Perfect Match – CH 069

Chapter 69

At Xi’an City, in Shen Mansion.

The expressions of everyone changed.

Zhang Zhenhui asked a question, and Madam Yang stammered. Seeing this, she did not say anything more, instead staring blankly at Master Bai.

Her wet nurse noticed this as well and gave her a look, but Zhang Zhenhui remained silent.

An awkward atmosphere hung in the room, but fortunately, Yang Youling, the second young lady of the Yang family, arrived from outside. Madam Yang wanted Bai Chunfu to examine her second daughter, who still suffered from occasional hysterias, thus breaking the awkward silence.

Yang Youling was excited to see Bai Chunfu again, but noticing his inexplicably forlorn expression, he quickly checked her pulse and told her to continue taking her previous medication, and then she rose to take her leave.

Yang Youling hurriedly stood up to ask him, “Why are you leaving so soon?” Fortunately, her older sister stopped her.

Shen Yanxing personally saw Bai Chunfu to the door, noticing his still tired face, and said, “I’ve heard that many people in the counties below are ill recently, but Sixth Young Master, you should take care of yourself and not overwork yourself.”

Bai Chunfu seemed not to have heard his words and inexplicably asked Shen Yanxing another question.

“When…when did they leave? They arrived in Ningxia so quickly?”

Shen Yanxing said they left a few days ago, and Bai Chunfu’s tightly furrowed brows slightly lifted.

“A few days ago? A carriage could not have gone that fast, could it?”

Shen Yanxing saw that he indeed knew nothing, but since he had already asked, he figured a little inquiry would reveal the answer, so he simply told him directly.

Shen Yanxing coughed awkwardly. “Madam went with Yu Chuan on horseback.” He cleared his throat again. “Yu Chuan suddenly decided to take Madam away for some reason.”

He tried to be subtle, but Bai Chunfu’s ears rang.

He did not ask any further questions. After turning to bid farewell to Shen Yanxing, he immediately sent Zhu Huang to inquire.

Zhu Huang went to a teahouse near the Teng Mansion and quickly found out the information. She turned back to Bai Chunfu and said, “…General Teng originally left on his own, but suddenly turned back and took Madam with him. They said General Teng looked like…he kidnapped Madam!”

Bai Chunfu remained silent for a full three breaths upon hearing this.

“Teng Yue, how dare he treat Yunniang like this?”

She had said that they were not husband and wife, and Teng Yue was not her husband.

Yunniang clearly did not want to leave, but he forcibly abducted her.

He could not help but speak: “Zhu Huang, pack your things; we are going to Ningxia.”

Zhu Huang’s eyes widened. “But Sixth Young Master, you’ve been busy in the counties for seven or eight days, barely getting any sleep. How can you go to Ningxia? I am afraid you will collapse on the way before you even reach Madam Deng.”

Before he could finish speaking, Bai Chunfu coughed and wheezed.

Zhu Huang was startled upon seeing this. “My God, you are coughing too? Are you like those other patients? Have you caught their disease?”

Over the past month, people in the counties and prefectures under Xi’an Prefecture have been suffering from wind-heat syndrome. Initially, it seemed no different from ordinary wind-heat, but the symptoms were severe and contagious. By the time the Huimin Medical Hall reported it to Bai Chunfu, the clinics and pharmacies in these counties were overflowing with patients, and the disease seemed to be spreading everywhere, even affecting Xi’an Prefecture.

While it did not seem as severe as smallpox or the plague, it was still not to be underestimated. Bai Chunfu had discussed the matter with local physicians over the past few days and devised a prescription, which had been quite effective. However, he himself had now developed a cough and wheezing.

Zhu Huang hesitated, “You yourself said this illness requires rest. If you really contract it too and have to make another trip to Ningxia, I really think you will collapse halfway there.”

Bai Chunfu glared at him. “Can you not say something nice?”

Zhu Huang said with a bitter face, “But what I said is true. Whatever you need, I will go for you.”

Bai Chunfu coughed again, realizing he probably could not leave, and remained silent for a long time before finally agreeing.

“Then go for me. Ask her if anything has happened. If she needs anything, just let her know…”

Zhu Huang blinked at his Sixth Young Master, who paused here, then whispered the instructions.

“Even if she does not say anything, keep an eye out and do it for her.”

*

At the Shen Mansion.

Madam Yang looked at her niece. After asking her that question, she had not spoken again, sitting to one side with her head slightly lowered. The sounds of Shen Yanxing talking to her two daughters occasionally drifted in from inside the room, making Young Lady Zhang, who had no parents or siblings, appear even more lonely and isolated. Even the shadow cast by the light from the window seemed to accentuate her desolation and loneliness.

