Chapter 61: Shattered Hopes

Chi Nan Yi had just returned home when the Chi Family couple came forward to welcome her.

"Yi'er!"

Seeing their eyes full of concern, Chi Nan Yi simply assumed they were worried she had displeased Prince Li: "Father, Mother, there is no need to worry. Hasn't your daughter returned safe and sound?"

"Good, good, good." Wen Zhilan held her hand, but the anxious look on her face did not diminish.

"His Highness Prince Li cherishes talent. In this locust plague, Miss Chi's contributions were the greatest and her medical skills are superb. The Prince naturally would not make things difficult for her."

"Many thanks, my lord."

"This official did nothing to deserve such thanks." Xie Yuwei looked at Chi Nan Yi; the more he looked, the more familiar she seemed, yet he was certain he had never seen her before.

Before Xie Yuwei left, the Chi Family wanted to invite him to stay for a meal, but he politely declined.

Chi Nan Yi thought for a moment, then said with a smile: "My lord escorted me home today, and I am grateful in my heart. My mother dried some vegetables in the courtyard. If you wouldn't mind, would you like to take some?"

"Dried vegetables?" Hearing those two words, Xie Yuwei's eyes brightened.

He had eaten that kind of dried vegetables before at his master's home. Ever since he entered officialdom, his master had forbidden him from visiting again, and it had been a long time since he last had dried vegetables.

Seeing that he did not refuse, Wen Zhilan hurriedly packed a basketful: "My lord, these are just things we country folks eat—not refined at all. I only hope you won't disdain them."

Looking at the familiar dried vegetables, Xie Yuwei said softly: "In that case, this official shall accept them."

Before leaving, Xie Yuwei gave Chi Nan Yi a deep look, his eyes clear and bright.

As the carriage gradually drew away, Chi Huai Qian suddenly said: "Why is there copper coin money on the table?"

Stepping closer to look, twenty wen of copper coins were placed on the table. Chi Nan Yi understood in her heart—it must have been Lord Xie who left them there.

"Lord Xie is quite a good official."

Wen Zhilan nodded: "Yes, I've lived here for so many years, and I've never seen such a good parent-official!"

Hearing this, Chi Nan Yi frowned slightly.

Good he was, but such a good person would not live long—truly a pity.

But since she could change the fate of the Chi Family, perhaps she could also change Lord Xie's fate.

He was a good official; he should not die so miserably.

"Yi'er, did His Highness Prince Li summon you over just to give thanks?"

"Not entirely. His Highness Prince Li sustained a minor injury, and since I know some medicine, I examined the Prince and prepared some medicine for him as well."

"Treat His Highness Prince Li?" Wen Zhilan hurriedly shook her head: "No, no, His Highness Prince Li's status is so noble—if the treatment doesn't work..."

"It's nothing serious. Granddaughter won't fail to cure it. Besides, the Prince has already given us so much reward silver—we can't refuse to help with such a small matter!"

"But..."

"Grandmother, just rest easy!"

Hearing her say this, Shen Shi had no choice but to give in, though the sense of unease in her heart only grew stronger.

Over the next few days, apart from making pills, Chi Nan Yi was busy preparing medicine for Prince Li.

Mo Junyan's injuries were not difficult to treat—medicinal herbs for healing internal injuries combined with Spirit Spring Water would have him recovered in a few days. The most troublesome issue was his legs.

When taking his pulse, she had not detected any damage to the meridians in his legs, yet when using Silver Needles to stimulate his acupoints, his legs indeed showed no response.

For the moment, she could not determine what exactly was wrong with Mo Junyan's legs.

Now it seemed there was only one way to find out.

Chi Nan Yi glanced at the precision instruments in the medical laboratory. If the naked eye couldn't see it, couldn't the machines?

But how to get him inside?

Meanwhile, in Jingcheng, Meng Qinghe stepped down from a carriage. She had been staying at her maternal grandfather's Jiang residence recently.

The Jiang Clan was wealthy, and in the previous life had also contributed considerable manpower and financial resources to the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne.

For this reason, after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he appointed the Jiang Clan's legitimate daughter Jiang Yiyue as his consort.

Jiang Yiyue had no particular talents, but she had a pretty face. What annoyed Meng Qinghe most was that Jiang Yiyue's features somewhat resembled Chi Nan Yi's. It was precisely because of this that all these years, no one had ever suspected that Chi Nan Yi was not the Jiang Clan's biological daughter.

In the previous life, Jiang Yiyue had also relied on that face to earn the Crown Prince's special affection.

Thinking about it now—what the Crown Prince truly cared about, was it Jiang Yiyue, or the Jiang Clan's background, or perhaps... that face similar to Chi Nan Yi's?

At this thought, Meng Qinghe's hand could not help but slowly clench tight.

No matter the reason, in this life, she would not allow any obstacle on her path forward—not Chi Nan Yi, and not Jiang Yiyue!

She never imagined that after returning this time, the Meng Family would have been robbed clean. No wonder that bitch Chi Nan Yi was in such a hurry to leave—so the Minister's Residence was now an empty shell. If not for the shops and the Jiang Clan propping it up, they would likely have started selling off houses and land long ago. So now she had to build a good relationship with the Jiang Clan.

Just as she entered the main gate, the steward came forward to greet her: "Miss, the master asks you to go to the study."

"Father." Arriving at the study, Meng Qinghe said with a smile: "Your daughter pays her respects. This trip to Grandfather's home..."

"You said earlier you dreamed of locusts." Before she could finish, Meng Hui interrupted: "A locust plague has indeed struck Qingjun County."

Meng Hui looked at her, his eyes flashing with disbelief: "You can actually dream of many things before they happen." As he spoke, he could not help growing excited: "Child, you haven't mentioned this to anyone else, have you!"

"No."

"Good! Good!" Meng Hui could not help pacing: "With such ability, Father must find an opportunity to speak to the Emperor about this properly." At this point, he could not help feeling regret—if he had known, he should have mentioned this to the Emperor earlier. With the locust plague brought under control, he too could have claimed a share of the credit.

Now that credit had all fallen to that official named Xie Yuwei.

"Father." Meng Qinghe's eyes flickered: "You just said Qingjun County suffered a locust plague—has the harvest there been completely ruined?"

Completely ruined?

Meng Hui shook his head: "No."

How was that possible?

In the previous life, the locust plague ran rampant and not a single crop in all of Qingjun County was spared. Why would this life be different?

"It was an official named Xie Yuwei. He came up with a method to control the locusts."

Xie Yuwei?

Why did that name sound somewhat familiar?

In her previous life she didn't care about these, so she simply didn't know who the county secretary of Azure Lord County was.

"So, there's no famine this year?"

"That's right. The Emperor not only rewarded the county secretary of Azure Lord County, but also waived the taxes there; no matter how much grain was collected, it need not be turned in."

"What?"

Hearing him say that, Meng Qinghe felt indignant.

"On what grounds?"

"On what basis does her going to Azure Lord County mean there's no famine and the grain tax is waived?"

"Qinghe." Meng Hui said with a smile: "Have you dreamed of anything lately?"

Meng Qinghe rolled her eyes, recalling her miserable state in her past life, and she whispered: "Yes."

"What? Speak quickly!"