RVW-43.2

On a road leading to Tongcheng, a black valiant horse galloped past, and the sound of rapidly stomping hooves seemed to trample heavily on the passer-bys’ hearts. When the passer-bys along the road heard of the sound, they immediately stepped aside and made way. The weather in late autumn was extremely dry, yellow smoke and dust cascaded upwards as the horse rapidly galloping on the loess, causing the passer-bys by the roadside who weren’t fast enough to protect their face to inhale a large amount of smoke and dust, coughing.

“What is this for? What happened?”

“They were in such a hurry, could it be that there is urgent news from the imperial court?”

After coughing, the pedestrians on the roadside couldn’t help but gossip. These people are all residents living near Tongcheng, they would walk this road everyday to enter the city and find some odd jobs to earn some money to support their family. They would leave the city in the afternoon and go home. These people have been living here for generations, and possibly because the border areas don’t have as much rules and customs as the people in the central plains¹Central plain or 中原 refers to a plain in the middle and lower regions of the Yellow river, and it was the cradle of Chinese civilization. , the people here have more honest and straightforward characters, all were speaking out their mind freely.

“Should be wrong, I²The I here is a dialect saw the rider on the horse was still hugging something. Could he be part of the hunting group that set off this morning?”

“Hey~, Old Zhang, which hunter would hold the prey they hit in their embrace? From what I see, the wrapped thing looks like a person’s figure, but it was too tightly wrapped, I couldn’t clearly see if it was…..”

…………..

Chu Baning ignored the passer-bys’ words. The trip that would usually take an hour was shortened to approximately 30 minutes.

The black horse seemed to feel the master’s anxiety, galloping vigorously on the road until they reached the front gate of Tongcheng, neighing. It stopped running crazily and slowed down when the reins were pulled.

“Stop. Riding horses in the city is prohibited……”

A soldier guarding the gate was about to block him when the captain behind him pushed him aside.The captain of the gatekeepers nodded and bowed to the person on the horseback, and asked with a smile, “It turns out to be Wang ye. Didn’t you go outside to hunt with Military Counsellor Wen today? Why had you come back?”

Chu Baning was actually somewhat displeased when he was stopped. Hearing the captain of the city guards’ words, he only nodded dully and said “Ben wang has some urgent matter,” and after that, he pulled the reins and commanded his horse to directly enter the city. The captain was also clever, knowing that there must be something urgent that could cause the always-strict-and-disciplined Wang ye to break the law like this. Without further ado, he quickly let people to disperse the common people on the road to the side.

“Captain Wang, even if he is a Wang ye, he still shouldn’t ride his horse into the city like this, what if he injures the commoners?” The other guarding soldier just now said discontentedly after Chu Baning has gone far.

Captain Wang, hating iron for not becoming steel, hit that brainless reckless man’s head, saying, “What kind of person do you think Wang ye is that made you say such nonsense! Have you not seen it clearly after those past few days? He must be dealing with something urgent, if you were to delay Wang ye’s affairs, Military Counsellor Wen will definitely skin you!”

That soldier was frightened by Captain Wang’s words, and tremblingly said, “What-, What does this have to do with Military Counselor Wen? Th-, The one I stopped was Wang ye, not him…..”

“You really don’t believe me when I say you are brainless and reckless! Who in the army doesn’t know about the things between Wang ye and Military Councelor Wen? Do you really not understand their relationship? If you were to offend Wang ye, naturally you also offend our (devilishly) genius³鬼才军师 or genius military counsellor, but the 鬼才 can mean genius or demonic military counsellor. Military Counsellor’s means are endless, which is why no one dares to provoke him. If a little kid like you continued to be so foolish, do be careful that the Military Councellor would make your wish death rather than living!”

That soldier was at first blanked out for a moment, then he turned deathly pale and shrieked from who-knows-what thoughts were on his mind, “Aaaaahhhhhh!! Captain, could it be that the rumors are true, Military Counsellor Wen and Wang ye have an affair?”

Who knows if it was because the soldier had screamed so mournfully, but in a split second, the city gate turned silent. Only the late autumn’s wind brushed the yellow leaves on the branch, slowly caressing the people’s sluggish faces.

Chu Baning had not the slightest idea that his ambiguous affair with Wen Liang had already spread even to the borders. His horse-riding skills were exceptional, no commoners on the roadside were harmed as he rode past. He kept riding until he reached a clinic⁴药堂 (literally medicine hall) actually refers to something more like pharmacy or drugstore, usually selling herbs, but they also have doctors., then jumped down his horse and walked into the clinic in large strides as he hugged the person in his arms.

“Dear guest, may I ask if there is anything I can help with?” The clinic’s little pharmacist⁵Actually 药童 (literally medicine children) is a term in ancient china referring to the people who is engaged in the making of Chinese traditional medicine, usually they are pretty young hence the “children” (because they are kinda the “apprentice” to the doctor) quickly walked over.

