Thirteen-year-old Wei Linxia, though decisive, didn’t need to help in the temple as the next master had already been chosen. She stayed to see off Master Xu Zhen, as taught since childhood, and was entrusted to take care of Tai Qing.
Tai Qing was lazy. Wei Linxia thought she would want to go down the mountain, but she said there were no good people below and that it was nice with food and drink. With her master passing, they weren’t strictly constrained. Wei Linxia suggested staying at the Wei residence, but Tai Qing scoffed, saying she couldn’t stand seeing Wei Fenzhì. She believed that if Wei Linxia wanted to follow her master’s wishes, she should remain on the mountain until Tai Qing felt better.
Wei Linxia stayed for half a month. During this time, Madam Wei came up the mountain to bring food and clothing. Xi Linxuan and others stayed away, likely too embarrassed to disturb them so soon after Xu Zhen’s death. Upon returning home, Wei Linxia found it stuffier compared to the cool mountain.
Everything at the residence was the same, but Wei Linxia felt troubled when seeing Xi Linxuan. Xu Zhen had asked her to perform acupuncture for him, but she was unsure how to navigate the boundaries between men and women. After much thought, she decided to find an acupuncture expert who would perform the treatment while she supervised. She chose a sunny day to visit Xi Linxuan.
While other rooms felt hot, Wei Linxia found Xi Linxuan’s room surprisingly cool. He wasn’t there but sitting in the corridor, looking up at the birds in cages that Madam Wei had brought, despite Wei Fenzhì’s objections.
A eunuch announced her arrival, and Xi Linxuan focused on the birds: “Miss Wei has arrived, please sit.” The eunuch brought a chair, which Wei Linxia thanked him for before sitting down.
Before Wei Linxia could speak, Xi Linxuan said, “I’ll trouble you in the future.”
“Your Highness is too kind. Today, I’ve come precisely because of this matter. Although Master Xu entrusted me, there are boundaries between men and women, and acupuncture is different from other methods. So, I thought we might find an acupuncture master in the country to treat Your Highness,” Wei Linxia said.