Chapter 17 – Depression

The morning of the second day, Xie Yi woke up to a faint floral fragrance. He got up, and Wu Fu came over to help him wash up and go to the toilet. As Xie Yi reached into the water basin, the scent of flowers grew stronger. He asked, “Where did the floral fragrance come from?”

Liu Shun said, “Prince Xu brought several pots of orchids early this morning from who knows where. He said they were gifts from the managers below, and he saw the flowers’ fragrance and brought them specifically for Ninth Master.”

Xie Yi asked, “Orchids? What color are they?”

Liu Shun said, “They’re jade white, crystal clear like ice flowers. There are seven or eight stalks! Each stalk has more than ten flowers, and the fragrance is especially strong.”

Xie Yi nodded slightly. These were “Fish Fin Orchids,” a rare delicacy from Fujian Province. However, he had long since stopped the ridiculous tributes of flowers, birds, and stones that the previous emperor had continued. The national treasury was empty, yet local governments still forcibly collected tributes to supply the imperial family. These playthings couldn’t be eaten or drunk; they were of no benefit to the country or the people. If wealthy merchants were now purchasing them at high prices, perhaps the flower growers could finally earn a living.

This young Prince Xu indeed lived a life of luxury, and even the emperor himself hadn’t enjoyed such extravagance until today. Orchids were too delicate, and it wasn’t easy to cultivate them. In the palace, during winter, only common flowers like narcissus and plum blossoms were presented daily, as they dared not bring in such expensive orchids. They feared that once they caught the emperor’s eye, they would have to do so every year, which would cause a great disturbance.

However, during his days of recuperation, there had been no shortage of fragrance in his room, but it wasn’t incense—it was the Buddha’s hand fruit on the table. It seemed that Xu Chun liked it before, but as winter deepened, everything was replaced with orchids today. This was specially arranged for him, who couldn’t see.

Xie Yi recalled the light touch akin to butterfly wings before he slept last night. Such tender and moving attentions, if pursued after another woman or man, would likely be irresistible. Looking at these past few days, every piece of clothing, every meal, every journey in a boat or carriage, was luxurious and comfortable. The food was exquisite, and the dishes were finely prepared, yet when it came to reading, he couldn’t even read the words smoothly. This was due to a complete lack of proper education. With such wealth, if they had hired a few strict and competent teachers, how could he have learned so poorly?

Xu Chun was eighteen years old and had yet to settle his marriage, which was considered late among the high-ranking families in the capital. Of course, this was partly due to his father’s incompetence and his mother’s merchant background. While finding a high-ranking family to marry into might be difficult, arranging an engagement with a girl from an official family should have been easy, yet no one bothered to do so. It seemed that within the Duke Jingguo’s residence, no one truly cared about him. His mother, who was a merchant, probably couldn’t make decisions regarding his marriage, as she didn’t have an imperial title and thus couldn’t officially enter the social circle of the capital’s nobility. Within the Duke Jingguo’s residence, there were two women with imperial titles, one old, and the other mourning.

Xu Chun also had a younger brother born of a concubine, who was yet unmarried but had passed the provincial examination and was about to participate in the Spring Imperial Examination. Once he became a Jinshi, it would indeed give him an advantage in marriage negotiations. Yet, an illegitimate son was openly recognized by the Duke’s family, taking advantage of the wealthy main wife’s kindness and resources to study and pass the examination, poised to change his fate through marriage. In contrast, the true heir had developed a life of excessive extravagance, unable to secure a powerful marriage alliance. He was even led astray, indulging in homosexual desires, and straying onto a crooked path.

What a good story of a younger son striving to reach the heights of success. It could be turned into a play. Could this be considered a lucky coincidence? Xie Yi had grown up in the palace since childhood and had seen countless demons and monsters, experienced numerous conspiracies and tricks. Concerning titles and ranks, which family behind closed doors wasn’t filled with filth? No family was innocent. Xie Yi never believed in such fortunate individuals.

Xie Yi was originally a person prone to overthinking, coupled with his meticulous nature. Since Xu Chun had been placed under his care, he couldn’t help but devote some thoughts to the suspicions surrounding the Duke Jingguo’s residence. After washing up, someone delivered breakfast. It consisted of chicken noodle soup, shrimp wontons, crab roe pork soup buns, three main dishes, and sweet dishes like bird’s nest soup and fish maw jelly. There were also a few types of pastries and rare fruits like winter pears and honey melons.

Xie Yi saw that during his convalescence, which had been about seven or eight days, each day’s meals were different. It was said that they were all personally made by Old Lady Liu. He sighed at the effort. He ate a little casually, and the rest was given to Wu Fu and Liu Shun.