“Is Dr. Gu here?” Chu Baning’s eyes swept over the clinic, not seeing the doctor who was supposed to man the clinic, and frowned slightly.

“In-, inside,” the pharmacist trembled as he replied, intimidated by the guest’s powerful aura.

Chu Baning glanced at him. The pharmacist, being glanced at by those profound abyssal eyes, quivered and suddenly became energetic, loudly saying, “I will go fetch Dr. Gu right away,” then ran inside.

The little pharmacist ran away. Another pharmacist then saw that the guest coming just now wasn’t someone ordinary, seeing his elegant bearing, he knew that this person must be a noble. He then quickly led the guest to a side room inside, and let him place the patient on the bed. Then, he quickly went outside to prepare for the things that might be needed for the visitation.

Chu Baning was actually somewhat dissatisfied with the clinic’s simple furnishings, especially the cold and hard beddings on the bed. Although they look very new, but this mysophobic Wang ye truly disdains them. But seeing the flushed and slightly frowning young lady in his arms, knowing that she felt uncomfortable, Chu Baning could only purse his lips as he put her on the bed. Then he sat beside the bed, took a handkerchief, and tried to wipe the sweat on her forehead. 

Chu Baning looked at the still unconscious Ah Nan, his eyes becoming deeper, howling wind and torrential rain brewing inside. If someone familiar with him were to see it, they would definitely be too frightened to dare to appear before him from now on. 

Chu Baning caressed Ah Nan’s now thin cheeks, finding that they weren’t as pinchable as before. It was probably because she had lost a lot of chubs, the soft and velvety meat is no longer there, naturally the feel wasn’t as good as before. 

Dr. Gu quickly came over after being called by the little pharmacist, and was startled when he saw Chu Baning himself. Although he wasn’t a military doctor, he was also frequently invited to the barracks to treat and bandage those injured soldiers, thus he had seen Chu Baning and knew of his identity. 

Just as Dr. Gu was about to bow, Chu Baning impatiently waved his hand to stop him and asked him to treat the person in the bed first.

Dr. Gu didn’t dare to slight him and quickly came over to feel the woman’s pulse.

Dr. Gu was also secretly harbouring some curiosity on the woman’s identity. After all, she could somehow make Su Wang so concerned for her that he personally brought her over for treatment. He had heard of Su Wang getting married, but had never even had a slight thought that the woman on the bed was the Su Wang fei herself——People in the borders all believed that the married noble women in the capital are all growing up all pampered and spoiled all their life. There wouldn’t be a second woman as bold as Chu Niangzi who would abandon the flourishing and prosperous Capital city and come running to this desolate and bitterly cold place to suffer hardship.

Could she be Su Wang’s concubine?

Thinking this, Dr. Gu’s expression became more respectful, not even daring to glance sideways. After taking her pulse and examining it again, he said to Su Wang, “Wang ye, this young lady was too fatigued and also happened to get infected with the cold, which resulted in unrelenting high fever. However, there is no life-threatening danger. This commoner will prescribe antipyretic medicine for her. However, there is no life-threatening danger. She will be fine after taking the medicine and her fever went down.” After Dr. Gu said such, he glanced at the wound on the lady’s forehead, and continued, “Wang ye, the wound on this young lady’s forehead have stopped bleeding, there should be no major problem. This commoner will call for this commoner’s daughter to bandage the lady’s wound, it would be fine after applying some medicine. However….”  

“What?” Chu Baning’s gaze was fixed solely on Dr. Gu, almost making his feet go soft. 

Dr. Gu tried to collect his composure, not even daring to bow to this Wang ye with such an intimidating aura. Thinking that just a glance of him isn’t something that an ordinary person could bear, really too sharp and penetrating. Dr. Gu quickly lowered his head and said, “The wound on this lady’s forehead may leave a scar.”

It can even be considered to be disfigurement.

Dr. Gu thought, women, even if the scar left on their face is extremely faint, no matter what was said, it’s something very tragic. They are already considered disfigured. Not only would people look down on her, the husband’s family may also disdain her.  Though, it is quite fortunate that it was only on the forehead, it could be covered with bangs and wasn’t so obvious. However, Dr. Gu is quite worried that if this lady is Wang ye’s concubine, it’s likely that Wang ye would dislike her. 

Chu Baning frowned lightly, looking at the young lady lying on bed. But a few seconds later, Chu Baning asked Dr. Gu to prescribe some medicine and also for his daughter to come to treat Ah Nan’s wound. 

Dr. Gu respectfully responded, then let someone call his daughter over while he went to prescribe the medicine and ask the pharmacist to decoct it.