Chapter 51: Treading on Grass (Part 2)
As soon as Ni Su and Xu He Xue left the Wu residence, Zhou Ting and his men surrounded it.
“Master, Master… he’s lost his mind! Why are you doing this to him?!” the old servant cried, restrained by two officers, watching helplessly as Wu Dai was carried away.
“The Yin Ye Si is acting under imperial decree. No one can interfere!” Chao Yi Song shouted, his hand on his sword hilt, then followed Zhou Ting.
“Commander Zhou,” Chao Yi Song said, nudging him, “it’s quite a fall from grace for such a high-ranking official. The Emperor favored the Wu family for so long… and now this…”
He remembered Wu Dai’s demented state. “Such a proud and dignified man, reduced to this in a single night.”
Zhou Ting, his expression unreadable, said, “Take my token and summon an imperial physician. If Wu Dai’s illness can be treated, it must be treated. Otherwise, the Director can’t interrogate him.”
“Yes, sir…” Chao Yi Song said, stepping out of the Wu residence and noticing a figure in the crowd.
“Hey, isn’t that Miss Ni?” he muttered.
Zhou Ting paused, following his gaze. The young woman in a light green dress, her hair styled in a triple bun, her face no longer as pale as before, perhaps flushed from the sunlight, her eyes clear and bright.
“Commander Zhou,” Ni Su said, bowing as he approached.
“Miss Ni, what are you doing here?”
“Like them, I’m here to watch,” she said, tilting her chin towards the dispersing crowd.
Zhou Ting followed her gaze, then heard her say, “Commander Zhou, have you considered that Wu Dai’s dementia might not be accidental?”
Zhou Ting’s eyes narrowed. “Miss Ni, do you know what you’re saying?”
“Have you forgotten? I’m also a physician,” Ni Su said, unfazed by his sudden coldness. “I found these on the ground just now, while Wu Dai was being carried out. I was waiting to give them to you.”
She held out two silver needles.
“What are these?” Zhou Ting asked, taking the needles.
“Acupuncture needles. I saw them fall from Wu Dai’s hair,” Ni Su said. “If I’m not mistaken, that’s how he became ill. Improper acupuncture caused blood stasis in his brain.”
Zhou Ting’s expression turned serious. He held the needles and bowed to Ni Su. “Thank you, Miss Ni. I understand.”
“Commander Zhou, I’m also skilled in acupuncture, a secret technique of the Ni family. If you trust me, I can treat Wu Dai,” Ni Su said, finally revealing her intention.
“Absolutely not,” Zhou Ting said immediately, shaking his head.
“Why?” Ni Su was stunned by his refusal.
“Miss Ni, Wu Dai is Wu Ji Kang’s father. Although he didn’t directly kill your brother, he used his influence to protect his son,” Zhou Ting paused, looking at her. “Don’t you hate him? Why would you want to treat him?”
“I do hate Wu Dai, and I’m not repaying evil with kindness.”
“Then why get involved?” Zhou Ting asked, his tone firm. “You’re a woman. You know what the Yin Ye Si’s prison is like. And there’s a difference between men and women. You shouldn’t…”
“Commander Zhou, are you also going to restrict me because of my gender?” Ni Su interrupted sharply.
Zhou Ting fell silent, meeting her gaze, her anger clear in her clear, bright eyes.
“You and Director Han helped me greatly in seeking justice for my brother. I offered to treat Wu Dai because I thought I could repay your kindness. That’s all,” Ni Su said, then, feeling a tug on her sleeve, added, “But since you refuse, I won’t press the matter. Excuse me.”
She bowed and turned to leave without waiting for his reply.
Zhou Ting watched her go. The crowd before the Wu residence had dispersed. Chao Yi Song approached cautiously. “Commander Zhou, should I… still summon the imperial physician?”
Zhou Ting seemed to snap out of his trance. “Yes,” he said.
“Miss Ni seems angry. But… you couldn’t have agreed,” Chao Yi Song said. He, too, believed it was a bad idea. Wu Dai was Imperial Concubine Wu’s father. What if she regained the Emperor’s favor? The Emperor had only authorized questioning, not torture. Caution was necessary. Although Ni Su came from a medical family, who knew how much she had actually learned? If something went wrong, not only would she be imprisoned, but they, the Yin Ye Si officers involved, would also be punished.
But Zhou Ting was thinking about her words: “Are you also going to restrict me because of my gender?”
