Alright, they went out. Shall we continue?
“Tap, tap……”
It was the sound of water droplets falling to the ground, crisp as pearls and jade scattering. Beneath the faint lamplight that shimmered like scattered beans among the stars, only a lone silhouette swayed. A youth lay crookedly on the luohan bed, with a thin little blanket draped halfway around his waist. His bare ankles glowed white as they rested on the wooden railing at the end of the bed, swaying back and forth.
He clutched a white-jade wine pot in his hand. The dripping sound in the room came from that tilted pot, and the valuable, mellow wine worth thousands of gold coins dispersed bit by bit into the air. The wall suddenly brightened and then dimmed again. Before long, another set of heavy footsteps descended. Midway, that person heard the drunken figure on the bed mumbling: “Five days were called a hou, and three hou made a qi; six qi made a shi, and four shi made a year… five cycles overlay each other and were all governed, when the final day came, it returned again; when the moment and qi were set out, it was like a loop without end, and the hou followed the same principle……”
The newcomer paused mid-step, gazing forward in a trance. The pale-cyan hem of his garment draped over the edge of the bed, revealing a hand on which a silver band glinted faintly.
He paced over, took the now-empty wine pot from the youth’s hand, and called out, “Ah Jiu.”
“Ah Jiu” raised his eyes upon hearing that, saw who it was, glanced at the candle stub on the table, counted the time, and realized it was only the fourth watch. He could not help but laugh aloud: “Qi inhabiting the lungs led to dreams of metals clashing. When yin and yang both flourished, it led to dreams of mutual slaughter. My lord, what did you dream about this time? How about letting Ah Jiu interpret it?”
Yan Chang looked around. The bed was full of scattered medical books, as well as some acupuncture manuals and pulse texts. Many were soaked by wine, and the ink had blurred into smudges. The person on the bed spouted medical passages with ease, groggily smiling in a drunken trance. He now resembled that person seven or eight parts. Yet he still fell short. At the very least, that person cherished books dearly and would never have shown such a defeated, reckless appearance.
That person had been imprisoned by him but always managed to do something unexpected, displaying a baffling liveliness.
…In the end, he still fell short.
Yan Chang put away the books on the bed, bent down, sat beside him, and asked, “It’s so late. Why didn’t you sleep?”
Yu Xu also said, “My lord hasn’t slept either—could it be you were longing for me?”
Yan Chang watched him quietly, saying nothing, as if in silent admission. After a while, he beckoned. Yu Xu thought for a moment, then rolled upright. Taking advantage of the dimness, he leaned in without further words, merely reeking of alcohol as he fiddled with the silver chain on his wrist. Like a man possessed, he softly recited: “Man was born of the qi of Heaven and Earth, shaped by the law of the four seasons, from rulers to common folk, all wanted to preserve their bodies…”
Yan Chang heard him muttering more than forty or fifty lines. Sometimes he laughed twice; other times, he frowned and complained of a headache. He could not help touching Yu Xu’s hair and quietly saying, “No matter how much you like it, you mustn’t drink so much wine. Once you’ve finished reading the books, put them back. Otherwise, next time you want to read, you won’t be able to find them.” He flipped through a few randomly. “Have you finished all these? What else would you like?”
“Yes, I really did like them.” Yu Xu, drowsy from drink, heard Yan Chang’s question and waved his hand listlessly. “Anything, anything.”
Yan Chang lifted his hand and rested it on the youth’s shoulder. This silent chamber felt cold. Even in the height of summer, there was still a slight chill in the air. He fetched a small blanket to cover the youth, patted him gently with the utmost care, and said, “Sleep.”
Had Yu Xu not known better, he might have been swept away by such tenderness, believing he really was the object of this man’s day-and-night longing. But in truth, he was nothing. The only reason he enjoyed today’s fine silks, delicacies, and endless indulgence was that he had molded himself into someone else’s likeness. Even so, how did that matter? Compared to surviving outdoors, facing hunger and fear, it was not so bad to live as a kept man.
He knew full well that without this man, he was just a little beggar. So even if he had to be a substitute, he refused to go back to those days of constant scorn and pursuit. Only occasionally, when he remembered that he was wearing Yu Jinnian’s shell, a bit of resentment and unwillingness surfaced in his heart.
Zhou Feng walked down. Yan Chang, seeing that the youth had fallen asleep, lowered his head. Only then did he allow Zhou Feng to report.
