Chapter 101: The Rebirth of the Crown Prince
In the rejuvenation of spring in March, all things come back to life.
After several days of drizzling spring rain, the weather finally cleared up today. The sunlight streamed in through the old windows, dazzling Zhao Heng's eyes. She turned over, rubbed her eyes, and sat up, feeling a dull pain on her face.
Holding her throbbing cheeks, she once again wondered if her face would end up as rotten and smelly as the stinky old rat in the lame doctor's house.
She felt that she must be sick. Over the past two months, the lame doctor had given her many strange medicines, causing many red rashes to appear on one side of her face. They would burst and ooze pus after breaking the skin.
But the lame doctor had assured her that there was no problem when he checked her pulse, saying it was just a seasonal occurrence of skin eruptions.
She wanted to explain more, but the lame doctor's face immediately fell, and she was afraid that he would be angry and refuse to treat her grandmother, so she dared not say anything more. Let the sores grow, after all, sores couldn't kill anyone.
She had been thinking like this for two months, and then today, the usually bearable pain started to become sharp. It had felt like being bitten by ants before, and today it felt like being bitten by a dog.
The sky finally cleared, and she could go to the mountain to gather wood ear ferns. With this thought in mind, she deliberately ignored the pain on her face, wrapped her clothes tightly, and got up to go next door to see her grandmother.
However, her grandmother's room was neatly arranged with the bed folded, but she was not there. She went to the kitchen and saw a bowl of hot bean noodle soup in the warm fire. It was the breakfast her grandmother had left for her before going out to work.
She took a wooden basin, squatted by the small ditch in front of the door, rinsed her mouth and washed her face, then drank the bean soup noodles before carrying her small basket to the mountain to pick wood ear ferns.
In the early mornings of this season, the dew was still heavy, so she deliberately rolled up her trouser legs high, revealing a thin section of her slender legs to avoid getting her pants wet.
In the past, when there were many people in the village, she often followed Aunt Li into the mountain, sometimes to dig wild vegetables, sometimes to gather herbs, and sometimes to hunt.
However, two years ago, there was a severe drought, and many people in the village fled south to save their lives, causing the population to dwindle.
The houses on both sides of the road that used to be inhabited by villagers had been abandoned and neglected for years, becoming dilapidated. Some places had collapsed walls, with tree branches growing out of the main rooms, and the whole house being covered in vines and wild grass.
The once inhabited areas were now overgrown with lush vegetation, and wild animals occasionally roamed, so her grandmother didn't allow her to go into the mountains alone.
But at this time of the year, the food supply was scarce, and there were wars raging outside, leaving many households with nothing to eat. Even the bark from trees at the foot of the mountain had been stripped by hungry villagers.
She had checked their food reserves yesterday, finding less than half a pound of sorghum flour and over a pound of bean flour. Her grandmother was reluctant to eat bean flour, saving it for her and instead cooked wild vegetables soup that she had dug up from Niu Lingzi Gou.
So, she wanted to sneak into the mountains to gather some wood ear ferns to sell at the market. With the money she made, she could buy white rice and bean flour to make porridge.
She had scouted the area a few days ago and knew where the wood ear ferns grew.
The surroundings were quiet and peaceful, everything in the mountains was calm, with the occasional chirping of insects in the grass. She walked along the clean path cautiously aware that there might be snakes hibernating and waking up from the deep grass. When she walked through the thick grass, she used her sickle to clear the way.
Following the marks she made a few days ago, she quickly found the place where the wood ear ferns grew.
After several days of abundant rainfall, the wood ear ferns had grown well, crowded in clusters like flowers. She quickly gathered a large basket full and began her descent down the mountain.
On this rare sunny day, most of the women in Xuejia Village were gathered by the stream washing clothes. Last winter was snowing all the time, followed by continuous spring rains, and every household had a lot of laundry piled up to wash. They chatted and laughed while washing clothes.
Just as they were chatting, a sudden sound of hurried horseshoes could be heard from behind.
Everyone turned to see a troop of cavalry clad in silver armor approaching.
The people were shocked and amazed; with ongoing battles outside, what were the troops doing rushing into the village?
Two years ago, the Emperor had levied a new land tax that the people of Xuejia Village could not afford. Officials from the court had visited once, severely beating the men in the village and forcibly taking many items. This had left a deep psychological scar on the villagers.
The village was thrown into chaos as the timid Qiuyue Niang ran back, trembling in fear, "It's not good, it's not good, the court is here to loot us again."
Her words startled everyone, and without even bothering to pick up their clothes, they hastened back in a panic.
As Zhao Heng arrived at the foot of the mountain with a basket of wood ear ferns, the whole Xuejia Village was in disarray.
"Are they here to loot us?"
"It doesn't seem like it..."
"Then why are they here?"
"It looks like they are heading south."
There was a crowd gathered under the large locust tree at the village entrance, discussing fervently.
Zhao Heng wiped the sweat off her face and joined the crowd, smiling and greeting everyone warmly.
The young master of the Zhao family and his wife were diligent and kind people, but they died in the floods a few years ago while ferrying people. Since the Zhao family's only son was gone, Mrs. Zhao had fallen ill, yet she continued to care for the young Zhao Heng alone.
