After Su Wantang left, Xie Yan returned to Xianyue Residence.
Since he was a child, he had often accompanied his maternal grandmother at Prince Ding’s mansion; this place was practically his second home. Xianyue Residence was filled with clothes he had worn over the years, from his youth to the present, all looking nearly brand new.
When Zhichiu heard his master instruct him to find a set of clothes from when he was thirteen or fourteen years old to send to the Cuiwei Pavilion, his eyes widened in sudden shock, and he could barely speak: “Master, this…”
Sending a young lady his own personal clothes, this…
Xie Yan glanced at him: “I promised to take her to the Imperial Academy, and she needs to be dressed in men’s clothing.”
Zhichiu then realized and responded awkwardly before finding a set of clothes to show Xie Yan. Xie Yan looked, paused for a moment, and said: “Change it.”
Zhichiu then remembered that this particular set of clothes seemed to have been a birthday gift his master received on his thirteenth birthday. Secretly annoyed by his own stupidity and poor memory, he hurriedly swapped it for another set, let Xie Yan look it over, and then sent it to the Cuiwei Pavilion.
Su Wantang changed her clothes and hairstyle, informed Xiaotao, and then walked with some silver toward the backyard where the carriages were kept.
Not long after, Xie Yan arrived with his attendants.
Seeing Su Wantang standing by his carriage looking like a young man, Xie Yan’s expression was calm: “Does Second Miss Su recognize my carriage?”
Su Wantang inwardly clicked her tongue, though her face remained innocent: “I asked the coachman.”
Nearby, the coachman hurriedly bowed.
Xie Yan said nothing, gesturing: “Please.”
Su Wantang thanked him and boarded the carriage first. Once Xie Yan entered, she whispered a reminder: “Later on, Master Xie, please remember not to call me Second Miss Su.”
Xie Yan murmured an acknowledgment.
The carriage slowly pulled out of Prince Ding’s mansion, traveling along the main street toward the Imperial Academy. The carriage was deathly silent inside. Xie Yan closed his eyes to rest, but Su Wantang, disliking the scent of sandalwood in the cabin, lifted the curtain.
As the cool wind blew in, Xie Yan coughed lightly. Realizing what was happening, she immediately lowered the curtain: “My apologies, I did not know you were feeling unwell, Grand Tutor.”
Xie Yan opened his eyes: “It is no matter.”
Su Wantang glanced at him, then reached for a cup on the small table, poured hot tea, and handed it to him: “Would you like some hot tea, Grand Tutor?”
Xie Yan paused, then reached out: “Thank you.”
The cup was small. As their fingers brushed against the warmth of the cup, Xie Yan frowned slightly—that inexplicable sense of discomfort surfaced again.
Su Wantang, oblivious, saw that he seemed better after the tea and asked: “That night… you mentioned pursuing an assassin. Did you catch them?”
Xie Yan reached past her to place the teacup back on the table, shaking his head: “No.”
Su Wantang’s eyes widened: “If even someone as formidable as the Grand Tutor couldn’t catch them… the assassin must truly be a villainous and heinous person!”
Xie Yan said nothing.
That night, when they were snatching the prisoners, the Red Lotus cultists had set fire to the surrounding residential houses… but he later learned that the commoners in those houses had been knocked unconscious and tossed into a street corner, and those shouting for help were all cultists. The purpose was to create chaos and ambush his men.
Those commoners were unharmed, and when they awoke, they found themselves stuffed with bank notes, enough to re-establish their livelihoods.
That night, consumed by fury and unaware of the reality, he had acted recklessly, intent on capturing that “Red Lotus”—intent on shredding them to pieces. Only later did he learn that they did not seem to be the bloodthirsty monsters he thought. They claimed they were “bleeding for the grievances of the masses,” and indeed, there had been no reports of Red Lotus cultists persecuting commoners…
Yet, it was also a fact that they disregarded imperial law, slaughtered officials, raised flags of rebellion, and disrupted the order of the dynasty. Therefore, did they not qualify as “heinous and villainous”?
Xie Yan seemed unwilling to discuss it further, so Su Wantang, being tactful, fell silent.
Before long, the carriage drove directly into the Imperial Academy. Seeing the carriage with the Xie family’s maple leaf emblem, the guards at the gate did not ask a single question and respectfully let them pass. Once they disembarked, Xie Yan said: “I am going to the Grass Hut to see the Libationer. Young Master Su, please feel free to do as you wish; we shall meet here in one hour.”
Su Wantang quickly agreed, turned, and trotted away. Being thin and delicate by nature, in women’s clothing she appeared lithe and slender, but in men’s clothing, she looked like a young boy who hadn’t yet fully grown.