Zhou Feng said, “General Suiyuan and his party already received orders to leave the capital and return to their garrison in the northwest; as planned, we have tied up that person from the Min family in Feng City. The old duke of the Ji family claimed sickness and stayed away, refusing to meddle in court affairs. The Ji family heir was hindered by the epidemic in the south, so he won’t be able to return anytime soon. This year, the north suffered a severe drought. A few days ago, there was frequent unrest among foreign tribes beyond Beiyan Pass. According to our informants, dozens of memorials demanding war have piled up on the imperial desk. Some officials in the Ministry of Rites proposed a marriage alliance using Princess Zhaohua, which enraged the Emperor so much that he snapped two imperial brushes.”
Yan Chang laughed and said, “My seventh imperial brother was extremely protective. Zhaohua is only about twelve or thirteen, yet she is the princess he spoils the most. Previously, he planned to betroth her to Ji Shuluan in a couple of years, a clear sign of his affection. Unfortunately, that Ji fellow refused. Now, with the Ministry of Rites recklessly suggesting Zhaohua for a marriage alliance, didn’t they just touch his scales in reverse? How could he not be furious?”
Zhou Feng was puzzled. After a pause, he asked hesitantly, “My lord, do you really want to petition to lead the troops?”
Yan Chang stroked the youth’s sleeve as though stroking a docile cat. He glanced at Zhou Feng and said casually, “Even if I request it, would my brother grant it? Right now, this is exactly what he fears most. A few days ago, when I entered the palace, Brother mentioned that Father’s death anniversary was approaching, and he seemed to suggest I go guard the imperial tomb.”
Zhou Feng hurriedly said, “The Jing Tombs are far off in Lan City, a place that’s easy to enter but difficult to leave. All the troops stationed there belong to General Chiyang’s personal guard. Chiyang’s line originally served under the Ji family’s Rose Army, and now they also maintain close ties with the Li State Duke’s Residence. If you go to guard the tomb at Jing, you’ll be thrown under their watchful eyes. By then, even sending a sealed message would be difficult……”
“Did you know all this, yet my imperial brother did not? The spring hunt ended months ago, and my petition to return to Yue territory had yet to be approved. At present, I was merely idling away in my residence, yet those spies outside still could not rest assured, and now he even wanted me to guard the tomb.” Yan Chang laughed coldly twice, shaking his head slightly. “I fear my imperial brother already considered me a thorn in his eye, a nail in his flesh. If I strongly petitioned to go to war, he might wish I would hurry up and roll back to Yue territory.”
He looked up at Zhou Feng: “How did the task I told you to handle go?”
Zhou Feng lowered his eyes to glance at the youth sleeping on Yan Chang’s knee. He replied carefully, “Lord Dingbei still said the same thing—just as before, so it is now. He claimed he dared not hope for more. He merely wanted the four prefectures of Yanbei and the five cities of Shuo East, just to live in peace. As for the south… everything was all in order.”
“Live in peace?” Yan Chang could not help but sneer. “Of the things that old fellow did, which one counted as living in peace? The four prefectures of Yanbei—his appetite was not small. Next time, would he want to extend his territory all the way to the capital region and split a share with me?”
Zhou Feng cupped his hands, not daring to respond. After a while, he added, “Twelfth Master, there was another matter.”
“Speak.”
“Eunuch Feng sent word that, due to the epidemic outbreak in the capital, the palace planned to invite His Majesty to move to the secondary capital to avoid the plague.” Zhou Feng bowed his head as he spoke.
Yan Chang nodded. “During previous dynasties, epidemics once spread into the palace, nearly harming the imperial bloodline. The palace was still fearful. It made sense that someone would bring it up.”
Zhou Feng carefully took out several secret letters from his breast pocket and handed them to Yan Chang. He spoke in a low voice, “News came from Yue territory—people from Kangnan defected.” Even if he kept his voice down, he could not hide the joy on his face. He flicked his sleeve, knelt, and cupped his hands in salute, congratulating, “Congratulations, Twelfth Master! The thirteen southern counties were all ours now! With Yue territory and the thirteen southern counties as our foundation, plus the power of the southern generals of Dingyuan, Changwu, and others, we could command three hundred thousand elite troops, one hundred thousand light cavalry, and fifty thousand naval forces, all for our use. In my view, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even if it failed, we could split the north and south at the river.”
Yan Chang finished reading the secret letters, inevitably stirred. “Good!”
“However, news from Chunan said the First Royal Highness was improving and might recover within a few days.” Zhou Feng stole a few glances at Yan Chang, hesitating to speak. “They said a little miracle physician joined the accompanying medical team and used a rare method to work wonders. Even though His Highness had one foot in the grave, that physician dragged him back… If they returned to the capital now, not only would the Ji family gain even more power, but that Ji Hong was also difficult to deal with—Master, what should I do?”
