Afternoon sunlight struggled to penetrate the heavy clouds and the tattered paper windows of the Side Courtyard, casting several pale patches of light across the icy stone floor.
The air was filled with the lingering bitterness of medicinal herbs, the scent of old dust, and an inescapable damp chill.
Qin Shu sat beneath the window on a creaking wooden chair. Beneath the strip of old cloth wrapped around her right hand, the burn still throbbed faintly.
Her left hand rested upon the open pages of Supplement to Materia Medica, but her eyes were not on the text.
Instead, her deep brown gaze drifted toward the dead branches of the pomegranate tree outside the window.
The hatred churning beneath her eyes had been sealed beneath a layer of icy calm.
It resembled the deathly stillness before a blizzard.
Floating Cloud’s swollen face…
And her blood-soaked confession the previous night…
Both had branded themselves upon Qin Shu’s soul.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A steady knock sounded at the door.
Its rhythm was deliberate, breaking the suffocating silence.
It was unlike Uncle Li’s rigid manner.
Unlike Nanny Zhang’s fearful hesitation.
Floating Cloud immediately rose from the small stool in the corner and looked toward Qin Shu.
The emptiness in Qin Shu’s eyes instantly focused.
Her fingertips unconsciously curled against the page.
For some reason…
The knocking sounded strangely familiar.
“Who’s there?” Floating Cloud called, her voice tense.
“It’s me, Doctor Jiang from the Hall of Returning Spring.”
Jiang Chen’s warm, gentle voice drifted clearly through the cold wind outside.
“I’ve come under Steward Li’s orders from the Governor’s Mansion to examine Madam’s burn and deliver some medicine.”
Steward Li?
A faint crease appeared between Qin Shu’s brows.
The small reddish scrape she had noticed earlier on Uncle Li’s sleeve flashed through her mind.
She gave Floating Cloud a slight nod.
Taking a deep breath to suppress the complicated emotions in her eyes, Floating Cloud stepped forward and cautiously opened the door a crack.
The cold wind swept into the room, carrying with it the clean scent of disinfectant and faint medicinal herbs, dispersing some of the stale decay.
Jiang Chen stood at the doorway.
He still wore his slightly worn gray long robe beneath a dark padded outer coat.
The familiar rattan medicine case hung from his shoulder.
The cold wind had reddened his gentle features.
His clear eyes quickly swept across the dim room before accurately settling on Qin Shu.
They lingered briefly upon her pale, gaunt face and the bandaged hand.
A trace of profound heartache flashed across his eyes before being quietly concealed beneath his usual calm.
“Madam.”
He inclined his head respectfully.
There was not a single flaw in his manners.
“Thank you for your trouble, Doctor Jiang.”
Qin Shu’s voice was dry and hoarse like dead leaves scraping together.
Floating Cloud remained standing guard by the door, her eyes constantly scanning the courtyard outside.
Jiang Chen entered carrying his medicine case and quietly shut the door behind him, blocking out most of the freezing wind.
He stopped several steps in front of Qin Shu.
Instead of examining her injury immediately, he calmly set down the medicine case.
“Madam’s complexion doesn’t look well.”
His voice remained soft, carrying the reassuring tone unique to a physician.
Yet his gaze drifted meaningfully across Qin Shu’s vacant eyes.
“I imagine the damp chill of the Side Courtyard, together with your recent injuries, has weighed heavily upon your spirit.”
He paused briefly before continuing.
“Linjiang City hasn’t been peaceful lately either. The Governor has been occupied with military affairs. Both inside and outside the city, everyone is on edge.”
“I heard… several Rebels were captured outside the city again.”
“A few days ago, several suspicious cargo ships were detained at the docks.”
“The investigation uncovered nothing but unidentified foreign medicines and military equipment parts.”
His voice lowered further, like a gentle breeze.
“Rumors outside are spreading rapidly. They say some influential figures are involved in the Black Trade, profiting from the country’s suffering.”
He sighed softly.
