NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16 - The Rash
News quickly spread through the east and west wings of the rear palace that the Crown Prince had returned and gone straight to Cheng Gege’s chambers.
Side Concubine Li had grown numb to such developments. When Lin Gege was around, she at least benefited from some indirect attention—soups and small favors. The Crown Prince hadn’t been particularly obsessed with Lin Gege, preferring to focus on his affairs. Sometimes, he’d rather sit in Chunben Hall with Ling Mama’s sour face than visit the rear quarters.
But since Cheng Gege and Yang Gege had joined, the Crown Prince’s visits to the rear quarters had increased. Surprisingly, Yang Gege, who everyone expected to be favored, could hardly catch a glimpse of him. Meanwhile, Cheng Gege, carefree and uninterested in competition, spent her days feeding fish and walking turtles—and yet, she became the one who was most favored.
Yang Gege was so furious that she smashed a vase. Always proud of her beauty, background, and talents, she couldn’t understand why the Crown Prince would ignore her in favor of Cheng Gege. She even began suspecting that he preferred Cheng Gege’s fish and turtles. Frustrated, she tore at her handkerchief while contemplating getting her own fish.
Her anger only made the unbearable itchiness on her skin worse. Unable to resist scratching, she was stopped by her maid, Liu’er. “Gege, don’t scratch! What if it leaves scars?”
Reluctantly, Yang Gege pulled her hands away, but the itching was driving her mad. She instructed Liu’er to take her token and visit Side Concubine Li’s courtyard. “Tell Sister Li that I’d like to invite a doctor to take a look.”
Over the past few days, her body had broken out in red rashes. Too embarrassed to tell anyone, she had secretly bathed in honeysuckle water and applied ointments, but none of it worked. Now the rash had spread, and the itch was unbearable. Pacing her room, she could no longer hide the problem.
Liu’er quickly carried out her orders. It was twilight, and the dim sky cast shadows across the palace grounds. Crossing a doorway and a half-length corridor, she arrived at Side Concubine Li’s courtyard. The gatekeeper, an old maid, was dozing off. The front yard was eerily quiet. Holding the token and lifting her skirt, Liu’er stepped inside.
Not long after, Side Concubine Li sent someone to the front yard to inform Ling Mama that Yang Gege was unwell and needed a doctor. After receiving approval, Side Concubine Li handed the token to a young eunuch, who was sent to summon the doctor to Yuqing Palace.
Liu’er didn’t rush back. Instead, Jin Mama led her into the warm chamber to see Side Concubine Li. There was no one else in the room. A jade incense burner emitted delicate wisps of smoke. Side Concubine Li reclined against a bolster, her hand supporting her waist as she frowned slightly. Liu’er noticed her discomfort and instinctively knelt to gently massage her waist.
Side Concubine Li closed her eyes and allowed Liu’er to press for a while before speaking suddenly. “Liu’er, do you resent me?”
Liu’er’s hands paused briefly before resuming their rhythm. She replied softly, “Mistress, everything I do is of my own will. If not for you, I would have been beaten to death by Lin Gege three years ago.”
Side Concubine Li sighed. “We are all unfortunate souls. I’ve given up hope for my own life. Once everything settles, I will find a way to send you out of the palace. You can reunite with your family and live a peaceful life.”
Holding back her tears, Liu’er nodded.
“Go back now,” Side Concubine Li said, rising slightly and patting Liu’er’s hand. “The doctor will arrive soon.”
Liu’er bowed deeply before leaving. She waited outside the door and soon spotted someone approaching with a medicine chest. When they came closer, she realized she didn’t recognize the doctor. The accompanying eunuch explained, “This is Doctor Zhou, a newcomer. The senior doctors are attending to Consort Tongjia in Jingren Palace. Only Doctor Zhou was available tonight.”
Doctor Zhou was young, with a scholarly air. Hearing the eunuch’s explanation, his face flushed slightly, as if embarrassed by the implication that he was left behind due to inferior skills.
Suppressing a smile, Liu’er quickly invited him inside.
Behind the heavy curtain, under the strict watch of several servants, Yang Gege extended a small section of her wrist.
