Chapter 41 A Gentleman as Gentle as Jade

The carriage drove away.

Tang Chaoyang did not see the person inside the carriage.

She withdrew her gaze, lowered her eyes to glance at Fei Yin, who was kneeling on the ground, and then looked at Fei Jin. She took out ten taels of silver from her pouch and tossed it to Fei Jin. “Payment for the vase.”

She gently patted Su Ziliang on the shoulder and turned to leave. Su Ziliang turned and followed after Tang Chaoyang.

“Cousin, thank you.” Su Ziliang and Su Zijing were actually not very close to Tang Chaoyang. In the past, whenever Tang Chaoyang occasionally visited the Su family, she would mostly spend time with Su Miao and the other womenfolk.

Tang Chaoyang smiled. “Even if I hadn’t helped, you could have handled it yourself. Are you going back to the residence now, or…?”

Su Ziliang had indeed planned to return to the residence. Tang Chaoyang’s smile turned inexplicably sweet, and she steered her cousin toward the streets in the western district.

Wang Quan was standing among the crowd. He listened to the discussions of the people around him, then looked at the graceful figure of the departing woman. A trace of delight appeared in his eyes.

Though she was a divorced woman, she lived so freely.

Wang Quan’s normally solemn and dignified face showed a hint of satisfaction.

If the illegitimate daughter of the Li family refused the marriage proposal, he was willing to marry Tang Chaoyang.

As for Fei Xiang—since he had already chosen to divorce her, he likely wouldn’t hold it against her, and besides, he himself was no longer in officialdom.

Having thought it all through, Wang Quan hurried toward the Imperial Academy in the capital.

The streets of the western district were not paved as neatly with small stones like those in the eastern district.

Here, the roads were all dirt. When one walked, dust rose with every step.

Su Ziliang rarely came to this part of the city. He looked around at the common people, who were huddling their necks against the cold wind, then at his own warm clothing.

“Ziliang,” Tang Chaoyang said, “if those in power have the people in their hearts, they can live well. If not, the people can only numb themselves to survive. And when they truly can’t go on anymore, do you know what will happen?”

Tang Chaoyang turned her head to look at Su Ziliang, who was pressing his thin lips together. Her cousin still harbored compassion.

She said, “When they are driven to extreme hardship, unable to fill their bellies, they will abandon all morality. They won’t fear us nobles. They will eat the flesh of their own children. They will become utterly inhuman.”

When the common people saw these two finely dressed gentry walking by, they all moved aside to let them pass.

Tang Chaoyang instructed Liu’er to ask someone where chickens were sold. Then, following the directions, she headed to the place that sold chickens.

Su Ziliang followed along, his face full of puzzlement. When they arrived, he finally could not help but ask, “Cousin, if you want to eat chicken, you can just tell the kitchen to prepare it. Why come all the way here to buy one yourself?”

Tang Chaoyang wanted to pick out the rooster with the brightest, most spirited feathers for her son.

She looked at several chicken sellers but wasn’t satisfied. Then, taking a moment, she turned her head and answered her cousin’s question. “An’an wants to raise it. In the future, he will get up when the rooster crows. A good child ought to be indulged.”

Last night, the little fellow had already obtained permission from his great-grandmother to keep a rooster!

It was the first time Su Ziliang had heard of a child wanting to keep a chicken. “…….”

Tang Chaoyang stood in front of a cage containing a vigorous rooster.

Its feathers were bright and shiny, its tail plumes arched high. It held its head proudly—it was obvious it had been raised very well.

The seller was a boy of about ten years old. At first, seeing such noble people, he was a little afraid, but then he forced himself to stammer out a pitch. “Honored lady, this rooster has a lot of meat and is sturdy.”

To a poor family, a chicken with more meat was a good thing.

Tang Chaoyang smiled. “This rooster indeed looks excellent. It’s very lively. How much is it?”

The boy’s nervous face brightened with happiness. “Honored lady, ten copper coins.”

With money, he could buy medicine for his grandmother.

“I’ll buy the cage, too. Is that all right?”

“The cage… the cage doesn’t cost anything,” the boy replied honestly. “I made the chicken cage myself.”

Tang Chaoyang’s smile deepened. She took silver from her pouch and pressed it into the boy’s palm. Turning slightly, she shielded him from the gaze of those around them.

