General, your wife has gone to deliver another calf for your horse.

This was a piece of black jade pendant, held in the old man's hand. It was stained with a little blood, but the bloodstains were barely visible due to the color of the jade. The pendant was carved in the shape of a maple leaf, but the veins of the leaf were clearly visible. At the top of the leaf was a small totem that resembled veins or a flame, but it didn't look particularly special.

However, the old steward was extremely familiar with this jade pendant, so much so that he stared at Jiang Nuanzhi's face in shock.

Who is this person?

Why does the master value her so much? He even brought out a jade pendant that has been passed down through the imperial advisor's lineage for several years.
Jiang Nuanzhi followed his gaze and glanced at the jade pendant the old man had given her. She spoke first, "The old man said that this jade pendant can be used to command you. Now move aside, I need to go back to see the old man."

The old steward clenched his fist, glanced at his master and the jade pendant he was still holding, and frowned as he looked at the black-clad guard beside him.

The guard nodded. He had been following Jiang Nuanzhi ever since she left with the old man, and had heard everything the old man said. Now, he leaned over and whispered a few words in the old butler's ear.

The old butler stared at Jiang Nuanzhi's face again, as if assessing how trustworthy she was.

Jiang Nuanzhi said impatiently, "Get out of the way!"

Then, he suddenly grabbed the person and squeezed in sideways.

The old butler naturally noticed the anxiety in Jiang Nuanzhi's eyes, but he didn't make things difficult for her. Instead, he followed her into the house.

When Jiang Nuanzhi carried the old man into the courtyard, everyone in the family was startled by the sight.

"Mother, has Master fallen ill again?"

Xiao Er rubbed his eyes. He was wearing only a thin shirt, clearly having been led out by Lin Chun to the restroom and preparing to return. He immediately jogged over.

Seeing Jiang Nuanzhi nod, he immediately took off running: "Then I'll go prepare the medicinal herbs!"

"it is good."

Knowing the gravity of the situation, Lü Shizhu slapped his tired face and scurried off to make the bed. Fearing there wouldn't be enough needles for Jiang Nuanzhi, he even brought spare needles.

Lin Chun took out paper and pen and prepared hot water.

Chen Shufa yawned as he went to start a fire.

Having been with Jiang Nuanzhi for some time, everyone is now busy and working together seamlessly.

The old butler, who had come in with them, was taken aback by the sight of everyone in the room.

Then, glancing at the tempting aroma of the food on the table, he strangely understood why the host was with these people.

He followed Jiang Nuanzhi into the room, his eyes fixed on her.

Looking at the young woman before him, her skillful needlework and adept series of rescue techniques, the old butler's eyes were deep, and he seemed lost in thought.

Jiang Nuanzhi didn't let him sit idle either, since there was no harm in using him, so she simply ordered him to drain the poisonous blood from the old man.

An hour had passed by the time Jiang Nuanzhi stabilized the old man's condition.

After using needles one after another, she was almost completely exhausted when she finally stopped using the last needle and sat down on the ground, panting heavily.

Thank goodness, nothing serious happened.

She sealed the poison again, but this time the old man's body was significantly damaged. The poison was about to take effect, and if she didn't hurry and obtain the so-called Xiao Yuanshan's blood, his life would be in grave danger.

If you think about it carefully, it's only been a little over a month and a few days since I was poisoned. The old man said I could last for two more months at most, which is probably the best-case scenario.

"Mother, the medicine is ready."

The waiter brought over a bowl of medicine. Several people told him to go to sleep, but he refused. Instead, he sat down by the bed and fed the old man his medicine.

After feeding her the last bite, his eyes reddened a bit. Looking at the pale-faced old man with bluish-purple lips, his eyes were also reddening. He rubbed his eyes to hide it, then sat down in front of Jiang Nuanzhi and started massaging her wrists.

"Mother, when will Master's poison be cured?"

Xiao Er's voice was soft, as if tinged with trepidation. Jiang Nuanzhi looked down at Xiao Er, rubbed his little head, and finally said, "Xiao Er, don't worry, trust your mother, your mother will find a way soon."

