The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Conditions

“If I can make you stand up, so you never have to sit in a wheelchair again, and also change your fate of not living past twenty-five, do you think this reward is satisfactory?”

When Xiao Jinyu said these words, the young servant beside Xiao Xian was almost dumbfounded, as if all the surrounding sounds had disappeared, and only Xiao Jinyu’s voice echoed in his ears again and again.

I can make you stand up!

I can also change your fate of not living past twenty-five.

“Satisfactory, of course satisfactory! As long as Young Master can stand up and live a long and healthy life, you can ask us to do anything, even take my life!” The young servant said eagerly, so excited that tears of joy streamed down his face, as if afraid that Xiao Jinyu would go back on her word, and not caring whether what she said was true or not.

Compared to the young servant’s excitement and ecstasy, Xiao Xian’s expression was much calmer. It was unknown whether it was his innate upbringing or that he simply didn’t believe it. The young man just looked at Xiao Jinyu calmly, his eyes devoid of any emotional fluctuations.

“Then what are your conditions?” Xiao Xian asked.

Xiao Jinyu paused for a moment, looked at Xiao Xian, and said with a graceful and roundabout smile, “I need your help to make a name for myself in Jiankang City, and then enter the political center of the Southern Chen Dynasty, controlling the entire court, just like the Eastern Wei powerful official Gao Huan and the Grand Steward Yuwen Hu of the Zhou State.”

Like the Eastern Wei powerful official Gao Huan and Zhou State Grand Steward Yuwen Hu!

Almost as soon as these words fell, Xiao Xian’s expression changed, and the young servant beside him was also extremely shocked, too frightened to speak!

Sure enough, this condition was not something that could be easily agreed to. Who were Gao Huan and Yuwen Hu? They were both people who controlled the monarchs of their respective countries and held the reins of government. Gao Huan’s son Gao Cheng even usurped the throne and killed all the members of the Tuoba Yuan imperial family. And Yuwen Hu, needless to say, this first powerful official of the Zhou State, who forced Emperor Gong of Western Wei to abdicate, not only held the regency and exercised absolute power, but was also ruthless, killing three emperors, Yuwen Jue, Tuoba Kuo, and Yuwen Yu, in just three years. It was said that the new emperor Yuwen Yong who had ascended the throne was nothing more than his puppet.

These two people, to put it nicely, were ambitious heroes, and to put it bluntly, they were treacherous and evil people who would leave a bad name in history.

“History is written by the victors. Only the losers are condemned. Just like Gao Huan, after the establishment of the Northern Qi, who could say he was wrong.”

As if her thoughts had been seen through, Xiao Jinyu added a sentence, and the young servant immediately closed his lips, not even daring to think about it.

“How can you have such thoughts? How dare you say such treasonous words in front of me?” At this time, Xiao Xian said with displeasure.

Xiao Jinyu smiled and said, “I just don’t want you to think that I’m using you at some point in the future.”

“Are you so confident that I will help you? Aren’t you afraid that I will betray you?”

“Young Master Xiao Xian, believe it or not, I can read faces. Your brows are delicate, your eyes are clear and bright, which means you are a broad-minded, generous, and kind-hearted person.

Your forehead is full and broad, which means you are of noble birth and intelligent.

And your earlobes are thick, which means you are very grateful.

You have a compassionate heart, but your life is as fragile as paper.

You could recite poetry at three, memorized the Confucian and Daoist classics by five, started learning horsemanship and archery at seven, unfortunately fell off a horse and broke your leg, and at fifteen you got a strange illness. Some physicians asserted that you would not live past twenty-five.”

As Xiao Jinyu spoke sentence after sentence, the young servant’s small eyes widened little by little, with unspeakable joy mixed with disbelief.

“Yes, yes, all right, Young Master, he’s right!” The young servant said repeatedly.

Right about what? Couldn’t he find out these things himself?

Although he thought so, Xiao Xian still looked at Xiao Jinyu in astonishment, only to hear her say, “How could a compassionate person repay kindness with resentment and betray their benefactor?”

“Do you know that my Xiao family is a descendant of the former dynasty’s imperial family? It is already a great fortune to be able to live in Jiankang under the benevolence of Emperor Wu of Chen.”

Xiao Xian suddenly said, and Xiao Jinyu still didn’t care, smiling and saying, “Of course I know, but I also know that maybe within five years, your Xiao family will be completely eradicated by the Southern Chen. Keeping the descendants of the former dynasty’s imperial family is just a way to show the emperor’s benevolence, but since ancient times, which emperor could tolerate a seed that could revive at any time buried in the country he seized?

Fu Jian of the Former Qin did let the Murong clan live, but at the same time, the Former Qin was also overthrown by the Murong clan. Since then, every emperor has taken this as a warning.”

After Xiao Jinyu finished speaking, the young servant’s face was livid, and Xiao Xian also remained silent.

After a long while, he asked, “What do you want to do?”

