Chapter 7 Sending a Letter
The caravan traveled south, only making brief stops in larger areas to regroup, which meant they would encounter post stations where Shen Qingmeng could mail the letter she was holding.
She was always writing something with a pen, then folding it into various delicate little trinkets and stuffing them into envelopes. The last letter she sent was so bulging that it almost couldn't be sealed.
The Astrology Pavilion was as quiet as ever. Physician Li went down the mountain to take care of some business, leaving Chu Wangshu alone in the pavilion once again.
He recently found some wood and tried making hairpins. But when he actually started carving, he found that the patterns he had drawn before were too complicated, so he had to start practicing from the simplest ones.
Making a hairpin is indeed much more difficult than starting a compass. Chu Wangshu worked hard for several days, but could only make one wooden hairpin that was passable. However, her hands were covered with countless blisters and tiny scratches.
This is made of peach wood; it's simply a plain, unadorned snake-shaped hairpin.
Chu Wangshu took out another piece of sandalwood and traced the pattern he had drawn a few days ago onto the wood.
A cloud-shaped hairpin would look beautiful if it were worn in Shen Qingmeng's hair.
The light inside the attic grew dimmer with the rising and setting of the moon. Chu Wangshu focused intently on carving the wood in his hands for a long time, and finally it took shape. Apart from the hollowed-out auspicious cloud part, it already had a rough outline.
Chu Wangshu had just put down the wooden hairpin when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He immediately curled up, clutching his chest and gasping for breath.
The poison is acting up more and more frequently.
Suddenly there was a loud noise outside the window. Chu Wangshu turned her head and saw a guard holding down an assassin on the balcony.
She's a girl.
He glanced at it only once before looking away, trying his best to regulate his breathing.
"Let it go," Chu Wangshu said, then closed the window.
Many people have appeared on the terrace, but they all came with murderous intent.
Only Shen Qingmeng slipped and fell off the roof, thus entering Chu Wangshu's originally bleak life.
He struggled to take out the envelope and trembled as he opened the last note Shen Qingmeng had sent.
Wow, the moon is so round tonight! I want to eat mooncakes.
"Is it very round..." Chu Wangshu murmured to herself.
But today, only a very narrow crescent moon can be seen. No matter whether he has the strength to open the window or not, he cannot see the full moon.
The next morning, Physician Li knocked on the door of the attic room, but no one answered.
Chu Wangshu's daily routine was irregular, sometimes even the opposite of that of ordinary people. Physician Li was used to it, and when no one answered, he pushed open the door himself.
He was curled up in a corner, fast asleep.
Physician Li strode over to Chu Wangshu, lifted him up and leaned him against the soft couch, then poured out a pill and stuffed it into Chu Wangshu's mouth.
After a moment, Chu Wangshu slowly opened her eyes.
"Uncle Li, why is all your medicine so bitter?"
"Because you haven't taken any medicine prescribed by other imperial physicians, I've tried my best to adjust the taste for you."
"Qingmeng wouldn't do that."
"That girl coated the pills with a sugar shell, and you swallowed them before the pills were even exposed. No wonder they tasted bitter."
Although Chu Wangshu was still in poor spirits, he still spotted the box next to Li Tai's medicine box with sharp eyes. He smiled and beckoned with his finger, "Qingmeng's letter?"
"And the clothes and embroidered pouch I bought for you," Physician Li said, taking the box and placing it beside Chu Wangshu. "I don't know how special these clothes are that they had to be sent from so far away."
“You don’t understand,” Chu Wangshu couldn’t help but laugh as he looked at the abrupt “Chu” character on the embroidered pouch, as if he could see the girl carefully poking it with the embroidery needle.
"Hmm, I don't understand, why would anyone seal an envelope so full?" When Physician Li handed the envelope to Chu Wangshu, he didn't even dare to use force, for fear of crushing the little thing inside.
Along with the letter, many small paper trinkets also fell out, which were much more elaborate than the randomly folded paper strips.
Although Chu Wangshu forced herself to read the letter, she couldn't help but close her eyes and then try to open them again.
Looking at his expression, Physician Li asked, "Shall I read it to you?"
Chu Wangshu nodded, reluctantly letting go of the letter in his hand; he was indeed quite tired.
We've arrived in Jiangnan, and are now in Suzhou. The embroidery here is so beautiful, but even after learning from the embroiderer all night, my work is still crooked and uneven. I guess I'll never be able to hold a needle and thread properly in my life, so I'll just buy you a finished product instead. But I did embroider the character "Chu," and you can tell even without me saying it—it's definitely not very good.
However, I don't like the food here; it's too bland. The Four Happiness Meatballs at Wang Family Restaurant are much more fragrant. Oh, right, the sweet soup here is quite good. I learned how to make it; when I get back, I'll trick Wanwan into ordering some extra for her restaurant.
