“Doctor Gu, have you diagnosed what’s wrong with my heart?”
Gu Ning’s fingers rested lightly on his wrist, like fine white jade—cool to the touch and carrying a faint fragrance.
In just a moment, Jiang Shijin’s mind began to wander again. Whether it was his imagination or not, he felt the skin on his wrist where Gu Ning had touched him tingling with an itch, which only made his heart itch even more.
His eyes were fixed on Gu Ning’s expression, but the hand resting on the soft pillow curled its fingers upward. Just as that jade-like wrist was about to fall into his grasp, Gu Ning turned her hand and picked up the brush beside her.
“The pulse is thin, rapid, and weak, slippery and quick like rolling beads,” Gu Ning’s voice was cool and clear. “Has Second Young Master Jiang recently experienced skin itching that worsens with heat?”
“Hah, Doctor Gu, what are you talking about? How could I—”
Jiang Shijin was about to scoff at Gu Ning’s lack of skill when, before he could finish, he suddenly felt an intense itch on his wrist. He pushed up his sleeve to find faint red bumps, as fine as needle points, densely covering his entire arm!
“What—what are these damned things?!”
Jiang Shijin was horrified, but before he could speak, someone nearby cried out in shock, voicing his very thoughts.
Turning his head, he saw Wu Ju holding a mirror he had found from somewhere, wailing as he touched his face: “Niece Gu! Quickly, take a look! What—what illness have I caught?”
“Isn’t Uncle Wu more skilled than my lady’s master? Why would you need to ask my lady about a minor ailment like scabies?” Hong Yao deliberately gasped in surprise. “Unless…”
“Unless what? Of course I know it’s scabies—I’m just testing your lady!” Wu Ju crossed his arms and snorted coldly.
Jiang Shijin, standing nearby, listened with growing dread. He squinted his eyes, carefully observing the red rash on Wu Ju’s face. The dense, small red bumps covering Wu Ju’s cheek looked exactly like the ones on his own wrist! Jiang Shijin felt the itch on his wrist intensify even more.
Scabies?
How could it be such an unlucky thing!
This filthy disease only commoners would catch—he couldn’t possibly…
Wait.
A scene from several days ago surfaced in his mind. The gambling den was noisy and chaotic. He had reached out and patted the mournful-faced Wu Ju on the shoulder, whispering a few words into his ear.
Could it have been then…
“Since Uncle has developed scabies, for the next few days, bathe daily with a decoction of Sophora flavescens, Cnidium monnieri, Stemona root, and Sichuan pepper,” Gu Ning’s unhurried voice came as she dipped her brush in ink. “Additionally, apply sulfur, realgar, chaulmoogra seeds, and calomel externally.
“If the skin rash is dense, with blisters and oozing, and the itching is severe, then take a decoction of Dioscorea hypoglauca, coix seed, Phellodendron amurense, Gentiana scabra, gardenia, and Scutellaria baicalensis. During treatment, do not go out, and especially avoid contact with others who also have scabies. Otherwise, the illness may recur and become difficult to cure.”
Avoid contact? Recur? Difficult to cure?
Jiang Shijin touched his goosebump-like skin and stared at Wu Ju, who stood rooted in the Ningchun Hall, feeling as if a plague god was right before him.
Unlucky!
The old man already constantly compared him to that lowborn daughter Jiang Yingyue. If he found out Jiang Shijin had caught a lowly disease like scabies, he might even give her that herbal shop on Shili Street to manage!
No! He had to keep this hidden and cure the illness as quickly as possible!
Jiang Shijin glanced left and right, seeing everyone at Ningchun Hall focused on Wu Ju. He quietly lowered his sleeve, lightened his steps, and retreated step by step.
Three, two, one…
Just as he had one foot over the threshold, Hong Yao, as if she had eyes on the back of her head, turned around and called out loudly, “Second Young Master Jiang, my lady hasn’t finished examining you yet. Why are you leaving?”
