Chapter 26

Pei Weixuan’s appearance was truly frightening.

Madam Wen’s face turned pale with worry.

Xu Qinyu’s heart was in her throat, filled with concern.

The black lines in his veins grew deeper, twisting within his blood vessels. The entire network of black lines seemed to writhe, and large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, his face ghostly white.

Just watching him, one could tell how painful it was—perhaps as painful as having one’s bones scraped. Yet Pei Weixuan didn’t make a sound.

Madam Wen’s eyes reddened, and she called out twice, “Weixuan?”

He seemed unable to hear the sounds around him, his head bowed and eyes closed.

This situation lasted for about half an hour. Pei Weixuan slowly raised his head and opened his eyes. The usual coldness was gone, replaced by an emotionless, icy stare. Even in the eyes of the small white snake and the little black leopard, Xu Qinyu could see a hint of innocence. Larger wild animals also showed emotions in their eyes, but his eyes had none, reminding her of the time in Raozhou City when she checked his breathing at the inn. He had suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed her wrist with the same expression. She had thought she was mistaken then, but now she knew she wasn’t.

Madam Wen also noticed the lack of emotion in her son’s eyes, her hands trembling with fear.

Pei Weixuan glanced at them expressionlessly but made no other movements, slowly closing his eyes again.

Another half hour passed, and the blackness in his veins finally dissipated, returning to blue. He slowly regained consciousness, his eyes clearing. Seeing Madam Wen and Xu Qinyu’s pale faces, he asked, “Did I scare you?”

“Weixuan, are you alright?” Madam Wen’s voice was choked with emotion. She had already lost one son and didn’t want to lose another.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I’m fine now.” His voice was a bit hoarse.

Xu Qinyu patted her chest. “Fourth Brother, your veins turned black just now, and Mother and I were both scared. I’m glad you’re alright. Is the poison completely gone?”

Pei Weixuan paused and said, “I need three more treatments, one every seven days, during heavy snowfall. The poison will be completely cleared from my body within a month.”

Xu Qinyu thought this detoxification process was terrifying.

Modern medicine, both traditional Chinese and Western, was much more advanced. However, even with modern medicine, some poisonings, like certain pesticides, were irreversible. So, always cherish your life!

Life only happens once, and no matter what situation she finds herself in, she will never give up on her life.

After Pei Weixuan finished speaking, he looked at Xu Qinyu.

Xu Qinyu blinked.

Pei Weixuan sighed, “Yuniang, I need to get out.”

Xu Qinyu suddenly realized that he was only wearing wet pants. She touched her nose and said, “Fourth Brother, I’ll leave now.”

Wen Shi also left with her. Pei Weixuan stood up, his narrow waist and long legs evident. Although he was thin, his skin and muscles were full of strength. He casually grabbed a cloth and wiped off the medicinal liquid from his body. Then he carried the bath barrel outside to empty it, boiled a new pot of water, and washed off the medicinal smell before going to sleep.

…

Xu Qinyu didn’t sleep well that night. She had never kept a small snake as a pet before, but after a few days, she found it quite cute. That night, she dreamed that the small white snake had grown to three or four meters long, looking very intimidating. Its scales were jade-colored, and its tongue was pink. Although its eyes were a deep red, its features were delicate. She had fed it so well that it was as fat as an adult. In her dream, the big fat snake insisted on cuddling with her in bed, almost crushing her.

Xu Qinyu woke up feeling a bit dazed. Maybe she had slept too rigidly, with her hands on her chest, causing chest tightness and leading to that nightmare.

Xu Qinyu got dressed, got out of bed, and went to the kitchen. As soon as she lit the stove, Pei Weixuan came in. Seeing the empty water tank with some scale inside, he carried it outside to clean it, then brought it back and filled it with water. He then came over to help tend the fire.

Xu Qinyu was curious about how Fourth Brother had learned medicine. Seeing how painful it was for him to detoxify, she imagined it must have been even worse when he was poisoned.

Her curiosity got the better of her, and she asked, “Fourth Brother, how did you learn medicine?”

Pei Weixuan glanced at her and didn’t hide the truth. He slowly said, “When I was young, I met an old eunuch in the cold palace. He taught me.”

The old eunuch taught him not only medicine but also martial arts. After the old eunuch had taught him everything he knew, he gave him many rare medical and martial arts books, and Pei Weixuan began to learn on his own.

He met the old eunuch in the cold palace.

At that time, he was only two years old and had not yet been poisoned by Noble Consort Fu. He had always disliked being close to people and preferred to avoid the palace maids who took care of him, wandering around the palace to find a quiet place.

The quietest places in the palace were the various cold palaces, and the quietest and most secluded of them all was the northern cold palace, simply called the North Place. It was a dilapidated courtyard where he would sunbathe on the courtyard wall. An old concubine with graying hair lived there, attended by an old eunuch.

He and the old eunuch and the old concubine didn’t disturb each other. Occasionally, they would see each other, with the old concubine and eunuch sunbathing in the courtyard while he lay on the wall.

Later, his father discovered that he was brilliant and learned quickly, so he arranged for him to start his education at two years old, with a grand tutor teaching him.

He was only two years old and didn’t understand what it meant. It meant that someone feared his intelligence and potential to become the crown prince, so they wanted to eliminate him.

