Chapter 40: Compounding Medicine

The next morning, Yan Xi was informed by Mammy Yan that the four of them were finally permitted to leave the estate.

Hearing this, the mistress and her two maids were naturally overjoyed.

Yan Xi instructed Qinglian to inform A-Tai, but specifically told him not to go out right away, giving strict orders that no one was to step outside for the first three days.

Setting aside the uncertainty of her future circumstances, she knew that given that scoundrel's profound scheming and extreme suspicion, if she were to dash outside the moment she gained a shred of freedom, it would bring her no good.

Two days passed in a flash.

Over the past two days, Tinglan Pavilion had been exceptionally quiet, and Yan Xi had been remarkably leisurely, because Lu Zhi had not visited even once.

In other words, ever since they returned from Jia Fang's estate, he had not set foot here.

Without even needing to inquire, news of him naturally drifted to Yan Xi's ears.

For the past two days, as soon as he returned to the estate, he would head straight to the study and remain locked inside for hours on end.

Yan Xi roughly understood.

He was painstakingly deciphering that manual of the "Xuan Chong Art" sentence by sentence.

Judging from her dreams in the past life, no one else knew the extent of Lu Zhi's ambition as well as she did.

Yan Xi guessed that the book was either some ledger Jia Fang had hidden away or some vital military secret.

In any case, it had to do either with money or with power.

On the afternoon of the third day, with nothing better to do, Yan Xi and her two maids went for a stroll near the secluded lotus pond in the western part of the estate, spending the time cursing Lu Zhi as usual.

Once they had vented enough, the conversation shifted.

Yan Xi asked, "Did you tell A-Tai about that matter?"

Knowing what she meant, Qinglian nodded and lowered her voice, even though there was no one else around.

"I've already told him. A-Tai will handle it these past couple of days. I instructed him to hide it beneath the tree over there immediately after purchasing it."

Yan Xi cautioned, "Tell him strictly not to buy it himself. Have him find a few young boys to make the purchases, and make sure they don't buy everything on the same day, nor from the same apothecary..."

Qinglian acknowledged, "Don't worry, Mistress, I've told him everything."

Taohong chimed in angrily, "That scoundrel doesn't even know to give Mistress a contraceptive decoction—does he actually expect Mistress to bear his child?! Putting aside the fact that Mistress is still so young, given this relationship, is Mistress really supposed to be his concubine for the rest of her life?! Fortunately, Mistress's monthly cycle is irregular, otherwise who knows if it would still be in time?"

Qinglian nodded. "Indeed. Though he does know how to nourish Mistress—the daily tonics are certainly not lacking—who knows what his other intentions might be."

Taohong cut in, "Never mind what his intentions are, in any case we must eventually..."

Before she could finish the words "leave," Qinglian suddenly gave her sleeve a sharp tug.

Realizing something was amiss, Taohong looked into the distance and saw a few pages carrying pots of flowers approaching from afar...

Yan Xi softly said, "Let's go back."

Not long after returning to her bedchamber, Yan Xi had her evening meal, and soon nightfall began to descend.

Another peaceful night passed. To everyone's relief, that man still did not come.

The following afternoon, Qinglian went out for a short while. Upon returning to the bedchamber, she drew two herbs from her bodice and handed them to Yan Xi.

Yan Xi took them, slowly unwrapped them, and inspected them carefully. They were precisely two of the four herbs she had written down for A-Tai.

Indeed, she intended to brew the contraceptive decoction herself.

Since that wretch had no intention of providing it voluntarily, she had no choice but to decoct it in secret.

If he had simply forgotten, that would be one thing; but if he genuinely intended to get her pregnant, wouldn't that ruin everything?

Yan Xi had read extensively since childhood. During the six years she spent convalescing in Suzhou, she had spent her idle time reading a vast number of books.

Among them were quite a few medical treatises.

Based on what she had read in those books, she had once even saved two injured rabbits.

Naturally, she had also come across the formula for brewing contraceptive soup.

Back then, her heart had fluttered wildly and her cheeks had burned hot, making her feel she shouldn't be reading such things, but curiosity had won out, and she had stolen a few glances.

