When Su Muge came in, Madam Duke Qing was about to pick up the teacup. At the sight of Su Muge, she immediately put down the teacup in her hand.
“Your Grace, pay my respects to you.”
Su Muge sat on a chair. Looking at Madam Duke Qing bowing in front of her, she really felt life so unpredictable. Not long ago, she was the one who would bow. But now, it was completely changed.
“Madam, don’t be over-courteous. Please sit down.” Su Muge glanced at Yueru who stepped forward to support Madam Duke Qing.
Madam Duke Qing was wearing a light layer of rouge on her face. Although she was not young, her complexion looked very good. Sure enough, a merry heart makes a cheerful countenance. Having given birth to a son for Duke Qing Mansion, she would be in a good mood, of course. She looked even much younger now.
“Your Grace, I heard that you were injured before. I wanted to come to see you, but I was afraid to disturb you, so I didn’t visit you until now.” Madam Duke Qing said, making an excuse similar to Liu Rumeng.
Su Muge didn’t care. “I’m very delighted with your concern, Madam.”
“I’m here today to thank you in person, Your Grace. If it were not for you, my child and I wouldn’t be safe and sound.” Madam Duke Qing was also sincere. Although she was Madam Duke Qing, she would also lead a hard life in the future without a son.
“Bring the things up.” Madam Duke Qing said.
The maid standing outside walked in with a brocade box.
“I heard from Duke Qing that you don’t like silk and satin, nor do you like gold, silver, and jewelry, but you are especially absorbed in those rare herbs.” While speaking, Madam Duke Qing personally took over the box and opened it in front of Su Muge.
Inside was a nice and old ginseng.
“Although this snow-mountain ginseng is only a hundred years old, it is extremely rare because it grows on the top of the snow mountain. This ginseng is not very useful in my hands, so I’ll give it to you as a gift of gratitude, Your Grace. Please accept it.”
Snow-mountain ginseng was a good thing!
Su Muge accepted it with a smile politely. “Thank you, Madam.”
“I’m glad that you like it.”
Madam Duke Qing returned to her chair, sat down, took a cup of tea on the table, and took a sip.
Seeing her look, Su Muge knew she had something else to say.
Su Muge was not in a hurry. She picked up a piece of white square rice cake on the table and took a bite. She didn’t eat much for lunch, so she was a little hungry now. however, thinking of her dinner, she put down the cake.
Madam Duke Qing took a sip of tea and slowly put the teacup down, during which she took two glimpses at Su Muge.
In the past, Madam Duke Qing needn’t have hesitated in front of a daughter of an inferior official. But now, she had become the wife of a prince. Moreover, the prince was still in power!
“Actually… I come here today because there is one more thing I want to ask you, Your Grace… I wonder if you can help me.”
Knowing that she was to reveal her main purpose, Su Muge put down the cup in her hand.
“Oh? What makes you so embarrassed, Madam?” Su Muge didn’t make clear whether she would agree or not.
“It’s my cousin. She has an old complaint after giving birth to her child and can’t be cured for so many years. Until now, her condition is still very bad. The day before yesterday, she came to the capital to see if she could get a famous doctor for treatment. I know that you have excellent medical skills, so I want to ask you to see if my cousin can be cured.” Madam Duke Qing looked at Su Muge with earnest eyes.
Su Muge lowered her eyes. As the Rani of Jin, she shouldn’t treat outsiders easily even if she had medical skills.
“Madam, I’m afraid I have to ask His Royal Highness about this.” At this time, she felt much secured to take Xia Houmo as an excuse.
“I see. I have witnessed my cousin growing up, so I can’t bear her suffering so much. After all, she is still so young. It will be so pitiful if she passes away like this.”
“Madam, don’t be too pessimistic. There are so many famous doctors in the capital. The result is still unknown until she sees the doctors.”
Hearing Su Muge’s words, Madam Duke Qing knew that she wouldn’t agree easily.
“I hope so.”
Madam Duke Qing left Jin Mansion after a few words with Su Muge.
“Yueru, put away this ginseng.” Madam Duke Qing was so generous to ask her to treat her cousin.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Su Muge looked at the sky. The sun was setting and the sky was getting dark, so she went straight back to Bamboo Courtyard.
“Xinche, are all the things I asked you to prepare at noon ready?”
“Your Grace, I’ve made orders according to your instructions.”
“That’s good. Let them be always prepared. Xinlan, go to ask His Royal Highness if he will come for dinner tonight.”
“Yes.”
Su Muge entered the room, opened a large box in the room, and took out a book at the bottom of the box.
This book was obtained from Guima. She had read it before, but there were some records she hadn’t studied in detail. She was to take it out and read it again from beginning to end.
Before she could read a few pages, Xia Houmo had entered the room in a black robe.
Su Muge closed the medical book in her hand and sat up. “Your Royal Highness, you have finished your business?”
Xia Houmo walked to her, sat down, and wrapped her little hands in his palms. Instead of answering, he asked, “Have you seen her?”
