Shuse Jinjia

Upon seeing the three of them, Xue Wenxi greeted them with a smile.

"Sister Li, Sister Dong, you've come to visit my sister! She can't get out of bed, so she sent me to pick you up. Please come in."

Madam Xue smiled and said, "I was thinking that Jintong was unwell and didn't want to see guests, so I left it to her. It's kind of you all to be so thoughtful. Please come in and keep her company for a while..."

Xie Zhaotang already knew that Madam Xue was originally Xue's concubine who had been promoted to the position of official wife. She was not yet forty, but she still had a charming appearance. Her eyebrows were finely shaped and drawn with appropriate thickness.

Li Qin was eager to see Xue Jintong. As soon as she saw that Madam Xue allowed them to enter the mansion, she hurriedly pulled Xie Zhaotang inside.

Xue Wenxi caught up quickly and led them toward Xue Jintong's courtyard.

Everything went smoothly, and Madam Xue did not complain about Xue Jintong living in a secluded courtyard.

It wasn't until I entered Xue Jintong's bedroom that I realized the furnishings were befitting her status as a young lady from a wealthy family.

"Sister, Sister Li and the others have come to see you!"

Xue Wenxi walked to the bedside and called softly.

Xue Jintong lay in the tent, without uttering a sound.

Li Qin lifted the curtain and saw Xue Jintong fast asleep.

Xie Zhaotang followed with concern without showing any emotion. After not seeing him for several days, Xue Jintong looked even more haggard, her hair disheveled, and she lay unconscious.

"Sister Jintong, why are you so sick?"

In her haste, Li Qin took Xue Jintong's hand to check her pulse. However, Li Qin and Li Taiyi only had a superficial understanding of medicine, and apart from feeling that Xue Jintong's pulse was very weak, they did not find anything abnormal.

Xie Zhaotang sat down on the bed and took Xue Jintong's wrist from Li Qin's hand.

She used her body as a cover to take Xue Jintong's pulse while observing her fingernails.

Xue Jintong's fingernails had many more white horizontal bands than the last time she saw them, and there were also some black lines at the ends of her nails. There was a lot of hair missing on her pillow.

Xie Zhaotang frowned. Xue Jintong's "condition" was deteriorating too quickly. If this continued, she would not last more than half a month.

Suddenly, she felt Xue Jintong's hand grip hers tightly.

Then a crumpled letter was stuffed into Xie Zhaotang's hand.

Xie Zhaotang quickly tucked the cloth into his sleeve, then looked down and saw that Xue Jintong's eyes were closed and she was still unconscious.

Xie Zhaotang then said to Xue Wenxi.

"Second Miss, if the doctor we've hired isn't suitable, we should find another doctor for Sister Jintong. If you need my help, I can also assist in requesting Head Physician Luo!"

Xue Wenxi said gratefully, "Fourth Miss, my mother has already seen several doctors for my sister, and they all say that my sister is weak and can only recover slowly with rest. If she doesn't improve, we'll ask you for help again!"

Li Qin had already seen the letter Xue Jintong had given to Xie Zhaotang, but she didn't know what it said. She couldn't scold him and ruin Xue Jintong's plans.

She also pretended to be worried and said a few words about how to take care of Xue Jintong before the three of them said goodbye and left.

As soon as they stepped outside, Li Qin said, "Let's talk at my place..."

The Li family and the Xue family are only one street apart.

Xie Zhaotang told Aunt Xia to go back first, and he and Dong Jie followed Li Qin to the Li family. As soon as they entered, Li Qin said anxiously.

"Quick, take it out and see what Sister Jintong wrote, Tangtang. I have a feeling Sister Jintong is about to die..."

Xie Zhaotang didn't delay and quickly took the letter out of his sleeve.

"Seeing this letter means I am in danger. Please, kind person, deliver this letter to my uncle. Thank you so much, Xue Jintong."

Perhaps Xue Jintong didn't know who to ask to deliver the letter, so there was no salutation, and there was another letter inside the letter.

The address is written above: Zhousui, Xuzhou.

Xie Zhaotang had already read the geographical notes of the Great Zhou Dynasty given to him by Xie Yan, and knew that Xuzhou was more than 200 li away from the capital, and even a fast horse would take two days to travel there and back.

Without a second thought, she opened the letter Xue Jintong had written to her uncle.

Li Qin was too late to stop them. Since it was already open, she leaned over to take a look.

In the letter, Xue Jintong wrote that her dowry had been confiscated by her stepmother, and all the maids around her had been replaced by her stepmother's people. She had sent several letters to Zhou Sui but had not received a reply.

