Shen Qingyang's father was Empress Shen's only full brother. Because the siblings shared a deeply affectionate bond, Emperor Mingde also held the Shen family in high regard.
The upheaval in the Shen family began in the year Shen Qingyang turned eight, when his father insisted on taking a singing girl as a concubine.
Shen's mother possessed a fierce and uncompromising temperament, firmly refusing to allow a woman from the pleasure houses to cross their threshold. The couple even came to blows over the matter.
With Empress Shen's tacit approval, Shen's father ultimately brought the pregnant singing girl into the household and threw a grand banquet to celebrate.
Right at the banquet, Shen's mother leaped from the fourth-story wooden tower and died on the spot.
Furious, Shen's father—instigated by the singing girl—even went so far as to forbid Shen's mother's spirit tablet from being placed in the Shen Family Ancestral Hall.
No one ever knew the exact details of how Shen Qingyang and his sister lived afterward, but barely a year later, his full sister, who had not yet reached womanhood, lost her mind.
When Shen Qingyang was twelve, his sister—who had been insane for three years—perished in a great fire, leaving not even bones behind. The very next night, he killed the singing girl and her two children before fleeing the Capital alone.
No one knew where Shen Qingyang had gone until the spring of the seventh year of Mingde, when Elder Prince Yan returned in triumph after pacifying the Xiongnu. Only then did people learn that Shen Qingyang had gone off to join the army alone, achieving great military exploits despite his tender age.
Shen's father harbored a bone-deep hatred for Shen Qingyang, repeatedly submitting memorials to the imperial court demanding a death sentence for him.
Perhaps out of pity for her nephew, or perhaps because her own tacit consent years earlier had caused the deaths of Shen Qingyang's mother and sister, Empress Shen did not stand by Shen's father this time. Instead, she kept Shen Qingyang by her side.
Shen Qingyang never returned to the Imperial Uncle's Mansion. He lived alone in a residence bestowed upon him by Emperor Mingde, with only a few elderly servants to sweep and clean.
In less than a decade, Shen Qingyang rose from an ordinary soldier in the Imperial Guards to Grand Commander, taking charge of the defense of the entire Capital and becoming Emperor Mingde's most trusted confidant.
Yet no one attributed his success to Empress Shen, for his shrewdness, formidable capability, and ruthlessness were plain for all to see, and his loyalty to Emperor Mingde was equally well known.
On the contrary, his relationship with Empress Shen was far less intimate than his relationship with Emperor Mingde.
People whispered behind his back, saying that Shen Qingyang still harbored a grudge against Empress Shen for tacitly allowing his father to take the singing girl as a concubine, thereby driving his mother and sister to their deaths.
Reaching this point in the story, Jiuer lowered her voice and asked Mei Xue in a quiet whisper:
"My lady, do you think those terrifying scars on Lord Shen's body could have been caused by that courtesan abusing him?"
Mei Xue did not speak, only slowly stirring the polished rice porridge in her bowl with a spoon.
If Jiuer's speculation was true, it would be yet another proof of the saying, "There is nothing more venomous than a woman's heart."
Those iron needles were all barbed—how could an eight or nine-year-old child have endured such torment?
Seeing that Mei Xue remained silent, Jiuer viciously bit into half a crystal shrimp dumpling and spat out:
"Pah! What kind of pure-hearted artist who sells only her arts and not her body? Wasn't she just a black-hearted vixen?"
Amused by Jiuer's expression, Mei Xue picked up another crystal shrimp dumpling, placed it on a small plate for her, and said at a leisurely pace:
"In this world, there must always be a few 'extraordinary women' who, besides excelling in both arts and talent, are either peerlessly graceful or captivatingly charming, yet all are equally adept at capturing men's hearts.
Even if they are merely 'too frail to care for themselves,' they can achieve their goals by stirring up a man's urge to play the protector.
So you see, men think they are the masters of this world, but in truth, many women play them for fools. Am I right?"
Jiuer listened in stunned silence, then burst into hearty laughter:
"My lady, this maid has noticed that while you don't care much for talking, whenever you do speak, it's so interesting—and I think everything you said is spot on."
Mei Xue curved her lips, looked at Jiuer with a smile, and said serenely:
"I have many more secrets you don't know yet. Just wait and discover them slowly in the future."
With that, the two exchanged a smiling glance, causing the older women standing outside—who could not hear what was being said—to look at each other in confusion.
Jiuer felt lighthearted and at ease, while Mei Xue lowered her gaze, masking the bone-chilling coldness deep within her eyes.
Like Qiao Anyi, like Li Jinzhi, like Shen Qingyang—upon losing their birth mothers, they either died, or lived lives worse than death.
