Chapter 9: Old Ailments
Seeing her granddaughter still wearing the veil, the Duchess of the State said, “Li’er, there’s no one else here. Take off the veil and let your grandmother see.”
She had heard that her granddaughter’s face was ruined, but had never seen to what extent.
Her heart ached deeply.
Her Li’er had been so beautiful. Although she was only eleven or twelve before, she had already grown into a graceful, delicate young woman.
If she had reached the age of marriage, no doubt many suitors would have lined up at the gates of the Minister’s residence, eager to ask for her hand.
Who would have thought something like this would happen…
Seeing the Duchess and her aunt with sorrowful eyes filled with heartache, Su Li’s heart warmed.
Slowly, she removed the veil.
“Hiss!” Wei Yuanyao gasped in shock.
She hadn’t expected her cousin’s scar to be so long, stretching from the corner of her right eye all the way down to her chin.
Because Su Li’s skin was fair and delicate, the scar appeared even more conspicuous and ugly, like a centipede crawling across her face.
No wonder her cousin had been so upset. Su Li had once been a peerless beauty, and now she had turned into this. If it were her, she wouldn’t want to face anyone either.
The resentment in her heart had long been replaced by sympathy.
“Cousin, is it true that the scar can’t be removed?” Wei Yuanyao stepped forward, gently covering her hand, offering silent comfort.
Wang Shi sighed, “Sigh, I’ve heard that your uncle invited the head physician of the Imperial Medical Bureau, but even he is powerless.”
Seeing the Duchess with tears in her eyes, Su Li quickly put the veil back on. She stepped forward, squatting in front of her and holding her hand, saying, “Grandmother, don’t be sad. Over the past year, I haven’t been idle in the manor. I’ve gone through my father’s medical books and found a method to treat the face. In a month, the scar will be gone.”
The Duchess assumed this was just an excuse her granddaughter had made up to console her, not wanting her to feel sad.
“Li’er, although a woman’s appearance is important, character and knowledge are more important than beauty. Even if my Li’er loses her beauty, so what? I’ll surely find you a good match!”
Su Li knew that her grandmother didn’t believe she could heal her face, especially since even the head physician couldn’t fix it.
Su Li said, “Grandmother, I’m not lying to you. If you don’t believe me, ask Mo Hua and the others. They saw me save someone with their own eyes.”
Mo Hua quickly stepped forward and said, “Old Madam, it’s true. Our young lady even saved a child on the street yesterday who had accidentally eaten golden grass!”
The Duchess’ eyes lit up, but after a moment of thought, she became even more skeptical.
If it were any other poison, it would be fine, but golden grass poison was incurable.
The Duchess and Wang Shi didn’t believe it, but Wei Yuanyao did.
“Grandmother, mother, cousin has always been clever. She wouldn’t lie.”
Su Li looked at the Duchess and said, “Grandmother, weren’t you saying that your legs hurt so much you couldn’t even walk? I have a set of techniques that can ease your pain. With the help of some medicinal soup, you’ll be able to walk briskly in less than half a month.”
The Duchess stroked her knee with a bitter smile. “Don’t try to comfort me, old woman. This is a long-standing ailment.”
Su Li replied, “Let me try for you, Grandmother. If I’m lying, you’ll know soon enough.”
Seeing how confident she was, Wang Shi also persuaded, “Mother, why not let Li’er give it a try? It might really help!”
Wei Yuanyao added, “Grandmother, trying it won’t hurt.”
The Duchess saw that everyone was looking at her expectantly and relented. “Fine, try it then. Li’er, don’t feel burdened by this. This is a stubborn ailment, and if it doesn’t work, it’s no big deal.”
Su Li nodded and moved forward to roll up the Duchess’ pants leg.
The Duchess’ leg condition was indeed serious; her lower legs were covered with bulging veins and swollen blood vessels.
Su Li applied gentle pressure using her unique finger techniques.
At first, the Duchess felt some pain, but gradually, she seemed to adjust and didn’t feel pain anymore, even starting to feel a little comfortable.
After a quarter of an hour, Su Li stopped and looked up. “Grandmother, do you feel any better? Is your calf warm?”
The Duchess was surprised to find that her calf did indeed feel warm. The most surprising thing was that her feet had warmed up as well!
Even in the summer heat, her feet had always been cold.
Wang Shi and Wei Yuanyao looked on curiously.
“This is amazing! It really works!” the Duchess exclaimed.
Wang Shi quickly stepped forward. “Li’er, do it again! I want to learn it properly so I can give it to Mother.”
Wei Yuanyao squatted down too. “I want to learn as well!”
Seeing her daughter-in-law and the two young girls being so filial, the Duchess smiled with pleasure.
Su Li did it again, explaining as she worked.
Once the two of them had a good grasp of the technique, Su Li stood up. “After doing this a couple of times, you’ll be familiar with it. Just do it several times a day. I’ll prepare a prescription, and in less than half a month, Grandmother’s leg condition will improve!”
The Duchess was so happy that her face flushed with excitement.
“This is wonderful! At first, I didn’t believe that Li’er could heal her face, but now I believe it!”
Wei Yuanyao smiled. “Once cousin heals her face, she’ll definitely be a great beauty. The top four beauties in the capital won’t even compare!”
They all believed her, as Wei Yuanyao’s mother, Wei Shu, had been a famous beauty in the capital when she was young.
Su Li smiled, wrote out a prescription, and handed it to a maid to fetch the medicine.
The group chatted happily for a while before the maid came to announce that lunch was ready.
“Li’er, come, today Auntie specifically asked the kitchen to make all your favorite dishes,” Wang Shi said with a smile.
“Thank you, Auntie.”
They all went to the dining hall together, washed their hands, and were about to eat.
“Just in time, Zi Yan has arrived!” a pleasant male voice called out.
Su Li stiffened. She had said she would wait until the antidote was ready before meeting him, but they had run into each other so soon.
Jun Mo, styled Zi Yan.
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