Chapter 86: Sovereign, Minister, Assistant, and Courier (Part Two)

"Beacon fires rage for three months on end; a letter from home is worth ten thousand in gold.

The problem of writing letters in the army is truly no small matter.

Those soldiers with broken bones all lined up obediently waiting their turn—without military orders, that simply couldn't be done."

In the side room of the medical clinic, Fang Chongyong reflected on this while letting Anaye massage his arms and wrists; he was so exhausted that he was about to fall asleep lying on the bed.

These Tang army wounded came respectively from the Red Water Army, the Great Dou Army, and a portion of the border forces in Ganzhou—the unit designations alone numbered four or five. Making these men obey orders could only be achieved if they willingly and actively cooperated.

Waves of soreness, swelling, and tingling numbness came from his arms and wrists, so blissful that Fang Chongyong nearly moaned aloud.

He had to admit, Anaye's massage technique was highly skilled, leaving Fang Chongyong inwardly puzzled.

"The court divides medicine into eight categories: internal medicine, sores and swellings, pediatrics, ears-eyes-mouth-teeth, moxibustion, acupuncture, massage, and incantation.

I can see you are at least proficient in treating sores and swellings as well as massage. Your father's medical skills are quite extraordinary."

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but probe with a question. Anaye's medical theory was poor—in some respects not even matching his own. But her practical execution was highly skilled, clearly the result of guidance from an expert, even hands-on teaching.

"I don't know about any of that. Whatever my father taught, I learned. What surprised me was you writing letters for the wounded soldiers.

Many of these wounded soldiers can never return to the battlefield. Back in their hometowns they'll only count as half a laborer in the fields. What's the point of winning over the hearts of such people?"

Anaye was born in Liangzhou City, and from a young age had seen and received all manner of people. Her thinking was not only not naive, but rather very precocious.

The behavioral logic that when the powerful and noble show courtesy to someone, they must want something—Anaye had understood this thoroughly from a very young age.

Fang Chongyong writing letters for these wounded soldiers—wasn't it just to win over their hearts? Otherwise, why would he write until both hands went numb? Could it be simply because he enjoyed suffering?

"Life isn't a business transaction. How can gains and losses be calculated so meticulously?

These wounded soldiers all fought to the death against the Tibetans and are lucky survivors of that ordeal. While we were chatting in Liangzhou City, they were risking their lives on the high plateau.

Writing a letter home for these men—how big a deal is that? Must one calculate it so precisely?

You've grown accustomed to pay-for-medicine at the clinic in Liangzhou, but you haven't grasped the essence of your father's heart of a healer who treats patients like his own children.

The world outside is in such chaos. If in dealing with people you always think of settling accounts so neither side owes the other, can life even go on?"

Fang Chongyong, looking like a little adult, lectured Anaye.

"You're the one who doesn't understand!"

Anaye sighed and said, "Many of them can't even read, or can only write their own names. Having a nobleman like you write a letter for them is enough to bring glory to their ancestors."

Her words were full of sourness, like a household matriarch. She seemed to have forgotten that whether Fang Chongyong lived or died actually had not the slightest connection to her, a local Liangzhou girl with Western Regions blood.

"I'm a nobleman?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a face full of astonishment. This remark truly startled him—he had always thought his conduct was fairly low-key.

"What else? A nine-year-old Deputy Army Commissioner of the White Pavilion Army who isn't a nobleman—who would believe that? You're not going to claim you earned this position after surviving a hundred battles, are you?

Army Commissioner Xin's body is covered in blade wounds—do you, a soft-skinned half-grown child, have any?"

Anaye shot Fang Chongyong a glare, then walked to the desk and poured him a cup of Sanle Jiang, good for clearing heat and relieving summer heat.

Sanle Jiang, imported from the Western Regions (mainly Dunhuang), cost considerably less than in Chang'an due to the origin of its raw materials and the distance of transport. Moreover, since its ingredients did not require grain, it was very popular and widely esteemed throughout the Hexi Corridor.

