Chapter 304
Chapter 304
"Impossible!"
"The pulse is normal, Furen Yan is out of danger. How...how is this possible?!" The royal physicians’ voices were filled with continuous astonishment. They couldn’t believe that Furen Mu had managed to save Furen Yan, who was on the brink of death. Such a situation was far from normal. It wasn’t just Furen Yan. Even if it were someone else, even the emperor, in such a condition, there would have been no way to save them—only allowing them to pass away peacefully. And yet... how had Furen Mu managed to save her?!
The royal physicians had mixed reactions. Those who held no initial bias against Yueqian were both surprised and excited. They were a group eager to learn and discover new treatment methods. Seeing that Furen Mu had a way to save Furen Yan that they couldn’t, they were genuinely intrigued.
However, there was another faction among the royal physicians. This group had opposed Yueqian from the start, disliking her assertive demeanor. They had previously proclaimed to everyone how arrogant Furen Mu was, stirring up considerable animosity. They hadn’t believed that Furen Mu could actually save anyone.
But now that the outcome was different from what they expected, it felt like they were repeatedly slapping their own faces. The arrogance, the accusations of incompetence, the claims of being all talk—weren’t these just reflections of themselves?
In the end, Furen Mu had done exactly what she said she would. When she claimed she could cure the illness, she truly did so. But what about those who slandered her? What are they now? Calling them clowns would be an understatement.
The embarrassment these royal physicians felt was immense. They wanted to bury their heads in the ground and disappear. They no longer wanted to stand there. If they could turn back time, they wouldn’t have stayed to witness Furen Mu’s supposed failure or waited to trample on her. They would have left immediately after stepping out of the room.
No! If they could truly turn back time, they wouldn’t have come to the Yan residence at all. They wouldn’t have tried to treat the illness and could have at least preserved their own reputations. Or they would go back to the moment before they arrogantly spoke out against Furen Mu, before they spread rumors to others. But of course, that was impossible. Their words had come back to haunt them.
"Royal physicians, my wife is safe, correct?" Official Yan asked, becoming even happier upon hearing the royal physicians’ assessments. Although Furen Mu had said his wife was safe, she had not yet regained consciousness, so he couldn’t fully accept that she was out of danger. But if the royal physicians confirmed it, that was more reassuring.
One of the physicians, who held no grudge, nodded with a smile. He was a friend of Official Yan and was genuinely happy to see his friend’s wife safe.
"Yes, she is safe. Congratulations." With this confirmation, Official Yan was overwhelmed with joy.
"Good, very good. Thank you so much, Furen Mu. Once my wife regains consciousness, I will have her thank you personally," Official Yan said happily.
The atmosphere was quite cheerful, although some faces were still gloomy. No one wanted to tarnish the royal physicians’ reputation further, recognizing their capabilities despite the recent mishap. It wasn’t a big deal that they couldn’t handle everything.
But the real trouble was only beginning. Just as the good news about Furen Yan’s recovery had calmed everyone, a servant in charge of helping the refugees stepped forward to report a dire situation.
"M-Master," the kitchen maid called to Official Yan, who was smiling broadly. This immediately made him pause, sensing something bad.
"What is it?"
"W-Well... the storage used to prepare food for the refugees has been completely damaged. That’s why we couldn’t provide lunch to them. Now, the refugees are in an uproar. If we can’t provide dinner as well, this issue might reach the Emperor’s ears."
When Official Yan heard this, a chill ran down his spine with fear. How could he not know how much the Emperor prioritized helping the people? Regardless of the troubles faced by the Yan family, their duty was to care for the hundreds of refugees.
This was a royal decree. The fire at the Yan residence was their own failure, so they needed to find a solution quickly. But how could they do that when all the storage was destroyed?!
"We must ensure the villagers get their dinner tonight. Contact all the inns and buy all their food for the villagers. No matter the cost," Official Yan decided firmly. Even if it meant a loss, they had to fulfill their duty.
"Y-yes, master," the servant, seeing a way out, ran off immediately. Official Yan felt as if his hair was falling out more than ever. It wasn’t as thick and dark as it used to be; even now, there were noticeable bald patches. If this continued, he would soon be completely bald.
"Getting through this evening is one thing, but what about tomorrow and the days after?" Hearing this, another official asked his friend, Official Yan, who could only shake his head. The dry food supplies were a significant issue. Even Furen Mu had faced difficulties initially.
But when Official Yan thought of Furen Mu, his eyes practically sparkled with an idea.
"Furen Mu! We might have to rely on you for this. The Yan family will surely owe you a great debt of gratitude," Official Yan said with a smile, though Yueqian’s expression didn’t brighten at all.
The next morning, Official Yan and his people arrived at Mu manor. Fortunately, Yueqian had ample space since it used to be an old palace. Accommodating another 100 people wouldn’t make the manor too cramped, although it meant more work. Originally managing over 400 people, they now had to handle another 400.
