Just then, hurried footsteps sounded from outside again, followed by the curtain being lifted.
A delicate-looking maid in a dark green satin jacket and slate-blue cotton skirt entered, quickly curtsied, and urgently said, "Nanny Zhu, Third Madam's carriage has already arrived at the main gate. First Madam has arranged for people to welcome them at the Inner Gate. Concubine Fang asks you to quickly arrange for someone to tidy up the main room of Purple Magnolia Courtyard and Eldest Miss's east wing, and heat the floors. Also, check if the bedding and cushions have gotten damp. If they can't be used, replace them as soon as possible."
Nanny Zhu had originally been sitting on a small stool in front of the kang. Upon hearing the young maid's words, she had already jumped up in a panic, even knocking over the small stool with her movement, producing a dull thud. "What? How could it be so soon? Wasn't it said they would arrive by evening? It's just past noon."
"Ah, why are you still asking about that now? Anyway, they're almost here, so hurry up!" With that, she turned and hurriedly ran off again.
Nanny Zhu anxiously paced around the room twice, finally stamped her foot, turned to Ren Yaoqi, and said, "This servant will go make arrangements now."
Nanny Zhu lifted the curtain and left, and the room instantly fell silent.
Ren Yaoqi tilted her head to look out the window, her eyes clear as water.
Perhaps because of the snow, through the thick oiled paper, only a grayish expanse could be seen outside. Although it was just past noon, it seemed like dawn had just broken.
Ren Yaoqi sat quietly on the edge of the kang, waiting for the commotion outside. When her mother returned, she would surely first go to Old Madam Ren's courtyard to pay respects before returning to Purple Magnolia Courtyard.
The two young maids who had been sent away by Nanny Zhu earlier now returned.
"Xueli, did you see? Those guards from Yanbei Prince's Mansion are each and every one tall and brave, even more imposing than the guards in our outer courtyard. It's a pity they all had stern faces; even Hanlu from Fourth Miss's side couldn't get them to lift an eyelid when she walked up to them."
"Ah, by the time I went, the people from Yanbei Prince's Mansion had already left. Then did you see the Old Princess Consort? I heard she's the daughter of the previous emperor, a princess."
"Why would the Princess Consort enter our mansion for no reason? She only sent people to escort Third Madam and Third Miss into the mansion. But no matter how noble a woman's status, if she can't bear a son, it's all for nothing. Even a princess has to make way for other women."
"This... the emperor's daughter must be different, right?"
"What's different? The current Prince of Yanbei wasn't born from this princess; he's the son of that Lady Yun. If a princess can't bear a son, it's like the heavens not sending rain or the master of the house being unreasonable—what can be done?"
"That makes some sense. Let's not discuss these matters anymore, or Nanny Zhu will scold us if she comes in and sees."
"Don't worry, earlier I saw Nanny Zhu leading people to clean the main room. Where would she have time to mind us? Besides, Nanny Zhu would only reprimand us at most. If we fell into the hands of that Nanny Zhou by Third Madam's side, then we'd really be done for."
"Ah, now that Third Madam is back, won't Nanny Zhou still be in charge of Purple Magnolia Courtyard? Then we..."
"That won't happen, right? We're not Third Madam's people; Nanny Zhu and I were both given to Fifth Miss by Concubine Fang."
"But...""Shh—someone's coming."
Outside suddenly fell silent, then noisy footsteps abruptly sounded in the previously quiet garden. Ren Yaoqi straightened her posture, watching shadows pass by the window, seemingly heading toward the main house.
"Third Madam and Third Miss have gone to Old Madam Ren's place. They'll return to Purple Magnolia Courtyard within half an hour. Hurry up and see what's missing, then report immediately to First Madam."
But Ren Yaoqi waited for a long time without anyone returning. Instead, the sounds of people coming and going, reporting, and moving things outside remained noisy.
The medicine Ren Yaoqi had been taking contained sedatives, and eventually she couldn't hold on and fell asleep, though her mind was still preoccupied. She woke again at lamp-lighting time.
Sensing someone sitting by her bedside, she immediately opened her eyes.
A pair of candlesticks had already been lit on the table in the center of the room, about an inch burned down. The dim yellow light stung her eyes uncomfortably upon opening them, making her instinctively turn her head aside.
"Yaoqi, you're awake?" A gentle voice spoke, startling Ren Yaoqi.
The person seemed to notice her discomfort, got up to move the candlesticks to a low table on the west side, then returned.
"Is that better now?"
Ren Yaoqi nodded and said to the woman before her, "When did you arrive, Concubine?"
Though somewhat backlit, she could clearly see the woman beside her. She wore a light purple fox-fur jacket embroidered with orchids on satin, a white pleated skirt, and her jet-black hair was styled in a falling horse bun, adorned only with a pair of uniquely designed gold hairpins.
Pearl earrings swayed gently beneath her ears, casting small shadows on her fair, delicate profile, giving her an exceptionally graceful and refined appearance.
This was Concubine Fang, a woman from Jiangnan. Her speech and demeanor were always elegant and gentle, like a lady stepping out of an ancient painting.
Everyone in the Ren household said she was not only beautiful but also had a bodhisattva-like heart.
In Purple Magnolia Courtyard, several young maids had secretly imitated Concubine Fang's way of speaking and walking. When Third Sister Ren Yaohua caught them, she ordered Nanny Zhou to have them severely beaten with bamboo strips until their calves and insteps were bloody and mangled, then locked them in the woodshed.
As it was midsummer, after three days, maggots had grown below the maids' knees.
During the year when her mother and Ren Yaohua went to the estate, Old Madam Ren entrusted Purple Magnolia Courtyard and her care to Concubine Fang.
