Chapter 17 Deterioration

It seemed that the present Su Chenghai was a little bit different. He wore a long gown with a belt, which looked very straight and tall, but the slant jade pendant and his sweaty forehead expressed his coming in a hurry. All of these were perceived by Qin Yunuan only because others paid much attention to the red coral behind him.

“Beautiful red coral!” Concubine Liu was delighted, “My Young Master Su Chenghai, is that from East Qin too?” That red coral was much valuable than her black pearl.

“Right,” Su Chenghai answered with a smile, “It is a first meeting gift for my aunties from me, a junior. Yesterday I came here in a hurry and I had no enough time to carry it to the mansion. It was taken here just now, and please forgive my impoliteness.”

Dou Qing’e’s upset was relived. Though the officials were very different from businessmen, everyone loved money. She tolerated her happiness and craziness and pretended to be calm, “Thanks for your sincere gift.”

Su Chenghai said in a calm voice, “Fine.” And then he glimpsed at Qin Yunuan and his eyesight met the eyesight of Qin Yunuan exactly. Just at that moment, Qin Yunuan could not tell the mood of Su Chenghai shortly. She thought their childish friendship was not intimate any longer.

In the family host, Dou Qing’e gave stereotyped greet to Su Chenghai and Su answered in a calm voice. Qin Yunuan glimpsed at her male cousin whom she had not seen for ten years. He acted so politely but still kept away from others to some extent. He awarded much money to others in the mansion but from his eyes, Qin Yunuan could not find some profane thoughts.

He was disguising or just always exclusive from others in nature?

“My third cousin, do you love the gift I gave you yesterday?” Su Chenghai asked those maidens to present one by one. And when he asked Qin Yunuan, the maidservant scooped up some ginseng chicken soup for him. Qin Yunuan was moony when she saw his handsome face through the vapor.

Qin Yuwan raised her head gently with a disdainful face. She knew yesterday Qin Yunuan only received some silk thread and clothes and herself, as a concubine’s daughter, too, received Sichuan Brocade. She was happy to see that Qin Yunuan was so menial.

“I like it very much,” Qin Yunuan gave him a calm and humble smile, and added, “so does Baochuan.”

A delightful mood flashed in Su Chenghai’s eyes and he nodded. Their talk was polite and gentle, as light as their vanished friendship as expected by many people.

After greetings, nanny Gui from the Caizhi Courtyard came in a hurry to whisper to Dou Qing’e, and her face turned unhappy suddenly.

“Go and find the doctor. Don’t tell me.” Though she lowered her voice, each word was caught by Qin Yunuan.

All were here except Qin Yunzhuang who was relaxing for being scratched by the cat, and now the maidservant who just came was from Qin Yunzhuang. Qin Yunuan was observing the development of the whole thing. Looking at the pressed face of Dou Qing’e, she knew that something very bad must happen about Qin Yunzhuang.

Nanny Gui was embarrassed and just said timidly though she was at the feast, “The Imperial Concubine Ning at the Prince Ning’s Mansion fell down and all famous doctors in the capital were called to her mansion.”

“Then you take the pass permit of the master to the imperial palace to find the imperial doctor.” Dou Qing’e shouted in a low voice.

Nanny Gui was more embarrassed, “The top and second leaders in the Imperial Hospital both dispatched to the Prince Ning’s Mansion by the emperor for checking Imperial Concubine Ning.”

Dou Qing’e gritted her teeth and frowned, saying in a low voice, “Always Imperial Concubine Ning! She just fell down and my daughter’s face is more urgent!”

Just in a moment, Qin Yunuan saw Su Chenghai frowned heavily but recovered quickly. He took a chicken bouillon eggplant into his saucer made of blue and white porcelain, asking towards Dou Qing’e, “What’s wrong, my aunty?”

Dou Qing’e wanted to ignore him but she remembered Su Chenghai knew some medical skills and might know some talent when he did his business nationwide. Concubine Liu asked her too. She put down the chopsticks and said, “She feels not well about her face.”

The words Dou Qing’e answered were so simple, but from her frowning face, Qin Yunuan knew that it was not just “feels not well”.

“What? The face,” Concubine Liu was worried to say, “it’s the wounds on her face…” She immediately covered her mouth and lowered her head to avoid the cold-knife-like eyesight.

Suddenly, a little maidservant came in a hurry and said straightly, “Madam, Miss Qin Yunzhuang said she could not tolerate the pruritus on her face. If you do not come to see her, she would keep scratching her face till it was broken.”

Dou Qing’e stood up seriously and pointed at the little maidservant, “How dare you coming here to shout. Get out of here. Ye San, punish her.”