Official Yan and the Mu manor joined forces, combining the refugees into a single group. Though they had separate accommodations, they shared meals, significantly increasing the amount of food to prepare. However, Official Yan agreed to pay more, ensuring they had the necessary ingredients through his connections.
Though they lost all their supplies, they didn’t lose money!
"What will Furen Mu prepare for the refugees today?" Official Yan asked with interest.
Yueqian looked at the large kitchen area covering several hundred square wa in front of her before responding.
"Over there, they are making noodles from tapioca flour to ensure people feel full. These will be served with tofu and gravy. We also have baked mushrooms because we received a large amount from other regions. After the heavy rains, mushrooms sprouted abundantly in the mountains, making them quite affordable. This allows us to use them extensively without incurring high costs.
"For lunch, there will be chicken bone broth to provide additional nutrition and variety. For dinner, we’ll prepare fried garlic chives with seasonings, which not only had chives stuffed in it, but also other vegetables such as bamboo shoots, taro, and various herbs. This will help strengthen their bodies and reduce fatigue from their journey.”
"That’s all for today, so everyone has their designated tasks," Yueqian explained. Official Yan nodded happily upon hearing this.
He understood some parts and not others, but he knew that Furen Mu had a remarkable way of creating meals. Thus, he wasn’t worried; he only needed to supply her with more ingredients.
In the past few days, Official Yan had frequently visited Mu manor. His wife was recovering well but still struggled to walk properly, which concerned him. Furen Yan could leave the manor, but her husband insisted she rest a bit longer.
However, Official Yan’s frequent visits soon gave rise to malicious rumors!
Whenever a man and a woman spend time together, such rumors inevitably arise, especially since Furen Mu’s husband was away at war, leaving her seemingly alone. While Official Yan left his manor every day to visit Furen Mu, everyone noticed how close and friendly their relationship had become, and this led to a variety of speculations and gossip.
Yueqian didn’t think much of it. She was innocent, and she never met Official Yan in private; whenever they spoke, there were always many witnesses around. No one should have thought such things, and she knew exactly how these rumors started!
"I heard that Furen Mu is having an affair with Official Yan."
"What are you saying? They are just friends. Official Yan is a friend of Official Mu, ah, Deputy General Mu. So, it’s not strange that they are close."
"Furen Mu saved Furen Yan before. If they had bad intentions, wouldn’t it have been easier to let Furen Yan die?"
"Or maybe they didn’t have feelings for each other initially, but after Furen Mu saved Furen Yan, feelings developed. Official Yan would feel grateful to Furen Mu, and Furen Mu, seeing how much Official Yan loves his wife, would feel touched. Then they started visiting each other every day."
"That must be it. Otherwise, why are they so close?"
"But didn’t they join forces to help the refugees? Besides... if I were Furen Mu, I wouldn’t do something like that. She’s the first ranked furen and has a husband who is a deputy general. She’s destined to be a powerful person. Doing such a thing would be like jumping into a fire, wouldn’t it?"
"Oh! Don’t you know that men and women are like wind and fire? Being close can easily ignite something. And if Deputy General Mu doesn’t know, that’s the end of it, right? Meanwhile, Furen Mu might be lonely too."
"I really don’t think so. If I were lonely, I wouldn’t choose Official Yan. It would be better to find a handsome young man and keep it a secret, wouldn’t it?”
"How do you know? Maybe Furen Mu likes the thrill." The villagers spoke of the rumors in a lighthearted manner. Most didn’t believe it, treating it as a joke, but some twisted it to seem true.
A middle-aged woman with a headscarf, having listened to these rumors for a while, grew visibly displeased. Even though she knew it wasn’t true, women like her couldn’t trust anyone.
In the past, many had approached her with innocence and pity, some even people she had helped, but in the end, they betrayed her. So she wanted to see things with her own eyes.
Who knew what was really going on inside the Mu manor?! She had tried to follow her husband before, but he wouldn’t allow it. She thought he was just concerned for her, so he wouldn’t let her follow. But who would have thought such rumors would arise?
If he truly didn’t want her to follow just because he was happily spending time with Furen Mu, then...
"Furen, don’t listen to those rumors. Let’s go to Mu manor and see for ourselves."
"Yes, Furen. It was Furen Mu who saved you from danger. I don’t think she is that kind of malicious person."
"And the master isn’t that kind of person either. Furen, you must trust him," another servant interjected, trying to prevent their mistress from jumping to conclusions. However, one maid’s eyes sparkled and the corners of her mouth lifted briefly before returning to a neutral expression.
"But we must see it with our own eyes, miss. As the villagers said, it’s not appropriate for a man and woman to be together frequently. However, the master visits Furen Mu every day like this. And doesn’t Furen Mu know that Official Yan coming over daily might cause problems? Or maybe Furen Mu is planning something..."
The maid’s eyes reflected loyalty to her mistress, but the person she was referring to was not Official Yan or Furen Yan. Instead, it was someone in the palace with enough power to make her wealthy in the future if she extended her help!