Chapter 100: Story

Hearing this, Su Ya's pupils suddenly shrank, and only now did she realise that the features of the person before her were incredibly similar to those of the younger sister she'd chosen to send to the Great Li to form a marriage alliance. But the cheeks of the person before her were full, and her skin was a healthy light brown—how did she resemble at all the thin figure from three years ago, who didn't speak and always shrank into the shadow of the wall, eyes lowered?

"Liang Jiwen?" Su Ya asked, disbelievingly.

Only now did Liang Jiwen smile. "So Wangjie does recognise me."

Su Ya had never purposefully scrutinised this younger sister of hers; residing together in the Shejin Royal Palace for so many years together, her impression of Liang Jiwen was only that of the day she'd left the Palace. At the time, she'd laughed at Liang Jiwen for being foolish, that, being about to step into the lion's den, she'd still smiled so happily.

At the time, Su Ya had felt empathetic, and so had simply given her a piece of turquoise. But she hadn't imagined that, so many years later, she would only be able to recognise Liang Jiwen by that piece of turquoise.

But now, it seemed as if it had been staying in the Shejin Royal Palace that was the unwise decision. Two year prior, Su Ya's mother had passed on. Without her mother's influence, the people who'd previously surrounded her gradually no longer respected her. The years of arrogance and imperiousness had given her a number of enemies, and losing power and influence, everyone wished to trod on her.

But by contrast, in these two years in the Great Li, not only had Liang Jiwen grown quite a bit more carefree and cheerful, even her health had improved who knew how much in comparison to before. Her cheeks had finally grown full, and only now did Su Ya realise that Liang Jiwen actually had a pair of shallow dimples on her face.

Liang Jiwen, seeing Su Ya wasn't speaking, didn't wait on her. She came to the table, and picked up the still-steaming bowl of medicine. "I heard Wangjie is ill, so how come you're not taking medicine?"

Though this was what she said, Liang Jiwen knew full well that this illness of Su Ya's was a farce.

The methods of the Shejin Royal Palace were far more savage than that of the Great Li. Liang Jiwen had seen people's wrists cut open to drain their blood, mixed it with spiritual herbs and the melted snow of Xueshan, and swallowed down so that one's skin would be as pale as snow, and it wouldn't even affect anything.

There was just one point—those who'd had their blood drained would be weaker in spirit, and would be bed-bound, so weak they couldn't even truss a chicken.

And Su Ya's current condition was clearly that of having bled herself.

She'd only just picked up the bowl of medicine when the heavily bitter fumes of the medicinal decoction caused her to be unable to keep her eyes open. As it turned out, Zhao-taiyi, having just been deceived by Lin Yingqing, seeing Su Ya's condition, had been infuriated. Moved by selfishness, she'd added extra goldthread into the medicine.

The goldthread couldn't be more bitter.

Su Ya knew she wasn't ill as well, and each time the medicine was prepared and brought over, it would be set to the side for a while and then poured out; she herself had never drunk it. But this time, Liang Jiwen brought the bowl before her, and she couldn't do anything but drink it.

"Ah, that's right; when you're ill, you ought to take medicine, or else how will you get better?" Liang Jiwen smiled, and a degree of contentment appeared in her eyes.

"How—how have you become like this?" Su Ya stammered after coughing heavily a few times. The bitterness of the medicine roiled precariously in her chest; as it turned out, the person she'd sent away personally back then had actually grown into such a state.

"What have I become like?"

Liang Jiwen set the bowl of medicine onto the table, the end of the words floating in the room. Her gaze was looking behind Su Ya, where, as expected, there was a small, green box—the spiritual herbs of Xueshan were only placed within this sort of box.

Su Ya suddenly started coughing fiercely, her spine bowing. Liang Jiwen took out a handkerchief and passed it to her, but the next moment, it was crumpled into a wad, even the hawks embroidered at the corner curled into a distorted mass.

Liang Jiwen sighed, and said, "I wanted to ask Wangjie, how come as soon as you arrived in the Great Li you fell ill? The water environment of the Great Li isn't as restorative as Shejin, but it isn't so bad as to distress one to this point."

Su Ya had assumed that Liang Jiwen hadn't seen anything in the Shejin Royal Palace, and didn't know that she'd seen her own secrets, and continued putting on a facade. "It seems the Great Li's imperial physicians aren't skilled; perhaps only the Thousand-Year Lingzhi that grows on Jiangnan's cliff faces would have effect."

Liang Jiwen frowned, and suddenly reached out to grab Su Ya's wrist. Her thumb pressed against her wrist, and she could feel the weak beat of Su Ya's pulse. "Medicinal ingredient—what medicinal ingredient?"

"You don't know?" Su Ya turned her head to look at Liang Jiwen, shock in her gaze.

"Don't pay any mind to what I know or don't," Liang Jiwen said, her expression chilling a few degrees, "just tell me everything that you know."

"If you don't know, I can't tell you." Su Ya immediately stopped talking, as if she wouldn't say another word.

But how could Liang Jiwen allow this subject to be cut off like this? She increased the force of her hand. Su Ya felt as her wrist hurt sharply, as if being crushed by something great, and the taste of blood rose in her throat. Immediately following the pain, she coughed violently, and she could only disjointedly grit out a few words from between the cracks of her teeth. "Let—let go."

"If you want me to let go, I can," Liang Jiwen said as she let up on the force of her hand, "but Wangjie must answer me, and explain everything you know to me."

"Let go first!" Su Ya cried out.

The maid by the door, hearing the sound, was about to rush in. Only once she'd placed her hand on the door did she sense something was wrong; as it turned out, when Liang Jiwen had closed the door just now, she'd locked it at the same time.

She'd long since expected this situation.

