Li Man'er frowned slightly and shook her head. "Young Master Xiao isn't at the yamen, nor is he at the military camp. What about the other members of the Xiao family? Where have they all gone? It's not like they'd let Xiao Qiniang handle all the state affairs, would they?"
Li Shu also felt that something was amiss but couldn't quite figure it out.
To be honest, the Xiao family's roots in Mobei ran too deep. For them, newcomers, even if they wanted to dig, they wouldn't be able to find anything.
"Father, you should focus on recovering your health first. We need someone in charge, and it's best to quickly consolidate those tens of thousands of troops. Don't forget, this is still the Xiao family's territory. They claim to have two hundred thousand troops. If your condition drags on, the tens of thousands of troops you brought might change allegiance to the Xiao family tomorrow."
Li Shu heartily agreed, "It was my oversight; I fell into their trap."
It was rare for him to admit his mistakes.
Li Man'er asked Liu Ya to bring the medicine box. As she took out needles, she said, "To recover quickly, acupuncture is necessary."
Li Shu detested acupuncture the most. He felt like a hedgehog when he was needled all over. And every time the needle was inserted, it had to brush against the skin, right? He didn't know when he was unconscious, but after waking up, he always felt a bit awkward about his daughter needling him.
Li Man'er held a silver needle and saw Li Shu's constipated expression, knowing what he was thinking.
"Father, I am a physician. Shunning medicine when one is ill is not a good thing."
Li Shu coughed twice to cover his embarrassment and said, "No, you're thinking too much."
"Then lie down properly. Today's acupuncture is a bit different from usual; it needs to be done from the back of the head all the way to the back."
Li Shu had no choice but to resignedly take off his upper garment and lie face down on the kang, not daring to look up.
Li Man'er started needling from his head. With each insertion, she channeled the Xuan Qi contained in her fingertips through the silver needle into the acupoint.
Li Shu felt pain and numbness at the points where the needles were inserted, and an intense heat that was hard to bear. Fortunately, he was a military man with a strong will and didn't dwell on such minor matters, enduring it.
Li Man'er's acupuncture treatment for Li Shu today was quite taxing. After half an hour, she felt a little weak and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, taking a handkerchief from Liu Ya to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
Li Shu had already fallen asleep.
"Miss, why were you so tired today?"
"The acupuncture technique is different, and it consumes more energy," Li Man'er said. "The technique is crucial; too light or too heavy won't do." Moreover, she had used a significant amount of Xuan Qi today, naturally draining her mental energy.
Liu Ya didn't understand but nodded, "Miss, please rest in the corner for a while. I'll keep watch and wake you when it's time."
Li Man'er leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and dozed off.
After another half an hour, Li Man'er removed the needles one by one and asked Liu Ya to fetch boiling water to disinfect them.
At this moment, Jiao Niang also returned, carrying eight bundles of medicine for Li Man'er to inspect.
Li Man'er opened all the medicine bundles and carefully examined each herb.
Jiao Niang seemed a little nervous, not daring to take a breath.
Li Man'er smiled, "The herbs are good, all top quality."
"Of course, for the Marquis, I wouldn't dare to be negligent," Jiao Niang said, glancing at Li Shu. Unfortunately, Li Shu had already fallen asleep and was now sleeping soundly under a quilt.
"Liu Ya, you and Jiao Niang go back and get our medicine pot from our room."
"I can go by myself."
Li Man'er glanced at her, "Go together."
Liu Ya's heart skipped a beat, cursing herself for being foolish. If the young lady said so, she must have her reasons. How dare she question her? Was she tired of living?
"Yes, I'll go now." Liu Ya nodded at Jiao Niang, "Let's go, and be quick."
"Okay."
The two bowed and withdrew.
Once Li Man'er confirmed no one was around, she waved her hand and collected all the medicinal herbs on the table into her space.
The herbs themselves were fine, but the paper used to wrap them was a major issue. The reed paper had been soaked in a medicinal solution. While the solution wasn't poison, it would affect the efficacy of the herbs, causing Li Shu to merely drink medicine without getting cured.
What a malicious tactic. This was clearly intended to keep Li Shu bedridden in the Xiao family's care.
Without a doubt, this was Xiao Qiniang's doing. Only a girl like her, who considered herself clever but lacked foresight, would resort to such a method that didn't cause overt harm.
Did she think that if Li Shu remained unconscious, it would prevent her from disrupting the Xiao family's plans?
Fortunately, she had these herbs in her space.
Li Man'er prepared the medicine in her space and re-wrapped the herbs, placing them back on the table.
When Liu Ya and Jiao Niang returned, Li Man'er handed a bundle of medicine to Liu Ya, instructing her not to leave the medicine pot unattended while decocting it.
Liu Ya was used to such tasks and agreed.
Li Man'er took away the remaining medicine, clearly wanting to prevent tampering. Seeing her vigilance, Jiao Niang's uneasy heart finally settled.
Li Man'er surely hadn't noticed anything. Given her personality, if she had, she would have caused a huge scene.
This way, she could rest assured.
Li Man'er was about to leave but suddenly turned around and stared intently at Jiao Niang.
Jiao Niang was startled, "Young lady, is there something?" With a guilty conscience, she thought she had been exposed.
"Is there any news about Doctor Feng?"
Jiao Niang shook her head. So, it was about this.
"What a shame," Li Man'er clicked her tongue. "A good apprentice is gone. But he was so ugly, it's fine if he's gone."
This time, Li Man'er truly left.
Jiao Niang breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Li Shu, and resignedly went to boil water.
Although he was awake, she no longer had to serve him closely or wash him, which made her life much easier. However, her interaction with Li Shu had also decreased significantly.
Alas! Jiao Niang was quite melancholic, unsure whether to cry or laugh.
Li Man'er returned to her small courtyard alone. She put the herbs into her space and then took out an object.
It was a strangely shaped item. People of this era wouldn't recognize it, but Li Man'er was very familiar with it.
A portable ultraviolet lamp, small and easy to carry. Most importantly, it was charged by a solar panel, making it usable even in ancient times.
When Xiao Qiniang had visited her earlier, she had sprinkled a lot of fluorescent powder on Xiao Qiniang's shoes. This powder only glowed under ultraviolet light. In her free time at night, she could use this lamp to go out and observe Xiao Qiniang's usual movements.
Perhaps she could analyze something from Xiao Qiniang's activity patterns.
Of course, this carried some risk. The light from the ultraviolet lamp might attract patrolling guards, but as long as she acted cautiously, it should be fine.
Li Man'er put away the lamp and quietly waited for nightfall.