Are you a little disappointed? Of course I'll cook for you first. Don't worry, I won't charge you. But if Uncle Li tells me you haven't been taking care of your health these past few months, I'll add some bitter herbs to your cooking!
When Physician Li finished reading this, he paused and said to Chu Wangshu, "Did you hear that? She's going to give you Coptis chinensis, which is much more bitter than the medicine I brew."
Chu Wangshu gently touched the words on the embroidered pouch with her hand, and said with a smile, "She can't bear to part with it."
Physician Li pursed his lips, said nothing, and continued reading: "[It's quite hot in Jiangnan; even wearing a thin shirt makes you sweat. And also, the thunder in the south is so loud, it's like... something's been blown up. If you ever want to come to Jiangnan, I'll definitely be scared when it thunders and rains...]"
Physician Li paused after reading this. Chu Wangshu slowly opened her eyes and looked at the letter: "Wh...what's wrong?"
Shen Qingmeng's writing style is mostly straightforward and colloquial, probably not to the point that Physician Li would find it difficult to understand.
"...She said you should hold her and protect her."
Upon hearing this, Chu Wangshu felt her cheeks burning and choked on her own saliva, covering her mouth and coughing violently.
She really is a daring girl.
Physician Li fed Chu Wangshu some water, and only after he calmed down did he continue reading:
I bought a new outfit, it's so pretty, pink! I'll wear it when I get back and show it to you. And yours, I already sent it back with the letter. Remember to wear it out in the sun when it gets warmer in the capital. People can't just absorb the moon's essence; they need to get some sun, otherwise they'll grow mushrooms.
We've gone further and further away. The post station said it would take a month to send it back to the capital—that's a long time. Luckily, I made a lot of little notes. Take your time to open them, and remember to fold them back after you've read them. The Imperial Advisor is so clever, he'll definitely be able to fold them properly.
I'll write to you again next time I'm in Qiannan. Don't rush, but remember to think of me.
What a coincidence, the sun is shining brightly today, perfect for sunbathing.
In the afternoon, Chu Wangshu was working on a piece of wood in the courtyard, trying his best to make the auspicious cloud pattern more exquisite.
The April breeze felt warm, and the sunlight was just right, offering only warmth without any harshness.
Recently, there have been many more birds in the mountains, making the sparrows seem quite quiet, only skillfully pecking at grains of rice.
A nest of red-billed blue magpies made their home in a tree near the Astrology Pavilion after spring. Perhaps having discovered that there were always grains of rice on the pavilion's terrace, the bolder one would often fly over and steal food from the sparrows. After becoming more familiar with Chu Wangshu, it would even peck at the window frame when hungry, urging him to feed it quickly.
That bird was very clever; it would often fly by and kick someone on the head before squawking and flying away. However, it never did anything to Chu Wangshu, after all, he was its provider.
Chu Wangshu sanded the wooden hairpin with sandpaper, while the big-tailed bird tilted its head to the side, seemingly poised to pounce.
"You can't peck at this, or you won't get any food tonight." Chu Wangshu's eyes were fixed on the wooden hairpin, and she didn't look at the bird beside her. However, she did notice out of the corner of her eye that beside the female bird, there were two chicks with their downy feathers still attached. "Why did you bring your whole family to see me? And you want me to feed your babies?"
"Of course you'll become lazier if you don't hunt for food yourself," said Physician Li, who came over with a bowl of peanut milk.
Perhaps because the medicine was too bitter, Chu Wangshu always preferred to eat sweet things.
He put down the wooden hairpin, took the peanut milk, and had just taken a small sip when he saw the big-tailed bird fly straight over, kick the doctor on the head, and then leisurely hop to the side with his wife and children to peck at the fruit.
"Uncle Li is about to have good news." Chu Wangshu smiled as she looked at the family of four, then scooped some more peanut milk into a plate and pushed it towards the edge of the table.
Unfortunately, the big-tailed bird and Chu Wangshu had very different tastes. It didn't eat peanut brittle, but it might have been more interested in shortbread instead.
Although Shen Qingmeng was not good at needlework, she was quite skilled at origami.
Later, Chu Wangshu played with a paper frog on the table for a long time before carefully unfolding it.
When we were kids, I used to have competitions with my older classmates about jumping frogs. I could jump them really far, and I always won. This is just for you to practice on. When I get back, let's see if you can beat me.
Chu Wangshu folded another one in the same style, placed it on the table, pressed it down gently, and then released it.
*Thud!* The frog jumped precisely into the medicinal soup that Physician Li brought in.
"Looks like I'm going to win. My frog can swim." Chu Wangshu picked it up by its leg.
