The Perilous Palace Dream - Chapter 125
Chapter 125
Over the past few days, a significant portion of the poison in the Grand Tutor’s body had been expelled. He was now able to walk slowly without relying on a cane, and even the dark hue of the dragon-like scar on his face had faded considerably.
However, the divine physician advised him against engaging in overly strenuous activities every day. Initially, he had been strongly opposed to the Grand Tutor setting off for Jiangnan before he had fully recovered. After all, the domineering nature of this rare poison was so formidable that even he—a divine physician famed for bringing the dead back to life—found it exceedingly troublesome. Yet, the Grand Tutor had stubbornly insisted on having his own way. Fearing that he might neglect the Princess and unable to endure the agony of longing, he had forced himself to embark on the journey.
Seeing this, Divine Physician Wei could not help but recall another person.
Because he needed to research the medicinal properties for an antidote, he had to collect the poisonous blood from a “poison man”. He vividly remembered the scene just before that poisoned man died. It was said that he had once been an elegant and refined gentleman, but by the final stages of the poison’s flare-up, he had grown so emaciated that he resembled a withered corpse.
Yet, while enduring such agonizing torture, his eyes still gleamed sharply as he asked, “Is Wei Lenghou not dead yet?” The divine physician harbored no fondness for such a malicious individual, so he ignored him entirely. He simply used a needle attached to a long bamboo pole to pierce his arm and draw out the poisonous blood.
Lying on the dilapidated straw mat, the man seemed oblivious to the pain in his arm as he muttered to himself,”Still not dead? Cough, cough.. Is he stubbornly holding out hope for an antidote? If… if I were him, I would spend more time properly enjoying the things in this world he cannot let go of… But the only person he wants to tenderly enjoy, he cannot even touch, can he? Hahaha… cough, cough. How lamentable that in the end, I still couldn’t bear to… But this is fine too. Being separated by death is the greatest punishment for her… In the future, whenever she sheds tears of remembrance, besides that man, she will inevitably think of me too… Even if it’s hatred, it is something she will never forget for a lifetime…”
Listening to the poison man’s muttering, Divine Physician Wei surprisingly understood him. This person was malicious to the extreme; he had first designed a trap to frame the Grand Tutor, yet promptly informed him of the poisoning afterward—likely unable to bear the thought of the Princess being infected by the poisonous Qi… Forgive his old age, but he truly could not comprehend what kind of love existed between men and women that could be loved to the bone and hated to the marrow.
Whether it was the Grand Tutor or that poison man, severe poison was easy to cure, but the poison of love was hard to purge!
Recalling this, when Divine Physician Wei heard that the Grand Tutor intended to accompany the Princess to a temple to offer incense and pray for blessings, he still spoke up to stop him. The Grand Tutor’s body truly required quiet recuperation and was unfit for moving around; as he was on the verge of full recovery, he could not afford to let his previous efforts go to waste.
—
As the New Year approached in Jiangnan, incense burned brightly before the Buddhist temples. Because Lin’an had a tradition of praying for blessings before the New Year, even if one offered a vast amount of incense money at a bustling temple, there might not even be a spot in front of the high monks chanting scriptures. Master Pan harbored the intention of curry favor with those above him, but it was improper for him to step forward personally. Thus, he gave strict instructions to his wife, Lady Li, urging her to use the occasion of the New Year to visit the Princess and casually mention that the Pan Manor had already reserved a place for prayer and sacrificial rites at the largest temple in Lin’an, Jingxin Temple.
Nie Qinglin had always followed local customs. She felt that it was a rare opportunity to visit the common world and that she should carefully experience the various aspects of ordinary life. Moreover, since the Grand Tutor had suffered one misfortune after another, the Princess also wished to personally pray before the Buddha to accumulate some benevolent merit for him. Upon hearing Madame Pan’s suggestion that she attend as well, she smiled and agreed.
Since it was inconvenient for the Grand Tutor to go, she dragged her elder sister along. That Xiu Tuhong also insisted on coming with them.
Meticulous by nature, Nie Qinglin could naturally tell that her sister was no longer as repulsed by Xiu Tuhong as she had been during their first meeting. She had likely gradually let down her guard upon seeing that a man built like a tiger could actually act submissive and obedient before her. Because they were traveling incognito, they kept a low profile; the two horse-drawn carriages were not adorned with grand canopies. When they arrived before the temple gates, the First Madame of the Pan Manor was already waiting early at the entrance to respectfully welcome them.
When entering the temple to pray for blessings, they followed the local customs of Lin’an: first entering the main hall to offer incense, and then bathing and drinking fragrant herbal tea.
