She said, "There’s also the matter of the Emperor taking me away; I’m sure my disciple Youyou is worried. Please ask someone to send her a message telling her not to fret. And then there’s my cousin still in the palace. My aunt had wanted me to check on her, but now with what has happened, could you possibly take care of her?"
Jin Zijin laughed gently and said warmly, "Where did you find all these concerns? I’ll pass along the message to the Princess, but as for looking after your cousin, forget about it. Don’t underestimate your aunt; she grew up in that kind of family and is quite formidable."
"...Oh, alright then!"
Madam Lin quickly found another good match for Gu Youyou, only to be told that she had been summoned by Dao Sect to Sanqing Temple to treat Tian Jizi, and would not return for an indefinite period.
This made her furious.
"I’ve always said Youyou, a young lady, should not be practicing medical skills. Now look what’s happened: the Empress Dowager falls ill and they have her treat her, and what about those Dao Family people? Aren’t they supposed to be very skilled? Can’t they just burn some talismans and chant some spells to make it right? Now they’re also letting her treat illnesses and her return is indefinite—they’re really treating her like a proper doctor?
Lin Xingyi said, "Youyou is indeed a doctor; if she isn’t treating people, what else should she do? You interfered in her marriage arrangements despite being told not to; now let’s see how you’ll step down from this."
While they were speaking, a servant timidly came to report, "Master, Madam, a Daoist boy from Sanqing Temple has arrived, he says... he’s come to pick up some daily necessities for Miss Cousin."
Madam Lin replied irritably, "What for? Didn’t they just come to pick up some a few days ago?"
Madam Lin was in a bad mood, which made the servants’ lives difficult too. He could only brace himself and said, "He says the Heavenly Master is returning to Qi Mountain, and Miss Cousin is currently treating the Heavenly Master, so she must go to Qi Mountain as well. Therefore... they have asked for some clothes to be prepared to take with them..."
Madam Lin, frustrated, slapped the table. "What is this all about? Does the Dao Family think they’re so incredible that they don’t even ask if others agree?"
Despite her words, they were helpless.
After all, they were dealing with someone personally taken away by the Emperor; if the Emperor didn’t say anything, what could they do?
Lin Xingyi ordered, "Go find Xiang Chun, tell her to pack up and accompany Miss Cousin to Qi Mountain."
Meanwhile, Gu Youyou took the opportunity to draw four sets of clothing patterns for the season, as well as prepare the materials needed for these clothes. Everything was ready, and she was waiting for them to be delivered to Jinxiu City.
Producing five or six sets of clothes each season should suffice.
Additionally, she had prepared two months’ worth of medicine and was just waiting for the Lin Family to deliver her things before she could possibly follow Tian Jizi to Dao Sect’s ancestral land, Qi Mountain.
On the day of her departure, a Daoist boy informed Gu Youyou that Madam Lu had come to visit, asking if she would see her.
Gu Youyou remembered that Madam Lu had likely finished the medicine she prescribed a few days ago. It would be good to meet her, evaluate the effectiveness of those medicines, and prescribe the next course of treatment.
"Please let her in," she said.
Jin Zijin had arranged for her to stay in a secluded courtyard within Sanqing Temple, where the tranquil environment was suitable for her to draw clothing patterns and make antidotes.
It wasn’t long before the Daoist boy brought Madam Lu over.
Behind them followed two house servants, dragging a sack that seemed to be carrying a person.
This frightened Gu Youyou considerably, and she quickly asked, "Madam Lu, what’s going on here?" And why are you dragging someone?
Madam Lu gave a signal to the two house servants, who immediately understood and opened the sack.
Gu Youyou looked towards the sack. Inside was indeed a person, a woman so brutally beaten that her features were unrecognizable, her mouth stuffed with cloth. Though her face was unclear, she looked very young.