The citizens of Yong’an City were in a state of panic. If anyone was seen with a fever or coughing, people would immediately steer clear, fearing they might be the next to catch smallpox.
At this time, a rumor began to spread.
—Ji Lan committed patricide and fratricide to seize power. Such actions defy natural law. When the emperor is unrighteous, the world is unstable. This smallpox outbreak is a manifestation of the gods’ wrath.
Furious, Ji Lan ordered a strict containment of the epidemic while also dispatching additional personnel to thoroughly investigate the source of the rumors. He refused to believe that the rumors emerged out of nowhere and was convinced that someone was spreading them deliberately!
In a quiet alley, two figures conversed briefly in the shadows. One slipped through a side gate into a courtyard, while the other calmly emerged from the alley. It was Ji Xuanke.
As Ji Xuanke passed the Shijin Pavilion, he couldn’t help but stop. Due to the smallpox outbreak, Yong’an City’s markets were now desolate, with noticeably fewer merchants. More than half of the shops were closed, and the street vendors were nowhere to be seen.
Ji Xuanke looked up at the flamboyant “Shijin Pavilion” sign for a while before stepping inside. Business was tough; there were no new candies, only the signature Shijin candy.
Ji Xuanke bought a box of Shijin candy. When he opened the box and saw the colorful candies inside, he remembered Gu Jianli’s delighted smile when she put one in her mouth.
Upon returning to the residence of the Marquis of Guangping, Ji Xuanke did not go to his quarters first but headed straight for Wujing’s courtyard. Standing by the shadow wall, he asked Changsheng, who happened to be passing by, “Is Fifth Uncle here?”
Changsheng nodded. Wujing was indeed there, as he seldom went out, and the few times he did were almost always because of Gu Jianli.
Since Wujing was present, Ji Xuanke dared to step into the back courtyard to find Gu Jianli. He was no longer the foolish young man who had pathetically knelt before Wujing to beg for a wife. He had learned to avoid suspicion.
Even though he knew to avoid suspicion, he still worried about Gu Jianli and wanted to see her, even if only from a distance. These days, he had been tirelessly working day and night without rest, but whether his eyes were open or closed, all he saw was Gu Jianli.
Was she okay? Was the medicine bitter? Was she afraid?
Following Changsheng through the Baohulu Gate, Ji Xuanke immediately saw Gu Jianli. The weather was nice today, and Gu Jianli had stepped out of her room to stand under the eaves, basking in the sun. She couldn’t go too far for fear of spreading smallpox to others.
Hearing footsteps, Gu Jianli turned towards the sound and was startled to see Ji Xuanke. She quickly turned away, biting her lip, her face pale and slightly disheveled.
The rash had already spread to her face, and she didn’t want others to see.
Changsheng frowned and said, “Third Master, you shouldn’t go in. We usually don’t enter the back courtyard to avoid catching smallpox.”
Ji Xuanke said nothing, staring at Gu Jianli, and slowly walked towards her. The sunlight cast his shadow on the wall. Gu Jianli watched his shadow approach until he stepped onto the bottom step, and only then did she speak, “Third Master, don’t come up.”
Ji Xuanke quietly gazed at Gu Jianli’s back, one foot on the bottom step. Hearing her words, he did not take another step.
He bent down and placed the Shijin candy on the step, saying, “The medicine is bitter. You can have a piece of candy after taking it.”
Gu Jianli pressed her lips together, remaining silent.
Ji Xuanke slowly straightened up, his gaze deep as he looked at Gu Jianli’s thin back. More than longing to be together, he wished for her to live well, more than anything else.
He said, “The Imperial Medical Academy is still researching, and folk doctors have been summoned from various places. It’s not time to give up yet.”
Gu Jianli watched Ji Xuanke’s shadow on the wall, nodded lightly, and smiled, “Third Master is always so considerate. But it is indeed unsuitable to stay here long. Third Master should leave quickly to avoid catching smallpox too.”
Ji Xuanke gave a bitter smile.
A breeze stirred, lifting the hem of Gu Jianli’s skirt. The soft fabric clung to her waist, accentuating how slender she had become.
She had lost more weight.
A pang of pain struck Ji Xuanke’s heart, and he couldn’t help but say, “What does it matter if I catch smallpox from you? Dying with you would be a luxury.”
Gu Jianli’s heart paused for a moment. She lowered her eyes and warned him calmly, “Third Master, mind your words.”
Ji Xuanke bowed deeply, offering a long, respectful bow, “Aunt Wu is right. It was Ji Shao’s slip of the tongue. Please, do not blame me.”
His restrained tone hid a tumult of emotions, both pain and anger. He straightened up, turned, and strode out.
Gu Jianli stood with her eyes downcast for a long moment before raising them, only to suddenly see Wujing lazily leaning against the inner door. His expression was inscrutable, making it hard to tell how long he had been standing there.
Gu Jianli met his gaze briefly, then calmly looked away. She subconsciously touched her itchy face and lowered her head as she walked back inside.
As she passed by Wujing, he casually remarked, “You forgot your candy.”
Gu Jianli looked at him, then silently turned and walked to the step where Ji Xuanke had left the Shijin candy, picked it up, and headed back inside.
