Chapter 66 Finding a Way Out Now, not only me, but you too...
Zhao Yuntuan's words weren't just a veiled meaning; he was clearly stating his intentions explicitly.
When it comes to the ability to discern the unspoken meaning behind words, Xiao Chengyan has always been adept at it.
He naturally understood the meaning behind Zhao Yuntuan's words, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with what he had done.
Even so, he still asked casually, "Like what?"
"Like a scholar bewitched." Zhao Yuntuan's face was full of helplessness: "I really can't understand it. In just three days, why did you act like you were at Hua Yan's beck and call?
Zhao Yuntuan seemed to be standing up for his other sister: "I've never seen you act like this in front of Hua Ruo."
Xiao Chengyan turned around, lifted the curtain, and entered the carriage. Seeing this, Zhao Yuntuan followed closely behind and climbed in.
The two settled down and waited for the carriage to start moving.
Xiao Chengyan leaned against the carriage wall, twirling the jade pendant on his body as he retorted, "Yun Tuan, you're exaggerating. How could I be like that? Qiqi is my cousin, and Hua Ruo is also my cousin. I've always treated them both equally."
He defended himself: "I've always been there for Hua Ruo whenever she wants something. You can't say this is a lie, can you?"
What he said was true. Last spring, Zhao Huaruo insisted on flying kites, but none of the kites made by the palace eunuchs and maids met her standards.
Helpless, he personally went out of the palace and ran through two streets to buy a dozen or so kites of different designs for her to choose from, but still couldn't get a single smile from her.
Later, he stayed up half the night to make a dragonfly-shaped paper kite and send it over, and only then did Zhao Huaruo finally give up and show a satisfied look on her face.
Speaking of which, that kite is still kept in Hua Ruo's bedchamber. She treasures it dearly and won't let anyone touch it; she'll get angry if anyone does.
Zhao Yuntuan scoffed, "Yes, yes, yes... You're always there for Hua Ruo, but it's a completely different story from how you treat Hua Yan. Don't you realize that yourself?"
Xiao Chengyan laughed loudly: "What do you feel? Qiqi left the palace at a young age and lived alone in Shuoyang. She must have suffered so much. Even if I am too good to her, it is only human nature."
He said, "She will soon be married off to that old Jie man in Beiye. Now, not only me, but you should also treat her better."
Zhao Yuntuan frowned as he listened, his expression going beyond mere speechlessness; it was as if the words "incomprehensible" were etched onto his face.
He disagreed with his statement: "But it wasn't me who sent her to marry into the royal family; it was my brother who made the decision. Besides, when I went to the palace the other day, I gave her so many jewels; isn't that enough?"
Despite being born into royalty, Zhao Yuntuan was, to some extent, quite stingy. When they went out for drinks and entertainment, the task of paying the bill almost always fell to Xiao Chengyan.
After saying all that, Zhao Yuntuan felt his mouth was dry.
Seeing his good brother's appearance, he suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "If you had known this would happen, you should have agreed to the marriage arranged by the Empress Dowager. If that were the case, you would be the one engaged to Hua Yan now."
As if his deepest, most secret thoughts had been exposed, Xiao Chengyan recalled his first meeting with Yu Nie and their trip to Yongxing Temple together today.
He couldn't deceive himself; at that moment, he felt a pang of regret.
If he had been more open-minded back then, instead of repeatedly declining to enjoy a few more years of carefree play, he would have agreed to the marriage long ago. Then, at this moment, the one rightfully engaged to her... should be himself.
Seeing that Xiao Chengyan surprisingly didn't retort and remained silent, Zhao Yuntuan's eyes widened in shock.
Before he could express his thoughts, Xiao Chengyan suddenly looked up and asked him with a smile, "Yun Tuan, do you think... there's still room for maneuver in this marriage?"
Zhao Yuntuan: "..."
*
Misfortune can strike at any time.
Yu Nie was wearing satin boots with upturned toes, and her ankles were red and swollen. She was being half-supported and half-carried by Cui Wei.
With each step she took, her brow furrowed in pain, and she limped into the bedchamber.
Two palace maids followed behind Song Ai, hurrying over with her in quick steps.
Seeing her like this, Song Ai hurriedly bent down, her voice full of surprise: "What happened to the princess's foot?"
Cuiwei looked up and replied, "It was my fault. Just now, when I followed Your Highness down the arched bridge in the front courtyard, I didn't notice that Your Highness slipped and twisted your ankle."
Song Ai's face hardened, and her expression turned solemn: "His Majesty will personally visit the palace the day after tomorrow, accompanied by envoys and special agents from the Great Khanate. In such an important occasion, if His Majesty were to see the princess injured, how many heads would we have to bear the blame?"
Cuiwei immediately knelt down: "It was all my negligence. If you must punish me, please punish only me."
"It's nothing serious, Song Juling. It's just a sprain. A little ice will do the trick." Yu Nie winced and gasped in pain. Cuiwei had already taken off her shoes and socks while they were talking.
Seeing that the injuries were less severe than expected, Song Ai knew that treating the injuries was the most important thing right now, not the time for a lecture.
She turned her head and sternly ordered the palace servants: "Go to the Imperial Medical Bureau immediately and fetch the imperial physician. If you dare to delay even for a moment, you will all be punished severely."
"Yes, Your Excellency." The palace maid obeyed the order without delay and quickly ran out, lifting her skirt.
