Chapter 42

But he didn't expect that Qu Qu Hongxiu would have a high fever at this time. Jia Cong pushed her: "You have a high fever, maybe the wound is inflamed. Let me see your wound."

Qu Qu Hongxiu opened her eyes with difficulty: "What is inflammation?"

Jia Cong explained: "It means the wound is rotting and festering."

Qu Qu Hongxiu nodded weakly. Jia Cong helped her take off half of her left shoulder clothes and saw that the knife wound was not red, swollen, or festering, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that the black ointment was very effective.

There were no antibiotics in this era. If the wound was inflamed and festering, whether she could live would depend on heaven.

Qu Qu Hongxiu said: "Don't worry, it's not a fever after a knife wound. It's because I exhausted my strength yesterday and rode a horse in the wind for half the night, so I caught a cold."

In this state, Jia Cong naturally couldn't just leave.

He took down the iron incense burner from the offering table in the temple, found a small stream nearby that wasn't frozen, washed the incense burner clean, and boiled hot water in the temple.

He also took snow to apply to Qu Qu Hongxiu's forehead, and kept rubbing her palms and soles with snow.

These past few days, Qu Qu Hongxiu had been undressing to let Jia Cong apply medicine. Although it was a last resort, it was also a very private act.

Jia Cong had been kidnapped for four days. Zhang Shou'an of the Zhen'an Prefecture received the post from Jia Zheng, the Vice Prefect of the Ministry of Works, and didn't dare to neglect, sending many yamen runners to search in the suburbs of the West City.

Now that he was held in his hand and rubbed and wiped, her heart softened. She retracted her feet with a thin anger, and ignored Jia Cong no matter how he explained.

He didn't expect to encounter Jia Cong by accident, and even less did he expect that so many changes would happen in just a few days.

Although she was a daughter of the Jianghu, she wasn't as restrained as a noble lady, but a daughter's feet were the most private place, and she would almost never be touched by anyone in her life.

Wu Wu Jinrong reported the secret, and Zhou Zhou Junxing made trouble, taking away the last few relatives she had in the world.

She grew up in the Hidden Sect and had lived a life of fleeing and hiding since she understood things, seeing many life-and-death fights, cold-blooded and cruel.

Now she was like a piece of stiff and cold ice, gradually melted by some strange things growing in her heart.

Fortunately, applying ice to the forehead and palms could also play a good physical cooling role, so Jia Cong didn't insist anymore.

It was like a gentle light suddenly leaking into the closed darkness.

That life-and-death fight last night, the way Jia Cong looked when he was pale and holding a long saber to slash to help her disturb the opponent's mind, she would never forget in her life. A boy who looked like he had no strength to truss a chicken actually became her greatest reliance at the moment of life and death.

In front of Jia Cong, many of her defenses dissipated unconsciously, just like when Jia Cong wanted to see her wound just now, she didn't feel abrupt, and even she herself didn't notice the strangeness in it.

So she held a heart of certain death and sneaked into the Shuyun Villa to assassinate Wu Wu Jinrong. This world, for her, was originally sad and cruel.

Although it was a bit scary, that determined and forward-looking appearance was carved into the bottom of her heart. A boy who looked like he had no strength to truss a chicken actually became her greatest reliance at the moment of life and death.

He also let Qu Qu Hongxiu drink boiled hot water at regular intervals to replenish water in time. After tossing like this for a day, her body temperature actually dropped. It seemed that she was a martial artist, and her foundation was strong.

Jia Zheng's official position wasn't high, but the Jia family was a member of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, and their background was really not small. And Jia Cong was kidnapped on his way back from attending the Nanxi Literary Gathering.

The news spread, and many unusual figures came to the Zhen'an Prefecture, all wanting to inquire about the news of Jia Cong's disappearance.

First, Prince Jia Shun specially sent the guard commander Liu Liu Xiangyong, saying that if the Zhen'an Prefecture found Jia Cong's whereabouts and the manpower was insufficient, they could inform him at any time, and he would do his best to assist.