Madam Yang had been thinking only about how excited she was that her little benefactor had not left, forgetting that Teng Yue could only have one wife—either that sharp-tongued little benefactor or her own niece.

Her Cousin Lin was completely focused on her niece, but Teng Yue would not let go of the other one.

Now, seeing her niece silently walk out the door, she followed, thinking to herself, “Do not bother trying to persuade her; she should just find someone else.”

Although Teng Yue was promising and had a bright future, she was a young lady of the Zhang family of the Yongchang Marquis’s Mansion. She could easily find other suitors, and even with her aunt, the Marquis’s wife, interfering, her aunt could still offer assistance—they were simply less fortunate than the Teng family.

However, before she could speak, her niece spoke first.

“Why did you keep this from me, Aunt? Did you also think that General Teng’s contract wife was better than me and that I should not interfere?”

These words struck a nerve with Madam Yang, making her feel guilty.

She had been arranging the marriage between her niece and Teng Yue from the very beginning, and now that she had suddenly changed her stance, she did not know how to explain it to her niece.

She awkwardly remained silent, but then heard her niece’s voice, even lower and slightly nasal.

“Aunt, I am a motherless child. Since my mother passed away, you’ve been the kindest person to me. I’ve always considered you my mother, but you have your own children, and I may always feel like an outsider.”

“This…”

Upon hearing this, Madam Yang panicked. Seeing the girl wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, she became even more helpless. “Good child, do not cry. Your aunt did not mean to hide it from you; it’s just a twist of fate.”

She suddenly said, “How about we let it go? Your aunt will find you a son from another family. Even if he’s not as good as Teng Yue, I guarantee he will not be manipulated or interfered with by your aunt. What do you think?”

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly saw her niece glance at her.

That glance was extremely quick, filled with a chilling ferocity.

But it vanished in an instant. Madam Yang saw her niece wiping her tears even more deeply and thought to herself that she must have been mistaken.

How could a young girl like her have such a look in her eyes?

But the girl spoke again.

“Auntie really does not consider me your own child.”

Second Madam Yang: “…”

The Fourth Young Lady Zhang did not linger. Wiping away her tears, she walked away, repeatedly saying goodbye and returning to the Yang Mansion.

Second Madam Yang wanted to go back with her, but her youngest daughter insisted on staying at the Shen Mansion for dinner before leaving. She could only send her niece home by carriage.

The carriage creaked and groaned along the bustling street. The early summer heat was gradually building, yet an inexplicable coolness lingered inside.

Nanny Dong, the wet nurse, sighed several times. Hearing the commotion outside, she muttered under her breath.

“Second Madam, really! Just because that mistress saved her daughter, she’s put the young lady in such an awkward position, and she even says she will arrange another marriage for her? In all of Xi’an Prefecture, how many have a better future than General Teng?”

She finished speaking with annoyance, and seeing that her fourth young lady remained silent, the carriage wheels creaked a few more times on the stone pavement before she finally murmured something.

“That Sixth Young Master from the Grand Princess’s family?”

“Reporting to Miss, we’ve found out everything about that Sixth Young Master. After arriving in Xi’an, he casually found a shop to practice medicine, but unexpectedly, the shop passed into the hands of that Deng woman, and that’s how the two met. This Sixth Young Master Bai seems to have been unaware that his young beloved was in the Teng household, and he took good care of her. But after he found out, he did not mind at all and instead helped her in every way. Today, he heard she left with General Teng, and his expression…”

At this point, Nanny Dong saw her young mistress suddenly smile.

“Deng woman is quite well-liked; General Teng likes her, Second Aunt values ​​her, and even this Sixth Young Master Bai…”

“But no matter how capable she is, her lowly birth is what it is. How can she compare to Miss?”

Nanny Dong bluntly told her not to take this woman seriously.

“Why should you care about her, young lady? If the Teng family kicks her out one day, she will only be able to go back to her village to find a marriage partner. People might look down on her because she served in a noble household, and whether she can even remarry is questionable. But it’s different for us. You are a noble lady of the Yongchang Marquis’s Mansion, and the Yongchang Marquis’s Mansion is under the protection of the Ninth Prince. You will definitely find a good marriage.”

She said that although the Teng family was currently facing some difficulties, as long as Old Madam Lin did not give in, things would not go terribly wrong.