Someone tried to kill him by strangling him in his sleep. He had a dagger under his pillow, and as a small child, he struggled to draw it and injure the attacker. The attacker, injured, loosened their grip, allowing him to call for help and save his life.

The would-be assassin was a young eunuch in his palace, who was later found to have jumped into a well. Despite his father’s anger and a thorough investigation, nothing was uncovered. After this incident, his father assigned guards to his palace and continued the investigation, though nothing was found.

The mastermind, fearing exposure, ceased their attempts.

After this experience, he became more silent. Perhaps due to the trauma, his health deteriorated, and he frequently fell ill. He often sneaked into the cold palace to stay.

Two years later, the old eunuch couldn’t bear it any longer and called him over, revealing that he had been poisoned. If untreated, he would either die or be left crippled.

The old eunuch began teaching him medicine and detoxifying his body, explaining that the poison was complex and required a year of continuous administration. Even if he survived, his body would be weakened, and the poison would take years to remove thoroughly.

The eunuch advised him to hide his talents, saying that even as a prince, he had to live humbly in the palace.

The old eunuch taught him medicine and martial arts while helping him detoxify.

He gradually followed the eunuch’s advice, hiding his abilities. He pretended to learn slowly and became mediocre in his studies, disappointing his father. The poison worsened his health, making him pale and frail. Seeing his poor health, his father no longer expected great achievements from him, only hoping for his well-being. Eventually, he stopped attending the imperial study sessions.

The mastermind, seeing him weak and unthreatening, left him alone.

The old eunuch taught him everything he knew and provided rare books for him to study.

He continued to spend time in the cold palace.

Seeing Yuniang’s eager expression, he hesitated but then shared the story of the old eunuch and the old concubine with her.

He had been by the old eunuch’s side for a long time and knew that the old eunuch was a martial artist. The old concubine’s family background was ordinary; her father was a sixth-rank official. When the concubine was young, she went to a temple to offer incense and encountered refugees. Her horse lost control and ran wildly, and the carriage almost fell into a nearby ravine. A passing chivalrous man saved her, and they became acquainted and fell in love. However, their relationship remained proper and respectful. The chivalrous man went to the girl’s house to propose marriage, but her father disapproved because the man had no fixed residence and was a martial artist.

Later, when the previous emperor, his grandfather, was selecting concubines, the girl’s father sent her to the palace. The emperor liked her, and she stayed in the palace as a concubine. The chivalrous man, upon learning this, castrated himself and entered the palace to silently accompany the girl. When the girl made a mistake and was sent to the cold palace, he was the only one who stayed by her side.

When he was ten years old, the old concubine passed away. Since she was the emperor’s concubine and had been sent to the cold palace, she was not buried in the imperial tomb but next to it. A few days after her death, the old eunuch also passed away. No one knew his name or where he came from, so he was buried in a mass grave outside the city.

Before the old eunuch died, he told him this story and asked him to collect his bones, burn them to ashes, and scatter them on the concubine’s grave. He fulfilled the old eunuch’s wish.

Xu Qinyu didn’t expect to hear another love story. After hearing it, she felt sad and a bit regretful for the concubine and the old eunuch. She thought the old eunuch was deeply affectionate and felt that at least they had each other for half a lifetime, so they were not lonely. She hoped that in their next life, they could have a good ending.

After sighing, Xu Qinyu saw the little white snake by the stove and thought of her dream last night. She couldn’t help but touch it. Seeing the little black panther nearby, she touched it too, to be fair. Then she spoke to Pei Weixuan, “Fourth Brother, should we give them names?”

Although the little white snake had only been raised for two or three months, it might have developed feelings in that time. It wouldn’t be appropriate to keep calling it “little snake,” so it was better to give it a name. The same went for the little black panther, which would guard the house in the future and needed a name.

Pei Weixuan glanced at the white and black animals and said, “Yu Niang can decide.”

While frying eggs, Xu Qinyu thought of names for the two animals. She decided to name the little snake “Bai Yu” (White Jade) because it looked like white jade. She thought the name was quite nice. As for the little black panther, she decided to name it “Mo Shui” (Ink) because it was so black.

Pei Weixuan also thought the names were good. He wondered if “Mo Shui” referred to the ink made from grinding an ink stick. Did she call ink “Mo Shui”?

After naming the two animals, Xu Qinyu finished frying the eggs and started making pancakes. In the morning, they went to set up their stall together, and it was snowing heavily.

At the dock, Xu Qinyu had been selling meat buns for half a month and worried that people might be tired of them. She asked, “Brother Zhuang Zi, Brother Hei Dan, are you tired of eating meat buns for half a month?”

The two naturally shook their heads. “Such delicious food. How could we get tired of it?”

They were from poor families and didn’t have the luxury of getting tired of food. In the past, their families had hard times, and in winter, they only had taro and bean porridge, with only cabbage and radish as vegetables, all boiled in water. They ate quickly because they were hungry.

Xu Qinyu thought for a moment and said, “I’m planning to introduce a new dish tomorrow, made with pork intestines but with a different flavor. I’ll make a small batch to try selling.”

She wanted to change things up. After eating fish for half a month, she hadn’t touched meat buns or fish for breakfast and dinner recently, eating other things instead.

Zhuang Zi and Hei Dan said, “We like whatever the young lady makes.”

They had great confidence in her cooking skills!