The Crown Prince raised his head, revealing a gentle smile: “You may rise.”
The Crown Prince possessed the trademark good looks of the Rong royal family. His complexion was fair, with almond-shaped eyes that seemed to smile naturally. He exuded both a gentle warmth that put people at ease and the dignity befitting the heir to the throne. The Crown Prince amiably called for Xiao Jingduo to rise, then asked, “What do you have to report?”
Xiao Jingduo’s palms were sweaty with nervousness. He had only gone to the mourning hall to try his luck. That day, Rong Ke had let him in so easily that Xiao Jingduo knew the guard must be one of the Crown Prince’s men. That’s why he had the idea to try to pass a message through this guard to Rong Ke. But he never imagined the message would be delivered directly to the Crown Prince himself.
At this moment, Xiao Jingduo didn’t dare say he just wanted to discuss something with the Princess. Fortunately, having spent a few years in the Marquis of Dingyong’s household and later staying at Qingyuan Temple, Xiao Jingduo had seen many grand occasions. He quickly composed himself and addressed the second-in-command of Xuan Dynasty respectfully yet gracefully: “Three years ago, I was fortunate to receive Your Highness’s favor, allowing me to observe mourning at Qingyuan Temple. This kindness, Xiao Jingduo will never forget. My maternal grandfather was a physician all his life, saving countless people. In his later years, he wrote a medical treatise compiling many prescriptions, including methods for preventing and curing epidemics. Fortunately, Master Mingjue and the other masters didn’t think me too stupid and taught me many medical skills. I also came into contact with many plague patients in the hospital. Combining my grandfather’s medical book, I might be able to try treating the plague in the southern part of the city.”
“Last time you told me you only knew a little,” Rong Ke commented coolly from the side.
Xiao Jingduo felt embarrassed for a moment. The Crown Prince turned to reprimand his daughter: “Ke’er, don’t be rude.”
Ke’er seemed to be this Princess’s nickname. Indeed, hearing her father speak thus, Rong Ke gave a light snort but truly said no more.
The Crown Prince then turned back to Xiao Jingduo and asked, “What do you mean by this?”
“I may have found a method to cure the plague.”
The Crown Prince’s expression suddenly changed, and even Rong Ke put down her puzzle rings and looked up at Xiao Jingduo.
“Are you certain of this?”
“Seven days ago, I chanced upon an old man on the street who had unfortunately contracted the plague. I boldly treated him, and now this old man has survived the onset period and is recovering.”
The Crown Prince’s expression had become completely serious. He asked in a deep voice, “What is this old man’s name and where does he live?”
Xiao Jingduo reported Old Yu’s situation truthfully. The Crown Prince immediately summoned people, gave them some instructions, and sent them out. A quarter of an hour later, the people who went to investigate returned to report: “Your Highness, although the old man is weak, he indeed doesn’t seem like someone suffering from the plague.”
At this point, Rong Ke added, “I was also present that day. This old man did indeed have the plague. I can testify that what he says is true.”
“Excellent!” The Crown Prince clapped his hands in praise, his face already showing a smile. “It’s fortunate for the common people, heaven blesses our dynasty. Are you willing to offer your prescription to save more citizens?”
“Three years ago, Xiao Jingduo was fortunate to receive Your Highness’s help, allowing me to observe mourning for my mother. Later, it was thanks to Qingyuan Temple’s shelter that I am where I am today. I always remember the great kindness of Your Highness and Qingyuan Temple, but have been at a loss as to how to repay it. If I can use my meager abilities to do something for the people, it would be my fortune.” Xiao Jingduo presented a sheet of white paper with both hands. “This is the prescription left by my grandfather. I made some minor modifications. However, as each patient is unique, while this prescription was effective for Old Yu, I dare not conclude too early whether it will be effective for others.”
“Naturally. I will have the Imperial Medical Office thoroughly verify it before promoting its use.” The Crown Prince took the prescription from his attendant’s hand, glanced at it casually, then looked up at Xiao Jingduo with a smile. “You are the original creator of this prescription. The physicians at the Imperial Medical Office will need your assistance when testing the medicine. Are you willing to stay at the Imperial Medical Office for a few days?”
“Xiao Jingduo obeys the command.”
“Good. Regardless of the final outcome, you have rendered a great service. Once this matter is concluded, I will submit a memorial to the court to commend you.” The Crown Prince noticed Xiao Jingduo’s expression change and asked, “What’s wrong? Do you have some difficulty you can’t speak of?”
“It’s not that. It’s just that my medical skills are shallow. After researching for several days, I still haven’t figured out the cause of the ghost handprint. This prescription can only cure those without the black handprint. For the rest, I haven’t found a solution yet.”
“How can this be?” The Crown Prince also frowned. “What kind of strange illness is this exactly?”