In her previous life's memory, this Concubine Fang seemed to indulge her every whim and took great care of her, to the extent that even her own biological daughter, Ninth Sister Ren Yaoying, harbored jealousy toward her because of it.
"I just arrived. I noticed you're covered in sweat—are you very hot?" A cool palm rested on her forehead.
Ren Yaoqi didn't move. "Mm."
Concubine Fang sighed softly. "Why didn't you say you were hot? When you first fell ill, you kept saying you were cold, shivering even under three layers of quilts. That's why I had you moved to the heated brick bed. Now that you're not afraid of the cold, it must mean you're almost recovered. Later, I'll have someone tidy up the bed. You should sleep there tonight—it's more spacious."
Ren Yaoqi nodded.Concubine Fang looked at her for a moment, weighing her words carefully. "Yaoqi, now that your mother and Third Sister have returned, I'm afraid I won't be able to intervene in the affairs of this courtyard anymore. From now on, you should try to accommodate your Third Sister more. She has a proud temperament and is well-liked by the elders. If you continue to oppose her at every turn, you'll only end up suffering. As for Madam... you really can't blame her. You know, when you were born... In any case, Madam does value you—after all, you are her daughter too. It's just that Third Miss is the eldest, so Madam inevitably relies on her more."
Concubine Fang spoke softly and gently, her voice unhurried. Though she spoke in the northern dialect, a careful listener could still detect a hint of a southern accent, soft and pleasant to the ear.
Ren Yaoqi tried to imagine how she would have reacted to these words if she had still been her childhood self, but her expression remained unchanged.
Seeing her silent, Concubine Fang reached out to straighten her quilt and added, "When you're feeling better in a few days, go and see Madam and Third Miss. I just felt your forehead, and it's still quite warm. Madam and Third Miss have just settled in after a long journey, so rest today. Shall I have someone come and change your bedding?"
Her mother and Third Sister had already returned to the courtyard? Ren Yaoqi nodded.
Concubine Fang then stood up and went out. Outside the curtain, her soft, gentle instructions could be heard.
After a while, two maids entered carrying bedding. They walked to the canopy bed in the northern part of the room and began making the bed.
The canopy bed hadn't been slept in for some time and was originally a bit damp. Fortunately, the heated floor in the room was on, and the newly changed bedding was dry. Even so, compared to the warm kang, it was still considerably colder.
Sweating from the heat and then suddenly cooling down was a sure way to catch a chill. Ren Yaoqi wondered if Concubine Fang was aware of this.
Ren Yaoqi asked the little maid named Qingmei to fetch a few small hand warmers and placed them under the covers to warm the bed. She also instructed them to bring a set of clean undergarments and warm them over the incense burner first.
Qingmei whispered to another maid, Xueli, "First, she complained about the heat, and now she's afraid of the cold. Fifth Miss and Third Miss are truly sisters—both so good at making things difficult for others."
"Shh—don't say such things anymore. The ones from the east wing are back..."
Ren Yaoqi didn't hear the maids' complaints. Once the bed was warmed up, she had the maids help her change into her undergarments and assisted her to the bed.
After being warmed by the small hand warmers for so long, the temperature of the bed was almost the same as that of the kang.
Not long after she lay down, someone entered carrying a medicine bowl.
"Fifth Miss, it's time for your medicine," a young woman's voice called softly.
Ren Yaoqi opened her eyes and saw the delicate-looking woman in a dark green satin jacket and stone-blue cotton skirt who had earlier come looking for Nanny Zhu. She was one of Concubine Fang's senior maids, named Jinjú.
"Wasn't the prescription supposed to be changed?" Ren Yaoqi asked, supported by Jinjú as she sat up against the headboard, glancing at the medicine bowl.
Jinjú smiled. "Take this dose first, then we'll change it. Concubine Fang originally sent for a physician, but Nanny Zhou intercepted him halfway to see Third Madam and Third Miss. After the physician reported to Old Madam Ren, the steward sent him away. Concubine Fang said she'll send for another physician for you tomorrow."
"Is Mother ill?"Jinjú glanced at Ren Yaoqi upon hearing this and smiled, "Third Madam and Third Miss have traveled all day, and it's freezing outside with ice and snow everywhere. They must be worried about catching a chill. Fifth Miss, the medicine will get cold soon—please drink it quickly?"
The medicine bowl was brought to her lips, and Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but frown slightly. This wasn’t the prescription she had been taking before.
The previous formula, though mild, had been appropriate for her condition. This bowl, however, had several ingredients altered.
After leaving the Ren Family, she had studied extensively under Mr. Pei. Beyond history and military strategy, she had delved into law, astrology, geomancy, Buddhist scriptures, and had even memorized medical texts thoroughly.
All things in the world are interconnected through mutual generation and restraint. Medicinal herbs are categorized by their nature—yin, yang, or neutral—while illnesses are classified as cold, hot, damp, or dry.
To prescribe accurately, one must understand not only the meridian affinity, direction, ascending or descending properties, and compatibility of the herbs but also the principles of the five elements' generation and restraint, as well as the harmony of the seven emotions.
Contradiction and antagonism in medicinal combinations are major taboos.
For example, the previous prescription contained aconite, a low-grade medicinal herb with toxicity. However, when properly processed and combined, it could become an effective remedy. Today’s bowl, besides aconite, also contained pinellia. Used separately, both are harmless, but together they violate the taboo of medicinal antagonism.
Additionally, several other herbs in this prescription were poorly combined. If she drank this medicine, it wouldn’t immediately harm her constitution, but it would delay her recovery, which was already nearly complete, by several more days.
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