Chapter 20: Visiting the Sick

Chapter 20: Visiting the Sick

Two figures, one tall and one small, crouched at his doorway.

Zhou Ji’s sorrow turned to fury as he cried out, "Can’t you hear me? I want to become a son-in-law by marriage, but my grandfather won’t allow it!"

The cell fell into utter silence, as if no one had heard the mention of “becoming a son-in-law.”

Xie Zhenchuan remained expressionless, as though he hadn’t heard a word. His deep, dark eyes showed no flicker of emotion, though a faint frost seemed to veil their depths.

Bei Ming, tasked with recording the proceedings, already had fine beads of sweat on his forehead. Holding the brush, he hesitated, unsure how to proceed.

Even the ink appeared startled—it dripped from the brush tip onto the paper, blurring the character for "son-in-law."

Zhou Ji continued speaking.

As if facing death, he pressed on, indifferent to whether the listener was friend or foe: "My little cousin is adorable, so innocent and lively. Everyone in the family adores her—I’m no exception."

"Later, when Grandfather noticed my feelings, he first said I lacked official rank, so I studied hard and passed both county and prefectural exams. Then he claimed my temperament was too blunt, so I took on tasks to gain experience and made progress. When excuses ran out, he finally told me the truth. Though I love my little cousin, I simply couldn’t bring myself to become a son-in-law, so I gradually gave up the idea…"

From this, it appeared the Guangcheng Marquis’ household was cleared of suspicion. Zhou Zeshan had even been secretly investigating. The cousin was also exonerated—she truly harbored no ulterior motives, only wishing for a good husband to marry into the family.

But she was astonishingly bold to set her sights on Xie Zhenchuan for this role.

While analyzing the situation, Chen Ting struggled to control his expression. He stole a glance at his friend and, seeing Xie Zhenchuan impassive, stiffly said with a wooden face, "No need to dwell on it. Even after all your efforts, your little cousin might never have considered you anyway."

It seems your cousin now has her heart set on having the "Commander Lord Xie of Zhuoying Si" you mentioned marry into the family.

Zhou Ji burst into loud sobs, thrashing violently. "A scholar would rather die than suffer humiliation! If you dare, kill me! But harm my family, and I’ll haunt you even as a ghost!"

No one replied. Only the harsh sound of chairs scraping the floor broke the silence.

Xie Zhenchuan had heard enough. He dropped his brush and strode out.

Chen Ting and Bei Ming exchanged glances and hurried after him.

Behind them, Zhou Ji’s furious shouts echoed, "Hey! Where are you going? I haven’t finished! Which office do you belong to? I’ll report you! I’m going to report you!"

-

In the large meeting hall, the surroundings were cleared, leaving only the three of them.

Xie Zhenchuan sat in the seat of honor. The strong tea in his cup had been replaced with freshly prepared ginger soup. He drank the spicy-sweet hot liquid in one gulp and resumed his usual composure. "Just a slight chill, nothing serious. Why did you follow me out? You should’ve continued the interrogation."

Chen Ting quickly waved his hands. "We’ve essentially finished. That man is clearly unstable and rambles. Continuing would be a waste of time."

Xie Zhenchuan gave a soft "Hmm," his slender fingers lightly tapping the account books on the table, signaling a return to the earlier topic.

Bei Ming promptly reported to Lord Chen: "When we arrived at the scene, the accounting office of the Huai’an Salt Transport Branch had already been burned to the ground. Only these two account books survived—purely because Zhou Ji happened to be lying on top of them. After verification, both are ledgers from the Huai’an Salt Transport Branch—one public, one private. The public ledger shows falsified loss reports, embezzlement, and misappropriation, though exact amounts are difficult to verify. As for the private ledger, this single book records annual deposits of this amount—likely taxes concealed through collusion with salt merchants."

He signaled a number with his fingers, and Chen Ting nearly jumped out of his chair. "Thirty thousand taels?"

Bei Ming nodded and added, "Gold."

Fortunately, he had already experienced the shock of wealth at Miss Li Ci’s home; otherwise, he might not have maintained his composure.

Chen Ting paused. "Since we have both witness and evidence, to avoid complications, shouldn’t we immediately send the Zhuoying Si to arrest those at the Huai’an Salt Transport Branch?"

But Xie Zhenchuan disagreed. "Acting rashly now will only make them sacrifice a pawn to save the king."