Yan Chang’s hand, which had been stroking the youth in his arms, paused and stayed motionless for a moment. Then he slowly rubbed again, frowning slightly. “Is that so.”
Zhou Feng had thought he would ask a few more questions, but who would have guessed that Yan Chang never mentioned it again? He only lowered his head, absent-mindedly playing with the counterfeit in his arms. Zhou Feng always disliked this counterfeit who called himself Ah Jiu, especially as he became more and more like that little miracle physician. Later, after investigating further, Zhou Feng discovered this youth indeed had some distant blood relationship with that miracle physician. He had been kicked out of the Ji family earlier for stealing.
Yan Chang had known about it and showed no particular reaction, still indulging him. Apart from not giving him freedom, he showered him with treasures. Zhou Feng could not understand what exactly his master had in mind. Sometimes, he even felt that their Twelfth Master was like a scavenger, forever bringing home whatever the little miracle physician did not want. He could say nothing, so he silently bent down to pick up the books scattered on the floor and put them away. Just as he was about to leave, Yan Chang called him back.
Yan Chang suddenly asked, “Zhou Feng, why did you choose to follow me? Were you aware that we might fail utterly if we left—victors were kings and losers were criminals, and life or death hung in the balance.”
Zhou Feng felt perplexed by the question. “Your Highness once saved my life. I naturally had to follow you to the death.”
“Follow me to the death…” Yan Chang rolled those words on his tongue. His right hand, hanging before him, opened and tightened repeatedly. But each time he exerted himself, a searing pain shot through his right shoulder, causing his brow to crease deeply.
Aside from when Yu Jinnian’s treatments eased things a bit, Yan Chang’s shoulder grew worse over time. Especially in damp weather, the pain became so severe that he could not even hold chopsticks. He felt hopeless about improving. Recently, he refused to take medicine, only burning moxa near his shoulder, following Yu Jinnian’s instructions, to make it somewhat more bearable.
Had he not known the little miracle physician’s temperament—knowing that trying to force him would be futile—he would have tried to bind him here to heal the master’s ailment. Zhou Feng said, “Even if I must search every corner of the land, I would find a miracle physician who could cure your shoulder.”
Yan Chang sighed, waved his hand, then beckoned Zhou Feng closer to his ear to issue a few instructions. He told him to go and prepare, “We shall return to Yue territory in a few days, lightly equipped, bringing only the important things.”
After Zhou Feng left, Yan Chang sat on the couch in the silent room, his fingers wandering along Yu Xu’s soft neck. He listened to the popping of the candle flame, and suddenly his gaze turned dark as he spoke to the empty space before him, “How much longer can you stay with me…”
His fingers abruptly pressed down, and Yu Xu broke into a cold sweat, knowing he had been caught faking sleep. He hurriedly tumbled off the couch, choked on a few coughs, knelt at Yan Chang’s feet, shivering, and incoherently mimicked Zhou Feng, “My lord! My lord, spare me! Ah Jiu always followed you, and Ah Jiu would follow you to the death!”
Yan Chang seemed to have heard something amusing. He lowered his eyes and took a slow look across Yu Xu’s face. His gaze stretched as though recalling the past, thinking of himself at fifteen or sixteen, campaigning on the battlefield, surrounded by countless officers proclaiming they would never leave him, even in life or death. Back then, they met in high spirits, using the vast heavens as their quilt and lofty ambitions as their pillow. But in the end, Yan Fei soared, terrifying everyone, and they all had to bow their heads in submission.
And those who upheld their oaths and took the wrong side—how many were now reduced to bones in the earth, and how many, like him, drifted in a corner of the south, muddling through their days?
Yu Xu did not know what he was thinking. Fearing that Yan Chang was deciding how to dispose of him, he urgently pleaded with genuine emotion, “My lord, please take me with you! Wherever you go, Ah Jiu will follow. Let Ah Jiu serve you for a lifetime, even as an ox or a horse.”
Yan Chang heard this and laughed, pinched his chin with his fingers, and leaned down to say in a low voice, “If you wanted to be an ox or a horse for me, you would die quickly.”
“Ah Jiu is not afraid! Ah Jiu could do anything, could wash clothes, cook, make the bed, and serve you in your sleep.” Yu Xu had overheard the conversation between Zhou Feng and Yan Chang. He understood who they really were and knew they planned to leave the capital, knew how many troops they had, and heard how they intended to act. But he had no time to feel shocked; it appeared Yan Chang would never let him go. If Yan Chang left him behind in this silent room, he would either be forgotten and starve to death or be discovered and killed by the authorities—either way, staying in the capital was a sure death, and a quicker one! Thus, he could only beg Yan Chang to take him along; it was a matter of surviving one more day, if only barely.
