The advisor frowned. "Sir, you are still young. If your eye ailment is cured, your future will be limitless. Besides, Your Excellency is an excellent man, and His Majesty is well aware of this..."
He Tingzhi pondered for a moment and said, "My eyes are beyond repair."
"Lord He, we can begin acupuncture to detoxify you today. Before that, may I ask you a few questions?"
He Tingzhi nodded almost imperceptibly, "Doctor Xia, please feel free to ask."
I found a chair and sat down, intending to probe He Tingzhi's inner thoughts in a way that was both profound and subtle. "Why doesn't Lord He want to heal his eyes?"
He Tingzhi's expression changed. "I believe that life and death are predestined, and nothing can be forced."
"You've gone blind, you can't be an official anymore, and you can't see the beautiful scenery of the world. Su Wan'er's father supported your ten years of hard study, and in the end, you have nothing. Are you content with that?"
He Tingzhi clenched his right hand, his knuckles turning white, and remained silent.
"Lord He, I have long heard of your eloquent discourse with His Majesty during the imperial examination, which must have been filled with patriotic fervor. Now that you are about to turn to ashes, do you truly not care?"
He Tingzhi was an introverted man. I patiently and earnestly cited countless talented and heroic figures throughout history, such as Sima Qian, who continued writing even after suffering castration, and Qu Yuan, the great statesman who composed poems before drowning himself in the river. He remained unmoved. I poured out my heart to him, recounting all the heroic deeds I knew, yet I still couldn't find his weakness.
Finally, I decided that if I wanted to cure him, I would have to use a sleeping potion.
I took the medicine box and went to find Lou Xiyue, smiling kindly at him.
Lou Xiyue said expressionlessly, "The last time you smiled at me like that was when you asked me to sweep the medicine pool."
I laughed again, "west Yue, to tell you the truth, your teacher has never laid a needle before."
Lou Xiyue shuddered and gritted her teeth, saying, "Master, didn't you heal countless people?"
“Yes, but I have never treated a blind person, so I have never placed needles on a person’s brain. But there are many acupoints on the brain, and it is easy to accidentally insert needles into the wrong meridian. He Tingzhi is an important official of the court, a former top scholar, and the son-in-law of a general. He is a talented person. I am worried that if I accidentally insert needles into the wrong meridian, it will be ruined.”
Lou Xiyue squinted at me.
I grumbled, "west Yue, if you don't say anything, then I'll take that as your agreement." Then, I moved closer to him.
Lou Xiyue's expression was gloomy, which made me feel uneasy.
Under his piercing gaze, I finally felt a pang of pity. "Fine, I'll go find a shaman to perform a ritual."
Lou Xiyue smiled and moved closer to me. "You feel sorry for me?"
I nodded in agreement, "I can't bear to, I haven't even used the knife yet. I'll come to you again next time."
Main text [08] Green Calyx Withers (5)
I used datura to prepare a sleeping potion for Su Wan'er. "If you don't want He Tingzhi to know about the eye transplant, there's only one way: knock him unconscious."
Su Wan'er nodded, her eyes filled with tears, and said, "Okay."
That night, she changed into a purple gauze dress, adorned with a silver hairpin with jade tassels, and lightly powdered her face, resembling a summer lotus. I hid behind the screen in Su Wan'er's room, and after some time, I heard her softly say to He Tingzhi, "Brother Ting, Wan'er will sing you a song?"
She helped He Tingzhi into the house and sat him down. Holding a five-stringed phoenix-tail pipa, she stroked the surface of the instrument with her fair hands, and the music flowed into the room, clear and melodious like flowing water. Su Wan'er softly sang, "Wild geese are in the clouds, fish are in the water, I am saddened that this feeling cannot be conveyed. I lean alone against the west tower in the setting sun, the distant mountains are right opposite the curtain hook. I know not where the face is, but the green waves still flow eastward."
She smiled and chatted, her every glance and word a beautiful sight, her eyes gazing tenderly at He Tingzhi, her gaze clear as a spring.
He Tingzhi listened quietly, his brows slightly furrowed.
The candlelight flickered in the room, casting a pool of wax on the table. The wick slowly burned to ash, crumbling at the slightest touch.
After the song ended, He Tingzhi asked softly, "Wan'er, is something sad happening to you today?"
Su Wan'er smiled, "No, it's just that it's been a long time since we played the piano and sang together."
He Tingzhi said apologetically, "A lot has happened recently, and I've neglected you. I'll make up for it one by one from now on."
A tear rolled down Su Wan'er's cheek, falling onto her gauze dress and leaving a few tear stains. She smiled and said, "You owe me so much; it would take a lifetime to make up for it all."
He Tingzhi's expression softened, and he gave a self-deprecating smile, "Yes, let me slowly make up for it, hmm?"
Su Wan'er put down her pipa and handed him a cup. "I've made some calming soup. Drink it, and later I'll help you to..." She paused, "...and help you to the study to rest."
As He Tingzhi took the cup, his fingers brushed against hers. He then took her hand, as if sighing, "Wan'er, I've made you suffer in the past. Don't worry, from now on, as long as I, He Tingzhi, am here, I will never let you suffer again."
He was about to say something more when Su Wan'er covered his mouth with her finger and whispered, "It's alright..."
“Brother Ting, lately I often think of the days we spent together when we were young. You probably don’t know, but when you were studying at school, I would always sneak out and hide under the window to watch you. When the teacher asked you questions, you would always answer fluently, and my heart would feel as sweet as if I had eaten honey.”
Other girls gave you purses, but you didn't accept them. Instead, you came to me and said you wanted a purse. I laughed so hard I couldn't sleep for several nights.
Back then, when you looked at me, you only had eyes for me, no one else..."
By the time Su Wan'er finished speaking, He Tingzhi had already dozed off.
She raised her hand and brushed it across his brow, smoothing away the slight furrow in his brow. Then, her fingertips traced down his cheek, outlining his features, over and over again.
She gazed at him intently, as if trying to etch his image into her heart.
After a long silence, Su Wan'er sighed, "Dr. Xia, he's already asleep. Let's begin."
I almost backed out at the last minute, saying, "Miss Wan'er, you're a young woman; if you go blind, it really will be..."
Before she could finish speaking, she smiled at me. "I'm fine, really." She said calmly, "I grew up with him. I understand his talent and his ambition better than anyone else. I stayed up with him to study late into the night, and I shared drinks with him when he passed the imperial examination with flying colors. We laughed and cried together. What does a pair of eyes matter?"
Su Wan'er tucked her hair behind her ear. "From this day forward, all he will see is me."
Her elbow accidentally touched the pipa string, and a heavy, muffled sound rang out, tearing apart the long, silent night.
I bowed to her and said, "Gouging out your eyes must be incredibly painful. You should also take this sleeping potion."