Chapter 68, Master.
After the Double Ninth Festival, the autumn air is crisp and clear.
After a decade of turmoil, the capital city finally welcomed the grand event of the top three scholars parading through the streets once again.
As the procession passed through the streets, shops and residences on both sides of the street became highly sought after, especially the second-floor seats, which were reserved early in the morning at high prices, mostly by female relatives of various households.
The saying goes, "To catch a son-in-law after the list of successful candidates," but seeing it with your own eyes is far better than relying on a cold, hard ranking.
There were too many people and not enough rooms, so many girls gathered together in one room to watch.
Along the way, countless beauties and perfumes filled the air, perhaps even more dazzling and mesmerizing than the imperial concubine selection.
At the end of the street parade, in the best private room on the second floor of the inn.
The princess sat by the window, gazing expectantly outside.
"I've been admired by countless ladies and young women along the way. I've been surrounded by people wherever I go, and young girls have been throwing me purses and handkerchiefs. I certainly won't be here so quickly."
Qin Lie's reminder carried a hint of sarcasm, which Ling Yi could easily discern. She sighed inwardly, got up and sat down beside him, coaxing, "I'm not here to see anyone, I just happened to be here to join in the fun of this grand event."
Qin Lie sneered, "Every time I return victorious and triumphant, there are always many people welcoming me at the city gates. Why don't you see the princess joining in the fun?"
This is a bit like the guilty party accusing the innocent first. Last time, she clearly wanted to go, but he said that there were so many soldiers, riding horses and marching, all covered in dirt and smelling bad, and wouldn't let her go. Now he's criticizing her.
Having spent a lot of time together, Lingyi had learned how to soothe him. She would hug his arm and press herself against him, gazing at him with adoring eyes, and say in a sickeningly sweet tone, "How can that be the same? I want to see you, I want to see you every day."
Qin Lie said "Oh," and then said, "So you're just tired of seeing the same thing every day and want to see something new."
Lingyi choked for a moment, secretly annoyed that he was becoming more and more pretentious, but still coaxed him, "As the saying goes, new clothes are worse than old ones, but old friends are worse than new ones. How can my husband lower himself to compare himself with others?"
Qin Lie said, "But the princess didn't say that last night. She disliked me and didn't even want me to serve her."
Lingyi was surprised when he suddenly brought up the bedroom. Although there were only the two of them in the room, the window was open. She scolded him in a low voice, "Who told you to always be so unrestrained!"
When he first returned from his campaign, Lingyi softened and, after his pleading, allowed him to indulge himself a little. But he seemed determined to make up for the months he had been away from her, making insatiable demands. Lingyi had no choice but to set three rules, and only allowed him to be near her the next day.
Qin Lie looked at her longingly, holding her hand and pressing it against his arrow wound: "Princess, don't you have any pity for me and abolish that rule?"
He was feigning helplessness and acting like a scoundrel again, completely different from when she first met him.
Qin Lie listened to her muttering and chuckled, "What kind of minister does the princess like?"
He seemed so generous, as if he would give her whatever she liked.
Lingyi paused for a moment, then said truthfully, "I like you when you're fully clothed."
A while ago, she would go weak in the knees whenever she saw him take off his clothes.
Qin Lie was taken aback for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.
How can there be such a person, whose every move and word is interesting and adorable to him?
Her face flushed red at his smile, sweet as a peach-colored tint on a white steamed cake, making one want to devour it whole. He moved instinctively, about to hook her waist and kiss her, but as soon as he did, a commotion arose below. The person who had been softly and sweetly clinging to his side instantly sprang up like a rabbit and ran away, craning her neck and peering eagerly out the window.
Very good.
He even personally booked this private room for her, because he couldn't refuse!
Qin Lie almost sneered out loud. Looking at the handkerchiefs and purses being thrown out of the window, he thought that if the princess dared to throw something out too, no matter how sweetly she pleaded, he would tie her up and bring her back to the palace to be executed immediately.
Fortunately, Lingyi didn't move. She just stood there blankly, muttering to herself in confusion, "Why does this person look so familiar?"
Qin Lie grew increasingly dissatisfied. She was either in the deep palace or in the prince's mansion, and she didn't even know all the servants there. How could she possibly know any of the top three scholars? This tone was just like those playboys from Jizhou in the past, who would always say the same thing when they saw a pretty girl and tried to strike up a conversation.
He wanted to see who it was that made her feel "familiar".
He walked to the window and followed her gaze. He saw the elegant and handsome scholar sitting on his horse, with purses and handkerchiefs raining down on him from the crowd and through the window.
—Indeed, he looked very familiar, even to him.
He has an exceptional memory; even after only seeing a portrait, he can recall it after a moment's thought.
He immediately felt a pang of panic and tried to pull her away from the window.
It was too late by then. She murmured, "How did the Master get here?"
