Chapter 306 - 305: Taking the Pulse
In the evening, a banquet was set in the Flower Hall.
Zhen Zishan was extremely satisfied with Mu Lianxiao. Ever since Mu Lianxiao brought Imperial Doctor Xing to the Zhen Family, he felt that this nephew-in-law was exceedingly good in every way.
He specially had someone bring out good wine and laughed, saying, "It’s been hidden for over ten years."
Mrs. Chen’s eyebrows twitched at the sight of the wine, and she raised her voice to advise, "Master, your drinking is not good, better..."
Zhen Zishan was losing face publicly and looked upset, wanting to say something, but caught a glimpse of Zhen Wenqian next to him and swallowed back his words.
Being drunk would lead to mistakes!
Unfortunately, both father and son had low alcohol tolerance.
Otherwise, the incident last time wouldn’t have happened.
Thinking of past events, Zhen Zishan glanced guiltily towards Mu Lianxiao and saw that he was calm and composed, and then felt relieved.
It seemed Mu Lianxiao didn’t know anything.
Indeed, Du Yunluo wouldn’t let Mu Lianxiao know about these matters, causing unnecessary complications.
Mu Lianxiao, with his cheerful nature, made the atmosphere lively despite Zhen Wenqian’s low-key gloom and Zhen Zishan’s cautiousness, especially with the accompaniment of Zhen Zimun and Zhen Wenyuan, and the guest appearance of Imperial Doctor Xing.
Du Yunluo sat beside Old Mrs. Hou, and Mrs. Chen, knowing her taste, prepared a lot of dishes she liked.
The welcome banquet was quite delightful.
With his low tolerance, Zhen Zishan was drunk early, and Mrs. Chen had him helped back to rest.
Old Mrs. Hou, considering the long and tiring journey Du Yunluo and her husband endured, didn’t keep them for long and let everyone leave after dinner was practically over.
Mu Lianxiao and Imperial Doctor Xing conversed in low voices.
Zhen Wenting and Zhen Wenqi, supporting Old Mrs. Hou from both sides, returned to Yanxi Hall.
Passing by Du Yunluo, Zhen Wenting glanced at her and said, "Last time the Princely Heir came, I missed the chance to meet him. Today, I see he is indeed much better than my brother."
Old Mrs. Hou gave a heavy cough.
Although everyone in the mansion internally made comparisons, those thoughts were kept within.
Who is better cannot be determined by a single sentence; even if there were a conclusion, it would never be voiced.
However, Zhen Wenting blurted it out.
Old Mrs. Hou disapprovingly looked at Zhen Wenting, "Say less, hasn’t the food at the table been enough to shut your mouth?"
Zhen Wenting pursed her lips but did not contradict Old Mrs. Hou further.
Du Yunluo watched them leave and then turned to walk towards Mu Lianxiao and Imperial Doctor Xing.
Imperial Doctor Xing was already accustomed to life in a wheelchair. He could control it himself without needing others to push him.
The Zhen Mansion valued him, and seeing Imperial Doctor Xing liked doing things himself, the servants entrusted with his care no longer touched the wheelchair and even set up wooden boards over door thresholds he frequently crossed.
"You look pretty good," Imperial Doctor Xing said, glancing over Du Yunluo.
Du Yunluo smiled and said, "Seeing isn’t as good as an examination. Why not have Imperial Doctor Xing take my pulse tomorrow?"
"I used to only diagnose peaceful pulses for the empresses," Imperial Doctor Xing clicked his tongue, paused, then laughed again, "Now, using the Zhen Family’s resources as I do, it’s up to you."
Du Yunluo stifled a laugh.
Upon returning to the small courtyard and freshening up, Du Yunluo lay down to rest.
The journey was exhausting, having traveled day and night without good sleep for several days.
Mu Lianxiao blew out the candle, gathered Du Yunluo in his arms, and gently kissed her soft hair.
This simple intimacy drove away much of Du Yunluo’s drowsiness, and she opened her eyes.
Mu Lianxiao looked down at her, "Why did you think of asking Mr. Xing for a peaceful pulse diagnosis?"