The bath was formed by a spring carved out within the temple grounds. Surrounded by bodhi trees, steam billowed upward; it bore no sulfurous smell, but rather a unique, subtle fragrance.
As the Princess was supported by Nanny Shan toward the rear courtyard, passing through a bamboo forest, a melodious flute tune suddenly drifted over.
This was a piece composed by Geng Yuan, a musician of the previous dynasty.
Amidst the deep, quiet bamboo forest, the slightly sorrowful and lingering sound of the xiao flute blew through the bamboo leaves on the wind. Carried softly by the gentle breeze, it lingered for only a moment before slipping into the ear. Raising her eyes to look, a young man with a jade-like face clad in white stood quietly in the forest, his long fingers clasping a tube of jade xiao. Whether it was the fragrance of the bamboo forest, the floating notes of the flute, or this handsome youth, one could not help but pause in their tracks, letting their thoughts drift with the music amidst the fragrance of bamboo and the breeze…
Nie Qinglin slightly lowered her eyes. After listening for a moment to the ethereal music played by the young man she had once met at Fanmo Tower, she turned around, intending to leave.
“Young Lady, please stay your steps!”
Seeing the beauty turn to leave, Sui Qingchen hurriedly lowered his jade xiao and stepped forward quickly to stop her.
“That day at Fanmo Tower, I missed the opportunity to converse with you, Young Lady. Today, since fate has brought us together here, I hope you will leave your honored name so that Qingchen may ask my mother to visit your residence in the future.”
Nie Qinglin, however, knew very well in her heart: this Young Master Sui was a young noble from a prominent local family. Yet on a day like the pre-New Year sacrifice, he had abruptly appeared on the only path leading to a women’s bathhouse. What an incredible coincidence and poetic elegance that was!
Now, the deep meaning behind Lady Li’s repeated invitations to the temple suddenly became crystal clear to her. This maternal side of her family truly possessed immense audacity! They hadn’t even informed Young Master Sui of her true identity before acting as matchmakers, keeping themselves entirely clean of the affair. If she were truly as scandalous as her royal sister Leyao, wouldn’t she use the quiet, elegant house nearby to sleep with this refined, noble youth right on the spot?
Unfortunately, before she could speak, Nanny Shan at her side had long lost her patience. Although she had previously thought this young man quite pleasing to the eye, even if his features possessed some of the Grand Tutor’s handsome charm, how could he possibly compare to the Lord Dingguo’s majestic demeanor when devising strategies? Seeing that he was actually trying to poach someone’s bride, she naturally had to defend her master’s delicate wife.
“Young Master, please return! My family’s Young Lady is already betrothed to another. How can you be permitted to speak so improperly?”
Unexpectedly, these words failed to make Young Master Sui back down. Instead, he said indignantly,”Since she is merely betrothed and not yet married, a wise bird chooses a good tree to roost in! Allow me to boldly ask: is the man betrothed to you, Young Lady, the cripple from Fanmo Tower that day?”
This Sui Qingchen held himself in extremely high regard and had always been arrogant about his talent. Although he had recognized early on that the man with the cane was the world-famous artist “Zhenlin,” thinking that the man was disabled and bore such a terrifying scar on his face meant he certainly could not serve as an official. Though dressed in luxurious clothes, he was likely nothing more than a merchant by birth—otherwise, why would he hide his identity and never reveal his true self to the world? He was probably self-conscious about his disability and vulgar, copper-scented origins, too ashamed to show himself in public.
If she were an ordinary girl from a humble family, it would be one thing; but how could such an exquisite and spirited beauty be married off to a crippled merchant? Since Zhenlin was knowledgeable in painting, why would he commit such a coarse act of ruining beauty? Judging by the situation that day, the beauty was unwilling as well, yielding only to her parents’ command and the matchmaker’s words. Thinking back, he had never been moved by any woman, yet the first time his eyes met hers at Fanmo Tower, he had fallen in love at first sight. Naturally, he felt compelled to strive with all his might to rescue the beauty from her misery.
Hearing someone call the Grand Tutor a “cripple,” Nie Qinglin was stunned. She instinctively felt that this youth was truly formidable—a newborn calf unaware of tigers—wishing to overturn the very heavens of Great Wei in a single stroke!
Shan Tiehua was also so enraged by that insult that her face turned pale. Had Nie Qinglin not voiced her restraint, the battlefield she-demon would have made a sudden appearance at Jingxin Temple to tear this handsome youth apart alive!