Qin Lie's breath caught in his throat, his hands trembling uncontrollably beside him. He forced himself to pretend nothing was wrong and asked, "What did you say?"
He spoke very softly, as if by doing so she wouldn't hear him, wouldn't answer him, and nothing would happen.
But she still heard him and turned to ask, "Shouldn't the teacher be teaching stones in Huangzhou? Why is he here?"
When she asked this question, her eyes were full of confusion. Qin Lie was both surprised and frightened, and had no idea how to answer.
Lingyi didn't seem to need his answer. She just looked at the third-ranked scholar again, her mind filled with a fog. His huge, silent silhouette gradually emerged from behind the fog. She wanted to get closer to see more clearly, but every time she tried to recall, it was like several steel needles piercing her brain.
She clutched her head and cried out, "It hurts so much!"
Qin Lie snapped out of his daze and quickly supported her, "Don't think about it! Don't think about anything!"
But when she looked up, her eyes were bloodshot. She covered her head like a small animal, tears streaming down her face, feeling distressed and wronged.
"Qin Lie, my head hurts so much, it hurts so much!"
Qin Lie picked her up with trembling hands. "Bear with it, we'll go back right away, back to the Prince's Mansion, and find the imperial physician to treat you! No, I'll take you directly to the Imperial Hospital, we'll be there soon!"
She was in so much pain that she couldn't hear what he was saying, and kept crying and begging him, "Kill me, kill me, my head hurts so much! It hurts so much!"
Qin Lie was heartbroken beyond measure. In the end, he made a ruthless decision and chopped her on the back of the neck, causing her to faint in his arms.
.
Several highly respected imperial physicians looked at each other, their eyes filled with helplessness.
Finally, someone had to answer under the Prince's somber gaze: "Just now, Your Highness said that the Princess lost part of her memory after receiving acupuncture. We have indeed heard of this acupuncture technique. There was once an emperor in the previous dynasty who suffered from madness and needed acupuncture to relieve the pain. At that time, there were people in the Imperial Hospital who were proficient in acupuncture and devised a pain-relieving acupuncture technique. However, His Majesty's health is so precious that the acupuncture had to be tested on others before it could be administered to him. During the testing, they accidentally discovered a method to cause amnesia. This technique was once recorded, and the Imperial Hospital also had a copy."
“But…” he said with difficulty, “Most of those who receive acupuncture become mentally impaired. The location, amount, and timing of the acupuncture must be precise to cause amnesia. Moreover, this amnesia cannot be determined by human intervention; one may lose a day or two's worth of memory, or one may forget for three or four years. No one can say for sure.”
Qin Lie asked, "Are there any records of people who regained their memories after receiving acupuncture?"
The imperial physician said, "This acupuncture technique has been tested on a hundred people, and only five or six of them suffered amnesia. Because it is too harmful to people, the Imperial Hospital banned this acupuncture technique long ago. As for whether those people regained their memories, there is no further record in the book."
Qin Lie paused for a moment, then politely said to the imperial physicians, "The princess has not yet woken up. Please rest and wait in the mansion."
Qin Xiaoshan came in and led the imperial physicians to a side room to rest. Qin Lie sat down by Lingyi's bedside, took her hand and placed it on his lap, silently watching her sleeping face.
The hourglass on the table, like the sun outside the Meridian Gate, seemed to remind him with each grain of sand that he was one step closer to losing his head.
He sat quietly for a long time, sometimes thinking that she should just wake up the next moment and give him a quick death.
Sometimes I think that if she had never woken up, it might have been a blessing in disguise.
Perhaps Heaven took pity on his anxiety, for when she finally awoke at nightfall, she remembered the parade of the top three scholars and that she had addressed the third-ranked scholar as "Master." But why did she address him that way? She wondered, "Could he be someone I knew before, someone I've simply forgotten?"
Qin Lie held the medicine bowl and fed her a spoonful of medicine followed by a spoonful of candied fruit, casually replying, "He taught Shuo'er and Can'er before, so you naturally recognize him."
Lingyi suddenly realized, "I knew it." She then complained in a coquettish voice, "Then why didn't you tell me earlier that the third-ranked scholar was someone from our household? I wouldn't have had to go outside to see him."
Qin Lie feigned anger: "Only now has the princess spoken the truth; it really was all for the sake of seeing the third-ranked scholar!"
Lingyi hurriedly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "This third-ranked scholar is nothing compared to the prince."
As the two chatted and laughed, they finished the bowl of medicine. Qin Lie fed her the last candied fruit, then stood up and placed the bowl on the table beside him. With his back to her, there was no trace of a smile on his face.
After the princess fell asleep again, he went to the side room and asked the imperial physicians about having a child.