She paid him one tael of silver.

On such a cold day, the boy’s clothes were thin and full of holes.

She didn’t dare give too much, fearing he wouldn’t be able to keep it safe.

There were far too many impoverished people—she couldn’t help every one of them. Seeing this child merely made her think of her own son.

Tang Chaoyang sincerely hoped that the new Emperor would soon implement policies to benefit the people so that by their own labor, they could truly have enough to eat and wear.

The boy looked at the piece of silver in his hand, stunned, then lifted his gaze to Tang Chaoyang.

Tang Chaoyang placed a finger against her lips, making a “shh” gesture. Don’t speak of this.

The boy sniffled, then tightly gripped the silver in his palm.

Su Ziliang silently took up the chicken cage.

The boy watched the backs of the nobles as they left. In his rough little hand, he clutched the silver and quickly ran home.

Today, he had met a fairy.

At this moment, Tang Chaoyang had no idea that because of her small kindness today, this boy would help her greatly in the future.

Next, Tang Chaoyang still needed to go to Prince Cheng’s residence to perform acupuncture on Young Master Qin.

The carriage pulled up in front of Wutong Courtyard. Tang Chaoyang stepped down and instructed Su Ziliang to take everything she’d bought today back to her residence. “Liu’er, you go back too.”

Liu’er agreed.

Su Ziliang glanced at Wutong Courtyard and nodded.

Tang Chaoyang had come to Wutong Courtyard to disguise herself. She would have Mage drive her to the prince’s estate afterward.

No one knew whether someone in the prince’s estate didn’t wish Young Master Qin to live. If so, then she, as the physician, might also be in danger.

Tang Chaoyang kept a small knife close to her body.

As for Ma Jiang, she had instructed him to go handle the preparations for the new school they planned to open.

**

In a side courtyard of Prince Cheng’s residence, the atmosphere had been a little lighter these past two days.

Young Master Qin had been drinking the medicine Tang Chaoyang prescribed and had vaguely felt a slight improvement.

At least when he coughed, his chest didn’t feel so heavy and suffocating.

Just that alone already made him feel a spark of joy.

Moreover, last night he had actually been able to sleep for several hours.

When he woke up and looked at the hourglass, Young Master Qin could not help but lift his hand.

He covered his slightly reddened eyes with his palm, hiding his momentary frailty and emotion.

When Princess Cheng heard her son say he felt a little better, she hurried back to her own room and wept like a woman made of tears.

Mother and son had suffered bitterly all these years.

Princess Cheng gently wiped the corners of her eyes, her voice thick with her nose’s congestion.

She said to Madam Li beside her, “Madam Li, today Doctor Tang will be coming to perform acupuncture on my son. You personally go to the gate to receive her, and be sure to be respectful.”

Madam Li also dabbed at the traces of tears with her handkerchief, choking up as she answered, “Yes, Princess. I will go now.”

The princess and young master had at last endured until the clouds parted and they could see the moon.

Madam Li straightened her clothes and quickly made her way to the main entrance.

Tang Chaoyang had just alighted from the carriage when she heard Madam Li’s joyful and respectful voice. “Doctor Tang.”

Tang Chaoyang smiled. “Madam, let’s go.”

In her previous twenty years of practicing medicine, Tang Chaoyang had witnessed many moving stories of people struggling against illness—and many that were repulsive.

Toward those who fought to survive amid hardship and disease, she felt genuine admiration.

“Doctor Tang, please.” Madam Li led Tang Chaoyang into Prince Cheng’s residence.

This time, Mage carried the medicine chest and followed them inside. Madam Li saw this but dared not say anything.

Tang Chaoyang greeted Princess Cheng with a formal bow.

Princess Cheng turned slightly to avoid receiving the full bow.

Tang Chaoyang, her brows gentle, put on the mask she had made herself and walked into Young Master Qin’s room.

Though the room still smelled of medicine, it was no longer the heavy, unpleasant stench of before. The window was open, and sunlight streamed inside.

The frail young man was leaning to one side on the couch. He seemed to be lost in thought, not reading.

“Doctor Tang,” he said softly as he saw Tang Chaoyang walk in.

The man’s features were extremely refined and gentle. Though his body was thin and weak, it felt as though before her stood a graceful, elegant gentleman—

A man as gentle as jade.