12
“Is that elderly woman his mother?”
“That child doesn’t really look like the official’s son either. The two don’t resemble each other much.”
Li Yifang’s appearance was exceptionally handsome and refined, and dressed in such a dignified official uniform, he naturally drew sideways glances and murmurs from passersby as he walked toward Ruan An.
Observing Li Yifang’s expression, Ruan An could tell that he had recognized the “grandmother and grandchild.”
She felt rather embarrassed at the thought that she had caused Li Yifang some trouble right upon their first meeting, making other women mistake him for a married man. She quickly stood up from her seat.
But the man spoke before she could, his voice low and clear like a jaded chime: “You must be the traveling physician Healer Ruan mentioned in the Governor’s letter, correct?”
Li Yifang’s attitude toward people was gentle, his every move and gesture revealing a gentleman’s upbringing, yet his brows carried a faint trace of detachment. Though young, he possessed the upright, solemn, and proper demeanor typically seen in middle-aged men.
Ruan An thought to herself that this Junior Magistrate Li surely had a bright and upright official career ahead of him. Though he was still young, after a few more years of experience, his promotion to the chief position of Capital Magistrate would be just a matter of time.
Ruan An nodded and replied gently, “My grandchild and I have just arrived. We’re troubling you, Junior Magistrate Li.”
“It’s no trouble at all.”
Having said this, Li Yifang naturally looked toward Ruan Xi, who was beside Ruan An.
As soon as the little boy saw him, he gave him a warm, bright smile. His jet-black eyes, which sparkled like the morning star, curved into two crescent shapes with his smile, and two small dimples appeared on his chubby cheeks.
“Hello, Uncle Li~”
After Ruan Xi called out in his babyish voice, passersby couldn’t help but take a few extra glances at the handsome boy’s face. That docile, adorable little face seemed to melt the hearts of everyone who saw it.
Li Yifang couldn’t help but pause briefly.
He wasn’t a person who liked children. He had always found them noisy and restless. But a child as well-behaved and endearing as Ruan Xi was hard for anyone to dislike. Besides, the Healer Ruan who had traveled all the way from Jiazhou seemed to be a kind-faced, gentle-eyed elderly woman as well.
Li Yifang was infected by the boy’s bright smile and slightly let down his guard. He said to Ruan An in a gentle voice, “It’s not convenient to talk here. Let’s find another place to speak.”
As dusk fell, Ruan An and Ruan Xi followed Li Yifang to a tavern. They settled into a private room and had a simple meal. Ruan An didn’t want to trouble Li Yifang too much. Her purpose in meeting with him first was simply to explain her situation to the man, mixing truth with falsehood.
Li Yifang listened patiently. Ruan An then brought out the ginseng root she had prepared earlier. She handed it to him and said in a warm voice, “I heard that your mother is not in good health, so I found a ginseng root of fine quality to help strengthen her constitution. When people reach a certain age, their bodies are no longer what they used to be. They often need such nourishing things to replenish their vitality.”
Li Yifang, however, waved his hand and did not accept the ginseng root. He said in a calm voice, “I have a close personal friendship with Governor Xiang. Since he wrote asking me to look after you and your grandchild, I should not accept this ginseng root. You should keep it to nourish your own health.”
His words did not sound like a false refusal. Rather, as the Governor had said, Li Yifang’s usual conduct was indeed very honest and upright.
“Then I thank you, Junior Magistrate Li.”
Li Yifang took a sip of plain tea and asked, “Have you two decided where to stay?”
Ruan An shook her head. She had previously rented a guest room for a few days at an inn near the West Market, but an inn was not suitable for long-term residence. She was about to ask Li Yifang which ward would be better to rent a small house in when, unexpectedly, Li Yifang was a very thorough person. After receiving Governor Xiang’s letter, he had already instructed his servants to clean out his private property in Yankang Ward.