“These are troubled times.”
His words sounded like nothing more than the ordinary reflections of a physician.
Yet they struck the still waters of Qin Shu’s mind like stones.
Her unfocused eyes instantly sharpened.
Xu Feng’s military affairs…
Rebels…
The docks…
Suspicious cargo ships…
Foreign medicines…
Military equipment parts…
The Black Trade…
Profiting from national calamity…
Every phrase became an icy key attempting to unlock the frozen prison of her understanding.
She suddenly looked up at Jiang Chen.
His gaze remained calm and straightforward as he met her scrutiny.
While opening his medicine case to retrieve clean bandages and medicine bottles, he casually continued,
“It isn’t easy to survive in these chaotic times.”
“The common people suffer beneath heavy taxes.”
“The price of rice keeps rising.”
“Just a few days ago, several people starved to death in South City.”
“Meanwhile, the Governor’s Mansion remains crowded with visiting carriages.”
“I heard merchants from another province visited again last night.”
“The lights inside stayed on until nearly dawn.”
He removed a small white porcelain bottle and pulled out its cork.
A fresh medicinal fragrance immediately spread through the room.
“What the eyes see may not always be the truth.”
“And what the ears hear isn’t necessarily false.”
He gently placed the bottle upon the table.
“Take this medicine, for example.”
“It appears to be an ointment for external wounds.”
“But when properly prepared and properly used…”
“It can also clear away stagnant toxins, eliminate poison, and restore damaged tendons.”
His words carried unmistakable hidden meaning.
Qin Shu’s heart pounded heavily in her chest.
Jiang Chen’s words spun through her mind like scattered pieces of a shattered puzzle.
Xu Feng’s authority…
The Rebels beyond the city…
Weapons smuggling through the docks…
Merchants visiting the Governor’s Mansion under cover of darkness…
The Mansion’s extravagance…
The starving people…
And his final remark—
What the eyes see may not always be true. What the ears hear may not always be false.
Was he telling her…
That Xu Feng was not merely the tyrant ruling Linjiang City on the surface…
But that behind the scenes he might be collaborating with enemies, smuggling weapons, and betraying the nation?
Was he hinting…
That the Governor’s Mansion itself was a filthy prison hiding countless secrets?
“Madam, please let me see your hand.”
Jiang Chen’s voice pulled her back from her swirling thoughts.
He gestured toward her injury.
After a brief hesitation, Qin Shu slowly extended her bandaged right hand.
Jiang Chen gently untied the dirty strip of cloth.
The swollen burn, edged with small blisters, was exposed once more to the cold air.
The self-inflicted wounds on her palm from the previous night had already formed dark red scabs.
They looked painfully severe.
Jiang Chen’s brows drew together almost imperceptibly.
The heartache in his eyes nearly overflowed.
Yet his movements remained calm and professional.
Using a clean cloth dampened with medicine, he gently cleaned away the dirt and remnants of the previous ointment surrounding the wounds.
The cool medicine stung the injured flesh.
Qin Shu’s body tensed almost imperceptibly.
“The wound has been treated reasonably well.”
“But it must remain clean and dry.”
“The dressing should be changed regularly.”
His voice remained low and steady.
As he carefully applied fresh medicine and rewrapped her hand, he continued speaking as though explaining ordinary medical principles.
“This burn ointment is gentle by nature.”
“It mainly draws out toxins and promotes new flesh.”
“If you want it to heal faster…”
He paused.
His hands slowed for only an instant.
His voice dropped until it was barely more than a whisper.
“You must first identify the source of the poison.”
“Is it heat poison…”
“Fire poison…”
“Or something even darker and more corrosive?”
“Only by treating the root cause…”
“Can the proper remedy be prescribed.”
His eyes casually brushed across Qin Shu’s face.
Her heartbeat skipped.
The poison…
Its source…
Treating the illness according to its cause…
Was he talking about her wound…
Or this man-eating Governor’s Mansion?
Was he talking about Xu Feng?
