Dai Marquis Residence
A somewhat worn ox cart stopped before the gates of the Dai Marquis Residence in Wanglu Ward. This area was surrounded by grand estates, and patrols of soldiers passed by one after another. Security was extremely tight.
The driver took odd jobs, and the sight of the place made him shrink back three parts in fear. After taking the fare from the woman getting down, he hurried away.
The woman wore plain cotton clothes, a pale blue skirt below, and her black hair was pinned with only a silver hairpin. Her skin was fair and clean. Though she did not look like a lady from a wealthy household and carried a coarse cloth bundle over her arm, she was neat and tidy.
After paying the fare, she paid no attention to the driver racing off in his cart. She merely stood before the manor gates, raised her head to look at the Dai Marquis Residence, and hesitation appeared on her face.
As she lingered there, two more ox carts stopped one after the other. Several children climbed down from the first cart and were led into the residence. Their clothes and grooming were all quite ordinary, yet they showed no fear of this grand estate and simply went inside.
A doctor came down from the second cart, accompanied by a medicine boy. The boy was around ten and carried a medicine case, while the doctor appeared to be over fifty, his hair streaked with gray. As he passed her, the scent of medicinal herbs that had seeped into him over many years drifted into her nose.
"Could someone be ill?"
That guess dispelled the hesitation from the woman's face. Gritting her teeth, she walked straight up the steps. Just as she was about to explain why she