Chapter 43
Just as the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, a series of clattering and banging noises broke the morning's tranquility from the backyard of the pharmacy.
Su Yan got up almost before dawn. The weariness in his eyes from staying up all night distributing medicine had long been burned away by the thought of "personally overseeing the military camp." Like a startled eagle guarding its nest, he moved quickly and nimbly through the pharmacy.
"Clang!" The heavy wooden box was opened.
"Whoosh!" Rows of labeled porcelain bottles were quickly scanned and selected.
"Clang clang clang!" The prepared medicine packets, the pre-packaged silver needles, and the special ointment were all stuffed into the medicine box.
"Lin Zhao! Gu Lin Zhao!" Su Yan's voice, emphasizing an undeniable urgency, pierced through the thin window paper. "Where have you been? Hurry up and come here! Stop dawdling, the sun's already high in the sky! Go! Tell them to prepare a carriage! A stable one! I can't handle the jolting of riding a horse!"
The words had barely left his mouth when the door to the room was pushed open. Gu Linzhao rubbed his eyes, a few strands of hair still sticking up, and yawned as he walked in. The belt of his black undergarment was tied crookedly. "Ancestor... what time is it? The rooster hasn't even crowed yet..."
Before he could finish speaking, Su Yan stuffed a half-full medicine box into his arms.
"Stop talking nonsense! Hurry up and pack for me! Take the tissue-regenerating ointment, hemostatic powder, and anti-gu vine powder... and that newly prepared 'Gu-repelling ointment,' put it on top, but don't crush it!"
Su Yan spoke rapidly while his hands moved non-stop. He pulled out a small ebony box from the depths of the medicine cabinet, opened it, and glanced inside. There were several fine needles with a faint blue luster. "Hmm... bring the 'mute medicine' as well, just in case."
Gu Linzhao, holding the medicine box, watched as Su Yan stuffed the ebony box into the corner of the box, instantly becoming much more awake, all sleepiness gone: "...You actually brought it?"
He recalled the joke from last night, and his lips twitched.
"Just in case!" Su Yan glared at him, speaking with righteous indignation, "If those two brats dare to cause trouble, we need something to keep them in check!"
As he spoke, he grabbed a few more packets of prepared medicinal herbs. "And these too, for Su Zhelan's calming tea, I added an extra mace of Coptis chinensis... That kid must not have slept well again! Go and prepare the car!"
Seeing Su Yan's tense demeanor, as if he wanted to empty the entire pharmacy, Gu Linzhao sighed helplessly, resigned himself to helping organize the medicine boxes, and then hurriedly went out to instruct people to prepare a car.
As the two hurried to the gate of the mansion, a spacious carriage with a green canopy was already parked by the roadside, pulled by two very docile old horses. The coachman was a steady old soldier who bowed respectfully upon seeing Su Yan emerge.
On the wide stone-paved road in front of the mansion, Sheng Xuan and Xiao Qiyun also "coincidentally" arrived.
Sheng Xuan was dressed in a black outfit and had a burlap sack about half his height on his shoulder, which was obviously a "reorganization tool" he was going to take to the military camp.
He was directing his guards to tie luggage onto his black horse when he looked up and saw Su Yan and Gu Linzhao standing beside the carriage. Su Yan was carrying a heavy medicine box.
Sheng Xuan froze instantly, and the burlap sack on his shoulder slammed down at his feet with a thud, raising a little dust.
His confident demeanor froze instantly, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, leaving only astonishment and a barely perceptible hint of guilt: "...Mr. Su? You...you're going by carriage?"
Xiao Qiyun stood quietly beside his white horse, his clothes spotless, still holding a book in his hands.
When he saw the carriage and Su Yan, who was all ready to depart, a hint of surprise flashed in his gentle eyes, which he quickly concealed, transforming into just the right amount of respect.
He bowed slightly to Su Yan and said, "Good morning, Mr. Su. Are you... also going to the military camp?"
Su Yan's gaze swept across the two faces like a searchlight, lingering for a moment on Sheng Xuan's stunned expression and Xiao Qiyun's instantly composed face. A barely perceptible twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth, revealing a meaningful, knowing smile that hinted at "I knew it."
“Yes.” Su Yan’s voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of the two of them, carrying an undeniable declaration, “The Gu poison injuries at the military camp are complicated, and someone needs to keep an eye on the use of the new medicine. I can’t stand the bumpy ride on horseback, it’s more stable to ride in a carriage.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the sack at Sheng Xuan's feet and the military book in Xiao Qiyun's hand, finally settling on Xiao Qiyun. His tone carried an air of unyielding authority, "Isn't Your Highness also going to 'inspect military affairs'? The journey is long, and Your Highness, being of noble birth, will find riding a horse tiring. Why not ride with me? The carriage is spacious, and you can also 'ask for advice' on some practical military strategies."
This sounds like an invitation, but it's more like an order.
Xiao Qiyun's gentle smile froze almost imperceptibly, and the fingers gripping the book tightened slightly. He looked up at Su Yan, whose sharp eyes were calmly fixed on him, as if to say, "Try refusing me."
“…Thank you for your consideration, sir.” Xiao Qiyun maintained his composure, nodded slightly, and said in a voice that sounded normal, “It is an honor for me to travel with you and listen to your teachings.”
He gestured for his attendants to lead the white horse away, while he himself walked toward the carriage.
Su Yan nodded in satisfaction, handed the medicine box to the coachman, and then stepped onto the carriage first. Xiao Qiyun followed closely behind, his figure disappearing behind the blue cloth curtain.
Sheng Xuan watched as Xiao Qiyun "obediently" got into Su Yan's carriage, then looked down at the sack beside her feet. Her expression became even more interesting, as if she had swallowed a fly and was being held down by the neck to prevent her from spitting it out.
He suddenly bent down, hoisted the sack onto his shoulder with a hint of venting his anger, and slammed it onto his horse. Then, without a word, he mounted the horse again. His black cloak fluttered in the morning breeze, yet it conveyed a sense of pent-up frustration.
Gu Linzhao was already mounted on his horse. Watching this scene, he suppressed a laugh and gestured to Sheng Xuan to "please go first".
Sheng Xuan spurred the horse, and the black horse charged forward, its hooves making a crisp sound on the bluestone slabs, as if venting its dissatisfaction.
Gu Linzhao then slowly spurred his horse to catch up, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far from Sheng Xuan's black horse, as if he were escorting him, or perhaps accompanying him.
Inside the carriage, Su Yan and Xiao Qiyun sat facing each other.
Inside the carriage, the aroma of medicine mingled with the scents of new wood and leather. Su Yan closed his eyes to rest, the medicine chest standing like a barrier between him and Xiao Qiyun. Xiao Qiyun sat upright, his moon-white robe spotless, a book resting on his lap, but his gaze wasn't on the words. Instead, it drifted vaguely to the slightly swaying carriage curtain, as if he could see through the blue cloth the dark figure galloping away on horseback outside.
Silence spread through the cramped space, broken only by the rumble of wheels on the road and the faint sound of horses' hooves from outside.
After a long while, Su Yan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze calmly falling on Xiao Qiyun. He didn't look at the military book, but instead looked directly at Xiao Qiyun's lowered eyelashes.
“Your Highness,” Su Yan’s voice was not loud, but carried a rare, almost earnest, slow tone, “The military camp is not like the mansion, nor is it the study of the Crown Prince. There lie wounded soldiers whose lives hang by a thread, and Zhe Lan holds life-saving medicine in his hands. He has heavy thoughts and a heavy burden.”
Xiao Qiyun's fingertips unconsciously rubbed the edge of the book page. He didn't look up, but he was clearly listening.
Su Yan paused, then continued, "I know you're aware of what happened that night at the temple fair... and everything that came before. That child, Zhelan, may seem docile, but deep down he's like a taut string. If you push him too hard, the string will snap." His voice was deep and clear. "Some things can't be rushed. Pushing him too hard will only push him further away, or even... hurt him."
These words were like a fine needle, gently pricking Xiao Qiyun's heart. His fingers, gripping the book, tightened slightly, his knuckles turning white. He slowly raised his eyes, and in those usually gentle and smiling eyes, a hint of undisguised grievance and...resentment was clearly reflected.
His gaze didn't fall on Su Yan's face, but rather went over Su Yan's shoulder, through the gap in the carriage curtain that was being blown up by the wind, and precisely aimed at the figure outside who was urging his horse on, his black cloak fluttering in the morning breeze—Sheng Xuan was holding back a lot of energy, urging his horse to go very fast, as if he wanted to vent all his dissatisfaction on the galloping hooves.
The meaning in his eyes was self-evident: Why only talk about me? Why not about him? Wasn't he pushing harder and being more reckless?
Following Xiao Qiyun's gaze, Su Yan also glanced out the car window.
Sheng Xuan's frustrated expression, as if saying "I'm unhappy but I'll just have to put up with it," and his posture as if he wanted to whip the horse away, were clearly imprinted in my eyes.
Su Yan's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, then he turned back to Xiao Qiyun, gave a disgruntled snort, and asked in a tone of exasperation: "Him?"
He gestured with his chin toward the sweltering heat outside the window, his voice low but utterly disdainful: "That's a stubborn mule! Once he's made up his mind, not even eight horses could pull him back! Tell him 'don't push him too hard'? Humph, what kind of reasoning can fit into his head besides reckless charging? It's pointless to talk to him; he might just stubbornly argue with you, making things even worse!"
He paused, his gaze returning to Xiao Qiyun's face. His eyes were still sharp, but they seemed to carry a hint of... "At least you can still understand human speech."
“So,” Su Yan lowered his voice, with an almost blunt honesty, “it’s more useful to tell you.”
These words were like a final verdict, highlighting Sheng Xuan's irrationality while subtly acknowledging Xiao Qiyun's "communicability"—although this communication was conducted in a manner that bordered on admonishment.
Xiao Qiyun's fingers, which were gripping the book, suddenly clenched, causing deep creases to appear on the pages.
He lowered his eyelashes, concealing the complex emotions surging within his eyes—there was the embarrassment of having his thoughts exposed, the subtle feelings about Su Yan's evaluation, and a trace of… a secret envy and bitterness about Sheng Xuan's "allowance to be reckless," which even he himself was unwilling to admit.
He ultimately said nothing, but turned his gaze back to the book on his lap, as if it truly contained a vast army and profound mysteries worthy of his study.
But the book remained untouched for a long time.
The carriage curtains were blown up by the wind again, letting in a thicker smell of dust and the rapid hoofbeats of Shengxuan's black horse, breaking the subtle silence that had returned to the carriage.
Su Yan closed his eyes again, as if his words had been just a casual remark. But his fingers, resting on the medicine box, unconsciously tapped the lid lightly, making a very faint "tap, tap" sound, as if he were calculating the distance, or as if he were... waiting for something.
Occasionally, the carriage curtain would be blown up by the wind, letting in a touch of coolness and the dusty smell of the official road.
Outside the carriage, Sheng Xuan, riding his horse, felt increasingly frustrated and couldn't help but complain to Gu Linzhao, who was riding alongside him: "Gu Linzhao! Look at Mr. Su! What does he mean? He called Xiao Qiyun into the carriage and left me out here to eat dust! He even said he'd 'seek advice on military strategy'! What a joke!"
Gu Linzhao glanced at him, a smile playing on his lips: "What? Does the Second Young Master also want to get on the carriage and 'ask for advice'?"
"Pah!" Sheng Xuan spat. "Who wants to sit with him! I mean... Mr. Su... he's keeping an eye on us! Keeping us from bothering Zhe Lan!"
"You know it, why are you still asking?" Gu Linzhao said leisurely, his gaze sweeping over the dust kicked up in front of him. "Don't you understand Su Yan's intentions? With him around, some people..." He paused meaningfully, "...have to restrain themselves a bit."
Sheng Xuan was speechless for a moment, then became even more annoyed and lashed out with his riding whip: "Hmph!"
Inside the carriage, Su Yan slightly opened his closed eyes, listening to the faint sounds of Sheng Xuan's complaints and the clatter of hooves outside. A faint, slightly triumphant smile appeared on his lips.
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