Chapter 20: Moving into the Prime Minister's Mansion (6)

Seeing the old man come out, Lou Xiwu immediately went up to him and said anxiously: "Imperial Physician Yang, how is my brother?"

Yang Mu shook his head and sighed: "The Prime Minister's old illness has recurred earlier than in previous years, and it is both sudden and severe. This humble official is also powerless; for now, I can only let the Prime Minister take the medicinal soup used when the illness flared up in previous years, and wait for me to consult with other Imperial Physicians before carefully deliberating on new medicine."

Upon hearing Yang Mu's words, the woman who had just been full of annoyance busied herself again: "Fortunately, the Princess sent medicine again today. Someone! Quick, go and boil the medicine!"

"Yes." The servants standing by the side responded and hurriedly ran toward the outside of the courtyard.

Yang Mu turned his back and said to the two youths behind him in a low, urgent voice: "You two, hurry and invite Imperial Physician Liu, Imperial Physician Li, and Imperial Physician Fu to the Prime Minister's Mansion—be quick!" If the Prime Minister were to have any mishap, the Emperor's wrath would be great, and it wouldn't just be the few of them who would be buried with him!

"Yes." The youths nodded like pounding garlic and were about to run out when a cold voice rang out at the right moment: "The two medicine attendants should stay here to help; I will send someone to invite them, it will be faster."

Yang Mu looked up; the person speaking was the Prime Minister's Mansion's steward, Jing Sa. There was a folk saying that a maid of the Prime Minister's Mansion was greater than a seventh-rank official, let alone the fact that the other party was the steward of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Yang Mu bowed in courtesy and replied: "Then I will trouble Steward Jing."

Jing Sa nodded slightly in return and whispered a few words to a man in gray behind him. The man ran out of the courtyard with swift movements.

In the room, violent panting sounds came from time to time. Lou Xiwu stared at the small building with her apricot eyes, anxious in her heart. She unconsciously cracked her own fingers; her slender fingers were twisted until they were red and swollen, but she seemed not to feel it. With tears swirling in her eyes, Lou Xiwu begged in a low voice: "Imperial Physician Yang, I want to go in and see my brother."

"This..." Yang Mu hesitated for a moment, and the woman beside him shouted impatiently: "Xiyan is suffering right now; what are you going in for? You can't help him and will only be a hindrance."

Glaring at her unconvinced, Lou Xiwu said angrily: "You can go in!"

The woman raised her head slightly and replied with an arrogant, holier-than-thou attitude: "Are you the same as me? I am Xiyan's mother; having me by his side can make him feel more at ease."

Mother? Zhuo Qing, who had been watching the fun happily, was so shocked that her eyes almost fell to the ground. How did she maintain her appearance? Could it be that mean-spirited people have happier moods, so they look younger?

While Zhuo Qing was letting her imagination run wild, Lou Xiwu had already roared out, unable to bear it any longer: "Second Madam, I am my brother's own sister! If we're talking about being at ease, it should be me, his sister, staying by his side, not you, an outsider!"

Xue Xianxin's complexion flushed instantly. There were a bunch of maids and servants watching; if she couldn't handle her today, would she still have any face left? With a cold snort, Xue Xianxin scolded loudly: "You are becoming more and more outrageous! I am the mistress of this house; I say you are not allowed to go in, so you are not allowed to go in!"

It was one thing for Xue Xianxin to throw her weight around usually, but today she actually wouldn't let her see her brother. Lou Xiwu's young lady temper also flared up, and she didn't care about the courtyard full of servants, cursing: "You... you are just a second wife, a concubine, a damn mistress—what right do you have to stop me from going in!"

Oh~ so she was a concubine. She had forgotten that having three wives and four concubines was common in this era. It was just that this concubine was too arrogant, causing her to misunderstand. Zhuo Qing gave a light yawn and felt sleepy again. Although this was a good show of verbal sparring, she was really hungry right now, so Zhuo Qing decided to find something to eat first.