The imperial physician, an expert in this field, said, “When the Princess Consort experienced menstrual cramps before, I visited her residence to treat her. I reiterate my diagnosis: the Princess Consort drank a contraceptive tonic, making it difficult for her to conceive again. The medicine she drank was likely prescribed by a highly skilled physician; although potent, it was made with the mildest herbs and caused no harm to her body. However, the Princess Consort had previously used numerous contraceptive tonics, which is why her menstrual periods are so painful and irregular. The medicine I prescribed will only alleviate the pain and regulate her menstrual flow; it has no effect on her ability to conceive.”
A metallic taste rose in Qin Lie's throat, which he forced down before slowly saying, "Is there really no other way?"
Despite his best efforts to suppress it, his face was already deathly pale. Several imperial physicians hurriedly knelt down to beg for forgiveness, saying, "Your humble servants are incompetent and unable to share Your Highness's burdens!"
Qin Lie closed his eyes, said nothing more, and staggered out of the room.
The remaining imperial physicians looked at each other, unsure whether to stand or not.
Qin Xiaoshan came to the rescue, saying, "Please rise, gentlemen. His Highness was so worried about the Princess's illness that he neglected you. Please forgive him."
The imperial physicians rose and said they dared not.
Qin Xiaoshan instructed a maid to present a tray, saying, "This is the consultation fee from the Prince's Mansion for you gentlemen. Please accept it with a smile."
Despite the fact that these imperial physicians had worked in the palace for many years, they had rarely seen such a high consultation fee.
The head physician hurriedly said, "Please ask Chief Steward Qin to tell His Highness that we are all from families of physicians, and our families have served in the Imperial Hospital for generations. We know the rules best. Once inside the Prince's residence, we are deaf, and once outside, we are mute. Nothing that happens in the Prince's residence will be revealed because of us."
Qin Xiaoshan smiled and said, "Then I will thank you gentlemen on behalf of the prince."
After he escorted the imperial physician back, he returned and prepared to report.
But then Qin Lie leaned down and sat on the edge of the princess's bed, took her hand and intertwined their fingers, pressing it against his brow. His body trembled slightly, and low groans could be heard from time to time.
Qin Xiaoshan quickly retreated outside.
He had been by Qin Lie's side for more than ten years and had never seen his master shed a tear.
The only time he vaguely saw his master's eyes red and glistening with tears was in Zhuozhou. He lay dying on the bed, clearly having already revealed his presence, yet still refused to leave. He knelt by the bedside, begging him, saying that if he didn't leave, he would die there, and besides... what was the point of staying? The princess was to marry Song Pingkou the next day; what could he do but throw his life away?
At that time, Qin Lie only had one arm that he could barely move. He raised it to cover his eyes and then lowered it after a moment.
With bloodshot eyes staring at the roof, she weakly mocked herself, "She really doesn't want me anymore; even Huan'er couldn't keep her."
After saying that, he twitched the corners of his mouth as if to smile, but the movement aggravated his wound, and he hissed as his eyes became wet.
Qin Xiaoshan knew it wasn't because of the pain from the wound.
That was the first and only time his master revealed his true feelings to him. After that, his master seemed to have forgotten that the princess ever existed, and never mentioned her again.
But Qin Xiaoshan understood.
Every moment of dazedness during the day, every nightmare at night, is an unbearable pain and longing.
After an unknown amount of time, Qin Lie got up, went to the clean room to get a damp cloth, carefully wiped Lingyi's hands clean, and put them down. When he went out again, he seemed to be acting normally again.
Qin Xiaoshan couldn't help but kneel down and say, "Your Highness, the Princess may not remember—and even if she does, you two are deeply in love now, and even without children, she may not leave!"
Qin Lie stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the fading stars in the sky, and remained silent for a long time.
Perhaps in response to Qin Xiaoshan's prayers, the princess showed no further unusual behavior, and Qin Lie became even more patient and gentle, the two growing closer than before. However, Qin Xiaoshan could still sense Qin Lie's anxiety and unease, which grew stronger day by day, though he merely managed to maintain a facade of peace in front of the princess.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to bring Qin Huan out of the palace before the princess's birthday.
On Lingyi's birthday, Qin Lie originally wanted to throw a big party, but she stopped him: "Instead of socializing with some unfamiliar people, it's better to have a small gathering with close friends." She tugged at his sleeve, "I want to invite Sixteenth Sister over."
He didn't speak, but pursed his lips and looked at her for a long time. She kept looking at him with a sweet smile and said coquettishly, "I only have this one birthday a year."
Finally, he couldn't bear it any longer, looked away, and said helplessly, "Then let her come."
Xie Yuming had no official dealings with the Prince Duan's residence, but he had some subtle connections with the Crown Prince.
If the sixteenth princess were sent to the palace at this time, it would inevitably attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.
Xie Yu advised, "The Princess Consort is very understanding and righteous. As long as the pros and cons are explained to her clearly..."
Qin Lie, however, insisted on his own way. Despite repeated attempts to dissuade him, Qin Lie only uttered three words.
"I can't bear to part with it."
It turns out that loving someone so deeply makes even asking them to be righteous feel like a struggle.
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