Wang Daxia was like a child who, taking advantage of being ill, made endless demands and clamored for candy—the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Wei Caiwei, considering his injuries, basically indulged his requests.
Wang Daxia’s days during his recovery were nearly perfect, as blissful as an immortal’s—if only Wei Caiwei hadn’t divided her attention to care for Ding Wu.
Ding Wu woke up on the afternoon of the second day, his throat swollen and sore, unable to speak. However, having lived with Wei Caiwei for ten years, she understood his meaning through his eyes and gestures and said, "Your father is fine. The news of your kidnapping did reach him, but he’s suspicious by nature and didn’t believe it."
Suspicion is good—suspicion can save lives.
Hearing that his father was safe, Ding Wu relaxed and fainted again.
Apart from dealing with the coquettish Wang Daxia, Wei Caiwei focused on treating Ding Wu. By the fifth day, Ding Wu could speak, though his voice was hoarse, and he could slowly walk using the crutch Wang Daxia had given Wei Caiwei.
Originally a desk-bound clerk with no martial skills—at most capable of killing a chicken for cooking—after being tortured with the water wheel, his once healthy body had become frail. Dressed in a blue long gown and leaning on the crutch, he moved as delicately as a willow swaying in the breeze, like the ailing beauty Xi Shi.
When Wang Daxia saw the crutch he had made himself in Ding Wu’s hands, he felt both proud and jealous. "I made this," he said.
Ding Wu replied in a raspy voice, "It’s very useful."
Wang Daxia reminded him, "I gave it to Doctor Wei." Not to you.
Ding Wu said, "Then it must be something she treasures, otherwise she wouldn’t have let me use it."
This left Wang Daxia unsure whether to be happy or not.
Ding Wu added, "Thank you for saving me."
Wang Daxia scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I was just following orders. It was Commander Lu who saw through the deception with her sharp eyes, tracked them down, and found you. I just contributed some brute strength."
Ding Wu glanced at his arm. "You’re injured too."
Not wanting to appear weak in front of Ding Wu, Wang Daxia said, "It’s just a burn. Doctor Wei’s medical skills are superb; it’s already scabbing over. I could actually go back to work, but it’s too hot. I don’t want to get up early every day to report for duty, so I’m pretending it’s still serious to rest a few more days—hopefully until summer ends. When it’s hot, I don’t feel like going anywhere; I just want to stay indoors, enjoy the cool, sleep, and eat watermelon."
Ding Wu fell silent at Wang Daxia’s "grand ambitions." He had intended to praise him, but Wang Daxia’s laziness and aversion to heat left him at a loss for words. He finally said, "At such a young age, you’re already indifferent to fame and fortune, finding peace and far-reaching vision."
Wang Daxia chuckled. "Well, whether I work or not, I get the same salary."
Just then, Lu Ying approached silently. Upon hearing Wang Daxia’s words, the temperature seemed to drop instantly. Ding Wu frantically signaled Wang Daxia with his eyes. "During recovery, you should rest properly. Only when you’re fully healed can you work without delays."
Wang Daxia shook his arm. "It’s fine. I’m tough and rough; it’s almost healed. I just want a few more days off to milk some extra medical expenses. The food during sick leave is different too—all specially prepared, delicious and nourishing. No need to eat the common mess hall fare. Look, I’ve even gained weight around the waist recently."
As Lu Ying’s expression grew increasingly stern, Ding Wu looked at Wang Daxia with a gaze full of "concern for the foolish" and sympathy.Lu Ying said, "Is that so? Since you're better, you should resume your duties starting tomorrow."
Upon hearing the voice behind him, Wang Daxia's mind buzzed, finally understanding the meaning behind Ding Wu's earlier words. He slowly turned around with an ingratiating smile, "It can't be that quick. Doctor Wei said burns are the slowest to heal, especially in summer. If sweat gets on the wound, it could get infected and relapse repeatedly. It won't be fully recovered until the scab falls off naturally."
Wei Caiwei came out carrying Ding Wu's medicine, "Drink this."