As long as the Teng family remained stable, they could look for even better marriage partners, such as Master Bai from the Grand Princess’s family. That was the husband that the young lady’s aunt, the Marquis’s wife, had chosen for her daughter.

The Grand Princess had high standards, but the relationship between the Yongchang Marquis’s Mansion and the Chief Eunuch also made this Grand Princess, who was gradually becoming estranged from the palace, take a second look. Unfortunately, Master Bai did not want to get married. He ran away from the capital, did not attend a single matchmaking banquet, and came to Xi’an. If the young lady could find a match with Master Bai in Xi’an, both daughters of the Yongchang Marquis’s family, the Grand Princess might agree if Master Bai were willing. In that case, the Teng family would not be so important.

Even if the marriages with the Bai and Teng families did not work out, there were other respectable families in Xi’an, such as the Eighth Master of the Zheng family, the Sixth Young Master of the Kong family, and the cousin of a branch of the Yang family. Any young man who had met the young lady would have taken a good look at them. They might not have the same future as General Teng, but their family backgrounds were still good, and they would not be easily manipulated by the young lady’s aunt. These were the optimal scenario options.

Thus, some marriages offered upward mobility, stability, and safety nets. Nanny Dong could not help but smile again.

“You will definitely find a good marriage; why worry about such trivial matters? Our Yongchang Marquis’s Mansion has the Ninth Prince in the family; anyone with eyes can see how to choose.”

She said this, and the young lady’s expression relaxed slightly, but she still gave an instruction.

“Keep a close eye on the Teng family’s movements.”

Nanny Dong nodded, “Yes.”

*

In Ningxia City.

After reporting to the General’s office, Teng Yue was to lead troops out of the pass to attack the enemy at Yuquan Camp the next day.

Before leaving, he noticed Deng Ruyun’s small, willow-leaf eyebrows twitching, her eyes sparkling, giving off a somewhat dishonest feeling.

The man, who had stepped out of the courtyard gate, turned back.

Deng Ruyun was thinking that after he left, she would go out and wander around the city to look for an opportunity when the man, who had strode away, turned back to face her.

Deng Ruyun instinctively took a step back and blurted out.

“I do not mean to run away.”

Teng Yue: “…”

He stared at her, noticing the mischievous glint still flickering in her eyes.

He knew repeating himself a thousand times would not help, so he simply said, “You can run away, but if I catch you, I will do exactly what I say that day, word for word, without fail!”

His voice was not loud, but it sent a shiver down Deng Ruyun’s spine.

That phrase he mentioned… “Like husband and wife making love every night,” was it not…?

Deng Ruyun immediately abandoned her escape plans, glaring at him with secret annoyance.

“When a person has no other skills, this is all they have.”

She dared to mock him?

Teng Yue almost laughed in anger, but he could not resist her provocation.

He merely scoffed, “In warfare, you strike at the snake’s vital point. I, Teng Yue, have served in the army for many years; I understand this principle. For you, Yunniang, this method is the simplest and most effective, is it not?”

Deng Ruyun abruptly shut her mouth.

She saw that he had not left yet and instead said, “I actually hope you run away quickly so that when I return from the camp, we can have our child.”

As he said this, his face remained tense; he was clearly threatening her, yet he himself was half-gritting his teeth, as if he wanted to bite her a couple more times.

Deng Ruyun was truly afraid he would bite her, so she quickly turned away.

“Are you not going to leave? I am going back to sleep.”

If she could really go back to sleep, Teng Yue would be relieved. Clearly, she could not. He could only give her one last look before calling over the guards.

“When Madam goes out, you two will split into two groups, one openly and one secretly, to follow her. You must both protect her and keep an eye on her.”

But Deng Ruyun was genuinely frightened by him. Considering his unusual behavior these past few days, she dared not wander off. As soon as he left, she called Tang You to go for a stroll in the streets.

Tang You and Tang Zuo were brothers, but Tang You was younger than Deng Ruyun and at the age when he loved to play. Once outside the mansion, he told Deng Ruyun about all the good food in Ningxia Town, asking, “Which restaurant would Madam like to eat at?”

But after he spoke, his madam said, “How many pharmacies are there in Ningxia City? Shall we go check them out first?”

Tang You said directly, “Madam, the medicine is very bitter; I am afraid it will not taste good.”

Deng Ruyun laughed, “Then we will not eat it, we will just smell and look.”

It seemed that the pharmacies in Ningxia were quite different from those in Xi’an.

Tang You did not know what his madam’s peculiar taste was, but he still led her to a nearby pharmacy.

