Undercurrents

The jade amulet swayed between her fingers, warm to the touch, yet carrying a mysterious weight. Su Qingyue sat by the window, carefully examining the token in the dim morning light. The jade wasn't of the finest quality, but the carving was simple yet grand, the edges worn smooth, clearly a cherished item worn by its owner over many years.

“Moyunzhai…” she murmured the name. It sounded like a calligraphy and painting shop, but the old man’s demeanor was far from that of an ordinary merchant. His appearance alone in the Prime Minister’s garden, and the fact that he had no attendants with him when he fell ill, was itself suspicious.

"Miss, do you think that old man might be a distinguished guest of the master?" Qingdai asked curiously as she tidied the bed.

"Perhaps." Su Qingyue carefully put the jade clasp into an embroidered pouch and placed it close to her body. This unexpected windfall was not yet ready to be played.

The courtyard was unusually quiet for the next few days. Granny Qian didn't appear again, and even the old woman who brought the meals became more respectful. Although the food was still simple, at least it was hot and the portions were more generous.

"Miss, are they scared?" Qingdai asked with some delight.

Su Qingyue was brewing a medicinal soup with herbs she had picked in the courtyard when she heard this. She simply shook her head: "It's just the calm before the storm." A person like Wang would never give up because of a small setback. This calm only made her more vigilant.

She poured out the brewed medicine; the dark brown liquid emitted a bitter smell. This was a concoction she had prepared using the available herbs, mainly for dispelling cold and strengthening the body. She took a sip, her brow furrowing slightly—the quality of the herbs was too poor; the effect would likely be greatly diminished.

"Qingdai, I'll write down a list. Find a way to get some medicine from the pharmacy outside the manor." Su Qingyue picked up her pen and wrote down the names of several medicinal herbs. She couldn't continue to be passively attacked like this; she had to recover her health as soon as possible to cope with the upcoming turmoil.

“But Miss, our monthly allowance…” Qingdai looked troubled. Although Madam Wang hadn’t openly withheld any money for the time being, she couldn’t possibly give her an extra penny.

Su Qingyue took out a small cloth bag from under her pillow. Inside were a few pieces of jewelry left behind by the original owner, which weren't very valuable. "Let's pawn these. Be careful not to let anyone recognize them as belonging to the manor."

Qingdai took the cloth bag, her eyes slightly red. She knew this was her mistress's last bit of money.

After seeing Qingdai off, Su Qingyue walked into the courtyard. The sunlight was just right, casting a warm glow on the dilapidated little courtyard. Looking at the few newly sprouted medicinal herbs in the corner, she felt a slight sense of comfort. Self-reliance was the first step to escaping her predicament.

However, the peace was soon shattered.

In the afternoon, Su Qingyue was teaching Qingdai to identify the medicinal properties of several common herbs when a commotion arose outside the courtyard gate. Immediately afterwards, the gate was violently pushed open, and Su Qingxue, accompanied by several maids and servants, stormed in aggressively.

"Su Qingyue! Come out here!" Su Qingxue was dressed in a peach-colored floral dress, adorned with jewels, which clashed sharply with the dilapidated courtyard. Her face was filled with undisguised anger, and her eyes seemed to be filled with venom.

Su Qingyue slowly stood up and patted the dust off her hands: "What brings you to my humble abode today, sister?"

"Stop playing dumb!" Su Qingxue rushed up to her, pointed at her nose and yelled, "I'm asking you, a few days ago in the West Garden, didn't you have a secret rendezvous with another man?"

Having an affair? That's a really serious accusation. If proven true, at best her reputation would be ruined, at worst she could be drowned.

Qingdai turned pale with fright and hurriedly said, "Young Miss, please understand! You were just admiring the plum blossoms that day when you happened to meet an elderly man who was ill, and you helped him out!"

"Shut up! Who gave you the right to speak here!" An old woman behind Su Qingxue shouted sternly and stepped forward to slap Qingdai.

