News from the imperial city quickly reached the Ji family.
When the old madam heard the news, the guilt she had suppressed yesterday resurfaced.
Sister Zhao had always enjoyed fiddling with flowers and plants since she was young. At first, she thought it was a waste of time, but she never expected that she had misjudged Sister Zhao.
In the old madam's opinion, Ji Zizhao had gone out yesterday purely to gain a good reputation.
And with Ji Zizhao's reputation enhanced, she naturally brought honor to the Ji family.
Seeing the old madam's expression soften, Madam Xu whispered tentatively, "Old madam, yesterday I saw that girl Xinlan. She was still breathing. Why don't we quickly send word to the eldest young lady? Perhaps the eldest young lady can really save her."
As long as the person was still alive, it was always better than being dead.
However, the old madam shook her head, "You are right. I cannot hurt Sister Zhao's feelings."
Therefore, this matter must be kept a secret.
In the West Courtyard, Gu Peilan slept until noon before getting up.
Now that the old madam was backing her son, she felt at ease.
Remembering the old madam's instructions from yesterday, Gu Peilan, after washing up, took her people to the main kitchen.
As soon as she entered the courtyard of the main kitchen, she saw the servants busily working and cheerful.
Gu Peilan walked a few more steps forward and happened to see a kitchen boy pushing a wooden cart into the kitchen. The cart was piled high with fresh vegetables, fruits, and raw meat.
The madam from the main kitchen saw Gu Peilan and hurried over to greet her, "Greetings to the new madam."
Gu Peilan pointed blankly at the fresh ingredients and fruits, "What… what is going on? Wasn't it said yesterday that Sister Zhao took away the procurement plaque for the main kitchen?"
The madam from the main kitchen smiled and said, "New madam, you probably don't know yet. Yesterday, the eldest young lady went out to see General Xue. I heard she was invited by the Fourth Prince. Unexpectedly, the eldest young lady's skills were miraculous. Not only did she cure General Xue's illness, but she also caused the imperial city to lift its lockdown. These are all gifts of gratitude sent from the Fourth Prince's manor. This old servant also heard that the eldest young lady has already taken Zhang Yuanpan from the Imperial Academy as her master. Truly, truly…"
Gu Peilan, "…"
The amount of information was too much and too sudden. She felt so dizzy.
Before Gu Peilan could even digest it, she saw several more servants pushing a wooden cart filled with food.
"This was sent by Old Madam Xue. There are still several carts outside."
"Oh, this is truly wonderful. Although the city has lifted its lockdown, every household will probably rush out to buy supplies. Now we don't have to go out and suffer."
The people in the main kitchen were all smiling joyfully.
Gu Peilan felt increasingly dizzy.
The accompanying madam by Gu Peilan's side asked in a low voice, "New madam, are we still going to question the eldest young lady about taking the plaque yesterday?"
Gu Peilan was so angry that she couldn't speak. With a dark expression, she walked out of the main kitchen's courtyard.
The imperial city had already lifted its lockdown. If she caused trouble now, wouldn't she be acting out of spite? She would be looking for trouble for no reason. She suspected that even the old madam, who always valued vanity, would not support her.
Although this matter brought honor to the Ji family, the thought of Ji Zizhao bringing glory to their ancestors made Gu Peilan so angry that she didn't want to eat for three days.
Ji Zizhao, on the other hand, was unaware of this interlude.
She woke up in the afternoon. Shui Ling, who had been waiting by her side, immediately served the still warm dishes onto the table.
While her young lady was eating, she recounted the rumors circulating in the city, "This morning, the Fourth Prince and the Xue family both sent a lot of fresh ingredients and fruits. The main kitchen, thinking of the young lady, sent more than half to our courtyard's small kitchen."
Ji Zizhao did not feel particularly honored by this news.
It was merely a matter of duty.
If saving lives could be used to show off, how could she be considered a physician?
Of course, Ji Zizhao also knew that the entire city was aware of this matter, and it was merely the Fourth Prince building her reputation.
Only by gaining fame could she have a stronger footing when assessed by the Imperial Academy.
Although Ji Zizhao knew that the Fourth Prince was a man of his word, considering the current situation, she couldn't help but feel a complex mix of emotions.
The word "emotions" flashed through her mind.
Ji Zizhao's hand gripping the chopsticks tightened.
She remembered that when Tang Di came to deliver the message yesterday, he mentioned that the person who had negotiated with the Xue family's servant had a sour and foul odor about him.
Ji Zizhao suddenly recalled that the incense smoked by Master Tong yesterday was Hengwu Incense.
This incense contained a precious medicinal ingredient, the Red Blood Spiritual Fruit, which was why smoking this incense in winter could dispel cold.
However, the Red Blood Spiritual Fruit could counteract cold but feared heat. Therefore, after smoking Hengwu Incense in the summer, one's body would emit a sour and foul odor.
Nobles who smoked Hengwu Incense would not sweat in winter, but their attendants certainly would.
She suspected that the person who relayed the message to the Xue family's servant had gotten the Hengwu Incense from his master on his body. Because he sweated, he emitted the sour and foul odor.
In this case, the person who had kicked them while they were down yesterday must have been Master Tong.
Having figured this out, Ji Zizhao instructed Shui Ling to thank the Xue family for their gifts and then personally wrote a letter, sending Qing Zhu to the Fourth Prince's manor.
Xie Jinglan was troubled when he received Ji Zizhao's letter.
Normally, it was easy to send people to investigate things. However, now that Xiao Qi's reputation was growing in Luoyi County, countless people in the imperial city were watching him.
Xie Jinglan feared that as soon as he made a move, the real culprits would retaliate and accuse him of plotting against Xue Yongnian, thereby trying to eliminate Xiao Qi.
At this critical juncture, it was important to win over the people and establish prestige in court for Xiao Qi.
Xie Jinglan dared not act rashly.
Unexpectedly, Ji Zizhao's letter was like a bolt from the blue.
Because of Xue Yongnian's incident, not only Xiao Qi was confined to Luoyi County, but also the Fifth Prince. If Xue Yongnian was indeed framed as having an epidemic, would Xiao Qi come to any harm?
Naturally not.
Therefore, that very evening, Xie Jinglan instructed Tang Di to find a reliable person to quickly travel to Luoyi County. Before everyone else could make a move, he subtly revealed to the Fifth Prince that General Xue had been framed and fell ill, thus using the Fifth Prince's hand to investigate the truth.
Xie Jinglan understood his fifth brother, who had always hidden his true intentions.
Despite his outwardly timid and cowardly demeanor, this fellow was actually extremely cruel. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the second prince step forward to take the blame back then.
The Fifth Prince had been patiently enduring and suppressing himself beside Xiao Qi during this period. It was estimated that the little spark within him was about to ignite uncontrollably.
Now, here was an opportunity for him to vent his anger and volatility to his heart's content.
This would also hasten their return to the city, truly achieving two goals with one action.