After flirting with the aloof prince, the concubine ran away pregnant.

Changsong carried the lantern and hurried towards the back mountain. The night wind made the candlelight inside the lantern flicker wildly, so he tucked the lantern in and quickened his pace.

As he rounded the Qingfeng Pavilion at the foot of the mountain, he saw Abian carrying Afu on his back, jogging over from the back of the mountain. Ajiao followed beside them, holding Afu's arms with both hands, making "ah ah" noises, his forehead covered in sweat.

"What's wrong?" Changsong rushed over in three quick steps.

Abian lifted Afu up a little, and Ajiao pointed to Afu's drooping arm. A long bloodstain seeped from the wound on the inside of her armpit, flowing down her forearm and congealing into a dark red layer.

Changsong glanced at her wound and his heart sank: "The wound is so deep! You carry her back to Shian Hospital first, I'll go and fetch Doctor Lu!"

He turned and ran, forgetting even to take the lantern.

Just as Doctor Lu finished packing his medicine box and was draping his coat over his arm in preparation for going home, Changsong grabbed him and dragged him toward Shian Hospital.

"Slow down, slow down... my legs..."

"Doctor, please hurry!"

When Dr. Lu entered, Afu had already been placed on a bed in the side room. He put down his medicine box, cut open Afu's sleeve to reveal the wound, and prepared to treat it.

As he was about to clean it, he frowned and muttered to himself, "Strange... this wound looks like it was inflicted twice. The edges have both clean cuts from a sharp blade and rough scratches."

Bai Zhi, who was standing to the side, saw blood gushing out again as Doctor Lu cleaned the wound, and covered her mouth, not daring to make a sound.

Hearing that there was nothing seriously wrong, Changsong turned around and left the side room, heading towards the main room.

Xie Xun leaned against the bed, feeling much better.

As soon as Changsong entered, he bowed and reported, "Young Master, Miss Afu cut her arm in the back mountain and is unconscious. Doctor Lu is treating her wound."

Xie Xun frowned slightly: "How did you get injured?"

"The wire mesh on the window screen at Tingzhuxuan came loose and got cut," Changsong paused, "and the wound isn't shallow."

Xie Xun was silent for a moment before speaking: "So eager to clean Tingzhu Pavilion before summer has even begun, don't you know how to slack off?"

His tone grew slightly impatient, though softer than before: "From now on, let her maid do these chores. She can just check them. Why make herself suffer like this?"

Changsong was stunned for a moment. He had followed Xie Xun for so many years, and this was the first time he had ever heard him say such things to his subordinates.

In the past, Prince Xie would never say that someone was being overly attentive; he would only say "useless" or "superfluous."

He showed no emotion on his face, lowered his head and replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

.

In just a few days, a steady stream of tonics were sent to Luo Qiyuan.

Bird's nest, donkey-hide gelatin, ginseng, and deer antler were carried out of the warehouse box by box and then delivered to Taoyao House.

Luo Qiyuan suddenly became the liveliest place in the Marquis's mansion. Even the young ladies from the third and fourth branches of the family took turns coming to visit, ostensibly to "visit Miss Taoyao," but in reality, they came to curry favor with the people close to the future head of the Marquis's mansion.

This was a much larger affair than when Afu was made a concubine a few days ago.

The maids in the manor gossiped privately, saying that the young master still cared most about Miss Taoyao, and that Afu was just lucky because the young master was drugged that night, which is why she got the title of concubine.

Peach Blossom Girl was originally the Crown Prince's sworn sister. Now, she cut her wrist to bleed in order to save the Crown Prince. This is a true testament to their affection.

Afu heard every word of these words as she sat on the veranda getting some fresh air.

Two maids passed by her from behind, continuing in hushed tones, "And I heard that Miss Afu has injured her body and may have difficulty conceiving again. A concubine who cannot bear children, the young master now treats her like a mere maid."

Once they were far away, Afu put down her teacup, sighed, "I've finished my song, and now they're taking the stage," and turned to go back inside.

