Farmer girl swaps husbands: buys a sickly villain and pampers him

Chapter 253 Changes
The news that Miss Wang's future son-in-law, the newly appointed third-ranked scholar, had been married in the countryside spread like wildfire.

As soon as the news came out, the Wang family immediately summoned Xiao Yanci for questioning.

Xiao Yanci realized that this kind of thing couldn't be hidden so easily. Aside from Zhou Wangshu being an eyesore, many of his fellow graduates were still in the capital waiting to be appointed, and those people knew his background very well. Therefore, under these circumstances, rather than trying to erase those traces, it was better to maintain control of the situation.

The rain poured down. Wang Ruyan stood at the window, looking at the man kneeling in the rain, a look of deep emotion flashing in her eyes.

"Miss, Young Master Xiao has been kneeling for two hours," the maid said from the side. "If this continues, he definitely won't be able to hold on."

Wang Ruyan looked at Xiao Yanci across from her with a complicated expression and said softly, "Father is very angry and is already looking for new husbands for me."

"However, Young Master Xiao's sincerity towards Miss is something no other young master can give. I've inquired and found that Young Master Xiao's relationship with his first wife is somewhat complicated."

"How so?" Wang Ruyan asked.

"Young Master Xiao married his first wife out of gratitude. She was a village girl, completely unworthy of him. Young Master Xiao was busy with his studies and couldn't spend time with her, so she cheated on him, having affairs, which he caught her doing. He immediately wrote a letter of divorce. I think Young Master Xiao's biggest problem was his bad luck in meeting such a promiscuous woman. His first wife clearly found a treasure, but she didn't cherish it, and ended up like that."

"You've been speaking up for him all day, did you receive some benefit from him?" Wang Ruyan turned to look at her personal maid.

The maid said aggrievedly, "My dear young lady, I grew up with you and am the closest person to you. Haven't I received enough rewards from you every day? He's just a poor scholar with little money at home. How could his meager earnings buy my loyalty to you? I only spoke up because I saw that he was sincere to you."

“Alright, go and arrange for him to stop kneeling. Instead of kneeling here, he should think of a way to win over my father. Also, prepare clean clothes and hot water for him so he can rest first. We can talk about it after he’s rested. I’ll do whatever my father says. If he can change my father’s mind, I’ll marry him,” Wang Ruyan said, her cheeks flushed.

The maidservant, holding an umbrella, stepped into the rain.

She stopped in front of Xiao Yanci, knelt down, and said to him, "Young Master Xiao, our young lady said that kneeling here is useless. Instead of thinking about how to kneel here and beg for her forgiveness, you should think of a way to change the Prime Minister's mind. But for now, you should take a hot bath, change your clothes, and rest well. We'll talk about it after you've rested."

Peach Blossom Pavilion. Zhou Wangshu hugged Su Yaoguang from behind, but she pushed him away, looking disgusted: "Aren't you going to take office yet?"

"I have to go on duty in three days," Zhou Wangshu said. "You should spend these three days with me, and then you can slowly do your business when I go on duty, okay?"

Su Yaoguang looked at the sky outside and said, "This rain is coming down suddenly. There must be many guests in the front yard who didn't bring umbrellas. I'll go and arrange for them."

Zhou Wangshu lay on the soft chair, sighing and complaining, looking like a resentful husband.

Zhou Wangshu is now the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examinations and a newly appointed official in the Ministry of Personnel. He used to follow Su Yaoguang around like a shadow, helping her with her business. Now that everyone knows his true identity, no one dares to accept his service. Therefore, in this situation, he can only wait for Su Yaoguang to return in her study. If he were to go to the front yard, the atmosphere there would immediately become awkward.

As for why Miss Su Yaoguang and General Zhang Zhaodi can still interact with them normally as before, it's because the two of them have always been down-to-earth and treat guests like friends. Now that their status has changed, the guests were not used to it at first, but they quickly became more and more attentive and eager to maintain good relations.

Zhou Wangshu was almost asleep on the soft couch when someone suddenly covered him with a blanket.

He opened his eyes and saw Su Yaoguang leave from the side.

Zhou Wangshu hugged her waist and snuggled into her arms: "Will you stay with me? It's raining so hard, and there are no other customers. They can manage."

"Okay, I'll go with you." Su Yaoguang noticed that Zhou Wangshu's mood was a bit off today. "Is something on your mind? Are you in a bad mood?"

"No."

Why would he be in a bad mood?

The scheme he set up has begun to work; he should be happy about that.