“No, my sister, it is not an appropriate time to punish the servant,” Concubine Liu tried to persuade, “It sounds bad about Yunzhuang’s face,” and then she shouted at those nannies outside, “Don’t freeze there. Go to find doctors.”

“No,” Dou Qing’e said gloomy, “all famous doctors in the capital have been summoned to the Prince Ning’s Mansion and some old imperial doctors in Imperial Hospital too,” and then she stared at Su Chenghai in suggesting eyesight. She had heard that Su Chenghai was the apprentice of the top doctor Sun Miaoyang in the regions south of the River and she wanted to see how skilled Su Chenghai could be.

But Su Chenghai was chewing the chicken bouillon eggplant and put down the chopsticks with her eyebrow frowning, “There is still a young imperial doctor on duty in the Imperial Hospital. He is the only Young Master of family Zhang and very skilled in medicine.” And then he turned slowly to look at Qin Yunuan, “You must have met him in the palace.” He frowned to look at Qin Yunuan, with clear and fresh eyesight, like a cool fountain and seemed to wait for something.

Qin Yunuan was called and got panic, but she still stood up naturally, “You mean the imperial doctor Zhang, Zhang Ruting? Yes, I met him at the palace. He was so polite and humble.” Qin Yunuan’s words were true. After all, expect those warnings given by Zhang Ruting, he was really a decent person.

“A childe?” Dou Qing’e felt surprised, and shook her head, “No way.” She had already felt tough to handle with the dissolute Su Chenghai and she could not let another one in. And Yunzhuang always was amorous to handsome men. It was intractable…

“My sister, don’t be hesitant,” Concubine Chang advised her sincerely, “It’s important to handle with the face problem of Yunzhuang.”

Dou Qing’e pondered for a while and struggled to tell Xiu Gu, “Go to find the pass permit and invite the imperial doctor Zhang here.”

When Zhang Ruting came, the whole Caizhi Courtyard was in a mess.

Every corner in the Yard had the sharp and wretched shouting of Qin Yunzhuang. With a heavy Dong of knocking the door, Qin Yuwan stumbled to come out from her room. She almost fell down or she would fall down without the support of her little maidservant. Otherwise, her delicate dress would be destroyed.

“Get out! All of you get out! You all think I am a joke.” The wretched voice of Qin Yunzhuang came from the room and then she sobbed.

Qin Yuwan stood stably and suggested at the door, “Sister, don’t misunderstand me. I am coming to bring some medicine. How come I think you are a joke? You are my blood sister.” She said sincerely but a secret proudness and smile could be found on her face. When she turned and found Qin Yunuan was watching her, she felt embarrassed and stopped her emotion. She said to Qin Yunuan embarrassedly, “Sister is angry now. Don’t bother her.” Her words were intimating that Qin Yunuan came here on purpose to see how miserable her sister was.

Qin Yunuan nodded to show that she was holding a basin of water, “I just come to help hold the basin.”

Just almost at the moment, Qin Yunuan said the first word, Qin Yunzhuang then shouted, “Who? Who was there? Qin Yunuan? Don’t enter my room. Where is my mother? Where is my mother?”

“Your mother is busy now.” Qin Yunuan answered shortly, “Sister, I just come to bring you some fresh water.”

Qin Yunzhanng was about to add more words, but a lower male voice came from the room, serious and unhappy, “Miss, if you kept intervening in my treatment, I would have no idea to cure your face.” This is the voice of Zhang Ruting.

“Sister, this is freshwater.” Qin Yunuan did not want to stay here for so long.

The little maidservant at the door was about to hold the water from Qin Yunuan but Qin Yunzhuang shouted, “I just now asked Hong Luan to fetch fresh water.” Hong Luan was the close lead maidservant of Qin Yunzhuang. Expect nanny Gui, Hong Luan was the most important person Qin Yunzhuang could believe. It was obvious that Qin Yunzhuang thought Qin Yunuan’s show-up was weird.

Qin Yunuan answered slowly, “Sister Hong Luan was called to answer something to your mother, and she met me exactly and let me help her to do that.” Qin Yunuan raised her eyes and just saw Zhang Ruting was turning back to look at her in an informal dress. He was expressionless with cold eyesight. Qin Yunzhuang sat on the bed behind an octahedral padauk screen. The physician was feeling the pause by a silk thread just now, but the treatment was suspended due to Qin Yunzhuang’s constant struggling. Now the little maidservant was re-tying the silk thread.

The whole room was silent. Qin Yunuan stood at the door awkwardly holding a basin of freshwater and Qin Yunzhuang behind the screen was speechless. It was so clear that Qin Yunzhuang would not use anything Qin Yunuan had touched. Her face was destroyed just because Qin Yunuan followed her to enter the palace.

Zhang Ruting broke the cold silence. He nodded at the little maidservant at the door, “Please fetch another freshwater here.”

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