Chapter 101: The Virtuous Second Household

“Miss Luo?” Qing Xi halted his steps, blocking An Yi’s path.

An Yi looked up at the refined and elegant man before her, already guessing his identity, yet she asked, “Who might you be?”

“Qing Xi.” His gaze was sharp, locking onto her eyes as if trying to see through all her secrets.

A chill ran through An Yi’s heart—this was a dangerous man. Without showing a trace of emotion, she took two steps back to avoid his piercing stare and bowed her head slightly in greeting. “Greetings, Young Master.”

Qing Xi reached out and took the prescription from her hand. “Is this the prescription you wrote?”

“Yes.”

He unfolded the paper and glanced at the neat, graceful handwriting. “You need not fetch the herbs yourself. I will summon the imperial physicians to come and examine my mother anew.”

“The princess will never allow them to treat her.”

Qing Xi narrowed his eyes slightly, a flicker of sharpness gleaming within. “Do you believe your medical skills surpass those of the imperial physicians?”

“It’s not that my skills are better, but men and women are different,” An Yi replied calmly, disliking the scrutinizing gaze but, being under the same roof, she had no choice but to lower her head.

“Brother, Sister Luo, what are you standing at the door for?” Qing Rou approached, supporting Gan Cao.

“The Young Master is asking about the princess’s condition,” An Yi seized the opportunity to retrieve her prescription. “I shall go prepare the herbs for the princess.”

With that, she turned toward the apothecary. Qing Xi, mindful of Qing Rou’s presence, cast a glance at An Yi’s retreating figure before withdrawing his gaze and entering Lan Garden with Qing Rou.

“Mother, where do you feel unwell? Your complexion looks so poor,” Qing Rou asked tenderly.

Princess Lan Yi, embarrassed to reveal her illness before her son, answered vaguely, “Just a bit of stomach pain, nothing serious. Nineteen has already taken my pulse. After taking the medicine, I will be fine.”

“Mother, she’s so young and wouldn’t know how to diagnose properly. It’s best to send an invitation to the imperial physicians to come to the mansion and give you a thorough examination, then carefully adjust your health,” Qing Xi expressed his doubts about An Yi.

“I won’t let those useless imperial physicians examine me. They don’t know how to treat illnesses at all. Look at your sister—those incompetents treated her for six or seven years, almost turning her condition into a disaster. Fortunately, with the Buddha’s blessing, we met Nineteen, and your sister was finally cured,” Princess Lan Yi said with lost trust in the imperial doctors.

Qing Rou nodded repeatedly beside her.

Seeing that both mother and sister highly praised An Yi’s medical skills, Qing Xi refrained from insisting on calling another imperial physician.

After a while, Qing Ke arrived. Learning that An Yi had gone to prepare the medicine, he sat down with his children to watch over Princess Lan Yi. A strange gleam flashed in Qing Xi’s eyes—he hadn’t expected even his father to trust that woman’s medical expertise so deeply. Could she truly be a renowned physician?

Princess Lan Yi looked at the three before her with a radiant smile, as if her abdominal pain had lessened considerably.

Half an hour later, An Yi brought the decocted medicine. A young maid tested the taste first, then fed it to Princess Lan Yi. An Yi had added a sleeping aid to the medicine; shortly after taking it, the princess soon fell into a deep sleep.

Qing Ke had other matters to attend to. He instructed the maids to care for the princess well, then rose and left.

Qing Xi and his siblings quietly withdrew with An Yi. Outside the courtyard, Qing Rou tugged on An Yi’s sleeve and asked, “Sister Luo, do you like the clay figurine I had Gan Cao send over?”

Gan Cao, behind Qing Rou, secretly groaned and glanced timidly at Qing Xi standing to her left.

Only then did Qing Xi remember the clay figurine he had brought to his room.

“I like it,” An Yi replied casually.

Gan Cao relaxed, grateful to An Yi.

Qing Xi’s gaze hardened slightly. This woman, full of lies, regardless of how skilled she was medically, could not be allowed to remain in the household lest she corrupt his sister.

Qing Rou smiled. “That clay figurine was bought by our brother outside. If you like it, I’ll ask him to bring more back.”

“No need, County Mistress. I have many clay figurines at home,” An Yi said, sensing Qing Xi’s intense gaze fixed on her but pretending not to notice, deliberately turning her head to avoid his eyes.

Qing Rou was about to speak when Qing Xi saw the sedan chairs arriving. He hastened to say, “Sister, the sun hasn’t set yet and it’s hot; don’t stand here chatting any longer. Go back to your room and rest.”

“Sister Luo, we’ll talk more in our room.” Qing Rou tugged An Yi’s sleeve as they stepped out and entered the sedan. “Brother, we’re leaving first. Remember to come and have dinner with me later.”

“I know. I won’t forget,” Qing Xi replied, watching the two sedan chairs recede with furrowed brows. He left the inner courtyard, paused briefly, then did not seek out Qing Ke but instead summoned Li Guyu. “Muchen, have you found out where that Miss Luo is from?”

“Not yet. The two who escorted her are still on their way back,” Li Guyu lowered his head.

“What kind of people are they?”

“Two burly women. I ordered someone to observe them. They are skilled in martial arts, and their level isn’t low. The maid Fang Rong, who attends Miss Luo, is also trained in martial arts.”

Qing Xi rubbed his forehead. “What did Father say?”

