Waiting for You for a Long Time, But You Haven't Arrived - Chapter 35.1

“She is leaving.”

Su Qian’er found it difficult to believe that Jiang Qionghua would allow Kang Huaiyi to take her away.

She had once thought that even if Prime Minister Jiang were to kill her, she would never give her away like this.

She still clearly remembered the events of six years ago. Back then, the Prime Minister hadn’t taken her in out of pity, but because she felt they shared similar pasts. Recalling her own younger self, she had specifically spared Su Qian’er’s life.

When her family had been implicated back then, Su Qian’er was relegated to slavery. Her elder sister, born of the legal wife, was sent to an official’s house as a maid, but she, being born of a concubine, ended up in the slave market. She encountered several hooligans with wandering hands; the sky was dim with swirling sand as those men bullied and humiliated her. In her panic, she cried out loudly, disturbing the passing carriage of the Prime Minister’s estate.

A person inside the carriage pulled back the curtain, glancing in her direction, and then ordered a subordinate to hand over a knife.

An exquisite heart-gouging knife.

Because she had the help of a noble person, she was instantly filled with courage. Even though she had never held a blade, she managed to dispatch those men in that moment of crisis.

Later, she saw the estate manager, Bo Lu, walking toward her. He paid the ransom and took her away.

“When I was eighteen, I was as panicked as you are. Later, I obtained a knife and killed them all.”

“Today, I happened upon this scene again. I grant you the use of this knife so that you may protect yourself.”

“There is a woman in my manor who has no one to attend to her. Seeing as you are young, come to the Prime Minister’s manor and serve her from now on.”

Su Qian’er had knelt in the dirt to give thanks. Ignorant, she looked up and saw the other woman’s expression of mercy.

In that gaze was a boundless sorrow and desolation, like a lonely wilderness that stretched as far as the eye could see. She didn’t know what heartbreaking tragedy the Prime Minister had endured to evoke such a feeling.

She believed those words. Someone like her, with an unlikable personality and occasional clumsiness, lacked the sharp wit to handle affairs for the Prime Minister’s office. The only reason the Prime Minister had kept her for so many years was likely because their experiences were so similar.

Because the events of that year were so deeply etched into her soul, Su Qian’er could not believe that Jiang Qionghua would make a decision completely contrary to the spirit of that day.

“Six years ago, I spared your life. I certainly did not expect that one day you would speak ill of me behind my back and let Ming Yishu overhear it.” Jiang Qionghua fiddled with the lock in her hand, speaking coldly before the girl was taken away. “If it weren’t for you, she and I wouldn’t have reached this point. Su Qian’er, I didn’t kill you that day because Ming Yishu pleaded for you, but that doesn’t mean I will forgive you.”

She had rescued the destitute girl from the shadows, and today, she was pushing her back into the mire and gloom.

The debt of grievances was settled.

Jiang Qionghua said, “I shouldn’t have been soft-hearted back then.”

She had seen her own shadow in Su Qian’er, thinking that saving her could somehow make up for her own eighteen-year-old self. But she was wrong.

She never deserved to be saved, and not even a shadow of her deserved a good ending.

Standing to the side, Assistant Minister Kang didn’t know which past events they were discussing. He could only speak up to ease the tension: “Please rest assured, Right Prime Minister. I will certainly treat her well.”

Jiang Qionghua replied, “How you treat her is your business. I have given her to you; she is at your disposal.”

Though Su Qian’er knew her fate, she still did not regret telling Ming Yishu the truth that day. Having served Miss Ming for six years, she valued her mistress more than herself. When she heard the Prime Minister deceiving her mistress, she had chosen to stand by Ming Yishu without a second thought.

To the Prime Minister… her actions were indeed ungrateful.

But she couldn’t stand by and watch Ming Yishu be deceived.

“Leave. Whether you survive or not depends on your own ability. You need not come to the Prime Minister’s manor ever again.” Jiang Qionghua lowered her eyes, continuing to fiddle with the lock on the golden cage. This lock had come from an unknown source; it was so intricate and complex that one couldn’t even begin to understand it. After fiddling with it for a moment, she lost her patience.

Assistant Minister Kang stepped forward submissively, preparing to help.

Jiang Qionghua was in a foul mood. She simply stopped trying to lock it, threw the lock aside, and told them all to get out and stop bothering her.

Only she and Ming Yishu remained in the bedchamber.

Jiang Qionghua walked into the cage to look at Ming Yishu, sighed deeply, and then stepped out.

She summoned the physician who had been waiting in the side hall and asked, “Is that medicine actually working? She is still so frail; she’s so light the wind could blow her away.”

