Jiao Niang’s Medical Record Chapter 374

Duke Jin’an stepped out of the hall and encountered the Second Prince approaching cheerfully.

“Brother, let’s go see the map at Father’s place,” he said.

Since that day, the Second Prince had grown increasingly fascinated with maps and showed a natural talent for them. The Emperor had even assigned an official from the Imperial Observatory to teach him geography—not so much for formal education but as a form of enjoyment.

Duke Jin’an smiled and shook his head.

As a prince, the Second Prince was permitted to view maps, but as a commandery prince, he himself was not often allowed such privileges.

“You go ahead,” he said with a light laugh. “My mother has sent the New Year’s gifts, and I need to sort through them.”

“Really? That’s wonderful! You should go quickly, then,” the Second Prince replied happily.

“I’ll pick some of the best local specialties and set them aside for you,” Duke Jin’an said. “My youngest brother is about your age—I’m sure he’ll have sent some toys. I’ll share them with you when they arrive.”

The Second Prince’s face flushed with excitement, and he nodded eagerly, like a little chick pecking at rice.

“Your Highness, we should hurry. We mustn’t keep His Majesty waiting,” a eunuch reminded him from behind. “Didn’t Her Majesty the Empress also give you instructions?”

The Second Prince nodded, waved happily to Duke Jin’an, and hurried off.

Meanwhile, the First Prince was also being ushered out of his quarters.

“Your Highness, I don’t want to go. I haven’t finished memorizing my texts yet…” he protested.

The Imperial Consort glared at him.

“Memorizing texts? What’s the use of that? His Majesty is fond of this now—you should be learning it quickly,” she said. “I’ve heard from others that you haven’t been applying yourself. Every time someone asks you, you can’t answer properly.”

“But I don’t enjoy learning this…” the First Prince replied grievances.

“Enough! It doesn’t matter whether you enjoy it or not. What matters is that your father sees you learning,” the Consort softened her tone, bent down, and gently stroked his cheek. “Be good. Listen to me and go now.”

The First Prince gave a reluctant nod and followed the eunuch out with clear displeasure.

…

“Did Lady Cheng bring a gift for me?”

With this childish shout, Chen Dan-niang came running into the room.

Her parents and sisters were sitting inside listening to a maid’s report, and her sudden entrance interrupted the conversation.

“What kind of behavior is this—shouting and making such a racket?” Chen Shao said disapprovingly.

Chen Dan-niang quickly bowed her head and apologized. Chen Shi’ba-niang waved her over to sit down, and Dan-niang hurried to join her sisters, unable to hide her excitement as she looked at the maid.

“How is Lady Cheng? Did she say when she’s coming back?” she couldn’t help whispering.

Chen Shi’ba-niang shook her head at her, signaling her to be quiet.

“She seemed listless and downhearted. Do the Qins have no idea what might be wrong?” Madam Chen continued asking.

The maid nodded.

“Aside from the dowry lawsuit, there’s been no other trouble,” she replied.

“Then it must be because of the lawsuit,” concluded Madam Chen.

Chen Shao shook his head.

“Would she really be upset over a lawsuit she herself insisted on pursuing?” he remarked.

“After all, she is still a young lady, hardly older than our Shi’ba-niang,” Madam Chen said with a sigh. “She never should have gone back. What good could come of returning?”

She turned to the maid again.

“So she really turned down the marriage proposal from the Qin family?”

The maid nodded.

“And there were no other suitable matches from other families?” Madam Chen asked.

“Lady Cheng said she does not wish to consider marriage for the time being,” the maid replied.

At a time like this, it was no surprise she had no heart to entertain marriage proposals. Besides, what worthy matches could truly be expected from a family like that? Madam Chen nodded and dismissed the maidservant to rest. Chen Shao also rose and left for his study.

With only the sisters remaining in the room, the atmosphere quickly grew more lively.

“What happened? What happened?” Chen Dan-niang asked urgently, tugging at someone’s sleeve.

“Nothing serious. Lady Cheng is just going through some difficulties,” replied Chen Shi’ba-niang.

“That’s alright then. Lady Cheng isn’t afraid of anything,” Chen Dan-niang said, breathing a sigh of relief.

Chen Shi’ba-niang smiled and gently tapped her sister’s forehead.

“It’s not about whether she’s afraid—it’s about how she feels,” she explained. “Think about it. Are you happy when Father or Mother scold you?”

Chen Dan-niang first nodded, then shook her head.

“No, I’m not happy,” she said.

Exactly. Being scolded was unpleasant enough, let alone taking one’s own family to court and facing them publicly.

“I used to admire how calm and fearless Lady Cheng was in handling things,” Chen Shi’ba-niang mused. “But now I realize everyone has their own share of misfortune.”

“Letting go requires insight, and wisdom often grows from suffering,” Madam Chen said calmly. “Nothing in this world comes easily. Rather than envying what others have, it’s better to reflect on what they had to endure to gain it.”

Her children nodded thoughtfully, bowed respectfully, and thanked their mother for her guidance.

The First Prince stood in the palace hall, staring at the map hanging before him. Voices drifted around him, now near, now far. His eyes were wide open, but he couldn’t shake off the drowsiness.

