Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 105

Two guards were still stationed outside the Yu household. The villagers, afraid of getting caught up in trouble, dared not visit, and the Yu family themselves couldn’t leave. They anxiously hoped the He family would place all the blame on Yu Jiao, so they could distance themselves cleanly from the affair.

Because Yu Qizhe defied advice and went to the He residence to find Yu Jiao, Yu Ruhai was furious. He wished more than anything to sever all ties with Yu Jiao, yet Yu Qizhe insisted on getting the family involved. As a result, Yu Ruhai had been treating the second branch of the family with a sour face for days. Old Madam Yu had also taken it out on Song-shi, constantly giving her attitude and scolding her several times.

Though it had only been three days, it felt like an eternity to Yu Ruhai and his wife. They lived in constant fear, afraid to even leave the main hall. At the slightest noise outside the courtyard gate, they were scared stiff, terrified the He family would return to drag Yu Ruhai away again.

“Whoa!” The coachman pulled the reins, bringing the carriage to a halt outside the Yu residence. He dismounted and said to Yu Jiao inside, “Miss Meng, we’ve arrived.”

Yu Qizhe lifted the curtain and stepped out first. He then turned back and extended a long, slender, fair hand toward Yu Jiao. She hesitated briefly before placing her hand in his and stepping down from the carriage.

The two gate guards, who recognized the coachman, initially thought he had come with new orders from their master. But when they saw Yu Jiao, who had been taken away by the steward just days ago, stepping out of the carriage, they couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

The coachman, having received instructions from He Dongsheng beforehand, approached the two gatekeepers and whispered, “The master said to continue guarding the Yu house, but to treat Miss Meng with respect.”

One of them, a bit quicker on the uptake, smiled and asked, “Mind giving us a heads-up? What exactly does ‘respect’ mean here, so we don’t step out of line?”

The coachman, who had shared drinks with them before and worked alongside them at the He residence, leaned in and replied, “Our old master’s been improving thanks to Miss Meng’s prescriptions. I reckon once he recovers, the master will call you two back.”

“Got it! Thanks for the tip,” one of the guards responded with a grin.

The coachman then turned to Yu Jiao with a smile. “Miss Meng, I’ll head back now and report to the master.”

Yu Jiao thanked him, which left the coachman a little flustered. He quickly waved his hands. “No need to be so polite, Miss Meng.”

Inside the Yu courtyard, from the moment the carriage wheels rumbled outside, the main hall had gone dead silent. Yu Ruhai looked terrified, pale-faced, gripping the arms of his wooden chair tightly.

Old Madam Yu listened intently to the muffled voices outside but couldn’t make out anything clear.

Then, the courtyard gate creaked open. Yu Ruhai jolted in fear and jumped to his feet, ready to flee into the east wing. But Old Madam Yu fixed her eyes on the entrance. When she saw it was Yu Qizhe and Yu Jiao walking in, she immediately stopped her panicked husband.

“Old man, it’s Fifth Boy and that Meng girl. They’ve come back,” she murmured in a daze.

“Are there any He family members with them?” Yu Ruhai halted and asked nervously.

Seeing Yu Jiao shut the courtyard gate behind her, Old Madam Yu finally let out a breath. “Just the two of them. No one else.”

Yu Ruhai wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and slumped back into his chair, finally relaxing. He looked up and confirmed it really was just the two of them, and his pounding heart finally settled.

Yu Jiao and Yu Qizhe headed straight to the east room. Inside, Madam Song was stitching shoe soles. When the curtain was suddenly lifted and she saw the two of them walk in, she was so overwhelmed with joy she pricked her own hand with the needle, yet didn’t seem to feel any pain. She jumped up, exclaiming,

“Qizhe, Meng girl you’re back? Were you frightened? Did the He family treat you badly? Why did they let you go?”

Her concern was so natural that Yu Jiao couldn’t help but be reminded of her own mother. A wave of bittersweet warmth surged in her chest. She shook her head and glanced down at Madam Song’s pricked finger as she replied, “The old master of the He family’s illness isn’t incurable. There’s a prescription that works. The He family didn’t make things difficult for me.”

Yu Mengshan didn’t show his emotions as obviously, but he chimed in, “It’s good you’re back, good that you’re back.”

Hearing the commotion, Yu Fuling hurried in from the side room, her little face full of excitement. “You and Little Brother finally came back! Dad and Mom have been worried sick these past few days.”

The day the He family had stormed into the Yu house, Yu Fuling had been out gathering pigweed at the foot of the mountain. When she returned and heard Yu Jiao had been taken away, she was furious at her grandfather. He was the one who had treated the He family originally and made a hefty sum from it, he’d been overjoyed at the time. But the moment something went wrong, he pushed all the blame onto Yu Jiao. It was shameless.

Yu Jiao could feel their genuine concern and smiled. Seeing that Madam Song’s finger wasn’t seriously hurt, she gently released her warm hand.

Before they could say more, Old Madam Yu’s voice called from outside the curtain, “Fifth Boy, Meng girl, your grandfather wants to see you. He has a few questions.”

“You get some rest,” Yu Jiao said, stuffing the inkstick and paper she had bought into Yu Qizhe’s hands. Looking up at him, she added, “I’ll decoct your medicine in a bit.”

Yu Qizhe, sensing she had a plan, nodded. Yu Jiao lifted the bamboo curtain and followed Old Madam Yu to the main hall.

Yu Ruhai sat upright, trying to maintain composure. When he saw Yu Jiao enter, he lifted his heavy eyelids and impatiently asked, “Why did the He family let you go? How is their old master’s health?”

Yu Jiao replied calmly, “The old master is not fully recovered yet. Master He told me to return home for now.”

Yu Ruhai’s face instantly changed. He had assumed Yu Jiao had cured the old master. After all, judging by how aggressive the He family had been that day, it didn’t make sense for them to let her go otherwise.

Now, upon hearing that she hadn’t cured the old master, Yu Ruhai’s tone immediately turned sharp. “What does the He family mean by this? Are they not going to pursue the matter?”

He feared the He family had released Yu Jiao only to build a case against him. What if she had said something to He Dongsheng that made them shift blame onto him?

Yu Jiao instantly saw through his nervous scheming and let out a faint, cold smile. “I don’t know what Master He’s intentions are.”

She didn’t plan to let Yu Ruhai off easily. Besides, the old master’s condition hadn’t fully improved yet, so she wasn’t lying.

Yu Ruhai, as a doctor, knew full well that the old master’s pulse and symptoms differed greatly from Mu Yan’s, yet he had still greedily taken the consultation fee and written a prescription. That was his professional negligence.

Many truly skilled physicians had been ruined by quacks who passed themselves off as equals, only to cause medical disputes later.

Yu Ruhai’s face grew even darker at her answer. He asked in a low voice, “He didn’t say anything else?”

“No,” Yu Jiao said flatly.

Yu Ruhai stared at her, stunned, a deep sense of dread sinking in. It’s over, he thought. ‘The He family probably won’t let me off easy.’

Old Madam Yu, frowning tightly as she listened, leaned in and whispered to Yu Ruhai, “Old man, we can’t keep this troublemaker around. We need to cut ties with Meng Yujiao immediately.”