His eyes were dark and deep, like the ocean, concealing a trace of turbulent killing intent. "What’s the Huai’an Prefect compared to this? I want every corrupt official in Jiangnan to lose sleep over this."

Xie Zhenchuan flipped to a page in the ledger, his slender finger pointing to a circled figure. "In these records, transportation and storage costs are minimal, yet there’s heavy movement in and out of calligraphy and paintings. Is the Huai’an Prefect or the Salt Transport Deputy Commissioner a connoisseur of art?"

Chen Ting shook his head. "I’ve never heard of such a thing. Not just in Huai’an—even in Yingtian, I’ve never known any officials with such refined tastes."

"Then that’s where we begin. Huai’an is already tense. To avoid alerting our targets, we’ll start investigations in Yingtian. Find out which calligraphy and paintings fetched sky-high prices in the market over the past two years, their origins, and where they ended up."

Seeing his lord had decided, Bei Ming quickly accepted the order and turned to leave—but Xie Zhenchuan stopped him.

Xie Zhenchuan slightly pressed his lips, a cold, arrogant glint in his eyes. "As for the man in the cell—release him for now."

"Make sure to clarify things with him. Matters of the official world must not involve innocents. He must keep silent and say nothing he shouldn’t. Today must seem as if nothing happened. If even a whisper leaks out—" Xie Zhenchuan paused, curling his lips into a cold smile, "someone will personally oversee his fate."

The weight of these words overwhelmed Bei Ming—he couldn’t fully grasp what was implied. He nodded vaguely and hurried away from the tense scene.

Only Xie Zhenchuan and Chen Ting remained in the hall.

Chen Ting felt the pressure too and tried to lighten the mood with a joke. "Lord Xie does have a kind heart after all. That cousin seems naive. If word spreads about seeking a son-in-law, it’d be like a child carrying gold through the marketplace—she’d be devoured without a trace."

Xie Zhenchuan, perhaps weakened by the chill, looked somewhat weary, his thin lips pale. He lowered his eyes, flipping through the ledger he’d already reviewed, indifferently saying, "What does it have to do with her?"

"The Guangcheng Marquis’ household contributed to this case. If they become targets of attention, they might inadvertently reveal clues. Besides, I’m staying there now. I need some peace."

Seeing his friend still maintained his impartial, single-minded demeanor, Chen Ting first sighed in relief, then grew worried for the innocent young girl.

Even back in the capital, high-born ladies longed for Xie Zhenchuan. He remembered at a palace banquet two years ago, the daughter of the Left Vice Minister of Personnel deliberately overturned a cup, trying to spill wine on Xie Zhenchuan’s robes. Xie Er dodged it—and the next day, evidence was gathered of her family selling official posts. The entire family was exiled to Hami Wei to herd sheep.

Let alone Li Ci’s fanciful notion of having him marry into her family.

Chen Ting took several deep breaths. In the past, he could somewhat guess Xie Zhenchuan’s thoughts, but this time, his expression and words were impenetrable, making his intentions impossible to discern.

Such a delicate, beautiful young girl—if she were harmed by Xie Zhenchuan… He couldn’t bear the thought and felt compelled to speak up for Li Ci. "That cousin, though her words and actions were improper, ignorance isn’t a crime. It’s not a grave fault. Once your identity is revealed, she’ll naturally restrain herself. Please be magnanimous and don’t hold it against her."

Xie Zhenchuan remained silent, his expression aloof. His phoenix eyes lifted slightly, hinting at mockery.

Chen Ting added, "Besides, she hasn’t done much—just eaten your pastries a few times and visited you more often. It’s all sincere. She’s even given you many gifts."

"Not to mention the brocade and the gold adorned with dragon and phoenix designs—even today’s twin lotus branch. If the Li family offered it to the Emperor in the capital, couldn’t they secure an honorary title? Yet she asked for nothing, only wanting to give it to you."

Xie Zhenchuan’s expression finally softened slightly. He rested his head on his hand and gently massaged his temples. "Enough. I know what to do."

Seeing his agreement, Chen Ting finally relaxed and reminded him to take medicine for the chill before gracefully taking his leave.

-

Unlike Xie Zhenchuan, who selflessly gave his outer robe to shield someone from the wind after falling into water, then rushed back to work without proper rest, Li Ci returned home, took a comfortable hot bath, happily drank a bowl of brown sugar ginger soup, and remained full of energy.

The next morning, when she asked for another bowl of brown sugar ginger soup, she was flatly refused.

