Chapter 100.
“I am an old acquaintance of the Fu family…”
Upon hearing this, Yu Ying instantly realized the gravity of the situation.
—This man was indeed a former associate of the Fu family from Muchun Mountain!
Realizing this, Yu Ying’s first thought was to prevent him from implicating the Fu family.
Her primary objective was to provide cover for this man.
Without a moment to spare for deeper contemplation, Yu Ying decisively searched the man’s body.
Moments later, she felt a hard object in his chest pocket and hurriedly retrieved it.
After a quick glance, she swiftly concealed it.
Aside from a wooden token, there was nothing else on the man's person, suggesting he had hidden it for safety in case of an emergency.
Right after Yu Ying finished searching, a yamen runner arrived with a bowl of medicinal soup.
The man was still unconscious, making it difficult to administer the soup. Yu Ying and the runner struggled together for a long time to get half a bowl of the medicine into him.
The man's breathing was labored; he twisted his head in pain, veins on his neck and forehead standing out prominently, and his face growing increasingly darker in hue.
Although the quarantine center had other patients with severe illnesses, most were either elderly or very young, belonging to weaker physical constitutions.
However, this man was different. He appeared to be in good physical health, indicating the severity of his condition given his robust state.
“Lady Yu, can this man make it through the night?” asked the yamen runner.
Yu Ying looked gravely at the man and replied, “He needs to sweat or cool down within an hour to survive.”
After pondering for a moment and instructing the runner to “watch him,” she left the hut.
Yu Ying found Master Ji, who was having his meal, and explained the situation: “A critically ill man was just brought in. He might not survive the night unless he can sweat or cool down. But I fear relying solely on the soup is risky, so I came to ask if Master Ji has any acupuncture needles I could borrow.”
Hearing that Lady Yu needed needles for acupuncture, Master Ji showed a surprised expression.
He thought to himself that she truly was the daughter of a royal physician, mastering acupuncture at such a young age, while he only learned the skill in his thirties from his father-in-law.
Master Ji indeed had silver needles and readily lent them.
He was also curious to see what other skills Lady Yu had not yet revealed.
He asked his son to fetch the silver needles for Lady Yu and then went along with his son and apprentice to observe.
Somehow, other doctors heard about this and gathered outside the straw hut, craning their necks at the doorway to peek inside.
Their medical expertise was not extensive, but it sufficed for practicing in a small county like this. Although they understood human acupoints, none of them knew acupuncture, so they were all intrigued upon hearing that Lady Yu was skilled in this art.
The yamen runner had brought a brazier to the corner of the room, bringing some warmth to the interior.
Yu Ying initially wanted to ask the runner to lower the straw curtain for privacy, but seeing the eager eyes peering in from outside, she decided against it.
With so many people crowding the doorway and a stove inside, the room wouldn't be too cold.
Yu Ying asked the runner to turn the man over and remove his outer garment, leaving him in a single layer, before starting the acupuncture.
She accurately located the acupoints and swiftly inserted the needles, showing no hesitation, impressing the onlooking doctors.
After a few needles, Yu Ying stepped back and instructed the runner, “Find a thick blanket to cover him and keep an eye on whether he starts sweating.”
The runner was surprised: “Is the needling done already?”
Yu Ying nodded: “Remove the needles after two quarters of an hour.”
After speaking, she cast a meaningful glance at the man on the bed.
She needed to remind Fu Wei about this.
Yu Ying asked Master Ji to keep an eye on the man for a while as she went to find the runner who delivered her letter, instructing him to relay a message to Fu Wei, expressing her wish to meet him as soon as possible.
Reminding him in the letter was risky, as it might be seen and cause trouble.
After all, this man might be a notorious bandit; getting involved with him would surely attract major trouble, hence the need for caution.
After speaking with the runner, Yu Ying returned to check on the man.
Whether the man could survive the critical period depended on tonight, and she needed to stay vigilant.
Upon returning to the neighboring courtyard, Yu Ying saw several doctors taking turns entering and leaving the sick man's room, more to observe the acupuncture than the patient himself.
She waited for them to finish their observations before she approached.
Half an hour later, Yu Ying removed the needles and faintly noticed a thin layer of sweat on the man's forehead.
The sweat was sparse, but it was a good sign, indicating a reduction in fever.
Subsequently, Yu Ying gave him sips of warm water every half hour.
