Malicious Medical Princess of the Marquis House

Gu Jiu’s body was very weak and just one conversation exhausted her. Prolonged intake of the wrong medicine had made the situation worse. Fortunately, there was still time to reverse things.

She just had a common cold, inflammation and harm caused by incorrect medication. As long as the prescription was changed and good ingredients were used to prepare the medicine, she would recover rapidly.

“Guniang, Qing Mei jie has come.”

Xiao Cui lowered her voice, as if afraid that Tao Hong would know she had called Qing Mei.

Hearing this, Gu Jiu turned to look at the door.

Qing Mei was around seventeen years old. Her clothes had faded from repeated washing. Her face was sallow and haggard as she stood at the door.

Tears twinkling in her eyes, she sobbed. “Guniang, are you feeling better?”

“Qing Mei, come over here,” Gu Jiu waved, beckoning her.

Qing Mei took three steps forward and directly knelt at her bedside. Looking at Gu Jiu’s complexion, she blamed herself. “Nubi can’t serve by guniang’s side, causing guniang to suffer.”

Gu Jiu smiled lightly. “I’m fine. Stand up and speak”

Qing Mei wiped her tears and stood, sitting on the footstool. Gu Jiu turned to Xiao Cui who stood at the side and said, “Xiao Cui, guard at the door. Don’t allow anyone to enter. If Tao Hong comes, you shout from the door.”

Xiao Cui opened her mouth, subconsciously wanting to refuse. Then she remembered the way Gu Jiu had lost her temper so she silently left the room.

Once she left, Qing Mei lowered her voice to ask, “Guniang, do you have anything to tell nubi?”

Gu Jiu smiled, feeling pleased. Sure enough, she was a clever and alert maid. Qing Mei was about to speak when Gu Jiu felt a burst of discomfort in her throat and couldn’t help coughing.

“Guniang, are you okay?”

After coughing a few times, Gu Jiu waved her hand, saying softly, “I’m fine. Qing Mei, are all the keys of Zhilanyuan in Tao Hong’s hands?”

Qing Mei nodded. “Since Tao Hong came, she has taken care of all of guniang’s property and belongings.”

Gu Jiu stared at the cabinet. Inside was the monthly silver she had accumulated over the years along with precious fabric. All her assets were in that cabinet. The cabinet was locked and the key was in Tao Hong’s hands.

Gu Jiu clenched her fists. She had to get the keys back. She could never let an outsider to be in charge of her finances.

“Qing Mei, I have two matters for you to do.”

“Guniang, please don’t hesitate to command.”

Gu Jiu stared at Qing Mei. “First, get medicine from the storehouse according to the prescription. Second, find Li Chuan who serves elder brother and tell him that when ”laoye” returns from the yamen, he must be invited to Zhilanyuan.”

Qing Mei raised her head nervously to look at Gu Jiu. “Guniang, what are you planning to do?”

Gu Jiu smiled. “I want you to come back to serve me. Are you willing?”

“Nubi is willing.” Qing Mei held back her tears and nodded repeatedly. “But nubi doesn’t have guniang’s prescription, so I don’t know what medicine to take in the storehouse.”

Gu Jiu said, “Prepare the brush and ink. I will write a prescription for you.”

Qing Mei nodded and stood, bringing her brush and ink. She assumed that guniang drank medicine for so long and was bound to know the correct prescription.

Little did she know that Gu Jiu had determined the prescription from tasting the medicine earlier.

The brush and ink were ready.

Gu Jiu said, “Help me over.”

Qing Mei helped Gu Jiu out of the bed. “Guniang, be careful.”

Gu Jiu gasped. This body was not as good as Lin meimei’s; she had barely gotten out of bed and walked a few steps before she started gasping.

With Qing Mei’s help, she sat at the desk. The desk was by the window. The window was closed tightly and a dim light penetrated through it.

Gu Jiu said, “Open the window.”

“Guniang, the wind will worsen your illness.”

Gu Jiu shook her head and smiled. “It’s no problem. I haven’t seen the sun for sometime now. Open the window and let me breathe.”

Qing Mei obeyed, sliding the window open halfway. Sunlight entered the room, shining on Gu Jiu’s face. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. The sunlight smelled nice.

She smiled gently, her expression warm. Then, she took up the pen and began to write the prescription. The thin strokes in small script seemed delicate, lacking in strength. This was in line with her physical condition.

Once she wrote the prescription, she handed it to Qing Mei. “Pick up the medicine from the storehouse. If the old servant there makes things difficult, don’t argue with her. It doesn’t matter if the ingredients she give you are inappropriate. I have great use for them.”

