Chapter Forty-One
After what happened with Prince Duan, nearly everyone in Ying City knew that although Prince Wei had no desire to contend for anything, he would not tolerate anyone trampling on him. Prince Duan had set his sights on the Second Miss Cui, and because she had begun visiting his residence and Empress Dowager Chen, Prince Wei felt that Prince Duan and Prince Kang were deliberately slapping him in the face. He would not even bear it for long—he would strike back at once.
Second Miss Cui truly was blessed. She had merely been used as a signboard, yet Prince Wei had taken the opportunity to treat her like his own niece.
Seeing Cui Lanyin dressed to go out, Deputy Director Cao guessed that she had returned from an outing and come to pay her respects to Prince Wei. At that very moment, his head began to ache.
With Prince Wei watching from the side, Deputy Director Cao and the other two physicians were no longer as relaxed as they had been when they visited the Cui residence last time. They took every possible precaution, approaching one after another to feel her pulse.
After discussing the pulse together, the three of them reached a general diagnosis.
Deputy Director Cao had not risen to the position of deputy director solely because of his exceptional medical skill. His ability to read situations and conduct himself appropriately had been just as important.
He also had an excellent memory. He still remembered that the last time Prince Wei's residence had summoned a physician and requested medicine from the Imperial Medical Academy, it had been a young eunuch who came. This time, however, they had sent Bailin, someone with enough authority to make decisions on important matters in Prince Wei's residence. From Bailin onward, the steward and everyone else they had encountered after entering the residence had done nothing but speak of “Second Miss” this and “Second Miss” that. One bout of illness had thrown the entire Prince Wei's residence into turmoil.
Thus, this time Deputy Director Cao left out the word “Cui” and said, “It seems that Second Miss developed this illness earlier, and her symptoms are considerably more severe than Old Madam Tan's. We originally thought that after changing her medicine, her condition would improve significantly. We expected the medicine to remain effective for another year or two, and once its effects began to diminish, we could make up the difference with appropriate acupuncture. But now, it appears we cannot wait that long. We must administer acupuncture to Second Miss immediately.”
“On her head?” Prince Wei asked.
Deputy Director Cao reacted quickly and hurriedly nodded. “Her head, neck, and back.”
“Are you confident?”
“I have several decades of experience with this form of acupuncture. Your Highness may rest assured.”
“Proceed.”
Deputy Director Cao turned to Aiye and Sangzhi, who were standing beside the bed. “We need to expose Second Miss's shoulder.”
Aiye and Sangzhi glanced at the room full of men, somewhat at a loss.
“My lord, we will wait outside in the corridor,” Bailin said to Prince Wei, speaking on behalf of himself and Xuanlin.
“Very well.” Prince Wei gave his permission.
His silence did not make a difference. Looking at Prince Wei sitting upright in the chair, they remembered that this was his residence, his study, and his bed. Since arriving at Prince Wei's residence, they had not seen him go to any other room. Not only did Aiye and Sangzhi lack the courage to ask him to leave, even if they had possessed such nerve, they could not have asked someone to avoid entering his own room.
Besides, Prince Wei was the only elder present, and his presence was needed to keep the three imperial physicians in line. Aiye and Sangzhi quickly put the matter out of their minds.
They stepped forward and, just as they had when propping up Cui Lanyin's pillow, moved inch by inch. First, they loosened her hair. Then they undid her lavender-blue jacket and pulled her inner garment down to her shoulders.
Fortunately, once Cui Lanyin's thick, cloudlike hair had been spread out, it concealed most of the delicate, porcelain-white skin at the back of her neck. Though the sight was still enough to unsettle the eyes, it was far better than they had imagined.
After that, the other two physicians merely focused on handing over the needles, while Deputy Director Cao devoted himself entirely to administering them. Acupuncture on the head was an extremely delicate procedure, and not the slightest carelessness could be tolerated. None of them had any attention to spare for anything else.
Prince Wei watched only the first few needles. Seeing that Deputy Director Cao's technique was precise and practiced, he closed his eyes again and resumed meditating.
