Chen Qingxu complained, but there was no anger on her face. It was as if she was used to these uninvited guests barging in. She entered the room and put the herbs in her hands aside. She first greeted the strangers and said, "My surname is Chen. I'm a Jianghu doctor."
She claimed to be a Jianghu doctor. Her movements had the temperament of a young lady from a respectable family. She did not smile and her face was cold. When the woman saw her, she was a little reserved. She mumbled for a long time and could not speak. She could only bow with her hands folded in front. Chen Qingxu glanced at Changgeng, who was performing acupuncture, and said, "He's half my disciple. He can't bring the dead back to life, but he can deal with ordinary illnesses. Eldest Sister, don't worry."
Her appearance made it impossible for people to tell her age. She was dressed like a young lady. The young soldier next to her felt his heart beating like a drum.
She was an unmarried lady. Even if she was a doctor, his Highness just casually entered her room without greeting her … Was it appropriate? Looking at her familiar appearance, she must have been here many times.
If this was in the capital, some families were particular. When the husband and wife met each other, they would send someone to inform them first.
Although it was said that people in the Jianghu did not care about trifles …
The young soldier followed Changgeng alone for the first time. He constantly speculated about the relationship between this unfamiliar woman and the Fourth Prince. He did not know how angry Gu Yun would be if she knew about this. His heart was bubbling like boiling water. He could not think of how to report to the marshal. He was so anxious that he almost cried.
While they were talking, the old man on the bed snorted. He coughed heavily a few times and slowly woke up.
Changgeng did not mind that it was dirty. He took a spittoon from the side and helped him spit out a mouthful of thick phlegm.
When the woman saw this, she was overjoyed and thanked him profusely. Chen Qingxu handed Changgeng a handkerchief and ordered, "Go and prescribe a medicine. I'll check it for you."
She spoke in a gentle tone, but the content of her words was somewhat commanding. Changgeng did not say anything and immediately spread out the brush and paper. After pondering for a while, he began to write the prescription.
The Black Iron Battalion soldier's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. When he was with Gu Yun, he had heard Marshal Gu mention more than once that the Fourth Prince had grown up and could no longer control him. However, he was clearly pointing to the east and not the west. He was even more obedient than a primary school student in school. How could he be as unruly as someone who had quarreled with the Marquis of Stability since young?
While he was in a mess, Chen Qingxu had already started chatting with the woman.
Seeing that the patient was getting better, the woman relaxed a lot. As they chatted, she learned that it was because the local farming puppets had been wantonly carried out, and everyone had no land to farm. Although the imperial court had regulations that the landlords could not mistreat their tenants, who would be willing to feed them for free after a long time? Arrears and shortfalls were common. Those who still worked with the puppets gradually felt that it was unfair. Later, the farmers, the long-armed foresters, the other small traders, and the land managers all felt that they were at a disadvantage and did not see eye to eye with each other.
The woman's husband did not want to idle around at home and cause trouble, so he went to the south with his fellow villagers to find something to do. Unexpectedly, there was no news of him after he left. Her father-in-law was sick and their child was young, so they could not count on him. The barefoot doctor in their village felt that he had nothing to do all day and had already left. She could only force herself to carry her father-in-law on her back and travel a long distance to find a doctor.
Upon hearing this, Chen Qingxu frowned, "The south? There was a flood in the south this year, and there was not enough time for disaster relief. What is there to find? "
The woman's face was blank. It was obvious that she had lived in a mountain village for a long time. Other than the small piece of land in front of her house, she did not know of any other place in the world.
Changgeng, who was writing a prescription, asked, "Did you get the grain allotted this year?"
Upon hearing this, the woman glanced at the old man on the couch who was struggling at death's door. Her face revealed a distressed expression, "To be honest, I haven't. I … I'm already so old, so it's not good for me to go to your house and ask for trouble. Fortunately, the price of grain this year is low and we still have some savings. It's enough for me to go out and buy some."
Although she said this, Changgeng knew in his heart that these people had been farming for generations and were used to being thrifty. They did not spend money easily. Every time they spent money, their hearts would be cut by a knife. Otherwise, why would she carry her father-in-law on her back for such a long distance and walk step by step instead of being willing to hire a carriage?
