Chapter 283: You Have a Daughter, He Happens to Have a Son
This master physician had just helped her, and he seemed to have a free-spirited, unconventional personality.
Ji Qingwu felt both respect and a bit of curiosity toward him, so she followed.
Le Xi had something hidden in his right hand. He smiled and said, "Hold out your hand."
Though Ji Qingwu was confused, she still held out her hand, fair and delicate in the light.
Suddenly, a ring was slipped onto her index finger.
The ring was neither gold nor jade, but a pure, matte black. It was made of some special, frosted material. ’It almost seems like a magnetic stone,’ Ji Qingwu guessed.
Le Xi said, "This is for you. Hmm..." He paused, choosing his words carefully, and swapped what he was about to say for something else.
"Just consider it a thank-you gift."
’A thank-you gift? What on earth for?’
Ji Qingwu said in surprise, "By all rights, I should be the one thanking you. I haven’t done anything to deserve this, and I can’t possibly accept such a valuable gift."
Le Xi waved his hand magnanimously. "It’s just an old trinket. Now that I’ve given it to you, just take it. No more arguments!"
Ji Qingwu didn’t know the ring’s origin and felt it would be wrong to accept it so rashly.
When Princess Hua Chang saw Le Xi give the ring to Ji Qingwu, she froze for a rare moment.
That ring wasn’t just some old trinket; it was an important item that Le Xi never went without.
Standing where she was, her thoughts suddenly turned to the Emperor, who lay in the palace hovering between life and death. She sighed. ’Perhaps this is simply fate.’
And so, Princess Hua Chang stepped forward and added her own persuasion. "Qingwu, just accept it."
’After all, once this old man makes up his mind, he won’t listen to anyone. You couldn’t drag him back with ten donkeys.’
Realizing that repeatedly refusing an elder’s kindness would be unreasonable, Ji Qingwu carefully touched the ring. "Thank you."
Just as she was about to pull her hand back, he grabbed her by the sleeve.
Le Xi’s eyes glinted. "If you really want to thank me, I happen to be making a house call. Your medical skills are quite good, so you can come along."
Ji Qingwu: "..."
’Can I give this ring back?’
Princess Hua Chang said disapprovingly, "Don’t be ridiculous. Given her current status, it’s not appropriate for her to be seen all over town with you."
Le Xi asked, "What status?"
Princess Hua Chang said, "Qingwu just got married yesterday. She is the new bride of the Wei Family."
Le Xi suddenly exerted himself, breaking free of the two people holding him.
He was utterly shocked. "Yesterday morning, that boy Wei Ting came to find me, saying his new wife was unconscious and wouldn’t wake up. He wanted me to go see her."
"That was you?"
Ji Qingwu nodded.
Le Xi’s gaze fell on her hand. The old man’s expression grew solemn, and for a moment, he seemed to regret giving her the ring.
’Perfect,’ thought Ji Qingwu. ’I can give it back to him.’
But then Le Xi’s expression changed again as a thought seemed to strike him. "Hua, what you said isn’t quite right."
Princess Hua Chang asked matter-of-factly, "What’s not right?"
"She was unconscious. How could she have gotten married? How could she have performed the rituals?" Le Xi’s eyes shone brightly as he looked at Ji Qingwu.
"Did you two complete the wedding ceremony?"
Ji Qingwu didn’t even know how she’d gotten to the Wei Family residence, let alone completed a wedding ceremony. She shook her head.
"I don’t know if we did or not."
Le Xi was delighted to hear this. The wrinkles on his face smoothed out, and his whole expression brightened considerably.
"Her status isn’t legitimate. They never completed the wedding ceremony, so she can’t be considered a proper new bride of the Wei Family. Besides, I heard that boy Wei Ting ran off in the middle of the night, which makes her even less of a real wife to him."
Princess Hua Chang pressed a hand to her forehead. "Then what is she?"
Le Xi said bluntly, "Her? At most, she’s just a guest staying at the Wei Family’s residence."
The attendants at his side propped Le Xi up again, pulling a carriage over and lifting him straight into it.
As he was being lifted, Le Xi clung to the carriage frame and said urgently, "There’s nothing more to discuss! Little A Wu will come with me. My situation is more pressing."
Then he added, "And Hua, you get back to your Princess Mansion. Don’t be running around at a time like this."
Ji Qingwu didn’t even have time to say another word to the people at the clinic before Le Xi hurried her onto the carriage.
Once they were in the carriage, Le Xi started making small talk with her.
"Ah Wu, how many people are in your family?"
Sitting on the side of the carriage, Ji Qingwu replied, "I’m from the main branch of the Ji Family. I have an older brother, an older sister, and a young daughter. So, six of us in total."
Hearing that she hadn’t included that Wei Ting boy, Le Xi nodded in satisfaction.
He then asked, "You have a daughter? How old is she?"
A gentle smile graced Ji Qingwu’s lips. "She’s four this year. Her name is Jiu Jiu."
Le Xi remarked, "Sounds like a fine name for someone who’ll heal the sick and save lives."
Ji Qingwu had no idea how he came to that conclusion, but she smiled in response anyway.
There were a few bumps in the road, and both of them swayed slightly with the motion. It was hard to tell if Le Xi was shaking his head from the bumpy ride or from worry.
"You know, I have a grandnephew. He’s only older than you by, say, three, four, five..." Le Xi trailed off, trying to recall the exact age, but it wouldn’t come to him.
"Anyway, he’s just a few years older than you."
Ji Qingwu thought the old man was just starting to grumble, so she nodded along.
"He’s a strapping, handsome lad, strong as an ox, and has been clever since he was a kid. His personality is much better than that Wei Ting fellow... well..."
Le Xi clicked his tongue, as if dredging up some old, unpleasant memory.
"Actually, not that much better! He’s petty and holds grudges. You definitely don’t want to cross him."
The corners of Ji Qingwu’s mouth curved up. Seeing her smile, Le Xi clapped his hands in excitement. "Little A Wu, you have a daughter, and as it happens, he has a son..."
At that moment, the coachman’s call of "Whoa!" came from outside, and the carriage slowly came to a stop.
Le Xi frowned. "How did we get here so fast!"
Ji Qingwu heard a familiar voice from outside. She lifted the curtain and saw the all-too-familiar palace gates, and memories of this place came flooding back.
She really did not want to get out of this carriage.
Little Dongzi had been sent by Li Yuzong to meet them and had been waiting at the gate for ages. After looking out expectantly for the better part of an hour, he finally saw them arrive.
He eagerly trotted up to the carriage, his forehead beaded with sweat. "Doctor Le, please hurry!" he urged. "If we wait any longer, it’ll be a disaster!"
Le Xi lifted the side curtain and grumbled, "What disaster? It’s not like he’s going to die."
’Nothing ever goes smoothly with this master physician,’ Little Dongzi lamented to himself.
Through the opening in the curtain, he saw the woman sitting inside.
A light flashed in Little Dongzi’s eyes, and then two streams of tears coursed down his cheeks. He whimpered, "Any later, and Your Majesty will be...!"
’Will be what?!’
Faster than a startled rabbit, Ji Qingwu scrambled out of the carriage.
Le Xi seemed not to have heard the little eunuch’s words at all. His eyes were fixed on Ji Qingwu, watching as her frantic worry completely stripped away the calm self-assurance she had shown while confronting Song Wei back at the clinic.
’Looks like this old man won’t have to worry about a thing.’
Little Dongzi reacted instantly, draping a prepared hooded robe over her shoulders. "Miss Ji," he said, "you must prepare yourself."
Ji Qingwu’s heart instantly pounded with even more panic.