Aiye and Sangzhi felt even more that their earlier thoughts had been petty.
The entire treatment, from the first needle to the last, took half an hour. About halfway through, Cui Lanyin's pained whimpers gradually ceased. By the time the needles were removed, she had fallen into a deep sleep.
Seeing that she was no longer clutching her head, they knew the pain had eased considerably.
Once the needles had been put away, obvious fatigue showed on Deputy Director Cao's face. The other two physicians handled the subsequent removal of the needles and the packing of the medical case.
Buyan brought him tea. When Deputy Director Cao accepted it and drank, his hands were trembling slightly, showing just how mentally and physically exhausting the treatment had been.
Buyu had been pondering something for quite some time. Unable to hold back any longer, he whispered to Buyan, “Second Miss fell ill after returning from the Yao family's relocation banquet last time, and now she's fallen ill again after going to admire the cherry blossoms with the Yao family's young master and young ladies. Could it be that the Yao family conflicts with Second Miss's constitution?”
Buyan thought about it and realized that this did seem to be the case. He was reluctant to see Cui Lanyin marry so soon, so he stole a glance at Prince Wei before saying, “If that's really the case, Second Miss should spend less time with the Yao family.”
The three imperial physicians felt as though they were sitting on pins and needles. The Yao family was Prince Wei's maternal family, yet the people of his residence had begun blaming them for Second Miss's illness. And Prince Wei was simply letting them do so. Did he agree with the two eunuchs, or was the Yao family less important to him than Second Miss Cui?
And then there was what had just happened. Although Second Miss Cui had exposed only her shoulder, and the three imperial physicians had been present, Prince Wei could barely justify remaining as her elder and staying in the room.
Yet with so many unusual details added together, it did not seem quite so simple.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Deputy Director Cao had recovered somewhat. He said to Prince Wei, “For the first three days, we should administer acupuncture once each day. After that, we can change it to once every five days. We should continue this way for two years.”
“And after two years?”
Sweat began to bead on Deputy Director Cao's forehead again, but he did not dare wipe it away. He carefully chose his words. “After we return, we will study Second Miss's illness thoroughly and see whether we can produce a better prescription and acupuncture method within the next year or two. Second Miss is blessed by Heaven and will surely overcome this misfortune.”
“I will be waiting.” Prince Wei tapped two fingers against the armrest.
Buyan hurried forward. “Refreshments have been prepared in the side hall. The three physicians may move there.”
It was a tactful way of seeing them out. Deputy Director Cao hurriedly followed the other two physicians as they withdrew. The steward had been waiting in the corridor and personally presented Deputy Director Cao with twenty gold pieces, while the other two imperial physicians each received ten.
The payment for the journey was extraordinarily generous. As the deputy director of the Imperial Medical Academy, Deputy Director Cao had visited many wealthy and powerful households for treatment. It was not unusual to receive a hundred silver taels from such families, but only a handful had ever offered twenty gold pieces at once—and those cases had all involved grave illnesses that might determine whether a patient lived or died.
Headaches could be agonizing, but they were not fatal. Yet Prince Wei's residence had treated this illness with such importance. Thinking of how Prince Wei had remained in the outer study to watch over the patient without avoiding suspicion, and how the steward had personally arranged the reward while men like Bailin and Xuanlin had waited outside, Deputy Director Cao's back began to sweat again.
He shook his head, forcing down the startling thoughts that had risen within him. He did not dare pursue them any further.
“What you witnessed today, I hope Deputy Director Cao will—”
Bailin had only begun when the three physicians immediately completed his meaning.
“Lord Bai, rest assured. Not a single word of what happened here will pass our lips.”
Bailin nodded. “Our lord may seem easygoing, but he has his own scales. If anyone is foolish enough to touch them…”
“We would never dare. Never,” Deputy Director Cao said. His legs nearly gave way as he listened to the unmistakable threat. Clearly, the twenty gold pieces were not so easy to take.
