The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Divination

Upon returning to the Xiao family mansion, Xiao Xian’s heart was still in turmoil. He held the scroll painting given to him by Xiao Jinyu, lost in thought for a long time, unable to speak, and a tear even trickled down from his eyes.

His personal attendant, Feng Dong, was well aware of his master’s thoughts and cautiously inquired, “Young Master, this servant can see that you truly wish to bring that Divine Physician to the Xiao family, but why did you choose to tell her the truth?”

If he hadn’t told her, if he had kept it a secret forever, she would have naturally come to the Xiao family, unaware of her own origins.

As he pondered, Xiao Xian unexpectedly replied, “You don’t understand. Returning to the Xiao family might not be as good as her current life. Every one of our Xiao family descendants possesses talent, but why do they all have such short lifespans? This is not a natural disaster, but a man-made calamity.”

The attendant’s expression changed.

He continued, “The sky is vast for birds to fly, the sea is wide for fish to leap. I truly hope she can live such a life forever. It’s just… Elder Sister… If Mother were to know that Elder Sister has already…” He truly feared his mother wouldn’t be able to bear it.

“Then let’s not tell Madam.” The attendant quickly added.

Xiao Xian shook his head and murmured to himself, “Back then, Mother quarreled with Father because of Elder Sister, severing their lifelong bond as husband and wife. She herself was constantly living in guilt and pain, becoming depressed and melancholic, which led to her current illness and confinement to bed. Later, when Elder Brother, Second Brother, and Third Brother passed away one after another, Mother’s last pillar of support collapsed. Now, she doesn’t recognize anyone. I truly don’t know…”

“Young Master, Madam still recognizes you. She only becomes agitated occasionally when she sees others. Every time Young Master visits her, she becomes calm and gentle. This servant can tell that Madam is actually very worried about you.”

Worried, so she clung to her last breath, determined to hold on to life.

Thinking of his mother’s emaciated body, already resembling a seventy or eighty-year-old woman, Xiao Xian felt a burning pain in his chest.

“Young Master, that young lady is a physician. Why don’t we invite her to our home and have her examine Madam? Perhaps Madam’s illness could be cured.” The attendant suddenly had a brainwave and said. After speaking, he seemed to realize something and added with embarrassment, “Young Master, that Divine Physician doesn’t have an Adam’s apple, and she’s so captivating and alluring. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice?”

Xiao Xian shook his head and chuckled. How could he not notice? He simply chose not to comment.

The attendant seemed to immediately grasp his thoughts and quickly said, “Rest assured, Young Master, I will definitely not speak of this to others.” He paused and then added, “But, Madam’s illness?”

Mentioning his mother’s illness, Xiao Xian’s expression darkened again. He seemed to be considering it, but ultimately shook his head.

✿✿✿

After seeing Xiao Xian off, Fenghuang returned to the courtyard and saw Xiao Jinyu staring blankly at the compass in her hand by the candlelight. There was no trace of a smile on her face, and her expression seemed somewhat sorrowful and gloomy.

So, he placed a hat at a jaunty angle on his head, ran up to Xiao Jinyu, and said with a mysterious smile, “Qing Gege, how about I dance and sing a song for you?”

Before Xiao Jinyu could answer, the boy had already retreated a few steps and began to dance and stamp his feet without warning. As he danced, he also tapped a chime with bamboo chopsticks and sang:

“The young man resides on the tenth floor, the young lady on the ninth.

If he weren’t a falcon, how could he catch a skylark?”

Singing to this point, the boy saw Xiao Jinyu’s expression first freeze, then her lips curved slightly, revealing a hint of a smile. He couldn’t help but grin brightly as well, his sleeves fluttering in the air as he danced with even more unrestrained and carefree movements.

“Murong peeks over the wall, the Wu army stretches endlessly.
Though I am who I am, why slay the men outside?

Murong, filled with sorrow, burns incense and holds a Buddhist ceremony.
Wishing to be a swallow within the wall, soaring high beyond its confines.

Murong looks out from the wall, the Wu army stretches endlessly.
Alas, my ministers and advisors, what a lamentable affair!”

As the boy danced and sang, the smile on Xiao Jinyu’s face gradually faded. She had never seen such a free and unrestrained dance before. It was as if the one dancing before her eyes wasn’t a person, but a phoenix long trapped in a cage, yearning to spread its wings and fly. When the phoenix breaks free from the cage, it soars through the nine heavens with proud cries. The boy’s dance possessed a wild elegance and an inherent charm, as well as a hidden power that seemed to disdain the world.