Merchants and travelers who had been baking under the fierce sun by day would arrive at the taverns of Liangzhou City by night; a pot of Sanle Jiang to clear heat and relieve summer heat—that sweet, mildly intoxicating flavor was beyond words.

Anaye's attentive service made her intentions abundantly clear. She was even well aware that in the future, things would happen between her and this half-grown boy that would be hard to speak of.

All of this her father had spelled out plainly.

She needed a Han surname; she could not go on being called Anaye in front of outsiders.

She also needed to go to Chang'an to study medicine and establish herself and her livelihood.

She was a vine—no matter how bewitchingly she grew, she still needed a sturdy great tree to lean on.

Anaye vaguely felt that her father's attitude toward her was strange, but she did not think too deeply about it.

"Let's go. I've rested enough; time to attend to proper business."

Fang Chongyong sat up from the bed and prepared to head out.

Anaye sighed softly and followed behind him. What she hadn't expected, however, was that the "proper business" Fang Chongyong spoke of was actually seeking out her father, Medical Officer Li, and then presenting him with a slip of paper.

It was a prescription that Fang Chongyong had "invented" himself.

……

This was the dispensary of the medical clinic, permeated everywhere with the scent of Chinese herbal medicine—specifically, a blend of various odors so mixed together that one's nose could make out nothing at all.

Medical Officer Li lit the oil lamp, dismissed Anaye, and without so much as a glance at Fang Chongyong sitting across from him, kept his eyes fixed solely on the prescription in his hand.

"This prescription is a fine medicine for consolidating the foundation and cultivating vitality."

Medical Officer Li set the slip of paper on the desk and spoke with feeling.

As a former personal aide to an imperial prince of the royal house, his duty had been to safeguard the health of the prince's household. The Imperial Medical Office had too many charlatans who only wrote treatises and had zero practical experience.

But Medical Officer Li was not such a man; he possessed extremely rich clinical experience and a solid, substantial theoretical foundation.

A normal Chinese herbal prescription—its quality could be discerned. Good medicine required continual adjustment of the proportions in the formula, but a recklessly thrown-together prescription could be spotted at a glance by an experienced medical officer.

"Where did the young master obtain this prescription?"

Medical Officer Li asked in a low voice.

"Obtained in a dream, so I only know the ingredients, not the proportions. In pharmacology there is the principle of sovereign, minister, assistant, and courier. This formula seems to lack none of them. Does Medical Officer Li think you could work out a proper prescription from it?"

Fang Chongyong asked without batting an eye.

A prescription that had been passed down for centuries in later generations—that was something which had withstood the test of long time and the practical trials of countless people. It would be strange indeed if there were problems with it.

"Even if I work it out, what use would it be?"

Medical Officer Li did not relent, fixing his burning gaze on Fang Chongyong as he asked. His leg was lame, but his eyes were not blind.

"What the Sage of Chang'an needs… I needn't spell it out too plainly, need I?"

Fang Chongyong pointed upward with his index finger and said.

"Understood. Anaye—you will take her to Chang'an to study medicine in the future, won't you?"

"Yes, and I will also let her meet her biological father."

Fang Chongyong nodded cautiously and said.

"Sure enough, nothing can be hidden from you."

Medical Officer Li let out a sigh, then shook his head and refused outright:

"Ana Ye's mother is buried in the pharmacy's courtyard; she was just a vain, pitiful woman. I'm not her husband—I'm the medical officer in Prince Xin'an Li Yi's residence."

Back then, Shibao City achieved a great victory over the Tubo, and at the celebration banquet Ana Ye's mother was the lead dancer, a Huji.

The sixty‑plus‑year‑old Prince Xin'an drank too much and then… spent a romantic period with Ana Ye's mother here in Liangzhou City. Later, I was crippled by leg injuries from fighting the Tubo, so I had to stay in Liangzhou to recuperate, and I also tended to Ana Ye's mother, who was then already six months pregnant, on behalf of the Prince.

Later, she died in childbirth, and I don't want Ana Ye to seek out the now nearly eighty‑year‑old Prince Xin'an.

Even if she finds him, what's the point? He probably doesn't even remember those days.