*Slap! *

Zhuo Qing had only taken one step when she heard a crisp sound. Zhuo Qing was slightly stunned. Looking back, she saw Lou Xiwu covering her face with one hand, her eyes full of surprise and humiliation, tears rolling down from her eye sockets one by one. Opposite her, the person who had hit her also had trembling hands, a trace of unease flowing in her eyes, and her voice trembled involuntarily: "Don't think that just because the master is away all year round and Xiyan dotes on you, you can act without regard for the law. Eldest sister left early, and I... I am the mistress of this house. If no one disciplines you, I will!"

Not a single person in the courtyard dared to make a sound; the room was silent.

Oh oh~ the conflict had escalated. But the reason Zhuo Qing decided to stay and watch the fun wasn't because of that, but because the cool-looking Steward Jing, who had been watching from the sidelines, had such raging fire in his eyes after Lou Xiwu was hit that he could almost burn a hole through someone.

"You dare hit me!" Hearing only a low roar, Lou Xiwu had already pounced on her, grabbing Xue Xianxin's hair and pulling it wildly. Following the momentum, Lou Xiwu lay on top of Xue Xianxin, almost kicking and punching.

"Ah—" A sharp scream mixed with exclamations: "Someone, someone! Hurry and grab this crazy girl! Have you all rebelled too?!"

Whether it was because Xue Xianxin was too poor at treating people or the servants were really scared silly, it took a while before they "woke up," stepped forward to help Lou Xiwu up, and advised: "Miss, calm your anger!"

Lou Xiwu, who had been dragged up by the crowd, was still unwilling. She kicked a few more times before breaking free from the people around her, hands on her hips, cursing: "Let go! Xue Xianxin, you dare hit me, I'll tear you apart!"

So stylish! Zhuo Qing almost wanted to applaud. This girl had character; she liked her!

But Lou Xiyan was too good at enduring, wasn't he? It was almost a matter of life and death outside. If he were faking illness, he could at least make a sound, or... was he really very ill?!

After pondering for a while, Zhuo Qing decided to go in and see what Lou Xiyan was up to.

Xue Xianxin finally stood up. Her hair was messy, her clothes were crooked, and several bright red claw marks on her neck showed the intensity of the battle just now. *Good for you, Lou Xiwu, you really think this lady is afraid of you? If I don't teach you a lesson today, this lady won't be surnamed Xue! *

Taking a deep breath, Xue Xianxin turned around, no longer looking at Lou Xiwu, and called out aloud: "Jing Sa."

Jing Sa suppressed the cold light in his eyes, stepped forward, and replied coldly: "Second Madam."

Looking at Jing Sa, Xue Xianxin said aloud with great authority: "The Lou family no longer has any rules to speak of; a daughter can actually raise her hand to hit her mother. The master is away all year round, and Xiyan is also seriously ill. Steward Jing, I am asking you now: according to the Lou family's ancestral teachings, how should a child who commits such an offense against their superiors and has no regard for etiquette be dealt with?!"

Jing Sa's expression didn't change, but his heart sank. No matter how hateful Xue Xianxin was, she was still the master's wife. If the young lady really did this today, according to etiquette, she would have to be beaten fifty times and face the wall for ten days.

Jing Sa remained silent, and Xue Xianxin wasn't in a hurry; she wanted to see how long he could remain silent!

*One person does the deed, one person bears the responsibility. I hit her, so what!? Isn't it just being punished! * Not wanting to see Jing Sa caught in the middle, Lou Xiwu gritted her teeth and was about to speak when a leisurely and pleasant female voice rang out idly: "Lou Xiyan isn't dead yet, but I reckon he's about to be angered to death. Since everyone is in such a good mood discussing family rules, why not go inside and argue? At least it'll be livelier."

Everyone gasped. To curse the Prime Minister to death in the Prime Minister's Mansion—she could be considered the first.

"Who are you? Where did you pop out from?" The woman who suddenly appeared in front of them was dressed in plain white undergarments, her hair unkempt, and her slovenly appearance was out of place with the surroundings, especially that ferocious face, which looked quite scary in the middle of the night.

With her hands crossed in front of her chest, Zhuo Qing pretended to think for a while before smiling idly: "According to the logic you just used, should I be the new mistress of this house?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 21 =====