Chapter 55: Scheming for the Heart
The events that transpired in the Xue Mansion were like pebbles dropped into water, causing little ripple in Xue Sui’s heart.
The next day, when she went to Shou An Courtyard to pay her respects, she informed the Old Madam that she had found a martial world physician who specialized in treating foolishness and ignorance, and wished to take Ming Ge’er to see him.
The Old Madam was delighted to hear this.
After all, Ming Ge’er was her own great-grandson; it was worth a shot to try anything, as a last resort.
“Go, go and see. Also, the shaman who summoned the soul for your Third Uncle last time, if the opportunity arises, I’d like to ask him about the Eighth Miss’s marriage…”
Xue Sui’s lips curved into a smile, and she softly replied, “Isn’t that a coincidence? Shamans are also physicians. The physician I’m going to find today is this shaman doctor. He can summon souls and read fortunes, and he’s also skilled in medicine. He can come and examine Grandmother’s headache…”
As people age, they tend to believe in these mystical and profound things.
The Old Madam was so pleased by her few words that her face lit up with a smile.
Xue Sui then took her two maids and led Ming Ge’er out.
–
She didn’t go to a clinic in Shangjing City, but instead followed a winding, secluded alleyway out to the riverside.
A small courtyard sat quietly by the river, exuding an air of tranquility.
As the saying goes, don’t plant mulberry trees in front of your house, nor willows behind it. But here, a row of mulberry trees outside the gate was sprouting new buds, a vibrant green, truly pleasing to the eye. Looking towards the back courtyard by the river, weeping willows swayed gently in the breeze, their branches hanging down to the roof tiles like a woman’s flowing hair.
Tianshu was waiting for her there.
In the quiet room, he sat cross-legged, a wooden table before him, on which lay several medical books, filling the room with the scent of medicine.
Seeing Xue Sui enter, his face remained impassive, and he slightly raised his hand.
“Sit.”
Xue Sui and Ming Ge’er sat opposite him, gazing at each other across the table.
Tianshu took Ming Ge’er’s pulse, examined his tongue, and inquired about his medical history. He then said, “It is a bit late to treat it now. If it had been treated in the early stages of the illness, there would still have been hope.”
Xue Sui’s heart sank.
“So, it’s untreatable?”
Tianshu said, “It depends on fate. The poison has entered the lungs and has been there for too long, reaching the Gao Huang. The mind has been corrupted and obscured, and I fear medicine and acupuncture will be powerless. I will prescribe a few doses of medicinal soup to dispel the poison and dissolve stasis, protect the heart orifices, and cleanse the lungs of accumulated toxins. Then, I will administer acupuncture to unblock Qi and Blood, to see if some clarity can be restored…”
He paused slightly.
“The course of treatment will be difficult, and it will also depend on the child’s own fortune…”
Xue Sui said, “So it is.”
It was a pity for such a young child.
Although she didn’t know who in the Yao Mansion had done it, Yao Wei’s widow sister-in-law had also given birth to a son for Yao Wei. The sister-in-law’s son was the legitimate heir of the eldest branch. If Xue Yue Lou’s child was an idiot and useless, wouldn’t all the Yao Mansion’s family fortune be inherited by her son?
Whoever benefits the most is the most likely culprit.
How cruel.
She just didn’t know if Yao Wei had noticed, or if he was deliberately indulging it…
The room was silent for a moment. Tianshu wrote out the prescription and handed it to Xue Sui.
“In the past two days, rumors have been rampant in Shangjing. The Jingzhao Prefecture constables have been searching and investigating everywhere, turning over every street and alley, every neighborhood watchman and commoner’s home. Much of the property looted that day has been confiscated, and some people have even been beaten…”
Xue Sui asked, “Are they willing?”
Tianshu said, “Everyone is driven by profit, how can they be willing?”
Xue Sui said, “Then we can proceed to the next step.”
She silently placed a money bag on the table.
An exquisite and heavy money bag.
It was like an ordinary person hiring the Big Dipper Seven Sects to do something.