Fortunately, the man gradually began to sweat more, and the task of wiping his sweat was handed over to the yamen runner.
In the latter half of the night, the man’s fever slowly subsided, his consciousness fluctuating between clarity and confusion. In his brief moments of wakefulness, he saw the wife of the Fu family, before slipping back into sleep.
At dawn, the gloomy sky of many days finally cleared, with the first rays of morning light falling into the courtyard.
The first day of the new year dawned clear.
With the weather warming up, the epidemic was expected to improve.
After checking the man’s condition, Yu Ying found that he still had a fever, though it had reduced to a low-grade one, indicating he had survived the most critical phase.
Leaving the room, Yu Ying inquired of the yamen runner who had helped her the previous day, “What will happen to this man now?”
The runner replied, “It's strange, we don’t know if he's from Yuxian. We'll decide after informing the magistrate.”
The man’s suspicious behavior, falling gravely ill without seeking medical help and being found in a decrepit house, naturally raised doubts among the runners.
Yu Ying hoped Fu Wei would arrive soon to discuss how to handle the situation.
With the man out of critical condition, Yu Ying decided to go back for some rest.
Upon returning to her room and changing her clothes, she saw the wooden plaque she had hidden the night before, reminding her of its existence.
Yu Ying carefully examined the object in her hand.
It was a plaque about the size of two mahjong tiles joined together, with the character "Yun" engraved on it, and on the back, a carved scene of Mu Yun Mountain.
The bandits of Mu Yun Mountain were known as Mu Yun Fort.
This man was bold to hide everything else yet keep such a suspicious item.
Wrapping the plaque in a cloth, Yu Ying decided to return it to the man once he awoke.
After a night's vigil, Yu Ying's eyelids fought to stay open. She washed up and lay down to rest.
Sometime later, there was a knock at the door, and a yamen runner's voice called, “Madam Yu, Mr. Fu has arrived.”
Yu Ying, a light sleeper these days, woke up at the sound. Sitting up, she responded, “I'll be right there.”
She yawned, got out of bed, dressed, casually twisted her long hair into a bun, secured it with a hairpin, and put on her mask before stepping out.
The runner informed her, “Mr. Fu, upon hearing that Madam Yu wished to see him, immediately sought permission from the magistrate and came here with me.”
Yu Ying asked, “Where is he now?”
“Since the quarantine area is restricted, he's waiting at the entrance of the alley.”
After thanking the runner, Yu Ying left the courtyard.
Looking towards the alley, she indeed saw Fu Wei sitting in a wheelchair.
She walked briskly towards him, then broke into a jog.
Soon, she reached Fu Wei.
Catching her breath, just as she was about to suggest moving to another location to talk, Fu Wei suddenly handed her a red envelope.
Surprised, Yu Ying looked at him.
Fu Wei, wearing a mask, had a soft smile in his eyes as he gently said, “This is your New Year red envelope.”
Yu Ying glanced at the red envelope, momentarily taken aback.
In previous years, close family elders always gave her a red packet. She thought this year would be different, but Fu Wei always managed to pleasantly surprise her unexpectedly.
A moment later, Yu Ying smiled gently, accepting the red envelope: “I didn't prepare one for you.”
Fu Wei replied, “More than the red envelope, the letter I received this morning was a real surprise.”
Yu Ying chuckled, pocketing the red envelope, then turned to the yamen runner accompanying Fu Wei: “I need to discuss some household matters with my husband.”
The runner nodded, “I'll wait here.”
Yu Ying stepped forward to push Fu Wei's wheelchair, guiding it to a nearby river. She wiped the fallen leaves off a stone bench with her handkerchief before sitting down.
Fu Wei, seeing her seated, asked first, “Did you want to see me because of the man brought to the quarantine area yesterday?”
Knowing she wasn’t one for frivolous actions, and unlikely to ask for a meeting just because she missed him, he surmised it must be something important.
He had been in the yamen last night when a report came in about an unidentified man, stricken with the epidemic and found unconscious in an abandoned house.
Pondering over the man’s identity, Fu Wei connected the dots when he heard Yu Ying wanted to see him – it must be related to that man.
Yu Ying was momentarily surprised, then realized Fu Wei’s astuteness. It wasn’t unusual for him to guess the reason.
She spoke in a lowered voice, “It is indeed about that man.”
