Mei Niang took the maids away. Ruizhu and Ruibao did not dare to come in to serve without being summoned, and just waited in the corridor. Xu Junying, Zhang Jingyun, and Lingxuzi made tea and distributed it by themselves while continuing to chat.
Zhang Jingyun said to Lingxuzi, "Your master, Master Wei, loves orchids very much. I didn't expect that the Third Master and Third Madam in this mansion are also a pair of elegant people who love orchids like crazy. They collect and grow orchids of many varieties, which you would never imagine. Among them is the Jiangbei Snow Orchid carefully cultivated by Master Wei! Because it blooms all year round and has a delicate fragrance, it is specially placed in the bedroom and study. If it weren't for the young lady sincerely asking you to diagnose the Third Madam's pulse, and if I had been unwilling to pay attention to trivial matters like before, no one would have recognized the wonders of that orchid, and the Third Madam's luck with children would be very shallow!"
Lingxuzi sighed slightly: "Master carefully cultivated Jiangbei Snow Orchid, but did not explain the characteristics of this orchid to us brothers and sisters. Once Master went out to travel, and the eldest brother was responsible for taking care of the Snow Orchid. A friend came to visit. Because he loved the Snow Orchid's pure white color and fragrant smell, he asked for it several times. The eldest brother could not bear it and secretly gave him a pot. Two years later, Master came back to ask about it. When he went to ask for it again, the orchid had been planted and given to many people. Master then said that the fragrance of this orchid had the characteristics of causing female sterility. If it spread, it might harm women who love orchids, and the eldest brother was severely punished for this. I was still young at that time, and I only knew that Master and brothers tried their best to find the lost Snow Orchid, but I didn't expect that the third master and the third grandmother in the mansion also collected this kind of orchid. You should have explained to them that this orchid should only be planted in an open space outside the courtyard, and not given to young women at will!"
Zhang Jingyun nodded: "I have made it clear. I have prescribed a detoxification prescription. It will probably take some time to slowly recuperate."
Xu Junying was embarrassed: "You originally came to me to reminisce about the past, but you took the trouble to help my family get rid of their worries. Fortunately, it wasn't someone else, so there's no need to say thank you!"
Lingxuzi smiled and said, "Jingyun and I met in the deep valley of the dense forest in the east. He was only eight or nine years old at that time. He came with the master and lived for six years. The two masters allowed us to travel together. He took me to the Mobei grassland, where I met you and that person. We are not from the military camp, but we have lived and died with you. We are loyal to each other and have known each other for many years. How can we separate ourselves?"
Xu Junying couldn't help but sigh with emotion when he thought of the past. He smiled and poured tea for the two of them. "You saved my life. If it weren't for you, he wouldn't have survived that time. It was like you two came here just to save us from danger... You haven't seen him for two or three years, right? How did he find you this time? Didn't you say you were going back to your masters? Why are you together again?"
Lingxuzi lowered his eyes, and Zhang Jingyun said, "By chance, he found me. As for Lingxuzi, maybe we should call him Xia Xueyuan now? It's just that he refused to take off this Taoist robe. When he was four years old, he was dying of illness. Xia's father had no choice but to give him to Wei Zhenren who traveled to his hometown. He became a little Taoist priest and then he came back to life. But Xia's father couldn't bear to let him go. The Xia family was a big family in Jiangnan, and Xia's father had only this one son. Wei Zhenren felt sorry for him and made an agreement with him: if the Xia family had another son, Lingxuzi would not need to come back. If there was really no son, Lingxuzi would take off this Taoist robe when he was 25 years old, return to the Xia family to marry and have children, and continue the incense... This time, Wei Zhenren entered seclusion to practice, ostensibly to let Lingxuzi return to his hometown to visit his parents, but in fact he was driven out by his master. He didn't return to his hometown, but came to find me. Isn't this like walking into a trap? We were all summoned to Beijing together!"
Xu Junying looked at Lingxuzi in surprise: "So, Brother Xia is turning 25 and is going to return to secular life? Very good, very good!"
Lingxuzi lowered his head, full of melancholy: "What's good? Just imagine how you would feel if you were to become a monk? If I were to return to secular life, I'm afraid it would be even more uncomfortable than that!"
Zhang Jingyun laughed, and Lingxuzi glared at him: "What are you laughing at? Master told me that even if I return to secular life, I can still cultivate myself. I don't have to take off my Taoist robe! But you, can you not enter that house?"
Zhang Jingyun put away his dry smile, his sallow face was rigid and indifferent, and he snorted: "What are you going to do in there? The day my mother died, I broke off relations with him. We have no relationship anymore!"