So, please let her study medicine properly so she can be independent; don't mention her biological father's matter, and don't look for Prince Xin'an.

The ever‑stoic Medical Officer Li, despite his leg disability, showed no outward change, yet now displayed a pleading expression that made Fang Chongyong feel reluctant.

This is a common story in these times, and Western Huji have always taken pride in climbing the tall branches, caring little for modesty. A youthful maiden marrying a sixty‑plus Li clan noble even seems acceptable.

As long as she's healthy, the girl can enjoy herself forever!

This era truly is a paradise for the powerful; as long as one lives, one can enjoy top‑level luxury.

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart.

"I recall that back then Prince Xin'an seized Shibao City through scheming; the Tubo were never content, right?"

Fang Chongyong didn't want to keep entangling the topic of Ana Ye; he wanted to ask the participants of that battle how Shibao City actually fared.

"That's true. However, Shibao City will inevitably be lost someday; it's just a matter of time. The Tubo need only a tenth of the effort to attack Shibao City, while we must expend ten times the effort to hold it."

It's like an arm‑wrestling match; the required force on each side is inherently different.

If this standoff continues, maintaining the balance would require Great Tang to spend more than ten times the manpower and resources of the Tubo, and the loss of supplies in transit is even more staggering. It all depends on whether the Sage is willing to keep throwing lives and wealth into this bottomless pit.

Medical Officer Li shook his head in disappointment; he didn't think the Tang forces confronting the Tubo along the Qingtang line was a brilliant strategy. If they can't annihilate the Tubo in one battle, such a war dragged on for twenty or fifty years would never yield a decisive outcome.

Unfamiliar with mid‑to‑late Tang border‑town history, Fang Chongyong nodded slightly and earnestly said, "Then I'll entrust this prescription to Medical Officer Li."

"Not a big problem. Have you found anyone to test the medicine?"

Medical Officer Li smiled and nodded; for him, Ana Ye's matter was the priority, not the prescription. The ingredients are commonly used alone in Liangzhou and are stable; he just didn't know what reaction they'd have when combined.

But they are unlikely to be lethal.

Things like goji berries, cistanche, and suoyang are common medicinal—or even food—items in Liangzhou. This prescription is clearly not a wolf‑ish poison, so trying it is fine.

"Found them: ten men from the Bai Ting Army."

"Alright, the testing will take at least a month, two months isn't unusual. You can wait, right?"

Medical Officer Li continued to ask.

"I can wait, but whether the Sage can wait is uncertain; it's better to act quickly."

Seeing Medical Officer Li remain noncommittal, Fang Chongyong added, "After I leave Liangzhou, Ana Ye will travel with me. Once we reach Chang'an, I'll enroll her in the Imperial Medical Bureau to study medicine, not the palace. How does that arrangement sound?"

Hearing Fang Chongyong's solemn statement, Medical Officer Li finally relaxed. He looked at Fang Chongyong with a complex gaze and, finally, sighed helplessly, "In the future, treat her better. Don't be like Prince Xin'an, who began disorder and then abandoned her."

Men understand men best.

Medical Officer Li understood well what kind of thing the powerful were.

When Fang Chongyong reaches adulthood, he won't let any meat at his mouth go uneaten; Ana Ye will inevitably be led into the tiger's jaws. Living together day and night, in Chang'an she will have no kin, only Fang Chongyong to depend on.

By then, even if Fang Chongyong can endure, Ana Ye will not be able to.

But these are the costs this poor girl must pay to climb upward.

Life is hard; there has never been unearned gain.

For a better life, Ana Ye will have to provide Fang Chongyong with daily care and health services, using her medical skills to safeguard her own status, and must volunteer as a concubine, offering a pillow and even bearing children; these are unavoidable.

Paying the price to obtain a better life is the unshakable truth of life.

Medical Officer Li was good at judging people; he knew this might be the last chance in life to set Ana Ye onto the "right path". Otherwise, in the future Ana Ye would inevitably marry a so‑called "well‑off" military household, her fate wavering with the wars.

Good luck could make one a low‑ranking officer in the border army; bad luck could end one's life in a single battle.