Not to mention that he heard there was an epidemic outside; who could say if he might catch it?
What if Yan Chang succeeded? If so, maybe he could get something out of it, too.
Yu Xu suddenly regretted not having paid more attention to Yan Chang before. If he had known Yan Chang’s identity earlier, he would have served him comfortably from the start, never mind whether he was a stand-in or a favored pet; at the very least, he could have fought for the right to speak, instead of trembling in terror now, begging for leniency.
He rubbed his cheek against Yan Chang’s knee, looking pitiful: “Master, please take me with you. Ah Jiu did not want to die here.”
Yan Chang wanted Yu Jinnian. Even having a counterfeit that resembled him was enough to offer some solace. Though his interactions with that little miracle physician had been less than pleasant, Yan Chang had felt rare ease and delight—people were like that, coveting what they did not possess, and the less obtainable it was, the more they wanted it. Yet he would not let this derail his grand plan of many years, much less for a fake. Hidden in Yan Chang’s sleeve was a dagger. If he drew it now, he could swiftly eliminate this potential troublemaking counterfeit.
But perhaps Yu Xu’s words, “did not want to die,” reminded Yan Chang of himself. In one brief moment, he let go, rose, and departed.
Silence returned to the dark room. Yu Xu collapsed on the ground, feeling a chill around him. He knelt in alarm, touched his neck, and discovered the cold sweat on his back had yet to subside. He could still feel that momentary hold on his pulse, that sensation as though someone was about to choke him to death.
He sat on the ground, his fingers brushing against a medical book under the bed. His fear gradually turned into anger. Yu Xu promptly yanked the book out and tore it to shreds, throwing the fragments everywhere. If not for Yu Jinnian, would he have been reduced to this? And now, he had to board the same boat as some traitorous rebel!
——
After Yu Jinnian fell ill last time, Chen Yang was thoroughly shaken and urged the imperial physicians under him to action. At last, he realized that the medical clinic could not rest upon Yu Jinnian alone; the epidemic could not be resolved by him alone. All of them, who had practiced medicine for years, could not depend solely on a boy who had not even had his coming-of-age ceremony. That would have shamed the Imperial Medical Office.
What Yu Jinnian said was not wrong—if they did not know, they could learn; if they did not understand, they could ask. As long as it cured illness, it did not matter if the method was a bit unorthodox.
People only saw that the Sanyu Pavilion saved countless lives in this epidemic, but they did not realize just how many bodies were carried out of the building.
Under a great epidemic, it had always been like this. Even Yu Jinnian could not bring the dead back to life. Although he had studied medicine with his foster father since childhood and had witnessed all sorts of separations by life and death—some wailing in grief, others weeping until tears ran dry—rarely had he seen so many dead as he had now, to the point that people felt numb.
In Chunan, several new clinics opened one after another, all operated by imperial physicians personally taught by Yu Jinnian. The rough medical tents throughout the city gradually disappeared, and the patients were all moved into the clinics. Even Daoist sects and Buddhist temples sent people over to learn Yu Jinnian’s methods of treating epidemics. With more people who understood, he gradually broke free from boundless busyness. Those with milder symptoms were entrusted to You Qingbai and the others; he only handled the critical patients himself. Immediately, he felt much more at ease.
Yan Sining, whose health was robust, recovered promptly with the help of rock salt and timely treatment. In the last two days, he had been able to eat some food and looked much more energetic. After a few more days of recuperation, he could get out of bed. His life or death involved the lives of so many Chunan officials. Now that he was recovering, Imperial Physician Chen breathed a long sigh of relief, as though a heavy weight had been lifted.
Yu Jinnian, for the first time, had a chance to go out and walk around. He discovered that the streets were no longer dead silent, but much livelier than before. Based on the data compiled recently by Duan Ming and the others, the daily number of new infections in the city was decreasing, and empty rooms at the Pavilion were increasing by the day. If this trend continued, Chunan Prefecture’s lockdown order could soon be lifted.
There were many more vendors doing business in the streets and alleys. Spotting him, they flocked around at once, so startled that Duan Ming, who was guarding him, rushed forward like an arrow. Yet the townsfolk offered him fruit, snacks, sunflower seeds, peanuts, candies—an endless stream of small gifts. All of them chattered words of gratitude.
“If not for our little miracle physician, we would have died right here!”
