The Hexagram of Retreat (遁卦) - The Hexagram of the Lowest Inferior
Chapter 33 The Hexagram of Retreat (遁卦) - The Minds of Each Courtyard
A gentle breeze blew by; it was midday, yet Xie Ningling was startled and broke out in a cold sweat. Her fingertips were icy, and she seemed somewhat incredulous.
How did she discover that the time she came down the mountain was fake?
Or perhaps she merely suspected something, and her actions at this moment were confirming her suspicions?
Xie Ningling's face turned pale, but then she heard Steward Zhou say in confusion, "How did the young mistress know that you would come to see me? She told me to tell Second Sister that if you come to ask for a confession, she will send you to Tingyu Pavilion."
Inside the Listening to the Rain Pavilion, Rong Yan sat upright on a stone bench. A gentle breeze blew, causing her fine hair to flutter against her cheeks. Xie Ningling stepped up the stairs and sat down opposite her, watching her pick up her cup and take a sip.
She spends most of her time in a Taoist temple, so the skin on her fingertips isn't exactly well-maintained. However, her refined and ethereal气质 (qi zhi, a kind of elegant and refined demeanor) is something that no amount of skincare can cultivate.
When she arrived, Rong Yan didn't speak to her, so she started to get impatient.
She timidly said, "Sister-in-law..."
"Sit down. We're all family, there's no need to be polite or afraid."
To Xie Ningling, Rong Yan's words seemed to carry a deeper meaning.
Xie Ningling then mustered a bit more courage to confess, "Sister-in-law, I didn't mean to lie about the time. I was afraid that if I told the truth, I wouldn't be able to clear my name about Aunt Zhou. But, I didn't do her death."
Seeing that Rong Yan did not continue to ask, she became a little anxious. "I did not come back last night, but the day before yesterday. Moreover, I have proof that I came back the day before yesterday. As for Aunt Zhou, I saw her maid buying sour plum pastries in the building on Qingfeng Street yesterday. I saw that she was taking advantage of her pregnancy to bully my mother every day, so I switched to hawthorn pastries."
Rong Yan frowned. "You understand pharmacology?"
If pregnant women consume too much hawthorn, it can indeed cause uterine contractions due to blood deficiency. However, since Ms. Zhou is young and healthy, it wouldn't have caused this problem if it was just a small amount of hawthorn cake.
Xie Ningling was surprised that Rong Yan could immediately tell that the hawthorn cake was the key ingredient and also understand why she had been hiding it.
This matter has nothing to do with her, but this incident just happened. If she were to say that she miscarried because of it, it would be hard to explain.
"I know a little bit, but someone taught me. My original intention was just to teach her a lesson and make her stomach upset, but I had no intention of taking her life. Please believe me, sister-in-law, and don't spread this matter around."
Rong Yan gently stroked the rim of the cup with his fingertips and said softly, "You just said you have an alibi, so you're probably from the Qi family."
The cup in Xie Ningling's hand slipped and fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. Her expression shifted from shock and disbelief to pain, and her eyes instantly filled with tears.
"Sister-in-law, please. Please, Ningling has never done anything seriously wrong in her life, but this is the only thing I have ever done wrong. You really can't tell anyone about the Qi family."
Xie Qisheng and Du Chunhong came to see her once. Her mother-in-law suspected her, thinking that she was hiding a man. When Xie Qisheng woke up on the day he hid in Xie Chengzhi's bed, the servants went to invite the Qi family's imperial physician.
Even though Lady Hou knew that her eldest son urgently needed a royal physician, she still drove the Qi family away.
That's because the two families are sworn enemies.
The person she was secretly meeting could not possibly be her eldest brother Qi Siyun from the palace, nor could it be her second brother Qiongya Jishi. It was probably her third brother Qi Sijun from Simin Pharmacy. She dared not and could not say.
Seeing her silence, Xie Ningling panicked. She had indeed deliberately gotten rid of the maids, not even letting her personal maid follow her, but she had gone disguised as a man, and that person did not know that she was a woman.
Rong Yan then asked a few more questions in a low and subtle manner, which Xie Ningling answered fluently.
She suddenly laughed; she had easily tricked her sister-in-law into revealing information.
The reason she avoided the maid was simply because she feared her girlish secrets would be discovered.
Rong Yan pretended not to know and said, "Don't panic, I was just asking."
Seeing that Rong Yan showed no sign of pressing further, she glanced at her a few more times before explaining, "The Qi family and our Marquis's mansion have always been at odds. When my eldest son's eyes were injured, they could have been treated immediately. When we went to invite the Qi family, they not only refused to treat him but also gave us a fake prescription. The imperial physician from the palace was late in arriving, so we invited a doctor. After examining the prescription, the doctor exclaimed how effective it was."
Xie Ningling seemed lost in memories, and Rong Yan did not interrupt her.
“We used the prescription for three days, and because it provided relief, we stopped urging the palace to summon the imperial physician. Later, when my eldest son’s eyelids were rotting and he didn’t seem to feel any pain, we realized something was wrong. The dosage of the prescription had been changed, and a herb called Corydalis had been added. After the imperial physician came, he said it would be addictive and that he might lose his eyes.”
Xie Ningling's expression was also pained when she said this.
"The rotten flesh was scraped off, but more rotten flesh grew back. The wound didn't scab over for over a month. During those days, my eldest brother was like a different person. We stopped using medicine altogether and just washed it repeatedly with salt water. With the simplest method, my eldest brother managed to stop his eyelids from festering. The Qi family said the prescription had been altered, but my father never believed it. The Qi family's eldest brother also wanted to come and see my eldest brother's injury and get a prescription, but my father chased him away. From then on, the Xie and Qi families became enemies. Even now, my eldest brother's eyes feel uncomfortable when exposed to strong sunlight."