To coax the young lady into taking her medicinal diet, Xiuchun racked her brains and shared news she’d gathered over the past couple of days to make the meal more interesting.

"At yesterday’s poetry contest at Jingde Hou Mansion, Miss Ling from our household won first place again and received rewards from the Marchioness of Jingde, which upset Miss Chun quite a bit…"

"Some also say they saw a twin lotus at Jingde Hou Mansion—an immense auspicious sign. But the Hou Mansion sent people to comb Mirror Lake overnight, damaging many precious flowers without finding anything. That person must have been mistaken. Auspicious signs have eyes—how could they simply appear at Jingde Hou Mansion…"

"Eldest Young Master Zhou Ji has returned from his studies. He sent gifts for you, miss. I was going to help you return the courtesy, but I heard Young Master Zhou seems down today, locking himself in his room and refusing to see anyone…"

"I also heard from Nan Xuan at Fangze Yard that Master Xie caught a chill yesterday and didn’t go to the academy today. He’s taken sick leave at home."

Li Ci finished the last sip of her pseudostellaria root and lean pork soup, put down her spoon, and asked with surprise, "Is Brother Xie Zheng unwell?"

Xiuchun nodded. "It seems quite serious. I heard he’s on leave for the next few days."

"Has a doctor been called to see him?"

Xiuchun shook her head again. "Not yet. I heard that Master Xie brewed some medicine himself."

"That won’t do," Li Ci said, springing up from her chair. "I’ll go check on him."

-

Li Ci was now a closely monitored presence at Fangze Courtyard. Before she even reached the gate, a servant hurried to inform Nan Xuan: the young lady had arrived.

Nan Xuan was at his wits' end. If he didn’t stop her, he feared the master would be angry; if he did stop her, he also feared the master would be angry. He was truly caught between a rock and a hard place.

As Li Ci approached the door, he gritted his teeth and made a decision, dismissing all the servants in the courtyard and pretending not to notice.

Wasn’t the charge of negligence better than causing trouble?

When Li Ci entered the courtyard, she found it completely empty and unnervingly quiet.

She turned to Xiuchun with concern. "Could it be that Brother Xie Zheng has taken a turn for the worse?"

Xiuchun, carrying the ginseng box, also felt uneasy. "I haven’t heard anything like that."

Not wanting to disturb the patient, Li Ci refrained from making noise in the courtyard. Instead, she quietly pushed open the study door.

Peeking through the door, she called out softly, "Brother Xie Zheng."

Xie Zhenchuan was merely suffering from a chill. He had taken the day off not because he was seriously ill, but because the overcast weather had made him feel lazy.

Just like the day they first met, he was reclining on the daybed, holding a book. The half-open lattice window behind him revealed a sky where the sun had disappeared.

The summer heat lingered, and the air was thick with humidity. Dark clouds gathered on the horizon, swallowing the clear blue sky and turning it a somber shade of leaden gray.

Through the half-open screen, he glanced toward the sound of her voice.

Li Ci, dressed in a light blue gown embroidered with cloud patterns, was the only splash of color in the courtyard. Today, she wore a jade hibiscus hairpin adorned with a few round, luminous pearls, gleaming like warm winter sunlight, bright and endearing.

Xie Zhenchuan hummed in acknowledgment and turned his face away, focusing on the book in his hands.

Li Ci gestured for Xiuchun to give the ginseng box to Nan Xuan while she stepped further in, her voice as warm as sunshine. "I heard you were sick. Was it because you caught a chill after falling into the water yesterday?"

Xie Zhenchuan continued reading, his voice low and slightly hoarse as he replied, "No."

Perhaps due to the previous day’s illness, though he was mostly recovered, his voice still carried a raspy quality, as if tempered by tea steam, effortlessly stirring one’s heart.

Unfortunately, the person listening was a bit oblivious and took his obvious lie at face value.

"That’s good. I thought you were sick, so I specially brought a wild ginseng today," Li Ci said, sitting down by the daybed. She tilted her head, looking at Xie Zhenchuan with genuine concern. "I bought this old ginseng from Zhi Xing Tang. Doctor Xue said that no matter how serious the illness, as long as there’s still a breath left, brewing a qian can sustain a person for a day."

Xie Zhenchuan couldn’t help but let out a cold, humorless laugh, his voice still hoarse. "Thank you, Ah Ci, for wishing me well and leaving me with just enough breath to survive."

Li Ci, missing the sarcasm in his words, waved her hand earnestly. "Brother Xie Zheng, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. It’s the least I can do."

