Chapter 56: Water Dragon Song (Part 1)
“You ask me so suddenly, I can’t think of anything at the moment.” Ni Su carefully wiped his face and tossed the handkerchief into the basin. “I’ll tell you when I’ve thought it through.”
She knew he would never be willing to take off his bloodstained clothes in front of her, nor would he show her the wounds beneath his robes. So she said nothing more and fetched clean willow leaf water.
Ni Su came and went. Once the door closed, Xu He Xue propped himself up on the bed with one hand. He didn’t know how many of his wounds, already crusted with bright red blood, had split open again. His pale knuckles unhooked his belt, and he slowly took off his outer and middle robes. The silk screen partially concealed his pale and emaciated body, which looked much the same as before his death. Because of his five years at the border, wielding halberds, swords, and taming wild horses, his body was toned and well-defined, not as thin as ordinary young men.
But the cuts on his body were too numerous. Crimson blood flowed down. He silently wiped himself with a cloth wrung from the basin. Dust motes danced in the bright candlelight, allowing him to see his body even more clearly. Despite the intense pain, he wiped himself over and over again.
Only when the wounds stopped bleeding did he dress himself, fastening each button meticulously. Once finished, he lay on the bed and pulled the quilt over himself.
Two glazed lamps sat on the stool by the bed, their translucent shades casting a warm yellow light. He rested his cheek on the soft pillow, staring at them.
These lamps were bought by Ni Su from a glassmaking shop when they were on their way to find Jiang Xian Ming.
She had said that, this way, neither of them would have to fear going out on rainy nights.
Xu He Xue closed his eyes. He didn’t sleep, nor did he dream. But at this moment, hearing the rustling of the night rain, dressed in clean clothes and wrapped in a brocade quilt, he felt at peace.
Yet, in the middle of the night, he suddenly threw off the quilt and got up. In the bright candlelight, he walked with difficulty to the desk, poured water to grind ink, spread out a sheet of paper, and began to write, accompanied by the sound of the rain.
The unnamed individuals on the secret ledger had been almost entirely identified by Jiang Xian Ming, who had written their names in the ledger as annotations.
Soon, more than a dozen names were added to the paper.
Xu He Xue sat at the desk, one hand on the corner, the ink already dry. Yet, he couldn’t find any connection between these names for the moment.
These people had been sending money to Du Cong and those above him for fifteen years. Even Du Cong, though the ledger showed substantial transactions, had less than half the amount recorded in his confiscated assets.
Fifteen years. It was precisely fifteen years.
Xu He Xue glanced over the names on the paper again.
Not a single one was a capital official.
The spring rain continued for several days, shrouding Yun Jing in a moist mist. Within the imperial city, besides the mist, there was a further layer of gloom.
Emperor Zheng Yuan, a believer in Daoism, had ordered Prince Jia, Zhao Yi, to compose a prayer for a purification ritual a few days prior. However, Prince Jia delayed for a day or two, and finally knelt outside Qing He Palace, crying out, “Yong Geng is foolish, doesn’t understand the Dao, and cannot write a single word.”
This act immediately enraged the Emperor. That night, Prince Jia was taken to Zhong Ming Palace by the Palace Guard and placed under house arrest.
Interrogators came wave after wave. Prince Jia was terrified and speechless, unable to answer their questions. From dusk till dawn, Princess Jia, Li Xi Zhen, finally obtained permission to enter Zhong Ming Palace. Prince Jia was sitting alone in a deep shadow, hugging his knees, his eyes vacant.
“Your Highness.”
Li Xi Zhen carried a food box to Prince Jia, squatted down, and carefully examined his face. Her eyes were filled with distress. She couldn’t help but reach out and touch his face.
“Xi Zhen.”
Prince Jia murmured her name. “I’m sorry, I’ve frightened you.”
“Your Highness wants to take me back to Tongzhou, right?” Li Xi Zhen knew the heavy thoughts hidden in her husband’s heart.
Prince Jia didn’t answer, but looked around. After a while, he said, “Xi Zhen, I was foolishly made Prince Jia when I was young. I lived here then. The palace servants all knew the Emperor didn’t like me, and they mistreated me openly and secretly. Later, when Prince An came, sometimes I couldn’t even get a full meal. If it weren’t for Zi…”
As soon as he uttered the name, Prince Jia’s eyes moistened, and he couldn’t speak the rest. “After that, something happened to him, then my teacher and Minister Meng. I was imprisoned here for three whole years. This place doesn’t hold good memories for me, Xi Zhen. I’m even afraid of this place. After coming back for so many days, I haven’t dared to sleep, haven’t dared to dream. But my mind is still filled with the anxieties of those years in the palace…”
“I know everything about Your Highness, and I understand. The Emperor has no sons. His sudden decision to keep you here must be based on some consideration. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have risked refusing to write the prayer.”