Though this small courtyard residence was hidden within the city, it was very close to shops such as eateries, tea stalls, and soup-drinking establishments. The courtyard walls were adorned with spotted bamboo, and many elegant flowers and trees were planted. Moreover, on this not-very-large piece of land, a pond channel had even been dug, and colorful fish swam in the clear water.
Ruan An and Ruan Xi followed Li Yifang across the single-stone bridge spanning the pond channel. When they entered the main hall of the residence, they saw that it still retained the arrangement of a study.
Li Yifang explained to the two of them, “The alley here is very quiet, and public security is very good. I prepared for the imperial examinations here a few years ago.”
As the man spoke, he did not notice that Ruan Xi had been quietly observing him with his jet-black eyes.
Ruan An felt that Li Yifang’s mother must be a very far-sighted person. Li Yifang was originally from Jiazhou as well, but when he spoke, she could detect no Jiazhou accent at all, nor could she tell that he was not a native of Chang’an.
“Elderly one, regarding the travel permit, you will still have to go to the government office several times yourself. I will not overstep my authority and handle this for you. The only thing I can do to help you is to find you a safe place to live. In a moment, I will send someone to the inn to bring your luggage. You need not make another trip.”
Ruan An and Ruan Xi quickly expressed their gratitude to Li Yifang once more. Before he left, Ruan An handed him the ginseng root again and said in an earnest tone, “My grandchild and I truly have no way to repay your kindness. Please accept this ginseng root, Junior Magistrate Li.”
Li Yifang was silent for a moment. When he looked into Ruan An’s eyes, he felt that her pupils showed no signs of murkiness. Those clear, bright eyes were not really what one would expect from an elderly person.
The man did not dwell on it. He simply attributed it to the fact that this traveling physician, Healer Ruan, had lived in seclusion in the mountains for years, so even her temperament was different from that of ordinary elderly people.
“Uncle Li, please just accept it~”
Ruan Xi said in a soft, small voice. Li Yifang looked affectionately at the little dumpling and replied gently, “Alright.”
The next day, Ruan An took Ruan Xi to the East Market early in the morning. The day before, she had done some research into the various businesses operating in the West Market’s many shops. She knew that if she wanted to stay in Chang’an as soon as possible and obtain household registration for both herself and Ruan Xi, the best option would be to have her own shop.
Ruan An did not know how much longer she would be able to stay with her son. She understood that once Ruan Xi successfully acknowledged his kinship with the Huo family, they would not accept her identity. Her only hope was to establish a foothold in Chang’an and then beg the Huo family to allow mother and son to meet a few times each year—that would be enough.
Thus, that morning she took Ruan Xi to inquire about the market rates for renting a shop in a relatively remote alley. At noon, she brought her son to a lavishly decorated tavern for lunch. Ruan An spared no expense, ordering many of Ruan Xi’s favorite dishes.
She hoped that before their separation, every meal they ate together and every word they spoke would become a pleasant and warm memory in the child’s heart.
The two were quietly waiting for the waiter to serve their dishes when a sharp voice—belonging to a young maiden came from the adjacent private room.
“That illegitimate daughter is such a little slut! She’s ruined my new clothes. This skirt is made of snow brocade—a single bolt of snow brocade costs dozens of taels of silver! I’m so furious! This was bestowed by the Emperor himself—Princess Xiaoyan gave it to me!”
“Eldest Miss, don’t be angry. That illegitimate daughter did it out of jealousy. Please don’t harm your health over this.”
The furious speaker was He Xinruo, the eldest daughter of the He family. But the maidservant’s words did not calm her down.
With a “clang,” He Xinruo smashed several more bowls and plates in a fit of rage, then sarcastically attacked the illegitimate daughter she had mentioned, saying sharply, “Ugly people make so much trouble. With a face as ruined as hers, she still knows how to use such despicable tricks!”
Ruan An quickly reached out and covered her son’s two small, soft ears.
The more she thought about it, the more perplexed she became. What was wrong with this young lady?