The waiter pursed his lips and nodded, his small fists clenched tightly around his sleeves, his fingertips turning white, his eyes misty, and he said nothing more.

The old steward, who was standing guard in front of the old man, listened to what was said, then shifted his gaze from Jiang Nuanzhi to the waiter, scrutinizing the child from head to toe.

If he heard correctly, the child kept calling the master "Master".
Over the years, countless people have wanted to become disciples of the master.

Even Xiao Yuanshan, who had spent countless efforts seeking a master back then, failed to succeed.

This is the first person to so openly address his master as "Master".

"Mother, go and rest, have something to eat. Your son will stay here and watch over you." The waiter seemed to notice the fatigue between Jiang Nuanzhi's brows and tugged at her sleeve, saying, "Father is heating up food for Mother."

Jiang Nuanzhi didn't refuse and nodded.

She glanced at the old steward and his companion, then patted Xiao Er's head: "Xiao Er, I assure you, your master is fine for the time being. However, he might not wake up for the next couple of days. This old man is your master's confidant. If you get tired later, take a nap, and tomorrow you and this old man can take turns caring for your master. Okay?"

Xiao Er nodded: "Yes. Don't worry, Mother, I'll go to sleep when I'm sleepy."

Jiang Nuanzhi then went out the door.

"Anuan, have some water."

As soon as they stepped outside, Li Rong handed them a bowl of warm water.

Chi Heng, who was anxiously waiting beside her, suddenly stood up and asked, "Sister-in-law, is the Imperial Preceptor alright?"

Jiang Nuanzhi shook her head: "Don't worry, it's alright."

Chi Heng breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that you're alright. He was the one who hit me, so how come he's the one with the illness? Sister-in-law, I'm actually quite wronged. Please don't be angry with me. I apologize to you."

As she spoke, she brought over some tea, glancing cautiously at Jiang Nuanzhi.

Clearly, Li Rong had explained the pros and cons to him very clearly.

Seeing Chi Heng's apologetic smile, Jiang Nuanzhi couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Don't do it again."

Then, she finally accepted the tea from his hand.

After all, he wasn't her friend, and his status was unusual; moreover, he had likely already been punished. Jiang Nuanzhi really couldn't say too much. If it were Lü Shizhu, Jiang Nuanzhi would definitely have given him a good beating.

However, before the tea could be served, Li Rong took it from him the next second: "Drinking tea is bad for your stomach, eat something first."

Li Rong pulled Jiang Nuanzhi to sit at the table. He glanced at Chi Heng and said, "You almost caused a huge disaster today. I'll settle the score with you later."

Then she placed the steamed egg custard in front of Jiang Nuanzhi: "Nuanzhi, try it, how does it taste this time?"

In the flickering candlelight, Jiang Nuanzhi looked at the food in front of her, which had gone cold but had been reheated. There was not only steamed egg custard, but also thick rice porridge simmering on the side. Li Rong always made her feel at ease; it seemed that no matter what she did, he would always know her whereabouts and thoughts, and would always be there to protect her.

Jiang Nuanzhi smiled and took the spoon from Li Rong, then raised an eyebrow in surprise: "It tastes just right, Rong, your cooking has improved a lot."

Li Rong smiled slightly: "Then eat more."

Jiang Nuanzhi was really hungry. She ate more than half a bowl of food before finally letting out a sigh of relief. She looked up at Li Rong and vaguely noticed that he didn't look well either.
Her delicate eyebrows furrowed tightly: "The old man's condition has worsened again. How are you, Arong? Do you feel unwell? Let me take your pulse."

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Li Rong's hand.

Li Rong then draped a cloak over Jiang Nuanzhi and picked up a chicken strip to feed her: "It's alright, I know my own body. Nuanzhi, eat quickly."

Jiang Nuanzhi noticed Li Rong's evasive movements. Her brow twitched.

Give me your hand. (End of Chapter)