This pharmacy near Teng Yue’s Mansion happened to be one of the top pharmacies in Ningxia City, but Deng Ruyun was pushed out before she even entered the door.

“Why are there so many people?”

Tang You seemed to know something. “I heard there’s been a resurgence of fever recently, and quite a few people are infected. It was not in Ningxia a few days ago; it’s only gotten worse in the last few days.”

As he spoke, he told Deng Ruyun not to linger in the pharmacy. “What if Madam also catches the disease? The General will eat me alive!”

Deng Ruyun coughed. “That will not be that bad.”

At most, he’d eat her alive.

However, before coming to Ningxia, she had heard Shopkeeper Qin mention the fever. At that time, there were not many cases in Xi’an Prefecture; how did it spread to Ningxia?

Deng Ruyun felt uneasy. She covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and stood to the side, wanting to see what was going on. Unfortunately, the pharmacy did not have the right medicine, and it was a chaotic scene with people coming and going.

Deng Ruyun feared that Tang You and the others might also contract the disease, so she did not linger and retreated to a less crowded teahouse. Unfortunately, the teahouse could not provide specific symptoms, and when she wanted someone to take her pulse, no one offered to take it.

Just then, a person was carried in through the teahouse entrance, and Deng Ruyun and the others turned to look.

They saw a young woman dressed in a red dress with trumpet vine flowers, directing her subordinates to carry the person into the teahouse.

The person who had fainted appeared to be the woman’s servant, but she did not look down on him, saying directly, “Why did he suddenly faint? Is it heatstroke? Get him a bowl of tea first, then go to the pharmacy across the street to fetch a physician.”

Getting him tea was easy, but getting a physician from the pharmacy across the street was difficult; it was already packed.

The patient was the priority, so Deng Ruyun went straight over.

“Madam, I also know a little about medicine; why not let me take a look?”

The woman looked her up and down, then glanced at Tang You and the others behind her, blinked, and said, “Alright. Then I will trouble you.”

Deng Ruyun waved her hand, saying it was no trouble. She used a handkerchief to touch the wrist of the unconscious servant, took his pulse, and frowned. She then checked his forehead and tongue and heard him cough. Her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed even more.

A woman dressed in sky blue asked, “What’s wrong with him?”

Although Deng Ruyun was not entirely sure, she was about 80% certain. “He’s probably like the patient in the clinic across the street, suffering from a feverish illness that’s just started this year.”

She told everyone to spread out. “The treatment for this illness is currently unclear, and there’s no specific medicine. It’s contagious, so do not get close to him,” she said to the young woman. “His condition is more severe than usual. Although I can temporarily devise a prescription, it’s safer to have a proper physician examine him.”

The young woman listened without hesitation and had everyone do as Deng Ruyun instructed.

Looking at the unconscious patient, Deng Ruyun could not help but ponder.

Just then, the young woman suddenly called out to her.

“Are you Sister Deng? I did not expect to meet you here.”

Deng Ruyun was taken aback when she heard the woman call out her surname. She noticed the woman was quite tall, dressed in a simple, narrow-sleeved dress, her entire outfit a fiery red like a trumpet vine, her hair adorned with a few simple gold hairpins.

She blinked, thinking, could this be the wife of Wang Fuxiang that Teng Yue mentioned?

“Madam Wang?”

But before she could finish speaking, the woman chuckled.

“Who wants to be that scoundrel’s wife? Just call me Meng Zhao, or, since I am a few years older, you can call me Sister Meng. Just do not call me Madam Wang; it will only make that scoundrel smug!”

Although she said it was not her, Deng Ruyun understood.

This was indeed Meng Zhao, Wang Fuxiang’s wife.

Meng Zhao bluntly stated that she had no desire to be a Madam Wang. “This fellow could not beat me in the martial arts contest, and I kicked him in the old wound in his inner thigh, causing him to roll off the platform. Yet he insisted to my father that I had injured one of his Wang family’s descendants, demanding I take responsibility! My father, too, believed his nonsense, which allowed him to succeed. Otherwise, I would not be this brute’s wife!”

Deng Ruyun was astonished, and seeing Meng Zhao’s strong and capable demeanor, she felt a sense of closeness.

Following Meng Zhao’s wishes, she addressed her as “Sister Meng,” and the two exchanged formal greetings.

Meng Zhao had been curious about what kind of wife Teng Yue had brought back, and it was precisely because of this curiosity that she had returned from her parents’ home early. Unexpectedly, before even entering her own home, she bumped into the woman herself.

She sized up Deng Ruyun’s pretty and delicate appearance, glancing at her a few more times, and could not help but speak.