Before the imperial physician arrived, Song Ai sent someone to fetch ice from the kitchen, wrapped it in gauze, and applied it to her wound.
Seeing her bent over and busy, Yu Nie felt embarrassed to be served like this and reached out to stop her, saying, "Let me do it, Song Juling, don't trouble yourself."
Song Ai didn't even look up, still focused on turning the cool ice in her hand, her technique was quite skillful.
She said, “Princess, you are of noble birth and should be mindful of your status in your actions. I don’t care what kind of life you lived at the Shuoyang Temple, but now that you have a title and are about to be married off to a distant land, every move you make will affect the relations between our two countries. You must not take your life lightly in the future.”
Fortunately, her injury was not serious. By the time the imperial physicians arrived, the swelling and redness in her ankle had subsided considerably.
When Song Ai saw that it was already completely dark before the imperial physician arrived, her face was extremely unpleasant, showing no respect whatsoever to the imperial physicians.
She immediately turned her face away and said to the rather elderly imperial physician:
"Imperial Physician Li, we didn't know that the Imperial Medical Bureau had become so urgent. The princess's request for treatment has been delayed for so long. If the princess's injuries worsen and His Majesty inquires about it later, are the people of the Imperial Medical Bureau planning to all kneel in front of the Zhanghan Hall and offer their deaths as atonement?"
When asked the question, Physician Li wiped the sweat from his brow.
Ever since the emperor decided to form a marriage alliance with the Jie people, those of them who worked in the Imperial Medical Bureau all day long, they had heard how much importance the chosen princess placed on her.
But they really have a hard time dealing with this matter today.
Physician Li wiped the sweat from his brow, a few forced smiles on his wrinkled face:
“Ju Ling, you may not know this, but this afternoon, Attendant Feng from the palace led people from the Great Khanate to say that the Jie tribe’s special officer was in severe knee pain. He said that all the staff of the Imperial Medical Bureau, except those who were really unable to leave, had to go and treat him. This back and forth caused the delay until now. I am really sorry to the princess and Ju Ling.”
Upon hearing this, Song Ai's surging anger caught in her throat, unable to subside. No one could say anything more about the reason behind it.
"I see."
She glanced at the wet white hair at Physician Li's temples, remained silent for a moment, and handed the ice block in her hand to the palace maid standing to the side: "Since you are busy with the special duties of the Great Palace, then so be it. If we say any more, we will seem ungrateful and lacking in manners."
Physician Li could only force a smile and smooth things over: "Ju Ling is only thinking of the princess and has been busy with her all along. It's only natural that she doesn't have time to know about these things."
The illness had been diagnosed and treated, and there was no point in Physician Li being there. Song Ai said a few more perfunctory words, then looked up and instructed the eunuch waiting below the steps to see the guest out.
The young eunuch stepped forward in response. Seeing this, Physician Li could not linger any longer, so he bowed respectfully, carried his medicine chest, and followed him out.
Watching the figure disappear into the night, Song Ai lowered her eyes, her gaze devoid of warmth, and turned to enter the bedchamber behind her.
With the ointment still applied to reduce swelling, Yu Nie rested her injured ankle lightly on a round stool, sipping her ice cream from her bowl.
The nights are hot and humid, and ice cream is a staple in the kitchen to help her cool down.
She could only fall asleep after eating ice cream these past two nights.
When Song Ai came in, her face was still serious, but there was no coldness in her eyes.
Yu Nie asked her if she had seen the imperial physician off, and she nodded, then recounted to her why the imperial physicians were late that day.
Upon hearing that the Jie ethnic group's special agents were suffering from joint pain, all the available imperial physicians in the Imperial Medical Bureau were transferred away.
Her hand holding the white porcelain spoon slowly stopped as she recalled the words she had spoken to the envoy during the day.
The Jie people live in the northwestern mountainous plains and usually eat beef and mutton. Although beef and mutton contain vitamin C, which they call ascorbic acid in their chemical terminology.
However, since beef and mutton are often cooked mainly by boiling and roasting, the ascorbic acid content in the meat is low and easily destroyed by heat.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are scarce in the north, and most nomadic peoples lack ascorbic acid, leading to scurvy. One of the symptoms of scurvy is abnormal joint pain, which is often misdiagnosed as cold and dampness syndrome.
However, tribes like the Xiutu Khanate, Rouran, and Quanrong, whose territories were rich in food such as sea buckthorn and wolfberry, likely had a much lower incidence of scurvy than those in much colder regions like those inhabited by the Jie people.
"Ascorbic acid..." she murmured the word.
Song Ai didn't hear clearly, so she bowed further and asked, "What is the princess saying?"
Yu Nie didn't answer her question, but instead looked up at the person in front of her and asked, "Ju Ling said... is the illness of the special agents very serious?"
Seeing that she had asked this question, Song Ai replied, "They summoned the entire Imperial Medical Bureau, so his illness must be quite serious."
Hearing her say that, she lowered her eyes, looking thoughtful.
Noticing that she was preoccupied, Song Ai asked softly, "Princess... what are you thinking about?"
“I’m thinking…” she began slowly, “If I could cure his illness, could they… cancel the marriage alliance?”
Song Ai thought she had misheard: "What?"
Having found a way out, she raised her head as if making a firm decision, and looked at her:
"I said, if I can cure this scurvy, could they cancel the marriage alliance and still allow passage to Beiye for their troops?"
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