Xue Jintong also wrote about her doubts about the medication she was taking.

Finally, he pleaded, "Uncle, please come and take me away when you see this letter, I don't want to die..."

After reading it, Li Qin jumped up and down in a panic: "Tangtang, what should we do? Without the Luo family backing her up, how dare Madam Xue so brazenly swallow Sister Jintong's dowry..."

Dong Jie, listening nearby, had tears welling up in her eyes. She said anxiously, "It's easy to send a message to Jintong's uncle, but I'm worried that even if her uncle comes, Luo Zhi might not let him take Jintong away. They must be trying to trap Jintong to death..."

Xie Zhaotang was worried. None of them had any power or influence and could afford to offend the Luo family. They needed to find someone who wasn't afraid of being threatened by the Luo family to help them.

Xie Zhaotang immediately thought of Huo Beiyu. Since he could speak to the Emperor, he shouldn't be afraid of the Luo family.

But Huo Beiyu is not yet married. If you ask him to help take Xue Jintong away, will Huo Beiyu think that you are plotting against him again?

As Xie Zhaotang was thinking, Li Qin said, "Never mind, let's help Sister Jintong send out the letter first. I'll go find Pei Song; the warhorses in the military camp are faster..."

Xie Zhaotang's eyes lit up, and she said, "I'll go with you!"

She remembered that the Pei family had held a flower banquet at Hexi Garden that day, and the Pei family had also sent Xue Jintong an invitation.

Although it wasn't publicly announced, everyone who attended the flower banquet knew that the Pei family was not only looking at potential partners for their two grandsons, but also for Huo Beiyu and several others.

If we can get the Pei family's consent, and help them when Xue Jintong's uncle comes to pick her up, we can successfully get Xue Jintong out.

With so many targets, outsiders can only speculate and can't figure out who is interested in Xue Jintong.

The two told Dong Jie to go back first, and then headed to the Pei family's house.

On the way, Xie Zhaotang told Li Qin about her idea, and Li Qin nodded happily upon hearing it.

"Tangtang, your idea is good. If we can get Old Madam Pei's consent, Sister Jintong can recover from her illness outside. Then we can ask Old Madam Pei to arrange a marriage for her, and Sister Jintong will no longer have to suffer from Madam Xue's torment."

Xie Zhaotang asked cautiously, "Aqin, your marriage with Pei Song isn't settled yet. If we ask Old Madam Pei for help, won't that affect your marriage?"

After all, Li Qin hadn't even entered the family yet, and she was already recruiting business for the Pei family. Xie Zhaotang was worried that Old Madam Pei would be offended.

Li Qin said nonchalantly, "Let's talk about Old Madam Pei first. My father and I have treated her. She's straightforward and kind-hearted. If we explain Jin Tong's situation to her, she'll help!"

"If Pei Song thinks I'm meddling, then he's not worth marrying. I can't abandon my best friend for a man!"

Seeing that Li Qin was so opinionated, Xie Zhaotang liked her even more as a friend.

When the two arrived at the Pei family's residence, Li Qin had the gatekeeper call Pei Song out.

Pei Song had just returned home and was about to wash up and have dinner when he heard the gatekeeper say that Li Qin was looking for him, so he ran out excitedly.

Li Qin pulled him aside and briefly told him about Xue Jintong, asking him to find someone to send a letter to Xuzhou.

Upon hearing this, Pei Song immediately reached out his hand without saying a word: "Give me the letter, and I'll find a brother to deliver it to you right away."

Li Qin gave him the letter, and Pei Song was about to leave immediately. Li Qin grabbed his sleeve and asked tentatively.

"Pei Song, we want to see your grandmother and beg her to help Sister Jintong. Could you take us to see her?"

Pei Song readily agreed, "Of course, come on, I'll take you inside and then I'll go find someone."

This was Xie Zhaotang's first time visiting the Pei family. Compared to the Prince Chen's mansion, the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion was much smaller, but even so, it still took the three of them more than ten minutes to reach the old lady Pei's courtyard.

Pei Song led them in without a care in the world. When they reached the old lady's room, Li Qin felt it was inappropriate and stopped, asking Pei Song to go in first to report.

Just then, a maid came out of the old lady's room. She was stunned when she saw the three of them, then smiled and called them inside.

"Madam, Young Master Song has brought Miss Li and Fourth Miss to see you!"

Xie Zhaotang glanced at the nanny.

It's not surprising that the nanny knows Li Qin, who is going to marry into the Pei family.

But this old woman immediately recognized me. Could it be that she paid special attention to me that day at Hexi Garden?