The matter of the Second Young Master participating in the imperial examination spread extremely fast throughout the estate. From masters to servants, there was no one who wouldn’t mock him for biting off more than he could chew; that this instance of illness had caused him to become muddled, and his brain had been running a fever till it was burnt and no longer worked.
As soon as Ning Siqi was born, his body had already been frail. The physician had concluded that he could not live the average human lifespan. Xu-shi was extremely heartbroken over this, and only hoped that he could live happily and freely. Thus, she did not force him to hone his way with the pen or memorise The Four Books and The Five Classics. In terms of learnedness, he could, at most, barely read and write, but he did not know anything else.
This kind of straw bag stubbornly wanted to take part in the imperial examination, and even boasted that he wanted to be the number one scholar to bring honour to his family. It was pure nonsense. If spoken out loud, it would only make people laugh.
Fan Yuan downed today’s medicine and felt that it was so bitter to the point that he almost vomited it out. Xu-shi quickly shoved a candied fruit into his mouth, and only when she saw that his expression looked better did she dare to continue with her persuasions.
“Qi’er, did you hear what mother said? The imperial examination is not child’s play. The Eldest Young Master is familiar with The Four Books and The Five Classics, and his knowledge has even been praised before by the Old Master. That’s how it is. He also passed the imperial examination to become a scholar at the age of 18. Mother knows that you want to make the Old Master regard you in a different light, we can find other ways. Listen to mother on this matter. Let us settle it at this, we can talk about things after your body has recuperated.”
Fan Yuan thought it was funny — make Ning Zhe regard him in a different light? Who did that man think he was? He was but a sagacious animal. How could he be deserving of him sparing that kind of effort.
Fan Yuan instructed the attendant boy to grind ink for him before he picked up the weasel-haired writing brush by the side and dipped it into the ink. As he proceeded to write leisurely on the xuan paper, he said, “Mother, it has been less than half a day since I went to Father’s study today, but everyone in the estate is aware of the fact. Do you not think it’s strange?”
Xu-shi froze. When she had heard the auntie sweeping the grounds and the servant girls in the courtyard talking about it, she had rushed over to her son to confirm the matter. She could not think of anything else. Now that he reminded her, she suddenly broke out in cold sweat.
“It’s Ning Xirong?!” She was both shocked and angry. She hurriedly waved back the servants before speaking through gritted teeth, “That little bitch is quick to show her hand. She actually has her people in the Old Master’s room!”
Fan Yuan helplessly said, “What do things over at Father’s matter? Do you think that she has no one in your courtyard and mine? Did you not insert a few eyes within her courtyard as well? Within the back residence, who doesn’t have a few more eyes.”
Xu-shi said, “How can that be the same? I have lived in the Ning Residence for many decades, so odd can it be that I raised a few confidants. That lass has just come of age, and to have such deep motives is truly terrifying. She publicised your matter no more than because she wanted to see you make a fool of yourself. It is extremely loathsome.”
Fan Yuan shook his head, dipped his pen in ink and continued to speak while writing, “Precisely because of this, Mother should not try to persuade me. She tried all she could to blacken my name amongst outsiders. When I manage to score at the top of the ranks, I will see how miserably she falls.”
Xu-shi bit her brocade handkerchief and nearly bit apart her nails. She hesitated for a long time, but she still said, “Qi’er, let us just admit defeat this time. Just let Ning Xirong be gleeful for a period of time. Mother does not want you to have to suffer from this kind of crime. You have never touched a book before, how hard will it be to learn everything again from scratch. And……”
As smooth as a river, Fan Yuan continued her sentence, “And if I’m unable to pass the exam, I will lose even more face, right?”
Xu-shi weeped, “It is not that Mother does not have confidence in you. This is all my fault. You were naturally talented and smart ever since you were young, but I couldn’t bear to see you suffer and forbid you from going to the private academy. I thought it was for your own good, but I did not expect that you would be looked down upon because of this. I’m an ignorant person, I have doomed my Qi’er……”
Fan Yuan halted his movements with the brush and helped her dry her tears. He then urged, “Since Mother has confidence in me, you should also believe that I will not lose. That day, I was punished and locked up in the dungeon for one night. I initially thought my life was over, yet I did not expect that I would suddenly be enlightened, being able to learn anything at a thousand li per day. I think this is Heaven’s compensation to me. I did not dare to tell anyone else about it, and Mother must also keep it a secret so as not to leave any openings for ridicule, or make me an object of public denunciation in the future.”