Chen Qingxu said, "Isn't there a public land of the imperial court? I heard that the public land of the imperial court is handed over to the national treasury every year and officials are assigned. The rest of the land can be given to local residents. "
The woman smiled bitterly and said, "Our public land has no seeds and has been abandoned for two years."
Changgeng asked, "Why? Is it because the land is not good? "
The woman said, "I heard that it's because it's very close to the hometown of some official. The county magistrate wanted to occupy the two mu of land to build a temple, but for some reason, the higher-ups did not agree. In any case, after a few times, no one could say what the land was for, so it was abandoned."
As soon as she said this, the three people in the room fell silent.
"Three mountains and six rivers, only one piece of land, but they still want to abandon it." Chen Qingxu sighed and said, "These people …"
Changgeng did not say anything. It was unknown what he had thought of, but he quickly finished writing the prescription and handed it to Chen Qingxu for inspection. Chen Qingxu said, "En, it's okay. Big sister, come with me. I have some common medicines here, so you don't need to buy any more."
As she said this, she led the woman, who was very grateful, to the backyard.
Seeing that she had left, the Black Iron Battalion soldier was relieved. He walked slowly to Changgeng and did not say anything. He just followed behind him. When he saw that Changgeng wanted to do something, he silently rolled up his sleeves and went to do it first. After a while, he had already cleaned the spittoon and put away the paper and pen. Finally, he thought of the first sentence and stammered, "Young master, you are very familiar with this place."
Changgeng replied, "En, when I came to Sichuan, I often stayed here."
What! A man and a woman alone!
The soldier's face turned red. He felt that his task was very important. If he did not clarify this matter, he might be cut into a spittoon by Marquis when he returned.
Changgeng saw the soldier's thunderstruck expression and understood what he was thinking. He smiled and said, "What are you thinking about? Although this is Miss Chen's house, she is usually not here. The house is usually empty. Jianghu friends who happen to come here will stay for a few days. If she happens to be at home, the woman will stay and the man will go out to find another place. This time, I wanted to take you here for a few days, but since she is back, we should go out and find an inn. "
The soldier thought that he was half relieved and thought, "Oh."
However, before he could completely relax, he quickly became worried again. The young soldier thought bitterly, "The grand Fourth Highness has to save on the cost of staying in the inn."
Looking at Changgeng's tattered robe again, the soldier blurted out, "If … if master knew that young master was living such a life outside, he would be very sad."
He was not very good at talking. He was a little slow in his actions. Therefore, when he said this occasionally, people felt that he was very sincere.
Changgeng's heart stopped, and he did not say anything for a while.
At this time, Chen Qingxu came out with the medicine and the woman. She glanced at Changgeng's expression and said with a frown, "Calm down. What did I say to you?"
Changgeng came back to his senses and smiled bitterly.
Chen Qingxu was half his teacher. This was true.
Two years ago, when Changgeng's Wu 'er Gu acted up, he was discovered by his master. This heavy secret that only he and the heavens knew finally had another exit. His master claimed that he did not know medicine and took him to many places. Finally, he found Chen Qingxu in the Eastern Capital. Unfortunately, Wu 'er Gu was a secret of Bei Man's witch. Even the experienced and knowledgeable Divine Doctor Chen did not have a clue. She could only prescribe some medicine to calm him down and slowly study it.
During this time, Changgeng asked her about Gu Yun. He asked in a roundabout way, "Miss Chen, is there a kind of person in the world who has eyes and ears that are not always accurate?"
Of course, Chen Qingxu knew what he meant, but it was inconvenient for her to say too much. Therefore, she simply replied, "Yes."
Changgeng asked again, "What kind of person can be relieved with medicine?"
Chen Qingxu answered, "Innate, acquired injuries, depending on the condition of the injury. Poisoned people may be able to help."
She thought that Changgeng would directly ask about Gu Yun after beating around the bush so many times. However, he did not. She realized that she seemed to have underestimated this young man's intelligence.