She had maidservants and was able to interact with a princess—her background must be quite distinguished. So why was her speech so ugly?
Her choice of swear words was no different from that of her master second wife, Master Zhu, who was now in prison—both were filthy and unbearable to hear.
The waiter soon brought their dishes. The eldest young lady in the adjacent room seemed to have calmed down somewhat. Though the commotion had lessened significantly, the two rooms were separated only by a bamboo curtain, and Ruan An could still faintly hear their conversation.
Then the maidservant spoke in a low, somber tone: “Why is Eldest Miss getting angry? It’s not like her face will ever heal anyway. Let her throw her little tantrums. Just leave her be.”
As soon as the words fell, He Xinruo couldn’t help but let out a derisive laugh. She twisted the delicate embroidered handkerchief in her hand and said in a much calmer voice, “You’re right. Why should I bother with someone who is inferior to me in every way?”
The adjacent private room fell silent for the time being, and Ruan An released her son’s ears.
Ruan Xi looked up at her with a bewildered expression in his small face.
Ruan An shook her head at her son, signaling him not to take those words he had just heard to heart.
Since arriving in Chang’an, this was her first time encountering these aristocratic young ladies. She hadn’t expected that upon her very first contact with them, she would hear such dark inner-chamber affairs.
It seemed that the illegitimate daughter’s face was likely connected to this eldest young lady next door.
And Ruan Xi was about to enter the Huo family’s gates. The Huo Lang’s residence was both a chancellor’s mansion and a marquisate. If she wasn’t by her son’s side, would Ruan Xi be able to adapt to life there?
Ruan An couldn’t be certain.
For the first time, doubt arose in her heart. She began to question whether bringing her son to Chang’an had been the right choice.
But what the maidservant next door said next made Ruan An’s eyes widen involuntarily.
The old woman continued consoling her: “You are going to marry the second young master of the Huo family. That’s a fortune that countless people would envy. The Princess’s bestowed gifts are fine, but the dowry the madam has prepared for you is no less impressive. Some of the treasures were brought from the Western Barbarian regions—things that illegitimate daughter has never even seen.”
Upon hearing the words “second young master of the Huo family,” Ruan An pricked up her ears.
So, the young gentleman this aristocratic young lady was about to marry turned out to be Huo Pingxiao’s half-brother—Huo Changjue.
Huo Changjue also served as a Junior Magistrate in the Capital Magistrate’s office, coincidentally holding the same rank as Li Yifang.
Thinking of this, Ruan An couldn’t help but marvel at how small the circle in Chang’an really was.
After finishing their lunch, Ruan An and Ruan Xi continued weaving through the streets and alleys, persistently inquiring about suitable shop fronts.
But this matter couldn’t be rushed. Ruan An planned to carefully compare several places before making a decision.
A small sedan chair happened to be stopped in an alley. As Ruan An and Ruan Xi passed by, they both heard a young girl’s miserable, painful cries coming from inside—
“Even I find my own face disgusting. How could anyone like me?”
“I hate attending banquets the most. Those young ladies all mock me, saying I’ll never marry. Any young gentleman who sees my face, covered in pockmarks and sores, will avoid me…”
The young lady cried more and more hysterically. The young maidservant outside the sedan hurriedly tried to comfort her: “Miss, please stop crying… The physicians all say that if you keep crying like this, these pockmarks and sores will never heal.”
Ruan An stopped in her tracks and roughly guessed the girl’s identity.
She should be the illegitimate daughter mentioned earlier by the eldest young lady in the adjacent private room.
As a physician, encountering such a situation, Ruan An naturally wouldn’t stand by and do nothing. Seeing that the young maidservant was about to lose control of her mistress, Ruan An took Ruan Xi’s small hand and walked over, speaking to the maidservant outside the sedan in a calm tone.
The maidservant immediately relayed Ruan An’s words to her second young lady, He Xinyuan. He Xinyuan lifted the carriage curtain and looked up to see a kind-faced elderly person with gentle eyes standing before her.
