Chapter 17: A Temporary Reprieve from the Cold Syndrome
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Gu Yan straightened his robes. With a parting instruction to "take good care of my wife," he slowly made his way to the study.
An elderly man with clouded eyes had been waiting inside for a long time. Gu Yan circled the rosewood desk, intricately carved with hollowed-out beast patterns, and settled casually into his chair.
"I have but one question," he began. "Is it truly effective to use heart's blood as a medicinal catalyst?"
The rare herbs listed by the divine physician were precious and scarce. Some, like Selaginella, were priceless and virtually unobtainable, typically found only in the imperial palace or the mansions of the powerful. A single prescription, brewed from so many valuable ingredients, could easily be worth a fortune. Gu Yan could procure all of them for her; his only vexation was the catalyst.
Just moments ago, he had held the beauty in his arms, her voice a delicate tremor. Usually stiff and fearful, she had uncharacteristically wrapped her arms around his neck, yearning for affection. Grand Tutor Gu had savored her tender embrace, yet he had not let desire cloud his judgment or lead him to make rash promises.
Other matters could be left to her, but the cold syndrome absolutely had to be cured. She was only in her thirties, yet her body was barely stronger than paper. She shivered year-round, and no matter how much she ate, she gained little weight, a fact that deeply troubled Gu Yan.
He admitted he was no benevolent man. Had he shown even a hint of weakness, he, his widowed mother, and his young brother would have long perished under the clutches of his uncles. If he were a gentleman, he would have been forced to watch her marry another. He was ruthless, cunning, and manipulative, adept at wielding power. Countless lives had ended by his hand; if he were destined for the eighteen layers of hell after death, he would accept it.
But for Yan Xuerui alone, he wished for her to live well—free from illness and misfortune, safe and content, growing old with him in loving harmony.
Mr. Gao’s gaunt face remained serene. He reiterated, "This old man never speaks idly."
Gu Yan’s expression grew solemn. For years, he had sought out renowned physicians far and wide for Yan Xuerui’s cold syndrome. Someone had once told him that if there was only one person in the world who could cure this illness, it would be the old man before him. This elusive old man had taken A-Yuan two years to apprehend.
Employ no one you doubt; doubt no one you employ. Although he had been deceived by charlatans in the past, after much deliberation, Gu Yan decided to trust him for now.
After a moment of contemplation, Gu Yan withdrew his scrutinizing gaze and spoke gently, "I must trouble you, sir, to thoroughly explain my wife’s illness to me."
...
"Beauty's Adornment" (Meiren Zhuang), a rare and extraordinary poison. Those afflicted suffer excruciating pain throughout their bodies, a fate worse than death, with a lifespan of no more than a year. Yet, it simultaneously bestows a complexion as if powdered, a graceful figure, and an eternally youthful appearance.
With his sharp intellect, Gu Yan immediately deduced that Yan Xuerui was not the biological daughter of the Yan family in Yangzhou, thus eliminating the possibility of using heart’s blood from her "parents or blood relatives."
He also understood the reason for Yan Xuerui’s unusual behavior. Previously, she merely disliked taking medicine, but now she resisted in every conceivable way—she wasn't refusing treatment; she simply didn't want him to investigate further and expose her true origins.
Gu Yan rubbed his temples, a headache brewing. Whether she was the daughter of a common peddler or a noble lady, he cared not. Even when the Yan family was just a small merchant household in Yangzhou, he had already entertained the thought of marrying her. Status and position meant nothing to him. If she was unwilling, he would have been glad to have fewer people vying for her attention.
But now she needed blood relatives for treatment. No matter the immense difficulty, he had to investigate.
Events from over thirty years ago were like searching for a needle in a haystack, but Gu Yan firmly believed in one principle: a goose leaves traces where it passes; a person existing in the world always leaves marks. Moreover, he asserted that Yan Xuerui’s biological parents were either wealthy or noble.
How could ordinary families, who had never even heard of a poison named "Beauty's Adornment," possibly be afflicted by it?
His well-defined fingers tapped lightly on the desk. After a few moments, Gu Yan looked up. "Someone—"
He commanded in a low voice, "Go and investigate whether there were any women of peerless beauty and slender grace in Yangzhou thirty years ago. Especially within the households of high officials and nobles, see if there were any deeply favored wives or concubines who died shortly after giving birth."
This poison was too peculiar—a lifespan of no more than a year, inflicting immense suffering while preserving eternal beauty.
Gu Yan mused that if he wanted to kill someone, he would never choose such a convoluted method. This seemed more like the handiwork of women in the inner quarters. There were roughly two possibilities: first, a woman in the rear courtyard, vying for favor, might not have understood the poison’s potency and carelessly administered it to herself. Second, she might have been envied and framed. The methods of intrigue among women in the inner quarters were countless. His mother-in-law, whom he had never met, who could attract such insidious harm, must have been exceptionally beautiful and deeply favored.
No one would covertly harm an unfavored woman.