Su Qingyue shifted her feet, subtly blocking Qingdai's path, her gaze coldly sweeping over the old woman: "The people in my courtyard are not for others to teach a lesson."

The old woman froze, intimidated by her gaze.

Su Qingxue's chest heaved with anger: "Help? That sounds nice! Let me ask you, where is the jade clasp the old man gave you? Hand it over!"

The news spread quickly. Su Qingyue understood immediately; there must have been spies nearby that day. She feigned confusion, though: "What jade buckle? What are you talking about, sister? I don't understand."

"You still dare to deny it!" Su Qingxue pulled something from her sleeve and slammed it to the ground—it was the plain silver hairpin that Su Qingyue had pawned that day. "This is yours, isn't it? The pawnshop clerks all confessed! They said you used a hairpin to buy medicine! If you hadn't done something shameful, why would you be sneaking around?"

So this was where they were waiting for her. Su Qingyue sneered inwardly, but on her face she showed a hint of grievance: "Sister, what you're saying is so unreasonable. I'm not feeling well, so what's wrong with selling some old things to get money for medicine? Do you really want me to die in the hospital to please some people?"

"You!" Su Qingxue was speechless, then became even more furious. "Stop changing the subject! That jade pendant must be a token of a secret exchange! If you don't hand it over today, I will inform Mother and ask her to punish you according to family rules!"

Just then, a gentle yet authoritative voice came from outside the courtyard: "What's going on here?"

Everyone turned around and saw Madam Wang slowly walking in, surrounded by a group of maids and servants. Today, she was wearing a crimson-purple jacket and skirt with lotus patterns, and a red-gold and kingfisher-feather hairpin. She was very elegant, but when her eyes swept over Su Qingyue, there was a hint of coldness that was hard to detect.

"Mother!" Su Qingxue rushed over immediately, sobbing aggrievedly, "I heard that my third sister had a secret rendezvous with a man in the garden the day before yesterday and even received a token from him. I came to ask her out of kindness, but she flatly denied it..."

Madam Wang patted Su Qingxue's hand, her gaze falling on Su Qingyue with scrutiny: "Qingyue, is this true?"

Su Qingyue curtsied, neither humble nor arrogant: "Mother, there is absolutely no such thing. That day, I went to the West Garden to admire the plum blossoms and happened to meet an elderly man who had suddenly fallen ill with a heart ailment. Out of a doctor's compassion, I helped him. The old man was grateful and gave me a peace pendant as a token of his thanks. I couldn't refuse, so I had to accept it. This matter is perfectly aboveboard, but I don't know why, in your words, it has become a secret rendezvous with an outsider."

"Heart ailment? Help?" Madam Wang raised an eyebrow. "When did you learn medicine?"

“My daughter has read a few medical books in her spare time and has a basic understanding of medicine,” Su Qingyue replied confidently. “The situation was critical that day, and we had no choice but to take the risk. Fortunately, the old man was saved by divine intervention.”

After a moment of contemplation, Madam Wang suddenly said, "Since you are skilled in medicine, there is something I can ask you to try." She gestured to the nanny behind her, "Go and bring Qiuwen here."

Before long, a pale-faced maidservant who was coughing incessantly was brought up. It was Qiuwen, a rough maidservant in Su Qingxue's courtyard.

"This girl has caught a cold and is coughing incessantly. She's been taking medicine for days but isn't getting better." Madam Wang looked at Su Qingyue with an inscrutable gaze. "Since you're skilled in medicine, take a look at her. If you cure her, it will prove your words are true. If you don't..." She paused, her unfinished words filled with threat.

Su Qingxue smiled smugly. She knew Qiuwen's illness best; it was caused by eating the incompatible foods she had deliberately arranged. The symptoms resembled a cold but were more complex, and even the royal physicians were helpless. She wanted to see how Su Qingyue would handle this.

All eyes were on Su Qingyue.

Qingdai nervously gripped the hem of her dress.

