The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Entering the Residence

“Seeking medical treatment?”

Princess Yunyin’s eyes revealed suspicion and surprise, signaling Nurse Jiang to bring the maid and the housekeeper from outside the door back in.

“Explain clearly, who is outside the door?” Nurse Jiang asked on her behalf.

The housekeeper replied, “It is a Young Master and his young servant. They say they are renowned physicians invited by Seventh Young Master, specifically to treat Tenth Young Lady’s lovesickness.”

“A Young Master and his servant?” Princess Yunyin asked again, “How old is that Young Master?”

The housekeeper shook his head, “I can’t tell how old he is. That Young Master is wearing a veiled hat, claiming to have a hidden illness and it’s inconvenient to see people. But judging by his figure and the air he carries, he’s probably no more than thirty years old.”

“Daring to impersonate a divine physician at such a young age, does he think my Xiao family is so easy to enter? Send them away!”

Princess Yunyin fiddled with her brightly painted phoenix-shaped nails, saying lazily.

The housekeeper hesitated for a moment, then nodded and agreed, about to leave.

At this moment, Princess Yunyin suddenly raised her head, softly stopping him, “Wait, invite them in!”

The housekeeper was a bit puzzled, but seeing the unfathomable gentle smile on this Right Consort’s face, he didn’t ask further and hurriedly retreated.

After the housekeeper left, Nurse Jiang asked, “Why did the Princess change her mind? Could it be that the Princess suspects…”

Princess Yunyin smiled, “I want to see what kind of divine physician dares to come to my Xiao family to treat an illness. If they’re not careful and someone dies, they won’t be able to bear the responsibility.”

Nurse Jiang understood her meaning, bowed her head and agreed, also laughing with an ambiguous expression.

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The Xiao family’s grand residence wasn’t far from Wu Yi Alley, both situated on the south bank of the Qinhuai River, one to the south and the other to the north. However, unlike Wu Yi Alley, which had been severely ravaged by war, the Xiao family’s residence appeared exceptionally fresh and eye-catching, like a paradise on earth. Stone lions guarded the entrance, surrounded by a vast forest of parasol trees. The wooden structure didn’t look particularly magnificent, but with the characters on the plaque and the Xiao family’s unique scholarly air, the residence gained a sense of distant mystery.

Xiao Jinyu looked at the plaque at the entrance and the broad eaves supported by over a dozen pillars, then stopped under a tall parasol tree.

Parasol trees have always been associated with nobility and auspiciousness. The “Daya” section of the Classic of Poetry has a verse: “The phoenix cries, on that high hill. The parasol tree grows, in that morning sun. Where there are parasol trees, there must be noble land.”

Prominent and influential families all favored planting this tree.

However…

Xiao Jinyu’s eyes darkened. As she reached out to touch the trunk, her gaze became particularly deep.

“Qing Gege, what’s wrong? Is there something different here?”

Seeing the woman’s eyes inexplicably tinged with shock and sorrow, Fenghuang couldn’t help but ask.

“Nothing, I just feel that this Xiao family residence is unique. It subtly aligns with the Luoshu Nine Stars formation. It seems the person who built it must be very proficient in Feng Shui.”

Just as Xiao Jinyu finished speaking, a crisp round of applause sounded behind her. A youthful voice said, “Well said. When our Xiao family residence was first built, we did invite Mr. Guo, the most renowned Feng Shui master in the south, to select the site and oversee its construction.”

As he spoke, the person had already walked in front of Xiao Jinyu.

Xiao Jinyu looked up. It was a young man, about sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in a snow-white wide-sleeved robe, looking spotless. His face was as handsome as jade, his eyes sparkled with a spring-like warmth, and his brows and eyes were slender and upswept, the standard sword brows and phoenix eyes. His overall demeanor could be described as “a gentleman like jade, handsome and elegant.”

However, Xiao Jinyu sensed a dangerous aura from this young man, as if it triggered the original soul’s unease and restlessness, just like the feeling of avoidance that arose in her heart when she touched the parasol tree earlier. She seemed to see some fragmented images from the original soul’s memories.

For example, countless instances of kneeling in the ancestral hall and being whipped.

And for example, this person in front of her had once coaxed the original soul with sweet words to steal forbidden fruit, enjoying a night of pleasure. In the end, when she became pregnant, he accused her in front of everyone in the Xiao family of using seductive arts to tempt him into making a mistake during the mourning period.

Finally, the Xiao family decided to terminate her pregnancy. When envoys from the Qi and Zhou states arrived in the Chen state, they gave the original soul to a Zhou envoy as a concubine. After that were more chaotic memories and endless suffering.