As she spoke, she took out the cloth-wrapped plaque and handed it to him: “You'll understand after seeing this.”
Fu Wei took the object with a puzzled look, slowly unwrapped the cloth, and saw the character "Yun" on the plaque. His brows furrowed slightly. After studying it for a moment, he flipped it over to see a simple Mu Yun Mountain carving, his expression darkening immediately.
He wrapped the plaque again, looking at Yu Ying: “I remember in the county seat, that middle-aged man mentioned sending someone to investigate the Fu family in Jade County. I thought that person had already left.”
He then speculated, “Or it could be the person he sent to observe the Fu family.”
Recalling something, he asked her, “What’s the situation with that man? Is he dead?”
Yu Ying: ...
"Shouldn't the first question be whether he's still alive?"
This remark, though, seems to wish the man dead, to avoid burdening the Fu family.
Fu Wei is still unsure whether Mu Yun Bandits are friend or foe.
After pondering, Yu Ying cautiously said, based on the limited information she knew, "Mu Yun Bandits should be trustworthy."
They could be trusted, but not entirely.
She recalled that during the war, Mu Yun Bandits did assist Fu Wei, albeit conditionally.
Fu Wei's eyebrows raised slightly, clearly catching her implied meaning. He thought about how, after the war, Mu Yun Bandits had ceased being bandits and became a local power. Aligning with them would likely be more beneficial than harmful.
Considering this, Fu Wei decisively said, “I will protect this man. Tell him to insist that he's a foreigner, hiding for fear of being known as an epidemic victim and dying in a strange land. As for his identity…”
He paused, then continued, “Since he’s from Mu Yun Bandits, he should know the South better than I do. Let him fabricate a false identity.”
Yu Ying contemplated for a moment, then agreed, “Alright, I’ll convey the message.”
“Also tell him, if he’s brought to the yamen, he must not implicate the Fu family. Only then will I help him escape danger.”
Saying this, he returned the wooden plaque to her, “News of the epidemic in Jade County has already spread. And with no word from Mu Yun Bandits’ scouts for a long time, they will surely come to investigate. When they reach the Fu family, I’ll connect with them then.”
Chapter 100.
“I am an old acquaintance of the Fu family…”
Upon hearing this, Yu Ying instantly realized the gravity of the situation.
—This man was indeed a former associate of the Fu family from Muchun Mountain!
Realizing this, Yu Ying’s first thought was to prevent him from implicating the Fu family.
Her primary objective was to provide cover for this man.
Without a moment to spare for deeper contemplation, Yu Ying decisively searched the man’s body.
Moments later, she felt a hard object in his chest pocket and hurriedly retrieved it.
After a quick glance, she swiftly concealed it.
Aside from a wooden token, there was nothing else on the man's person, suggesting he had hidden it for safety in case of an emergency.
Right after Yu Ying finished searching, a yamen runner arrived with a bowl of medicinal soup.
The man was still unconscious, making it difficult to administer the soup. Yu Ying and the runner struggled together for a long time to get half a bowl of the medicine into him.
The man's breathing was labored; he twisted his head in pain, veins on his neck and forehead standing out prominently, and his face growing increasingly darker in hue.
Although the quarantine center had other patients with severe illnesses, most were either elderly or very young, belonging to weaker physical constitutions.
However, this man was different. He appeared to be in good physical health, indicating the severity of his condition given his robust state.
“Lady Yu, can this man make it through the night?” asked the yamen runner.
Yu Ying looked gravely at the man and replied, “He needs to sweat or cool down within an hour to survive.”
After pondering for a moment and instructing the runner to “watch him,” she left the hut.
Yu Ying found Master Ji, who was having his meal, and explained the situation: “A critically ill man was just brought in. He might not survive the night unless he can sweat or cool down. But I fear relying solely on the soup is risky, so I came to ask if Master Ji has any acupuncture needles I could borrow.”
Hearing that Lady Yu needed needles for acupuncture, Master Ji showed a surprised expression.
He thought to himself that she truly was the daughter of a royal physician, mastering acupuncture at such a young age, while he only learned the skill in his thirties from his father-in-law.
Master Ji indeed had silver needles and readily lent them.
He was also curious to see what other skills Lady Yu had not yet revealed.
He asked his son to fetch the silver needles for Lady Yu and then went along with his son and apprentice to observe.
