The Chief Minister's Ferocious Wife

231 You Suspected Xie Jun?

Chuchu put the pouch away and said to the Third Prince, “If you feel uncomfortable, just come to me at Lengshui Village. However, I don’t want to get into trouble, so please keep it low-profile when you come.”

“I will.” The Third Prince nodded his head.

“Then, farewell.” Chuchu turned around and left.

The Third Prince did not speak for a long time and was just looking outside the door.

“Third Brother, do you believe her?” Qiao Heting broke the silence.

The Third Prince replied, “Zhao Chuchu has grown up in Lengshui Village since she was a child and has never left there. Her parents are also honest farmers. There is nothing wrong with her.”

“But her medical skill was still questionable…”

“Maybe she has a talent for it?”

“What about Xie Heng?”

“Xie Heng? He’s smart, and the farthest place he’s ever been in his life is probably Qiaoyi Town. But you have to be careful with him. He’s not mediocre.”

“So, is he related to the Imperial City?”

“He can’t be working for the Great Prince, but it is strange that Sikou Qin suddenly gets close to him. It’s a pity that Sikou Qin is dead. Otherwise, we could get some information from her.”

After saying that, as if he suddenly remembered something, the Third Prince fell into deep thought.

“What are you thinking about, Third Brother?”

“Have you seen Xie Jun?”

The third prince raised a question abruptly.

“Yes, I have.”

“Is there anything suspicious about him?”

“He has been sick and he looks like a child of seven or eight years old. There is no suspicion regarding him.”

“Isn’t he 10 years old this year?”

“Well, Third Brother, you suspected Xie Jun?”

“I wish he was my ninth brother. In that case, he would be safe. But the age is not right… Well, did you say Xie Jun looks only seven or eight years old?”

“Right, but his illness is different from yours, Third Brother.”

“Ugh.”

The Third Prince sighed.

Back then, his ninth brother had left the Imperial City to the north, and the survivors who were present at his ninth brother’s accident were found last year. They also proved that those people had taken his ninth brother to the north, so how could he have ended up thousands of miles away in the south?

“Heting, why don’t you double-check Xie Jun and see if there is any doubt about where he comes from?”

Qiao Heting initially wanted to talk him into giving up, but when he thought of the Third Prince’s health, he held those words back.

He knew very well that the Ninth Prince was the biggest wish of the Third Prince, who wanted to find his brother in his lifetime.

It was a pity that there was no news after so many years, and even the clues were lost.

“I see, Third Brother. But Zhao Chuchu cured the strange disease in Qiaoyi Town. I’m afraid that someone doesn’t want her to live.” Qiao Heting was worried.

After all, the Third Prince was a thorn in the eyes of many people.

Also, many people would be afraid of a doctor like Zhao Chuchu.

“I will protect her family,” the Third Prince said. “We can’t let them kill such a great doctor because of their selfishness.”

“But Third Brother, your body…”

“Didn’t Zhao Chuchu say that? I still have several years to live.”

Hearing this, Qiao Heting smiled faintly and pursed his lips without speaking.

“Heting, since you’re begging them, you have to trust them, and even more so, don’t question them behind their backs. Otherwise, you’ll be killed by her. She doesn’t have a good temper.” The Third Prince laughed.

Qiao Heting’s forehead wrinkled.

“Those people in Heyang Village, she had never treated them, right?”

“Third Brother, I…”

“Okay, I know what you mean. Don’t mention this matter again in the future. I’ll go back to the Imperial City first and find all the medicines of the prescription. To be honest, I’m afraid of dying too.”

“You won’t die, Third Brother.”

Once getting into this part, Qiao Heting’s heart ached.

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. He could only watch the Third Prince suffer.

If not for his health, he should be the current crown prince instead of the cocky Great Prince.

Maybe the Third Prince was too excellent, so heaven did this to him.

He hoped that Zhao Chuchu could cure the Third Prince. Even if only for a few years, they still had time to continue looking for a way to cure him.

When Chuchu returned to the inn from the village, Xie Heng was still awake.

“It’s already too late. Why aren’t you sleeping?” Seeing him wide awake, she frowned. “You haven’t had a good rest during this time. Even the strongest man can’t withstand such exhaustion.”

“There is no harm in staying up late one more night.” Xie Heng got up and took Chuchu’s medicine box. “You’ve been running around all night. Go and sleep first. I’ll keep watch.”

“Won’t you ask me about it?”

“It’s just what I know. It is the same whether you tell me or not.”

Chuchu said, “The Third Prince could live only a few years. There is nothing I can do.”

...

“Just do your best. Don’t overthink,” Xie Heng comforted her. “Even if you give more, the others may not appreciate it and may even take it for granted.”

“Just think of it as a doing for Junjun.”

“Well, get some rest first. We’ll talk about what we have later.”

Seeing that Xie Heng insisted, she didn’t say anything else.

After washing her face, she went to bed.

Only after Chuchu fell asleep did Xie Heng sit down to rest, still watching over Chuchu and Xie Jun.

During the next journey, they were followed and watched by the stalkers.

Xie Heng continued the original plan and took Xie Jun to let him see the lives of ordinary people so that he could better understand them.

This journey took nearly 20 days. They even spent Mid-Autumn Festival during the trip.

The three of them returned to the village. Niu Tongsheng, who was working in the field, hurriedly ran to Xie’s house when he heard the news.

Old Mrs. Chen had already arrived.

...

“You are finally back. People came to our village almost daily during this period, and even the county office sent people several times. Chuchu, do you know how much rice you have harvested? You didn’t plant much, but the harvest almost caught up with the first-half harvest of the whole village!”

Old Mrs. Chen looked excited.

“My family only planted one block of field, and the harvest is already better than the previous year’s. Also, the rice is especially fragrant! We also used your seedlings for the late rice, so I won’t be afraid if I would go hungry next year!”

“So much?” Chuchu was a little surprised.

“Of course. Would I lie to you?” Old Mrs. Chen beamed with pleasure. “Chuchu, you are so competent. If you still have the rice seeds for next year, even if it costs 10 taels of silver per catty, I will buy it!”

“Da Lang, Chuchu, you’re finally back!” Niu Tongsheng’s voice arrived before he came in. “I didn’t send the rice over when it was collected because you were not home. It’s put away in my house. You’d better free up a room for storage.”

Niu Tongsheng strode inside, smiling with the joy of harvest.

“Our sorghum and soybeans grow well too. The restaurant owners and many businessmen came to order our tofu skins. Now, the watermill is bustling and hustling day and night. I want to invite more people to visit the watermill, but you have not returned. I don’t dare to make the decision.”

While saying this, he handed them the account book to check the water mill’s income for the previous month.