Gu Yan had no interest in the grievances of over thirty years ago. Based on the characteristics of the poison, he concluded that Yan Xuerui’s biological mother must have possessed a peerlessly beautiful appearance, was deeply favored by her husband during her lifetime, and died after childbirth.
This significantly narrowed the scope. He paused, then said meaningfully, "Focus more on investigating Prince Su’s Mansion."
He never underestimated the tactics of women in the inner quarters—killing without bloodshed. Were they truly fighting for a man’s favor? Not entirely. At least in Gu Yan’s eyes, they were competing for dignity, honor, and that vast family fortune.
Using such a rare and malicious method suggested that the family fortune was no ordinary wealth. If Yan Xuerui were from the capital, he might even suspect she was of imperial descent. Yangzhou was Prince Su’s fiefdom. Although he was merely a prince without official duties, he was the most powerful person in Yangzhou. Prince Su had numerous wives, concubines, and children. When a group of women fought, it was even more tumultuous than the current emperor’s harem.
Having given clear instructions, Gu Yan furrowed his brow in thought for a moment, then suddenly remarked, "The spring imperial examinations are approaching."
If he remembered correctly, his "father-in-law and mother-in-law" in Yangzhou had no male heir to continue the family line. They had adopted a son from a collateral branch, now around twenty years old, who was quite studious. He had passed the autumn examinations on his own merit, earning the title of provincial graduate. Later, he had come to the capital twice to participate in the spring examinations and had visited the Marquis's estate.
By the time he was adopted, Yan Xuerui had already married. She was indifferent even to her adoptive parents, let alone a younger brother she had barely met. At the time, Gu Yan had joked that he could show leniency for his wife’s sake. The Ministry of Rites was under the Crown Prince's faction, and in recent years, the emperor had valued and utilized him. As the chief examiner for the spring examinations, approving a top-grade paper was no great matter.
Unexpectedly, she had immediately changed expression. His wife, though confined to the inner quarters, possessed a breadth of vision and tolerance beyond ordinary women. Not only did she rebuke him for showing favoritism and wasting the efforts of poor scholars who had devoted ten years to their studies, but she also warned that a tall tree attracts the wind. His blatant actions would only hand evidence to the Censorate.
Grand Tutor Gu, accustomed to reprimanding others, had been lectured by his own wife. He couldn’t explain the complexities of the court situation to Yan Xuerui. Outwardly, he accepted the criticism humbly, but inwardly, he felt a quiet warmth: she was worried about him.
...
This matter had been a fleeting episode in Gu Yan’s busy official duties. He hadn’t intervened, and his "brother-in-law" hadn’t passed the exams, returning dejectedly to his hometown in Yangzhou. Every year, he would bring some Yangzhou specialties to visit his sister. The Marquis's estate received him with proper courtesy, and that was all.
Gu Yan’s gaze flickered slightly as he said unhurriedly, "Send a letter to Yangzhou via official channels. Say... the capital’s spring scenery is beautiful, and invite my father-in-law, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law to come to the capital to enjoy the spring."
He would personally question Yan Xuerui’s adoptive parents. Combined with discreet investigations in Yangzhou, Gu Yan was now deeply convinced that he could quickly uncover Yan Xuerui’s origins.
It would be best if she still had blood relatives alive. Otherwise... by any means necessary—deception, coercion, both gentle and forceful—even if it meant breaking his promise to her, he would cure her.
Gu Yan closed his eyes, having already made up his mind. At most, within half a year, before winter arrived, if they still couldn’t find anyone, their eldest son would have to bear the hardship.
He looked directly at the old man before him, his gaze sharp: "For now, we cannot find the medicinal catalyst. I have heard that your medical skills are exceptional, comparable to Hua Tuo or Bian Que. Do you have any other methods to temporarily suppress my wife’s cold syndrome?"
...
***
Yan Xuerui had been preoccupied lately.
Since that day, she didn’t know if she had annoyed Gu Yan or if he too thought the old man was a charlatan, but he no longer mentioned treating the cold syndrome, let alone that troublesome heart’s blood.
Fearful that Gu Yan might be doing something behind her back, she often called Ming Lan to the main courtyard. Seeing that he seemed normal and testing him with words, only when Ming Lan showed no awareness did she feel relieved.
Gu Yan had somehow learned a set of acupuncture techniques. After applying heat, he would apply needles to her back, which could temporarily alleviate the suffering of the cold syndrome. This was much better than taking medicine, and Yan Xuerui was willing to try it. However, each session required steaming for fifteen minutes first, then partially removing clothing to bare her entire back, waist, and hips. After the needling, her cheeks were often flushed, her hair disheveled, appearing utterly vulnerable.
These days, their intimacy had been rather unrestrained. To appease him, Yan Xuerui had prepared herself. She would close her eyes and endure it—after so many years, there was no need for affectation.
What surprised her was that Gu Yan seemed as composed as a meditating old monk, comparable to the unflappable Liu Xiahui. Although she disliked him touching her, his sudden change left Yan Xuerui puzzled.
Gu Yan... couldn’t be at that age already, could he? Was he... impotent?