Li Xi Zhen and Prince Jia were childhood sweethearts. She knew his temperament and the things he had experienced.
Prince Jia felt more fear than love and respect for Emperor Zheng Yuan.
The knot in his heart was a shadow that loomed over his entire life. He had finally escaped, but now he had to live under its shadow again. He was utterly unwilling.
His act was a deliberate provocation of the Emperor, hoping that, like before, the Emperor would, in absolute disgust, completely banish his incompetent adopted son.
“Xi Zhen, you know I came back to see my teacher.”
Prince Jia’s hair was disheveled, a few strands falling over his temples. He reached out and grasped his wife’s shoulders. “Since my teacher won’t see me, there’s no need for you and me to stay in Yun Jing any longer. Let’s go back, back to Tongzhou. I don’t want anything, I don’t ask for anything. I only want you to be healthy, and for us to live out our lives, that’s all…”
Li Xi Zhen remained silent. She looked at the man before her. She had seen him as a child and had accompanied him through his youth. “Your Highness, do you truly… not want it?”
She suddenly asked.
Not want what?
Prince Jia’s stubbled chin tightened. He said hoarsely, “I don’t want it, Xi Zhen. I only want to go back with you.”
Ni Su returned with another basket of incense and candles. As she entered the main hall of the clinic, she heard voices behind her: “Madam, I believe it’s here.”
She turned to see two maidservants supporting an elegantly dressed woman in plain clothes. The woman looked her up and down as she turned.
“Excuse me, Madam, are you here to see the doctor?” Ni Su placed the basket aside and approached to inquire.
“I have a physician at home. I don’t need your services, young lady.” The woman spoke in a gentle tone.
Ni Su paused, then nodded. “In that case, may I ask why you’ve come?”
“Are you surnamed Ni? Ni Su?”
The woman asked, still observing her.
“Yes.”
Ni Su nodded. Noticing the woman seemed to buckle slightly at her left knee, she asked, “Is your knee bothering you? Would you like to come in and sit down?”
The woman only hesitated for a moment before nodding. Supported by her maids, she entered.
The hall was tidy and clean. Even someone as fastidious as herself couldn’t find a single fault with the young woman’s clinic.
There was hot tea and snacks on the table. After sitting for a while, the woman saw the young lady emerge from the back, carrying hot water. Even before she approached, the scent of mugwort filled the air.
“Your knee is hurting. If you don’t mind, you can use this mugwort water to apply a compress,” Ni Su said, placing the basin on the stool. Since the maidservants were present, she didn’t apply it herself.
The two maidservants looked at their mistress.
The woman looked at Ni Su for a moment and gave them a slight nod.
Shielded by a screen, the maidservants lifted her dress and rolled up her silk trousers, applying the wrung-out hot cloth to her knee.
“I’ve heard people say you’re a remarkable young woman. What happened to your brother is truly regrettable,” the woman said, her brow relaxing slightly.
“I truly don’t deserve the word ‘remarkable.’ As his blood relative, I only did what I should have done,” Ni Su replied, tending the coals in the brazier and refilling the tea.
“The weather has been damp and rainy lately. If your knee often bothers you, Madam, you can use this method frequently. It can alleviate the pain somewhat.”
“How much do I owe you?”
The woman patted one of the maidservants on the shoulder, and the maidservant immediately reached for her purse. Ni Su quickly shook her head, smiling. “It’s only some mugwort water, and I didn’t even apply the compress myself. How could I accept your money?”
The woman remained silent, fingering her Buddhist prayer beads. She watched Ni Su. Once the maidservants finished applying the compress, she rose to leave.
Throughout the entire visit, she never explained her purpose.
“Madam, what do you think of her?” Outside the clinic, a maidservant helped the woman into the carriage and asked cautiously.
The woman sat upright in the carriage, turning her prayer beads. She carefully considered the young lady’s behavior. “She seems like a very fine person, well-mannered and sensible. At a glance, you can tell she received a good upbringing. If such a thing hadn’t happened to her family, she probably wouldn’t have to go out and make a living like this. It must be very difficult for a young woman.”
The carriage departed from the clinic’s entrance. Ni Su cleared the table. A-Fang, the young daughter of the opposite herbal medicine shop, who was only twelve or thirteen, had been coming over to Ni Su’s place frequently to play. Leaning on the table with one hand, she grumbled, “Didn’t you buy the mugwort from our shop? Shouldn’t that cost something? Besides, she’s strange. I don’t know what she came for.”
