“What do you mean, master…”
Zhong Li glanced at Lin Jin, who realized he had misspoke and immediately lowered his head in silence.
Zhong Li shook her head at the waiter and said, “No, we are on our way to Yongcheng and happened to pass by this place. Seeing that you were having some trouble with the man outside who claimed to be a physician, we were just curious and asked.”
“Oh!” The waiter nodded, looking as if he finally understood. He said, “Since you two are just passing through, you must not know that a little over half a month ago, our new prefect held a flower banquet in his mansion. It is said that he overindulged in something, and in his excitement, he suddenly fainted. He has been unconscious for half a month, and despite seeing many physicians, he has not woken up.
After all, he is newly appointed and seems to be of royal blood. Governor Chang, fearing that something might happen, posted a notice offering a high reward for a famous physician to treat the prefect.”
“What overindulged? What is overindulged?” Zhong Li couldn’t help but frown as she listened to the waiter babbling incoherently.
The waiter was a gossip, and besides, the people opposite were patrons. He didn’t notice Zhong Li’s displeased expression. He raised his hands, pressing Zhong Li and Lin Jin down from left to right. The three of them huddled together, smiling lewdly, and animatedly sharing the story.
Lin Jin’s face grew increasingly distressed as the waiter narrated, while Zhong Li’s expression became bloodthirsty and suppressed. If Lu Wuxie were standing in front of her, she might truly have taken out her dissection knife and rendered his descendants extinct!
“Are you telling the truth?” Zhong Li asked after the waiter finished.
The waiter nodded, not forgetting to add fuel to the fire, “You might not believe it, but the prefect was quite the ladies’ man in Jincheng, charming and dashing. Liaocheng has beauties as numerous as clouds, and he couldn’t resist enjoying some of them.”
“If that’s the case, then he deserves it!” Zhong Li said.
“Alas, you can’t just…”
“Brother Zhong.” As soon as the waiter spoke, Lin Jin quickly interrupted him and said to Zhong Li, “This is just a rumor, you can’t believe it all.”
“Why can’t we believe it all?” The waiter heard Lin Jin say this and became even more eager. He put his hands on his hips and pointed to the entrance of the inn, “Turn left out of the inn, go all the way to the end, turn right, and that’s the prefect’s mansion. The reward is still posted there. If you don’t believe me, go and see for yourselves.”
Lin Jin slowly closed his eyes, looking at the waiter. If it weren’t for the crowd, he would have already gone up to give this sensationalizing fellow a couple of punches.
“Alright, we’ll go and see! If we can save him, we’ll get the reward money and live a carefree life.” Zhong Li said, standing up, slinging her medicine box over her shoulder, and walking out.
Seeing this, the waiter quickly reminded her, “You need a number tag to see a physician. You must get one.”
Zhong Li’s footsteps paused as she crossed the threshold. She glanced sideways at the mustachioed man still tidying his medicine box on the ground. She crouched down, casually picked up a tag from the ground, threw down two copper coins, and quickly left.
As the waiter had said, the prefect’s mansion was not far from the inn.
At this moment, the entrance of the mansion was already filled with physicians, each holding a number. As the guards called out, one person entered as another exited.
“Miss Zhong, master is definitely not that kind of person,” Lin Jin said cautiously, following behind Zhong Li.
Zhong Li watched the physicians coming out of the mansion one by one and replied, “I know, but… hearing what that waiter said made me angry. What should we do?”
Lin Jin swallowed a few times and said, “We still have to wait for master to wake up. What do you think, Miss Zhong?”
Zhong Li was worried, “This illness is likely tricky.”
“What makes you say that?” Lin Jin asked anxiously.
Zhong Li raised her chin and said, “Three physicians have come out one after another, frowning, shaking their heads, looking serious, and walking away in a hurry. Such an obvious escape indicates that this illness must be difficult to treat.”
“Then do you have confidence, Miss Zhong?” Lin Jin asked. “The Young Master has always been in good health, how could he fall ill so suddenly? There must be something fishy going on.”
Zhong Li pursed her lips and looked at the prefect’s courtyard, which was within reach. Her eyebrows furrowed. How could she not notice this problem? But Lu Wuxie had always been cautious. What had happened to put him in such a predicament that he didn’t even have time to send a message to Lin Jin?
And Ah Wu, all the unfamiliar faces she had seen so far. Where had he gone?
“Number eight, number eight! Where is number eight?”
Just as Zhong Li was lost in thought, the prefect’s gatekeeper called out the next number.
Zhong Li quickly came to her senses and prepared to enter the mansion with Lin Jin.
“Wait!” The gatekeeper stopped Zhong Li and Lin Jin, his gaze sweeping over them. “Who is the physician?”
Zhong Li cleared her throat and deliberately deepened her voice, saying, “Reporting to you, honored sir, it is I.”
“Good, then you go in, he stays!” The gatekeeper unceremoniously pushed Lin Jin aside.
Lin Jin narrowed his eyes, his dagger clenched in his hand.
Zhong Li quickly restrained Lin Jin from drawing his weapon and explained, “He is my young attendant. Can he…”
“Young attendant?” The gatekeeper’s mouth twitched. He scrutinized Lin Jin from head to toe and said, “He looks almost an old attendant. How can a young attendant look so old?”
Lin Jin’s forehead veins bulged.
Zhong Li said, “He just grows up quickly.”
“That won’t do either. You go in yourself,” the gatekeeper reprimanded.
Zhong Li gave Lin Jin a helpless look, took the medicine box from him, and followed the servant into the mansion quickly.
Considering the prefect is the lord of a city, the mansion must be quite large.
Zhong Li followed the servant, winding through various paths, and finally stopped at a separate courtyard.
“His Lordship is inside. You can go in yourself,” the servant said, then turned and left.
Zhong Li watched the servant’s receding back. After pondering for a while, she tightened the medicine box on her shoulder and prepared to walk in.
“Wait.”
Just as her hand touched the door, a voice sounded from behind her.
Zhong Li turned around and looked at the man a dozen yards away. He was wearing a dark official uniform embroidered with two cranes. She realized this must be Governor Chang of Liaocheng.
“My lord,” Zhong Li said with clasped hands in greeting.
Governor Chang walked up to Zhong Li and scrutinized her from head to toe. “What number are you?”
“Eight.”
Governor Chang frowned slightly and waved to his two attendants, “Search her.”
Zhong Li was startled and looked at Governor Chang in surprise. “What does this mean, my lord?”
“What meaning? Do you know who is inside?” Governor Chang asked.
Zhong Li nodded. “I know, it’s the prefect.”
“That’s right. The prefect is afflicted with a serious illness and is unconscious. Naturally, I must protect the prefect’s safety. I fear you might bring in weapons to assassinate him, hence the search,” Governor Chang said coldly.
Zhong Li had truly not expected such a procedure to be involved in treating Lu Wuxie. Her clasped hands stiffened slightly, and her mind raced, trying to figure out how to extricate herself.
Just as the two attendants’ hands touched her shoulders, a voice came over.
“My lord.”
All eyes turned towards the source of the sound.
A man in official attire walked over. He was slender and had a goatee.
“Why are you here, Deputy Governor Qi?”
Qi Lei whispered a few words into Governor Chang’s ear. Governor Chang was taken aback and asked, “No more medicinal ingredients?”
Qi Lei nodded. “They are urging us from that side.”
“Alright, then you help me watch. Remember to search her thoroughly,” Governor Chang said with a serious expression, waving to his attendants, and then quickly left.
After Qi Lei bowed to Governor Chang and watched him leave, he turned to Zhong Li and said, “You are Zhong Ceng from the Dali Temple, aren’t you?”