He seemed to have offended her.
Rumors could be deadly, like the rumors Wu Dai had spread about him and Ni Su. To avoid further tarnishing her reputation, Zhou Ting had avoided her clinic.
Propriety dictated such caution.
But he didn’t understand why she didn’t seem to care about those rumors, why she had even dared to return to the Yin Ye Si, knowing the horrors of their prison.
Why did she involve herself in these matters?
He couldn’t understand her. She was too different, too bold. But her actions might harm her.
He didn’t understand her courage.
“Her brother’s case is closed. She shouldn’t get involved in court matters anymore,” he said, mounting his horse. “Hurry, Chao Yi Song. Don’t delay.”
The spring sun was warm and bright.
Ni Su walked through the bustling street, swinging her sleeve, the faint mist clinging to it dispersing and forming the figure of a young man.
“Why didn’t you let me treat him?” she asked.
She hadn’t found the needles outside the Wu residence. As they were leaving, after hearing Wu Dai’s ramblings, Xu He Xue had become suspicious and retrieved the needles from his hair.
Wu Dai’s dementia wasn’t accidental; it was deliberate.
Seeing the needles, Ni Su had understood.
Wu Dai still had a daughter in the palace, and the Emperor didn’t want him dead. If he died mysteriously now, it would be too obvious that something else was going on.
“You know Wu Dai’s illness was deliberately inflicted. If you treated him at the Yin Ye Si, those who harmed him could also harm you,” Xu He Xue said, stopping and removing his veiled hat. His face was pale in the sunlight. “Ni Su, I told you, lighting the candles for me, staying in Yun Jing for me, is enough. It’s more than enough.”
“You can risk your life for your brother because he’s your family. But I can’t let you risk yourself for me.”
“My brother is my family. It’s natural for me to do that for him. But what about you and me? Are we just strangers? Met by chance? Is that it?” Ni Su asked, looking at him.
Had he told those words to Grand Commandant Miao, or were they also meant for her?
“That’s not true,” Xu He Xue said, a flicker of emotion in his cold eyes.
“Then tell me,” Ni Su said, her lips pressed together. “Xu Zi Ling, if you don’t tell me, I can only guess. And I’m not always right.”
Spring sunlight warmed her shoulders, but Xu He Xue felt nothing. He looked at her, her words making his heart ache.
“I’m bound to you,” he said, the spring breeze rustling his white robes. “You summoned me, you gave me shelter. You can ask me to do anything, but I shouldn’t ask anything of you.”
“You have your aspirations. I have no doubt you’ll achieve them. But my burden is too heavy. I don’t want to drag you down with me.”
He used the word “bound,” not just referring to the restriction that kept him near her, but also implying a deeper connection.
“But what will you do alone?” Ni Su asked. The more he tried to distance himself, the more she felt his loneliness. “That’s not how it works. Giving and receiving should be mutual. You helped me, so I want to help you. I can light candles for you, I can do many things for you. Just… trust me.”
He stepped back, but she stepped forward.
It was March, the willow branches new and green. Xu He Xue looked up at the swaying branches. “Of course I trust you. But Ni Su, you should live your life, fulfill your aspirations, finish that medical text.”
The mortal realm had been cruel to him.
But now, in this vibrant spring, he felt that being alive could be a good thing, at least for her.
Ni Su was almost speechless. People passed by, glancing at her, unaware of what she was looking at, why she was standing there, transfixed.
She whispered something, her voice barely audible.
“What?” Xu He Xue leaned closer, not having heard her.
Ni Su looked at his profile, his jawline sharp and defined. “Do you really think I can do it?” she asked again.
“Mmm,” Xu He Xue said, his clear, cold eyes meeting hers. “You can do it.”
He straightened up.
Even in the sunlight, he seemed distant, like mist.
Ni Su looked at him, her heart pounding, her breath catching in her throat.
No one, besides her brother, had ever expressed such unwavering faith in her.
He didn’t speak of propriety or gender roles, only telling her that aspirations weren’t limited by gender.
He didn’t tell her what she should or shouldn’t do, only that she could achieve anything she set her mind to.
Ni Su suddenly looked down, the white veil of his hat fluttering in the wind, and remembered Wu Dai’s ramblings.
“Ni Su?” he suddenly called.
“Huh?” she looked up, meeting his gaze, her face flushing.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… let’s go home.”
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