Doctor Zhou dared not touch her directly. He examined her closely and said, “Gege, do you often suffer from peach blossom rash or hives in spring and autumn? This is typically caused by wind pathogens invading the skin. Did it start with itching, followed by small bumps that worsened and spread when scratched?”
Hearing that the doctor was a young man, Yang Gege nodded slightly but didn’t dare speak.
Doctor Zhou then noticed a few strands of cat hair and scratch marks on the curtain. He asked, “Does Gege keep cats or dogs? If you are prone to rashes or skin conditions, you should avoid letting cats or dogs indoors. Be sure to groom them regularly to remove loose fur, as this can aggravate your symptoms.”
After Doctor Zhou left, Yang Gege immediately cast a disdainful glare at the cat in the corner. She had impulsively decided to keep the animal, even though her family had never owned pets before!
She spent silver to inquire about the Crown Prince’s preferences and heard from an eunuch who had served in Chunben Hall that the Crown Prince once had a cat of this very appearance, which he adored deeply. Unfortunately, it accidentally fell to its death.
“How did it fall to its death?” she asked in surprise at the time.
The eunuch, pocketing the silver, stammered, “This servant wouldn’t know. Perhaps the cat was playful and liked climbing trees and hills. It might have gotten into trouble when no one was watching.”
Yang Gege found this explanation reasonable. After all, her father once had a concubine who kept a cat that was terribly clumsy. It would climb trees and then be unable to come down, requiring someone to rescue it every time.
So, she thought to herself that she should keep a cat too. When the Crown Prince suddenly saw it, he would surely reminisce about the cat, and she could use this as an opportunity to get him to visit her more often. They could play chess together, compose poetry, and even tease the cat.
But to her surprise, the Crown Prince seemed to have long forgotten about cats and dogs. Every time he saw the cat, he looked cold and uninterested, showing no sign of affection. Now, she had lost both the cat and the opportunity, and with her health still poor, it would be impossible to have the Crown Prince visit her again before she recovered.
“Quick, throw it out and kill it!” Yang Gege said, feeling itchy again. She was so uncomfortable that she nearly screamed in frustration. “It’s all its fault!”
She immediately ordered the room to be cleaned thoroughly.
The little eunuch, frightened, trembled and hurriedly carried the cat out, tears streaming down his face as he sat at the gate of the courtyard, feeling lost. He had raised the cat for some time, and he couldn’t bring himself to kill it, not even by his own hand.
After taking care of things inside the room, Liu’er returned with the prescription for the medicine that Doctor Zhou had written. The little maid had already begun helping Yang Gege with her bath. Hearing the eunuch’s stifled sobs from the corner of the courtyard, Liu’er quickly went over, pulling him behind the servants’ quarters, and then whispered angrily, “Do you want to die, crying like that out here?”
As a servant, not only should one not cry, but even looking downcast was unacceptable. If the head eunuch saw, a beating would be inevitable.
The little eunuch slapped his own face and stifled his sobs, forcing himself to stop.
Liu’er looked at him and then at the obedient cat in his arms, sighed, and said, “You quietly throw the cat into the south garden. It can hide there. When Gege calms down, I’ll go and tell her that the cat ran away after scratching someone.”
“Lady Liu…” The little eunuch’s tears welled up again. “Why don’t we just send it back to the cat and dog house? It’ll surely starve out here.”
“You’ve been in the palace for such a short time, and you think it will survive if you send it back to the cat and dog house?” Liu’er took out a handkerchief and wiped his face. “Cats and dogs raised by other masters will never be wanted again. The cat and dog house won’t care for these unwanted animals. If you send it back, it will be slaughtered and eaten by those eunuchs the next day. It’s better to leave it in the garden. You can secretly leave food for it every few days. It might survive that way.”
The little eunuch clenched his teeth, holding the cat, and nodded. “Thank you, Aunt Liu. I’ll go right away.”
Liu’er stood there, watching the little eunuch’s hurried figure disappear around the corner of the corridor. The last trace of softness on her face slowly turned cold.
She lowered her head, flicked the hem of her clothes, and turned to leave.
There would be more drama to come in the future.