Xiao Jingduo shared his conjecture: “Your Highness, I’ve noticed that the patients are mostly concentrated in one area. Families near wells are more likely to fall ill, while those far from wells are less affected. So I suspect this epidemic might be spreading through well water.”
“Wells?”
“Yes. Although many people in the southern part of the city are sick, upon careful examination, you’ll find that all these households have wells nearby. That’s why I made this guess. As for why some patients develop black marks after death while others don’t, I haven’t figured that out yet.”
After listening for a moment, Rong Ke suddenly interjected: “You mean all those with the ghost handprint have contracted the plague, but not all plague patients develop the handprint?”
“That’s one way to put it,” Xiao Jingduo nodded.
Rong Ke pondered for a moment, then turned to the Crown Prince and said, “Father, is it possible that the plague and the ghost handprint are two entirely separate matters?”
After Rong Ke spoke, the Crown Prince frowned in silence, while Xiao Jingduo had a sudden realization. From a medical perspective, Xiao Jingduo had been trying to find a disease that produced the black handprint. Now, enlightened by an outsider, he suddenly realized that perhaps there was no connection between the two at all.
Xiao Jingduo felt both amused and exasperated. For days, he had been confusing himself.
Logically, finding a new direction should have relieved the Crown Prince, but now his expression was very grave. The Crown Prince called for a guard and ordered sternly: “Immediately investigate the wells in the southern part of the city. Also, tighten security at the city gates. Bring all suspicious individuals to the Ministry of Justice.”
“Yes, sir!” The guard saluted forcefully, then quickly retreated outside. His movements were efficient without any excess, clearly showing he was a skilled military man.
Xiao Jingduo had approached this from a medical perspective, but the Crown Prince’s first thoughts were of more covert matters. Hearing the Crown Prince’s orders, Xiao Jingduo began to think in another direction, feeling increasingly chilled as he did so.
If the plague and the ghost handprint were two separate issues, who had planned these eerie handprints? Who was behind the rumors unfavorable to the Emperor and Crown Prince? What did those using the plague to incite public sentiment intend to do?
Xiao Jingduo stopped his train of thought, unwilling to continue. He had merely mentioned one thing, and Rong Ke was able to deduce that these might be two separate matters, immediately followed by thoughts of who might be behind this. It showed that this father and daughter were indeed qualified members of the royal family, more skilled at intrigue than anyone. But Xiao Jingduo wanted to withdraw from this mess.
So he took his leave at an appropriate time: “Your Highness, I shall take my leave now.”
After returning to the Marquis’s mansion, Xiao Jingduo quickly learned from Qiuju that because he had spent several days in the southern part of the city, Wu Junru was worried he might bring back the plague. She had requested permission from the old Madam to isolate Qingze Courtyard. In other words, Xiao Jingduo was confined. Wu Junru had also sent word that someone would deliver meals to Qingze Courtyard daily, but Xiao Jingduo was not allowed to leave the area to avoid spreading the disease to others. For this reason, the old Madam had even exempted Xiao Jingduo from his daily morning and evening greetings, fearing he might bring the plague from outside and spread it to her precious grandson.
Xiao Jingduo merely smiled and dismissed it, seeing through Wu Junru’s trick at a glance. His visit to the southern city had only given Wu Junru an excuse to act. Even if he hadn’t gone out, Wu Junru would have found a way to isolate Qingze Courtyard from the rest of the mansion. After all, Wu Junru had secretly given Xiao Jingduo smallpox; how could she not isolate him?
Xiao Jingduo decided to go along with the plan, using the excuse of recent poor health to propose returning to Qingyuan Temple to recuperate. Wu Junru assumed Xiao Jingduo’s smallpox was acting up and he didn’t want the people in the Marquis’s mansion to see, which is why he wanted to return to Qingyuan Temple. Her scheme had already succeeded; whether Xiao Jingduo survived smallpox or not would not affect her plans. Moreover, with Xiao Jingduo living outside, he wouldn’t infect people in the mansion. Wu Junru was naturally pleased with this arrangement, after all, her son was only three years old and at a vulnerable age – what if he accidentally contracted smallpox?
So Xiao Jingduo left Marquis Dingyong’s mansion. Once he was out of sight of the mansion’s spies, Xiao Jingduo shed his weak appearance and energetically entered the city through another gate, heading straight for the Imperial Medical Office.
This worked out perfectly. He had been worrying about how to sneak away to the Imperial Medical Office without the Marquis’s people knowing, but Wu Junru’s actions had given him the perfect excuse.
Over the next few days, Xiao Jingduo openly stayed at the Imperial Medical Office, discussing the Red Heat Prescription and methods to combat the epidemic daily with many venerable and renowned doctors. After repeated discussions and verifications, the Imperial Medical Office finally finalized the prescription and submitted a memorial to the Emperor, requesting widespread promotion of this method.
