Chapter 14

Guo Taiyi closed his eyes, focused his spirit, his hand resting on Xiao Yuanhang's wrist, taking his pulse.

Cheng Ru'an saw the two enter, gave a slight shake of her head, signaling them to be quiet; Xiao Ningxun took his sister's hand and quietly stood behind her.

After a moment, Guo Taiyi withdrew his hand, about to speak, when a servant's voice came from outside the door: "Report to the Princess Consort, the Second Young Master seeks an audience outside Yangzheng Pavilion."

Cheng Ru'an raised her eyebrows slightly: "The Second Young Master has returned to the mansion? Please let him in."

Tuan Tuan tugged at her brother's sleeve; Xiao Ningxun bent down and asked, "Who is the Second Young Master?"

Xiao Ningxun replied softly: "He is Father's younger brother, our Second Uncle, Xiao Yuanhua."

"Oh." So it's Father's younger brother! Is he as handsome as Father? Tuan Tuan poked her little head out, straining to look toward the door,

She saw a man in a brocade robe, about thirty years old, walk in slowly, his features regular, with a small tear-shaped mole beneath his right eye.

Xiao Yuanhua gave Cheng Ru'an a salute: "Yuanhua pays his respects to the Princess Consort."

Cheng Ru'an nodded: "Please sit." Then she glanced at the siblings: "Tuan Tuan, this is your Second Uncle; you haven't met him yet—come, greet him."

Xiao Ningxun, taking his sister, performed a salute to Xiao Yuanhua: "Please be well, Second Uncle."

Xiao Yuanhua glanced at the two, grunted an "uh," and plopped down casually.

Tuan Tuan stared at him curiously: "Is this Father's younger brother? He's nowhere near as handsome as Father!"

"Huh? Why does he have a layer of black aura? It's exactly the same as that old black woman's aura!"

Xiao Yuanhua's peripheral vision swept over Tuan Tuan as he recalled what Jin Xiu had said the previous night:

"\"Second Young Master! Please hurry back to the Prince's Mansion and take a look! The Princess Consort somehow picked up a wild girl from somewhere, declared her the Principal Daughter of the mansion, bewitching the Princess Consort—not to mention, she's also bewitched the Old Madam! \"

"\"The Secondary Consort has tried several times to expel this wild girl from the mansion, but instead she harmed them. Now the servant has been driven out by the Old Madam, and the mistress is trapped in Defying Frost Pavilion. Second Young Master! Please save our master! \"

"Is this the little girl? Clearly just a wet-nosed brat—what could she possibly be capable of?"

"Principal Daughter? So what? She's not a male, she can't inherit the mansion. Hah! Making a mountain out of a molehill!"

He had originally planned to wait outside until his elder brother died, then return to the mansion, so he could cleanly sever ties and smoothly inherit the estate.

But now he has no choice but to return, which is truly annoying. Once I inherit the mansion, heh, I'll dispose of those few concubine-born sons and this little girl all together.

Guo Taiyi's words interrupted his train of thought: "Report to the Princess Consort, the Prince's pulse is deep and slow, his breath calm, but his spirit has not yet returned. I have already prescribed a suitable soul-soothing decoction for him."

"\"However, \" he furrowed his brow, \"we are still lacking a crucial medicinal guide. I have searched everywhere these past days, yet still have not found it. \""

Cheng Ru'an's face was full of worry, her silk handkerchief twisted into a ball: "You mean, if we don't add this medicinal guide to the decoction, the Prince won't wake up?"

Guo Taiyi fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

Cheng Ru'an's lips trembled slightly as she gazed at her husband's face, tears sliding down.

Xiao Yuanhua secretly rejoiced, but his face showed sorrow: "Please take care, Princess Consort. Medical matters can only be done to the best of human ability, then left to fate. If you grieve too much and harm your health, Elder Brother would surely not wish to see that."

Cheng Ru'an burst into tears at once.

Tuan Tuan climbed into her mother's embrace: "Mother, don't cry! Father will definitely wake up!"

Xiao Ningxun's eye sockets also reddened, but seeing his mother like that, he knew words were feeble and could not ease her worries.

He could only change the subject: "Mother, today I brought Tuan Tuan to Wanlingyuan, where we saw the snow leopard tribute from the Western Regions; Tuan Tuan fed it jerky and even touched it!" He did not want to add to his mother's worries, deliberately concealing Wei Bing'an's involvement and mentioning only Tuan Tuan.

