18 Sick?

As they stepped out of the courtyard, Huan Meirong stopped and said, "Right, you keep this, Zhi'er." She passed to him the little sac with silver coins. She was blind so she wasn't going to be the one who pays; even if she knew that the most powerful person in this city was the City Lord, it wouldn't be smart of her to spread her soul force outside as there could be someone more powerful out there.

"Aye." Zhi'er took the little sac and kept it inside the outside part of his worn-out servant robes.

He turned back to see his miss but he saw she was already more than ten steps ahead and that there was a foot-sized stone on her way; with just three steps, she will be tripping with it.

His heart jolted and he gave long strides to catch up with her, screaming, "A rock! Eldest miss, careful."

Huan Meirong already knew that, she was using her soul force at the moment after all but only a meter around her. When she had spread her soul force yesterday, she had memorized where the buildings and paths of this house were but she didn't remember some inanimate things like rocks and the like as her memory was good but not that good; hence, she had spread her soul sense but was going to retrieve before even giving a step outside. Even so, she stopped at Zhi'ers call.

"Eldest miss must wait for Zhi'er to lead the way and… and…" He was about to say to hold onto him and was about to take her hand for him to guide her but how could he say it? He had had close contact with the miss before but it was per her orders, how could he put forward such a thing?

Huan Meirong saw his action and knew what he was thinking so she placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "Alright, Zhi'er can guide my direction but… don't ever say what I must or mustn't do." That 'must' that Zhi'er had told before had been hovering around her head. As someone who had had prominent positions on her past life, she didn't like when someone told her what to do; only little people could make her listen like her father or the one she had blindly loved but that was if she wasn't against it.

After all, in her past life, at first, her father had been against her relationship with the Crown Prince but she had fallen in love with him that she had an argument with her father until she was able to convince him and have his full support. Thinking about it, she should have listened to him.

"Huh? Aye, aye…" Zhi'er nodded. He didn't understand at all as he had been so agitated before and then focused on other thoughts that he had already forgotten what he had said but still, he acknowledged her words; he can't say must or mustn't.

She also nodded and let herself be led by him which made her slow her already slow pace. Therefore, it took them more than an hour to reach the west gate.

As they were just twenty or so steps from the gate, both of them heard hurried footsteps, wheels and the sound of horseshoes. They pocked their ears to listen and see if they could inquire about such occurrence. And they could, they heard the gatekeepers' conversation.

"Wasn't that Doctor Sima? Why so many doctors, I think the one before was Doctor Ma."

*Cough*

"It seems that is true."

"What's true?"

"In my way here for the shift of guards, I heard from a maidservant that the third miss got a loose bowel. They had been calling doctor after doctor but no one can cure her. They invited Doctor Tao as well, but he had gone back to his medical research at closed doors and couldn't be brought over."

"Is the third miss that sick?"

"Yes, yes, yes… the City Lord have already ordered to check up the kitchen and…" the guard who was talking closed his mouth when he saw a young woman dressed in a slightly white robe with a little kid. He hadn't seen the young woman but he recognised the little kid; moreover, she had her eyes closed and was being led by the child so it wasn't difficult for him to guess her identity. He called respectfully without thinking twice, "Seen the eldest miss."

Not only was the guard himself and his fellow companion startled but also a Huan Meirong who was sneering in her heart at the fate of Huan Meiqi. She couldn't believe that someone will call her respectfully.

The other guard reacted slowly. He turned back and fixed his eyes on the white-robed maiden, she had a beautiful face and an impeccable appearance despite her not-so-good gown. It was a strange contrast that didn't diminish the noble and pristine air he was feeling. He thought, 'A miss of a big family is still a well-bred miss regardless of whatever others could say,' and quickly called, "Seen the eldest miss."

She was startled once again, though her semblance didn't show it. She could pass the first greeting like a call due to his surprise but the second one… it couldn't be a mistake anymore. What she couldn't guess was that even though she was blind and dressed in worn-out clothes, her high-above-all air and calmness of an Empress was still present.

She gave a slight nod in reply and went through the gate with Zhi'ers help.

Both guards diverted their gazes until the white figure was out form their sight. The guard to first salute said with his always lively voice, "Our eldest miss seems to not be like the rumours but…"

"Shhh… Wei Min, you know that that isn't something to talk about outside these walls," his partner on vigil who was older said. Even so, he nodded in reply and asked, "Should we report?"

The guard called Wei Min gave it a thought before replying in a low voice, "No. Looking at her clothing, her treatment by the City Lord must be as the rumours say so… better not to."

The older guard pondered on it with a frown before looking to his companion. They looked at each other and finally, they shook their heads simultaneously and their attention went back to keep a good watch on their gate.