Chapter 285: My Brother Has to Go Too?
When night fell, Li Yi and Guan Shengrui were arranged to stay on Wen Xiuyi’s side of the compound. Li Yi stayed in his original room, while Guan Shengrui’s room was right next to his—the one Li Fu had previously occupied.
The three guards they had brought along squeezed in with Xun Feng, Mu Li, and Wang Zhao.
The next morning, just as the sky began to turn pale, Guan Shengrui was yanked out of his cozy blanket by Li Yi and sent off with Datou and the others to go jogging along the foot of the mountain with Xun Feng.
Guan Shengrui had never endured such hardship back in the capital, but seeing Datou—a child even younger than himself—endure without complaining of pain or fatigue, he could only grit his teeth and persevere.
He genuinely couldn’t wrap his head around it. At home, the guards had to obey his every whim, yet after arriving here, he was the one who had to obey them.
Xun Feng couldn’t care less what Guan Shengrui thought. In the capital, he was a guard and a servant, but in Gutong Village, he was the master to these little kids. Furthermore, with the Young Master handing Young Master Guan over to him—undoubtedly under the Third Princess’s explicit instructions—Xun Feng felt no psychological burden whatsoever. If Guan Shengrui ran too slowly, he would even get a scolding.
After finally completing a full lap along the foot of the mountain around the village, Guan Shengrui felt both of his legs trembling uncontrollably.
Before he could even catch his breath, Datou dragged him off to the washroom to bathe.
Having been waited on hand and foot in everything he did since childhood, Guan Shengrui undressed himself for the very first time, taking a bath stark naked in a room with a few boys his age.
Once rinsed clean, Wen Yao’s breakfast was served as well.
Looking at the table full of exquisite breakfast foods, Guan Shengrui’s minor grievances were cured in an instant. Picking up his chopsticks, he began eating, at a total loss for which dish to try first.
The other kids, seeing such a sumptuous breakfast, grew even more excited and began scrambling for the food.
Li Yi, on the other hand, looked at the breakfast consisting of over a dozen varieties of pastries and side dishes, knitting his brows slightly.
“There’s no need to be so polite. We can just eat whatever you normally have,” Li Yi said to Wen Yao.
Wen Yao looked at her masterpiece with deep satisfaction and smiled at his words. “Well, I have to entertain you all properly.”
Li Yi choked back his words for a long moment before squeezing out a single sentence: “It’s not as if we’re strangers.”
Wen Yao handed him a pair of chopsticks, raising an eyebrow. “If you don’t start eating now, they’re going to finish snatching it all up.”
Li Yi: “…”
When all was said and done, he still couldn’t resist the temptation of delicious food.
Having eaten and drunk their fill, two horse carriages were hitched and ready outside: Wang Zhao drove the ones heading to school, while Mu Li drove Wen Xiuyi and Wen Jun.
“Dad, hitching a ride!” Wen Yao nimbly climbed onto Wen Xiuyi’s carriage, not forgetting to call out to Li Yi, “Hurry up and get in!”
Wen Xiuyi asked, “Where are you two off to?”
“Going to find Sister Qiu to discuss some business. Dad, you can just drop us off at Zui Xian Tower. Go attend to your own matters,” Wen Yao said.
Hearing that it was business-related, Wen Xiuyi asked no further questions, telling Li Yi to get on board quickly, as Magistrate Chen would nag again if he arrived late.
Seeing that both father and son of the Wen family were inside the carriage—and not just he and Wen Yao alone—Li Yi finally climbed aboard.
Xun Feng and the three newly arrived guards rode horses alongside the carriage.
Only on the road did Li Yi say to Wen Yao, “We need to make a trip to Jishi Hall first.”
Hearing him say this, Wen Jun raised his head to glance over, while Wen Xiuyi asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Are you unaccustomed to the local environment? Jun, quickly give him a checkup!”
Wen Jun also looked at Li Yi with a face full of concern.
Sensing the genuine goodwill of the Wen family, Li Yi offered a gentle smile: “No, Uncle Wen, I’m not feeling unwell. It’s regarding Imperial Grandmother. Back when Imperial Physician Jin was still in the capital, Imperial Grandmother’s health was mostly conditioned and maintained by him. My father wanted to invite Imperial Physician Jin back to the capital this time, and I am merely the messenger.”
