Yuedeng would never forget to send words to Commandery Princess Qingjiang. After all, Su Shaoge had some medical skills, but he was not a.s.suring than a real doctor. As to whether Daiguo Grand Princess would find out about Song Yixiao's whereabouts for that, Song Yixiao and Yuedeng both knew that it was not the time to worry about this.

Afterwards, Liyu came back from Lunong Building and reported, “Mr. Su said that the prescription was to make Miss Nie sweat. Now we should wait for Her Ladys.h.i.+p's fever to go down. If it does, she will be fine!”

Song Yixiao and Jiang Muting heard the report and both touched Nie Wuying's forehead only to find that she did sweat a lot but her fever didn't go down by much. Thus, they got nervous again.

Yet, since Su Shaoge told them to wait, they couldn't do anything but to ask the servant to bring new quilts and replace the old one in case Nie Wuying would feel uncomfortable with the wetted quilt. Then, a man of Buyue Villa came to report a piece of bad news, “Doctor Han fell off a horse on the way here and broke one of his legs. Worse still, he pa.s.sed out and couldn't come! The Commandery Princess said that now we could only turn to Mr. Su for help!”

“Luckily, we have got Mr. Su to give a treatment first!” Song Yixiao made eye contact with Jiang Muting and both of them thought, “Or the treatment would be delayed!”

However, there came one more piece of bad news. “Her Highness wanted to visit Miss Nie but coincidentally, Master Ping'an is losing his temper now and it has got really serious. And Doctor Han can't do any favor. Her Highness can't get out of there… Hence, Her Highness hopes Madam Song to handle the situation here.”

As to Daiguo Grand Princess and other guests, “They are all helping Her Highness now. Since Yaohua Venue is too small and they don't want to disturb Miss Nie from resting, so they decide not to come for a visit and ask me to tell you that Miss Nie will be left to you then!”

Song Yixiao held back her anger to reply to him perfunctorily and sent him back to deliver a message to Commandery Princess and others. As the door was closed, she pulled a long face and looked at Jiang Muting, “Do you believe there is such a coincident thing?”

Jiang Muting puckered her lips heavily, “It may be a coincidence that Zhuo Ping'an loses his temper now, but Doctor Han's falling off a horse is really suspicious indeed!”

“You don't know about this.” Song Yixiao sneered, “Last time when Yiluo was sick, Yinlian sent her guard to look for a doctor two blocks away. The doctor happened to rush in such a hurry that he also fell off a horse and pa.s.sed out, thus unable to make it in the end! This time, Doctor Han also couldn't make it for the same reason. How can there be such a coincidence? This is not only suspicious but a clear plot!”

“Yet, after what happened on the 15th day of the 12th lunar month, it has been known to everyone in the imperial capital how much Jinguo Grand Princess loves Miss Nie.” Jiang Muting couldn't believe that Daiguo Grand Princess would put her niece's life in danger only in order to frame Song Yixiao. “Even if Daiguo Grand Princess is ruthless enough to do it, won't she feel afraid that Jinguo Grand Princess will turn against her after finding out the truth?”

Song Yixiao said coldly, “Anyhow, Wuying is here because of me. Now that she is ill, I will be the major responsible party once anything untoward happens to her. Did you just hear what that man said? That good aunt has left Wuying to me trustfully!”

Jiang Muting recollected what the man said and noticed the buck-pa.s.sing part. She couldn't help feeling shocked and mumbled, “Miss Nie didn't say anything at all in the pavilion yesterday! How can she hurt her?”

“Otherwise, apart from beating me up here, how can Aunt Daiguo do about me then?” Song Yixiao said through clenched teeth, “If anything untoward should happen to Wuying, what do you think I will suffer?”

Jiang Muting took a deep breath and said with determination, “It's because of me. By then, if Her Highness Jinguo Grand Princess tries to blame anyone, I will undertake the consequence with you regardless!” What she wanted to say was to undertake the whole responsibility but she knew that she couldn't protect Song Yixiao from this. To share the responsibility was the most that she could do!

“It is still possible that Wuying will get well. The situation is not that bad!” Song Yixiao shook her head. With her eyes flickering, she suddenly calmed down and said seriously, “However, now that even Doctor Han is attacked, I'm afraid that if they find out Mr. Su knows about medical skills, they will directly do something to Wuying…”

After all, Su Shaoge was a man versed in both literature and military affairs, protected by Prince of Zhao too. Compared with Yaohua Venue, it was much harder to intrude into Lunong Building!

Besides, as long as Nie Wuying was in trouble, Song Yixiao would be held responsible regardless!

Jiang Muting bit her lips, “What do you want me to do?”

“Stay here for me!” Song Yixiao looked her into the eye, “Now, the only one I can trust is you!”

“How about you…?”

“I must go to visit Mr. Su on my own!” Song Yixiao gave a cold smile, “Even if Wuying can survive this time, given her high fever, she cannot go back to the imperial capital without half a month's rest! Can we only stay defensive during her rehabilitation?”

Song Yixiao was never the kind of person who didn't answer back to the enemy's a.s.sault!

However, before answering back, she must find out whether Nie Wuying's condition was really not that critical as Su Shaoge said!

When Su Shaoge was here just now, Song Yixiao was too anxious to ask in detail. Yet, now on second thought, she found something must be wrong. Su Shaoge appeared as a n.o.ble man to her.

Therefore, Song Yixiao didn't feel that his concealment was out of malicious intent, but he didn't leak any words when she sent her maid to Lunong Building twice. If she sent a maid again, she wouldn't get the answer she wanted. Hence, it would be better if she went to him on her own!

While she was away, the maids only couldn't protect Nie Wuying from Daiguo Grand Princess's scheming.