Not long after the dishes were cleared away, Xu Chun arrived with Doctor Zhou. Doctor Zhou checked Xie Yi’s pulse and looked at his wounds. “The wounds have begun to heal, and your pulse is stable. For external treatment, change to some Fritillaria, Angelica dahurica, raw rhubarb, and saussurea to detoxify, reduce swelling, and resolve stagnation. Add a bit of borneol to cool the heat and promote tissue regeneration. Internally, continue with the original herbal decoction but remove the Coptis and halve the dosage. Take a slice of ginseng in the morning to strengthen your foundation. How is your sleep at night?”

Xie Yi knew that the doctor was highly skilled and didn’t hide anything. “I still occasionally feel startled and restless, making it hard to sleep after waking up. But this has been happening since before.”

Doctor Zhou frowned. “It’s due to the patient’s excessive thinking. I can see that you are extremely intelligent and have a strong personality. You must think deeply about many things in your daily life. You should relax your heart and not strive for perfection in everything. If this continues, emotional distress will lead to stagnation of qi and blood, loss of appetite, and fatigue. It’s not a good thing. Instead, indulge in more entertainment and laughter. That might bring about a change.”

Xie Yi smiled, neither confirming nor denying. Doctor Zhou knew that one’s nature was hard to change, so he didn’t insist. He then instructed Dong Hai, “Go and remove the bandages and check his eyes.”

Dong Hai got up and helped Xie Yi remove the bandages with Liu Shun and others. Xu Chun was nervous but still got up and walked to the window. Although the weather was gloomy today with heavy clouds and dim light, he still closed the windows.

Wu Fu noticed Prince Xu’s actions and realized he was afraid that the bright light would hurt the Emperor’s eyes. He couldn’t help feeling moved. This Prince Xu, despite what people said about him being a wastrel, had genuinely treated the Emperor well during these days!

The bandages were removed layer by layer. Dong Hai had hot water prepared and used hot towels to wipe off the thick layer of ointment from Xie Yi’s eyes. After changing four or five hot towels, his eyes were finally cleaned. A thin layer of tea oil was gently applied before Xie Yi was asked to open his eyes.

Xie Yi slowly opened his eyes and immediately saw Xu Chun’s round eyes staring at him with utmost concern. He blinked slowly, and the moment he did, the gaze opposite quickly shifted away, the ears turning bright red, shy to the extreme. Doctor Zhou asked him, “How is it?”

Xie Yi said, “I can see, although it’s still a bit blurry and dim.”

Doctor Zhou carefully examined his pupils and other parts of his eyes, nodding in satisfaction. “As expected, continue taking the Three Flowers Nine Seeds Pill. You can add some wolfberry to your food for better vision. During these days, avoid using your eyes for writing or reading, look at distant objects more often, go out for walks, and enjoy yourself. Moving your body will help expel the toxins faster.”

Doctor Zhou put down his sleeves and got up, calling Dong Hai to leave and write the prescription. Xu Chun closely followed behind Doctor Zhou. He listened to the doctor’s instructions and paid close attention. After coming out, he saw Doctor Zhou write the prescription and asked in a low voice, “Grandpa Zhou, is Ninth Brother’s severe depression due to overthinking? How should it be treated?”

Doctor Zhou said, “Your Ninth Brother, I can tell just by looking that he has trouble sleeping and thinks a lot at night. People who have experienced many things are like that. For example, elderly people, once it gets quiet at night, their entire lives flash before their eyes, making it impossible to sleep. This is determined by his personality. I can see that he puts his heart and soul into everything, big or small, like a lion using its full strength to catch a rabbit. Although he’s young, he’s mentally exhausted, emotionally drained, and unable to express his feelings. This condition has probably persisted for several years and won’t dissipate anytime soon.”

Xu Chun asked, “How can we make him happier?”

Doctor Zhou rolled his eyes. “Normal people are happy with eating, drinking, and playing. But your Ninth Brother, who knows how much resentment he harbors, won’t be easily pleased. Give it a rest.”

Xu Chun said, “Thank you, Grandpa Zhou. Can you prescribe some liver-soothing and qi-regulating medicinal diets?”

Doctor Zhou chuckled but didn’t say anything. He scribbled down a few prescriptions and left. Xu Chun personally saw him off. Returning, he saw Xie Yi wrapped in a fox fur, looking down at a few large fish tanks placed under the rockery beside the wall in the courtyard. The fish tanks were thickly wrapped in cotton felt and surrounded by charcoal stoves to keep warm. Inside, many live fish swam. Beside the dark fish tanks, Xie Yi wore a cold aura, appearing lonely and melancholic.

Xu Chun worried that Xie Yi would catch a chill standing in the courtyard for too long without fully recovering, so he approached with a smile. “Ninth Brother, are you watching the fish? Watching fish is good for the eyes. These fish are raised by Old Lady Liu for meals. See which ones you like, and we’ll eat them later.”