Xu Junying sighed, "How can you cut off the relationship between a close relative and his own? You ran away from home when you were only five or six years old, and were taken away from the capital by your master. I heard that he had been looking for you for several years and was very sad. After all, you were the eldest son..."
Zhang Jingyun said angrily: "Don't mention the eldest son to me - I only know that I have a mother, not a father!"
Lingxuzi looked up at him and said, "I have never seen Duke Jingguo, but since you insisted on wearing this human skin mask as soon as you entered the capital, I guess you and him must be very similar. How can you ignore this fact? Can you avoid seeing him for the rest of your life?"
Zhang Jingyun sneered: "Life is not long. The world is so big that I don't necessarily have to live in the capital. My grandparents are old, and I can only go back and forth to visit them twice a year. It's okay with my uncle around. I didn't expect him to send spies to summon us to live in the capital for a long time. This is not what I want!"
Xu Junying said, "He went to Yiyun Villa outside the city the night before you arrived, just because the queen suddenly wanted to see the stars... I guess he will return to the palace soon after hearing the news about you. He and the queen have been very loving since their wedding. The queen is weak and finally got pregnant with the dragon fetus, but she is sick every other day. The imperial doctors don't have any good solutions. This time, they summoned you to the capital to recuperate the queen. I'm afraid you will have to stay until the queen gives birth."
Lingxuzi looked at Zhang Jingyun and sighed, "What a big deal! If I had known this, I would not have looked for you. I might as well... Hey! His royal family has Yiyun Villa, and you have Guiyun Villa. What is the connection between them?"
Zhang Jingyun said lazily, "My mother gave birth to me and didn't want me to be included in the Zhang family tree, so she named me Jingyun. Guiyun Villa was built by my grandfather specifically for me, intending to call me back home. It has nothing to do with the Royal Yiyun Villa."
Xu Junying smiled and said, "There is indeed no connection, it's just a coincidence. The Queen's maiden name also has the word 'Yun' in it, and Yiyun Villa was built specifically for her. Guiyun and Yiyun Villas, one in the south and one in the north, are about 70 or 80 miles apart, so far away!"
"I see." Lingxuzi looked at Zhang Jingyun and said seriously, "The Xia family also has shops and houses in the capital. I don't want to disturb them, so I just live in Guiyun Villa. If you bother me, tell me and I will build a 'Liuyun' villa to live in tomorrow!"
The three of them burst into laughter. Xu Junying said, "There is one more thing I want to tell you first. There is a small battle in the west. The victory report has just been received. It was the enemy soldiers that the King of Qi defeated, but he was seriously injured. Now he is being sent back to the capital day and night. The King of Qi is the emperor's younger brother. They are brothers from the same mother. He is strong and powerful. He has practiced martial arts and is also competitive. At the age of sixteen, he asked to go to the western border for defense and was away for three years. This time, he returned with serious injuries. The Queen Mother is heartbroken. The Emperor does not want his younger brother to have any misfortune. After seeing the Queen, he may ask you to go west to welcome the King of Qi. I will accompany you then!"
Zhang Jingyun nodded: "After the battle, he only has injuries to his bones, muscles and flesh. The accompanying doctor just needs to stop the bleeding and protect his wounds from necrosis. As long as he is still alive, we will naturally do our best to save him if we catch up!"
Lingxuzi suddenly remembered something, looked at Xu Junying and said, "Your young lady's pulse is very good, but she has been bedridden for a long time and cannot walk. Her muscles and bones are still weak. She is not fragile, but she will fall down if she is touched. I just checked her pulse and found scratches on the back of her hand. The pulse showed slight blood stasis between the tendons, as if she had fallen heavily. She doesn't need to take medicine and will get better slowly. From what I see in her words and actions, she does everything she thinks of, but she seems to be strong-willed and doesn't take care of herself. Give her this bottle of Liuhe Pills, one pill a day, it will help her recover her strength."
Xu Junying declined, "Liuhe Pills were developed by your master with his life's work. They are life-saving pills and are extremely precious. You should keep them for emergency use. It's already great that she has recovered like this!"
Lingxuzi placed a jade bottle on the table and said, "Give it to her. She is so lucky. Before entering the retreat this time, Master wrote down the recipe for this pill for me to memorize and then burned it. I can prepare it myself. How much can you give me?"
Zhang Jingyun looked at Xu Junying and joked, "Don't you want your wife to be strong? You are an expert in marching and fighting, but you also have a sharp and experienced vision. You married a beautiful woman who is gentle and virtuous. With such a wife and a lovely child, your life should be perfect. Brother Xia and I are far less blessed than you. I am afraid it will be difficult for us to find someone who understands us in this life!"
Xu Junying said nothing, but just played with the small jade bottle in his hand, smiling, but feeling bitter inside. (To be continued)