Jiang Muting understood her intention and then nodded her head seriously, “From now on, I will stay here until you come back! As to everything that comes near Miss Nie, I will check it again and again and even taste it before I feed it to her!”

“Be careful!” Song Yixiao stood up without saying thank-you. She just held her hands tightly, “They may come for you.” She added in a lower voice, “If you feel that I am too base, you just pretend that I said nothing. Once you cannot hold it on, you may as well coax Her Highness Princess Yushan into helping you!”

Jiang Muting said with a smile, “What kind of base act is that? How can my cousin not help me?”

There she added, “Those people claim not to come on their own. If I cannot even deal with a few servants, I will disgrace my Aunt then! You are the one who must be careful instead. If you are caught meeting with Mr. Su, you may be slandered…”

“They can never slander me!” Song Yixiao sneered slightly. For some reason, she and Jian Xubai didn't consummate their marriage yet. The Shougong Sand on her arm was the best proof of virginity. If Daiguo Grand Princess wanted to defame her for adultery, she could meet trick with trick by then!

However, she couldn't tell Jiang Muting about her thinking. After telling her to protect Nie Wuying, she ordered Yuedeng to get one change of clothes for her. Then she dressed herself up like Yuedeng and put on Yuedeng's coat. “I'm going. You must be careful!”

It was cold today and it was also snowing. The Yaohua Venue was lonely with no one walking outdoors. As a result, Song Yixiao wouldn't have to worry that she might be discovered if someone greeted her, so she just strode forward.

However, when she arrived at the entrance of Lunong Building, the case was different. The two guards at the door were almost enveloped as two snowmen. They just stopped her from walking across them, “What's the matter?”

“I am Madam Song's maid, Yuedeng.” Song Yixiao lowered her head and tried to make the fur of the coat cover her face, saying in a low voice, “Madam sends me to meet with Mr. Su!”

The two guards still didn't let her go. Instead, they said, “Wait a minute!” One of them went inside to report this and the other stayed here, watching her.

After a while, the guard led an errand boy here. The errand boy looked Song Yixiao up and down, saying, “It was Liyu who came to meet our young master for the past two times. Now you are sent here instead. I'm wondering whether Miss Nie's condition has got worse?”

Song Yixiao sensed his suspicion and was afraid to be disclosed on the spot, asking in a hurry, “May I tell Mr. Su face to face?”

The errand boy stared at her for a while and then said, “Come with me!”

On the way to meet with Su Shaoge, the errand boy said with a casual air, “Our young master is good at too many things. When he lived in the villa before, he also got a lot of enquiries after his talents were found. Now he has come to live in Zhanchun Venue, I thought he would lead a quiet life then. However, it is only our imagination!”

Song Yixiao was extremely embarra.s.sed at the moment. She had tried to implicitly suggest Princess Yushan with the word—quietness. However, while Princess Yushan seldom disturbed Su Shaoge, Song Yixiao herself did in the end. At least toady, Su Shaoge wouldn't be able to be focused on literature then!”

On second thought, Su Shaoge's villa, which was not known by others, was only exposed because she suggested knocking on his villa's door for help…

“So shall I not disturb him?” Song Yixiao became even more apologetic for Su Shaoge and then gradually slowed down her pace. Eventually, she just stopped. “I feel so sorry. Since Mr. Su is so busy, we shouldn't disturb him now and then! Please help apologize to him on behalf of us…”

“Wait!” The errand boy suddenly stopped and said with staring eyes, “Don't tell me that you are not going!”

Song Yixiao was a bit surprised. Didn't the errand boy just hope her not to meet Su Shaoge?

“It is because our Young Master has known about your arrival that I bring you to meet him!” The errand boy saw through her thought and said impatiently, “Our Young Master is waiting for you now and you are telling me that you are not going? Won't he know it is because I have complained to you? When you leave, you will be fine but I will be punished!”

He said angrily, “If you really care about our Young Master, you may as well not live nearby! Don't come for him just because he is a kind person! Now that you are here, you will get me punished if you don't go!”

Song Yixiao was rendered speechless by his reproach and said sullenly after a while, “Then… Shall we go on?”

The errand boy glared at her furiously. Maybe he was afraid that she might quit going anymore, so he didn't dare to say anything more then.

After a while, Song Yixiao was ushered into a warm chamber.

The warm chamber was simply and elegantly furnished, which was warm inside with the floor heating. Su Shaoge was wearing blue robe only with his sleeves rolled up, exposing a part of white inner garment. His black hair was not fixed with a hairpin, which was only loosely tied up with a black brocade belt.

He was standing before a desk, drawing attentively. He had been told that the visitor was a maid only. Hence, when he heard that the visitor had arrived, he only ordered to bring on some tea without even raising his head. Then he still dipped the cinnabar to draw the red plum-blossoms on the white paper.

Song Yixiao was distant from the desk so she couldn't see clearly what he was drawing. Only the red plum-blossoms were recognized.

From where she stood, it was snowing outside the gla.s.s window while a man in casual wear with broad shoulders and slender waist was standing straight in front of an antique and elegant desk. His profile was extremely handsome. While he wielded his writing brush, it was like a cl.u.s.ter of plum-blossoms flouris.h.i.+ng from his brush.

Song Yixiao couldn't help holding her breath in deep concentration, hoping not to disturb him.

After a while, Su Shaoge didn't put down the brush until he finished drawing the last plum bud. He walked to the basin by the desk, washed his hands and dried them with a handkerchief pa.s.sed by the errand boy. Then he turned around to ask, “Is Miss Nie…”

Before he finished his words, he saw that Song Yixiao, who had taken off her coat, raised her head and smiled at him apologetically. He was slightly surprised and then gave the errand boy an order, “Leave first and guard the entrance!”