Warmed by Ruan An’s gentle gaze, He Xinyuan felt her emotions calm considerably. Her tone was still quite polite, though her voice carried a few sobs: “Elderly one, thank you for your kindness. But my mother has searched everywhere for renowned physicians, and none have been able to cure the pockmarks and sores on my face. How could you possibly treat them?”
As soon as Ruan An heard the words “my mother,” she became even more certain of this person’s identity, though she still didn’t know her surname or given name.
She spoke in a gentle tone, persuading He Xinyuan: “Since you have sought out renowned physicians everywhere and still haven’t found a cure, young lady, what harm is there in trying this old woman’s folk remedy?”
He Xinyuan’s long lashes were adorned with glistening tears. She hesitated for a moment, then heard Ruan An ask again: “Might I ask the young lady’s esteemed surname?”
“My surname is He…”
“Surname He.”
Ruan An repeated her surname and said, “Miss He, this old woman’s surname is Ruan. I used to practice medicine in Jiazhou…”
Before she could finish, the other suddenly interrupted her.
He Xinyuan’s expression was excited, even somewhat incredulous, as she asked urgently, “Your surname is Ruan?”
Ruan An was a bit bewildered. She nodded to He Xinyuan, and then heard the young lady ask excitedly again, “Are you that divine physician, Healer Ruan?”
“I am Ruan, but the title of divine physician…”
He Xinyuan held back her tears and said to the young maidservant beside her as if she had stumbled upon a stroke of incredible luck: “Heaven truly leaves no path of escape blocked! Today I happened to encounter the famous medical immortal, Healer Ruan!”
Ruan An was quite puzzled by He Xinyuan’s reaction. She knew she had some reputation in the southern borderlands, but how could anyone in Chang’an City know about her?
After getting down from the carriage, He Xinyuan explained the reason to Ruan An—
It turned out that a few years ago, after Huo Pingxiao returned to the capital from Jiazhou to report on his duties, he had recounted to the Emperor everything Ruan An had told him about her experiences in the southern borderlands. Her story quickly spread outside the palace, and was even deliberately exaggerated by storytellers who turned it into a script.
A few years ago, in the various taverns of Chang’an, stories about Healer Ruan of Jiannan were extremely popular. Though her fame had diminished somewhat in recent years, most of Chang’an’s commoners still knew of her.
Listening to He Xinyuan reel off Ruan An’s experiences as if reciting a list of family treasures, Ruan An and Ruan Xi looked utterly astonished.
He Xinyuan muttered, “I absolutely love listening to the storyteller tell your stories, especially the part about Huainan Circuit. That storyteller said that the local military governor wanted to build a temple for you. Did he actually build one or not?”
Ruan An didn’t know how to answer her. In the end, she only gave an embarrassed smile and changed the subject.
She didn’t forget her main purpose. After carefully examining He Xinyuan’s facial pockmarks and sores, and thoroughly asking about her symptoms, Ruan An specifically instructed her: “Regarding this treatment of the pockmarks and sores, I hope the young lady will not mention it to outsiders. In three days, after this old woman has prepared the medicine at the official pharmacy bureau, you must discreetly send someone to retrieve it here.”
He Xinyuan didn’t fully understand, but seeing how confidently Ruan An spoke, she nodded anyway.
“Are you certain that Healer Ruan of Jiazhou is within Chang’an City?”
“Answering to Miss, certain. This servant heard it very clearly and also sent someone to investigate her background. She brought a boy over three years old with her. That boy seems to be her grandson.”
After listening lazily, Li Shuying merely traced her moth eyebrows while looking into the mirror.
The person in the mirror possessed an extraordinarily beautiful, peerlessly glamorous face—vibrant lips, a nose as smooth as goose fat, and autumn-water eyes that shimmered with captivating charm as they moved.