The villagers knew why the Zhao family's pillar had disappeared and had always shown compassion towards the grandmother and granddaughter. In prosperous years, when they had enough to eat, they would share some with them.
However, in recent years, the harvests had been poor, and no one could eat a proper meal. Everyone was willing but incapable of helping.
Last year, the Mrs. Zhao had a bad fall, and the Zhao family was so poor that they couldn't afford medical treatment, let alone food. Everyone assumed she wouldn't survive, but the seven-year-old Zhao Heng went with the villagers to gather medicinal herbs, sought a kind doctor's help, and miraculously kept the family going.
This girl was willing to endure hardship, with a good temperament, always smiling whenever she met someone.
Everyone liked her. Aunt Li saw her sweating profusely, the basket covered with a piece of blue cloth, and knew she had gone into the mountains early again, asking in a hurry, "Ah Heng, did you go into the mountains again?"
Zhao Heng nodded somewhat embarrassed, "I gathered some wood ear ferns, can Auntie take me to the market tomorrow?"
"Ah Heng, don't go into the mountains alone from now on." Aunt Li was worried sick, adjusting the twisted flowers on her head, and added, "Some days ago, they found wild boars in the mountains. What if a little child like you encounters them? Uncle Shan is going into the mountains in a few days, you should go with him for safety. If the house is short on food these days, I have two baskets of dried green vegetables from last year, take them to eat first."
Everyone was scarce on food at this time, so Zhao Heng felt embarrassed to take them, knowing Aunt Li's kind intentions, she just nodded and thanked her.
Just then, another person ran out of the village, gasping for breath, "It's not...not for looting, it's the court coming to catch a fugitive."
"That lame doctor, he's actually the palace physician! He has killed someone before!"
The hearts of the villagers, who had been on edge, finally relaxed upon hearing that they were there to arrest a murderer. Rushing like a swarm, they hurriedly made their way towards the lame doctor's residence, afraid of missing out on the excitement.
Aunt Li quickly took Zhao Heng's hand and followed suit.
The lame doctor lived at the south side of the village, in a bamboo forest behind Zhao Heng's house.
He had arrived in Xuejia Village a few years ago, claiming to be a barefoot doctor, making a living by treating people. Initially, people went to him for medical help, but his eccentric temperament and tendency to scold and beat patients led to a decline in his popularity until eventually, no one sought his services.
He had no friends, barely spoke to anyone, and remained dedicated to tending to his medicinal garden in front of his house.
Some villagers harbored a bitter grudge against him due to his sharp tongue, and, planning to destroy his medicinal garden one dark night, ended up fainting and spending the night in the garden, falling gravely ill. Since then, he spread rumors about the lame doctor poisoning his garden, ensuring that no one would visit him.
The mysterious man had lived alone in the village for so many years that no one knew about his background.
When the villagers reached the lame doctor's residence, they found his garden trampled by hooves, with herbs scattered everywhere. The orderly herbs that were usually neatly arranged in the corridor were now strewn all over the place, and the lame doctor sat slumped in a corner of the courtyard, clutching his chest, his face as pale as paper.
A man dressed in a dark narrow-sleeved strong outfit raised his foot and stepped on his shoulder, each word bursting out from between his teeth, "Wang Zhong, why aren't you dead yet?"
"Uncle."
Behind him, a gentle voice sounded. For some reason, his voice sounded a bit weak, accompanied by a couple of low coughs, indicating a probable cold.
Zhao Heng mustered the courage to look and saw a figure in a white robe and jade belt walking towards them past the stern silver-armored guards. His figure was mostly concealed by a cloak adorned with cloud patterns, but his snow-white side profile was revealed under the broad brim of his hat.
He brought his hand to his lips and lightly coughed, his slender fingertips resembling tender bamboo, with a beautiful emerald jade ring on his thumb.
"Take the person back before questioning."
His voice was also low and noble, like a gentle breeze rustling through pine and cypress leaves, possessing an indescribable, refined beauty. The voices of country men were rugged, often shouting loudly, but Zhao Heng had never heard such a voice, and though she couldn't see his face, in her mind, she faintly imagined a face resembling that of a bamboo spirit translated into human form.
"I heard that you had an accomplice helping you with the medicine making," Li Wenjian leaned close to the lame doctor, his gaze sharp as a knife, "You said her name is Zhao Heng?"
Wang Zhong felt a chill down his spine as he was scrutinized by this young boy who appeared to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, yet his gaze was intimidating, as if harboring a sharp blade, making it difficult to meet his eyes.
He knew he was doomed; the Crown Prince despised him to the core, and once captured, he would surely face death. Before his impending demise, he just wanted someone to share his fate.
Scanning the crowd with his eyes, he turned his gaze towards the small figure outside the fence watching the commotion. The young girl was obedient, and he planned to have her do his bidding even in the underworld.
After a few coughs, his chest pounding with pain, he ultimately raised a hand and pointed towards the wide-eyed little girl, "She's there."
Li Wenjian followed his gesture and looked towards Zhao Heng, who was staring back at him in bewilderment.
At only eight years old, she was short, thin, and pale, standing under a blossoming apricot tree like a frail mushroom.
Tears welled up in his eyes.