Qingshan

Chapter 72 : Chapter 72

Chapter 72: The Three Refusals

The morning rooster crowed. Chen Ji pulled himself from the dreamworld battlefield, rose slowly, and hobbled to the clinic's main hall, where he sat in his bamboo chair to wait for Xibing.

Liang Mao'er had changed into a grey cloth jacket and risen early to go fetch water.

Chen Ji tried to help sweep the floor, but Liang Mao'er pressed him back into the bamboo chair. "Your injuries still need another month to heal. Stop moving around. I can handle the clinic chores on my own."

"You can tell no one minds you two staying here," Chen Ji said curiously. "There's no need to rush through all the work yourself, Brother Mao'er."

Liang Mao'er said quietly, "I don't care how much work I do, as long as none of you blame my brother for not helping yesterday. He has his reasons."

"Why did he set those three rules about not helping?" Chen Ji asked, puzzled. "Has he dealt with the Ceremonial Directorate before?"

Liang Mao'er stood in the main hall with the carrying pole across his shoulders, silent for a long time. Finally he spoke. "I lied before. After my sister-in-law left, we didn't lose all trace of her."

"Where did she go?"

Liang Mao'er hung his head. "When my sister-in-law tried to leave the Ning Dynasty, the Secret Spy Division caught her. Heavenly Horse intercepted her at a border town -- she was no match for Heavenly Horse and was captured on the spot. The Inner Minister sent someone to find my brother and told him he could choose not to throw her in the Inner Prison, and instead send her back to Luocheng. But the condition was that my brother could never oppose the Ceremonial Directorate again. On top of that, he'd have to carry out three tasks for them."

"Then why didn't your sister-in-law come back?" Chen Ji suddenly realized -- the Ceremonial Directorate must have suspected the female blade master's identity long ago. They had been waiting for her to flee, so they could use her as leverage against Liang Gou'er.

Liang Mao'er smiled. "My brother agreed to the Inner Minister's conditions. But he didn't have the Ceremonial Directorate send her back. He chose to have them let her go."

Chen Ji was silent for a moment. He hadn't expected this answer. "That girl Yan'er in Red Cloth Lane... she looks a lot like your sister-in-law, doesn't she."

"Mm." Liang Mao'er smiled his guileless smile and headed out the door. "I'm off to fetch water. Still have to cook later."

Just as he stepped outside, Miss Xibing came hurrying along the flagstone road of Anxi Street, skirts gathered in her hands, and brushed past Liang Mao'er at the threshold.

Chen Ji rose with a smile to greet her. "Miss Xibing, what brings you to the clinic so early?"

Miss Xibing spoke the moment she saw him. "Chen Ji, I was just looking for you. White Prajna's been hurt again by some scoundrel, and the Lady wants you to come treat it... I don't know who could be so vile -- laying hands on White Prajna twice! Absolutely despicable!"

Chen Ji lowered his head, feeling a twinge of guilt. "Miss Xibing, I can't go to the Prince's manor to treat it. I was stabbed by an attacker a few days ago, and the wound on my leg still hasn't healed."

By intelligence protocol, Chen Ji should deliver important information to Consort Yun face to face, to prevent errors in transmission.

But Jinzhu's people were watching from the second floor across the street. If he limped his way to the Prince's manor, it would certainly arouse suspicion.

Chen Ji stood beside the rosewood counter and picked up a writing brush. "I'll write you a prescription. I'll prepare the medicine for you to bring back -- just apply it to White Prajna's wounds."

Xibing hesitated briefly. "Alright."

Chen Ji weighed out the medicine, wrapped it in waxed yellow paper, and bound it with hemp cord. After tying it off, he slipped the prescription into a gap in the cord. "Head back now. Apply it twice a day. White Prajna will be fine."

Xibing took the medicine bundle from his hands and returned to Flying Cloud Courtyard.

Outside the covered gallery, Consort Yun's gentle voice carried from within: "Baili, Teacher Wang says you've been dozing off in class lately. If this keeps up, your father will have words for you when he gets back."

Baili muttered, "Teacher Wang is supposed to be a great scholar. How can he gossip behind people's backs too?"

Consort Yun gave Baili a playful smack on the palm. "That's not gossip -- it's being responsible for you. Don't speak of Teacher Wang like that again."

"Fine..."

Just then, Xibing hurried inside. "My Lady, young Doctor Chen was injured and couldn't come, but he wrote a prescription and prepared the medicine. He says White Prajna just has surface wounds -- applying the medicine will take care of it."

"Xibing, leave the medicine bundle here for now. Go tell Nurse Xitang that the Prince has sent a fast horse with word -- he's finished securing the military provisions and is preparing to return. Have Nurse Xitang lead the staff in giving the manor a thorough cleaning, especially Jing'an Hall and Mingzheng Hall. Even the glazed tile roofs need to be wiped spotless." Consort Yun turned to Baili. "Baili, go review your lessons. I want your calligraphy copywork tonight, or I'm cutting your monthly allowance... Baili?"

Baili snapped back to attention. She rose, took the medicine bundle from Xibing's hands, and pulled out the prescription tucked inside. She read it over again and again. Aside from a few wrong characters, she found nothing out of the ordinary.