"Then you'll have to drink its bathwater too." Doctor Li handed the medicine bowl to Chu Wangshu.
He had to drink medicine every day, and his mouth was already numb from the bitter black liquid, but occasionally he would throw a tantrum and pour the medicine away.
The persimmon tree on the windowsill never survived to bear fruit, so it needed to be replaced with another batch of seedlings.
Shen Qingmeng said she wanted to taste the fruit that grew from the seedlings in the pot.
Chu Wangshu drank the medicine in the bowl in one gulp, and then let the persimmon tree grow well.
Little rabbits, paper cranes, love knots, awning boats... How could Shen Qingmeng fold so many little things?
But the days went by too long and were too difficult to endure, and these little things ultimately couldn't stay with Chu Wangshu forever.
From May 29th to June 7th, torrential rains lashed the Yellow River region, flooding the riverbanks and destroying tens of thousands of acres of farmland. Although the imperial court took precautions, countless people still died or were injured. Fortunately, the epidemic was contained and did not spread.
Since the downpour began, Chu Wangshu had moved out of the attic. This rare quiet place for him was best left undisturbed.
Cang Ning had long desired to reclaim the lost territory, and seized this opportunity to launch an attack, capturing a city in just three days.
At that time, Chu Wangshu was already suffering the backlash of divine punishment, and had just learned that her mother had died under that caning punishment three years ago. Overwhelmed with anger and anxiety, she fainted.
Emperor Qing ordered the Imperial Hospital to use all available tonics to revive Chu Wangshu as soon as possible, as he intended to use Chu Wangshu to destroy Cangning.
Despite exhausting all medicines, Chu Wangshu remained drowsy on the bed, neither opening her eyes nor responding to the words spoken by those around her.
The brood of red-billed blue magpies hadn't seen Chu Wangshu for many days. Whether they missed him or the food he had given them, they followed him to the warm pavilion and pecked at the wooden planks outside the window, chirping loudly.
Emperor Qing was already annoyed, so he ordered his men to kill the entire nest of animals, leaving not even the bird's nest in the tree.
The only trace those big-tailed birds left for Chu Wangshu during this short summer was a tail feather that had fallen onto his desk a few days ago, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
On June 13th, when only Physician Li and Chu Wangshu were in the warm pavilion, Physician Li took out the letter he had just received the day before and read it to Chu Wangshu.
We arrived in Qiannan, and it was a great success. We received a large sum of money from our employer. The dipping sauce dishes here are delicious, as are the potatoes, which can be prepared in many ways. Oh, and there's also tender and fragrant young beef. I was just too impatient and burned my tongue.
We were only staying for one night, and the caravan brothers were reluctant to part with the beef, but the caravan listened to my father, and my father listened to me. To prevent them from disobeying, I got them another small job, and they'll leave tomorrow morning.
No other girls have broken into your attic, have they? If they have, please don't let me know, I'll probably get jealous. Actually, I want to go back to the capital. This time I have fewer escort duties, so it will be much faster; I should be able to return to the capital around early July.
Chu Wangshu, are you alright? By the time this letter reaches you, the Yellow River will probably be flooded. I regret that if I hadn't left, I could still be by your side now.
You must wait patiently for me to come back. I'll cook you lots of delicious food and take you to see all the things I played with as a child. The person at the post station is urging me to hurry up and deliver the letter to him. I haven't had time to buy you any new gadgets yet, and I haven't had time for origami lately. I'll let it go this time. Don't be angry. I'll make you sour fish soup when I get back.
This time, Chu Wangshu slowly opened her eyes, but they were lifeless, like withered wood.
"Four more... are needed," Chu Wangshu said, clutching the corner of the letter. "Uncle Li, please..."
Physician Li lowered his voice and whispered in Chu Wangshu's ear, "If you perform another divination now, I really can't guarantee I can save your life!"
"medicine……"
"I'll see how you explain this to that girl when she gets back!" Although Physician Li said this, he still reported to Emperor Qing that Chu Wangshu had woken up.
"Your Majesty, please forgive my boldness," Physician Li knelt on the ground, trembling as he spoke to the Emperor, "Imperial Preceptor, if... if we were to perform divination immediately, I fear even the gods could not save you... Moreover, the Imperial Preceptor is currently... currently unable to even stand up..."
Emperor Qing spoke slowly, his tone unreadable: "Then, in your opinion, what should be done?"
"Your Majesty, I beg you to grant... to grant the Imperial Preceptor the antidote. Given his current condition, he may need more. Also, give him ginseng soup to keep him hydrated and allow him five days to rest," Physician Li said, his voice trembling with fear, before making an even bolder request: "After this divination, I humbly request Your Majesty to grant the Imperial Preceptor a complete cure. I will do my utmost to try..."
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