The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Lanling Xiao Clan

This night seemed very long, and it was unknown how long they waited before the boy came out of the room.

“Take the person away!” The boy said casually.

Old Madam was still in a daze, half asleep. Hearing this sound, she suddenly woke up and asked hesitantly, “Is he cured?”

“Can’t you see for yourselves?” The boy said impatiently. “Take him away, take him away quickly. Don’t let him stay here and pollute our sight.”

Old Madam’s face turned cold, and the corner of her mouth twitched again, almost imperceptibly. She hurriedly ordered people to go in and carry Zheng Fourteenth Young Master out.

The group rushed forward to look, only to see that the person lying on the thin board no longer had his mouth twisted, eyes slanted, and drooling. He was no longer convulsing, but his entire face seemed to have been punched repeatedly, bruised and swollen.

“This… My Fourteenth Young Master, he…” Old Madam asked uncertainly.

The boy cut her off, saying, “Take him back! My Qing Gege said that he will wake up after two hours.”

“But, but my young master looks like he’s been beaten.” Finally, a servant woman couldn’t help but murmur.

She thought her voice was so low that no one would hear, but it was met with a roar from the boy: “What do you know? My Qing Gege spent a lot of effort to cure him. Look, is his mouth still twisted? Is his body still shaking? Is he still as obscene as before?”

“Yes, yes, he’s not, he’s not.” The servant woman replied repeatedly.

He was no longer obscene, but he looked like he was dead.

At Old Madam’s gesture, a maid knelt down tremblingly, checked Zheng Fourteenth Young Master’s breath, and returned to Old Madam’s side to report, “Old Madam, he’s still breathing.”

Old Madam was relieved and hurriedly smiled gratefully at the boy, raising her hand: “Thank you, Divine Physician Lady, for saving him. By the way, I haven’t asked for the lady’s name yet, so I can spread her reputation.”

Before she could finish speaking, she heard the boy reply firmly, “No need. My Qing Gege doesn’t need it.” After saying that, he slammed the door again and walked back into the inner room, leaving the group of women stunned and speechless once more.

“This child, how can he be so impolite?” Lady Li muttered again and turned to Old Madam, asking, “A’jia, should we take Fourteenth Young Master back now?”

Old Madam hesitated for a moment before saying, “Of course we have to go back.”

Not going back, did they want to wait for daybreak and let outsiders see them as a joke?

“But A’jia, what if Fourteenth Young Master’s illness isn’t cured and he doesn’t wake up?” Lady Li asked again.

Old Madam glared at her unhappily: “Are you cursing my grandson? If he doesn’t wake up after two hours, do you think this place will still be safe and sound?”

This place, of course, referred to the “Divine Physician” living here. These words were undoubtedly meant for the “Divine Physician” to hear. It was truly ridiculous; they had been busy the entire night, but they hadn’t even seen the face of this “Divine Physician.” Even when they asked for her name, they were coldly interrupted by this little boy, guarded against like thieves.

After carrying Zheng Fourteenth Young Master onto the carriage, the women who had been exposed to the cold wind all night finally followed Old Madam Zheng’s carriage and set off on their way home.

✿✿✿

In the room, the boy half-knelt in front of Xiao Jinyu, wiping the sweat from her forehead as he asked softly, “Qing Gege, how are you now? Are you alright?”

Xiao Jinyu shook her head.

“It just took some effort, it’s fine.” She replied, then looked up at the boy in front of her, as if she had only just seen his face clearly. She sighed inwardly at how handsome he was. When he grew up, wouldn’t he capture the hearts of many women? She closed her eyes slightly, catching her breath for a moment before instructing, “Fenghuang, quickly go and settle those personal troops and villagers. We should leave this place soon too. Two hours isn’t much…”

The Zheng family would definitely return. Two hours was just the time they had to escape from this place.

The boy naturally understood her meaning and immediately nodded, saying, “Alright, Qing Gege, don’t worry. I’ve already sent people to take care of these matters. Since we have the deeds of sale, those people are now under Qing Gege’s command, servants of the Xiao family. Zheng Fourteenth Young Master won’t be able to do anything to them. I’ve also sent the letter to the head of the Zheng family.”

Xiao family?

Hearing the word “Xiao” again, fragmented and blurry memories surfaced in Xiao Jinyu’s mind once more: Xiao? Why did this surname feel so familiar, and why did she feel heartache, sadness, and even inexplicable resentment when she thought of the surname “Xiao”?

“Fenghuang, I remember you said that my mother’s surname was Xiao, and I took her surname. What about my father?” She asked again. “Why didn’t I take my father’s surname?”

The boy pondered for a moment, then seemed to make up his mind and said, “Alright, Qing Gege, don’t worry. We’ll get on the carriage soon, and I’ll tell you on the way.”

✿✿✿

With that, he quickly packed up their belongings and helped Xiao Jinyu walk towards the door behind the screen. The room was emptied, leaving only a folding screen standing in the middle, with a half-finished painting on it, the ink still wet.

When they came out, they saw that the sky was already slightly bright. The sky was no longer overcast and pitch black, but a faint red glow was dyeing the horizon. It was the red sun about to break through the clouds, ready to spread its bright light across the land.

