The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 110

Chapter 110: Princess Yunyin’s Pain

News travels quickly in Jiankang City. In just half a day, the story of Prince of Shixing attempting to assault a young boy but ending up with his vital point crushed by the boy’s kick had once again swept through the entire city. No one knew who had spread the news, but it was like a pot boiling over, with excitement and laughter everywhere.

In teahouses, taverns, streets, and alleyways, people were talking about it. Although some were afraid of Prince of Shixing’s status, they couldn’t hide the gleeful smiles on their faces.

“Who is this brave soul? He has rid the people of Jiankang of a tyrant!” someone exclaimed.

“Indeed! This is truly karma. Evil deeds will be punished!”

“Shh—Don’t speak so loudly, there might be spies around!”

“I also heard that Prince of Shixing has been robbing tombs for treasures and secretly training assassins. There are suspicions that he intends to rebel!”

“How is that possible? Our Chen Dynasty has always followed the principle of primogeniture. Prince of Shixing has no chance of becoming the Crown Prince, let alone the Emperor. You say he’s rebelling? Against whom?”

“Who else could he rebel against? If not to seize the position of the Crown Prince, then it must be…”

“Impossible, impossible! Who said that? It’s nonsense! Don’t ever say that again, or you’ll be arrested and beheaded!”

“Speaking of beheading, there’s a general who’s about to be executed. They say he led troops to surround that Divine Physician Lady’s residence last night. Before dawn today, he was arrested by General Fan Yi of the Left Guard, sent by His Majesty. He was charged with disrupting the peace and misleading Prince of Shixing. The sentence is death!”

“So we still can’t offend that Divine Physician Lady. You see, Eighth Young Master Xiao is a lesson learned, and now there’s Prince of Shixing. Look at what happened to them!”

“It seems that’s indeed the case. That Lady is truly a divine being. Whoever offends her will suffer misfortune!”

“But if you help her, she will definitely repay your kindness. It was because she treated a young boy who was beaten almost to death that she entered Prince of Shixing’s Residence!”

“Exactly! This Lady distinguishes between good and evil, she’s not afraid of power, and she treats the weak with kindness. She is truly someone who ‘cannot be corrupted by wealth, cannot be swayed by poverty, and cannot be bent by force.’ Such a noble person, even great men cannot compare!”

“Indeed, indeed…”

✿✿✿

The news also reached the Xiao Residence. Princess Yunyin, who was still under house arrest, turned pale upon hearing the rumors.

“Prince of Shixing also…”

“Yes, it happened yesterday. Prince of Shixing also wanted to take A’yu for himself. However, A’yu was rescued by Prince of Lanling. So he shifted his target to the young boy beside A’yu. Prince of Shixing didn’t even consider who that boy was. Northern barbarians are known for their ferocity. With that one kick, he’s probably crippled for life!”

Princess Yunyin shuddered again, the bloody image of her son that she had seen at Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower flashed in her mind.

She didn’t know what Prince of Shixing was like now, but she knew exactly what her son looked like at that time.

“So, let’s not think about making things difficult for A’yu anymore. You should also quickly give up your idea. Don’t provoke A’yu, Xianlang, or even Tenth Young Lady anymore. You can’t afford to offend them!”

“I don’t believe it! Even though Prince of Shixing has become like this, didn’t my brother punish her? Didn’t he kill her?”

“What crime did she commit? She was just taking a walk by the Qinhuai River, and Prince of Shixing used a child to force her into his residence. It was Prince of Shixing who committed the crime, who kidnapped a woman and attempted to assault a young boy. This is what everyone in Jiankang City is saying. Even His Majesty has to acknowledge it!”

“That’s just what people are saying. Shouldn’t we have evidence before making accusations?”

“That’s ridiculous. You didn’t care about evidence when you falsely accused A’yu. Besides, if we really look for evidence, Prince of Shixing’s crimes probably won’t be limited to just these two!”

“Then what about our son? Are we not going to treat him anymore? Although he’s physically recovered, his personality is completely different from the Eighth Young Master he used to be!”