Li Yi’s words left the family of three momentarily stunned. Wen Xiuyi had wanted to ask what was wrong with the old lady and where she felt uncomfortable, but on second thought: Was this an ordinary old lady? This was the Empress Dowager—the Emperor’s mother! In this era, she was a figure second to one and above tens of thousands, certainly not someone a tiny seventh-rank official like him should be prying about.
Understanding this truth, none of the three pressed further with questions.
The carriage drove straight to Jishi Hall. Dropping the three off, Wen Xiuyi departed right away, planning to stop by the Xie estate on his way to the yamen to send word to Qiu Rongrong, telling her to meet Wen Yao and Li Yi at Zui Xian Tower.
Catching sight of Li Yi entering the door alongside his disciple, Doctor Jin quickly came forward to greet him with a formal bow.
“Imperial Physician Jin, there is no need for this. We are not in the capital, so let us dispense with these rigid formalities,” Li Yi quickly stopped him.
Even so, Doctor Jin still bowed slightly. “Many thanks, Young Master. Young Master, please step inside. Honghai, brew tea.”
Doctor Jin led Li Yi into the backyard, with Wen Yao and Wen Jun following behind.
Once seated, Li Yi finally spoke: “Imperial Physician Jin, my reason for coming this time is that my father asked me to pass along a message. My Imperial Grandmother has been feeling unwell lately. Since her health was conditioned by you in the past, my father is asking whether you can make a trip to the capital to examine the Imperial Grandmother.”
Doctor Jin froze. “What happened to Her Dowager Majesty? What about the other imperial physicians in the Imperial Academy of Medicine? Have they examined her? What did they say?”
Li Yi nodded. “They have examined her. It’s simply that she is advanced in age and needs careful nourishment. Because the Imperial Grandmother is elderly, the physicians in the Imperial Academy of Medicine do not dare to prescribe potent medicine. My father and Imperial Uncle are both deeply anxious, which is why…”
“This humble citizen understands. Once I make the necessary arrangements here, I shall depart for the capital immediately,” Doctor Jin agreed almost without a moment’s hesitation.
Saying this, he turned his gaze toward Wen Yao and said, “It’s just that during the time I am away, I must trouble you all to look after Yi’er.”
Wen Yao nodded. “Mm.” In any case, whether it’s a trouble or not, hasn’t Jin Xiuyi been living at her house all along anyway?
Doctor Jin then cast a glance at Wen Jun and said, “Go back and pack your things. Come with me.”
Wen Jun: “…”
Wen Yao: “…Doctor Jin, my brother has to go too?”
Even Li Yi was somewhat surprised that Doctor Jin would bring Wen Jun along. On second thought, however, he understood: Wen Jun was Doctor Jin’s sole successor, and one day he would likely stand in the Imperial Academy of Medicine as well. Bringing him along early to become familiar with things was by no means a bad idea.
Furthermore, given the Wen family’s unique and unconventional ways, Li Yi suddenly felt that perhaps having Wen Jun tag along might help the Imperial Grandmother recover even faster.
“Since that’s the case, then we must trouble Brother Wen to make the journey as well,” Li Yi said.
With Li Yi saying so, could Wen Jun possibly refuse? He simply hadn’t expected that among their family of three, he would be the very first to set foot in the capital.
Being a man of immediate action, Doctor Jin called Honghai over to fetch Manager Qiu. After all, during his absence, taking Wen Jun away meant Jishi Hall couldn’t stay open for business; they could only leave someone behind to watch the shop and prevent people from coming in to fill prescriptions.
When Manager Qiu arrived and saw Li Yi popping up again, though surprised, he wasn’t overly shocked. Learning that Doctor Jin was returning to the capital and taking Wen Jun along, Manager Qiu simply decided to slack off as well.
“Then let Honghai watch the house, keeping a side door open to fill prescriptions if anyone comes. Since I’m left all alone, perfect timing—I’ll just move to the village during this period to make it easier to tutor Datou and the others in their studies.” And while I’m at it, freeload meals. Hehe.
