Later, Madam Qin called for servants to carry Qin Zhihong back to his courtyard and to quickly summon a physician to examine him.
Although she also detested Qin Zhihong’s philandering, which had caused many disturbances in the past, her actions were futile. This was because the wealth, status, and power she currently enjoyed were all dependent on Qin Zhihong, a fact she could not change at this moment.
However, for the remains of Concubine Yang, Madam Qin arranged for a few robust maids to dress her properly, buy a coffin, and bury her in a random spot.
As for Concubine Yang’s maidservant, Madam Qin had a servant force-feed her a bowl of fertility-inhibiting soup before selling her off.
Meanwhile, in Qin Zhihong’s room, the physician was busy taking his pulse.
Moments later, the physician shook his head as he looked at Qin Zhihong on the bed.
“Madam Qin, Prime Minister Qin has been dosed with a highly potent aphrodisiac. If you had not stopped him today, he might have died from excessive indulgence,” the physician sighed.
Hearing the physician’s words, Madam Qin raised a hand to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
This man was truly an embarrassment. Just as she had suspected, he had indeed taken the aphrodisiac.
“Then, physician, is there a cure for his condition?” Madam Qin asked indifferently.
“Yes, but Madam Qin, in Prime Minister Qin’s case, the most important thing is to stop him from touching any women. He must not touch women for at least another six months to a year. Otherwise, he will never be able to touch women again.”
The physician spoke to Madam Qin in a clear and concise manner.
“Alright, I understand.”
At this moment, Madam Qin could only give the physician a perfunctory reply, as she knew she couldn’t stop Qin Zhihong’s philandering.
“Madam Qin, I will prescribe a herbal remedy to regulate Prime Minister Qin’s body. Please instruct someone to fetch the medicine and administer it continuously for half a month. We will see how his condition progresses. If Prime Minister Qin improves, I will prescribe another dose,” the physician said after a moment of thought.
Originally, he could have prescribed two prescriptions to mostly treat Prime Minister Qin’s symptoms. However, after practicing medicine for so many years and treating many high-ranking officials and noble families, he had long understood the inner workings of these powerful households.
When treating these influential families, he never cured the patients too quickly, to ensure his own safety.
Upon hearing this, Madam Qin immediately instructed a servant to fetch writing materials for the physician to write the prescription. The physician casually wrote a prescription and handed it to Madam Qin.
“Madam Qin, please instruct your servants to fetch the medicine according to this prescription. I shall take my leave now.”
“Alright, thank you, physician. However, I hope that after you leave, you will not gossip about this matter. Otherwise, you might bring disaster upon yourself,” Madam Qin said, her tone both gentle and stern, as she took the prescription.
“Madam Qin, rest assured, I understand the rules,” the physician assured her.
“It’s good that you know!”
Madam Qin nodded with satisfaction after hearing the physician’s words.
She then warned the household servants not to spread news of what had happened in the mansion today before handing the prescription to her personal maid to fetch the medicine from the street to be brewed.
In fact, she had intended to have her hidden guards assassinate the physician after he had treated Qin Zhihong. However, the physician had held back a contingency.
For the sake of Qin Zhihong’s illness, Madam Qin could only warn the physician to keep his mouth shut after leaving. Once Qin Zhihong’s condition was treated, she would have him dealt with.
Although she could find another physician or even an imperial physician to treat Qin Zhihong, it was best to keep the incident that happened to Qin Zhihong today as secret as possible.
If word of this got out and reached the Emperor’s ears, it would leave a bad impression of Qin Zhihong.
As she was contemplating, Qin Xixue’s maidservant also hurried over to report to her.
“Madam, it’s not good, miss, two words have been branded onto miss’s face,” Qin Xixue’s maidservant Mi Xin stammered.
“What? Xue’er’s face has been branded with words?” Madam Qin thought she had misheard.
“Yes, Madam. This morning, when miss woke up, she discovered something strange on her face. Her face had been smeared with a green paste, and then, then, when I went to help Eldest Miss wash up, I discovered that two words, ‘scum woman,’ had been branded onto Eldest Miss’s face.”
As she finished speaking, Madam Qin, who was sitting by the table, nearly collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, the maidservant Mi Xin quickly steadied her.
Then, Madam Qin calmed herself, stood up from her chair, and strode out of the room, heading directly for Qin Xixue’s courtyard.
At this moment, Qin Xixue was still in a frenzy in her own room. She had smashed everything she could in her room and then began to claw and pull at her hair.
Her hair was a mess, like a bird’s nest, covering her entire face, making her look completely deranged.
As Madam Qin stepped into Qin Xixue’s boudoir, she saw the scene of disarray within the room. Qin Xixue was wailing and acting like a madwoman, and her hands were also covered in many scratches.
“Xue’er, how could you harm yourself like this?” Madam Qin looked at Qin Xixue with great concern.
“Mother, kill me. I don’t want to live anymore, wuwu…”
“My face, my face is ruined! I can’t face anyone.”
Qin Xixue said in despair.
“Xue’er, you must not do anything rash.”
Madam Qin persuaded her with great concern.
“Mother, my face is disfigured! My face is disfigured!”
“Wuwu…”
As Qin Xixue spoke, she burst into loud, heartbreaking sobs again.
Madam Qin walked to Qin Xixue’s side, pushed aside her hair, and took a look at her face. She was also shocked.
“My heavens!”
“Who in their right mind would do such a thing?”
Madam Qin exclaimed in indignation.
With these two words branded on her daughter’s face, how would she ever face anyone again?
“Mother, you must help me find the person who disfigured me. I will personally skin them, pull out their sinews, drink their blood, and chop them into minced meat to satisfy my hatred for them.”
“Alright, alright, Mother will agree to whatever you say. As long as we find that person, I will hand them over to you for disposal. You can do whatever you want with them.”
Madam Qin patiently comforted her.
She was truly troubled today. Both her husband and daughter had met with misfortune within a single day. She wondered who was seeking revenge on their Qin Prefecture, truly a cursed fate.
Her Xue’er was destined to become a princess, and in the future, perhaps even an empress. Now that Xue’er had become like this, which prince would dare to marry her?