"\"Oh? \" Cheng Ru'an wiped her tears with her handkerchief, then lowered her gaze to her daughter.

Tuan Tuan immediately interjected: "Mother! It's a huge cat—bigger than me! Its fur is soft, its paws are big! It's quite clever, and it even gave me a gift!"

Saying this, she opened her sachet and presented the clump of dark brown substance like an offering to the Princess Consort.

"\"What is this? \""

"\"I don't know! \""

Xiao Ningxun explained from the side: "Even the garden supervisor doesn't recognize it; he says he's never seen anything like it."

Guo Taiyi listened to their words, glanced interestedly at the unidentified object in Tuan Tuan's hand, and his gaze instantly fixed.

His voice trembled, clearly unable to contain his excitement: "Princess Consort, may I have a look, sir?"

Cheng Ru'an nodded; Tuan Tuan placed the item in his outstretched hand: "Grandpa, do you know the big cat's gift to me?"

Guo Taiyi brought his hand near his nose to sniff lightly, then examined it carefully: "Please draw all the curtains shut to block out the daylight."

Cheng Ru'an glanced at Liu Po Po, who understood, pulling all the curtain drapes shut; the room instantly fell into darkness.

Looking again at Guo Taiyi's hand, the originally dark brown, pebble-like object now emitted a thin thread of green light, like a gemstone.

"\"Wow! \"" Tuan Tuan laughed: "Mother! Brother! Quick, look—it's really beautiful!"

"\"The scent is slightly fishy with a chill; the color is faintly green in the dark. \" Guo Taiyi's fingertip trembled as he could not help exclaiming: \"Its form, color, and qi all match what is recorded in medical texts and ancient books. Princess Consort, the Prince's illness can be cured! \"

"\"Really? \" Cheng Ru'an rejoiced beyond belief, hardly able to believe it.

Liu Po Po had by now opened all the curtains; everyone in the room wore expressions of delight—except Xiao Yuanhua, whose eyes flickered and whose face was as still as water.

"\"I dare not speak rashly, \" Guo Taiyi replied. \"This object is the medicinal guide I have searched everywhere for—Night Bright Sand. \"

"\"Night Bright Sand is the fecal matter of night bats. Bats prefer to dwell in high, dark places—beams or caves—and their droppings, after falling to the ground and drying for a long time, become sand. \"

"\"This substance is rare because fresh sand is volatile and unsuitable for medicine; only old sand, pure for many years and free of impurities, can emit light in darkness—hence its name Night Bright Sand. \"

"\"Using this as a guide in the decoction, combined with the Soul-Soothing Drink, it can awaken the spirit and clear the mind. \" Seeing everyone's confusion, Guo Taiyi stopped citing classics and spoke plainly: \"It's like tying a thread that can carry the medicinal potency to where it needs to go. \"

"\"If so, please prescribe it at once! Servants! Bring the decoction for the Prince to take! \" Cheng Ru'an could wait no longer; she had awaited this moment for over two years.

"\"Hold on! \" Xiao Yuanhua shouted sharply, causing everyone to startle.

He turned to Guo Taiyi: "May I ask, Doctor, have you ever personally seen that Night Bright Sand?"

Guo Taiyi shook his head: "Such a rare thing—I have never seen it. But this object matches the written records exactly, so I dare to make this judgment."

"\"Since you've never seen it, \" Xiao Yuanhua said with a fierce gaze, \"do you have absolute certainty in declaring this the medicinal guide? Would you stake your head on it? \"

Guo Taiyi was momentarily stunned, not daring to speak further.

Although his medical skill is superb, thinking of the more than ten blood relatives in his family, should he make a mistake, it would indeed be a matter of life and death, causing him to hesitate involuntarily.

Xiao Yuanhua felt smug inwardly, his gaze turning to the Princess Consort: "Princess Consort, I understand your anxiety, but this concerns the Prince's safety—there is no room for the slightest error."

"\"Given its unknown origin and the difficulty of discerning its authenticity, if we give it to the Prince and something goes wrong, clan law will not forgive it. I ask you, Princess Consort, to be cautious. \" He paused, then his words turned unsympathetic: \"If a mistake occurs, can you bear the responsibility? \"

Cheng Ru'an's lips trembled, their face turned ghastly pale, and they could not utter a single word.