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Chapter 28
Yi Xing said, "Physician Xia, you really are a good person. Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go." As she spoke, she turned around joyfully, then paused after two steps to look back. "Do you have your medicine chest? Let me carry it for you!"
A physician making a house call without a medicine chest, perhaps it was a sign of his great skill making him bold. However, even if he came and went with empty sleeves, having to send someone later to deliver the prescriptions would always be a hassle.
Following Yi Xing’s train of thought: "There aren't any palace maids studying medicine in this palace. If there were a Bureau of Female Physicians like in the previous dynasty, I’d take you as my master and be your dedicated errand runner."
Hearing this, Physician Xia felt quite pleased. He turned his relaxed gaze toward her with a fleeting glance. "Studying medicine is a massive trouble. You say that now, but if I truly brought stacks of medical classics for you to read, you’d likely change your mind."
He expected her to argue, but to his surprise, she considered it quietly for a moment and actually nodded in agreement.
"I don't like studying." She smiled and followed behind him, slowly walking through the narrow Tiger Hole. As they walked, she continued, "I haven’t liked studying since I was a little girl. Other girls have read the Four Books and Five Classics by the time they’re ten; I struggled even with the Three Character Classic."
This revelation genuinely startled Physician Xia. He looked back at her, finding it inconceivable. "Girls from prominent families are usually provided with tutors to teach them reading and writing from childhood. Your Shang family is a scholarly lineage; how did they produce someone like you who hates studying?"
Ordinarily, such private matters shouldn't be shared, but Yi Xing felt that since she had met him several times and he had repeatedly lent a helping hand, there was a sense of familiarity between them. Thus, even though she had yet to see his face clearly, she didn't treat him as an outsider.
She began to reminisce. "Because my seniority is high. My father died early, and after my brothers divided the household, my mother and I went to Jiangnan with my eldest brother. In Jiangnan, I was still the 'Old Auntie.' When my nephews and nieces were studying, I just liked to watch from the sidelines; after all, no one dared to scold me. In all my years of schooling, I liked only one saying: 'A woman's lack of talent is her virtue.' It truly spoke to my heart." She let out two self-deprecating laughs. "But don't look down on me; later on, I did end up reading quite a bit."
Physician Xia was puzzled and asked why she had started studying again. She replied, "Because I had no choice. I wasn't good at needlework, so my mother gave me a choice: embroidery or studying. I figured studying was simpler than embroidery, so I chose to study."
At that moment, they stepped out of the Tiger Hole. Stepping out from the shadows, they were suddenly met with the brightness of the sun. It was the first time Yi Xing had seen Physician Xia’s features clearly in broad daylight—those long, elegant eyebrows and refined eyes. Because the lower half of his face was covered, it made the corners of his eyes and his brow seem all the more poetic.
Originally, she wanted to ask: Is it because you are a top authority among physicians that you can wear a face covering even when treating the Emperor? The weather was getting warmer; didn't he feel smothered with that gauze over his face all the time?
But on second thought, she felt she couldn't ask. Perhaps he had something beneath that gauze he didn't want others to see. For instance, some people are born with defects; the top half of the face might be fine, while the bottom half could have a harelip.
With that thought, she figured even the all-powerful Physician Xia had hidden troubles. She had to swallow her words and be tactful—she shouldn't poke at someone's scars.
Just then, Manfu hurried toward them, carrying a medicine chest. Upon reaching them, he put on a show of a smile and said, "Physician Xia, you left in such a hurry you forgot your medicine chest. I’ve brought it for you."
Yi Xing was quick-witted; she stepped forward to take it, smiling as she performed a curtsy. "Thank you, Anda, for passing the message. Physician Xia didn't bring an attendant, so let me carry this chest."
Manfu panicked slightly. "That... Miss, you’re too kind, it’s just a small matter. Perhaps I should carry the chest—" but before he could finish, he was cut off by a sharp look from Physician Xia.
The eunuchs of the Imperial Presence were the highest-ranking in the Forbidden City; they usually looked down their noses at people. When would they ever be so polite to a lowly eighth-rank official? And helping to deliver a medicine chest? Was it that the Emperor’s side wasn't busy enough, or did Physician Xia have god-like influence? Fortunately, the Old Auntie (GĹ« BĂ )'s mind wasn't that complicated. If it were a more shrewd person, they wouldn't even need a direct explanation; one sentence like that would have given the whole game away.
Manfu sheepishly swallowed his words. "Then I shall trouble you, Miss."
Yi Xing nodded. Seeing that Physician Xia had already stepped through the Inner Right Gate, she hastily bid farewell to Manfu, lifted her robe, and hurried to catch up.
The high sun hung in the sky, reflecting off the blue bricks of the Forbidden City and creating a slight heat haze.