The current Xiao Yun seemed to have completely changed. He was no longer obsessed with women, but instead spent his days chanting Buddhist scriptures and living a simple life, as if he had the ambition to become a temple abbot.

“Isn’t this a good change? He’s no longer idle, lazy, or lustful. It saves us a lot of worry!”

“It does save us worry, but what if he decides to become a monk? What about the continuation of our Xiao family line?”

Xiao Jian’s face darkened. He remembered what Xiao Jinyu had said before, that if Xiao Yun hadn’t recovered after seven days, they could go to her.

But was this current situation considered recovered or not?

“Master, Madam, Eighth Young Master, he wants to…”

A maid rushed over in panic. Before Princess Yunyin could finish listening, she hurried to her son’s room.

✿✿✿

“Yunlang, what are you doing?”

Xiao Yun was sitting on the couch, engrossed in a Buddhist scripture. Suddenly interrupted, he looked up at his mother.

“Son has recently realized some truths about life.”

“What truths?” Princess Yunyin asked nervously.

“Buddha said, ‘All conditioned phenomena are like dew drops, like lightning, like dreams, like illusions, like bubbles, like shadows. One should contemplate them as such!’

And also, ‘All forms are illusory. If you see all forms as non-forms, you see the Tathagata.’

Therefore, son feels…that the matters of life, once seen through, are nothing more than this.

So son wants to renounce the world…”

“Don’t even think about it…ah!”

Princess Yunyin suddenly screamed, hitting and punching Xiao Jian while crying, “It’s all your fault! I knew that wretch sending a Buddha statue over was not out of good intentions. She’s truly capable and cunning, attacking the very core!”

She didn’t cripple her son physically, but his heart had turned towards the monastic life, his seven emotions and six desires completely extinguished…

What a vicious heart!

Princess Yunyin’s scream startled Xiao Yun, who also cried out in alarm.

After a long while, Princess Yunyin realized she had frightened her son. She quickly composed herself and comforted him with a smile, “Eighth Young Master, you can have anything you want, but you absolutely cannot renounce the world. Don’t have such thoughts anymore, okay?”

“No…not that kind of renouncing the world, not what you think. I mean, leaving the house, leaving the house!”

He explained in a stammering voice, cautiously looking at his mother.

“I heard that Prince of Shixing is now…in the same boat as me. So I want to visit Prince of Shixing’s Residence and see him. Oh right, didn’t he come to see me last time? He even mocked me…”

“So what? He mocked you, so you want to mock him back? He killed a maid last night. Are you tired of living? Do you want to die that badly?”

This useless son, was his brain damaged by the treatment?

Princess Yunyin was both angry and furious. Xiao Jian suddenly interrupted,

“Enough! Stop talking! Prince of Shixing has suffered such a misfortune, we, as his aunt and uncle, should go and see him!”

He paused for a moment,

“But the rumors outside are not good recently. Let’s wait a while before going.”

“What do the rumors outside have to do with us? I only know that if your Left Consort is truly cured and remembers everything, who knows what kind of trouble your good granddaughter will cause!”

“Truly…since she returned to Jiankang, I haven’t had a single good day! Not a single one!”

After saying that, she started pushing tables, smashing porcelain, looking for an outlet for her anger…

✿✿✿

When Xiao Jinyu arrived at Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower, Lady Wei was clicking her abacus, calculating the earnings of the past few days. Perhaps because the recent profits were excellent, Lady Wei’s abacus beads were clicking rapidly, her mood as cheerful as the moving beads. As a result, even though Xiao Jinyu stood behind her for a long time, she didn’t notice.

It wasn’t until Xiao Jinyu called out, “Lady Wei, I’m here to buy information!”

That she suddenly jumped up in fright, turning to look at Xiao Jinyu. This look made her even more surprised and shaken.

“Princess, why are you here?”

“Princess? Which princess?”

Behind the veil, Xiao Jinyu’s eyes also showed a hint of surprise and a trace of inquiry.