Spinning, spreading his wings, soaring high, every movement carried with it a heavenly wind, as elegant as falling snow.

“Renowned teachers and great generals, do not confine yourselves.
A thousand troops and ten thousand horses avoid the white robe.”

Only when the last note faded did the boy’s movements cease, his sleeves slowly drifting down like a tired bird finally folding its wings.

Xiao Jinyu was lost in thought.

“Renowned teachers and great generals, do not confine yourselves. A thousand troops and ten thousand horses avoid the white robe.” These lines referred to the story of Chen Qingzhi, a famous general of the Southern Liang Dynasty, who, with only a few thousand white-robed soldiers, conquered thirty-two cities of the Northern Wei Dynasty in three months. Wherever he went, no one dared to oppose him.

Such a military achievement was unprecedented.

It was a pity that Chen Qingzhi died young, otherwise…

✿✿✿

Thinking of this, Xiao Jinyu shook her head and chuckled.

At this moment, the boy leaned in and asked, “Qing Gege, how was it? Was my dance good? Compared to Dugu Xin with his tilted hat and elegant demeanor, how do I fare?”

Xiao Jinyu came back to her senses and said with a grateful smile, “Were you afraid I was unhappy, so you deliberately danced this dance to cheer me up?”

Fenghuang didn’t deny it.

Xiao Jinyu continued, “Actually, I’m not unhappy. Fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and life is unpredictable. One encounters many unforeseen events in life. If one were to be unhappy about everything, what would be the point of living? Look, Fenghuang!”

Look at what?

Following Xiao Jinyu’s slender finger, Fenghuang looked over and saw that beneath the compass, there was a diagram drawn, and within the diagram lay a jade pendant. This jade pendant was the relic left behind by her mother, Lady Xiao.

Fenghuang couldn’t understand what it meant and asked, “What is this?”

Xiao Jinyu replied, “I was just divining, using my mother’s relic to divine about her life.”

“What did you divine, Qing Gege?”

“Twenty-four hexagrams. The hexagram indicates water, pointing directly to the southeast of the Qinhuai River, which is the direction of the Xiao family mansion. The guest hexagram is the Li hexagram, pointing to the Taiji Hall of the Jiankang Tai City.”

Fenghuang shook his head. “I still don’t understand. What does it mean?”

Xiao Jinyu fell silent for a moment and then continued, “It means that the person who truly harmed my mother is not in the Xiao family mansion, but within the imperial palace.”

“In other words, the person who harmed Aunt was not Princess Yunyin, but someone else. Who could it be?” Fenghuang suddenly stood up and said.

Xiao Jinyu fell silent again.

“I didn’t know you could divine, Qing Gege.” Fenghuang exclaimed in surprise once more.

Xiao Jinyu smiled faintly. Divination was just one of the skills in Daoist arts. Using the directions indicated by the hexagrams to assess Feng Shui and calculate destinies was merely the most basic skill. True magic was about defying fate. This was what it meant for Daoist arts to be connected to the divine. Unfortunately, she hadn’t reached that level in her past life, otherwise, she wouldn’t have let their Xie family and the entire Southern Liang fall into the hands of those treacherous rebels.

“Fenghuang, bring out the rest of my mother’s belongings.”

“Alright.”

The boy nodded and immediately brought out the box left by Lady Xiao, placing it in front of Xiao Jinyu.

Xiao Jinyu opened the box and retrieved a bulging embroidered pouch from among a pile of ornaments. She then opened the pouch and saw that it contained an embroidered handkerchief with words on it.

The embroidery on the handkerchief was exquisite, and the handwriting was delicate and elegant, written in the standard “Zanhua Xiaokai” style. It read: “People say the round fan resembles the full moon, but I say the full moon does not stay full forever. I wish for the land of Yan to be free from frost, so I may remain within your loving embrace for thousands of years.”

It was a love poem, a bold and passionate one at that.

Xiao Jinyu placed this silk handkerchief within the array she had set up and began divining again.

Using a person’s belongings to divine about their past was also a skill taught to her by the person in her dreams from her past life. However, this skill was mentally taxing, so after she finished divining, she felt exhausted, even drowsy, and almost fainted.

Fenghuang’s face turned pale with fright.

“Qing Gege, what’s wrong? Did you divine something?”

Xiao Jinyu nodded and said, “I’m a little tired, Fenghuang. Help me to my room to rest for a while.”

“Alright.”