The physician sighed. “Miss Ming’s illness has reached the bone. Even the strongest medicine is hard to see quick results with. She can only be nursed back slowly.”

He instructed that the medicine must be taken daily and not to add too much honey, as it would affect the efficacy. He also urged that Ming Yishu should drink it all so her body could recover faster.

“She doesn’t like bitter things. The first time I gave it to her, I gave her a small amount and added honey. Today, I personally watched her drink the whole bowl, yet her complexion hasn’t improved. She still looks very weak.” Jiang Qionghua paced irritably, glaring at the white-haired doctor, Xuan Ji. “Xuan Ji, what is wrong with your medicine? Every time she takes it, she lacks energy and sleeps for a very long time.”

Ming Yishu’s groggy state after taking the medicine was truly worrying. If Jiang Qionghua hadn’t personally spoken with this famous doctor, she would have suspected her own mind was playing tricks on her.

Jiang Qionghua asked once more: “The medicine I asked you to prescribe was a tonic for her body, right? I didn’t ask for anything else.”

Xuan Ji nodded. “The Prime Minister did indeed ask for a tonic. I have not prescribed any harmful medicine.”

He had been kidnapped from a great distance to the Prime Minister’s manor. Though he hadn’t received the respect a physician deserved, he wouldn’t abandon his medical ethics to harm someone.

Therefore, the medicine Jiang Qionghua had been feeding Ming Yishu for the past two days wasn’t anything strange or meant to make her forget things.

Jiang Qionghua asked, “Then why is she always sleeping?”

Xuan Ji explained: “The five viscera house the spirit; the heart houses the pulse. Miss Ming’s heart pulse is damaged. She is a light sleeper with many dreams, and her vital energy is weak. Sleeping for a few extra hours after taking this medicine is beneficial for her body. If the Prime Minister has a heart, you must absolutely not provoke her to anger, or the aggravation of her condition will be irreversible.”

As expected.

Jiang Qionghua had ordered someone to kidnap the wandering doctor Xuan Ji a while ago because she felt Ming Yishu’s condition was poor. Her subordinate Ji Zijun had defected, leaving her with no highly skilled medical professional to trust. She didn’t believe the hacks in her own manor could diagnose anything; those people were afraid of her and would likely just tell her what she wanted to hear.

Now that he had checked, Ming Yishu’s body was indeed worse than before.

“How much time is left?” Jiang Qionghua held the bottle of heart medicine in her hand, warming it until it was hot. “Look at this medicine. She takes it normally.”

That medicine was provided by Ji Zijun. Jiang Qionghua hadn’t suspected it before, but knowing Ji Zijun’s identity now, she had no trust in it whatsoever. She had to let Xuan Ji examine it.

“This medicine…” Xuan Ji started to speak but stopped abruptly. He carefully identified the ingredients again and asked in disbelief, “Who made this? To think such a miraculous medicine exists in this world?”

Jiang Qionghua’s mood was terrible. “The person who made it has been dead for a long time. There will be no more of this medicine in the future.”

“No, no.” Xuan Ji shook his head and said, “This medicine has a strong scent; it was made recently. By my calculations, no more than seven days ago.”

Seven days?

How could that be?

Jiang Qionghua had ordered the pursuit of Ji Zijun quite some time ago. Ming Yishu had this medicine before then—how could it be so new?

Xuan Ji returned the bottle to Jiang Qionghua. “I am not making false claims. Please look closely, Prime Minister.”

Jiang Qionghua took the bottle half-doubtingly. She looked down and discovered the bottle was actually full.

Full?

If she remembered correctly, when the group was searching for the medicine in the snow last time, it was only half a bottle. How did it suddenly become a full bottle, as if by magic?

Had Ji Zijun seen Ming Yishu again during this time?

Jiang Qionghua suddenly felt like she was going insane. The woman was right here in her manor, under her watch day and night—how could she still see Ji Zijun?

Was Ji Zijun a ghost? Could he walk through walls or tunnel through the earth?

“Let me catch my breath.” Jiang Qionghua covered her forehead, a headache blooming. She knew this grudge would never end in this lifetime—and probably not the next. Ji Zijun was a nightmare she couldn’t escape.

Xuan Ji said, “At any rate, the medicine is usable. There are no harmful ingredients.”

Fine. Since the medicine was usable, it would stay.

Even Xuan Ji praised this medicine, and it could save a life in a crisis. No matter how much Jiang Qionghua hated Ji Zijun, she wasn’t so deranged as to throw it away again. She remembered all too well the commotion on that snowy night when she almost failed to save Ming Yishu.