“Young Lady possesses extraordinary beauty and an ethereal temperament; in the future, you are destined to marry a high-ranking lord! Qingchen is willing to issue a challenge to compete in essay writing with that man. If I lose, I shall naturally cease troubling you; but if he is merely a frivolous playboy who only knows painting and calligraphy, Sui Qingchen will make him back down in the face of difficulty, so that he does not disgrace one he is unworthy of!”
Looking at the youth’s confident and heroic air, Nie Qinglin felt an immense headache. If she revealed her identity right now, wouldn’t she be exposing the fact that the Grand Tutor was afflicted with a terrible poison? She feared it would trigger unrest in the imperial court. But if she didn’t say it, this youth would continue his unreasonable pestering… As for killing him… the Sui family consisted of generations of loyal subjects, and unless she drank a full cup of a foolish ruler’s wine, she couldn’t bring herself to order such poison…
At that moment, Nie Qinglin said calmly,”Where do you get such wild assumptions and conjectures, Young Master? My betrothed and I share a bond of childhood sweethearts; even without parents’ orders or matchmakers’ words, I would marry no one but him. Why should an irrelevant person like you make such reckless statements? You possess outstanding literary talent, Young Master, and are proficient in calligraphy, painting, poetry, and music. Yet, you severely lack verbal virtue and self-cultivation. If the Great Wei Dynasty requires pillars of state, they must possess benevolence and seek to benefit the world—not be frivolous youths hiding in bamboo forests all day, plotting how to steal another man’s wife…
The glory of the Sui Manor was earned through the distinguished service of the elder Lord Sui back in the day. You must never be an unfilial descendant and bring shame upon your family’s doorstep!”
Having said this, she did not even proceed with her bath, turning around to leave Jingxin Temple directly.
Upon exiting the temple gate, Master Pan immediately hurried up to greet her, his face full of enthusiasm,”Why is the Princess leaving so soon? Why not stay a little longer and enjoy the fragrant herbal tea brewed with the sweet spring water here?”
Standing on the carriage, Nie Qinglin cast a cold glance at him. The imperial Nie family had withered, and family affection was thin. Bonds like the one she shared with Sixth Brother and Eighth Sister were exceptionally precious. When she first came to Jiangnan, she had indeed cherished the thought of meeting her maternal relatives. Yet, feeling nervous as she approached home, she had hardly dared to meet them upon arriving; who could have imagined that after meeting by chance, reality was far less wonderful than imagined? Though she had painstakingly warned the head of the Pan Manor, it now appeared to have been entirely in vain…
Unaware of the Princess’s inner thoughts, Master Pan spoke directly, “Since the Princess is spending the New Year here, you should consider returning to our manor to catch up on family ties. I wonder if the Princess could grace our residence with her presence…”
“There is no need. I am occupied with official duties and have made arrangements early on. As for the message you asked your wife to convey, Cousin, I have understood it as well. If your two sons wish to seek fame and official positions, they may naturally study hard at their cold windows. Although our dynasty—like the previous one—places little weight on commerce, it does not forbid merchants from taking the imperial examinations; they may rely on their own abilities. As for entreating the Emperor to bestow noble titles, I advise you to relinquish that notion entirely. Currently, the court is purging traitorous factions; even members of the royal Nie family who commit corruption and break the law are executed without exception. This place is not remote; I presume you have heard about the fates of those vassal kings, let alone the maternal relatives of the late Emperor’s imperial concubines, who must be held to even stricter law enforcement. I will speak to the local magistrate; if anyone dares to commit evil deeds under the banner of the royal family in the future, they shall be apprehended and punished according to the law without leniency!”
Having finished speaking, she boarded the carriage and sped away in a cloud of dust.
Before Master Pan’s dream of becoming a Marquis could even be fully dreamed, it was shattered. Terrified into a cold sweat, he was supported by his wife, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
—
After leaving Jingxin Temple that day, Princess Shaoyang enthusiastically visited several shops specializing in ingenious children’s toys, buying many playthings for her child. Little Jiarou was now tottering around learning to walk, so she bought her delicate little shoes. Though these items were not as exquisite as those in the imperial palace, they possessed a unique charm of common life.
When they finally finished shopping and returned to the side villa, the Grand Tutor was surprisingly absent. Astonished, Nie Qinglin inquired where he had gone. The servants all replied that they did not know; later, she heard that Young Master Sui had delivered a letter, and after reading it, the Grand Tutor had led his men out.
Nie Qinglin could not help but feel a headache coming on once more: how on earth had this Sui Qingchen managed to track them down here?