Physician Xia walked in the shadows of the wall, unhurried, his hands behind his back. He asked tonelessly, "At this point, how many characters can you actually recognize?"
A consort who couldn't read would be a disaster; if she couldn't even understand a letter, how could he expect her to "turn her hand to make clouds and turn it back to make rain" in the political arena?
Yi Xing said, "I just don't like reading books, it's not that I'm illiterate. Books like The Grand Duke's Art of War and The Upper and Lower Strategies—my mother forced me to read them all."
Physician Xia was actually delighted. "You’ve read such extraordinary books?"
Yi Xing said, "Yes, but after reading them I didn't understand a word they said. I recognize all the characters, though."
In the end, she was still that unambitious Old Auntie (GĹ« BĂ ), just reading the words on the page without letting the meaning enter her heart.
So, if he was going to produce a consort who hated reading, calligraphy and painting were out, and her needlework wasn't exceptional... then what could she do? While Physician Xia pondered, he took the medicine chest from her shoulder.
Yi Xing, out of politeness, said quickly, "Let me do it, it's not heavy."
Physician Xia didn't even look at her. "If the weight is uneven, your shoulders will be lopsided. It'll stunt your growth, and you’ll be stuck at this height forever."
Yi Xing was stunned, realizing Physician Xia seemed dissatisfied with her height. But such things were relative; he was tall, so she seemed short beside him. If she were placed among the other palace maids, though she was a bit slender, her stature was no worse than anyone else's.
This must be the arrogance of a physician, she thought, everyone has their moments of looking down on others. Right now, she only wanted to get him back quickly to treat Yin Zhu's injuries, so she nudged him politely: "It’s getting hot; I’m truly sorry to make you walk under the sun. Once we reach our quarters (Tetan), I’ll get you a cool towel."
Physician Xia didn't commit one way or the other, but he understood her meaning. Every time he traveled, he was carried in a nine-dragon palanquin; walking on this West First Long Street was indeed stiflingly hot. He quickened his pace toward the Imperial Garden.
Their quarters were in a good spot, right by the West Corner Gate of the Imperial Garden.
Yi Xing led him onto a path where the trellises were covered in wisteria, blocking the sun and slightly easing the early summer heat.
"It’s just ahead," Yi Xing pointed toward two perimeter rooms by the wall. One of them was theirs. Han Zhen was on duty today and was already gone, leaving only Yin Zhu lying face down on the bed. When the door opened, Yin Zhu moved her head slightly and asked, "Old Auntie (GĹ« BĂ ), did you find a physician?"
Yi Xing said she had. She took the medicine chest from Physician Xia's shoulder, set it on the Eight Immortals table, led him to the bedside, and carefully lifted the thin quilt.
Yin Zhu was overcome with embarrassment, burying her head under the pillow and sobbing, "I have no face left... none at all..."
For a girl of her age to have her backside beaten to a pulp, and with no female doctors in the palace, she had no choice but to let a male physician see. Even if one doesn't avoid a physician during the critical moment of childbirth, when it actually comes down to it, it’s still a hard hurdle for the heart to cross.
As for Physician Xia, he felt it was a stroke of bad luck on one hand, but on the other, he felt the maid was quite pitiable.
It was exactly as the Old Auntie (GĹ« BĂ ) had said: the broken skin had scabbed over, but the unbroken areas looked like a thawed pear that had been kept warm, with fluid pooling under the skin. Sometimes he thought that everything has its ordained fate—his own consort had vented her anger by beating someone, and now he had to personally prescribe medicine and examine the wound. It was truly retribution.
As for Yin Zhu's battered dignity, Physician Xia was naturally unwilling to look closely. He gave a casual glance, then bent down and used two fingers to take her pulse for diagnosis.
"There is heat stagnation in the body. The injury is external; there’s no need for bandages. Apply some medicine and change her clothes frequently to keep the wound dry." He took out some trauma medicine from the chest and handed it to Yi Xing. "This medicine stops bleeding and pain, and the wound won't fester. Apply it once in the morning and once at night."
Yi Xing took it and thanked him repeatedly. "Then what about the heat stagnation in her body?"
Physician Xia said nothing, turning back to take out brush and ink. Sitting at the table, he carefully wrote a prescription. His elegant Zanhua small regular script was so neat that Yi Xing couldn't help but admire it: "Your calligraphy is better than mine. If my mother saw this, she’d say again that I can't even compare to a man."
This line of reasoning was quite novel. In this male-dominated era, the Old Lady of the Shang family actually held such progressive thoughts.
"Can't even compare to a man"—the underlying implication was a firm belief that their family's Auntie was a pillar of the household and should naturally be stronger than any man. Perhaps it was that affection and unconditional praise that had raised such a refined, idealistic Old Auntie (GĹ« BĂ ).
Physician Xia finished writing and put away the brush, letting the prescription dry in the breeze. He said, "I’ll take that as a compliment." After all, not many men wrote in Zanhua script; he had only written each stroke so clearly so that she could understand it.
Now that Yin Zhu’s injury had been examined, it was the Old Auntie (GĹ« BĂ )’s turn.
Physician Xia said, "You were also injured yesterday. Hearing you cough just now, it seems to be mostly internal. It might have damaged your organs; let me examine you as well."
Yi Xing originally thought it was unimportant, but upon hearing it might have damaged her organs, she immediately extended her wrist.
However, Physician Xia’s eyes looked toward her. "I must see the injury to know if the internal organs are damaged. I am a physician; do not hide your illness from the doctor. If you are sick, you must be seen."
Yi Xing blinked, thinking Physician Xia was truly a responsible doctor—treating her injury alongside Yin Zhu's to save her the trouble.
But to see the injury without checking the pulse... that was a bit embarrassing. For a young lady, every inch of flesh is precious; how could she just let someone see? She stammered for a moment and twisted her shoulder again. "It’s fine. We’re used to hard labor; our skin is thick. This little injury is nothing, really..."
Physician Xia’s gaze was disapproving. "I am the head of the Imperial Pharmacy; surely you know this? When the Emperor's health is out of balance, it is I who handles it. Am I not qualified to treat your injury? I move between the Hall of Mental Cultivation and the various palaces every day; I am very busy. Finding time to treat you today has already delayed me greatly. We should look at it while I’m here, lest you have a flare-up later and have to come looking for me at the pharmacy again. Wouldn't it save you the trouble of running back and forth only to find me gone?"
Ah, Physician Xia was truly a meticulous person, but he seemed to have a strange obsession with treating her injury.
Seeing Yi Xing still hesitating, he looked displeased. "Is the Miss shy about showing skin to a physician? What is there to fear? In a physician's eyes, there is no male or female. Besides..." He gestured with his eyes toward Yin Zhu face-down on the bed, meaning: I’ve already seen such a private area on your sister, yet you’re being affected here.
Yi Xing rubbed the back of her head and smoothed her hair, looking quite uneasy. "My injury is on my back..."
Even Yin Zhu couldn't listen anymore. She struggled to raise her head and said, "Old Auntie (GĹ« BĂ ), it's fine. Just show a shoulder... it's better than me..." Her voice trailed off in dejection as she buried her face back into the pillow.
Physician Xia wore a "See? The sensible ones say so" expression and said no more. He stood before her with his hands tucked in his sleeves, looking down at her.
Look back! a voice in his heart clamored. The loss he suffered all those years ago couldn't just be ignored.
How loathsome this Shang Yi Xing was. Her smiling face from back then still appeared before his eyes to this day; it was his most terrifying childhood memory. How many times had he woken up from a nightmare, scared by her?
He remembered clearly: he was the late Emperor’s most favored son, accomplished in both civil and military arts. And then, this bizarre little girl had ruined his flawless reputation, letting everyone know the Crown Prince had a habit of urinating in public. Because of that, he had shut himself in his room for three days in misery. No one knew how much pressure he was under, or how many complex stares he had to endure, when he finally gathered the courage to step out and pretend nothing had happened.
Later, he married her niece, someone who knew his secret—to the point that every time the Empress looked at him, he felt she was holding back a laugh. That was the spark for the discord between Emperor and Empress, and the root of it all was this Old Auntie (GĹ« BĂ ).
The tables had turned. The one who tied the knot must untie it; where one falls, one must climb back up. Thus, "looking back" was his current goal. No matter the method, he had to get some of his own back. You looked at me, so I’ll at least look at you; then it won’t feel like such a loss.
Yi Xing, for her part, had no idea of Physician Xia's current calculations. She still firmly believed he was a man of good character who treated everyone—from the Emperor to a little maid—with the same respect.
So, she no longer felt shy. She turned her back and unfastened the buttons at her collar. One layer of green silk, one layer of undergarment... finally, she bared a shoulder as tender as a bamboo shoot, leaning it forward slightly. "Please, have a look. See if my heart, liver, spleen, lungs, or kidneys are damaged."
It was a bit dazzling—that was Physician Xia’s first thought. The gritted-teeth determination he felt when she actually took off her clothes seemed to turn into a different kind of realization.
...The scrawny girl of those years had grown up; she had developed the figure of a woman. But at sixteen, she was indeed still delicate; that small, round shoulder wasn't even as wide as his hand...
He suddenly felt a bit ashamed. There was no joy of revenge; instead, he felt a pang of conscience. He shouldn't be so serious about a grudge with a child.