“The common people are petitioning, beating the Dengwen Drum, and filing lawsuits in the streets, demanding the release of the neighborhood watchmen and commoners who were imprisoned for picking up dowry items. They are demanding a thorough investigation into whether corrupt forces were behind that dowry list, extorting the people’s wealth… It would be best to trigger a major upheaval, and then take the opportunity to expose Princess Ping Le’s land-grabbing activities, with all the evidence prepared. It all depends on whether Emperor Chong Zhao investigates…”
Tianshu’s gaze fell upon her.
Xue Sui smiled slightly and told him about the matter Old Madam Cui had entrusted her with.
“Since it’s inconvenient for me to leave the mansion often, why don’t you come to the mansion to see me, Senior Brother, to give Ming Ge’er acupuncture, and incidentally, to appease the Old Madam and borrow her influence…”
She paused and then said, “At that time, the Old Madam will ask Senior Brother about the marriage of the Xue family’s Eighth Miss.”
Tianshu asked, “How?”
Xue Sui silently wrote a sentence on the yellow paper.
“Senior Brother, you can ask the Eighth Miss one question. If she answers yes, then say that the Duke of Zheng’s family has a high status, and the young couple are in love, so the Old Madam should fulfill their wishes.”
“And if she answers no?”
Xue Sui was silent for a moment, then said, “Then Senior Brother, you should tell her that the Zhao family is a reputable scholarly family, Zhao Hong is well-read, and his future is boundless. He is the Eighth Miss’s divinely ordained match.”
Xue Yue Man was still young and had not been harmed back then.
Now that she had returned to the mansion, she was just a bit sharp-tongued, but it didn’t warrant such a fate.
Others might not know the Guo family’s background, but Xue Sui’s “King Yama’s Book of Life and Death” remembered it clearly.
Guo Zhaoxuan was Guo Zhaohuai’s illegitimate brother. He had followed his brother around since childhood, had a bad character, and often frequented brothels and gambling houses. Such a person was bound to get into trouble sooner or later.
The Zhao family, on the other hand, was a scholarly lineage, and their patriarch had a reputation for virtue, with many aspiring scholars under him.
This was Xue Yue Man’s only chance to escape the torrent of grudges and enmities.
It all depended on whether her heart was kind and how she chose.
Tianshu looked at her and suddenly said, “Ping An, let me divine a character for you.”
Xue Sui was startled by the sound and smiled as she wrote the character “An” on the paper.
“The ‘An’ from Ping An.”
Tianshu looked at the character, his gaze complex and unfathomable.
“Ping An is not peaceful. The character ‘An’ has a roof-like component above it, symbolizing isolation and danger. The matter you are planning may have variables, and you must guard against malicious harm from villains, especially beware of women’s interference.”
Xue Sui asked, “How can you tell?”
Tianshu pointed to the character ‘An’ and said, “Look, this ‘roof-like component’ seems to be covered by a roof, providing shelter, but in terms of planning, it is a sky covered by dark clouds, unyielding. If you wish to break the deadlock, you will inevitably touch upon multiple interests and break through this sky, which is extremely difficult. Furthermore, the lower part, the ‘woman’ character, represents hidden danger. You must be careful of women interfering and ruining your great plan…”
Xue Sui was silent.
After a moment, she silently let out a sigh of relief.
“I will, Senior Brother.”
She then chuckled softly, a hint of cunning in her eyes.
“I think this character ‘An’ precisely means that it is up to a woman to break through this sky.”
Tianshu narrowed his eyes. “Ping An, the road is long and arduous.”
Xue Sui smiled. “Senior Brother, I fear no one.”
–
Emerging from the small courtyard by the river, Xue Sui led Ming Ge’er, accompanied by the wet nurse and a few maids, along the riverbank towards home.
She had reported that she was taking Ming Ge’er to see a doctor when she left today, so she was not in a hurry to return.
On the riverbank, a woman was carrying a wooden basin down the steps, washing clothes in the spring water.
The river flowed gently. The woman beat the clothes a few times with a club, then raised her sleeve to wipe away tears.
Ru Yi, being kind-hearted, called out after a glance.
“Good lady, is there something sad that has happened?”
The woman looked up and saw the young ladies and the child approaching her. Tears began to fall.