The Akhal-Teke horse he had previously given away was reportedly snatched away today by the willful and capricious heir of the Duke of Zhenguo.

The heir of the Duke of Zhenguo was the only son in his family, pampered and a notorious spoiled brat in the capital. His older sister was the current Empress. Therefore, while there were many纨绔 (wan ku, spoiled brats) in the capital, compared to him, they were like little brothers.

The heir of the Duke of Zhenguo snatched the Akhal-Teke horse from Xia Zhen's hands, but the horse actually kicked the heir, breaking his leg on the spot. Upon hearing this, Xia Zhen, the fearless and arrogant young master, was terrified. At this moment, the two families were probably engaged in a fierce battle.

The Duke of Zhenguo's heir is the only son, and Xia Zhen is also the only son of that ungrateful man. Now, neither side will give way.

The heir of the Duke of Zhenguo has injured his leg. It would be best if he could be healed. If he cannot be healed, the Marquis of Cheng'an's mansion will have to send more people to protect this heir, otherwise he will be the next one to lose an arm or a leg.

Su Yaoguang keenly noticed the change in Zhou Wangshu's emotions.

"It's raining today, so it's not easy to do anything else. We'll just drink tea in the tea room and grill some food."

Zhou Wangshu just needed someone to be with him. It didn't have to be anything specific; even if they did nothing, just being there for him would be enough.

Su Yaoguang was turning over the roasted fruit on the stove when suddenly something heavy pressed down on her arm. She turned around and saw Zhou Wangshu asleep next to her.

Jia Chunni walked in from outside, waving an umbrella. She saw that Zhou Wangshu was asleep and said in a low voice, "Someone has asked Jiang Jing to make a house call."

"Doesn't Jing'er often make house calls?"

“This time it’s different,” Jia Chunni said. “This time, it was the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion that invited Jiang Jing to make a house call. After Jiang Jing left, I vaguely heard people talking about how the Duke of Zhenguo’s heir’s leg was broken by a horse. Sister Yaoguang, if it’s true, will Jing’er be in danger? I heard that those wealthy people’s nobles often behead others. If she doesn’t heal the other person’s leg, won’t Jiang Jing be in danger?”

"Have someone keep an eye on the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion," Su Yaoguang said. "If we see Jing'er come out later, we have nothing to worry about. If Jing'er doesn't come out, we'll have to go and look for her. I left Jing'er the General's Mansion's token. Putting everything else aside, with that token, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion shouldn't dare to do anything to her."

“My cousin is right. Nothing has happened yet, so we can’t jump to conclusions and panic. I’ll send someone out to find out what’s going on. If nothing’s wrong, great! If something is wrong, I’ll come find you right away and then ask my uncle to go to the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion to demand our people back.” “Okay.”

Zhang Zhaodi has been inseparable from her husband lately, even when Su Rende goes to the military camp to train soldiers, Zhang Zhaodi follows him.

All of Su Rende's friends and brothers had met Zhang Zhaodi, and they knew her fiery personality, so they dared not neglect her.

Su Yaoguang never knew that parents could be so affectionate, as if they were making up for the intimacy and love of the previous ten years.

"Yaoguang, it's alright, Jing'er is back." Jia Chunni rushed to the backyard and told Su Yaoguang the good news.

Su Yaoguang, who was mixing skincare cream nearby, asked Jia Chunni, "Where is Jing'er? Has she eaten?"

"As soon as she got back, she went straight to her pharmacy. I wanted to ask her a few questions about the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo, but seeing her like this, I couldn't."

"Have the kitchen prepare some food for me, and I'll take it to Jing'er," Su Yaoguang said.

"to make."

The waiter brought the food to Su Yaoguang. Su Yaoguang carried the basket and headed to Jiang Jing's pharmacy.

She pushed open the door and entered, only to see Jiang Jing pressing down on the legs of a rabbit in a cage. The rabbit was startled and made strange noises.

"Jing'er, eat something first," Su Yaoguang called to her.

Upon hearing Su Yaoguang's voice, Jiang Jing put down what she was holding and strode over, saying, "Sister Yaoguang, what brings you here?"

"I heard you were summoned by the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion for a medical consultation. Were you mistreated?"

Jiang Jing pulled out the General's Mansion token from her bosom: "I deliberately hung it on my waist so they could see it, and they wouldn't dare to make things difficult for me. The other doctors didn't take good care of that young master's leg, and they all took the reward money, but each of them was also beaten with twenty strokes of the cane."

