The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 74

Chapter 74: Xiao Yuan’s Words

Prince of Lanling, who was galloping into the south city gate, suddenly pulled the reins of his horse and stopped. Lu Yu curiously followed up and asked: “Your Highness, what’s wrong?”

Gao Changgong carefully thought about what Chen Shuling had said.

“What did he mean by ‘understood’?” he asked.

“Your Highness, this Prince of Shixing is very strange. While others collect antiques, calligraphy, and paintings, he collects the bones of dead people. Today, he even wanted to drag Your Highness to dig up the tomb of Grand Tutor Xie. This man is full of evil intentions and definitely has no good intentions. We should stop interacting with him in the future.”

“He certainly has no good intentions. Then what does he mean by asking me what kind of beauty can be called a peerless beauty, and asking if she… can catch my eye? What is he trying to do?”

Lu Yu’s expression changed, secretly sighing that this was not good.

At this time, Gao Changgong said with a solemn expression: “Let’s continue to send a few people to keep an eye on her place. Report to me immediately if there is any unusual activity.”

“Keep an eye on her? Your Highness, the ‘her’ you are referring to… is that Divine Physician Lady? You wouldn’t really be interested in that young lady, would you?” Lu Yu asked jokingly.

Gao Changgong glanced at him and suddenly sighed: “I just feel like we are the same kind of people, but she did what I didn’t dare to do. Besides…” He suddenly changed the subject and said jokingly, “Such a peerless beauty, wouldn’t it be a pity if she were to fall into the hands of others?”

After saying that, he spurred his horse again and galloped towards the embassy in the city with a group of cavalry, leaving Lu Yu standing there in a daze:

What does Your Highness mean? Could it be… that he’s finally come to his senses?

✿✿✿

As night fell, Ling Ye also rushed back from the outskirts. At that time, everyone in the Early Spring Courtyard who had been busy all day had already fallen asleep, and Xiao Jinyu had also entered a light sleep.

Ling Ye didn’t want to disturb her, but unexpectedly, Xiao Jinyu woke up quickly upon hearing the sound. She called out to him, who was standing in the moonlight, through the window. Only then did Ling Ye respond and quietly enter.

“My Lady, the Prince of Shixing spent the whole day hunting, racing horses, and chasing rabbits with the Prince of Lanling outside the south city gate today. During that time, it seems there was a suggestion to go treasure hunting in the tombs of Meiling Ridge, but it was rejected by the Prince of Lanling. So, the prince hasn’t taken any action today.”

Xiao Jinyu nodded, thinking of the scene during the day when the Prince of Lanling lifted his veil to help her out of the predicament. That radiant face seemed to have been deeply imprinted in her mind long ago, bringing her a feeling of warmth, inexplicably familiar and moving.

She knew that this feeling was entirely from the original owner’s instinctive reaction. Could it be that Xiao Jinyu in her past life knew the Prince of Lanling?

“My Lady, why not let Ling Ye kill him? After all, a prince who commits all kinds of evil deserves to die!”

Seeing Xiao Jinyu lost in thought, Ling Ye suddenly said.

“After you kill him, what about you? Can you escape unscathed?” Xiao Jinyu retorted.

Ling Ye fell silent. In his current physical condition, if he wanted to kill the Governor of Yangzhou, who was heavily guarded, he would have to be prepared to sacrifice his own life.

“I said, whether it’s Princess Yunyin or this Prince of Shixing, they are both powerful figures within the Chen imperial family. Killing them will inevitably attract the attention of the local officials and even the court. Especially this Prince of Shixing, he is Chen Xu’s most beloved son. If you want to kill him, you must be fully prepared and have a safe escape route that won’t harm yourself.”

Having said that, she paused and added, “Ling Ye, don’t take your life lightly!”

“Yes, My Lady!”

“During this time, you should rest well in the Early Spring Courtyard. Tomorrow, I will buy some guards. You can delegate some tasks to them. And before the Pure Conversation Gathering on March 3rd, I need you to make me a few hidden arrows!”

Making weapons and hidden weapons was also Ling Ye’s specialty. As long as she provided the design drawings, Ling Ye could create the desired effect.

“Yes, My Lady. Are you making hidden arrows… for Young Master Xiao Xian and the others?”

“Yes! In these troubled times, no one can live a peaceful life under the protection of others. The best protection I can give them is to let them have the ability to protect themselves. And before that, learning to use hidden weapons is the simplest and fastest step.”

“Okay, I will not fail to meet your expectations, My Lady!”

Ling Ye replied with a bow and then asked, “My Lady, about buying guards…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t just recruit some random ‘eyes and ears’ for others. Buying guards is just a cover. Gathering our remaining former troops scattered in Jiankang City is what we really need to do. After your injury is fully healed, you will be responsible for this!”

“Yes, My Lady!”

Xiao Jinyu smiled again.

After a moment of silence, she suddenly said with a solemn expression:

“As for the Prince of Shixing wanting to excavate the tombs of my Xie ancestors, we don’t need to resort to force to solve this. All we need is an opportunity!”

✿✿✿

The night passed quickly. For Xiao Jinyu, this was the most peaceful night she had slept since her rebirth. The others in the Early Spring Courtyard seemed to be afraid of disturbing her as well. Even though the sun was already high in the sky, no one woke her up. By the time she naturally woke up, it was already half past nine in the morning.

“My Lady, you finally woke up! Did you sleep well last night?”

As soon as she woke up, A’xiu brought in warm water, tooth powder, a copper basin, and other toiletries for Xiao Jinyu to wash and dress.

“What time is it now?”

“It’s still early, My Lady. No need to rush.”