But on the battlefield, who dares claim invincible luck, that one can go into battle a hundred times and each time turn danger into safety?

If she takes this path, Ana Ye's fate as a widow is predetermined.

"Understood, I will."

Fang Chongyong gave a slight nod and said.

When faced with a physically disabled elder's solemn entrustment, cajoling and playing dumb are a huge humiliation. Only a clear commitment or outright refusal is the action of a true gentleman.

Seeing that Fang Chongyong had fully understood his words, Medical Officer Li finally nodded satisfactorily and said, "Young master, you may go; let me first study whether this prescription needs any ingredient adjustments. I think the formula is sound, and mixing it shouldn't pose a problem."

Upon hearing this, Fang Chongyong's heart instantly steadied!

As a "health tonic", the efficacy is secondary; the goal is to neutralize the main ingredient's toxicity, which generations of famous physicians have tirelessly pursued. Many have become immortalized for a good prescription.

For Ji Ge, whether it works is secondary; safety and peace of mind are the primary competitive edge.

Medical Officer Li grasped this principle after just one conversation; indeed, he is a health doctor from Prince Xin'an's residence! Professionals understand the intricacies!

Fang Chongyong heard that Prince Xin'an is now recuperating in Chang'an, in his seventies yet still wielding swords and staffs. Medical Officer Li's "daily health care" must have been indispensable. To know, Prince Xin'an Li Yi, at sixty, still campaigned in Hexi for many years, having fought many battles elsewhere; his body likely bears many hidden injuries.

If no one tended his upkeep, he would have long been buried with grass growing over his tomb.

Fang Chongyong, just by watching Ana Ye's skillful massage technique, knew that Medical Officer Li possessed exceptional abilities; thriving in the culturally rich Liangzhou City was no empty fame.

"Then everything is entrusted to you; the Sage's matters… please, Medical Officer Li, do your utmost."

Fang Chongyong gave a deep bow to Medical Officer Li and performed a formal salute.

…

"Li Bai, step back for now."

In a side hall of Princess Yu Zhen's residence, Princess Yu Zhen, dressed in a Daoist robe and plain, said to Li Bai beside her.

Li Bai, as a special "Hanlin Grand Scholar", follows Emperor Li Longji, ready to flatter at a moment's call. Having been in the palace for almost a year, he has already left many poems describing court life. This time he accompanies Li Longji to Princess Yu Zhen's residence.

Li Longji's nominal purpose was visiting his sister, but in reality he was trysting with Yang Yuhuan. This secret was almost common knowledge among Chang'an's aristocratic circles, yet each and every one of them played deaf and dumb.

After Li Bai withdrew, Princess Yuzhen finally, with a worried expression, clasped her hands and bowed to the Tang Dynasty Sage, Li Longji, before her.

"Sister, why so formal?"

Li Longji was greatly startled and hurriedly supported his own sister, Princess Yuzhen.

"Brother, many people outside have much criticism regarding your scandalous affair. I wish to take Yang Yuhuan to cultivate the Dao at Lingdu Abbey on Mount Wangwu in Jiyuan. I beg you to grant this, Brother."

Princess Yuzhen bowed deeply to Li Longji and knelt for a long time without rising.

"Sigh! All of you! Every last one of you — why must you force Us?"

Li Longji let out a long sigh and hurriedly helped Princess Yuzhen to her feet.

The dark years of his early life were spent alongside his siblings, so Li Longji's affection for his brothers and sisters far exceeded what he felt for those sons of his whom he could execute at any time.

Besides, sons could usurp the throne, whereas siblings would not. Li Longji's emotional leanings also carried practical considerations.

"Brother, after Prince Shou's wedding is completed, I will take Yang Yuhuan to leave home and cultivate the Dao. This would be a perfect merit. I beg you to grant this, Brother."

Princess Yuzhen bowed again.

But this time she had also provoked Li Longji's anger.

"Such words need not be raised again in the future."

Li Longji paid no mind to Princess Yuzhen kneeling on the ground and directly departed with a sweep of his sleeves!

Working hard to save up drafts.

(End of this chapter)