"It looks... the five internal organs are not damaged. There is bruising from the impact, but it’s no matter; two days of rest will fix it." His gaze quickly shifted away to the medicine chest. He rummaged through it haphazardly and pulled out a bottle of medicinal oil for blood circulation. "Have someone help you rub this into the skin morning and night. The bruising will slowly disperse."
Yi Xing didn't suspect a thing. Closing her collar, she hurriedly took the medicine and said with a smile, "I told you it was just an external injury, but you didn't believe me. Still, it’s good to have it checked; I’m relieved now." She hurriedly straightened her clothes and went to the table to get a tea tin. "Please, sit for a moment. I’ll brew you some fresh tea. We only have 'High Crushed' (Gao Sui) tea here; I’m sorry to treat you poorly. Thank you for today, coming all this way in such heat."
Physician Xia naturally couldn't consume tea provided by others; even if it was a hospitable gesture, it wasn't proper to break the rules. He said, "I won't have tea. Just take good care of her. Remember not to let the wound touch water. If there’s any change, come find me again." As he spoke, he packed his medicine chest, slung it over his shoulder, and stepped over the threshold without looking back. "I’m going."
As a person of the Banners, Yi Xing was naturally polite. She chased after him and called out, "Physician Xia, let me walk you a way." She caught up and tried to carry the chest for him, but he stepped aside and wouldn't accept.
It didn't matter that he refused; it didn't stop Yi Xing from accompanying him. Along the way, she had her own little calculations. She said tentatively, "Physician Xia, I didn't realize before that you were the Emperor’s favored physician. No wonder you act so upright. I wanted to ask—when you serve the Emperor, are you always on edge? The Emperor is the most important person under heaven; his temper must be quite fierce, right?"
Physician Xia’s heart skipped a beat. He thought: As expected, a phoenix doesn't land on a barren spot. Once she knew he was connected to the Emperor, she started pondering what she truly cared about. At least she had some ambition; that was good.
As for how to describe the Emperor... he had to weigh his words carefully.
"A monarch rules ten thousand miles of land; his weight is as heavy as Mount Tai. However, the Emperor is a kind man. Doesn't the entire court say he is a benevolent ruler? If the benevolent ruler is moved to rage, it must be because a subject has gone too far." As he spoke, he looked back at her. "I heard that brother of yours was a massive embezzler in the past."
Yi Xing rubbed her nose. "You can't really say that. The late Emperor visited Jiangnan several times, and our Shang family hosted him every time. Think about it: the Emperor brings so many princes and ministers; they have to eat the best and use the best. The court doesn't provide the silver, so where does the money come from? Our family has been in debt since the first visit. At that time, my mother even took out the savings she had kept for years. The family earned a prestigious reputation, but in reality, we were broke. That’s why I say—a subject’s annual salary plus integrity allowance is only a few thousand taels. An imperial meal requires 108 dishes, with rewards given here and there... the Emperor would be better off eating a bit more sparingly."
Physician Xia touched his brow. "The Imperial family eats for the sake of prestige."
"Prestige is fine, but the treasury should provide the funds first. With people just eating like that, no matter how big the family business, it can't withstand it, don't you think?"
She was skilled at using the "don't you think" tactic, and by the end, he didn't know how to respond to her.
He thought for a moment and said, "In any case, the current Emperor is sympathetic to the people's plight and has no plans to visit Jiangnan."
Yi Xing wasn't so optimistic. "You don't know; humans always have moments of whim. If one day he gets it into his head, the Jiangnan circuit will produce another massive embezzler."
Physician Xia stopped in his tracks. "So, according to you, corrupt officials are forced into it?"
Yi Xing took it as a matter of course. "I don't know about other families, but ours certainly was."
Of course, one shouldn't speak recklessly of court affairs; she still knew the rules. The Qiongyuan Right Gate was just ahead. She thought about it—it wasn't easy to find someone who moved in the Imperial Presence, she had to seize the moment. She said, "Physician Xia, let’s not talk about those things. Can I entrust you with something?"
Beneath the face mask, Physician Xia’s deep eyes looked toward the open horizon. He replied casually, "Speak."
"In the future, when you treat the Emperor, could you find the right moment to mention me? Just say the Old Auntie (GĹ« BĂ ) of the Shang family has entered the palace, that she’s beautiful, and that she admires the Emperor." Having said this, her face turned red. In any case, she couldn't care how Physician Xia viewed her now. She rubbed her hands and made a promise: "We’ve known each other for a while now; let’s be honest. As long as I climb up, I will definitely recommend you to be the Superintendent of the Imperial Academy of Medicine. You won't have to wear this eighth-rank quail patch anymore; I’ll have you wear the fifth-rank silver pheasant patch. Think it over carefully—how does this deal sound?"
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