After the steward had also departed, Xuanlin could not help gesturing toward the study. In a voice so quiet it was barely audible, he asked, “Second Miss… does she know what our lord has in mind?”
“I don't know either.” Bailin spoke in an equally hushed voice. “There can be no mistake in showing Second Miss more respect.”
Xuanlin thought the same.
Suddenly, the study door opened. Buyan stepped out, and Bailin asked, “Does our lord have any instructions?”
Buyan stopped and replied, “His Highness ordered them to bring over a narrow couch. I’m going to find the Director of the Bureau.”
Bailin grabbed Buyan by the arm. “His Highness intends to keep Second Miss Cui in the study?”
Buyan nodded. “Although Aiye said that once Second Miss Cui stopped crying out in pain, she could be moved slowly, His Highness wouldn’t allow it.”
Bailin and Xuanlin watched Buyan head down the front corridor and disappear toward the main courtyard. For a long while, neither of them could recover from their astonishment.
Though Prince Wei could sleep wherever he pleased, he was not one to make things difficult for himself. Now, not only had he given up his own luohan couch for Second Miss Cui to lie on, he was even going to sleep on a narrow, backless couch beside her and keep watch. Even if she was his own niece, surely this was going too far?
Once a daughter grew up, even her own father had to keep his distance, let alone an uncle. No matter how much Prince Wei disregarded propriety and convention, this was simply too wanton. If word got out, it would certainly give people plenty to talk about.
Things had been different in the previous dynasty, but the imperial family of the current dynasty placed great importance on ritual propriety. During Emperor Taizong’s reign, Prince Ding had wanted to marry a distant cousin who was five degrees removed from him in mourning kinship. Not only had Emperor Taizong given him a thorough dressing-down, the censors had pursued the matter relentlessly. It was not settled until Prince Ding went to the Hall of Imperial Ancestors and knelt before the ancestral tablets for an entire month.
After that, no one in the imperial family had dared entertain such thoughts again.
Bailin and Xuanlin exchanged a look. They knew they had reached the same conclusion.
“Could it be?” Xuanlin asked.
“His Highness is afraid of trouble, and he isn’t the sort of person who would want to add another person to his life. He couldn’t possibly,” Bailin said with certainty. “At most, it will remain as it is.”
They had begun serving Prince Wei when he went to the temporary palace and could claim to be the people who understood him best. Based on all these years of knowing him, whether or not he had developed such feelings, Prince Wei would never take things any further.
His agreement to let Second Miss Cui meet the Fifth Young Master Yao and the Sixth Young Master Yao was proof enough.
However, it was certain that Prince Wei would continue looking after Second Miss Cui.
Cui Lanyin woke at around five in the morning. After opening her eyes, she lay there for quite some time without being able to gather her thoughts. She stared blankly at the canopy for a long while before realizing that this did not seem to be her bedchamber in Spring Creek Pavilion.
She slowly turned her head. The flower vessel on the long table looked familiar. It seemed to be the one she had selected from the storeroom. She had knocked down the original one, and at the time, she appeared to have taken a jade yuchun vase as well and placed it where the shattered tribute vase had been. Turning her head a little farther to the east, she indeed saw the white jade yuchun vase mottled with natural color.
“Ah!” she cried out in alarm.
The memories of the previous day gradually returned, and Cui Lanyin finally realized her current situation. She had spent the night in her uncle’s study. She struggled to sit up.
“Your head doesn’t hurt anymore?” a voice thick with sleep came from not far beside the couch.
Cui Lanyin froze. Following the sound, she saw that on the western side of the luohan couch, two chairs away, a narrow couch had been placed crosswise. Prince Wei was lying there fully clothed.
As its name suggested, the narrow couch was just wide enough for one person to lie flat on, with no room to spare. It had neither a backrest nor armrests and was usually kept in studies for taking a brief rest.
Cui Lanyin understood at once. She must have fallen ill in the study, and because moving her might have worsened her headache, Prince Wei had been forced to make do with the narrow couch.