At lunchtime, Bai Zhi came in carrying a tray. A Fu glanced at it and saw that the blue-and-white porcelain bowl contained white porridge, and the plate had a dish of pickled vegetables. This was a far cry from the chicken soup and ginseng soup she had been receiving every day a few days before.

Bai Zhi held her breath and whispered, "The kitchen said... that the food should be prioritized for Luo Qiyuan these days, and the pharmacy is also making excuses, saying that medicinal herbs are in short supply and they can't get enough for the time being."

She then added, "I had a fight with them. They said... that my sister is already much better and doesn't need any more tonics."

Afu used her uninjured left arm to pick up the chopsticks, took a piece of pickled vegetables and put it into the porridge, stirred it slowly, and didn't say anything.

Bai Zhi stood to the side, her eyes red-rimmed, and after holding back for a long time, she couldn't help but say, "Sister, they just treat people differently based on who they are."

Yunxi walked in at some point. She glanced at the food on the table, then at Afu, and took out an oil paper package from her sleeve, placing it on the corner of the table.

"Sister, I have another steamed bun here, it's still warm, have it to tide you over." She said softly, put down the bun, and ran out.

Afu glanced at her, then looked back at the bowl: "You keep it, I'm not hungry."

After Yunxi had walked away, Baizhi put down her bowl and said, "Sister, I heard that Yunxi was questioned by Changsong a couple of days ago. Fortunately, she wasn't caught doing anything wrong, but she's been much quieter since she came back."

Afu took a bite of the pickled vegetables soaked in soup, chewed for a long time before swallowing.

She put down her chopsticks: "She was also implicated for no reason. Give that steamed bun back to Yunxi. She's young and shouldn't go hungry."

Bai Zhi responded, picked up the oil paper package, and turned to leave.

At noon, Dr. Lu changed Afu's dressing for the last time.

When the bandage was removed, the wound had already formed a thin scab, and the edges were slightly red, but it had begun to close.

"This wound is healing well." Doctor Lu rolled up the old gauze and threw it into the winnowing basket. "You don't need to wrap it anymore. Remember not to get it wet for the next few days, and don't exert any force."

Afu nodded in agreement, then looked down at her arm and realized that the scar was quite ugly.

The wound was about an inch long. After the scabs formed, the color varied. In some places, the scabs were thin and smooth, while in others they were rough and uneven, with fine tear marks on the edges.

Her gaze lingered on the wound for a moment.

"Don't worry, young lady," Doctor Lu said, seeing her looking so closely and thinking she was afraid of scarring. "I've heard that the young master has a wound-healing ointment bestowed by the imperial court, which won't leave any scars after use. If you can get it, the problem will be solved."

Afu smiled and said, "Thank you, doctor."

Dr. Lu packed up his medicine kit and left.

Afu rolled up her sleeves again, held her arm up to the light, and looked at it one last time. She didn't seem to care much about the scar, but she was a little puzzled.

The injury came on rather strangely, and the wound itself was also strange. Suddenly, I remembered the scene before I fainted.

She turned around as soon as she heard footsteps, then lost consciousness. When she woke up, she was lying in a side room of Shian Courtyard. Bai Zhi said she had been cut by wire.

Although Afu felt something was wrong, surely no one would drug her just to make a cut on her arm that wouldn't kill or maim her in order to vent their anger?

Before she lost consciousness, the wire of the window screen was indeed next to her arm, so it's plausible that she got caught on the wire when she fell to the ground.

She lowered her sleeves, stopped thinking about it, and leaned against the headboard for a while, lost in thought.

These days, she eats only simple meals, with barely any oil in her soup. She looks at herself in the dressing mirror; the little bit of health she had just regained is almost gone again.

If this body continues to deteriorate like this, when I leave the manor in the future, let alone open a shop and do business, I'm afraid I won't even have the strength to stand and hawk my wares for a day.

The body is the capital.

She can't stop taking her medication, nor can she continue eating those bland, watery foods.

She needed to go find Xie Xun to make her presence known. Even if she didn't want to evoke his compassion for the weak and poor, she should at least gain some sympathy so that those people wouldn't dare to treat her differently based on her status.