Somehow, other doctors heard about this and gathered outside the straw hut, craning their necks at the doorway to peek inside.
Their medical expertise was not extensive, but it sufficed for practicing in a small county like this. Although they understood human acupoints, none of them knew acupuncture, so they were all intrigued upon hearing that Lady Yu was skilled in this art.
The yamen runner had brought a brazier to the corner of the room, bringing some warmth to the interior.
Yu Ying initially wanted to ask the runner to lower the straw curtain for privacy, but seeing the eager eyes peering in from outside, she decided against it.
With so many people crowding the doorway and a stove inside, the room wouldn't be too cold.
Yu Ying asked the runner to turn the man over and remove his outer garment, leaving him in a single layer, before starting the acupuncture.
She accurately located the acupoints and swiftly inserted the needles, showing no hesitation, impressing the onlooking doctors.
After a few needles, Yu Ying stepped back and instructed the runner, “Find a thick blanket to cover him and keep an eye on whether he starts sweating.”
The runner was surprised: “Is the needling done already?”
Yu Ying nodded: “Remove the needles after two quarters of an hour.”
After speaking, she cast a meaningful glance at the man on the bed.
She needed to remind Fu Wei about this.
Yu Ying asked Master Ji to keep an eye on the man for a while as she went to find the runner who delivered her letter, instructing him to relay a message to Fu Wei, expressing her wish to meet him as soon as possible.
Reminding him in the letter was risky, as it might be seen and cause trouble.
After all, this man might be a notorious bandit; getting involved with him would surely attract major trouble, hence the need for caution.
After speaking with the runner, Yu Ying returned to check on the man.
Whether the man could survive the critical period depended on tonight, and she needed to stay vigilant.
Upon returning to the neighboring courtyard, Yu Ying saw several doctors taking turns entering and leaving the sick man's room, more to observe the acupuncture than the patient himself.
She waited for them to finish their observations before she approached.
Half an hour later, Yu Ying removed the needles and faintly noticed a thin layer of sweat on the man's forehead.
The sweat was sparse, but it was a good sign, indicating a reduction in fever.
Subsequently, Yu Ying gave him sips of warm water every half hour.
Fortunately, the man gradually began to sweat more, and the task of wiping his sweat was handed over to the yamen runner.
In the latter half of the night, the man’s fever slowly subsided, his consciousness fluctuating between clarity and confusion. In his brief moments of wakefulness, he saw the wife of the Fu family, before slipping back into sleep.
At dawn, the gloomy sky of many days finally cleared, with the first rays of morning light falling into the courtyard.
The first day of the new year dawned clear.
With the weather warming up, the epidemic was expected to improve.
After checking the man’s condition, Yu Ying found that he still had a fever, though it had reduced to a low-grade one, indicating he had survived the most critical phase.
Leaving the room, Yu Ying inquired of the yamen runner who had helped her the previous day, “What will happen to this man now?”
The runner replied, “It's strange, we don’t know if he's from Yuxian. We'll decide after informing the magistrate.”
The man’s suspicious behavior, falling gravely ill without seeking medical help and being found in a decrepit house, naturally raised doubts among the runners.
Yu Ying hoped Fu Wei would arrive soon to discuss how to handle the situation.
With the man out of critical condition, Yu Ying decided to go back for some rest.
Upon returning to her room and changing her clothes, she saw the wooden plaque she had hidden the night before, reminding her of its existence.
Yu Ying carefully examined the object in her hand.
It was a plaque about the size of two mahjong tiles joined together, with the character "Yun" engraved on it, and on the back, a carved scene of Mu Yun Mountain.
The bandits of Mu Yun Mountain were known as Mu Yun Fort.
This man was bold to hide everything else yet keep such a suspicious item.
Wrapping the plaque in a cloth, Yu Ying decided to return it to the man once he awoke.
After a night's vigil, Yu Ying's eyelids fought to stay open. She washed up and lay down to rest.
Sometime later, there was a knock at the door, and a yamen runner's voice called, “Madam Yu, Mr. Fu has arrived.”
Yu Ying, a light sleeper these days, woke up at the sound. Sitting up, she responded, “I'll be right there.”
She yawned, got out of bed, dressed, casually twisted her long hair into a bun, secured it with a hairpin, and put on her mask before stepping out.