A few glances were all it took to commit it to memory.

She never expected it would come in handy now.

After inspecting the herbs, Yan Xi rewrapped them and handed them to Qinglian, whispering, "Make sure you hide them well."

Qinglian understood the gravity of the situation. Even more nervous than Yan Xi, she took the bundle, gave her assent, tucked it straight into her tunic, and hurried off to her own room to conceal it.

As evening approached once more, dusk began to fall.

Ever since the day she had taken the initiative to visit him in his study, Yan Xi had not seen the man for four whole days.

These past few days, he had been so engrossed in deciphering that text that it gave her a breathing space, and his vigilance toward her had relaxed considerably.

After dinner, Yan Xi silently prayed for the deities to work their magic and keep him far away.

The deities truly answered her prayers; it was another peaceful night...

On the afternoon of the fifth day, around the same time as the day before, Qinglian returned from outside, once again carrying two herbs.

With this, Yan Xi had all the ingredients needed for the contraceptive decoction.

She stationed Qinglian to keep watch outside while she brewed the medicine herself, divided it into several portions, and handed them to Qinglian. With that, this nerve-wracking task finally came to an end.

She finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Yet, no sooner had she exhaled than an announcement came from outside.

"Young Mistress, the Master has arrived..."

Yan Xi was profoundly startled.

After all, her worldly experience was shallow, and she had always been obedient, never having done anything truly scandalous. Merely secretly brewing medicine had broken her out in a cold sweat.

She had little time for thought before she spotted the man's tall figure.

He had already parted the door curtain and stepped inside.

"Why is there such a strong smell of medicine?"

His expression and tone remained as cold as ever. As soon as he stepped through the door, he dropped this casual inquiry.

Yan Xi was already feeling guilty and instantly panicked, thinking to herself: Do you have the nose of a hound?

Recovering her wits just in time, her delicate hand brushed against the sachet at her waist, which she promptly unclasped and held out.

"Is it the scent of this?"

With a dainty and frail air, she glided over to the man and held the sachet close to his nose.

"Yesterday, I added a few new herbs inside..."

Lu Zhi stood with his hands clasped behind his back. The moment she approached, enveloped in her fragrance, he could smell nothing else. Even when she reached out her hand, he didn't bother to sniff it, merely lowering his gaze to narrow his eyes at her.

Yan Xi had simply acted on impulse, using the sachet to salvage the situation.

In truth, the two scents were entirely different. Seeing that he didn't press the matter and dropped the subject, she was naturally overjoyed. But the moment she caught the look in his eyes, another wave of foreboding washed over her.

The young girl withdrew her hand, slowly placing it back at her waist. Refusing to remain as passive as she used to be, she took the initiative to speak.

"His Lordship hasn't visited in a long time..."

"Over the past couple of days, I wanted to brew some soup and bring it to Your Lordship, but I was afraid of disturbing you..."

Just as she finished speaking, she saw the man finally stir, his gaze shifting away from her face as he spoke with casual indifference.

"Are you really that good...?"

Yan Xi turned her head, following his line of sight as he walked over and sat down in the armchair.

The young girl replied, "What's so good about that... Didn't I say before that from now on, I will get along well with Your Lordship, and brewing soup for you is only my duty..."

Lu Zhi toyed with a teacup on the table, the corners of his lips twitching slightly. Then, a faint smile touched his eyes, his gaze filled with a misty ambiguity as he leaned back against the chair.

"I would prefer it if you were good to me in other ways..."

Yan Xi slowly clenched her hands into fists, knowing full well what he meant. She then clearly saw his head tilt slightly, signaling toward the direction of the washroom.

The young girl trembled as she said, "You go on ahead..."

With those words, she lowered her head, not daring to look at him anymore, terrified that he would drag her along with him...

Fortunately, he did not. Raising her small face once more, she finally saw him stand up from his chair...

Her heart beating like a drum, Yan Xi stood completely still after he stepped into the bathhouse, blushing deeply and lingering in place for a long while before she finally managed to relax just a fraction...