This time, as she passed by Wujing, she kept her eyes lowered and did not look at him, going straight into the house.
“Madam! Someone brought this for you!” Lizi came running in, carrying a large, heavy pot of peonies. She placed the heavy pot on the steps without even panting, despite its weight.
Gu Jianli glanced back and then went outside again. She bent down, curiously looking at the large pot of peonies. The flowers were in full bloom, each one bursting with vibrant life. Gu Jianli touched a petal and asked with a smile, “Who sent this?”
“Lin! A man named Lin! That ugly old man said it was from their Young Master Lin to cheer you up!” Lizi’s words were a bit jumbled, but still understandable.
Gu Jianli tried to recall. Young Master Lin? When had she met a young master with the surname Lin?
Wujing lazily reminded her, “Forgot? At the Hundred Flowers Banquet a few days ago, he said he’d send you peonies.”
The smiling face of Lin Shaotang, with his rosy lips and white teeth, suddenly came to mind, and Gu Jianli finally remembered him.
“So it was him. I thought he was just saying it in passing. I didn’t expect him to really send them. This pot of peonies shows a lot of thought.” Gu Jianli said.
Wujing licked his teeth with his tongue and stepped out of the shadows inside the door. As he walked past Gu Jianli, he casually kicked the pot. The heavy pot fell from the step and shattered into pieces. The blooming flowers were covered in soil.
Lizi blinked, frightened, and ran off immediately.
“Oops, an accident.” Wujing said indifferently.
Gu Jianli looked at him, displeased.
Wujing turned his face to look back at her, meeting her eyes lazily, “What?”
Gu Jianli hesitated, then handed the box of Shijin candy to Wujing, saying angrily, “Why don’t you smash this too?”
Wujing stared into Gu Jianli’s eyes and suddenly struck out, causing the box of Shijin candy to fly from her hand. The delicate box flipped in the air before landing with a clatter, spilling its colorful contents across the ground.
Gu Jianli’s gaze followed the candy as it scattered, then she looked back at Wujing and touched her hand. “You hit my hand,” she said.
Wujing sneered. “Impossible.”
“Really, it’s red, swollen, broken, and hurt. Look,” Gu Jianli said, extending her hand toward Wujing.
Her slender, fair fingers were unmarked, without any sign of injury.
Wujing couldn’t possibly have hit her hand; he never missed his mark. Yet, he lowered his head and seriously examined her hand. After a moment, he took her delicate hand in his, massaging it earnestly before bringing it to his lips and blowing on it.
He raised his eyes to Gu Jianli and asked, “Does it still hurt?”
Gu Jianli, lying with a straight face, said, “It hurts. It’ll take a long time to feel better.”
Wujing continued to gently massage her fingertips, then suddenly smirked.
Gu Jianli, observing his expression, gradually smiled and softly said, “Don’t be angry anymore. I won’t accept anything from others in the future.”
Wujing’s gaze sharpened slightly, as if a small hammer had gently struck his heart. He looked at Gu Jianli and, drawing out his words, said slowly, “Gu Jianli, you’ve been acting differently lately. Are you pregnant?”
Gu Jianli was taken aback. Realizing what he meant, she pulled her hand away and pushed Wujing with a frown. “You’re so annoying, bringing up old jokes! I’ve never met anyone more petty and vengeful than you!”
Just as she finished speaking, Gu Jianli suddenly felt dizzy. Wujing quickly steadied her, the sudden closeness making her avert her eyes. “Don’t look at my face so closely,” she said awkwardly.
She pretended not to care, but how could she not be bothered by her nearly disfigured face?
“Ji Zhao, you’re really annoying, bullying a sick person,” Gu Jianli complained, turning unhappily back into the house.
She wanted to lie down on her bed, but as she passed her dressing table, she grabbed a shawl from the back of a chair and draped it over the bronze mirror. From the Beauty of Anjing to a face full of pockmarks? Gu Jianli couldn’t bear the thought.
But she soon had no time to dwell on it.
Only two days later, her condition severely worsened. The rash turned into large blisters, then into pustules. Her skin felt like it was burning, and she was feverish and weak, unable to get out of bed.
Gu Jianli opened her eyes in a daze and asked, “Am I going to die?”
Wujing didn’t answer, silently applying ointment to the pustules on her arm.
“It hurts, it hurts so much…” Gu Jianli whimpered, tears of frustration in her eyes.
Wujing covered her with a blanket and went to extinguish the lamp. Returning, he lay on the outside of the bed, closing his eyes with exhaustion.
“Gu Jianli, we need to sleep now.”
Gu Jianli bit her lip, watching Wujing’s gaunt profile. She knew he had been worn out recently. But she still nudged him awake.
“You need to help me.” she said.
Wujing frowned but didn’t open his eyes, his voice hoarse as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m bleeding…” Gu Jianli whispered.
Wujing opened his eyes and asked, “Where is the wound bleeding from this time?”
“It’s not a wound…” Gu Jianli hesitated, feeling embarrassed and unsure how to explain. Her usually irregular menstrual cycle had inconveniently decided to start now.
