, so I made some vegetable paste. Since you're awake, I'll go cook some porridge."
"No need. Give it to me." Lu Yu's voice sounded as if a gust of wind could knock him over. "Troubling you, Lord Qian."
Qian Xingzhi handed him the bowl, trying to spot any expression of horror at its contents. Naturally, Lu Yu ate it expressionlessly, greatly disappointing her.
She sat on the edge of the bed, feeling increasingly awkward, and made small talk. "Do you have any idea about the assassin's background, Lord Lu?"
Lu Yu shook his head and just kept eating.
Could it be so bad he didn't want to talk? Qian Xingzhi thought to herself. With Lu Yu's character, he would definitely eat it all and even compliment it, then once fully recovered, lock her up and force her to eat three bowls of dark cuisine.
"So… what do you plan to do next?"
"Wait for Yuan Bai."
Lu Yu now looked like a rabbit gnawing on a vegetable leaf—poke him once, he moves; completely dazed. Qian Xingzhi was tempted to court death.
"Ahem, Lu Yu," Qian Xingzhi used his full name for the first time. "We've been through life and death together now, so this—"
Before she could finish, Lu Yu looked up and stared at her. Though his eyes were clear, it made her skin crawl. Qian Xingzhi quickly waved her hands. "Forget I said anything. Eat on, eat on."
Lu Yu did eat it all, and even tried to get up to wash the dishes. Qian Xingzhi stopped him. "Ancestor, just rest. Don't reopen your wounds and waste my day and night of hard work."
Lu Yu obediently sat back down. Before Qian Xingzhi left, he added, "Delicious."
It was absolutely a horror movie.
Qian Xingzhi didn't dare to stay in the same room alone with Lu Yu and endure an awkward afternoon. Since she had basically gotten familiar with her colleagues, to avoid another embarrassing encounter while in women's clothing, she honestly dressed as a dashing young man and went out for some fun.