"Tell her nothing's wrong," Liang Jiwen ordered, lowering her voice.

Seeing Su Ya wasn't doing anything, Liang Jiwen increased the force of her hand. "Quickly!"

"I'm fine, just stay by the door!" Su Ya, unable to stand the sharp pain of her wrist, succumbed.

Only now did the maid by the door settle down; Liang Jiwen heard the sound of the turquoise at her waist strike the door, so she must have left.

"I'll tell you everything." Su Ya finally gave up resisting, and submitted to Liang Jiwen.

"That's good." Liang Jiwen smiled, and let go of Su Ya's wrist.

The bloodlessly wan skin now had shocking, dark purple marks on it.

"Pour me some water," Su Ya said, her voice hoarse, "once I finish drinking, I'll tell you everything."

"There isn't any water," Liang Jiwen said, not obeying her, rather bringing the medicine that Su Ya hadn't finished drinking before over. "Medicine's the same; if Wangjie's thirsty, just drink the medicine."

Su Ya raised her gaze to look at Liang Jiwen, and only now suddenly realised that the previously trampled-on rabbit had grown into a wolf that could devour a person. But in the current circumstances, even if she had some other means, she couldn't implement them, and could only speak slowly. "It's a long story…"

Nine months ago, the King of Shejin had suddenly developed a high fever. He'd convalesced in bed for five days, without the slightest sign of improvement. A shaman had been summoned to dance in a trance, but it hadn't had any effect. At the time, Shejin had been on the cusp of winter, and the Eldest Prince had entered Xueshan by himself to seek medicine, and when he'd returned, his hands had been frostbitten, and only so had the King of Shejin's illness been treated.

After that, the King of Shejin had grown more doting towards the Eldest Prince. But the Eldest Prince was the son of a concubine, and in the past twenty-odd years, it was the Second Prince who'd been raised to be the heir. The Second Prince had naturally not been pleased with this elder brother of his being placed above him, and had both privately and publicly moved against the Eldest Prince.

The Eldest Prince hadn't accepted this, either, and, being wronged by the Second Prince day after day, went crying to the King of Shejin. The King of Shejin had supported him a number of times, but the longer it went on, he grew vexed, and no longer paid it any mind. But in this time, the Eldest Prince had long since developed his own might, and, with the excuse of a hunt, had killed a number of the Second Prince's skilled generals.

But with the snipe and the clam in dispute, it was the Seventh Prince who benefited from that fishing net. The Seventh Prince's maternal family was the current most powerful clan in Shejin, and adding on that the Seventh Prince was both young and intelligent, compared to the Second Prince who spent his days fighting for power, he was more favoured by the King of Shejin.

But from the time that he'd fallen seriously ill, the King of Shejin's health had grown worse and worse by the day. Countless precious herbs had flowed into his mouth like water, and his vitality only dispersed from him like running water. The adult princes, seeing this, came to further blows about the succession, not paying any mind at all to the King of Shejin's health. The ministers of court took sides one by one, and for a time, everyone was in danger.

Only the young princes wished for the King of Shejin to live longer, and had searched all about for physicians and medicines. They'd had a senior monk from Xueshan come and search all of Shejin's territory, but they still lacked the Thousand-Year Lingzhi.

This was why Su Ya had come to the Great Li to request medicinal herbs.

Actually, the matter wasn't complicated, but at this time, Su Ya's health was far too weak. A matter of a few sentences had to be split into many sentences to be explained, and so once she'd finished explaining everything she knew, the sun had already drawn a large arc across the heavens.

Liang Jiwen, having finished listening to Su Ya's words, didn't speak for a long time, her finger drawing circles around the edge of the celadon medicine bowl. It shook the bowl such that ripples arose, one after another, within the remaining medicine within; only after a long while did she say, "But if you use this Thousand-Year Lingzhi, what will Royal Father use?"

Su Ya's throat bobbed, and her fingernails dug deeply into her palm, but she couldn't say anything. Even if the heavy scent of medicine was dispersed in the room, Liang Jiwen could catch the scent of blood within it. A thought rose in her mind, and she raised her left wrist a few cun higher, the jade bracelet striking against the edge of the bowl, letting out a sharp sound.

"If Wangjie has some secret worried, it would be better to tell me," Liang Jiwen said lightly. "I've made a number of friends in my time in the Great Li. There's even ones of extreme wealthy—"

Su Ya's pupils, hearing the words "ones of extreme wealth", suddenly shrank, and her gaze was involuntarily caught by the limpid blue-green on Liang Jiwen's wrist. The bracelet shifted with countless glinting gleams in the twilight, as if the stars that could be seen when raising one's head while still on the steppes.

Su Ya's breaths stilled.

Liang Jiwen glimpsed her expression, and a secret satisfaction rose in her, but her expression didn't shift. "No matter what, you're my older sister; that I could come to the Great Li and have such a life is all because of you. If what you want is within my ability, naturally I'll do everything I can to help."

The heavens were growing darker and darker; the last bit of setting sunlight spilled into the room, happening to settle on Liang Jiwen. Su Ya's gaze, in the darkness, concentrated on Liang Jiwen's face, and she lamented at the rise and fall of fortunes.

In less than three years' circumstances, it had become her who was hiding in the darkness. Su Ya unconsciously coughed a few times.

Liang Jiwen cast a glance at her, and said with a smile, "Does Wangjie still need to act in front of me? Whether you're ill or not, and the cause of your current behaviour, do you need me to explain it to you?"

"You know?"

"Does Wangjie truly take me for a fool? Even if I've never done it, I've seen others do it," Liang Jiwen said, smiling disdainfully.

Only now did Su Ya realise her conceit, and her teeth bit firmly into her lip. Those pale lips did have some red to them. Only after a long while did she say, "I want to stay in the Great Li."

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