After Ding Wu took the medicine and picked up some preserved fruit from the plate to suck on, Wei Caiwei was about to take the plate away when Wang Daxia grabbed a handful of preserved fruit and stuffed them into his mouth. He had just finished lunch and come to the cool grape arbor for a walk, not particularly wanting the preserved fruit. He just couldn't stand Wei Caiwei only serving medicine to Ding Wu.
Wang Daxia asked, "What about my medicine?"
Wei Caiwei reminded him, "You haven't taken any oral medicine for three days. Only external application is needed now."
Wang Daxia slapped his forehead, "Oh, I remember now."
Lu Ying had long been exasperated by this subordinate. She said, "Your father sent Officer Mu to ask why you haven't been home all this time and didn't even send a message. I told him you were away on a distant assignment and would return in about half a month. But judging by how much wider your waist has become, you should be fine by tomorrow."
"Not tomorrow, let me rest for another half month," Wang Daxia looked at Wei Caiwei as if grasping at a lifeline. "We should follow the doctor's orders. I'll start reporting for duty whenever Doctor Wei says I can."
Recently, Wang Daxia had been acting spoiled and unreasonable like a vexing little imp. Wei Caiwei's feelings toward him alternated between affection and annoyance, leaving her quite conflicted. She wished she could immediately kick him out to handle affairs and enjoy some peace and quiet. But seeing Wang Daxia's pleading eyes, she abandoned her medical principles and said, "Probably about ten more days."
Wang Daxia said triumphantly, "Commander Lu, see? I wasn't lying. The doctor has spoken."
Wei Caiwei never thought she would indulge him, spoil him, and even help him cheat on sick leave.
Had she known this would happen, she would—well, probably still make the same choice.
Wei Caiwei felt quite melancholy: When will he ever grow up and become less troublesome?
Lu Ying couldn't be bothered with him and asked Ding Wu, "Are you feeling better today?"
Unable to stand for long, Ding Wu leaned on his crutch and sat on the chair under the grape arbor. "Much better than yesterday. I'll probably recover in about a month, then I'll return to Tieling. It's a long journey. By the time I go back, Tieling might already have snow. If it gets any later, heavy snow will block the roads and make travel difficult."
Ding Wu had originally planned to leave a few days earlier, but the arranged trip was disrupted by the kidnapping, preventing his departure.
Lu Ying said, "Focus on recovering first. Don't worry about your travel plans. My father is still concerned about Vice Minister Yan. You're safe here at the Imperial Guard Office. Tieling is too far away—if anything happens there, we wouldn't be able to help in time."
Ding Wu stood up with his crutch, "This commoner will follow Commander Lu's arrangements in all matters."
Wang Daxia hurriedly asked, "Will Vice Minister Yan really let this go? I don't believe it either. While I'm safe recuperating at the Imperial Guard Office, my father remains completely unaware that I've offended Vice Minister Yan. What if Vice Minister Yan targets my father?"
When Vice Minister Yan showed his vicious side, he would exterminate entire families.
Lu Ying said, "I don't know at the moment. Anyway, my father has people keeping watch."With Lu Bing as his backer, Wang Daxia felt at ease—he was naturally carefree, and with just one word from Lu Ying, his worries vanished into thin air.
After chatting for a while, the four dispersed: Lu Ying returned to her duties, Wang Daxia went back to his room for a nap—he would likely sleep until just before dinner—and Wei Caiwei helped the cane-supported Ding Wu back to his room to rest.
As Ding Wu lay on the Arhat bed, Wei Caiwei applied acupuncture to unblock his meridians. Ding Wu hesitated, then finally asked in a low voice, "That Commander Lu... is a girl, isn’t she?"
Wei Caiwei was so startled she nearly misplaced a needle. "You... how did you know?"
Hearing her reaction, Ding Wu confirmed his suspicion and said, "That night in the Goldfish Pond, when she saved me, I had no strength left and couldn’t breathe. She... gave me a breath of air. Later, when I couldn’t walk, she practically carried me, and most of my body leaned against hers... I touched her chest. It wasn’t a boy’s chest."
"At the time, my mind was fading in and out, and I thought it was an illusion. But these past few days, she’s visited me often. Even in this heat, she wears a high-collared robe, so I can’t see her throat clearly. But her voice... at her age, it should have deepened, yet it hasn’t. It still has that ambiguous, youthful tone, so I believe she must be disguising herself as a man."