Xiao Jinyu looked at the shadows cast by the trees outside the window under the bright sunlight and sighed: “It’s already half past nine, isn’t it? A’xiu, why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Young Master Xiao told us not to wake you up, My Lady. He said you’ve been working too hard these past few days and wanted you to rest more.”

After saying that, A’xiu asked, “What would you like to eat today, My Lady?”

“No need to ask me today. Now that there are more people in the house, we should ask for their opinions. A’xiu, you’ve been working too hard taking care of me alone. Delegate some tasks to Shi Yan and Shi Zhu.”

✿✿✿

Shi Yan and Shi Zhu were two of the maids that Xiao Xian bought yesterday.

“Yes, My Lady,” A’xiu said, touched to tears.

“A’xiu, have you ever thought about what you want to do in the future?” Xiao Jinyu suddenly asked.

A’xiu shook her head repeatedly: “As long as I can stay with My Lady, I will do whatever My Lady asks me to do.”

“Don’t rush to answer me. You are also very intelligent. Learning a skill is the foundation for survival. Like Tenth Young Lady, think it through before answering me.”

A’xiu felt a little uneasy about why Xiao Jinyu would ask such a question, but she didn’t dare to ask more.

Finally, she only replied: “Yes, My Lady!”

After breakfast, Xiao Jinyu went to continue expelling the remaining poison from Xiao Yuan. After an hour of acupuncture treatment, Xiao Yuan slowly regained consciousness. Seeing Xiao Jinyu’s undisguised face, her expression suddenly changed, and she became agitated, shouting: “It’s you! It’s all your fault that my A’luan is like this! It’s all because of you… My A’luan was a golden branch and jade leaf, a golden branch and jade leaf! You ruined her!”

Xiao Jinyu was startled as she was suddenly grabbed by her collar.

After a moment of agitation, Xiao Yuan suddenly burst into tears, covering her face: “My A’luan was so beautiful, so good, so kind. She gave everything for our Xiao family. Why did you harm her? Why did you harm her?”

“It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault for not protecting her!”

Hearing the commotion, Xiao Xian immediately ran in, separated Xiao Yuan and Xiao Jinyu, and sat down in front of the bed.

“Mother, have you remembered something?”

Princess Yunyin had gone to great lengths to poison them and erase their memories. The memory that Xiao Xian had forgotten was about his elder sister being wrongly accused and driven out of the Xiao family, and about the cryptic conversation between the two unknown visitors. So what was it that their mother had forgotten?

Seeing Xiao Xian, Xiao Yuan suddenly calmed down. She couldn’t help but reach out and caress Xiao Xian’s face, murmuring: “You look so much like him…”

Like whom? Xiao Yuan didn’t continue, but her eyes were filled with tears of longing and reluctance.

Xiao Xian’s heart ached even more.

“Mother, it’s me, A’xian, Xianlang, your son. Don’t you remember?”

Xiao Yuan seemed not to hear him, as if she was lost in a dream, muttering to herself:

“My sons… they’re all dead, one by one, all murdered… Dalang… Erlang… Sablang… It’s my fault… It’s all my fault…”

She suddenly buried her head in her hands and wept bitterly.

“Mother…”

Xiao Xian called out again, but Xiao Yuan remained silent, her expression vacant. Helpless, he called Nurse Lin to attend to her meal and left the room with Xiao Jinyu.

“A’yu, I’m so sorry. You look so much like him that mother always…”

“It’s okay. If I didn’t know what kind of person Han Zigao was, I would also feel indignant for my mother…” Xiao Jinyu interrupted him.

Xiao Xian seemed surprised by these words and stopped in his tracks.

“A’yu, can you forgive him, your biological father?” he asked.

“Whether I can forgive him or not is not up to me, but up to my mother. If even my mother can forgive him, what reason do I have to hold a grudge?” She paused and added, “Besides, he was just a pawn used by others!”

Just a pitiful person who died unjustly and was burdened with infamy!

Thinking of this, Xiao Jinyu suddenly remembered the imperial edict and said: “Uncle Xian, we can’t let too many people know about grandmother’s situation for now. Whether she recovers or not…”

“I understand. If she recovers, I’m afraid more people will want her dead.”

Xiao Xian said bitterly.

Seeing Xiao Xian’s melancholic expression, Xiao Jinyu changed the subject and said with a smile: “I heard that Uncle Xian has been intelligent and knowledgeable since childhood, well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, and proficient in the Six Arts. A’yu has never had the chance to witness your skills. How about today, A’yu competes with Uncle Xian? How about we start with archery, one of the Six Arts?”

Xiao Xian smiled and didn’t refuse.

The two of them found a large open space behind the Early Spring Courtyard as their training ground. Fenghuang set up straw figures and shields, and they started practicing.

Archery was not only one of the Six Arts of a gentleman, but it could also be used to kill enemies and protect oneself in critical moments. In this chaotic world where even scholars had to carry swords and assassinations were common, learning a life-saving skill was extremely important.

Although Xiao Xian had been paralyzed in a wheelchair for more than ten years, he had not neglected his archery skills. Therefore, his practice was not too rusty. Whether it was the posture, etiquette, mental strength, or cultivation required during archery, he was impeccable, but he lacked a certain sharpness.

“Uncle Xian, your heart is not ruthless enough!”

Xiao Jinyu suddenly said.

Xiao Xian’s expression changed slightly, and he heard her continue: “Sometimes, being too kind is not necessarily merciful. Why did our Xiao family meet such an end during the previous dynasty? Wasn’t it the sorrow caused by Emperor Wu of Liang’s excessive kindness?”