She had been playing outside when the woman arrived.
“It wasn’t worth much,” Ni Su said, giving her a candy. “Did you see the material of her clothes? Such fine attire, she must be from a wealthy family.”
Ni Su naturally had her own thoughts. Even though the woman didn’t need her medical services now, treating her with courtesy was never wrong.
A-Fang remained silent. Her mother said that women who treated female patients didn’t have a good reputation. But the sister in front of her was strange. She specialized in treating women, yet her reputation couldn’t be called bad. People both admired her courage in seeking justice for her brother and remained silent about her medical practice.
“Sister Ni, are you also waiting for the rain to stop?” A-Fang sat down on a chair, resting her chin on her hand, changing the subject.
Ni Su glanced at the fine rain and mist outside. Thinking of the person who had been unable to bathe with anything but willow leaf water for days, she nodded.
“I knew it! You must be secretly making a kite!”
A-Fang laughed.
A kite?
Ni Su was bewildered. “What kite?”
“I saw you with some bamboo sticks here yesterday!” A-Fang snorted, pointing to the corner. “How’s your kite coming along? Show it to me!”
“I’m not making one. What’s there to show you?” Ni Su chuckled and patted her head.
A-Fang’s mother called her back for dinner shortly after. Ni Su returned to the back corridor and smelled the aroma of food. She looked towards the kitchen and saw the young man in a light green round-collared robe. His hair was neatly combed and fastened with a white jade hairpin. He sat on the covered porch, holding flexible bamboo strips in his hand.
“Xu Zi Ling, didn’t I tell you I didn’t need you to cook these few days?” Ni Su walked over quickly, put down the basket of incense and candles, and sat down beside him, lifting her skirt.
“Do you know what you looked like last night, hiding in your room eating sugar cakes?” Xu He Xue’s eyes always held a hint of coldness. With the rain and mist swirling around, his face seemed even more aloof.
“What… how did you know?” Ni Su stammered, embarrassed.
“Your window was open.”
Xu He Xue had just come out of his room at the time and had glanced up to see her through the window, cheeks puffed out as she bit into a sugar cake, her expression as bitter as if she had just swallowed a bowl of medicine.
“I lost track of time reading medical books. Those are easy to eat,” Ni Su mumbled, then noticed the bamboo strips in his hand. Remembering what A-Fang had said, she couldn’t help but ask, “What are you making with those?”
“You said you couldn’t sleep that night and came to watch over me by my bed. You fell asleep leaning against the bed frame after a short while,” Xu He Xue scraped the burrs off the bamboo strips with a knife. “You talked in your sleep.”
Ni Su was stunned. “What did I say?”
“Why can’t my kite fly…” Xu He Xue’s emotionless voice didn’t imitate her tone; he simply relayed her words to her.
Ni Su was a little embarrassed and lowered her head. “Although I don’t remember, it must have been a dream about playing outside with my brother when we were young. My kite could never fly, and my brother wouldn’t help me.”
“So, you’re making a kite for me?”
As she asked, she unconsciously pursed her lips and looked up at him.
“Yes.”
Xu He Xue’s fingers pinched the bamboo strip. He then asked her, “Do you still want to fly a kite now?”
“…Yes,” Ni Su’s voice became very soft.
Hearing this, Xu He Xue turned to look at her. “That’s good. I was worried that you liked such things as a child but might not anymore.”
“You…”
Ni Su avoided his clear, beautiful eyes. For a moment, she didn’t even know where to put her hands. Rainwater soaked the wooden steps. She watched the raindrops fall. “How do you know how to make this?”
Xu He Xue stopped looking at her and focused on his task. “When I was young, my friend, to please a girl he had grown up with, tried to learn how to make one himself. But he was clumsy, and after several attempts, he still couldn’t do it, and even pricked his hand with the bamboo. So, he dragged me along to learn with him. In the end, he took the one I made and gave it to the girl.”
Ni Su finally heard him mention his past again. She rested her chin on her hand and smiled slightly. “Why did he take yours? Did you make it better than him?”
“Yes.”
Xu He Xue paused, placing one hand on his knee, as if carefully recalling. A faint smile touched his eyes. “If I remember correctly, the one he made was almost too ugly to look at.”
His figure was faint as mist. Perhaps his wounds hadn’t fully healed, but under such torment, as he remembered some lighthearted memories from the past, this man who seemed to be made of frost and snow seemed to be thawing slightly.
Ni Su looked at him, suddenly wanting to touch him.
But she didn’t.
The rain fell softly, the mist was damp. Xu He Xue quietly arranged the bamboo strips. Ni Su watched him from the side and said, “Like this, I’ll really look forward to the rain stopping.”
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