“Kind young ladies, my family has recently suffered misfortune, and I am filled with anxiety. My husband found a piece of jewelry belonging to the new bride of Marquis Jingyuan on the street that day, something called gold-inlaid jade ware, a gift from the Princess. When the authorities investigated, we handed over the item, but unexpectedly, my husband was arrested under the charge of theft and was beaten until he vomited blood… My in-laws were so angry that they took to their beds. I still have two young children under the age of three at home. I don’t know how we will live…”
Ru Yi glanced at Xue Sui, then at Xiao Zhao.
Xiao Zhao, with a blank expression, took out her money bag and stepped forward, placing it in the woman’s hand.
“Good lady, here is some money. Take it to buy medicine.”
The woman’s cold hand trembled. “How can this be?”
Xiao Zhao said, “What’s wrong with this? Take it! Don’t worry, there is always a place to reason in this world. Good lady, don’t be too anxious, there will be an explanation…”
The woman was about to kneel down to them, expressing her heartfelt gratitude.
Along the way, Xiao Zhao seemed a bit downcast.
Xue Sui knew what she was thinking and didn’t say much.
Upon returning to Li Xiang Courtyard, she had someone prepare a table of food and then brewed the retrieved medicine. She had the wet nurse coax Ming Ge’er to take it before calling Xiao Zhao in alone.
“Do you feel that my current actions are not straightforward, too troublesome, and affect so many people, and that it would be better to just kill them all?”
Xiao Zhao looked at her, standing stiffly for a moment, then slowly lowered her head.
“I know that whatever you do, Miss, you have your reasons.”
Xue Sui smiled with a calm tone.
“But you still can’t understand, and you feel distressed.”
Xiao Zhao nodded her lowered head, appearing very obedient.
“That’s right. If it were up to me, it shouldn’t be so troublesome. Those who should be killed should be killed, those who should be slaughtered should be slaughtered, until not a single one is left. Then let’s see if they dare to oppress the people and act recklessly.”
Xue Sui’s eyes flickered as she looked at Xiao Zhao’s sincere and clear gaze, and smiled slightly.
Looking back at history, how many people have said, “Are kings and generals born to be so?” and even revolted to petition for the people, to rectify the world and benefit all living beings?
Unfortunately—
Empires are built on the bones of countless people; how many achieve their ambitions on the long journey?
Even if they succeed, how can they retain their original intentions?
Xue Sui gestured for her to sit down.
Xiao Zhao happily sat down beside her, tilting her head up, full of respect.
Xue Sui asked, “In your heart, am I a good person?”
Xiao Zhao was startled, then nodded. “Miss is a good person.”
Xue Sui smiled slightly. “I am not a good person. I am not soft-hearted.”
With that, she raised her hand and gently stroked Xiao Zhao’s head twice, the smile in her eyes slowly dissipating, as if solidifying into a block of ice.
“Killing one Zhang San will only lead to another Li Si, and it cannot solve the fundamental problem. Sometimes, our detours and maneuvering are not out of cowardice, but out of necessity. If, in the process, we bring blessings to more people, and innocent people are harmed, it is regrettable. But in the long run, as long as the outcome is good, the path is right. The great path is open beneath your feet.”
Xiao Zhao thought for a long time, feeling quite dejected.
“Miss wants to use this incident to bring down Princess Ping Le. But that is too difficult.”
People are divided into nobles and commoners, with distinct classes and rigid barriers. Without power or influence, how difficult is it to pry open these rock-solid barriers and shake those who sit high in the clouds?
Xue Sui smiled. “This incident may not bring her down, but it can divide her, and then we can eliminate a few more pests, which can also be considered ridding the people of harm…”
Xiao Zhao’s eyes lit up, and she got up, holding Xue Sui’s arm.
“Miss, you are truly amazing.”
Xue Sui smiled gently, her expression serene and warm, as if bathed in the sunlight.
In the distance, in the lush spring light of dusk, a scout hid behind a tree and said to another out of the corner of his eye:
“Go report to His Highness that Sixth Miss Xue went out to seek medical treatment with the child. She returned to the mansion an hour later, and there were no abnormalities.”
The courtyard with the mulberry trees was inhabited by a family named Liu.
They had been barefoot physicians for generations, and their skills were genuine.
Scout 1: We’ve been watching the young lady every day, but we haven’t found anything unusual. What exactly does His Highness the Crown Prince want us to look for?
Scout 2: Brother, my back of the head feels a bit cold.
Xue Liu: So, do any sisters like me and want to vote for me?
