Prince Shao lingered at his residence in Yandu Ward for two days, only returning to his manor on the evening of the third. He had climbed into the carriage unaided when he left, but on his return, he needed a eunuch and his wet nurse to support him before he could enter his room.
The maids lit the candles throughout the room. The eunuchs carefully helped their master recline on the bed and removed his outer robe and boots, while Madam Li called out repeatedly, ordering someone to fetch "Qilang" at once.
Li Yuanying looked dreadful. His head felt ready to split, and he was dazed and exhausted. Madam Li adjusted the cushions behind him, murmuring, "In my opinion, you should have taken her along. For the sake of your health alone, my lord, you must not be parted from her again."
Li Yuanying said quietly, "The affairs at that residence... I still cannot trust her with them."
Madam Li said, "She is a wanderer of the Rivers and Lakes without a scheming bone in her body. Promise her substantial rewards or a proper position, win her over, and keep her at your side from then on. What is there to worry about?"
Li Yuanying said nothing.
Madam Li privately reflected that his destiny was peculiar indeed. Cui Lingrong had often fallen ill after marrying him, and Yang Fangxie had withered like a fragrant blossom before she could even enter his household. Now the only person who could stay beside him was this outrageous woman with no restraint on her tongue, neither literate nor well-born. But matters had come to this, and there was truly little room to be choosy.
"How strange. Whenever Qilang is absent, my lord's illness worsens. Could some sinister practitioner really be using the Curse-Subduing Technique