CH 12

Liang Feng was drained by a full day of travel and a fever that hadn’t fully subsided. He coaxed Liang Rong to bed, then washed up and went to sleep early. Getting home had finally let him rest easy; he slept like a rock. By the time Lüzhu called him awake, the sun was almost overhead already. The young girl was joyous; she scooted up to the bed and exclaimed, “Master, the imperial physician’s here!”

Liang Feng paused for a moment before realizing that the doctor Wang Wen sent for had arrived. That was incredibly swift – he’d only just gotten back, himself. It seemed the influence of the Taiyuan Wang clan was mighty indeed. 

He considered for a moment, decided to continue laying in bed, and instructed, “Invite him in then.”

Lüzhu speedily complied. Shortly, a white-haired old man followed her into the room. Liang Feng made as if to stand and greet him; Physician Jian played along and stepped forward to stop him, “You needn’t stand, Master Liang. Carriage travel is rather tiring, you’d best rest awhile.”

Though his hair had not a trace of black, his face glowed with health and vigor. He didn’t at all look like he’d been hurrying on the road. He was much sturdier than an invalid like him. Liang Feng smiled modestly and leaned back on the rest, “Do forgive me, Physician Jiang. I’ve been beset by several bouts of fever during my travel. I’m truly too enervated.”

He’d used his illness to excuse himself from the assembly, so, obviously, he couldn’t be bouncing off the walls with energy in front of the doctor Controller Wang had sent. Liang Feng knew that the more he got Wang Wen to think he wasn’t long for the living, the more sympathy he could ply. 

In this era, fever was often deadly, so Physician Jiang didn’t dare to take it lightly. He approached him and laid three fingers on his wrist. With Physician Jiang’s age and experience, plus the fact that he was a genuine imperial physician who’d retired from the Court of Attendants, he was undoubtedly skilled in pulse-reading. But as soon as he felt his pulse, he frowned and examined Liang Feng’s glabella. Then he took his pulse on his other hand.

He was visibly more thorough than Doctor Sun had been. Lüzhu paled as she nervously watched the old physician, fearing an ominous verdict.

After a while, Physician Jiang finally let go of Liang Feng’s wrist and pondered aloud, “According to Controller Wang, your sickness arose from improper use of cold-food powder. May I ask which establishment you acquired it from? How often did you use it?”

Lüzhu quickly responded, “It was from Jinyu Hall. Master never used it recklessly, only once every ten days. It was just that lots of people were getting cold damage. Master was worried, so he took an extra dose…”

Summer was the season of cold damage outbreaks. It was now the beginning of spring; using the powder as a preventative was understandable. Jinyu Hall was a reputable medicinal store, well known in Bing Province. Their powder was preferred amongst nobles; their formula was reliable, and its effects were mild. Liang Feng shouldn’t have had any issues if he only used it once every ten days.

Physician Jiang’s expression became more severe. He began hesitating whether or not to speak. Liang Feng said to Lüzhu, “Lüzhu, retrieve a dose of powder to let Physician Jiang examine.”

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Physician Jiang nearly jerked his beard out. The Court of Attendants was established to see to the imperial palace’s medical needs and prevent evildoers from harming His Majesty. The doctors there were exceedingly knowledgeable about poisons, so of course he’d noticed Liang Feng’s poisoning; he was simply wary of getting entangled in other’s private affairs and raising his qualms. But since Liang Feng had said it himself already, his misgivings melted away. He couldn’t resist giving the young man another once over. 

He’d met many high and mighty nobles in his long life, and no matter how poised or how powerful they were, they all lost their dignity and decorum once they were on their deathbed, making their ghastly mien all the more repulsive. But Master Liang was different. He remained graceful and serene despite knowing he’d been gravely poisoned. That he sent the girl away first before discussing the matter accentuated his composure and self-possession.

With his looks, temperament, and degree of refinement, it was no wonder that Controller Wang would send him on a personal house call. He couldn’t help but smile slightly. Physician Jiang pressed a hand against Liang Feng’s abdomen, felt his pulse again, then walked over to the table and scrawled out a prescription.

Just then, Lüzhu finally returned. Upon seeing that Physician Jiang had already written out a prescription, she hurriedly gave him a small package, “Physician Jiang, this is the powder master used.”

Physician Jiang ignored the powder, merely nodding in response and handing over the prescription, “Prepare medicine according to this formula. Take it once in the morning, and once at night. Use it for ten days first.” 

Lüzhu blankly took the paper, confused that he’d finished the check-up in the short time she’d been gone. Physician Jiang solemnly warned Liang Feng, “The illness has already taken root in your organs. It will take several years of careful treatment for you to fully heal. Medicine, acupuncture, and herbal baths, you’ll have to try them all one by one. I suggest you prepare yourself, Master Liang.”

Liang Feng knew how serious heavy metal poisoning was. In this era, it was probably impossible to completely treat it. He nodded and said, “Thank you, Physician Jiang.”

Physician Jiang sighed at Liang Feng’s calm stoicism. He thought for a moment and wrote another prescription. “You might have some skin ulcers for a while. This is a prescription for a topical skin ointment; it’s got pain-numbing properties too. As for acupuncture, I’m too old for that, my hands are too shaky. I’ll send a youngster from my family to treat you.”

