“Elder Li, are you done? There are still plenty of patients waiting for you!” An attendant in the inner hall yelled.
“Coming, coming.” Elder Li walked into the inner hall quickly. As it turned out, Elder Li was using his rest time to speak with Bai Luochu.
When Elder Li returned to his seat, he called for his personal attendant and said, “Go and deliver a message to His Second Highness. Tell him that the lass from the general’s residence came to visit me. I told that lass everything about how he invited me to rescue her in the past. If he asks for the reason, tell him that this old man thinks he is acting too slowly. Moreover the lass seems a little slow in noticing such things. This old man merely helped him to speed things up. You have to personally relay the message, understand?”
When the attendant heard the orders, he started to complain, “You are always causing trouble before sending me in to get scolded in your stead...”
Before the attendant could finish his words, Elder Li interrupted him, “Do you think I’m old and hard of hearing? Stop complaining!”
The attendant had no choice but to do as he was told.
Bai Luochu was already on the way back to the general’s residence. Along the way, Elder Li’s words rang in her mind. Bai Luochu thought to herself, Pei Qingfeng actually did so much for me… What else do I not know?
Bai Luochu didn’t dare to continue her train of thought. Just like this, Bai Luochu panicked along the way and didn’t even notice that she had arrived at the general’s residence.
When Cai Ling saw that Bai Luochu was preoccupied with her thoughts, she asked in concern, “Mistress, what is wrong? You look distracted. Did something happen? Why don’t you talk about it and let me solve the problem with you?”
Bai Luochu finally came back to her senses after hearing Cai Ling’s words. She then instructed Cai Ling, “I will be concocting medicine in the residence for the next few days. I’ve never done these before and I cannot afford to make a mistake. If someone comes to look for me, reject them for me and say that I am in seclusion. In the future, I will visit them to offer my apologies.”
“Mistress, are you really not going to see anyone?” Cai Ling understood that Bai Luochu had been very busy recently. One moment, it was the First Prince, the other moment, it would be the Second Prince. Just a few days ago, the Third Prince came knocking at the door. Putting aside the imperial princes, there was also Lu Wenshu. If these people were to visit one after the other, Cai Ling wasn’t sure if she could deal with them.
Bai Luochu muttered for a moment before continuing, “If the First Prince visits, just say that I will definitely invite him for dinner in the future and will comply with the promise between the two of us.” Bai Luochu said.
Cai Ling felt rather curious after hearing what Bai Luochu said. Previously, Mistress yelled at Pei Qingfeng for sticking to her like glue. Wasn’t she annoyed at him?
Cai Ling might be curious but she was a servant and if Bai Luochu didn’t want to speak about the reason behind the different treatment, she couldn’t be the one to ask. Cai Ling simply acknowledged the order.
Bai Luochu thought to herself: Pei Qingfeng did so much for me in the dark… I should treat him a little better, although he is rather annoying at times. As a prince, he should have a virtuous character after studying literature and etiquette in the palace, but it feels like he has thrown it all away. I am a lady waiting to marry and he acts intimately with me. This might be my second life and I might have not cared about my reputation in the past. Well, in this life, I’m sure I can’t be bothered by it as well. In any case, shouldn’t a member of the imperial clan be more mindful of his behavior?
Bai Luochu shook her head when she noticed that her head was filled with Pei Qingfeng. She felt that she was possessed by a ghost and Elder Li was the cause of all her troubles. As Bai Luochu was thinking, she closed her eyes and concentrated on trying to remove the words ‘Pei Qingfeng’ and everything related to him from her mind. After composing herself, Bai Luochu returned to her secluded courtyard and started to concoct medicine.
At the same time, Elder Li’s personal attendant arrived at the Second Prince’s residence. He spoke to the guard at the entrance, “Can I trouble you to relay a message to His Second Highness that Physician Li of the Hundred Herbs Hall has something to tell him?.”
The moment the attendant introduced himself, the guard ran into the residence. Before long, the attendant was escorted to the study.
“Speak. What did Elder Li say?” Before the attendant could speak, Pei Qingfeng spoke up. Pei Qingfeng’s intuition told him that the matter was definitely related to the little lass.
Pei Qingfeng never thought that he would be put in a difficult spot because of this message.
“Today, Divine Physician Bai visited the Hundred Herbs Hall to purchase some medicinal...” Pei Qingfeng interrupted him the moment he opened his mouth.
“Hold on, what did you say? Luoluo went to purchase medicine at your place? What’s wrong with her? Is she ill?” Recently, Bai Luochu left the residence through the tunnel and Pei Qingfeng wasn’t able to keep tabs on her. He assumed that she had not left the residence for several days. When he heard that Bai Luochu had visited the Hundred Herbs Hall to purchase medicine, he immediately associated it with her quiet behavior. His mind immediately wandered off.
The attendant was complaining about how he was unable to roll his eyes further back into his head. He is so concerned about her… Why doesn’t he actually do something about it?
The attendant suddenly felt that Elder Li was up to no good. However, it might be a good thing for the both of them as without Elder Li’s ‘timely’ message, they might miss the perfect opportunity!
Even though the attendant was complaining about Pei Qingfeng in his heart, he didn’t dare to say it out loud. His expression remained unchanged as he addressed the Second Prince with respect, “Second Highness, please be at ease. Divine Physician Bai is in good health. She came to the Hundred Herbs Hall to purchase medicinal ingredients. This subordinate will now relay Elder Li’s message.”