"It seems that the young master's leg is difficult to treat."

“It’s not that it’s hard to treat, it’s extremely hard to treat. The other doctors have already prepared for the worst. Some of them are really not skilled enough, while others are too afraid to take the risk. I’m different. I have a prescription in my mind that can be useful for his condition, but it will take time to prepare the medicine. I’ll have someone buy all the medicine in a bit. Once I’ve made that kind of intermittent plaster, that young master will have a better chance of getting back on his feet.”

During dinner, Jiang Jing talked about what happened at the Duke of Zhenguo's residence that day, and then offered to do her best to save the heir, in which case the Duke of Zhenguo's residence would owe them a favor.

Upon hearing that Jiang Jing intended to punish the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo, Zhou Wangshu calmly said, "Don't punish him."

Jiang Jing asked, puzzled, "Why, brother-in-law?"

“This heir of the Duke of Zhenguo is no good person,” Zhou Wangshu said calmly. “He is the most dissolute of all the nobles. If such a person can no longer get out of bed, it will be a good thing for the others.”

“I am a doctor. I clearly have a way to treat this patient, but I ignore him because of his bad reputation. I'm afraid I won't be able to gain the respect of the people. I've decided to save him anyway. If he is truly a bad person, God will take his life, but I, as the doctor, will not. The most important point is that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has recruited many doctors. I've seen more than a dozen, and there are many more I haven't seen. If the young master of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion's leg cannot be cured, these ordinary doctors may not be able to save their lives.”

"In that case, Jing'er really has to be treated. Those nobles are despicable, but the common people are innocent. Those doctors are all from the common people. The Duke of Zhenguo can ruin their families with a flick of his finger, so she can only do her best to save her."

Jiang Jing nodded: "There's another reason, which is that I want to test the medicine. I have the prescription in my mind, but just because I have it in my mind doesn't mean I've tried it myself. Now that there is a living example in front of me, of course I have to use this case to study the effect of the prescription, so that I can adjust the prescription in time when I encounter other patients in the future."

Zhou Wangshu said nothing more.

The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is despicable, and so is that heir, but as they say, the ordinary people are innocent.

Besides, it wouldn't be bad to cure that Duke Zhenguo's son. Only when he's cured can Xia Zhen suffer a fate worse than death.

Xia Zhen is usually arrogant, and now they've arranged for someone even more arrogant to play with him. I wonder if he's scared to tears right now.

“There was another good show in the city just now.” Zhang Yingdi returned from outside, shaking the water off her umbrella, and said, “The Marquis of Cheng’an took his good son to the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion to apologize, saying that the reason why the Duke of Zhenguo’s heir broke his leg was because he stole the Cheng’an Marquis’s heir’s Akhal-Teke horse. Logically speaking, if the Duke of Zhenguo’s heir personally went to steal someone else’s horse and was now bitten by the horse, that would be his problem. But now it is the Duke of Zhenguo’s heir who is injured, so the Cheng’an mansion has become the one who is carefully apologizing.”

"It was raining outside, so Marquis Cheng'an took his son to apologize. Duke Zhenguo refused to forgive him, so Marquis Cheng'an picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the leg of his son. The scene was so shocking that even Duke Zhenguo was startled. In the end, he had to separate the father and son, help Marquis Cheng'an up, and said that they would talk about it after his son woke up."

“What I’m more concerned about is that Akhal-Teke horse,” Jia Chunni asked from the side. “The storyteller said that Akhal-Teke horses are very precious. The whole thing is because of this horse, so does that mean that the Marquis’s Mansion and the Duke’s Mansion will take their anger out on this horse? But this horse was forcibly taken away for no reason, so it is the most innocent one.”

“Don’t worry,” Zhang Yingdi said. “According to the guests who came today, that Akhal-Teke horse is very clever. It kicked and injured the Duke’s son and then broke free of its reins and ran away. After that, it disappeared without a trace. In short, the Marquis’s Mansion and the Duke’s Mansion are indeed looking for that horse, but so far no one has found it.”

"That's good."

Su Yaoguang remembered the Akhal-Teke horse that Zhou Wangshu had once mentioned.

This is too much of a coincidence.

“Wangshu, this horse…” Su Yaoguang looked at Zhou Wangshu beside her.

Zhou Wangshu didn't hide it from her and admitted, "It was the one I sent out."

“Then…” Su Yaoguang said, “Won’t the people from the Marquis of Cheng’an’s mansion cause you trouble? Given that tyrannical person’s behavior, that’s something he would do.”