Relieved that he "wasn’t sick," she began glancing around the study curiously.

After a long silence, Xie Zhenchuan asked coldly, "What are you looking for?"

Li Ci leaned in slightly, bringing with her a faint citrus blossom scent—neither like incense nor sachets, but a delicate, refreshing fragrance.

Xie Zhenchuan instinctively held his breath, only to be caught off guard as she whispered close to his ear, "Where is the twin lotus we secretly brought back from Jingde Marquis Estate yesterday?"

Xie Zhenchuan turned his head to look at her, his dark eyes seeming to pierce straight into her heart, searching for any hint of regret.

He replied calmly, "It’s in the study."

"Since you went through so much trouble to get it, if you want it, just say the word, and I’ll have it sent to you."

"No, no, I’d never be able to keep it alive," Li Ci immediately declined, gazing sweetly at Xie Zhenchuan. "I just thought that since the twin lotus is an auspicious sign, I could make a wish for Brother Xie Zheng’s health and happiness."

"No need," Xie Zhenchuan cut her off without hesitation, a trace of resistance hidden in his low, raspy voice. "The flower was just planted yesterday, and I caught a chill the same day. It’s clearly not an auspicious sign—it’s just a flower."

Li Ci widened her eyes. "Brother Xie Zheng, didn’t you just say you weren’t sick?"

Now she’s quick to catch on.

Xie Zhenchuan ignored her question and countered, "Weren’t you going to see the flower? Are you still going?"

Li Ci shook her head, her tone serious. "I came here to see you, Brother Xie Zheng."

She secretly added in her heart, Besides, you’re more pleasing to look at than the flower.

This was the truth. Xie Zhenchuan possessed striking features and an extraordinary elegance, surpassing even the pristine beauty of the twin lotus.

Today, he wore a simple white robe, yet he stood out like a pine tree in the wind or the moon reflected in water—distant and untouchable as frost-laden clouds. Even on such a stifling, oppressive day, a single glance at him could clear one’s mind and lift the spirits.

Xie Zhenchuan remained expressionless. "Since you’ve already seen me, to avoid passing any illness to you, I won’t keep you longer."

"It’s fine," Li Ci declared boldly, straightening up. "I’m very healthy. Even if I do get sick, it’s okay—I can drink Brown Sugar Ginger Soup with you."

"There is no Brown Sugar Ginger Soup."

Xie Zhenchuan remained unmoved, coldly rejecting her suggestion. He tilted his head slightly, signaling Nan Xuan to see her out.

Nan Xuan, who had been standing silently by the shelf hoping to blend into the background, had no choice but to step forward. Steeling himself, he said to Li Ci, "Young Lady, please."

With no brown sugar to enjoy and Brother Xie Zheng sick, there likely wouldn’t be any other treats today. Though a bit dejected, Li Ci meekly followed Nan Xuan out.

The study door closed once more, and silence returned.

Xie Zhenchuan finally regained a moment of peace and reopened his book.

But the weather refused to cooperate. Dark clouds swiftly blotted out the sky, leaving almost no light.

Large raindrops pelted down with the thunder, driven wildly by the gusting wind. The lattice window rattled noisily, and after standing by it for just a moment, Xie Zhenchuan’s sleeve was already damp.

Irritated, he set down his book, closed the lattice window, and walked to the door.

The storm was so fierce today that even an umbrella would be useless—little better than falling in the water yesterday.

If she were to get drenched and catch a chill, she wouldn’t recover as quickly as he had. Who knew what trouble she’d cause then?

Having rationalized it to himself, Xie Zhenchuan finally pushed the door open, only to be met with an unexpected sight.

Two figures—one large, one small—were crouched by his doorway. One was slight and wind-blown, with her hair and skirts fluttering wildly in the wind: Li Ci. The other was furry, a little squirrel with a patterned back, white belly, and a fluffy tail.

Hearing the door open, both turned to look at him simultaneously, their dark eyes bright and perceptive, as if they could see into one’s very heart.

Xie Zhenchuan was completely disarmed.

Pressing his lips together, he had no choice but to let both of them inside.

"Author's Note"

Mini Theater:

Chen Ting (anxiously): Whatever you do, don't get yourself entangled!

Xie Zhenchuan (stone-faced while washing intimate garments): I have my own pace.

Rounding up, I hit 10k today too! My first time ever! Thanks for everyone's support that powered me through! I'll be dropping random small cash rewards in this chapter's comment section~~~