Xu-shi nodded dazedly, as if she was amidst clouds and mist. A moment later, she suddenly burst into tears, “The Heavens have eyes. The Heavens have eyes. A body like yours has withstood torture and is getting better with each day, Mother was unable to understand it all along. Now, I finally understand what it all truly means. My Qi’er has always been filial and proper, even the Heavens can’t bear to see you being treated like this!”
Fan Yuan’s heart felt uneasy from telling the lie. The people around Ning Siqi did not know much about him. They only took him as the dust in their eyes, and would not think deeper about him. However, the mother who had raised the original host by her own hand till he had grown up would definitely have her suspicions, and would even seek to think even more about him, so it was best to settle her mind once and for all.
He proceeded to blow at the words he had just written to dry them, before folding the paper up and handing it to Xu-shi, “This is the prescription I had memorised when I was unconscious. I do not know what it is for either. Mother, please request a trusted physician to take a look at it for me. Perhaps it will be of great use.”
When Xu-shi heard that he had written down the prescription when he was unconscious, she thought it was a gift from the Heavens, so she hastened to accept it. With happy surprise, she said, “Qi’er, don’t worry, Mother will find someone to have a good look at it. Who knows, it might contain a secret to vitality.”
With that, she rattled on about how her son had great fortune, paid her respects to all of the gods and deities throughout Heaven, and finally left in a hurry.
Fan Yuan sighed to himself when he saw that she was so happy. Although the prescription was good, it could only preserve his life temporarily, and could not truly remodel his body. He did know of several prescriptions that could bring the dead back to life and completely recast their bodies, but certain required ingredients could not be found in this world, so he could only give up.
If he could find Yan Rui, living a long life was not a problem.
Xu-shi was unaware about this. She heard from the physician that the prescription was an excellent one, having amazing efficacy towards the treatment of physical deficiencies and weaknesses. She took it that her son’s illness of many years had hope, and she hastened to have the pills made.
Under her supervision, Fan Yuan took the medicine every day. His situation gradually improved, or at least that was what it seemed.
*******************
The top inn of the capital city; top floor of the suite for esteemed guests.
A man dressed in noble and expensive xuan robes tasted his cup of wine with a smile, speaking to the man in white by his side, “Zhengxuan, I heard that you have been looking for dogs all over the capital recently. Even the guifei in the palace has been disturbed. Exactly what is going on?”
The man in white held no expression on his face, but his gaze softened a great deal. He said, “Nothing much, it is simply that my second cousin has not been very well recently. I want to find a dog to amuse him.”
The man in xuan robes chuckled, “The second cousin you speak of is the shu son of Lord Ning, Ning Siqi?”
The man’s tone held obvious notes of banter, and Tong Zhengxuan nodded with slightly furrowed brows, “Precisely so.”
The man in xuan robes clapped his hands and started laughing, approving of the man’s actions, “Indeed, you should find more dogs for him to let him raise them well, lest he be idle too idle and daydream all day, disgracing the Ning Family when he is outside.”
Tong Zhengxuan’s gaze slowly turned cold, and so did his voice, “This subject does not know what Third Prince means. Siqi has been recuperating in the estate for a long time, not even leaving from his own courtyard. How would he disgrace the Ning Family when he is outside.”
Wen Junhao, the Third Prince, handed him a cup of wine with a faint smile and said, “Zhengxuan does not need to be agitated. This prince has no other meaning when saying these words. It is simply that Xirong tells me you have been very close to Ning Siqi recently. I am afraid that you will be deceived, and have thus said these words.”
Tong Zhengxuan’s expression softened a little, and he downed the glass of wine into his mouth, “May your Highness please elucidate this matter.”