“I… I suddenly remembered something urgent. Another day—I’ll come back another day to see Doctor Gu!” He took three steps in two strides and climbed into the sedan chair. The silver-red sedan embroidered with gold thread swayed and wobbled, moving faster and faster, looking unmistakably like a hasty retreat.
“Hahahaha!” Hong Yao laughed so hard she doubled over, clapping her hands. “Miss, look at him! Serves him right!”
Gu Ning also curved her eyes into a smile. Only Wu Ju and A Qi exchanged glances, both looking utterly bewildered. Gu Ning pulled open the counter drawer and took out a porcelain bottle. “Uncle, I’ve already prepared the medicine for you. Apply it to your face these next few days, twice daily. Remember not to go outside and avoid the wind.”
Wu Ju pulled out the stopper. A faint, clear, bitter scent wafted out, carrying subtle threads of sweetness. The color was like white jade, the ointment texture fine and smooth—clearly something of high quality.
“Apprentice-niece Gu is quite thoughtful, preparing the medicine in advance,” Wu Ju said with satisfaction, tucking the medicine bottle into his front lapel. “Since it’s a token of Apprentice-niece Gu’s goodwill, it wouldn’t be right for this uncle to refuse.”
Ningchun Hall truly has all the good stuff. Once he finishes using this scabies ointment, he can probably sell it for a decent sum of silver. Then he can go have a good time at Qianjin Parlor again. Heh heh.
Without needing Hong Yao to urge him, Wu Ju patted his front lapel contentedly, lifted the curtain, and returned to the backyard.
“Miss, miss,” Hong Yao leaned close to Gu Ning. “How did you know using ‘Centipede’ would scare off that Jiang Shijin?”
‘Centipede’ was a poison Gu Ning had developed over the past few months, with symptoms very similar to scabies. If it touched the skin, it would cause intense itching, as if a centipede were crawling over it, and could not be relieved without the antidote for three days.
Gu Ning retrieved a palm-sized celadon porcelain bottle from the cabinet, scooped out a small amount of ointment, and applied it to her fingertip. “Do you remember that young lady we met at the Jiang family’s medicine shop on Shili Street a few days ago?”
“You mean… Miss Jiang Yingyue?”
Gu Ning nodded. Jiang Yingyue was a concubine-born daughter of the Jiang family’s second branch, but she was quite talented. That day, just by helping out at the medicine shop, she had managed to get the Jiang family head to reprimand Jiang Shijin—enough to make Jiang Shijin wary of her.
Over the past few days, she had investigated. The Jiang family head valued cleanliness and cared greatly about face. Gu Ning smiled lightly. “So, I just needed to make Jiang Shijin think he had scabies. That way, he wouldn’t bother us for a while.”
Hong Yao was pleased at first, then frowned. “But in that case, what about the Moon-silk Flower?”
“The Moon-silk Flower belongs to the Jiang family,” Gu Ning washed her hands in the copper basin, then took out several precious medicinal herbs from the medicine cabinet and carefully wrapped them. “If he won’t sell it, someone else will.”
“Miss, are you thinking of…”
Gu Ning handed the box to Hong Yao and straightened her clothes. “Let’s go. It’s time we paid a visit to that Miss Jiang.”
Late spring, the third month—grass grew tall, orioles flew, and Shili Street was bustling with visitors. Precious horses and fragrant carriages, jewels adorning heads, it resembled the prosperous capital.
As Gu Ning walked, she kept an eye on the clothing and jewelry in the shops along the street. Gold filigree earrings inlaid with gemstones in the shape of gourds, white jade bracelets with pearl-inlaid shrimp-whisker designs, embroidered cloud collars with coiled gold thread…
Jiang Yingyue lived a secluded life, making it impossible to know her preferences. Sending medicinal herbs, while not a mistake, might not necessarily move her. If she could add a few unique pieces of jewelry… Suddenly, her gaze froze on one spot.
“Ah, miss,” Hong Yao lowered her voice and lightly tugged at Gu Ning’s sleeve, “Isn’t that the general’s wife?”