“Master ordered me to keep a close watch on them. If they show any unusual movements, they are to be eliminated immediately,” Li Guyu said, a murderous gleam flashing across his face.

Learning that Qing Ke was cautious of An Yi, Qing Xi felt relieved. With his father present, the household would be secure. He raised a hand, dismissing Li Guyu, then flipped through several military treatises in his room. When the time was right, he headed to Jingyi Courtyard but did not find An Yi there.

That evening, after dinner and once An Yi had finished bathing, Fang Rong resumed her gossiping. “Miss, I heard good news today.”

“What news?” An Yi set down her book with interest. It was rare to hear gossip that was good news.

“General An’s second wife spent a fortune inviting a famous doctor to treat Lady An.”

An Yi’s eyes sharpened. That lecherous An Qinghe not only married a second wife but took a concubine. “What illness does Lady An have?”

“An eye disease. The county mistress’s illness has been cured, so Miss won’t be staying at the princess’s residence any longer. We can go to General An’s mansion to help Lady An treat her illness,” Fang Rong said happily.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. Tell me, who are these two ladies of the An family?” An Yi asked coldly.

“I’ve got all the details. Lady An is General An’s original wife, a country farmer who bore him two sons and a daughter. The eldest son, An Kang, is known as the Lord of Bening. The second son…”

An Yi heard ‘original wife’ and ‘country farmer’ and was overwhelmed with joy, the rest of Fang Rong’s words falling on deaf ears.

Mother is alive!

Mother is alive!

Despite her strong self-control, An Yi almost cried tears of joy. Heaven had eyes and had not let An Qinghe’s scheme succeed. Her mother had come to the capital alive!

“Miss, miss, are you alright?” Fang Rong called anxiously, noticing An Yi’s pale expression.

An Yi regained her composure. “I’m fine. Tell me, what about the second wife of the An family?”

“That second wife’s background is quite prestigious. She’s the granddaughter of the Grand General Huang Jie. Her eldest sister is the imperial concubine, the Noble Consort, and her second sister is the wife of the Duke of Tang.”

An Yi narrowed her eyes, recalling what Wei Yang had said. This General Huang indeed held An Qinghe in regard. His granddaughter couldn’t be the primary wife but was willing to be a concubine. She smiled bitterly. “With such a background, why would she willingly become General An’s concubine?”

“She was a widow who remarried. They say she and General An had a prior relationship, so she had no choice but to enter the mansion as a concubine.”

An Yi frowned. With her own background, even as a widow she could find a good family and be a primary wife. Even if she had a prior relationship with An Qinghe, as a widow she could wait a year or two until the scandal faded and remarry as a primary wife. There was no need to debase herself as a concubine. This matter was definitely complicated, but she knew too little to uncover the truth. Her gaze shifted. “Did Lady An oppose this?”

“Lady An’s background is humble; she couldn’t oppose it.”

An Yi pressed her lips together and changed the subject. “If Lady An has an eye disease, why didn’t she have the imperial physicians examine her?”

“She did. The second wife even went to the palace to ask her sister, the Noble Consort, to have the imperial physicians give Lady An a joint consultation. But they still couldn’t cure her. Lady An’s vision is blurry now. Not long ago, she even fell into the mansion’s lotus pond, but luckily the water wasn’t deep and nothing happened.”

An Yi’s heart tightened. She abruptly stood and hurried toward the door.

“Miss, where are you going?” Fang Rong asked in surprise.

An Yi’s foot had just crossed the threshold when Fang Rong’s question stopped her. She paused, knowing she couldn’t just rush to the An residence. Composing herself, she turned back. “Fang Rong, tell me everything you’ve learned about the An family.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Fang Rong’s eyes. “Because Lady An has an eye disease, the second wife is in charge of the household now and handles all public affairs. Everyone says the second wife is very virtuous and gets along harmoniously with Lady An.”

An Yi snorted inwardly. Harmony between wives and concubines? Impossible. “Is that all?”

“There’s more. The eldest son of the An family is one of the ten prominent young men in the capital, the Lord of Bening, who now serves as a scholar at the Hanlin Academy. The second son is a deputy officer in the army.”

An Yi’s heart lifted. Wonderful. Her eldest brother and second brother were unharmed! “Anything else?”

“The An family has no daughters, and the county mistress rarely goes out. They know little about the An household’s affairs. Today, it was because the second wife was publicly offering a large reward in the city to find a doctor to treat Lady An’s illness. I overheard it and asked around.”

Fang Rong glanced at An Yi cautiously. Why was she so concerned about the An family?

An Yi frowned deeply. Was the second wife truly kind to her mother? Or was she like that modern woman who disguised herself as her mother’s friend, won her trust, and ultimately revealed her true colors, causing her mother’s death?

“Miss, Miss, Zi Yuan has arrived,” Fang Rong said softly, nudging An Yi as footsteps approached outside.

An Yi withdrew her wandering thoughts, picked up a book nearby, and began to read.

At that moment, Zi Yuan entered carrying the late-night meal.

An Yi drank a few sips, then offered the meal to Zi Yuan.

After Zi Yuan left, Hong Yuan led the young maid to bring hot water to help An Yi rinse her mouth and wash her face.

The hour was late, and An Yi had many questions to ponder. After sending the maids away, she lay down, considering whether to reveal her identity directly at the An residence or to first visit as a physician, to feel out the second wife.