As Rong Yan listened to her description, he could vividly recall that scene from back then.
She could hardly imagine the suffering he had endured during his recovery. All she saw now was his strong will and his pride, but she never imagined that it was precisely this same self-reliance that had allowed him to pull through and recover.
“My brother’s health is so poor. He’s been poisoned five times and has suffered countless injuries, big and small. Over the years, he’s endured it all, sister-in-law…”
She almost said she should treat her older brother better, but saying it aloud would have been a bit presumptuous.
His body was so weak that it was no wonder he only had three months to live.
Her emotions were somewhat complicated, and she remained silent for a moment. "So, you went to see the Qi family under the guise of being a distant relative of the Xie family."
"He doesn't know my identity. I want to learn more about the art of identifying medicines so that I can help my family treat illnesses and become a female doctor in the future."
Rong Yan admired her for her insightful views.
She quietly gazed at Xie Ningling across from her. Xie Ningling had fair and delicate skin, and her hair was smooth and lustrous, clearly well-cared for. She also had a pair of small ear piercings. No matter how much she tried to hide it, she could never fool a real man.
Moreover, a doctor, with his keen eyes honed through the skills of observation, listening, questioning, and palpation, could see through her rough clothing and could not hide the fact that she was a woman.
Rong Yan smiled and lowered his eyes. "Ning Ling, although I've only recently joined the sect, as your sister-in-law, I must tell you something: one should always be wary of others. Since he harmed your elder brother once, aren't you afraid he might do it again?"
Xie Ningling shook her head. "He doesn't know I'm from the Marquis's household, so how could he harm my elder brother? Besides, I believe he's definitely innocent and has never done those things."
This time, Rong Yan didn't say anything more. If she were to do this, she would definitely not poison Zhou Shi to death. After all, Zhou Shi was young and beautiful, and the Marquis was in the throes of passion. Even if this child was lost, there could be another one.
Moreover, it could also win her over to fight against the Wang family.
Three guarantees...
It's possible that more than one person handled it.
When Rong Yan was about to leave this time, Xie Ningling did not stop her, nor did she tell her to keep quiet.
At this moment, the two women seemed to have reached a tacit understanding and trust, and they stopped talking to each other.
Rong Yan went back to see Xie Chengzhi, whose condition had improved considerably. After the high fever subsided, he started coughing a bit.
The wound stopped festering and started to heal.
Recalling Xie Ningling's recounting of the past, a hint of pity crept into her eyes as she looked at him.
Xie Chengzhi was extremely sensitive. He frowned, seemingly displeased, and asked Aunt Qiushi to bring the new medicine to her lips. This time, the medicine was truly bitter, unlike the previous bitter medicine which had a hint of sweetness.
In an instant, all pity vanished.
In the past few days, Rong Yan still went to the steward's office every day and also paid his respects to the Lady of the Marquis at regular intervals, but she still refused to see him.
These past two days, Li Fuquan wrote to say that, as per her request, the wooden decorations in the temple have been arranged, and Xie Qisheng has also finished the plastering on the walls.
Moreover, adhering to the principles of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, Li Fuquan and Xie Qisheng also saved money wherever possible.
The vegetarian menu at the temple was finalized after several discussions between Du Chunhong and Chef Gan.
He felt that three kinds of fruit wine were too little, and since they were going to get the yeast from the main store anyway, they should brew more at once. The cost of the wine and the renovation of the temple alone was nearly a thousand taels of silver, which is more than 300,000 yuan.
Rong Yan still has some trump cards for fruit wine that she hasn't played yet, but she's been too busy lately. She plans to launch them one by one after the vegetarian hall and the shed at the foot of the mountain open, so that she can play the long game and catch big fish.
Moreover, matters at the temple need to be addressed later. With this incident at the manor, she has been too tired lately and is feeling somewhat exhausted.
Five days passed quickly in the manor. The manor had been under lockdown for five days, and the food supplies were almost exhausted.
Rong Shu actually showed some real skill this time, being very organized and making no mistakes. She was also able to organize the accounts properly after suddenly taking over their management, without causing any chaos in the midst of the rush.
This credit must be due to my second aunt.
From the outside, the mansion seemed to remain as orderly as ever, even without Wang Shi.
Even though establishing their own government was an urgent matter, these people were all incredibly patient and composed.
The Marquis did not inquire about the progress of the case, and even Old Madam Xie did not seem to be in a hurry.
Aside from Xie Ningling, who was genuinely worried about Wang Shi, everyone in each household must have their own thoughts.
After breakfast, Old Lady Xie sent someone to look for her.
After thinking for a while, Rong Yan went directly to the courtyard of Old Madam Xie's Buddhist hall. According to the old lady's usual habits, she should be copying scriptures inside at this time.
Rong Yan waited outside for a while before Xie Ningling came out first, looking somewhat uneasy. She glanced at her and said, "Sister-in-law, Grandmother wants you to come in."
Xie Ningling did not go in with her, clearly indicating that even she was not allowed to enter. Rong Yan glanced back at the maids who were leaving one after another.
The entire Buddhist hall was built with sandalwood, and the air was filled with a strong sandalwood fragrance as soon as you entered. Apart from the portraits enshrined inside, there were no chairs.
The old lady stood in front of the chest-high sandalwood table, her head still raised, slowly copying the sutra stroke by stroke.
Rong Yan stood there watching her copy an entire scroll of scriptures until her heels ached. She seemed to only then notice Rong Yan, feigning surprise, "Oh, you're here! I was so engrossed in copying that I didn't notice. How long have you been standing here?"
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