Asking this sentence meant that he had agreed to her conditions.

Xiao Jinyu smiled slightly and replied, “I remember that every March, Jiankang City holds a Pure Conversation Gathering, but this kind of gathering is generally only held among aristocratic families, and the location changes every year. I need an invitation to attend this banquet.”

“This is your first step?”

Xiao Jinyu nodded.

Xiao Xian was silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed and said, “Actually, this is a very simple matter, even without any reward, I would help you.”

Xiao Jinyu smiled.

“Therefore, this is your kindness, Young Master Xiao, but I am not a person who likes to take advantage of others, especially taking others’ kindness for granted.” She said.

Xiao Xian was suddenly stunned, feeling a little sour in his heart. What she meant by not liking to take advantage of others and taking their kindness for granted was that she didn’t want to owe the Xiao family a favor, right?

“Do you resent my Xiao family?” Xiao Xian suddenly asked.

✿✿✿

Hearing these words, Xiao Jinyu was a little surprised, her eyes sparkling with a hint of anger.

“Why should I resent your Xiao family?”

She asked with a wry smile, her eyes showing no resentment, but an unusual frankness and open-mindedness.

This frankness and open-mindedness flowed into Xiao Xian’s heart like a clear spring, making him feel a little ashamed.

In the short silence, an unspeakable stillness appeared. Just when Xiao Xian didn’t know what to say, he suddenly heard Xiao Jinyu ask, “Young Master Xiao Xian, if we talk about seniority, I should call you uncle, right?”

Xiao Xian suddenly raised his head and looked at Xiao Jinyu quietly. The moonlight was soft, like a thin veil covering the girl’s profile, plating a layer of hazy gold on her crystal clear skin. Although she was only fourteen or fifteen years old, this “young man’s” appearance already had an indescribable charm that the world could not bear. When she grew up, it would be even more captivating and enchanting.

Despite having such a bewitching appearance, the temperament emanating from this young man was neither vulgar nor lowly, but a kind of unconventional elegance that could not be underestimated.

Even aristocratic families like them rarely cultivated this kind of temperament.

Seeing that Xiao Xian didn’t speak for a long time, Xiao Jinyu smiled again and said, “I wonder if Young Master Xiao still remembers my mother’s appearance? I would like to ask Young Master Xiao to paint a portrait of my mother for me.”

A gust of wind blew, lifting a strand of hair from her forehead, making the smile on her face show a bit of playful brightness.

“Of course I remember.”

“Fenghuang, go get two brushes, two pieces of paper, and an inkstone.” Xiao Jinyu suddenly ordered.

Fenghuang replied with a “yes,” and immediately turned and ran into the house. Within a quarter of an hour, he followed Xiao Jinyu’s instructions and placed two pieces of paper and two brushes in front of Xiao Jinyu and Xiao Xian respectively.

“Please—” Xiao Jinyu raised her hand and gestured.

Xiao Xian nodded, picked up the brush, and began to paint on the paper with full concentration. After finishing the painting, he wondered why Xiao Jinyu had taken two brushes and two pieces of paper. When he looked up, he saw another complete painting placed in front of him.

The painting was just a simple depiction of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, but from Xiao Xian’s perspective, it felt as if the painting had come to life. The plum blossoms were blooming, and the bamboo leaves seemed to be sprouting new buds, giving people a sense of vitality as if everything was reviving.

“Did you paint this?” Xiao Xian asked in surprise.

Xiao Jinyu smiled and replied, “Yes, one painting in exchange for your painting. I hope Young Master Xiao will not dislike it.”

As she said that, she handed the painting in her hand to Xiao Xian, and at the same time, Xiao Xian also handed her the portrait of her mother that he had painted.

After looking at her mother’s portrait, Xiao Jinyu had an idea in her heart, and smiled, “Thank you.” Then she instructed the boy, “Fenghuang, bring Young Master Xiao another pot of wine!”

“Yes!”

The boy responded and quickly brought another pot of wine from the house, filled a cup, and handed it to Xiao Xian.

“My Young Master is not good at drinking, and the physician also said that Young Master’s weak body cannot drink alcohol.” The young servant beside him hurriedly said.

“Ordinary wine is certainly not allowed, but the wine here can expel the toxins in Young Master Xiao’s body.”

“What did you say? You mean, my Young Master is not sick, but has poison in his body?” The young servant exclaimed in shock.

Xiao Jinyu stopped explaining and said to the boy, “Fenghuang, it’s late and cold, see Young Master Xiao off! And by the way, take care of those people outside the courtyard!”

People outside the courtyard?

The young servant was stunned when he suddenly heard a loud shout, and a figure flashed before his eyes. It was the boy who leaped over the courtyard wall with lightning speed, and then there were screams from outside the courtyard.

At this time, Xiao Jinyu looked at Xiao Xian again, “Three days later, I will come to the Xiao residence again to fulfill my promise.”