Su Qingyue remained calm. She walked up to Qiu Wen and said gently, "Extend your hand, let me take your pulse."

Su Qingyue placed her fingertips on Qiuwen's wrist pulse and carefully felt it. The pulse was floating, rapid, and slippery, indeed resembling a cold, but upon closer examination, there were some differences. She then examined Qiuwen's tongue coating; the tongue body was red, and the coating was thin, yellow, and greasy.

"How have you been eating lately?" Su Qingyue asked.

Qiuwen glanced timidly at Su Qingxue and whispered, "Nothing...nothing special, I just ate some...some crabs and drank some wine a few days ago..."

Crabs are cold in nature, while alcohol is hot. Eating them together can easily damage the spleen and stomach, leading to internal damp-heat. If one already has a cold, it will only worsen the condition. Su Qingyue understood that this illness was not simply a cold, but rather damp-heat accumulating in the lungs due to improper diet.

"It's not a big problem." Su Qingyue withdrew her hand and said to Wang Shi, "Miss Qiuwen's problem is due to improper diet, internal damp-heat, and external cold. I will prescribe a medicine to clear heat and dampness, promote lung function and stop coughing. She should be cured in three doses."

"Easy for you to say!" Su Qingxue scoffed. "Even the imperial physicians couldn't cure it, and you think you can just prescribe a random remedy?"

Su Qingyue ignored her and went straight to Qingdai for paper and pen, writing down a prescription: apricot kernel, coix seed, cardamom, pinellia, poria, forsythia, and bamboo leaves. This was a modified version of the Three-Kernel Decoction, which was most suitable for the symptoms.

Madam Wang took the prescription, glanced at it, and handed it to the nanny behind her: "Get the medicine according to the prescription." She then looked at Su Qingyue with a complicated expression, "If Qiuwen does not improve in three days, you should know the consequences."

After saying that, he left with his group. Su Qingxue glared at Su Qingyue and followed them away.

The courtyard returned to peace, yet it seemed as if an invisible pressure was looming over it.

"Miss, are you really sure?" Qingdai asked worriedly.

Su Qingyue looked in the direction the group had left, her gaze deep: "Whether I'm confident or not, it doesn't matter anymore."

Most importantly, this incident has officially thrust her into the limelight. Wang's probing and Su Qingxue's刁难 (difficulties/challenges) were just the beginning. The turmoil caused by that jade buckle will certainly not subside so easily.

She went back into the house, took out the safety buckle, and rubbed it between her fingers.

Undercurrents are already brewing; she must quickly weave her own web. And medical skills may be the key to breaking through this predicament.

Three days later, Qiuwen was indeed cured. The news spread, and the servants looked at Su Qingyue with even more awe. Consequently, some inconspicuous maids and old women began secretly seeking her help for minor ailments.

Su Qingyue treated all patients with care and diligence. Her prescriptions were simple yet effective, using common herbs in exquisite combinations. Gradually, the reputation of "the Third Miss's superb medical skills" quietly spread among the lower levels of the Prime Minister's residence.

Upon learning this, Ms. Wang smashed one of her favorite teacups.

“I underestimated her.” She looked at Granny Qian kneeling on the ground with icy eyes. “Go and find out who the owner of ‘Moyunzhai’ really is.”

"Yes," Granny Qian replied with a bow, then hesitated for a moment before asking, "And what about the Third Miss...?"

"Don't touch her yet." Madam Wang twirled her prayer beads, her tone chilling. "Let her be smug for a few more days. The palace banquet is just around the corner; there will be plenty of opportunities to deal with her."

Outside the window, dusk was settling in. Deep within the Prime Minister's residence, undercurrents surged, and an invisible net was quietly tightening.

Su Qingyue sat by the window, sketching and writing on a piece of paper by the dim light of an oil lamp. It was a simple diagram of the human body's meridians, with symbols and formulas that only she could understand marked beside it.

Since the storm is inevitable, let her ride the wind.