Mei Xue had almost no impression of Qiao Juncheng. Compared to the level of maternal affection shown to a son, the Prince of Shu was far better than that legendary Imperial Uncle Shen; yet even so, hadn't Li Jinzhi barely escaped with his life?
Therefore, in this world, whether as husband and wife or as father and son, men were unreliable most of the time.
Because of the incident with Shen Qingyang, Mei Xue began to reexamine her own words and actions.
She never went to see Shen Qingyang again, nor did Imperial Physician Chen send anyone to invite her.
As for Li Jinzhi, she only went over once a day or every two days to check on him. Most of the meals were left to the kitchen manager to handle, and she was only responsible for making medicinal dishes for Li Jinzhi, which she had Jiuer deliver to Zhizhu Courtyard.
For the rest of the time, Mei Xue stayed in the guest courtyard, bent over her desk every day to write her own manuscript.
Whatever she had learned in her past life that could be put into practice under present conditions, Mei Xue wrote down in detail.
The Shu region—the place of refuge for her and her mother. Ten years had given her a deep affection for this land.
She might not have the opportunity to return here alive in the future, so she wanted to leave something behind for this place.
Ten-odd days later, calculating the time, Mammy Zhang, Yurong, and Ping'an would soon arrive in Chengdu, so Mei Xue went to the outer courtyard to find Imperial Physician Chen.
To her surprise, Song Zhijie was drinking tea and chatting in Imperial Physician Chen's courtyard.
After exchanging pleasantries, the three of them sat down. Mei Xue took the box containing the manuscript from Jiuer, handed it to Imperial Physician Chen, and said:
"These are some of my everyday insights and rather ordinary observations, which I wish to leave with you, Senior.
If they can benefit the people of Chuanshu in even a small way in the future, it will also be a token of my regard for the local folk."
Deeply astonished, Imperial Physician Chen hastily stood up and received the box with both hands.
Song Zhijie smiled without a word, slowly sipping his tea while gently shaking his folding fan.
Yet as he looked at Mei Xue, his gaze involuntarily deepened by another fraction.
When Imperial Physician Chen opened the box and flipped through just a few pages of the manuscript, his hands began to tremble. He hurriedly stood up, bowed to Mei Xue, and said with a choked voice:
"The young lady displays such great righteousness that this old man feels utterly unworthy by comparison. Today, I swear before heaven that whatever the young lady has bestowed will henceforth be used without charge for the needs of the people of Chuanshu. If I break this oath, may I suffer heavenly retribution."
Mei Xue helped Imperial Physician Chen up and urged him to be seated. With a faint smile, she said:
"That being the case, I won't disturb the refined leisure of you and Mr. Song enjoying your tea. I will take my leave."
Song Zhijie stood up and nodded, while Imperial Physician Chen insisted on personally seeing Mei Xue out, speaking so excitedly all the way that his words were hardly coherent.
As a physician, he could see the true value of those manuscripts at a single glance.
From the bottom of his heart, he finally conceded that he had not merely lost to the young woman before him in medical skill alone.
At the second gate lay a long flower corridor, densely draped with blossoms of various colors.
Shen Qingyang was sitting alone at the end of the flower corridor. Seeing Mei Xue and Jiuer, he stood up.
This spot was still some distance from the guest courtyard where Shen Qingyang was staying. For him—someone who could only just get out of bed—to be sitting here meant he had most likely received word and was deliberately waiting for her.
Mei Xue sighed inwardly. She instructed Jiuer to stay where she was and walked toward Shen Qingyang alone.
Shen Qingyang had grown slightly thinner, but his posture remained as upright as ever, though the coldness in his eyes was noticeably less than usual.
Mei Xue glanced at him and asked indifferently:
"Is there something you need? Your injuries should be mostly healed by now, shouldn't they?"
Shen Qingyang did not speak, keeping his eyes fixed entirely on Mei Xue.
Helpless, Mei Xue turned around and prepared to leave.
Shen Qingyang finally spoke, his voice low:
"Mei Xue, thank you!"
Mei Xue paused in her tracks. Without turning back to look at him, she said in a cold, aloof tone:
"As a physician, what I did was merely my duty. As an individual, it was nothing more than a slight effort.
Therefore, there is no need for you to take this matter to heart.
There is only one thing I wish to remind Lord Shen of: in the future, unless I have done something to offend you, please address me as 'Miss Mei' or 'Dr. Mei' rather than using my given name.
The name 'Mei Xue' is not something Lord Shen has the right to utter."
With that, Mei Xue walked straight through the moon gate leading to the inner courtyard.
Jiuer cast a stealthy glance at Shen Qingyang, whose face had suddenly turned ashen, and darted after Mei Xue like a puff of smoke.
Shen Qingyang stood in place for a long time before letting out a soft, bitter laugh.