Amid the snowy night, she looked enchanting, like a fairy fallen to the mortal world. Turning to Zhanxiang, she called happily, “Zhanxiang, go fetch a chair from the room. I want to sit under the plum tree and enjoy the snow.”
“Yes!” Zhanxiang ran into the room.
Fubyi walked helplessly to Ning Wanwan’s side, brushing off the snowflakes from her green cloud fur coat. “Miss, what are you appreciating at this late hour? Be careful not to freeze yourself.”
Ning Wanwan approached the wintersweet tree, casually breaking off a branch. “This is something you don’t understand. As the saying goes: ‘Plum and snow compete for spring, yet neither will yield. Plum must concede three parts of whiteness to snow, while snow loses a segment of fragrance to plum.’ It speaks of the elegant contest between plum’s fragrance and snow’s purity in welcoming spring.”
“Tonight, with wintersweet in full bloom and the first snow arriving, such a beautiful moment calls for me to compose a commentary, to appreciate the plum and play with the snow. Why wouldn’t I?”
“…Miss, I don’t understand a word you just said,” Fubyi looked bewildered.
Ning Wanwan helplessly tapped her forehead with the plum branch and quickly turned to Fubyi with a bright smile, saying, “I suddenly want to eat roasted sweet potatoes, the ones from Old Li’s shop at the bridge.”
Fubyi immediately understood, laughing, “My little ancestor, I’ll go buy them for you right away. Just don’t linger in the snow too long and come inside soon.”
“I know, go quickly,” Ning Wanwan urged.
“Miss, the chair,” Zhanxiang and two other maids brought out a yellow rosewood armchair, placing it under the plum tree. They instructed the other maids, “Dian Cui, bring the miss’s warming bottle. Dian Qing, fetch an oil-paper umbrella.”
The narrative continues with Ning Wanwan enjoying the snow, playing with her maids, and secretly planning her next move. She turned and angrily shouted at the mischievous maids, “Zhan Xiang, you little troublemaker, only caring about your own fun, didn’t you see the young lady’s face turning blue from the cold? Hurry up and bring hot water to help the young lady rest.”
With a wave of her sleeve, the maids scattered immediately.
Ning Wanwan rubbed her temples and stood up, but almost fell over.
Fu Yi quickly supported her, exclaiming, “Young lady, what’s wrong?”
Ning Wanwan shifted her foot and realized that she had lost sensation from her thigh down. She smiled and said, “It’s nothing, just numb from sitting too long.” Then, she pushed Fu Yi away and struggled to enter the room.
*
After warming the bed, Fu Yi urged Ning Wanwan to lie down. Reluctantly, she climbed into bed. Fu Yi covered her with blankets, checking and rechecking until satisfied. She sighed, lowered the bed curtains, extinguished the lamp, and quietly left the warm chamber to keep watch.
Once quiet, Ning Wanwan lifted the blanket to the bed’s corner. The warmth dissipated, and a chilly draft enveloped her. Her teeth chattered, and feeling cold, she curled up, refusing to cover herself with the blanket.
*
“Young lady, young lady, wake up…”
Ning Wanwan felt her body floating in an endless sea, dizzy and disoriented.
A blurry voice finally broke through the dark sky, causing her to slowly open her eyes. She saw Fu Yi and Zhan Xiang anxiously by her bedside.
Chapter 22: Investigating
As soon as Fu Yi saw her awake, she sighed with great relief, “Young lady, you’re finally awake. I called you for so long, and you didn’t respond.”
“What time is it?” Ning Wanwan pressed her hand against her forehead, feeling heavy.
Fu Yi replied, “It’s almost the hour of the rabbit. You’ll be late for class again.”
“Help me get up and prepare for washing and changing,” Ning Wanwan half-propped herself up and lifted the blanket. Fu Yi quickly supported her to sit at the dressing mirror.
“Young lady, you kicked off all your blankets last night. Your complexion looks poor today. Could you have caught a chill?” Fu Yi brushed Ning Wanwan’s hair, asking with concern.
“Just feeling a bit heavy-headed.”
“Should we send someone to the palace to ask for leave and get an imperial doctor?”
“No need. I’ll go to the palace for morning class first and then visit an imperial doctor after.”
Fu Yi nodded and quickly finished styling Ning Wanwan’s hair.
The carriage driver had prepared the carriage at the main gate.
As Ning Wanwan was about to board, she suddenly swayed and nearly fell. Fu Yi quickly supported her and asked, “Young lady, what’s wrong?”
Ning Wanwan, barely holding herself up, shook her head, her lips pale: “…Nothing.”
Fu Yi, concerned, said, “You’re saying nothing when you can barely stand. I must inform the old madam.”
“Don’t go!” Ning Wanwan spoke sternly.
Fu Yi insisted, “Young mistress!”
Ning Wanwan grabbed her arm firmly, “Go directly to the Imperial Medical Bureau and find an imperial doctor.”
Fu Yi considered it and agreed that finding a doctor was better than alerting the old madam. She helped Ning Wanwan into the carriage and they headed to the palace.
*
Ning Wanwan’s gaze flickered slightly as she casually remarked, “A few days ago, when I went to Baoci Palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, I saw the Prince of Yi. A court physician was there, who took the Prince’s pulse and was praised by the Empress Dowager. I thought I might invite him to check on my grandmother’s headache.”
Liu, the imperial physician, said: “The lady is referring to Xu Fengyu, right? He serves the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress, and the Crown Prince. He has been granted the title of Imperial Physician and wears gold and purple robes. His status is noble, and he generally does not leave the palace.”
The imperial physician who treated Si Zhan was Xu Fengyu. However, with her current status, Ning Wanwan could not get close to him and wouldn’t know where his medical records were kept, making her task difficult.
Fu Yi carried the medicine and left the Imperial Medical Bureau with Ning Wanwan. She looked up at the sky; it was already the hour of the Snake. Due to her condition, she could not attend classes at Zishantang, so they returned to their residence.
At night, Fu Yi brought the freshly decocted medicine.
“Miss, it’s time to take the medicine,” he said.
Ning Wanwan, lying sideways on the bed reading, glanced at the steaming medicine and replied, “Put it there, I’ll drink it after it cools down.”
Fu Yi placed the medicine on the small table by the bed and turned to make the bedding.
Ning Wanwan glanced at Zhan Xiang and pointed to the plum flower in the vase, saying, “Zhan Xiang, the plum flower is no longer fresh. Go pick a new one from the tree.”
“Yes.” Zhan Xiang happily went out.
After they left, Ning Wanwan quickly poured the medicine into the orchid pot on the high table by the bed, then returned to her reading.
Fu Yi made the bedding and stuffed two hot water bottles into the bed. Turning back, she noticed the soup bowl was empty. She furrowed her brow at how readily her miss drank the medicine but thought it was good.
“Miss, please rest early. The bed is warm.”
“Okay.” Ning Wanwan put down her book and lay down.
Fu Yi checked the bedding carefully before saying, “I’ll keep watch by the bed tonight. Miss, please rest assured.”
Ning Wanwan sighed, “The floor is cold. Go sleep in the warm bed in the side room.”
“It’s no trouble. I’m sturdy,” Fu Yi replied, then spread a blanket on the floor by the bed, extinguished the lamp, and went to sleep.
Ning Wanwan waited until it seemed Fu Yi was asleep.
She quietly kicked the hot water bottles to the corner of the bed and slowly moved her legs out of the blanket until her entire body was exposed.