After hearing this, Changgeng was silent for a long time. Finally, he begged her to accept him as her disciple.
The Chen family produced a divine doctor every generation. They were particular and not particular about it. Their family motto was only "practicing medicine to help the world". Just like those "divine doctors" with eccentric temperaments in the novels, they only treated difficult and miscellaneous diseases. Those who needed to be expelled from the family would be treated by her. She was willing to treat serious injuries and incurable diseases. Children with colds and women with dystocia came to her for help. Naturally, she would not be stingy with what she had learned in her life. There was no rule that "family knowledge cannot be passed on to outsiders". If someone asked, she would teach. However, Miss Chen said that she was not considered a master yet, so she did not dare to accept him as her disciple. Therefore, she could only be considered half a master.
The Chen family lived in Taiyuan Prefecture. During autumn and winter, Chen Qingxu usually did not stay in the south. Changgeng guessed that she was still in Sichuan and must have something to do. He took out a money pouch and handed it to the soldier of the Black Iron Battalion. He sent him to hire a carriage to send the old man and woman back.
How could the soldier be willing to accept money from his poor fourth prince? He hurriedly refused and hurriedly left.
After these miscellaneous people left, Chen Qingxu took out a cloth pouch and said, "It's good that I ran into you. This is my new Anshensan. Take it back and try it."
Changgeng thanked her and put it away. He took a little bit and stuffed it into his pouch.
Chen Qingxu inadvertently caught a glimpse of the pouch. Her eyes lit up. She saw that there was no "mandarin ducks playing in the water" or "butterflies flying in pairs" embroidery on it that would make people dizzy. Inside the clean silk pouch, there was an extremely thin layer of soft leather. A small circle of patterns was carved on the leather with a carving knife. It looked like an iron wrist clasp that was connected by a mechanism. At the tip, one side of the blade was exposed, almost flying out. It was extremely delicate.
Chen Qingxu casually praised, "Where did this pouch come from? It's so unique. "
Changgeng said, "I made it myself. Do you want it?"
Chen Qingxu, "…"
Even though Divine Doctor Chen was always calm and collected in the face of thousands of soldiers and horses, he couldn't help but reveal a bit of shock at this moment.
"It's very sturdy," Changgeng recommended. "Right, I haven't asked you yet. The Mid-Autumn Festival has already passed. Why are you still in Sichuan?"
"The Marquis of Stability went south and passed by Sichuan. He asked me to meet here," Chen Qingxu asked in return, "What, you don't know?"
Changgeng, "…"
Every dog has its day. This time, the person who was shocked was the other person.
After a long while, Changgeng used the lingering fragrance of the Anshensan to find his voice with difficulty. "I, I don't know. My adoptive father … why did he go south?"
Chen Qingxu was baffled and said, "Of course the Marquis of Stability left the northwest because of military affairs. I only said a few words to him because of Zu Yin. He wouldn't tell me what he wanted to do."
Changgeng, "But just now, the little brother from the Black Iron Battalion told me that he would return to the capital in the first year …"
Chen Qingxu was even more baffled when he heard this. "It's not Chongyang yet. Does Marquis not returning to the capital in the first year have anything to do with where he is right now?"
Changgeng, "…"
He was speechless for a moment and finally couldn't help but laugh. Thinking about it, probably only he, who was extremely eager and scared, would treat the three or four months of time as nothing.
"I thought you came because you knew about this. After all this fuss, you just happened to pass by," Chen Qingxu said. "In his letter, he said that it would be around these few days. If you're not in a hurry, why don't you stay and wait for him?"
Changgeng answered absent-mindedly. His thoughts had already drifted thousands of miles away.
"Changgeng, Changgeng!" Chen Qingxu whispered in his ear. Changgeng suddenly came back to his senses.
Chen Qingxu said seriously, "I told you before. If it's not an antidote, no matter how soothing the nerves, it's just a supplement. The most taboo thing for Wu 'ergu is to be unsettled. Every thought in your mind is the nourishment for the poisonous seedling. Today, you've already been distracted twice. What's going on?"