Qing Mei was anxious. “If they give me mouldy ingredients, what good is it? How can guniang recover if we cannot get good ingredients?”

Gu Jiu smiled. “If the storehouse really gives ingredients that have gone bad, that would be great.”

“Guniang?” Qing Mei was confused.

Gu Jiu said, “Don’t ask too much. Do according to what I said. Qing Mei, I will definitely have you return to my side.”

Qing Mei teared up, feeling moved and excited. “Nubi is unworthy of guniang’s trust.”

“You are worth it! You are my first-class maid and I need you. Bring the ingredients and remember to meet to Li Chuan.”

Qing Mei put away the prescription and said solemnly, “Rest assured, guniang, nubi will definitely complete the tasks well.”

Qing Mei hurriedly walked out.

Gu Jiu sat at the desk and relaxed with her eyes closed. Sunlight sprinkled on her face, feeling warm.

Xiao Cui stood at the door, wanting to enter but not daring to.

“Is it Xiao Cui? Come in.”

Xiao Cui entered the room. “Guniang, your body is weak. You should return to the bed and lie down.”

Gu Jiu weakly raised her hand. “Support me back.”

Xiao Cui helped Gu Jiu back to bed. Gu Jiu found a comfortable posture and leaned against the headboard. Holding a book in one hand, she flipped through two pages.

Tao Hong stared at the little maid as she concocted the medicine and filtered the dregs. Then, she brought the bowl of medicine back to the room.

“Guniang, drink the medicine!”

Gu Jiu lowered the book in her hand and coughed repeatedly, looking sick and haggard.

“You have worked hard, Tao Hong. Put the medicine on the table.”

“The doctor said that you have to drink it while it’s hot.”

Gu Jiu scrunched up her nose, saying weakly, “It’s too hot, my throat aches.”

“Guniang, listen to the doctor’s words. Don’t waste time, drink the medicine quickly.”

Tao Hong brought the bowl of medicine to her bedside. If she disagreed one more time, she would force the medicine down her throat.

Gu Jiu looked at the medicine bowl with disgust and dissatisfaction, saying, “To bitter and hot. I don’t want to drink.”

“Guniang, if you don’t drink the medicine, how can you recover?”

“I have drank a lot of this medicine in this half year. I haven’t seen my body improve. Clearly, the doctor who wrote this prescription is a quack. I’m not drinking this medicine.”

Tao Hong looked at her condescendingly. “Guniang, now is not the time to throw tantrums. Taitai and laoye have told nubi to supervise guniang to take her medicine. Xiao Cui, help guniang sit up, I will feed her the medicine.”

Gu Jiu glanced at Tao Hong. Sure enough, Tao Hong intended to force-feed her the medicine.

Xiao Cui walked to her bedside. “Guniang, drink the medicine while it’s still hot. You will quickly get better.”

Gu Jiu appeared diffident and weak, as if she had compromised. “Xiao Cui is right. Hold the bowl for me, I’ll drink it.”

Xiao Cui was very happy. “Tao Hong jie, guniang is willing to drink the medicine.”

Tao Hong stared sharply at Xiao Cui. What a lowly wench, coaxing to guniang listen to you and not me! I spoke so much and wasn’t able to convince guniang. But you, with one sentence, could make guniang change her mind.

Xiao Cui looked nervous and uneasy. “Tao Hong jie, why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?”

“Xiao Cui, you help me drink the medicine,” Gu Jiu added fuel to the fire.

Tao Hong pressed down the fury in her heart and said to Gu Jiu, “Guniang, let nubi help you. Xiao Cui is clumsy. I’m afraid she won’t be able to serve you well.”

Gu Jiu covered her lips with her hand, her expression weak but her tone tough. “Xiao Cui serves me very well. I want her to attend to me.”

This implied that she didn’t like Tao Hong serving her.

Tao Hong breathed in deeply. “Guniang, nubi will help you drink the medicine.” Her tone was tougher than Gu Jiu’s.

Gu Jiu lowered her head, silent, neither speaking nor drinking the medicine.

Tao Hong was furious. If Xiao Cui wasn’t allowed to serve, she wouldn’t drink the medicine.

Good. Very good.

Tao Hong said resentfully, “Guniang’s temper is really big today. It seems that guniang disdains nubi’s rough hands and feet and disregards my kind intentions. Xiao Cui, come, serve medicine to the guniang.”

Usually, if she spoke this way, guniang would immediately speak a few words softly, not letting Xiao Cui serve her.

But this time, the matter didn’t develop as she expected.