“Sister, come home with me. General Teng should not be home, so you can stay with me for the next few days.”

Deng Ruyun: ?

She waved her hands repeatedly, remembering what Teng Yue had said about Madam Meng’s love of making friends. She thought to herself, “Sure enough, she’s inviting me to stay at her house right after we met.”

But the thought of her husband being General Wang made Deng Ruyun hesitate to step into her house.

If General Wang recognized her, it would not be a joke.

Just as she was about to decline, a commotion broke out on the street outside, right in front of the clinic.

Meng Zhao’s men were fetching a physician for their servant, but the pharmacy across the street was packed, so they had to look elsewhere.

But then a group of people arrived, ignoring everyone else, and chased all the patients away. They not only cut in line to see a physician but also forced the clinic to close its doors, allowing only their people to see the physician.

At that moment, a group of men dressed as guards appeared at the entrance of the pharmacy, grabbed the patient by the collar, and threw him outside. The patient was naturally unwilling, but the men drew their blades, and everyone was frightened and retreated.

“Who’s so arrogant?” Meng Zhao asked directly, her eyes filled with displeasure.

Before her subordinates could reply, the patients who had been driven out began to protest. At that moment, someone stepped forward from among the guards.

This person wore a bright red riding outfit and a coral hairpin in their hair and held a leather whip. The person lashed it heavily into the crowd with a sharp crack.

Some were struck by the whip, rolling on the ground in pain and screaming. Others were hit in the face, leaving a bloody welt on their cheeks, trembling as they clutched their faces.

But this person only uttered one sentence: “If you do not want to die, get out of here!”

Deng Ruyun looked over and saw the face of the person holding the whip—Zhu Yijiao, the County Princess Rongle, who had been demoted to a commoner.

Meng Zhao had clearly seen her too, but she was not surprised. She merely snorted, “The people from the Prince Enhua’s Mansion are getting more and more outrageous. Do they even have any regard for the law?!”

But then she remembered the feud between the Teng family and Zhu Yijiao and turned to take Deng Ruyun’s hand.

“Do not pay any attention to her; let her go crazy. Come home with me; it’s almost dinnertime.”

She said Ningxia City was not big, and her home was just one street behind the teahouse.

But Deng Ruyun did not dare go with her. Seeing her repeated refusals, Meng Zhao understood.

“Was that guy bothering you in Xi’an? He told me something when he got home; I did not expect to scare you like this.”

She said Wang Fuxiang was not home today. “He went to the camp outside the city. Sister, do not be afraid; we will not see him.”

Her insistence was too much to refuse, so Deng Ruyun had no choice but to go with her.

Just as they arrived at the Wang family’s gate, someone strode out. When that person’s gaze swept over them, the hairs on Deng Ruyun’s ears stood on end.

It was Wang Fuxiang!

Meng Zhao, surprised to see him home, immediately questioned him.

“When did you get back, you rascal? What are you doing at home instead of at the camp?”

Her tone was rather unfriendly, but Wang Fuxiang did not seem to care. He was simply surprised to see his wife bring Deng Ruyun, looking at her excitedly.

“Sister-in-law is here?! I was thinking of going home to get some things, but I am not leaving now. My wife and I will come to welcome you!”

Deng Ruyun was filled with regret.

But Meng Zhao glared at him impatiently.

“Who told you to welcome me? You look like a menacing figure; do not scare people like that. Get out of here!”

Meng Zhao directly chased him away while having someone protect Deng Ruyun from him as she did so.

Wang Fuxiang had been racking his brains ever since he arrived in Xi’an, trying to remember where he had seen Teng Yue’s wife before. His head was throbbing with frustration.

He saw Deng Ruyun quickly walking away from him, and the scene seemed strangely familiar.

For a fleeting moment, he almost recalled some familiar image, but Meng Zhao called out to him.

“Are you leaving or not?!”

This shout was like a slap in the face to the memory that had just flashed through Wang Fuxiang’s mind.

“Just a little bit more, just a little bit more!”

He looked at his wife in distress. “Zhao Zhao, let me see Teng Yue’s wife one more time, and I will remember immediately…”

Meng Zhao simply shoved him out the door.

“Do not even think about it, get out!”

The door slammed shut, and Wang Fuxiang knocked several times at his own door to no avail.

Deng Ruyun, hiding in the shadows of a corridor, was sweating profusely.

It was over. She felt utterly hopeless.

General Wang clearly remembered, only interrupted by his wife.

But if he were to see her again, even just once, he would inevitably recall the events of that year.

What would she do then?