This was no major issue for Madam Cui, and she naturally agreed.
"Very well, very well, I'll do as you say. I'll have someone harness the carriage later and have Wet Nurse Du personally escort someone to fetch Wet Nurse Wu back."
Li Man'er quickly stood up, adopting a proper posture. "I wouldn't dare trouble Grandmother. I wish to go myself. Firstly, your people represent your dignity. She is merely a wet nurse who made a mistake and was punished to the manor; she is hardly worth Grandmother's concern. I'll go, a few words of comfort won't be a big deal."
Madam Cui knew Li Man'er was playing a subtle game with her, but as her methods were neither particularly clever nor offensive, she didn't mind.
"Go! Take a few more people with you, don't go alone, and return early."
The Zun Kingdom was quite accommodating towards women. Young ladies from respectable families could go out often, and it wasn't unacceptable for women from common folk to show their faces for a living. On the contrary, if a woman could earn money with her own hands and contribute to the family's income, she would be held in higher regard.
Li Man'er thanked Madam Cui and added, "I'll go see Father first, then go to the manor to fetch the wet nurse. Grandmother, please rest assured, Father will wake up soon."
Madam Cui was very pleased with her decision, smiling, "Imperial Physician Duan is still at the residence, you don't need to worry too much."
"Yes, granddaughter will go now."
"Go!" Madam Cui raised her eyes, and Wet Nurse Wang immediately understood. She went to see Li Man'er off, her attitude extremely warm and attentive.
"Eldest Young Lady, this old servant will go arrange the carriage. As for the escort, four nannies and six guards, what do you think? For the maids serving you closely, you can choose from your own courtyard!"
Li Man'er naturally had no objections. "I'll do as Wet Nurse Wang says. I'll go see Father first."
"Yes, this old servant will go arrange it now."
The two parted ways, and Li Man'er, with Zi Yan, went to see Li Shu.
Although he hadn't woken up yet, his complexion was no different from that of a normal person. His breathing was steady, his pulse was calm, and waking up was only a matter of time.
Li Man'er looked at Duan Xukai's prescription. As expected, he was still taking a conservative approach. The dosages were just above the minimum required, no wonder Li Shu hadn't woken up.
But this was also good!
As Li Man'er turned to leave, she saw Duan Xu rushing over. His eyes lit up when he saw her. "Eldest Young Lady, where are you going?"
Duan Xu probably felt his words were a bit improper, so he quickly added, "Oh, what I mean is, if Eldest Young Lady is not busy, could you take a look at this medical case? I wonder if there are any improvements needed for the prescription I wrote?"
The servants of the Li residence, upon hearing this, had their eyes wide open as if they had seen a ghost. The esteemed Imperial Physician was asking for advice from their young lady, and he was putting himself in such a humble position!
Li Man'er didn't offer any corrections. "Imperial Physician Duan, you don't have to be this way. This humble girl is unlearned and has much to learn. Imperial Physician Duan, you are experienced. For such a minor ailment, your medicine will surely be effective. I have already taken Father's pulse. His pulse is steady, the internal heat has subsided, and he is much better. If my guess is correct, he will wake up as early as tonight, or at the latest, tomorrow morning."
Duan Xu let out a genuine sigh of relief. Li Man'er's judgment was similar to his own, and he was once again awed by the capabilities of the Eldest Young Lady.
"Thank you, Eldest Young Lady."
"You are too kind." Li Man'er curtsied slightly. "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave. Father will continue to trouble Imperial Physician Duan."
"It is my duty. Eldest Young Lady, please go ahead."
Li Man'er took Zi Yan directly back to Qingping Xuan, and called for Lu Yi to prepare to go fetch Wet Nurse Wu together.
"Miss, can we really bring Wet Nurse Wu back?" Lu Yi's eyes widened, disbelief evident in her expression.
"Of course, it's true. Don't you believe what Miss says?" Zi Yan thought to herself, this must be what Miss meant by the time being ripe! But how did she predict this timing?
"You two go and pack some things, clothes, accessories, food, and necessities. I suspect Wet Nurse Wu must have had a difficult time at the manor. We should also prepare some medicinal ointment. Let's go and come back quickly; bringing the wet nurse back as soon as possible is the main task."
The two maids quickly got to work.
Li Man'er then called Mu Yun and Yin Zhu over.
"We'll be back soon. You two stay and guard Qingping Xuan, don't let anyone take advantage of the situation."
Mu Yun, being older, thought more than Yin Zhu. She recalled the pill found in the courtyard earlier, and her small face turned a little pale. "Miss, what if Madam's people come? What if we can't stop them?"
"Then follow them. Wherever they go, we go. Are you afraid they'll cause trouble?"
Li Man'er chuckled. "That's one way to do it, as long as you don't find it too troublesome. Also, no one will come to cause trouble in the short term. I'm just giving you instructions, so you don't need to worry too much."
"Yes."
After giving instructions to the two, Li Man'er led the two maids to the side gate, where a carriage bearing the Marquis's crest was waiting.
The nannies and attendants were all waiting. As soon as they saw Li Man'er emerge, they bowed their heads in greeting.
The leading nanny, Zhou Wang's wife, stepped forward to invite Li Man'er into the carriage. She said, "The journey to Xiao Wang Zhuang is not short, and the road is bumpy. This servant has specifically asked people to place thick quilts inside the carriage to cushion it for you, Young Lady."
Li Man'er simply said, "You are thoughtful," and then, with Zi Yan and Lu Yi helping her, got into the carriage.
Zhou Wang's wife did not dare to say anything more. She closed the carriage door, sat on the driver's seat, and called for everyone to set off.
Ancient carriages were not fast, and their comfort was also quite average. Li Man'er, experiencing this primitive mode of transportation for the first time, felt it was acceptable. Apart from a slight soreness in her body, everything else was fine.
She figured riding a horse would be even more troublesome, possibly shaking a person apart?
After traveling for more than two hours, the group finally arrived at their destination, Xiao Wang Zhuang.
This manor was part of Madam Guo's dowry. By sending Wet Nurse Wu here, she had intended to control Wet Nurse Wu with her own people and get revenge.
One could imagine Wet Nurse Wu had suffered a great deal. Fortunately, it wasn't too late to fetch her now.
The carriage swayed as it entered the manor and stopped in front of a large house.
This house had been built by the Guo family in earlier years. Although it didn't occupy a large area and its decoration wasn't ornate, it was still a top-notch large courtyard in the countryside.
Li Man'er didn't even get out of the carriage. She simply instructed Zhou Wang's wife to bring Wet Nurse Wu out and get directly into the carriage to leave.
Zhou Wang's wife dared not disobey her orders, so she got out of the carriage herself and knocked on the door.
At this moment, the manor steward, having received word that people from the Li family had arrived, hurried over. He bowed and scraped towards the carriage, saying, "Greetings to Madam."