Xiao Jingduo repeatedly insisted that the credit belonged to the esteemed doctors, and that he had just been fortunate by chance and dared not claim merit. In such major events, most people would rush to claim credit, but Xiao Jingduo alone was modest and polite, actively giving the primary credit to others. While the physicians at the Imperial Medical Office were pleased, they also became much friendlier towards Xiao Jingduo.
In the end, the Red Heat Prescription for controlling the epidemic was published under the name of the Imperial Medical Office, with Xiao Jingduo remaining behind the scenes, emerging unscathed.
He did this firstly out of safety considerations – after all, he was only thirteen years old and had no power, so it was unwise to be in the spotlight. Secondly, this prescription was indeed not solely his achievement, and he had no reason to claim all the credit. Moreover, many benefits in the world are not openly displayed. Although he missed out on the Emperor’s commendation, because of his gesture of yielding credit, the physicians at the Imperial Medical Office became very kind to him. These were the top doctors in the entire country, and the opportunity to be in close contact with them was something many people could only dream of. Xiao Jingduo took this chance to learn medical principles from the physicians, benefiting greatly. If he had missed out on the recognition of the Imperial Medical Office physicians for the sake of empty fame, that would have been like entering a treasure mountain and returning empty-handed, missing out on the real treasure.
Most importantly, the Crown Prince knew about his contribution to the prescription. As long as those in power were aware, there was no need to fight for the authorship of the Red Heat Prescription.
With the court’s official announcement and widespread promotion of the Red Heat Prescription, the epidemic in Chang’an was quickly brought under control. After half a month of non-stop work at the Imperial Medical Office, Xiao Jingduo finally had the energy to relax a bit. He walked aimlessly on the streets of Chang’an, pondering whether he should find an opportunity to “return” from “Qingyuan Temple.”
As he was walking, suddenly a voice called out from behind. Xiao Jingduo turned back in surprise and saw a young girl standing opposite him, looking at him with delight.
“Young Master Xiao, is it really you?” Miss Yu quickly ran over, her eyes bright as she looked at Xiao Jingduo. “Young Master, why are you here?”
Seeing a familiar face, Xiao Jingduo also smiled slightly: “I’m just taking a casual stroll. How has Old Man Yu been these past few days?”
“Grandfather has fully recovered. He’s been able to eat three flatbreads in a day lately!”
Imagining this scene, Xiao Jingduo also chuckled: “That’s good. By the way, where are you heading?”
Miss Yu glanced at the bowl in her hand and smiled, “These past few days, the court released a prescription. Our neighbor, the old lady next door, is busy taking care of her sick grandson and doesn’t have time to come out for porridge. So I’m helping her bring some back.”
Xiao Jingduo looked towards another street where a row of porridge stalls had been set up. Led by Wu Junru, many ladies had followed suit in distributing porridge, with the stall from Marquis Dingyong’s mansion having the longest queue. Yu Niang continued speaking rapidly: “Marquis Dingyong’s wife is truly kind-hearted. Not only is she giving out free porridge, but she’s also thoughtfully added wild vegetables to it…”
“Miss Yu,” Xiao Jingduo suddenly called out.
Miss Yu paused: “What is it?”
“Give me the porridge.” Xiao Jingduo reached out to Miss Yu. Though confused, she did as Xiao Jingduo said. Xiao Jingduo took the porridge and carefully examined the wild vegetables in it. Finally, he even picked up the vegetables and observed them repeatedly.
Miss Yu became a bit flustered by Xiao Jingduo’s actions: “What’s wrong? Is there a problem with the porridge? That’s impossible. I’ve drunk it too, and I’m completely fine.”
“Miss Yu, please try to recall carefully.” Xiao Jingduo looked up, his eyes unusually bright, like gleaming gemstones. “After drinking this porridge, did you ever feel physically exhausted or weak in your limbs?”
Now that he mentioned it, Miss Yu did remember having a stomachache once and suffering from diarrhea for a while before recovering. But how could she say such things to Young Master Xiao? Yu Niang silently blushed. Though she didn’t speak, Xiao Jingduo had already discerned the answer.
“I see…” Xiao Jingduo suddenly smiled. Although he was handsome, he usually kept a cold expression, and even when he smiled, it was always a shallow, proper smile. He had never shown such open emotion before. Miss Yu was momentarily entranced. When she came to her senses, she saw Xiao Jingduo running quickly in one direction.
“Where is he going now?” Yu Niang sighed, “He’s in such a hurry. I wonder who he’s going to see?”
Xiao Jingduo rushed to the residence outside the Crown Prince’s palace. Disregarding propriety, he grabbed the arm of the guard at the side gate and said, “Brother, please help me inform the Princess or the Crown Prince. I’ve figured out the origin of the ghost handprint!”
“So, the reason why black marks appear on the bodies of the deceased is simply because the wild vegetables in the porridge are poisonous?”
If you enjoy my translations, feel free to consider supporting me on ko-fi! Thank you!
Updates on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays
