“Got it,” Ji Wujing replied nonchalantly.
While Ji Wujing’s attitude was casual, Gu Jianli dared not be careless. She inquired once more about Ji Jingyi’s precautions.
Ji Jingyi briefly explained some dietary precautions and then changed the subject, smiling as he said, “Last time, the lady asked me to research a remedy for smallpox scars. After several months, I’ve finally developed it.”
Ji Jingyi retrieved another wide, flat box from his medicine chest and said, “I think this new medicine won’t be as effective as the black ointment, but the ingredients are much cheaper and it’s easy to prepare.”
Gu Jianli immediately brightened up, praising him, “Mr. Ji, you truly are a divine healer!”
Ji Jingyi smiled modestly, shaking his head repeatedly, “Madam, you flatter me. I don’t dare claim such a title!”
Gu Jianli curiously picked up the medicine box and looked at it for a while before asking, “Mr. Ji, I heard you say that this medicine isn’t costly. If it’s promoted among the common folk, will they be able to afford it? Of course, it can only be sold with your permission since you developed it.”
“Madam, you worry too much. Developing new medicines is partly due to your request and partly to benefit the public. Smallpox is still incurable for now, and those who survive it have their lives marred by scars. Now that we’ve developed a remedy for the scars, we shouldn’t hide it away.”
“Mr. Ji, you have a heart of gold,” Gu Jianli said sincerely.
Ji Jingyi humbly smiled and said, “As for the cost, this formula is not expensive now, and most common people can afford it. I’ll continue to find alternative ingredients to lower the price further.”
Recalling the fear that gripped the capital during the smallpox outbreak earlier that year, Ji Jingyi sighed and added, “Recently, I’ve been working with several imperial physicians to research preventive measures for smallpox. I hope we can find a solution soon.”
As a witness to those events, Gu Jianli felt a sense of melancholy.
Ji Wujing, lazily reclining in a wicker chair, glanced at her and casually patted her head.
Gu Jianli was momentarily startled. She looked back at Ji Wujing, then quickly glanced at Ji Jingyi. Ji Jingyi kept his head down, pretending not to notice anything. He stood up, gathered his things, and took his leave. When he smiled, his eyes squinted, giving him a kind appearance.
Gu Jianli called for Yanzhi and instructed her to deliver a portion of the smallpox scar remedy to the Cheng family, specifically to Cheng Meiya. She had promised Cheng Meiya earlier that if she developed a remedy, she would send her a portion.
At Gu Jingyuan’s birthday banquet, Cheng Meiya had stood up for her during an argument, something Gu Jianli only heard about afterward.
Gu Jianli thought for a moment and decided to send a valuable gift along with the medicine.
She then sent Jixia back to the palace to invite Gu Zaili.
Ji Wujing watched her bustling about with a cold eye. When she finally sat down, Ji Wujing sarcastically remarked, “Gu Jianli, you’re very busy.”
Gu Jianli looked around the room, noticing that all the maids had been sent out to run errands, leaving only her and Ji Wujing. She leaned over, softly resting against Ji Wujing’s shoulder, looked up at him with a smile, and asked happily, “Does this mean you’ll be completely well after taking the last dose of medicine?”
Ji Wujing hummed in response, naturally placing his hand on her shoulder, slowly tracing the embroidered pattern on her shoulder with his fingertip, and lazily called out, “Gu Jianli—”
He didn’t say anything else, just called her name.
Gu Jianli was lost in thought until Ji Wujing knocked on her head.
“Which wild man are you thinking about?” Ji Wujing said sarcastically.
Gu Jianli rubbed her forehead and said, “I was thinking about who Xinglan’s birth mother is.”
“No idea,” Ji Wujing replied casually.
Gu Jianli tilted her head, carefully studying Ji Wujing’s expression.
“What kind of look is that?” Ji Wujing pinched Gu Jianli’s cheek.
Gu Jianli shook her head and said, “I figured it out.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Ji Wujing said as he got up, looking listless as he headed back to the bedroom to sleep.
“Gu Jianli, come in and keep me company,” came Ji Wujing’s voice from the inner room.
Gu Jianli tiptoed out quietly.
—Such a beautiful day, I’m not going to sleep with him.
Gu Jianli went to the backyard to find Ji Xinglan and Ji Xinglou. Ji Xinglan was asleep again, and Ji Xinglou was playing alone with his new toy bow and arrow. He strained his little arms to pull the bow fully, aiming at a distant tree trunk and hitting it squarely.
“Very impressive,” Gu Jianli praised.
Ji Xinglou gave her a disdainful look and said lightly, “You have no taste.”
Gu Jianli smiled gently, not getting angry. She quietly stayed by his side, watching him practice archery. When Ji Xinglou got tired, she took a handkerchief and wiped his sweat.
Ji Xinglou yawned.
Gu Jianli crouched down in front of him, extending her arms to pick him up.
Ji Xinglou stepped back, looking disgusted. “You can’t even lift me. Don’t touch me, I’m afraid you’ll drop me!”
“Alright then…” Gu Jianli barely finished her sentence before suddenly scooping Ji Xinglou up when he was off guard and running back to the house.
Ji Xinglou was startled by her sudden action. When he realized what was happening, he immediately struggled to get down.
“Stop kicking! This is a new dress! If you dirty it, I won’t talk to you anymore,” Gu Jianli said unhappily.