Jiang Chen soon finished bandaging her hand.
His movements remained efficient.
Instead of immediately packing away his medicine case, he reached into the very bottom compartment and withdrew a thin, worn booklet.
Its cover was yellowed with age, and its corners had been rubbed smooth.
It looked completely ordinary.
Across the front were neatly printed characters:
Illustrated Thousand Character Classic for Beginners.
“Madam has spent too long confined indoors.”
“It is only natural to become weary.”
Jiang Chen gently placed the little book beside Supplement to Materia Medica.
His voice returned to its usual warmth.
“This Thousand Character Classic contains illustrations alongside the text.”
“It is simple and easy to understand.”
“Consider it something to pass the time.”
“Even learning a few characters and looking at the illustrations may help ease the long days.”
His eyes rested meaningfully upon Supplement to Materia Medica.
“Some books, when truly understood, can save lives.”
“Some words, once fully recognized, can reveal the road ahead.”
Qin Shu’s gaze settled upon the plain cover of the Illustrated Thousand Character Classic.
Learning to read?
Seeing the road ahead?
Would literacy truly be of any use to a discarded wife imprisoned in the Side Courtyard?
Yet Jiang Chen’s words were like stones cast into the lake of her heart, sending ripples spreading endlessly outward.
To clearly see Xu Feng’s poison…
To clearly see the lock upon this prison…
What she needed was no longer merely endurance and the fire of hatred.
She needed to see clearly.
Seeing that her attention remained fixed upon the little book, Jiang Chen spoke no further.
He calmly packed away his medicine case.
Finally, he placed several prepared packets of medicinal herbs upon the table.
“One packet each day.”
“Boil three bowls of water down to one.”
“Drink it warm after meals.”
“It will dispel the cold, strengthen your body, and benefit your health.”
He lifted the medicine case onto his shoulder.
Bowing slightly toward Qin Shu, he said,
“Please take care of yourself, Madam. I shall take my leave.”
He turned and walked toward the door with the same composed steps.
When his hand rested upon the door latch, he paused briefly.
Without turning around, he spoke in a low yet unmistakably clear voice.
“If you wish to leave this cage…”
“Wings alone are not enough.”
“You must first discover where the lock upon the cage door truly is.”
“And sometimes…”
“The key has been right before your eyes all along.”
With that, he opened the door.
The freezing wind immediately swept into the room, stirring the hem of his gray robe.
Without another pause, he disappeared beyond the courtyard gate.
Floating Cloud quickly shut the door again.
Leaning against it, she finally released a long breath before anxiously looking toward Qin Shu.
Qin Shu remained seated.
Silent as a statue.
Outside, the cold wind carried dead leaves against the paper windows with a soft rustling sound.
Her gaze slowly withdrew from the empty courtyard entrance.
It drifted downward toward the fresh burn ointment…
The packets of medicinal herbs…
And finally…
The yellowed Illustrated Thousand Character Classic resting beside them.
Jiang Chen’s final words echoed through her mind.
Find the lock on the cage door.
The key is right before your eyes.
Learning to read can show you the road.
She slowly extended her uninjured left hand.
Her fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly as they brushed across the rough cover of the Thousand Character Classic.
The paper felt dry and unfamiliar.
Her eyes shifted toward the Supplement to Materia Medica she had studied so often.
The words Heartbreak Grass and Arsenic stared back at her with icy clarity.
She withdrew her hand.
She did not pick up the Thousand Character Classic.
Nor did she look again at Supplement to Materia Medica.
Instead…
She slowly straightened the back that had never truly bent.
Within her deep brown eyes, a tiny but unwavering light quietly emerged.
Like the morning star shining through the darkest winter night…
It pierced the heavy gloom.
At last, she slowly and firmly placed her left palm upon the cover of the Illustrated Thousand Character Classic.
The rough texture of the paper pressed against the old wounds that had yet to heal in her palm.
The sharp sensation was clear.
And for the first time…
It carried hope.