Wen Junhao did not care about the other man’s coldness. In the palace, he needed the support of the guifei, and in the imperial court, the power of the Tong Family and the Ning Family. Therefore, he always treated Tong Zhengxuan with courtesy. He slowly explained, “Your second cousin, Ning Siqi, said that he wishes to take the imperial examination. Additionally, he boasted that he would definitely be one of the successful candidates, and even come out as the top scholar in the imperial examination. Even a little servant boy in Ning Estate knows about this. Do you not find it hilarious, he is a piece of waste that does not even know how to write.”
Tong Zhengxuan’s brows furrowed even more. Siqi had always been one with mature measured words and actions. How could he say such words without reason? What exactly had happened?
Just as he was about to pursue the matter, a white porcelain wine cup flew over from a few meters away and landed firmly on the table, not even a drop of wine spilling out.
Tong Zhengxuan and Wen Junhao felt a huge tremble in their hearts. They saw the man who was by the window slowly approaching to reveal Wei An’s figure against the light. The emotion on his face was indiscernible, but his momentum struck one with terror. The man placed the wine jug in his hand on the table, and the sound was as clear as striking thunder in their ears.
The man said in a deep voice, “This subordinate has just remembered that there are still urgent matters at home. I will have a few drinks with two personages another day. I will take my leave.”
Wen Junhao did not manage to say the words to have the man stay in time before the person had already pushed the door open and left. In a blink of an eye, his figure was no longer visible.
Tong Zhengxuan came back to his senses and said angrily, “To actually bring the murderous aura of the battlefield to a feast. An ignorant person—he is not worthy to cooperate with!”
Wen Junhao’s gaze was gloomy as he stared at the wine cup for a long time. He finally shook his head and said, “General Yuan is the pillar of the country. The 300,000 troops stationed in the northwest only listen to him. He is even relieved of kneeling in front of his Majesty, my father. What is it to him to be a bit more arrogant?”
Tong Zhengxuan sneered lightly, “The Emperor is not old yet. Your highness still cannot overdo it too much.” After he said so, he left as well.
Wen Junhao heard the sarcasm in his voice but he did not feel anger, only amusement. The literati were aloof from politics and morally upright, but also short-sighted. They did not understand that this world would only those who were the most capable to come out on top. The guifei had no sons, the only one Tong Zhengxuan could rely on was him. What else could his Tong Family do besides stand on his side.
As for Yuan Ting, matters were more tricky.
*******************
Fan Yuan had been doing missions for so many years. Besides giving birth to a child, everything else really couldn’t hold him back. A little imperial examination was not even worth mentioning.
In spite of this, he still had to put on an act. The examination was a month later, so he had to let others know that he was working hard. He did not have to go so far as to study assiduously and tirelessly, but he could not escape from staying in the study all day.
When he picked up the brush, the white xuan paper was gradually stained with black ink, and the words “Yan Rui” appeared vividly. Fan Yuan thought about how there was no news of this person even till now, plus his own body was at death’s door. He did not know how long he could hold on till. He felt a fierce burst of blood in his chest, and tasted the pungent sweetness in his mouth.
He quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corners of his mouth. These few days, Xu-shi thought that his condition was very good, so he could not let her worry about him any more.
Just as he was about to put away the handkerchief, his wrist was firmly held all of a sudden. Fan Yuan fell in a blur, thinking that he had just seen an illusion.
In the past few months, he had often dreamed of such a situation, and now that it happened, he couldn’t believe it.
Someone took the handkerchief from his hand, and Fan Yuan thought of taking it back, it was too late. The striking crimson red color was exposed in front of both their sights.
The air carried a faint smell of blood while Fan Yuan’s body had the fragrance of medicine that one could not ignore. Yan Rui’s eyes turned blood-red. When he was unaware, how much suffering had his boy gone through, and how many wrongs had he bore.
Fan Yuan grasped the man’s trembling hand and whispered, “Actually, it doesn’t hurt at all.”
The storm in man’s eyes gradually subsided and turned into a deep black. He lightly sighed, “Silly one.”
Comment