He was quite meticulous, to take care of cosmetic symptoms and arrange follow-up care. Liang Feng smiled, “Much obliged for your assistance, Physician Jiang. I’d promised Controller Wang that I’d send him a letter, would you mind delivering it to him?” 

He was trying to do him a favor in return. The fact that Physician Jiang, despite his age, would come all the way out here on an oral message from Wang Wen meant that his family’s status was only so-so. Sending the scripture through his hands was the same as giving the Jiang family a chance to ingratiate themselves with Wang Wen. It was worth more than any return gift he could give. Physician Jiang, being old and canny, accurately surmised his intentions. He smiled and guaranteed, “Of course. Although, you’re not out of the woods yet, Master Liang. Don’t tire yourself out too much.”

“I’ll be alright. Lüzhu, arrange a place for Physician Jiang to rest.”

It would take time and effort for Liang Feng to dig the Diamond Sutra out of his memory and transcribe it; but it had an important purpose to serve, so he couldn’t afford to take it lightly.

Just as he was lost in thought, a servant came to report, “Master, Retainer Tian requests an audience.” 

Who was Retainer Tian? Liang Feng wondered puzzledly, but he could hardly make a fool of himself and ask who that was. He nodded, “Show him in.”

An old man in a single layer hemp robe sporting a headcloth walked in and theatrically saluted him, “I heard you’d gotten sick, master, are you well? Alas, it’s all due to my negligence that that rat Yan Sheng nearly got away with it…..”

His face, contorted with contrived guilt, let Liang Feng recall that this fellow was Tian Chang, a guest courtier of the Liang Estate. A fifth-order marquess had the authority to acquire subordinate subjects, but the Liang Estate only had one. Because it was remote and its master didn’t hold office, all the other guest courtiers had already left. Come to think of it, Tian Chang had been managing miscellaneous chores in the estate for a couple of decades already, like some sort of butler. The original “Liang Feng” had very much disliked this “senior official”. It was only after he began to rely on Yan Sheng that their relations had started to thaw.

Retainer Tian likely didn’t harbor any good intentions, showing his face so conspicuously the moment Yan Sheng was dead. 

Liang Feng kept his thoughts from his face and said softly, “It was I who trusted him too lightly. Retainer Tian, what’s the situation in the estate right now?”

Retainer Tian instantly straightened up, “If there’s anything you need, master, simply order me to carry it out, there’s no need to be so distant. While that lowly slave was handling internal affairs, the workshops were all badly affected. Crop production has also nearly halved, thanks to the drought these last two years, and there’s the bandit problem too. If this isn’t properly sorted out, I’m afraid next year the estate might have problems making ends meet.”

It sounded like a bad joke, that an honorable marquess with a hundred-household marquessate would be unable to make ends meet. Liang Feng didn’t know how much he’d exaggerated, but from the fact that the original had only brought twenty thousand coins on his travel and the fact that his trusted aide of many years had switched allegiances were proof that the Liang Estate was indeed having problems with money.

Deterioration like this wasn’t brought about by a single day’s negligence. Since he still had a “kindly aunt” salivating after his ancestral holdings, that meant the Liang family wasn’t at the end of the road yet. The biggest problem was probably mismanagement. If the master of the household was a good-for-nothing squanderer being taken advantage of by conniving servants and wicked retainers, it wasn’t surprising that be worse off each year. 

Suppressing his urge to sneer, Liang Feng slowly nodded, “I didn’t think the estate had already fallen to this extent. It is indeed time to reorganize. If I could trouble you to bring me the ledger and the household registry for me to look over before making a decision.”

Tian Chang’s expression immediately soured at being asked to hand over the ledger, “You’re not well yet, master. What’s the need to personally attend to this drudgery?”

Only a fool would be willing to hand over the ledger! Tian Chang was caught unawares by his master’s demand; wasn’t he too lofty and intellectual for housekeeping? Always particular about his peace and quiet, and letting things take their own course. How else would Yan Sheng have gotten the opportunity to scheme against him? Had his illness sparked his sudden concern toward mundane matters?

Liang Feng didn’t continue that line of conversation, saying instead, “I’ve just remembered, I encountered danger on the road a few days ago. I exempted those who fought off the bandits from land tax as their reward. Lüzhu, call ah-Liang over; and the Jie, bring them as well.” 

Liang Feng had only returned the previous night. Tian Chang only knew the vague outline of what had happened on their journey. He lurched upon hearing his words. Exemption from land tax? What was he playing at? While he was busy being stupefied, Lüzhu had already left to issue orders.

Liang Feng smiled slightly towards him, “Since there’s not much to be done right now, we may as well head to the main hall to have some refreshments and discuss the estate’s agricultural yield and workshop output.”

His words were an order disguised as a request. Tian Chang suddenly felt that perhaps he’d been too rash today.

The author has something to say: 

In Western Han, under both the Minister of Ceremonies and Minister Steward, there was an Imperial Physician Prefect (太医令) and Imperial Physician Deputy (太医丞). Those under the Minister of Ceremonies took care of the bureaucracy’s medical needs. Those under the Minister Steward provided treatment for the Imperial Palace.

The translator has something to say:

Now that the Jin Se translation is finished, Royal Road will be updated more frequently (probably twice a week: once on Sunday and once on some random day)