But normally, a medicine bundle would be handed directly to a household servant. Why had her mother told Xibing to leave it here in the gallery, then found an excuse to send Xibing away?

Something was definitely wrong.

A thousand questions swirled in Baili's mind. She suddenly recalled that when she first returned from Donglin Academy, she had also seen Chen Ji here in Flying Cloud Courtyard -- though she hadn't paid attention at the time.

Now, knowing full well that something was off about Chen Ji's identity, and recalling that he had once come to the manor to make a house call, she felt the fog surrounding him had only thickened.

Outsiders might not understand, but she was familiar with the clinic's people and knew perfectly well that the three apprentices had no business making house calls.

Why would someone being investigated by the Secret Spy Division have any connection to Flying Cloud Courtyard?

Just then, Consort Yun casually took the prescription from Baili's hands. "What's the matter, Baili? Suddenly so interested in prescriptions?"

Baili shook her head. "It's nothing. Just curious what they prescribed for White Prajna."

...

...

Outside the Taiping Clinic, an ox-cart rolled to a stop. Shopkeeper Yuan hopped down from the flatbed and strolled in with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting. "Physician Yao, time to restock your medicine again. I'm here with your delivery."

Old Man Yao glanced up. "Let me check the quality."

He ambled over to the ox-cart, untied a burlap sack on the flatbed, reached into the bottom, and pulled out a handful of monk fruit. He held them in his palm and studied them carefully.

Old Man Yao glanced at Shopkeeper Yuan, then tossed the monk fruit back into the sack. "Good quality. Looks like you took some care when sourcing these."

Shopkeeper Yuan smiled. "When has the Hundred Deer Pavilion ever had a quality problem? Only the finest, always. Take a look and tell me what you'd like to stock up on."

Old Man Yao pulled a list from his sleeve. "Fill this order. And add ten aged wild mountain ginseng roots on top of that. Remember -- I don't want anything less than fifty years old."

Inside the clinic, Chen Ji started. What did his master want with ten ginseng roots all at once?

From outside, Shopkeeper Yuan sounded troubled. "Physician Yao, who carries ten ginseng roots around with them? I don't have any on the cart -- it's all common medicines."

Physician Yao replied in an unhurried drawl, "No matter. Just deliver them before evening. Note it down. Now let me inspect the rest of the stock."

Just then, Liang Mao'er came striding back to the clinic with the carrying pole across his shoulders.

Chen Ji spotted a long gash sliced across the chest of his grey jacket by some sharp instrument. "Brother Mao'er, what happened to your clothes?"

Liang Mao'er looked down and his face fell. "Must've been that person who bumped into me just now. I'll go find him... These are She Dakang's clothes!"

When the Liang brothers had come to the clinic, they hadn't brought a change of clothes. He'd had no choice but to borrow a set from She Dakang.

Now the clothes were ruined, and Liang Mao'er was frantic. How was he supposed to explain this to She Dakang?

Old Man Yao's face was grim. He caught hold of Liang Mao'er before he could chase after the thief. "Had to be a professional pickpocket. You'll never find him. Take the water back to the courtyard first, and let Liu Quxing mend it with needle and thread later."

Liang Mao'er was on the verge of tears. "But even after mending, you can still tell! She Dakang only has two sets of clothes, and his family isn't well off..."

Old Man Yao sighed. "Don't be upset. He won't blame you."

Old Man Yao, sharp-tongued with everyone else, could never bring himself to be harsh with Liang Mao'er.

While Old Man Yao and Liang Mao'er were talking, Shopkeeper Yuan slipped back into the clinic with that ever-present smile. Standing beside Chen Ji, he asked in a low voice, "Xibing came by earlier. Have you confirmed the time and location for the second handoff?"

Chen Ji answered calmly. "Tonight at midnight. Red Cloth Lane. Jin Fang. Same as before -- give the madam the words 'Luo Tian.' We shouldn't be using the same location twice, but I can barely walk right now. I couldn't meet the contact in the Prince's manor face to face, so I had to relay intelligence through the prescription. The old location it is."

"The old location works." Shopkeeper Yuan exhaled slowly, then patted Chen Ji on the shoulder with a grin. "Very good, very good! Once this succeeds, I'll report everything honestly to the Division Lord and put in a good word for you."

Chen Ji was silent for a beat, then turned and fixed his gaze on Shopkeeper Yuan. "Why did you hurt someone again today?"

Shopkeeper Yuan chuckled. "How was I supposed to know whether you'd done as I said? Besides, it's a good reminder -- even with Liang Mao'er and Liang Gou'er at your side, they can't protect you. Do your job for the Military Intelligence Division and don't get any other ideas."

"Understood."

Chen Ji watched with neither joy nor sorrow as Shopkeeper Yuan and his assistants rode away on the ox-cart, then turned and went back to the courtyard. Behind the cart, two little tabby cats padded along after it.

In the courtyard, the crow perched on a branch of the apricot tree, watching as Chen Ji lay down in the bamboo chair and grew more and more still.

Chen Ji slowly closed his eyes and returned once more to the battlefield in his dreams. There was still much to do today.