The original soul probably didn’t want to recall those things, so Xiao Jinyu couldn’t see her fate after that.

But it was easy to guess that the young girl’s ending in her previous life wasn’t good.

“You’re very unwilling, aren’t you?”

Silently chanting in her heart, she raised her hand to cover her slightly burning chest, her eyes fixed on the young man in front of her.

Seemingly thinking that the woman was captivated by his appearance, the young man’s eyes held a hint of complacency. He put his hands behind his back, assuming an air of noble grace, and teased, “Who are you? You’re not very old, yet you can tell that the site selection aligns with the Luoshu Nine Stars formation? Do you know the meaning behind this formation?”

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“I don’t know,” Xiao Jinyu replied casually. “I only know that when Guo Pu selected the site for the Taiji Palace based on the Luoshu Nine Stars formation, it was burned down by Su Jun, who invaded the Tai City less than ten years later. The entire Taiji Palace was reduced to ashes.”

The young man’s expression suddenly changed, quite displeased.

Xiao Jinyu ignored him. At this moment, the housekeeper had already walked out from the door.

“Our Lady invites you—”

He stopped mid-sentence, noticing the young man’s presence, and hurriedly bowed, flattering him, “Eighth Young Master has returned.”

So this was Xiao Yun, one of the two surviving legitimate sons of the Xiao family, whom Fenghuang had mentioned.

Xiao Yun nodded, pointing at Xiao Jinyu and asking, “Who is this?”

“Eighth Young Master, this is the physician… physician who came to treat Tenth Young Lady’s lovesickness. Seventh Young Master invited them, and Lady allowed them to come in and try.”

Xiao Yun understood the implication of “try.” His mother had long disliked Xiao Ruoling, the Tenth Young Lady. She was just a posthumous child left behind by the First Branch, who had cursed her mother to death upon birth, and then cursed her father to death a few years later. His mother had raised her as her own granddaughter, but this girl was ungrateful, always opposing his mother. This time, he accidentally fell into the water and became ill, and she was just trying to embarrass his mother, to see how this mistress would mistreat her granddaughter. But she didn’t expect that her illness would make her almost die.

“Oh, so it’s a divine physician! However, my niece’s illness is not easy to treat. You should think carefully.”

Xiao Yun was speaking to Xiao Jinyu, but to his surprise, before he finished speaking, Xiao Jinyu, accompanied by a young servant, had already walked towards the main gate of the Xiao family residence.

They didn’t take him seriously at all.

The housekeeper was sharp-eyed. He saw the usually unruly Eighth Young Master’s fingers tightly gripping his sleeve, almost tearing it apart.

“Eighth Young Master, are you, are you alright?” the housekeeper asked.

Only then did the young man realize that he had lost his composure and suppressed his anger.

“I’m fine.”

After taking a few steps, he turned around and said, “Right, find someone to watch them and see where they come from.”

“Yes.”

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After bypassing the screen wall, Xiao Jinyu realized how vast the Xiao residence was. There were endless artificial mountains, ponds, pavilions, an ancient opera stage, a jade chime tower, and flourishing flowers and trees, with eaves overlapping and greenery abundant. They passed about a dozen courtyards and crossed several arched bridges before reaching a courtyard with the inscription “Fengxiu Pavilion.”

The courtyard was filled with fashionable roses and peonies, woven like a tapestry throughout the pavilion. The entire courtyard was filled with the rich fragrance of flowers and an air of extravagant wealth.

As they reached the door, a servant woman dressed in rather expensive attire came to greet them.

Although she was said to be greeting them, the aura emanating from the servant woman didn’t make them feel welcomed. Instead, she was arrogant and aloof.

“So you are the divine physician who volunteered to treat the illness.” The servant woman asked with a mocking tone.

Fenghuang was dissatisfied with this attitude, but Xiao Jinyu quickly held his hand down and replied, “Yes.”

“Then come in with me. Since you’ve come to the Xiao residence, you must meet the mistress of our Xiao family.”

“Yes.”

The two followed closely behind the servant woman, entering a spacious hall. They saw a woman dressed in a flowing, dark-flowered cloud brocade robe sitting at the head. The woman had a beautiful face, exuding a luxurious grace with a hint of charm, making her appear to be only in her twenties.

But as the mother of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old son, this woman should be at least over thirty.

Was this the mistress of the Xiao family, Princess Yunyin? The Right Consort bestowed upon Xiao Jian by Emperor Wen.

But Xiao Jinyu saw the shadow of another person in this woman…