Chapter 4
The round-faced boy hurriedly brought over paper and pen. Seeing his frightened appearance, Xi Xiao couldn't help but say, "When powerless, the word 'patience' hangs like an icy blade in your heart; when dormant, your scales and armor are covered with frost marks. When you need to borrow power, you should wrap your iron hands in cotton. When the knife draws blood, the cotton must be as clean as fresh snow."
Seeing the young man's thoughtful expression, she knew he understood. She picked up a pen and paper, thinking about how to ask about the Qin family, when she heard him say in a clear voice, "Greetings, sir. Thank you for your help earlier. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me."
If it were just to defuse the situation, he could have simply found a pretext to reprimand Fu Zi. But since he was sent to fetch paper and pen, it meant he had something to ask. The only people who could attract attention in the conversation were the Marquis and Lord Qin. Many people in the manor knew about the Marquis's affairs, but as for outside matters, apart from the servants who were with the Marquis day and night, there were probably very few people. He appeared weak and kind, so he should be the easiest to talk to.
This time it was Xi Xiao's turn to be surprised. She looked at the young man in front of her again. His face was no longer filled with panic, so she said, "You were waiting for me here on purpose."
Jixiang knelt down and kowtowed deeply with sincere emotion: "Your Excellency is kind-hearted. It is common for servants in a large household to scheme against each other, but you were willing to help me out of this predicament and give me a foothold. This shows that you are a benevolent person."
He kowtowed again, speaking earnestly: "My mother was originally a maid in the eldest young master's courtyard. However, when the young master was eight years old, she accidentally hit her head on the threshold, causing a blood clot in her brain. She also lost some of her hearing and eventually couldn't speak clearly. These days, she is clearly not doing well. The doctors who have come here all say they can't help her. I don't ask for any help from you, I just ask to take a look."
Throughout history, servants have been treated like lowly animals even in prosperous times, and in chaotic times, finding shelter on a branch is considered a blessing from heaven. Even the most affluent and benevolent families, when their former servants are critically ill, would merely "open the side gate, toss some silver, and let them rely on unqualified doctors." Seeking a renowned physician for them would be a pipe dream. This fellow must be desperate, otherwise he wouldn't resort to such a method.
Seeing that Xi Xiao remained silent, Ji Xiang felt anxious and moved forward two steps, as if grasping at the last straw. He kept listing his abilities: "I am good at gathering information, and I am quick in my work. If you need my help, I will do my best."
"Get up, I'll take a look, but I can't guarantee I can cure it." Xi Xiaoyuan didn't want him to do anything, but she was going to the Southern Frontier soon, and the person who set up the formation was still a hidden danger. If this kid could find out anything, that would be good; if not, she would just consider it an act of kindness.
"Thank you so much, sir! Thank you so much, sir!" Jixiang's forehead was already bruised and purple. Yunwu quickly helped him up and, seeing that he had calmed down, asked him a question.
It turned out that Song Dai, the son of the late Qin Grand Secretary, was betrothed to a woman from the Xie family of Suzhou. Unexpectedly, during a spring outing on Cold Food Festival, he made an appointment with a married woman in the mulberry grove. When the incident came to light, the whole city was in an uproar.
Grand Secretary Qin was furious. On the night he opened the ancestral hall, the jade ruler shattered like hailstones, and the ancestral tablets were covered in dust. He dipped a vermilion brush in rooster blood and viciously erased the characters "Song Dai" from the family genealogy, the ink seeping through seven layers of Xuan paper, the blood even carving a fissure into the surname "Qin." In addition to the family document, he added a final note: "This bastard shall be stripped of his surname and shall be condemned to the path of dogs and pigs!" Upon hearing the news, the Xie family girl who was not yet betrothed chased after him, and from then on, the Qin and Xie families became irreconcilable enemies.
Taking advantage of the situation, the court's rivals stirred up trouble. The Censorate submitted nine impeachments, each sentence using the Qin family precepts as a weapon. Qin's students also suffered greatly as a result, being humiliated at every turn. Qin, disheartened, shut himself away from home. Marquis Wenyuan, Qin's favorite student and a close childhood friend of Songdai, visited him to offer advice, but each time he failed.
