The door to the guest pavilion clicked shut, keeping out the cold wind sweeping across the terrace.
Rulan stood beside her writing desk, her thumb resting against the concealed drawer where Master Lu Zhen’s prescription lay hidden.
Lian’er was smoothing the wrinkles from Rulan’s cloak when a polite knock sounded at the outer screen.
She went to the entrance and slid it open, revealing a senior maid dressed in the understated navy-and-silver livery of the Shen household.
The maid bowed.
“Her Grace, the Dowager Duchess Shen, presents her compliments to the Fourth Imperial Princess and inquires whether Her Highness might honor her with her presence for a cup of tea.”
Lian’er looked surprised.
The Shen clan’s matriarch rarely extended personal invitations.
For her to invite the Fourth Princess, whose reputation in the capital was hardly favorable, was even more unexpected.
Rulan, however, remembered the clear-eyed old woman who had offered her salve, soup, and fresh buns after she returned from the woods covered in mud.
She had enjoyed their brief conversation.
A second visit was welcome, particularly after the morning’s commotion.
“Tell Her Grace I would be delighted,” Rulan said.
“I will follow you shortly.”
The walk across the central terrace revealed two very different sides of White Cloud Temple.
Along the main paths, guards patrolled the walls while noblemen argued with temple stewards.
Anxious attendants gathered near the locked gates, hoping for news about the horses or the departure arrangements.
Duchess Shen’s guest compound, however, was considerably quieter.
Servants moved through the courtyard with practiced efficiency, packing essential belongings and preparing refreshments.
Near the entrance, Rulan noticed a senior maid speaking quietly with a head steward.
Their conversation ended when she approached, and both stepped aside to bow.
Rulan noticed the interruption but thought little of it.
A household of Shen’s standing would have plenty to discuss during an unexpected lockdown.
The duchess was seated near a heated brazier in her reception room.
She wore a dark blue robe without elaborate embroidery, her silver hair secured with a single jade hairpin.
Her ebony walking staff rested beside her chair.
When Rulan entered, the old woman greeted her with a warm smile and gestured toward the cushion opposite her.
“Your Highness. Please, sit. The air on this mountain has grown rather bitter.”
A maid brought celadon teacups and poured a fragrant amber brew.
A plate of chestnut pastries and sesame cakes followed.
“I trust my kitchen staff prepared the broth to your liking yesterday?” Duchess Shen asked as she picked up her cup.
Rulan settled into her seat.
“The buns were exceptional, Duchess. And the soup gave me enough energy to handle the rest of the evening.”
“Good.” Shen chuckled.
“At my age, one learns that a proper meal makes the absurdities of the world considerably easier to endure.”
Rulan glanced at the pastries.
She was beginning to appreciate the duchess’s philosophy.
The conversation continued pleasantly as they sampled the tea.
Duchess Shen neither fussed over her nor offered the elaborate compliments Rulan had grown accustomed to hearing from court ladies.
She spoke with an ease that made the visit feel less like a formal audience.
After a while, the duchess set down her cup.
“I heard you injured your ankle. Is it troubling you today?”
Rulan glanced at her slipper and offered a reassuring smile.
“Nothing serious, Duchess. Just a minor strain. A physician examined it on the spot.”
“Mountain paths can be unforgiving,” Shen remarked.
“Particularly when one wanders beyond the paved courtyards.”
Rulan detected a little teasing in her voice.
The news of the Fourth Princess falling on a tree root had evidently traveled through the temple.
“I am beginning to suspect the mountain has a personal objection to my presence,” Rulan replied.
“First the mud, then the timber, and now the roots.”
“The mountain tests everyone, Princess. Some simply react with better grace than others.”
Rulan reached for a sesame cake.
At least the duchess appeared more entertained by her misfortunes than offended by them.
“Was it the temple’s resident herbalist who attended to your injury?” Shen asked.
“An elderly physician named Lu Zhen examined my ankle.”
The duchess paused with her teacup halfway to her lips.
It was brief, but Rulan noticed.
“Master Lu Zhen?” Shen repeated.
“Yes. Do you know him, Duchess?”
“I know of him. He has cultivated herbs near the eastern cliffside for several years and occasionally treats the surrounding villagers. He is well regarded for his medical knowledge.”
She lowered her cup.
“Did you find his treatment satisfactory?”
“He seemed quite competent,” Rulan answered.
“In fact, I had hoped to speak with him again this morning.”
“Oh? For what reason?”
“I had a few questions concerning the prescription he wrote for me.”
It was the truth, though hardly the whole of it.
Duchess Shen regarded her for a moment before reaching for another sip of tea.
“I see. Though I understand Master Lu is no longer at his garden today.”
Rulan looked up.
“Did Her Grace seek him out as well?”
The duchess gave a small sigh.
“I had hoped to consult him regarding a medical matter. An acquaintance of mine has been unwell, and I wished to seek his advice.”