There was also a little Daoist priest with a master's post from Master Zhang of the Zhengyi Sect who came to the door, asked clearly about Jia Cong's disappearance, and let the Zhen'an Prefecture inform the Xuantian Temple in the East City when they found the person.

Master Zhang, the leader of the world's Daoism, who was as noble as a Prince, naturally had this kind of arrangement.

But even the Ministry of Rites sent a Grade 6A official to inquire about this matter, which made Zhang Shou'an a bit confused. What did the disappearance of a Jia family son have to do with the dignified Ministry of Rites?

After inquiring, the Minister of Rites was an old subordinate of the literary master Liu Liu Yanxiu, and this official was ordered by his superior to come and inquire about the news.

Yesterday, even Zhou Zhou Junxing of the Court of Judicial Review sent someone to ask about this matter.

This made Zhang Shou'an feel horrified. How could this Jia family son named Jia Cong have such a big background, actually alarming so many big figures in the Divine Capital to come and inquire?

Under these circumstances, he naturally didn't dare to neglect, sending all the manpower that the Zhen'an Prefecture could mobilize to look for people, and even drawing many white-robed runners patrolling the streets.

But in the end, they found nothing. These big figures from all sides came to ask every day, worrying him so much that he plucked out many of his beard.

Jia Cong had been kidnapped and had no news. People in the Jia Mansion like Jia Zheng, Tan Chun, Ying Chun, Lin Daiyu, and others originally held some luck, but in the end, they were almost desperate.

And Jia She and Lady Xing waited for a few days without news, so they concluded that the bastard couldn't return. Jia She also felt some sadness in his heart, but after a few cups of wine with his concubine, he forgot about it.

After sobering up, he told Lady Xing that the room also lacked a clever person to serve, and now that Zhi Shao in Jia Cong's room was idle, he should send her over early. Could a maid be raised as a deputy young lady?

Lady Xing felt disgusted when she heard this, but didn't dare to go against this old lecher. In the end, she would suffer, and there were few women he pulled into the room, so one more didn't matter.

But she wouldn't handle this matter personally. She had gone to persuade Zhi Shao once last time, and the matter didn't succeed, and she didn't have any face either.

Since it was the bastard's maid, she was naturally lower than other maids and wasn't worth her taking action, as long as she let Wang Wang Shanbao's wife stir it up.

That Wang Wang Shanbao knew that the Eldest Master had taken a fancy to Zhi Shao, even before Lady Xing, and had long known that there would be such a day.

Now that she had received Lady Xing's order, she was even more famous. As long as she persuaded Zhi Shao, she would fulfill the Master's wish and handle the Lady's matter, pleasing both sides, and she would naturally have her benefits.

She went to the storehouse twice in a daze, and each time she saw Zhi Shao foolishly, just lowering her head to clean the furniture in the room. It hadn't been a few days, and she had lost so much weight.

Wang Wang Shanbao's wife said a lot of good things with a clever mouth, but Zhi Shao was cold, not even replying a word, just treating the other party as air.

Wang Wang Shanbao's wife was angry in her heart, but she held back and didn't say hard words. This dead girl was going to enter the Master's room. If she pleased the Master, she might be promoted to a concubine.

That would be on her head. Besides, she was younger and more beautiful than the Lady. If she was favored by the Master, it would be even more extraordinary.

She had been in the back house all her life, and she still had this kind of vision. She originally wanted to grind a few times slowly. How much experience had a yellow-haired girl seen? She could always be persuaded to be moved.

Unexpectedly, she met Jia She who came back from drinking in the courtyard that day. Jia She knew that Lady Xing had handed the matter to Wang Wang Shanbao's wife.

He asked her if the matter was handled properly. Wang Wang Shanbao's wife was naturally hesitant, and was scolded by the drunken Jia She. The maids and old women passing by all heard it, and Wang Wang Shanbao's wife lost most of her old face.

So she was provoked with a belly full of resentment, took two old women, and went to the storehouse again. This time she didn't want to pour warm water anymore. She didn't believe she couldn't hold a cheap maid.

(End of chapter)