Xie Yi glanced at him. “I’m thinking about Zhuangzi’s story of watching fish at the Hao River bridge.”

Xu Chun stared blankly. “Is Ninth Brother going to compose a poem?”

Knowing about the dream of the butterfly, how could he not know about watching fish? Xie Yi stared at the fish swimming leisurely in the water and suddenly laughed. He knew that this young wastrel was worried about his depression and had specifically asked the doctor. So, he waited here to explain a thing or two so he wouldn’t have to worry. But this kid was uneducated and obviously couldn’t understand the meaning behind his phrase “you are not the fish.” At that moment, he couldn’t continue the conversation.

Thus, when speaking to this wastrel who only cared about eating, drinking, and having fun, one had to be straightforward. This was quite fresh for Xie Yi, who had grown up in the imperial palace. He had been taught Confucian classics by scholars since childhood and had lived under the regent and the empress dowager, accustomed to hidden meanings in words and always thinking deeply. His speech was ambiguous, leaving room for interpretation. Where else could he find someone as shallow and straightforward as this person?

Seeing Xie Yi smile, Xu Chun’s heart fluttered even more. He hurriedly said, “Ninth Brother has been recuperating at home for many days and must be bored. Today’s weather is nice, why not let me accompany Ninth Brother to the theater to watch a show and listen to music?”

Xie Yi originally had no interest in such pleasures, but going to the theater would allow him to observe the customs of the capital and provide an opportunity for Fang Zixing to gather information about those families. Therefore, he said, “Yes—but I don’t like meeting strangers.”

Xu Chun was delighted and hurriedly said, “Don’t worry, that theater is mine. We’ll go straight to my private box from the back entrance. I guarantee you won’t encounter any strangers.”

He repeatedly ordered his servants to prepare the carriage and reminded them to bring the medicine stove, hand warmers, and other items, showing great concern. Soon, everything was ready. Xu Chun personally accompanied Xie Yi into the carriage. Xie Yi saw that the carriage was indeed lavishly decorated. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary high carriage painted with tung oil, but inside, it was spacious and warm. It had crystal glass windows and was luxuriously and comfortably furnished. Xie Yi sat on a couch covered with soft tiger fur, watching as Xu Chun unfolded a table, revealing teapots, books, and other items. Xie Yi couldn’t help saying, “You sure know how to enjoy yourself.”

Xu Chun was still enthusiastically planning. “It’s been snowing for these past few days. When the snow stops, the west mountains will clear up. Let’s take a carriage ride to the west mountains to enjoy the snow and go hunting. I have a separate residence with a small forest where we can hunt in winter. We can roast some venison and lamb for you to try, replenishing your vitality. We can also go boating on the lake for fun and ice fishing. I’ve caught some huge fish! Since your body hasn’t fully recovered these past few days, let’s just stroll around the city for now.”

Seeing that Xu Chun was indeed skilled in matters of eating, drinking, and having fun, Xie Yi didn’t dampen his enthusiasm. The New Year’s holiday was almost over, and it was time to return to court. After the holiday was the Spring Imperial Examination, a significant event, and he should return to the palace. It was impossible for him to stay here idly forever. He saw that next to the table, a few books were wrapped in soft cloth in an eight-treasure drawer, presumably to pass the time while sitting idle in the carriage. He casually picked up a book and opened it to read.

The book was quite simple, bound with needle stitching, and the cover was plain oiled paper, inscribed with “Records of the Jade Tree” and signed by “Guest of the Chu Pavilion”. The handwriting was good, with swift brushstrokes and clear bones. Opening the inner pages, the first sentence read, “Before the Jade Tree in the rear garden, the fairy grass decorates the mirror. Last year’s flowers haven’t aged, this year’s moon is full again. Don’t let it be lopsided, and may the moon and flowers, heaven grant longevity to the young.”

He commented, “Putting Li Houzhu’s ‘Broken Song of the Back Garden Flowers’ here is quite interesting. The handwriting has some character, sharp and detached, but it’s written too hastily. What is this about? Is it a drama script or a storybook?”

Xu Chun said casually, “It should be a drama script sent by the people below. Ninth Brother, see if there’s anything you like, and I’ll have someone sing it for you…” He looked up at the book and saw the title “Records of the Jade Tree” on the cover. It was the Southern Wind script that the poor scholar He Zhiqiu had just finished writing. The publishing house sent it over today. Xia Chao asked how to handle it, and he simply instructed to store it. Who would have thought that Xia Chao would cleverly put it here?

Xu Chun was so shocked that his soul almost escaped through the top of his head. He hurriedly reached out to snatch the book. “Ninth Brother, your eyes have just recovered. Don’t read in the carriage.”