Her features were strikingly radiant, and wearing that magnificent embroidered skirt with floral hairpins, she resembled a fully bloomed peony.
The maidservant reporting to her, having witnessed Li Shuying’s beauty, could not help but inwardly marvel that the legitimate eldest daughter of Grand Tutor Li was truly a nation-toppling beauty. Possessing such refined and dignified bearing, it was no wonder she had been personally appointed by the Emperor as the crown prince’s consort.
Li Shuying put down the eyebrow pencil in her hand and gave a faint command: “Then go and sound her out for me first. I must first see just how skilled this physician is before deciding whether to employ her.”
“Yes, miss.”
Some days earlier, an elderly maidservant in the Li household had passed away. This old servant had been Li Shuying’s wet nurse since childhood, and Li Shuying had trusted her greatly.
It was often said that loyal household slaves were extremely difficult to raise. With that maidservant gone, Li Shuying immediately felt constrained in her actions. The other maidservants and momo were either not sharp enough or not steady enough.
She very much hoped to find another loyal and capable maidservant to work for her before entering the Eastern Palace.
If this maidservant could also understand medicine, that would be even better.
Li Shuying thought further. As the saying goes, strike the snake at its vital spot. This Healer Ruan had come to Chang’an City and even brought her grandson along. If she worried about a household slave’s loyalty, she could simply take control of their family members to make them obedient.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that this Healer Ruan, who understood medicine, was the most suitable candidate.
The next day.
The previous night, Ruan An had reformulated a new prescription based on He Xinyuan’s facial pockmark and sore symptoms. When she took Ruan Xi to a nearby official pharmacy bureau to prepare the medicine, she noticed that not far away, a young woman kept staring at her and Ruan Xi.
Ruan An, not understanding why, also looked in that woman’s direction.
She saw that the woman had a bean-sized black mole between her brows, and her narrow eyes always seemed tinged with a sharpness. The more Ruan An looked, the more familiar this person seemed, as if she had seen her somewhere before.
Sensing Ruan An’s gaze, the woman’s expression turned awkward, and she quickly left the pharmacy bureau.
“Hum—”
Just then, Ruan An suddenly felt as if a flash of white light had flickered before her eyes. An intense pain erupted in her forehead, as if something were about to explode in her brain, hurting so much she could not breathe.
Ruan Xi, beside her, naturally noticed something was wrong and asked anxiously, “Mama, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Ruan An’s slender back was stiff with terror, her heart trembling with panic. She could not utter a single word in reply to her son.
In an instant, her clothes were soaked through with cold sweat. In her mind, an image appeared of a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in magnificent, splendid attire.
The woman stood before her, looking down from a height, her tone extremely gentle, yet speaking the cruelest words—
“Your son is in my hands. He has no household registration in Chang’an. If I want his life, it is but a word. A boy’s corpse is very easy to dispose of; the Capital Magistrate’s office will not be able to find out.”
“Physician Healer Ruan, I respect your considerable medical skill. If you are willing to come to the Eastern Palace and work for me, I can naturally spare your son’s life.”
“Will you agree, or will you not?”
The beautiful woman’s face and delicate features gradually became clear. It was none other than the current Crown Prince’s Consort, and the most beloved legitimate granddaughter of Grand Tutor Li—Li Shuying.
Those harsh, piercing words echoed in her ears and in her mind. At that moment, Ruan An’s soul and consciousness felt as if they were tightly gripped by an invisible hand, as if trapped in an endless nightmare. She quickly lost consciousness and, under the astonished gazes of the crowd in the pharmacy bureau, collapsed beside the redwood medicine cabinet.
Just then, Li Yifang happened to be passing by with street patrollers on their rounds. Catching a glimpse of their hurried figures, Ruan Xi quickly ran out of the pharmacy bureau on his short little legs.
As soon as he saw Li Yifang’s figure, the little dumpling called out tearfully, “Uncle Li! Please help me! Sob sob sob, my grandmother has fainted!”
**