Ji Xinglou, fuming, restrained himself and stopped struggling, but he glared at Gu Jianli fiercely.
Gu Jianli’s lips curled up slightly. She carried Ji Xinglou to the bed. He kicked off his shoes and climbed into the covers.
“Sleep. I’ll call you when it’s time for lunch,” Gu Jianli said as she bent down to tuck him in carefully.
She said casually, “No matter what relatives come to visit you, you are still you. It’s just that there will be one more person to care for you.”
Ji Xinglou snorted coldly, glaring at Gu Jianli with a fierce look. “Don’t even think about abandoning me!”
Gu Jianli was taken aback, staring at him in surprise.
Did Ji Xinglou think that his birth mother’s family was going to take him away?
Gu Jianli’s eyes flickered, and she suddenly put on a serious face, saying, “You don’t like me anyway.”
Ji Xinglou opened his mouth as if to say something but then held back.
Gu Jianli pinched his little nose and teased him, “If you obediently say ‘I like mom the most’ like your sister, I won’t abandon you.”
Ji Xinglou stared at Gu Jianli with wide eyes, and in the next moment, he suddenly burst into tears.
Gu Jianli was startled and quickly bent down, hugging Ji Xinglou and gently patting him, soothing him, “Don’t cry, don’t cry. You clever child, how come you didn’t realize I was just teasing you?”
Ji Xinglou buried his face in Gu Jianli’s shoulder, wiping his tears on her clothes. He sniffled and muttered, “I knew you were lying. I cried on purpose!”
Still trying to be strong.
Gu Jianli gently patted his back, her thoughts drifting far away. After a while, she softly said, “Since I was young, I’ve lived under others’ envy. Many people envied what I had, saying I grew up cherished and spoiled, always getting what I wanted. But I had things I envied too. I envied others for being able to snuggle in their mothers’ arms. My mother got sick after giving birth to me and passed away before I turned one. If only my mother were still here, it would be wonderful. I lost my mother…”
Ji Xinglou blinked, listening intently.
After a while, he quietly fell asleep in Gu Jianli’s arms.
Gu Jianli gently laid him down and left the room.
She stood in the courtyard, staring at the pale blue sky, feeling dazed and uncertain about what to do next. After standing there for a while, she returned to the bedroom she shared with Ji Wujing.
The room was warm, unlike the cold outside.
Gu Jianli climbed into bed, quietly nestling next to Ji Wujing. For a long time, Ji Wujing didn’t move, seemingly in a deep sleep. Gu Jianli watched him for a while, feeling a bit uncomfortable. She took his hand, rested her head on his arm, and snuggled into his embrace.
It felt much warmer this way.
With nothing else to do, she decided to nap with him for a while.
With his eyes closed, Ji Wujing’s lips barely curled into a smile. He leaned over and kissed Gu Jianli’s forehead.
Gu Jianli didn’t say anything or move, but her lips also curled up slightly.
Gu Zaili arrived in the evening, breathless and hurried.
“Sister.” Gu Jianli greeted her.
“What happened?” Gu Zaili asked urgently, carefully examining her sister’s expression.
Gu Jianli had sent someone to call Gu Zaili over but couldn’t explain the details, making Gu Zaili think her sister was in some kind of trouble. Seeing her sister’s calm demeanor now, she felt slightly relieved.
Gu Jianli pulled her sister aside, dismissing the servants, and carefully explained the situation regarding Wen Jingshan.
Gu Zaili was startled and hurriedly followed Gu Jianli to the side courtyard.
Wen Jingshan’s leg condition was severe; walking a few steps caused her immense pain. However, she had to practice walking daily to prevent her left leg from becoming completely paralyzed.
When Gu Zaili arrived at the side courtyard, she saw Wen Jingshan struggling to walk with a crutch. The small courtyard wasn’t very large, but it took Wen Jingshan a long time to walk from one end to the other. Finally, she reached the end, slowly turned around, and upon looking up, saw Gu Jianli and Gu Zaili standing at the moon gate, causing her to pause.
Gu Zaili rushed over in disbelief, calling out, “Jingshan!”
“Zaili,” Wen Jingshan smiled gently.
Hearing Wen Jingshan’s dry, grating voice, the expression on Gu Zaili’s face froze.
Wen Jingshan had a beautiful voice, and there was no instrument she couldn’t play, no melody she couldn’t sing. The memories of her singing and dancing for her amusement as a child were still vivid.
Yet, it had all been destroyed?
Understanding what was on Gu Zaili’s mind, Wen Jingshan said, “My voice was too distinctive, so I had to ruin it.”
Gu Zaili felt a tightness in her chest. She said, “Ji Yan harmed your family so much; he deserves nothing more than to be a fugitive!”
Wen Jingshan, however, shook her head, her mood dampened by the memories.
“Ji Yan was just a pawn, thinking the prince really wanted to usurp the throne. The one who truly harmed the prince and my family is still sitting comfortably on the dragon throne,” Wen Jingshan sneered.
Gu Zaili turned abruptly.
“Zaili, where are you going?” Wen Jingshan wanted to chase after her and ask if Gu Zaili had indeed helped when the Wen family was destroyed. However, a sharp pain in her leg prevented her from catching up.
“Sister?” Gu Jianli hurried to catch up with Gu Zaili.
“Prepare a fast horse for me; I need to find Lord Xiangxi.” Gu Zaili said coldly.
“For what?” Gu Jianli asked.
“To borrow soldiers.”