Since she had begun visiting Prince Wei’s residence, she had never seen him stay in any other room. Thinking of how his mind was constantly occupied with matters of state, Cui Lanyin guessed that he probably could not sleep soundly after changing rooms.
She felt deeply uneasy. “Uncle, I disturbed you.” Her body was still weak, and her voice remained faint and breathless.
“Mm.”
Prince Wei said nothing more and retained his usual tone. Instead, this reassured Cui Lanyin somewhat.
She discreetly lifted the quilt a little and saw that she was still wearing the undergarment she had put on beneath her clothes before leaving the house the previous day. The ties and buttons were all fastened properly. Thinking that she must not have been too disheveled when her illness struck, she relaxed a little more.
“Uncle, you didn’t sleep well, did you? I’ll go back now.” Cui Lanyin braced herself against the backrest of the luohan couch and tried to get up.
“It’s too much trouble at this hour.”
Cui Lanyin immediately understood. She had lain there for an entire night, so the bedding, mattress, and cushions on the couch would all have to be replaced. By the time everything was tidied up, it would already be broad daylight, and Prince Wei would have no chance to sleep.
She was still weak and needed to lie there a little longer to regain her strength. Since she had already disturbed him, staying a while longer would make little difference. Thus, Cui Lanyin obediently lay back down.
Unable to summon any sleep, she searched for something to say. “Did you eat any of the bean-curd-skin buns yesterday, Uncle?”
“So you know that accepting food from someone leaves you unable to turn them away?”
Cui Lanyin giggled. “So you couldn’t bring yourself to send me away because of the bean-curd-skin buns?”
“Otherwise?” His tone held a hint of helplessness.
The last bit of awkwardness in Cui Lanyin faded. She had still been hesitating over how to bring it up, but now the words came out naturally.
“Uncle, did my marriage to the Yao family cause you any trouble?”
“No.”
“Then… it’s over?”
“Mm.”
“Why didn’t you ask why I changed my mind?”
“The Yao family is not suitable for you.”
“Huh?” Cui Lanyin propped herself up on one elbow and looked over at him. “I don’t understand.”
“Your recurring headaches.”
At the same time that Cui Lanyin understood what he meant, her eyes widened. “Uncle, you believe in that too?”
“That depends on what it is.”
Cui Lanyin knew then that Prince Wei must have had another consideration regarding her marriage into the Yao family.
“Speaking of which, my eldest sister asked for a fortune at Tianfu Temple yesterday. The divination said I was destined to marry an exceptionally noble husband. She even said it referred to the marriage with the Yao family. Now that the engagement has fallen through, I wonder what she’ll have to say for herself.”
“The Yao family does not qualify.”
Cui Lanyin repeated the wording of the divination. “According to this, it can only be the Yao family. If not for you, Uncle, how could I ever have been worthy of marrying into the Yao family? Anyone above them would be even more impossible.”
Cui Lanyin did not wait for Prince Wei to respond. “In the future, Uncle, find me a family one rank below the Yao family. With you backing me, that would be the only way I could live comfortably. I’ve thought it over. There are too many twists and turns in the great aristocratic households. The Yao family has so many branches, and most of the daughters-in-law they take are from families of equal standing. There would be endless complications to deal with. It would be exhausting.”
“If that’s the case, then I won’t be in a hurry to marry. It would be just right for me to stay by your side and learn more about how to conduct myself. Only, Uncle, you mustn’t grow tired of having me stay too long.”
Cui Lanyin had already made up her mind: she had to pull Prince Wei out of that line of thinking, or she would never be able to marry with peace of mind.
“You’ve thought it through?”
“Mm.” Not wanting Prince Wei to say something like that again, Cui Lanyin tried to cheer him up. “The Fifth Young Master Yao and the Sixth Young Master Yao are both less handsome than you, Uncle. You have just the right amount of fullness—any more and you would be too plump, any less and you would be too thin. That’s why you never look old. Even those young men in the bloom of their youth cannot compare with you.”
Here it is [kiss].
I’ll correct any typos during the day; that isn’t an update. Updates are posted at eleven p.m. [heart]
