The gatekeeper peeked out at Jiang Yixi and her companions, saying, “Please wait a moment.”
A short while later, the gatekeeper returned, his attitude much more enthusiastic.
“Old Lord invites Miss Jiang inside.”
Jiang Yixi and her maid were led into a courtyard, or more precisely, a garden.
The garden was planted with various flowers and green plants—some in the ground, others in pots. A man nearing sixty was busy working, soil staining his hands and clothes.
The old man straightened up, clapped his hands, and laughed heartily. “Young Miss Jiang is here.”
Old Duke Meng was tall and imposing, with a graying beard covering half his face, tanned skin, thick eyebrows sweeping toward his temples, and eyes as large and commanding as bronze bells. Beneath his formidable exterior lay a kind and generous heart.
Seeing him, Jiang Yixi’s eyes reddened, and she felt an involuntary closeness. In her past life, she had only met him twice, but whenever he was present, others dared not bully her with harsh words.
In Jiang Yixi’s heart, Old Duke Meng was the elder who treated her best, aside from her own parents.
Jiang Yixi curtsied and said with a smile, “Your humble junior Yixi pays respects to Old Duke Meng.” She glanced around and added, “With clusters of blossoms, birds singing amid fragrant flowers, distant green hills, and a winding stream—it truly feels like a fairyland.”
Old Duke Meng’s eyes crinkled with laughter as he looked Jiang Yixi over. “Do you like it here?”
“Very much,” Jiang Yixi replied sincerely.
The old man grew even happier. “Come visit often in the future, and keep this old man company with more conversation. From now on, call me Grandfather Meng, so we won’t be strangers.”
“Grandfather Meng.”
“Yes!”
Old Duke Meng responded cheerfully and led Jiang Yixi on a tour of the garden.
The garden was filled mostly with Clivia and orchids, but also included peonies, chrysanthemums, Chinese peonies, roses, and other blooms—largely rare varieties, with many prized specimens. The peonies and other flowers were in full, vibrant bloom, painting the garden in a riot of colors and rich fragrances.
There was one flower Jiang Yixi had never seen before—a vine climbing half a zhang high, layered in purple-red blossoms, exceptionally beautiful.
Jiang Yixi stepped closer and exclaimed, “Oh, how lovely! What flower is this?”
“Bougainvillea. My old subordinate Zheng Ji bought it from foreigners and gave it to me. I’ve tended it carefully for over a year, and now it’s flourishing so splendidly. If you like it, little girl, I’ll divide a cutting for you. But this flower dislikes cold and loves sunlight—it must be moved to a greenhouse by late autumn and needs plenty of sunshine…”
Jiang Yixi loved flowers, especially those that bloomed brilliantly and abundantly. She smiled and said, “Thank you, Grandfather Meng.”
The old man laughed heartily. “You’re a straightforward girl! I’ll have someone divide a cutting for you and visit your estate to teach you how to care for it.”
He then pointed to a pot of Clivia and said, “This is the Pearl King. Its blooms are large and dazzling. That old man Liu offered five thousand taels of silver to buy it, but I couldn’t bear to part with it. If you like it, come admire it when it flowers.”
Jiang Yixi gladly accepted the invitation. “When it blooms, Grandfather Meng, don’t forget to notify me.”
They chatted about flowers and exchanged a few compliments. Jiang Yixi praised the old man for his vigor, his blend of martial and literary talents, and his refined tastes. The old man, in turn, praised Jiang Yixi as the descendant of a hero—genuine, poised, and well-mannered.
After a stroll through the garden, the two had grown quite familiar and comfortable with each other.
In her past life, Jiang Yixi had hardly dared to speak more than a few words to the old man. Only in this life did she realize how approachable he truly was.It was already late spring, and after walking around, Jiang Yixi had beads of sweat forming on her forehead and the tip of her nose. She occasionally dabbed them with a handkerchief.
The Old Lord felt it was inappropriate to let her sit in the garden—it was too hot—so he took her to the outer courtyard study.
The outer study was a courtyard house, with dozens of birdcages hanging under the eaves. The birds chirped cheerfully and loudly, making it feel like they had entered a mountain forest.
The Old Lord not only loved flowers but also birds.
A handsome young servant stepped forward and said with a smile, “Old Lord, that stray cat has come again for food.”
The Old Lord asked, “Did you feed it the small fish we saved for it?”
The servant replied, “Look, it’s eating right now.”
In the corner, a tabby cat was enjoying its fish. It glanced up at them before lowering its head to continue eating.
Jiang Yixi smiled. This cat looked very much like the tabby she had encountered that day at Zhaoming Nunnery.
They entered the room and took their seats. A servant served tea.
Jiang Yixi took a sip, glanced at the servants on either side, and hesitated to speak.
The Old Lord asked, “Do you have something to say, young lady?”
Jiang Yixi nodded.
The Old Lord waved his hand, and the Meng Family servants withdrew. Mama Wu glanced at Jiang Yixi before pulling Shuiling away as well.
Only then did Jiang Yixi ask, “May I ask, Grandfather Meng, how is Young Master Meng’s eye treatment progressing?”
The Old Lord felt troubled at the thought. “Alas, it’s been over a year since we returned to the capital. We’ve consulted many renowned physicians, but none have cured him. Poor Cimo—his talents are being hindered by his eyes.”
Jiang Yixi asked, “Were all those physicians treating it as an eye disease?”
The Old Lord replied, “Cimo’s symptoms are in his eyes, so of course, they treated it as an eye disease. However, some suggested it might be due to a head injury, but the majority of Imperial Physicians and doctors did not agree with that theory. Those who proposed it had no effective treatment either.”
Jiang Yixi pressed further, “Was Young Master Meng’s eye injured by a hard object?”
She knew perfectly well it wasn’t but asked deliberately.
The Old Lord shook his head. “It seems his eyes weren’t injured—only his head was bruised. But there was no serious damage to his head; it’s just that he can’t see.”
Jiang Yixi said, “That confirms it. The root of the problem lies in his brain. It must be that when he fell, he suffered internal bleeding in his brain, and the blood clot is pressing on the nerves connected to his eyes, causing the blindness.”
The Old Lord looked astonished. “How do you know this?”
Jiang Yixi explained, “My master told me. I described Young Master Meng’s symptoms to him, and that’s what he said.”
The Old Lord urged eagerly, “Please invite your master to treat Cimo immediately.”
Jiang Yixi said, “He’s gone. I begged him at the time, but he was unwilling to treat Young Master Meng.”
The Old Lord was both disappointed and puzzled. “Has our Meng Family offended him?”
Jiang Yixi shook her head. “No, he has other reasons for not treating him.”
The Old Lord asked again, “What is your master’s full name, and why won’t he treat Cimo?”
Jiang Yixi replied, “He said he once made a solemn vow not to treat officials or their family members of the Jinhe Dynasty. He also forbade me from revealing his surname or mentioning that I studied medicine under him.”
Old Duke Meng’s eyes widened like bronze bells, and his face flushed with excitement. “Could that person be surnamed Shen? Only that old fellow Shen would make such a vow. I’ve sent people everywhere to inquire about him, but I never imagined he came to the capital without our knowledge.”
Jiang Yixi smiled. “You guessed the surname Shen, Grandfather Meng—I didn’t say it. Although my master is gone, he taught me the method to treat the illness.”
The Old Lord looked skeptical. “You can treat Cimo’s eyes?”
Jiang Yixi dared not make any promises. “I have learned it, but I have never treated anyone before, so I don’t know if I can cure it.”
Old Duke Meng asked again, “How long have you been studying?”
Jiang Yixi answered crisply, “Twenty-one days.”