Changgeng said, "I'm ashamed." He looked down with an indifferent expression. He didn't want to talk about it anymore. Naturally, he turned the topic to the prescription he had just prescribed.
Thinking about it, she had practiced medicine all over the world. She had treated countless wounds and chronic diseases, but she didn't know how to treat a person's heart, right?
Not long after, the soldier of the Black Iron Battalion hurried back. Seeing that Changgeng didn't leave him behind and disappear again, he was greatly relieved.
Changgeng borrowed a few copies of the Medicine Classics. He bid farewell to Chen Qingxu and took the soldier to an inn in a nearby town.
The autumn insects of Shu were rampant. In the dead of the night, they were even noisier. Changgeng put the newly concocted Sedative Powder beside his pillow. He felt that Miss Chen's new medicine was really not that good. Not only was it not soothing, it was also very refreshing. He couldn't sleep for half the night. He had to get up and read by candlelight. After lighting a bowl of lamp oil, he memorized two and a half of the three copies of the Medicine Classics. He read until dawn, but he still didn't feel sleepy.
There seemed to be an inexplicable golden box in his chest. It was burning endless purple gold with white steam.
No matter how Changgeng silently recited "calm down" tens of thousands of times in his heart, no matter how he looked at Gu Yun's arrival with a normal attitude, and no matter how much he tried not to think about this matter, eagerness and anxiety still entangled his bones. Every moment, a vine full of sharp thorns whipped his heart. One moment, it was painful, and the next moment, it was numb. No matter how much he deceived himself, it was useless.
Early the next morning, Changgeng stopped the soldier of the Black Iron Battalion, "Little brother, if you want to go south through the middle of Shu to Nanjiang, how do you usually go?"
The soldier replied, "Official business naturally goes through the official road. Other things may be done cheaply. That's hard to say. It's also possible to crawl in from the ravines."
Changgeng nodded silently.
Not long after, the soldier was surprised to find that Changgeng had changed out of the tattered robe he wore when he was running around Jianghu. Although it was not very luxurious, it was very exquisite. It could be vaguely seen that he was either rich or noble.
Changgeng changed from a poor scholar to an out-and-out rich young master. Even the innkeeper could not help but speak to him respectfully when he saw him.
He dressed like a young master and walked his horse on the official road every day. It was unknown whether he was waiting for someone or for an exhibition.
The young master's clothes could not help but get dirty. After a day of dust, a layer of dust would fall on them when he came back at night. Changgeng was unwilling to trouble others. He washed them himself. He had to wash them because there were only two sets of "young master clothes". If he was not diligent, he would not be able to change them.
Every day, the moment Changgeng mounted his horse, he would think in his heart, "Why don't I just leave?"
He had not seen Gu Yun for more than four years. He missed her day after day. Luo Cheng looked at the mountain and could not help but be alarmed. He was afraid that it would collapse with a "boom" if there was any movement.
He wanted to run, but he was reluctant to run. He fought with himself in his heart all the way. Before he could come to a conclusion, he had already arrived at the official road. Changgeng could only take things as they came. He wandered around the area all day, drinking the wind and eating the sand. Usually, he could not even wait for a rabbit. When he returned at night, he thought, "Tomorrow morning, I will pay the bill and leave."
However, the next morning, he broke his promise again. He still fought and came to the side of the official road.
These crazy days passed for no less than four or five days. In the evening, when Changgeng turned his horse around to return to the inn, he saw the setting sun in the west was as fierce as blood. It was very beautiful. He could not help but slow down, letting his horse pace and eat grass. He recalled his actions these days. He did not know whether to laugh or cry. He thought, "If the Liao Ran knew about this, he would probably laugh at me until I was a senior monk without front teeth."
Right at this moment, Changgeng suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves behind him. It seemed like a group of carriages and horses were passing by. He turned his horse to the side to give way. He subconsciously turned his head and saw several tall and handsome horses galloping over, pulling a carriage behind them.
From afar, those horsemen were wearing casual clothes. They were no different from other travelers who were hurrying on their way. However, Changgeng's heart did not know why, but it suddenly began to beat wildly.
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