Xie Yan withdrew his gaze and walked forward.
Su Wantang went straight toward the ‘Di’ grade dormitories of the Imperial Academy. She knew Xu Jinnian lived in the Jinlan Courtyard of the ‘Di’ grade dorms. For the past two days, all deployments across the capital had gone underground, and she did not want others risking themselves for a single Xu Jinnian, so she came to see him herself. Primarily, his complexion had been truly terrible when she saw him two days ago, and she was worried that if he grew worse, his life might be in danger.
As it turned out, Xu Jinnian’s luck was indeed poor. Su Wantang entered the dormitory silently and saw the figure lying on the innermost bed of the empty room. It was not yet time for classes to end, and Xu Jinnian was only lying there because he was truly too ill to move.
Facing massive family upheaval and being abandoned by his fiancée, he was already filled with resentment and exhaustion from worrying about his mother’s livelihood… and now, having caught a chill, he had fallen deathly ill.
The meager money he had only allowed him to fetch two doses of medicine, which did not improve his condition, and he had no money left for more. Moreover, Su Changling, regarding his broken engagement with Su Wantang as a disgrace, had targeted him multiple times and forbade others from helping him, leaving Xu Jinnian isolated and helpless.
Even without Su Changling’s harassment, given Xu Jinnian’s current destitution, very few were willing to help him. His only mentor, Xue Hongli, had returned to his hometown to mourn an uncle and was away for these days… Xu Jinnian refused to go home and burden his already frail mother, so he remained alone in the dormitory, his condition worsening day by day.
Since developing a high fever last night, he had lapsed into a coma by today… In the haze of his consciousness, Xu Jinnian felt he might not survive this.
Seeing Xu Jinnian’s state, Su Wantang knew his condition was dire. She reached out to check his pulse, and after a few breaths, she turned and walked toward the Grass Hut. She could not bring an outside doctor into the Imperial Academy at will; she had to find Xie Yan.
Outside the Grass Hut, Wen Jian saw Su Wantang dressed as a youth and hurried to meet her: “Young Master Su?”
“Might I trouble Master Xie to help fetch a doctor? Young Master Xu’s condition is quite poor.”
Wen Jian knew his master had promised something to this Second Miss Su, though he didn’t know the specifics, so he bowed and went inside to report.
A moment later, Wen Jian came out: “Please wait a moment, Young Master Su; the doctor will arrive shortly.”
He turned and signaled a guard nearby; the guard departed, and Su Wantang thanked him quickly: “Thank you, Grand Tutor.”
Soon, a doctor was brought in. Wen Jian asked if assistance was needed, but Su Wantang politely declined and took the doctor to the dormitory. The doctor checked Xu Jinnian’s pulse, examined his tongue and eyes, and sat down to write a prescription.
“This young man is suffering from a cold brought on by internal fire and pent-up stress—internal heat and external cold…”
Once the prescription was ready, Su Wantang asked the doctor’s young assistant to help fetch the medicine. There was a clinic outside the side gate of the Imperial Academy; the assistant returned with the medicine, and after Su Wantang rewarded him with a piece of silver, he offered to help brew it: “The first dose is quite potent; I will brew it for you and write down the method…”
Su Wantang thanked him politely.
Two quarter-hours later, the assistant brought a bowl of medicine, helped Su Wantang feed it to Xu Jinnian, and after the liquid was down, Xu Jinnian began to break into a sweat.
The assistant chuckled: “Once the sweat comes out, the fever will break; you need not worry, Young Master Su.” Afterward, he left the brewing instructions and packed his things to depart.
In the dormitory, Su Wantang watched the sweat on Xu Jinnian’s brow and his pale face, sighing silently, and picked up a handkerchief to wipe him down. She truly hadn’t expected Xu Jinnian to fall this ill. But, thinking about it, it made sense: his family tragedy, his inner turmoil, and being abandoned so mercilessly by her…
“Xu Jinnian.”
When Su Wantang rarely grew serious, her enchanting aura vanished, replaced by a touch of melancholy. She spoke calmly, as if to herself: “My bullying you previously was not my true intention; in fact… I do like you.”
Simple, direct, burning with passion, loving and hating clearly…
Su Wantang’s lips curled: “But neither of us are people who can survive on affection alone. My life is cursed… and yours as well. We were never meant to be.”
She sat quietly for a moment, then rose to leave. It was getting late, and she could not keep the Grand Tutor waiting…
More than an hour later, the carriage returned to Prince Ding’s mansion. Just as the carriage was about to turn toward the side gate, Zhao Xuanzhen’s voice suddenly rang out from outside:
“Cousin, you went out as well?”
Su Wantang was startled and instinctively dove behind Xie Yan…