On the way to the servants' quarters, Xi Xiao rested her chin on her hand in deep thought. Grand Secretary Qin had served in the court for thirty years, his spine as steadfast as a pine tree braving frost. His disciples were numerous, reaching the highest ranks of the court, yet all emulated his unyielding spirit. Even though the Regent held immense power, and many groveled before his golden steps, the Qin family alone remained a pillar in the midst of the torrent.
The Regent wanted to eliminate him but lacked a good opportunity. Just then, the rebellious son of the Qin family was exposed, and the Xuanjia Guard immediately presented twelve boxes of "evidence." Unexpectedly, Grand Secretary Qin stepped forward with his tablet and removed his purple sash and red shoes in court. The entire hall of disciples knelt down in protest, their snow-white robes spread out like white silk, and they even wrapped the golden dragon pillars around them like a funeral banner.
For three days, the Regent's teeth bled, and finally, in a plain sedan chair, he knocked on the Qin residence at night. The armored guards removed their armor and knelt on the steps. The Regent personally presented the leather shoes back to the Regent, saying, "Sir, your shoes are covered in frost and dust; they truly bear the weight of the nation." The Regent Qin waved his hand resolutely, rose to see the guest off, and never left the Qin residence again.
Although there is no longer a Grand Secretary position in the court, when the Six Ministries encounter a deadlock in their deliberations, ministers always speak of the Grand Secretary's wise words and eloquent phrases. The old sayings suppress the disputes, just as Mount Tai calms the turbulent waves of the Yellow River.
Xi Xiao sighed, somewhat discouraged: "Master probably just admires Lord Qin's knowledge." She looked forlornly at the low red wall in front of her, her lips trembling slightly, wanting to say something, but swallowing it back.
"Not many people in the inner quarters probably know this. Perhaps Master Xi is also a student of Lord Qin. We can go and ask the Marquis." Yunwu took a few more steps and almost bumped into Hui, who was hanging clothes on his left.
Xi Xiao's eyes brightened, but in an instant they furrowed again. She pursed her lips and said with a sigh, "Lord Qin has so many students that even officials in the court would find it difficult to recognize them all, let alone a commoner like Master. The Marquis is too busy with his affairs, so I'm afraid we can't rely on him too much."
As they spoke, the two arrived at Jixiang's residence. The oil paper covering the windows was torn like a spider web, and the cracks were filled with a mixture of medicine residue and incense ash. A half-broken mirror reflected a sleeping face on the kang (a heated brick bed), its face covered with deep furrows, exuding a gloomy and lifeless aura.
Xi Xiaozi moved a stool over and sat down in front of the bed. After feeling the pulse, she looked at the person's pupils and saw that they were very unfocused. She then took out a gold needle and inserted it into the Baihui acupoint. Seeing the blood gushing out like cinnabar pouring onto the ground, she slowly breathed a sigh of relief and said with relief, "Fortunately, it's not too late. If black blood had flowed out, I'm afraid even if Master came, it would have been useless."
She wrote out a prescription and then instructed Yunwu, "Have Jixiang prepare this medicine according to the prescription. First, she should take the decoction to strengthen her body. After I return from the southern border, I will open her orifices and disperse the blood stasis. She will be much better in less than three months."
Yunwu put the prescription in her bosom and pouted, saying, "Jixiang is really lucky. Young Master Pei has to pay two taels of gold to get a prescription from you."
Xi Xiao patted her dress and chuckled, "He's gathering information, and I, Shi Qihuang, am merely weighing the goods on both sides. It's no different from my transaction with Young Master Pei."
*
In the Crane's Abode, a birdcage inlaid with gold wire and made of purple bamboo hung in front of the carved window lattice, imprisoning a blue-throated robin. Pei Yun was fiddling with a jade food jar with a silver spoon when suddenly a gust of wind blew through the corridor, and the bird's head slammed against the cage bars, bursting out a mournful cry like tearing silk.
He Ying handed over a silk handkerchief and said solemnly, "Lord Qin wishes that the master will spare the child's life." After speaking, he lowered his head and stood aside.
Pei Yun slowly wiped his fingers, squinting his eyes and staring intently at the brown sparrow. Seeing that it was stiff and no longer moving, he clicked his tongue and said, "That depends on his ability."
Two servants entered from outside, quickly took the birdcage out, and brought in a pot of crab claw orchid in full bloom. After the room was filled with fragrance, they quietly closed the door and left.