“That’s right. When the city got locked down, my daughter caught the epidemic. Without the little miracle physician, our family wouldn’t even have had money for treatment, and we would’ve hanged ourselves long ago!”
“Little miracle physician, look, these sweets were all made by my own hands. Rest assured, I used clean water, so you absolutely won’t fall ill from eating them!”
“Hey, hey, make way, make way! I’ve brought some chilled cake from my stall, too!”
Yu Jinnian stood there in a daze, his arms filled by the constant flood of gifts, and looked around at the crowd. They were all familiar faces. There was Old Qiao, who had been sick and treated in the Pavilion before; Aunt Li, who had repaid her treatment fees by helping out there; and Brother Wang, who had come down with the epidemic but was lucky enough to recover. But there were more faces that looked familiar, though he could not recall their names at that moment.
Chunan City was alive again, bustling once more—how wonderful.
Returning to the small courtyard, Ji Hong was in his room reading a letter. Seeing Yu Jinnian come in rubbing his eyes, he hastily set aside the letter and came up to ask what was wrong. Duan Ming followed in, carrying bags upon bags of items, grinning foolishly: “It’s nothing—Young Master is just moved. We took a walk around the streets just now, and everyone was expressing their thanks to him. Look, these were all given to him! If we could’ve carried more, there would’ve been more!”
Ji Hong felt relieved. He dabbed Yu Jinnian’s face and teased him: “Is our little miracle physician always so sentimental?”
Yu Jinnian shot him a silent look and sat down, carefully examining the small trinkets people had given. It wasn’t that he was so sentimental—he had saved people before, but usually that was that. If they remembered, they said thanks; if they didn’t, they paid their fees and vanished. Never had he been greeted in such a way, with people packed on both sides of the street, their warmth overwhelming.
Ji Hong came over, took his hand, and squeezed it in his palm. He said earnestly, “Jinnian, thank you. Without you, Chunan would not have escaped this disaster.”
Yu Jinnian was eating the green bean chilled cake Aunt Li had brought, slippery and sweet with honey. It went down cool and refreshing. Since it was not ice-cold, it did not hurt his stomach, so Ji Hong did not stop him. Yu Jinnian’s cheeks bulged. Hearing that, he slightly tilted his chin: “So how will you thank me?”
Ji Hong, instead, gave a faint smile: “That depends on what kind of gratitude our little miracle physician wants.”
Yu Jinnian finished eating and wiped his mouth, bouncing up with a grin: “Me, I want—”
“Brother Nian! Young Master! Where are you?” Suddenly, someone blew in from outside like a gust of wind, not even checking who was in the room. He lifted the curtain and strode in. “I heard Young Master fell ill? What illness? Is it serious? How did it happen? You were fine in the capital, so how come—”
Duan Ming had just come from the kitchen. He rushed forward but failed to stop the intruder, who barreled straight inside.
“Swish—!!”
The bed’s curtain was yanked down hard by that person, firmly concealing the two overlapping figures. Yet it failed to hide the sash that slipped off the bed’s edge. With a rustling sound, it stood out in the eerily silent room.
“…” After that sash fell to the floor, the intruder froze for a moment, as though turned to stone. Only after a long pause did he clear his throat and try to act like he had seen nothing, turning around to leave.
“Wow! Big Rock!” He had barely taken one step when Little Master Jiang’s exclamation nearly made his head burst. The young master threw the vegetables he was holding aside and, eyes gleaming, lunged excitedly. He leaped up and clung to the visitor, asking happily, “Who asked you to come—was it Young Master Ji, or Brother Nian? Or… did you come just for me? Wow, did you know, I’m really amazing now! I can recognize so many herbs!”
The man propped him up with one hand and used the other to cover his eyes, muttering softly, “Alright, alright, let’s talk outside…”
“Why? Didn’t you want to say hello to your master?” Jiang Bingren asked, puzzled. The more the man covered his eyes, the more curious he became, determined to pry the man’s hand away so he could look. And look he did, just in time to see a round, bare foot sneak back under the curtain. “Ahem, alright… let’s go, then…”
The two quietly shut the door and, once outside, could not help bursting into laughter.
Duan Ming stood to one side, clutching his head in exasperation.
Behind the curtain, Ji Hong lowered his gaze at the boy lying on him, gripping his robe with both hands, scarcely daring to breathe. Ji Hong’s lips curved, and his brows arched slightly. “They left. You may continue?”
Yu Jinnian: “…”
Not just Chunan Prefecture but this little courtyard, too, had become lively again, full of laughter and joy.
…Except now, the whole courtyard knew they had indulged in a midday affair!