She could pretend she didn’t know about this, so Ji Zijun could keep sending medicine.

Ji Zijun was guilty, but the medicine was innocent.

“Keep some of this medicine and replicate it as quickly as possible. The person who made it is as good as dead. Once you can produce an identical medicine…” Jiang Qionghua clenched her teeth, her expression grim. She thought that Ji Zijun indeed had some skill, but once the medicine was replicated, that person would be completely useless and could die.

Xuan Ji complied and then reminded her: “The patient’s diet needs attention during this period—light food, plenty of rest, and no anger.”

Jiang Qionghua snapped, “I’m not an idiot.”

Xuan Ji looked at her and added one more thing: “Less… intimate activity, to avoid disturbing the blood and vital energy.”

Jiang Qionghua: “…”

She almost scrambled to her feet to leave, making up an excuse as she went: “She hasn’t eaten in a long time. I’ll go have something light prepared.”

Xuan Ji called after her: “Don’t force her, Prime Minister. I heard a golden cage was delivered today…”

Jiang Qionghua flared up in rage: “Mind your own business!”

Ming Yishu woke up in the cage, staring hollowly at the intersecting golden arcs of the dome. When she was awakened by the noise earlier, she happened to hear that Su Qian’er was being taken away.

She hadn’t made a sound at the time, nor had she pleaded for mercy.

She knew that if she pleaded, it might have the opposite effect. Based on Jiang Qionghua’s words, the woman detested Su Qian’er’s closeness to her… and there was also the matter of those past events.

Ming Yishu remembered asking Su Qian’er while bathing why she had come to the manor. She had also wondered why someone with such a simple nature would be kept by Jiang Qionghua. Logically, the servants in the Prime Minister’s house were all scheming and wouldn’t have such innocent thoughts. Su Qian’er had told her then that her family had been convicted and she was sold into slavery; Bo Lu had ransomed her, and she happened to be at the manor when Ming Yishu arrived. Because she was young, she stayed to serve her.

After today’s events, she finally understood the reason—it was because Qionghua had suffered through something similar, which sparked her compassion for Su Qian’er.

Ming Yishu didn’t know what Qionghua had endured at eighteen. She only knew that six years ago, someone had betrayed Qionghua, making her furious and even causing her to become paranoid.

If Qionghua had endured that at eighteen, it had been sixteen years since then. Ming Yishu had often heard Jiang Qionghua curse her ancestors, and she never went to offer sacrifices during festivals. The entire manor held only her, with no other relatives, as if she were born into this world alone.

Impossible…

Ming Yishu didn’t know much about what had happened in those sixteen years. She had never asked Jiang Qionghua, not daring to tear open those wounds. But it wasn’t hard to imagine what it would take for Qionghua to abandon her entire family.

She blinked slowly, soothing the dryness in her eyes.

The note hidden in her sleeve was still there. While Jiang Qionghua was away, Ming Yishu quietly opened it.

It was a message from Ji Zijun.

Red Jade Tower—she had to leave the manor and go there to save someone.

The Mentor said someone would be there to meet her.

Ming Yishu stood up and went to the front of the cage. The door was not locked, clearly because the locking mechanism was too complex and bothersome, so Jiang Qionghua had discarded it.

But she still had chains on her ankles; she had to get the key. Ming Yishu suspected the key was on Qionghua’s person. She had to see her—as long as they met, she could find a way to get the key.

Ming Yishu forced herself to take a few steps and saw the lock outside the golden cage. The lock was a “Nine-Linked Rings” puzzle with hidden mechanisms; it had nine interlocking rings that required a specific skillful method to leverage and unlock. If even one ring was moved incorrectly, the whole process would fail, becoming tangled and requiring a restart. It was a fine way to pass leisure time, but if one needed to unlock it in a hurry, it would only get more confusing and frustrating.

As luck would have it, she had seen videos of this type of Kongming lock online and knew how to solve it.

She hadn’t expected to see such a lock in person in ancient times, and Jiang Qionghua didn’t know how to use it…

Ming Yishu looked down at the lock on the floor, thinking that she could trick Jiang Qionghua into the cage and lock her inside. That way, she could leave the Prime Minister’s manor.

If the Mentor’s people were waiting outside to meet her, it wouldn’t be hard to get away.

Jiang Qionghua walked toward the door carrying some light snacks. Suddenly remembering something, she instructed the secret guards: “If anyone sends things to Ming Yishu in secret from now on, just pretend you don’t know. Do not disturb them.”

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