He Ying handed over a list, which Pei Yun casually flipped through before placing it on the table, his voice tinged with amusement: "My uncle really wants it, how can you give it to me first?"
“The Regent is indulging in treacherous officials and is unworthy of the position; defeat is inevitable.” He Xiang seemed to be reassuring him, and continued, “The civil officials in the court have long been dissatisfied with the Regent’s subordinates, and the people are full of grievances. The fact that the Regent’s heart is with the people is already a foregone conclusion. Lord Qin’s surrender came too late.”
Pei Yun gave a soft "hmm" and leaned back lazily in his chair. Suddenly, he remembered something, and a smile appeared in his eyes. "What is she doing?"
He Ying, whose face was hidden in the shadows, showed a hint of surprise. This question was a routine question he never changed, but today, the end of his voice was tinged with a gentle warmth. He was startled to find that the cold jade thumb ring he was playing with seemed to have become shiny.
He put aside his thoughts and told her the truth: "Miss Xi is investigating the person who set up the formation."
"You found out so quickly?" Pei Yun leaned forward, his eyes shifting slightly as if he had heard something interesting. "In that case, hurry up and go to the Southern Frontier. If she finds out, she'll be afraid of me." He sighed, looking very worried, but the wickedness in his eyes was still undisguised.
He tapped lightly on the armrest, signaling He Ying to bring the medicine. Seeing that He Ying kept his head down and didn't move, his face turned cold, and his whole being exuded an unquestionable authority.
Helpless, He Ying took out a white porcelain bottle and placed it on the table. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke up: "Miss Xi instructed the master not to take too much of this medicine."
Before he finished speaking, Pei Yun had already picked up the Crimson Jade Pill and put it in his mouth. The moment the wax shell cracked, a bitter, fishy taste, like a centipede with a hundred legs, shot straight into his throat. He frowned and squeezed out a half-whimper between his lips, but in no time, blue veins suddenly appeared on the back of his pale hand, like spring vines breaking through the snow.
*
The palace was so quiet that one could hear the sound of ambergris ash falling to the ground. Behind the nine-tasseled beaded curtain, the young emperor's spine was pressed tightly against the golden throne, his thin figure wrapped in black robes. The regent sat steadily on the left in a rosewood chair, his fingertips tapping the armrest absently.
A man in a green official robe stepped forward: "Your Majesty! It is said that snake venom is rampant among the people of the southern border, and several new graves have been discovered. It is suspected that this is the work of a Gu poison from the southern border." The young imperial censor held his tablet as if it were a sharp blade, his voice shaking the entire hall. The beaded curtain swayed slightly, and the emperor's faint smile drifted out: "What do you think, Uncle?"
The regent didn't even glance at it, tossing the jade pendant in his hand: "It's just a minor ailment, a place where barbarian smoke obscures the view, not worth waging war against."
"Your Majesty!" The Grand Counselor exclaimed urgently upon hearing the voice, "The Southern Frontier, with its deceptive poison, has always been one step ahead of Yuan Chu. If this continues unchecked, how can we face the Imperial Ancestral Temple?" His words struck the hall like a thunderclap, causing the robes of the assembled officials to billow and ripple.
"In my humble opinion—" the military officer stepped forward from the back, disagreeing, "If it were a treacherous commoner who had mistakenly eaten a poisonous mushroom, and we rashly send troops, wouldn't that be acting arbitrarily and bullying the strong with the weak..." Before he could finish speaking, a sneer suddenly erupted from the right side. The Vice Minister of Rites flicked his sleeve to cover his mouth, "General Lin, do you know? The royal family of the Southern Frontier raises Gu poison like they raise dogs. If they see the royal army pressing in..." His sleeve and robe fluttered with his cold laughter, "I'm afraid your head will have already been refined into a Gu poison worm's food bowl!"
"Absurd!" The military officer slammed his scepter loudly. "Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut! This desolate land of the Southern Frontier is not worth my Yuan Chu troops. I can conquer it with just over a hundred attendants." As soon as he finished speaking, the vice minister laughed so hard that he shook his head, which caused the civil and military officials to curse each other. The court was like a bustling marketplace.
Suddenly, a pale hand reached out from behind the beaded curtain, trying to reach the teacup on the desk but knocking over the inkwell. The imperial desk instantly turned into a black sea, submerging the unapproved memorial with the word "relief".
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