The runner informed her, “Mr. Fu, upon hearing that Madam Yu wished to see him, immediately sought permission from the magistrate and came here with me.”
Yu Ying asked, “Where is he now?”
“Since the quarantine area is restricted, he's waiting at the entrance of the alley.”
After thanking the runner, Yu Ying left the courtyard.
Looking towards the alley, she indeed saw Fu Wei sitting in a wheelchair.
She walked briskly towards him, then broke into a jog.
Soon, she reached Fu Wei.
Catching her breath, just as she was about to suggest moving to another location to talk, Fu Wei suddenly handed her a red envelope.
Surprised, Yu Ying looked at him.
Fu Wei, wearing a mask, had a soft smile in his eyes as he gently said, “This is your New Year red envelope.”
Yu Ying glanced at the red envelope, momentarily taken aback.
In previous years, close family elders always gave her a red packet. She thought this year would be different, but Fu Wei always managed to pleasantly surprise her unexpectedly.
A moment later, Yu Ying smiled gently, accepting the red envelope: “I didn't prepare one for you.”
Fu Wei replied, “More than the red envelope, the letter I received this morning was a real surprise.”
Yu Ying chuckled, pocketing the red envelope, then turned to the yamen runner accompanying Fu Wei: “I need to discuss some household matters with my husband.”
The runner nodded, “I'll wait here.”
Yu Ying stepped forward to push Fu Wei's wheelchair, guiding it to a nearby river. She wiped the fallen leaves off a stone bench with her handkerchief before sitting down.
Fu Wei, seeing her seated, asked first, “Did you want to see me because of the man brought to the quarantine area yesterday?”
Knowing she wasn’t one for frivolous actions, and unlikely to ask for a meeting just because she missed him, he surmised it must be something important.
He had been in the yamen last night when a report came in about an unidentified man, stricken with the epidemic and found unconscious in an abandoned house.
Pondering over the man’s identity, Fu Wei connected the dots when he heard Yu Ying wanted to see him – it must be related to that man.
Yu Ying was momentarily surprised, then realized Fu Wei’s astuteness. It wasn’t unusual for him to guess the reason.
She spoke in a lowered voice, “It is indeed about that man.”
As she spoke, she took out the cloth-wrapped plaque and handed it to him: “You'll understand after seeing this.”
Fu Wei took the object with a puzzled look, slowly unwrapped the cloth, and saw the character "Yun" on the plaque. His brows furrowed slightly. After studying it for a moment, he flipped it over to see a simple Mu Yun Mountain carving, his expression darkening immediately.
He wrapped the plaque again, looking at Yu Ying: “I remember in the county seat, that middle-aged man mentioned sending someone to investigate the Fu family in Jade County. I thought that person had already left.”
He then speculated, “Or it could be the person he sent to observe the Fu family.”
Recalling something, he asked her, “What’s the situation with that man? Is he dead?”
Yu Ying: ...
"Shouldn't the first question be whether he's still alive?"
This remark, though, seems to wish the man dead, to avoid burdening the Fu family.
Fu Wei is still unsure whether Mu Yun Bandits are friend or foe.
After pondering, Yu Ying cautiously said, based on the limited information she knew, "Mu Yun Bandits should be trustworthy."
They could be trusted, but not entirely.
She recalled that during the war, Mu Yun Bandits did assist Fu Wei, albeit conditionally.
Fu Wei's eyebrows raised slightly, clearly catching her implied meaning. He thought about how, after the war, Mu Yun Bandits had ceased being bandits and became a local power. Aligning with them would likely be more beneficial than harmful.
Considering this, Fu Wei decisively said, “I will protect this man. Tell him to insist that he's a foreigner, hiding for fear of being known as an epidemic victim and dying in a strange land. As for his identity…”
He paused, then continued, “Since he’s from Mu Yun Bandits, he should know the South better than I do. Let him fabricate a false identity.”
Yu Ying contemplated for a moment, then agreed, “Alright, I’ll convey the message.”
“Also tell him, if he’s brought to the yamen, he must not implicate the Fu family. Only then will I help him escape danger.”
Saying this, he returned the wooden plaque to her, “News of the epidemic in Jade County has already spread. And with no word from Mu Yun Bandits’ scouts for a long time, they will surely come to investigate. When they reach the Fu family, I’ll connect with them then.”