Wei Caiwei replied, "She is the fourth young lady of the Lu family, not an illegitimate child. Even Wang Daxia doesn’t know about this. Just pretend you’re unaware."
Recalling Wang Daxia’s "brilliant" performance under the grapevine, Ding Wu said, "No wonder Wang Daxia is clueless. He’s probably the last person in the Embroidered Uniform Guard to figure it out."
Wei Caiwei silently agreed with Ding Wu’s assessment—it was highly likely true.
Fortunately, Ding Wu didn’t dwell on Wang Daxia and said, "In that case, I’ve been disrespectful." Between the kiss and the embrace, he had never been so intimate with a woman before.
Wei Caiwei reassured him, "It wasn’t intentional, and Commander Lu didn’t take it to heart—she was only focused on saving you. You mustn’t let on that you know she’s a woman. Treat her as a man; this is a secret."
Ding Wu murmured, "I see. But... we’ve already had physical contact. I can’t ignore the fact that she’s a woman. If I strictly adhere to the rules of propriety between men and women, I’m afraid it’ll be hard to conceal."
"What else can you do?" Wei Caiwei said. "Are you going to offer yourself in marriage?"
Ding Wu quickly replied, "How could I? I’m just an exiled commoner, and she’s a noble lady from a prominent family in the capital."
And that wasn’t all. There was also his mother’s tragic death. Now, forced to deal with Yan Shifan’s threats, he and his father had no choice but to set aside their past integrity and form a fragile alliance with Lu Bing. But that didn’t mean the Ding and Lu families had reconciled.
Thinking of this, Ding Wu said, "I’ll try my best to ignore her femininity and treat her as a man."
Yet, why did he feel an inexplicable emptiness? Ding Wu struggled to push thoughts of Lu Ying aside and deliberately shifted the topic to Wang Daxia. "That Wang Daxia is quite interesting—part righteous, part rogue. Usually unreliable, but dependable in critical moments."
Wei Caiwei continued applying needles and said, "No one is perfect."
Ding Wu remarked, "You seem quite concerned about him."Wei Caiwei felt guilty, afraid that Ding Wu would see through her ulterior motives towards Wang Daxia, and said, "He's just a half-grown boy who can't take care of himself, so I'm being a bit nicer to him."
After Ding Wu had rested, Lu Bing's trusted subordinate came to invite Wei Caiwei, saying that Lord Lu had something to discuss with her.
Wei Caiwei went to see Lu Bing, who handed her a blank roster containing fields for name, age, birthplace, medical specialties, and so on.
"This..." Wei Caiwei was baffled.
Lu Bing explained, "All female physicians for the inner court are recruited from among the common people. First, local government offices recommend female physicians skilled in medical prescriptions and fill out these rosters. Then they are sent to the Directorate of Ceremonial, where they undergo examinations by the imperial physicians. Those who pass will have their names registered in the inner court for potential recruitment (Note 1)."
"Female physicians registered for inner court recruitment don't need to reside in the palace—they only enter when summoned. Even so, once you pass the imperial physician examination and have your name registered in the inner court, gaining recognition from the imperial physicians, your medical practice outside will become much smoother. You won't have to roam the streets as an itinerant doctor. Eventually, high officials and nobles will pay handsomely to request your consultations."
Lu Bing pointed at the blank roster, "This is the recommendation form I obtained from the Shuntian Prefecture Governor. Fill it out and submit it to me along with your Household Certificate. After the Directorate of Ceremonial reviews it, they will schedule your examination. Whether you pass or not depends entirely on your ability."
Author's Note: Note 1: The selection process for female physicians is derived from Jiang YiKui's "Chang'an Kehua" from the Ming Dynasty. Simply put, Ming Dynasty palace female physicians were considered extra-governmental institutional personnel. They were not state-supported civil servants and held no official rank. Imperial physicians, in contrast, were within the system—state civil servants with salaries and official ranks. Female physicians who passed the examinations were registered with the Directorate of Ceremonial and had to remain on call for inner court summons. They supported themselves through medical consultations in their daily lives. Their status was far below that of imperial physicians, being outside the system, but they could lead comfortable lives thanks to the prestige of being palace female physicians.
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