“Then I’m afraid you won’t find him at the eastern shed,” Rulan said.
“I inquired with the temple attendants earlier. Master Lu left before dawn, accompanied by his apprentice and his hound.”
Shen’s attention returned to her.
“Before dawn?”
“Yes. A temple servant saw them leaving through the lower mountain gate. Master Lu reportedly had an urgent house call in the lower valley.”
The duchess fell quiet.
Her fingers rested against the smooth handle of her walking staff as she considered the information.
Rulan took another sip of tea, giving her time to think.
The mention of the lower valley seemed to have caught Duchess Shen’s interest, although she couldn’t tell why.
“Did he happen to mention when he expected to return?” the duchess asked at last.
“He did not.”
“That is unfortunate.”
Duchess Shen looked toward the courtyard, where a servant was securing the shutters against the wind.
Rulan wondered whether the duchess’s unwell acquaintance was the patient Lu Zhen had gone to see.
It was possible, but the lower valley contained more than one household.
She had no reason to assume the two matters were connected merely because they involved the same physician.
Still, Duchess Shen’s reaction suggested there was more to her concern than she had chosen to share.
Rulan did not press her.
They had met only yesterday, and an elderly duchess was entitled to her private affairs.
After a moment, Duchess Shen turned back to her.
“How are you finding your stay at White Cloud Temple, Princess? Aside from the mountain’s apparent hostility toward your footwear.”
Rulan smiled faintly.
She had come here seeking a physician and a few peaceful days away from the palace.
Instead, she had encountered an assassin, an alarming medical examination, and a stable full of dead horses.
“I had expected a somewhat quieter retreat,” she admitted.
Duchess Shen laughed, the sound warm and genuine.
“Indeed. The mountain has been remarkably eventful this season.” You are reading on novelping.com, the official source.
She studied Rulan over her teacup.
“Do you regret making the journey from the capital?”
Rulan considered the question.
The trip had certainly been troublesome.
Her ankle was supposedly injured, her physician had disappeared, and she was now stranded on a mountain with a collection of increasingly unhappy nobles.
Yet she had found Lu Zhen.
Whatever he had discovered during the examination, his prescription was safely in her possession.
And she had met the woman sitting across from her.
“No,” she said.
“I don’t regret it. Despite the chaos, I’ve met people here I would never have encountered within the palace walls.”
Duchess Shen’s smile softened.
“Then perhaps the journey was not entirely wasted.”
“Not entirely,” Rulan agreed, reaching for the last chestnut pastry.
The duchess noticed and quietly pushed the plate closer.
Rulan decided that some people were remarkably easy to get along with.
They continued talking for a while, moving on to the temple’s scenery and the inconveniences of traveling with an imperial procession.
Duchess Shen listened with amusement when Rulan described the number of attendants her brother had insisted on sending for what was supposed to be a simple visit to burn incense.
By the time the incense stick had nearly burned down, Rulan rose to take her leave.
“Your Highness,” Duchess Shen said, resting a hand on her walking staff.
“If you happen to hear any further news of Master Lu’s whereabouts during our stay, would you be so kind as to inform me?”
“Of course, Duchess.”
Rulan hesitated.
“May I ask whether Her Grace is particularly concerned about this acquaintance?”
Duchess Shen’s expression remained composed, though her answer came after a brief pause.
“He is someone whose health matters a great deal to me. I had hoped Master Lu’s skill might offer some relief.”
Rulan nodded.
“If I hear anything, I will let you know.”
“Thank you, Princess. And do take care of that ankle.”
“I shall try to avoid offending any more tree roots.”
Duchess Shen laughed again as Rulan took her leave.
The walk back to the guest pavilion was quieter than the journey there.
A cold wind whistled through the stone archways, and the guards stationed along the terrace watched the passing attendants with weary expressions.
“Duchess Shen seems unusually fond of Your Highness,” Lian’er remarked as she walked half a step behind her mistress.
“It is rare for her to invite anyone for private tea, let alone speak so warmly.”
Rulan let out an amused breath.
“Her Grace is one of the few people on this mountain who has offered me warm food instead of security warnings, Lian’er. That alone earns my favor.”
Lian’er smiled.
Rulan tucked her hands into her sleeves as they crossed the terrace.
Lu Zhen had left before dawn for an urgent house call in the lower valley.
Duchess Shen had been hoping to consult him about an unwell acquaintance.
There was nothing unusual about two people needing the same physician, particularly one who treated the surrounding villages.
But Duchess Shen had shown a keen interest in the timing of his departure.
Perhaps she knew the patient.
Perhaps she was simply worried about her own acquaintance and disappointed that the physician was unavailable.
Rulan would need more information before deciding.
She had gone to the duchess’s compound expecting tea and a pleasant conversation.
She had received both.
And somehow, she had returned with another reason to find Master Lu Zhen.