Although Xia Houmo had just come in from the outside, his big palms were so warm that Su Muge was reluctant to break free.
“Well, Madam Duke Qing came to express gratitude and sent me a snow-mountain ginseng of one hundred years old.”
Xia Houmo raised his eyebrows. “To express gratitude?”
“She also hoped that I could treat her cousin. I said that I had to ask you about it. Your Royal Highness, do you think I should treat her?”
Xia Houmo looked into her bright eyes, with his loving and dark eyes. “Do you want to treat her?”
Su Muge looked at him. “Who is Madam Duke Qing’s cousin?”
“Wang Ziyu, the eldest Madam of the imperial merchant Li family.”
Su Muge raised her eyebrows. Duke Qing Madam certainly had more than one cousin, so he must have investigated it thoroughly.
“The Li family.” They were able to do business with the royal family, so they must have a backer in the capital. However, it was unknown if it was Duke Qing Mansion.
“Let’s wait and see the sincerity of the Li family.” That 100-year-old snow-mountain ginseng was just for exploring the way.
“If you want to treat her, just do it. If you don’t want, no one can force you.”
“Your Grace, it’s dinner time.”
Su Muge broke free from Xia Houmo’s arms, put on her shoes, and walked to the compartment.
“Your Royal Highness, come on. Let’s have hot pot tonight.”
Seeing that Su Muge was getting more and more relaxed with him, Xia Houmo couldn’t help raising the corner of his lips. He got up and walked over to the compartment.
“Put everything on the table.”
“Yes.”
Yueru and others carried in a small pot with red soup in it.
Su Muge smelled it and felt her appetite was stimulated.
Xia Houmo frowned when he smelled chili, but he walked to Su Muge and sat down.
After serving the marinated meat to the table, the maids retreated.
Su Muge took a deep breath and couldn’t wait to pick up the chopsticks and boil a piece of beef.
“Wow, it’s so delicious.”
The tender and spicy taste was so nice; she hadn’t tasted it for so long.
Su Muge was in a good mood today, and she kindly helped Xia Houmo boil several pieces of beef. “Your Royal Highness, have a try. The meat should be eaten when it’s hot. It’s really tasty.”
Xia Houmo looked at the meat covered with chili oil in the bowl, picked up the chopsticks, and sent a piece of beef into his mouth.
Su Muge was enjoying her hot pot very happily, but she didn’t notice anything wrong with Xia Houmo. After dinner, the whole room was filled with the smell of hot pot. Xinche hurriedly opened the window for ventilation, and the smell slowly dissipated.
“Hoo, I’m so satisfied.”
Only when Su Muge lay down on the chair did she find that Xia Houmo had been quite silent during the meal.
“Your Royal Highness, is this dinner not appetizing?”
Xia Houmo kept his countenance, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a sip. “It’s delicious.”
“In winter, we should eat hot pot. It’s warm and delicious.”
After washing up, Su Muge lay down on the bed contentedly. At midnight, she felt Xia Houmo by her side quite strange.
She endured her sleepiness to open her eyes and found Xia Houmo frowning.
“Your Royal Highness, what’s wrong with you?”
“I’m fine.”
Su Muge touched his hand and found his arm severely tightened. He was obviously enduring something.
Xia Houmo was a man with terrible endurance. Judging from his uncomfortable look, he must have been very unwell.
“Let me see, Your Royal Highness.”
Before Xia Houmo could refuse, Su Muge had reached out to take his pulse.
Suddenly, she frowned. “Your Royal Highness, you can’t eat chili?”
Xia Houmo sat up and wore his shoes to get out of bed. “No.”
“Why don’t you tell me that you can’t eat?!” Su Muge was a little angry. No wonder he almost ate nothing for dinner.
Xia Houmo looked at her frowning eyebrows and reached out to smooth them. “I want to see your happy face. It’s not a big deal to eat some chili.”
Seeing his loving eyes, Su Muge suddenly felt her chest a little stuffy. She turned around, took a porcelain bottle out of the drawer, and poured out a pill.
“Your Royal Highness, hurry to take it.”
Xia Houmo took the pill and swallowed it without looking at it.
Su Muge poured him a cup of warm water.
The pill was efficient. Soon, Xia Houmo felt the colic in his stomach had eased a lot.
That night, the two slept in each other’s arms.
When Su Muge woke up the next morning, Xia Houmo had gone to the morning court.
“Your Grace, you’re awake.”
After Yueru and others helped Su Muge wash up, a maid came in to report that Old lady Li asked to see her.
Su Muge fiddled with the spoon in the cubilose soup. “Old lady Li? Which Old lady Li?”
“The Old Lady Li of the imperial merchant Li family.”
Su Muge put down the spoon in her hand.
“The Li family is too impatient.” It was just a daughter-in-law. According to Xia Houmo, there were several sons in the Li family, and there were even three truth-born sons. The Old Lady Li would visit her so anxiously for a daughter-in-law. It seemed that the backer behind the Li family was either Duke Qing Mansion or closely related to Duke Qing Mansion.
“Invite her in.”