It had to be said that the scenery here was truly beautiful. Although there were no pavilions, terraces, or waterside pavilions, there were lush trees and blooming flowers everywhere. In the distance, there were waterfalls and springs, sparkling in the morning light like shattered jade and tinkling gold. Wisps of morning mist rose, shrouding the village in the mountain valley with a hazy and mysterious veil.

Looking at this scenery, Xiao Jinyu felt a sense of melancholy in her heart. Once upon a time, she seemed to have wandered around with her fellow clan brothers and sisters, displaced and homeless, not knowing where their destination was.

“Qing Gege, what’s wrong?” The boy asked worriedly, seeing her stop and not move.

Xiao Jinyu shook her head again: “Nothing, let’s go quickly!”

The boy hummed in agreement, and the two of them went to a nearby stable where horses were kept.

The carriage had been prepared beforehand, an inconspicuous green-canopied, double-shafted carriage. It quickly drove onto the official road shrouded in mist.

At the same time, no one noticed several carriages heading in different directions.

As the city gate of Sishui Pass drew closer, the boy began to talk about her mother. It turned out that this was Qi territory, and the ruler of the Qi state was Gao Zhan. Xiao Jinyu’s mother, Lady Xiao, had entered the palace as an imperial physician in her early years due to her outstanding talent and medical skills. Later, she was favored by the then ruler, Gao Yang, and promoted to a third-rank female official, equivalent to the Grand Master of Splendid Happiness. But later, for unknown reasons, Lady Xiao left the palace and returned the residence bestowed upon her by Gao Yang to the court. She took only her daughter, Xiao Jinyu, and lived in a remote village near Luoyang, making a living by raising silkworms and weaving cloth. Sometimes she would also treat villagers. She thought this peaceful life would continue, but unexpectedly, a group of unidentified visitors disturbed them. Not long after, Lady Xiao died suddenly for unknown reasons.

“How did my mother die?” Xiao Jinyu asked, hearing this.

The boy shook his head: “I don’t know. When my aunt died, there were no injuries on her body, only a pale complexion and irregular breathing. It didn’t look like she was sick. I asked her that day, but she wouldn’t say anything, only told me to escort you to Jiankang.”

“To Jiankang?”

“Yes, to Jiankang. My aunt said that she was originally from Jiankang, her roots were there, and she wanted you to take the token she left behind and return to the Lanling Xiao family in Jiankang City to acknowledge your ancestry.”

“Acknowledge my ancestry?” Xiao Jinyu was even more surprised. The Xiao family was only her mother’s maternal family. What qualifications did she have as a granddaughter to go back and acknowledge her ancestry?

The boy saw the doubt in her heart and said, “Yes, acknowledge your ancestry. My aunt said that since Qing Gege’s surname is Xiao, you are a descendant of the Xiao family and naturally have to return to the Xiao family to acknowledge your ancestry. Therefore, my aunt always raised Qing Gege as a young master.”

This was why she had always presented herself as a man, and why the boy always called her “Gege.”

Xiao Jinyu didn’t understand and asked again, “Didn’t she ever mention my father?”

The boy shook his head again: “Yes, never mentioned. Although I was also very curious, she truly never mentioned him until her death. I just don’t know…”

Didn’t know if she had told her biological daughter?

But the boy didn’t want to ask this question, and Xiao Jinyu also fell into deep thought. A “young boy” figure seemed to appear in her mind, often helping a woman clean silkworm leaves, wash clothes, even cook on tiptoe, doing all the chores himself. Sometimes he would sit under a pine tree and read with the woman, learn to write, and sometimes he would study hard by the window with a candle, copying a scroll with great interest.

Recalling this, Xiao Jinyu felt warmth and fullness in her chest, as if a warm spring had been poured into it. Perhaps this was the most heartwarming and happy time in the girl’s life.

Suddenly, as if thinking of something, Xiao Jinyu raised her head and murmured, “You just said Jiankang City’s Lanling Xiao family? Is it the Lanling Xiao family from the saying ‘Cui Lu Li Zheng, Wang Xie Yuan Xiao’?”

The boy nodded in confirmation.

Xiao Jinyu pressed her forehead again, lost in thought. She should clearly remember the Lanling Xiao clan, but why couldn’t she recall anything? Apart from a vast expanse of red, her mind seemed to be a wasteland. What was even more frightening was that the deeper she tried to think, the more fear and pain she felt. This fear was almost suffocating.

What was wrong with her memory?

Seeing Xiao Jinyu frown again, her brows furrowed with deep pain, the boy hurriedly called out, “Qing Gege, don’t think about it anymore. Let’s go to the Chen state, to Jiankang. I’ll take you back to the Lanling Xiao family. Maybe you’ll remember everything then.” With that, he took out a map and pointed to a spot on it, saying, “Qing Gege, look, this is Yingyang, where we are now, and this is Jiankang. We’ll start from here, follow this route, and when we reach Xuzhou Pengcheng, we’ll take the waterway through the Yangtze River. We can definitely reach Jiankang within a month.”

After a pause, he added, “This Qi territory is not a place to stay for long. Perhaps only Jiankang in the Chen state can be our refuge.”

Jiankang?

A voice in her heart seemed to be urging her: Yes, I have to return to Jiankang. Only by returning to Jiankang can I regain my memories and everything I’ve lost.

Thinking this, Xiao Jinyu nodded, but her eyes showed a hint of surprise as they fell on the map in the boy’s hand.