Du Yunluo’s hand on Mu Lianxiao’s chest went slightly rigid but soon relaxed again. "Since we’re here, we shouldn’t miss the chance to have an Imperial Physician check. My mother mentioned I had a bit of chill and needed more care."
Of course, that wasn’t true.
The real reason she wanted Imperial Doctor Xing to examine her, she still couldn’t tell Mu Lianxiao.
Although Du Yunluo knew the Lian Family wouldn’t dare give her strong medicine, she still wanted the opinion of the Imperial Physician on the effects.
Mu Lianxiao didn’t understand women’s ailments, but he wasn’t the naive "bullish youth" he used to be, and immediately recalled the time Du Yunluo had a stomach ache.
At that time, she was in such pain, her face turned white, and her little face was all scrunched up, making one feel a pang of sympathy.
"You should indeed have Mr. Xing prescribe something for you," Mu Lianxiao said gently.
Hearing his slightly hoarse voice, Du Yunluo knew what he was thinking about, and she didn’t explain, just gave a vague response.
But after replying, she found the misunderstanding a bit odd.
She softly hmmed, grabbed Mu Lianxiao’s wrist, and bit it lightly.
After all, he had thick skin.
"Yunluo," Mu Lianxiao’s voice grew even more soft and awkward, "don’t mess around."
"I’m not messing around..." Du Yunluo muttered.
Mu Lianxiao tightened his grip around her slender waist, "Where will you get water later?"
Du Yunluo was momentarily stunned, thinking through Mu Lianxiao’s words back and forth in her mind until her cheeks burned.
Mu Lianxiao knew her temperament, and she was most intolerant of being sticky all over. Though the courtyard had a small kitchen, there wasn’t much hot water available. Mu Lianxiao was used to cold water, but she couldn’t handle it.
If there were a passionate affair, she couldn’t possibly ask Jin Rui to fetch water from the main kitchen, could she?
Laughter would erupt the next day until someone died.
She wasn’t that thick-skinned.
Du Yunluo shook off Mu Lianxiao’s hand, turned and rolled to the inner side of the bed. "Then you’d better move aside."
Covering his eyes with the back of his hand, Mu Lianxiao laughed. How adorable his Yunluo was...
That night, Du Yunluo slept soundly, and unconsciously, instinctively snuggled into Mu Lianxiao’s embrace, pressed against him, and slept deeply.
The next morning, after paying respects to Old Master Zhen and Old Mrs. Hou in the Yanxi Hall, Du Yunluo invited Imperial Doctor Xing to the small courtyard.
No matter what the results were, Du Yunluo didn’t want Old Mrs. Hou to hear, to avoid making her worried about her wellbeing while in the Marquis Mansion, full of schemes and grievances.
Mu Lianxiao had taken Yun Qi to Qinglian Temple. Regardless of whether Master Kongming would reveal anything, he had to try.
Du Yunluo was relieved, for she feared if Mu Lianxiao were there during the pulse diagnosis.
Imperial Doctor Xing checked Du Yunluo’s pulse. Initially, he seemed casual, but then his brow furrowed and became more meticulous and cautious.
"Is there something wrong?" Du Yunluo asked as Imperial Doctor Xing withdrew his hand.
Imperial Doctor Xing vaguely mumbled a couple of sounds.
Du Yunluo looked up, her voice neither loud nor soft, but filled with certainty: "Is it related to offspring?"
Imperial Doctor Xing’s eyes tightened suddenly, deeply looking at Du Yunluo, seeing her calm demeanor, clearly unsurprised, and sighed.
"You are quite clear on this, so you wanted me to check your pulse, huh?" Imperial Doctor Xing said.
Du Yunluo smiled bitterly, "Can you give me a clear answer? Is it greatly affecting my body?"
Imperial Doctor Xing rubbed his hands with some annoyance, "That’s why I hate these women’s tricks the most. I’ve seen and heard plenty of these incidents in the capital.
After all, these are other people’s matters.
Fortunately, you’re asking me. The doctors in the capital...
Those who can’t diagnose are useless to you, those who can, who wants trouble?
Hah, if the Princely Heir hadn’t saved my life, and the Mu Family weren’t supporting me now, I wouldn’t bother with this mess!"