Mustn’t fall asleep, mustn’t fall asleep. Last time he had dozed off here, his father had ordered him sent back, and the Imperial Consort had made him stand punishment for half a day.

Recite. Reciting will keep me awake.

“…To know that there is what one does not know—that is knowledge; to not know what one does not know—that is ignorance. Therefore, it is said: The sage never claims to know, but gains knowledge through questioning…”

Though the classical texts were often knotty and difficult to recite, they were his favorites. He truly loved these books—reading, memorizing, listening, explaining—it all felt so simple. Not like this geography or astronomy or stars… it all made his head spin.

His tutors always praised him for reciting well, for memorizing quickly. Some even said he was brilliantly wise, with a memory that never failed.

He was the wisest of all…

The First Prince couldn’t help but break into a grin.

“Your Highness… Your Highness?”

The voice calling him finally broke through. The First Prince jolted back to attention and saw the official from the Imperial Observatory looking at him with some embarrassment. To the side, the Second Prince was blinking at him curiously. And further above, the Emperor on the dragon throne was watching him expressionlessly.

What happened?

A flicker of panic rose in the First Prince’s chest.

“Si Ge’er,” the Emperor asked, “what is the course of the Great River?”

The Great River…

The First Prince’s eyes darted toward the map. The lines and dots representing mountains and rivers were already incomprehensible to him—now they seemed to blur into complete chaos. Where was the river? He had never even seen a real great river, let alone understood one depicted with dots and lines on a map.

“Ji…”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Second Prince mouthing a word silently.

What?

He leaned forward slightly, trying to make it out.

“Si Ge’er, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to come and listen,” the Emperor said.

The First Prince’s face instantly filled with alarm. Was he being sent away again? The Imperial Consort would surely scold him harshly.

Why are you so stupid? So stupid! Even the Second Prince can do it—why can’t you? How are you so inferior to him!

The Consort’s voice echoed in his ears, along with her disdainful, angry expression.

He bit his lower lip unconsciously.

“I don’t know it either!” the Second Prince suddenly spoke up. “Father, I didn’t understand it clearly just now. Could the official explain it once more?”

The First Prince watched as a smile softened the Emperor’s stern expression—a smile he used to see often, back when he himself had recited the classics flawlessly. But now…

“Clever lad,” the Emperor said, then nodded to the official. “Explain it again.”

The official bowed in acknowledgment and began his explanation anew.

The First Prince saw the Second Prince grinning playfully in his direction. Without a trace of expression, he turned away and fixed his eyes on the map.

“Brother, Brother!”

The Emperor did not have much time to spend with his sons, and besides, he only treated this as a casual interest. So before long, the session was dismissed. The First Prince had no desire to stay a moment longer. The moment he stepped out, he hurried away, ignoring the Second Prince’s calls behind him.

He pretended not to hear and kept walking.

The Second Prince, smaller and lighter on his feet, quickly caught up.

“Brother, will you teach me how to memorize the texts?” he asked cheerfully. “I still can’t remember what the tutor taught me, and he’ll ask again tomorrow.”

The First Prince kept a stern face and walked on without a word. Unbothered, the Second Prince simply trailed behind him with a grin.

They soon reached the imperial garden. The Second Prince had another idea and tugged at the First Prince’s sleeve.

“Brother, shall we go pick some plum blossoms? Her Majesty the Empress really liked them last time,” he said.

The First Prince snorted and tried to shake off his sleeve, but a eunuch nearby spoke up.

“Yes, indeed—the plum blossoms are in full bloom. Why not pick some along the way back and present them to the ladies?” he suggested, giving the First Prince a meaningful look.

The First Prince stiffened.

Tasks like these were supposed to be done by palace maids and eunuchs. Yet he was always pushed to do them himself—all in the name of filial piety. How tiresome.

Gritting his teeth, he turned and walked into the imperial garden.

The Second Prince happily followed after him.

The imperial garden featured a dedicated Plum Blossom Hill. Walking along the lakeshore, which spanned several acres, they soon reached slopes covered in blooming white and red plum blossoms.

The First Prince, whose heavy build made him easily winded, soon grew short of breath. He directed the eunuchs to casually break off a few branches here and there. Meanwhile, the Second Prince darted energetically between the trees and over the hillside, carefully selecting his own branches.

“Brother, look—isn’t this one pretty?” he asked from time to time, bringing choices over for the First Prince to see.

The First Prince was seated on a rock, cushioned by a eunuch’s removed outer garment, catching his breath.

“Not really,” he replied flatly.

“Brother—come look at this one!” The Second Prince tugged at his sleeve, urging him over.

With little choice, the First Prince rose and followed.

There, beside a large rock, grew an old plum tree. Its branches twisted elegantly, dotted with blossoms half-open in shades of red and white. Even the First Prince, who normally had no interest in flowers, felt a stir of admiration. It reminded him of a painting of plum blossoms hanging in his father’s study…

“I’m going to give this one to Father…” the Second Prince said cheerfully, stepping forward eagerly.

“I want this one!” the First Prince declared. As he moved, he reached out and gave the Second Prince a hard shove.

A eunuch standing nearby saw it and hurried forward, calling out:

“Your Highnesses, please don’t play so close to the edge—”

But before he could finish, the Second Prince, shoved off-balance, stumbled several steps. With a cry of surprise, his foot slipped on the loose, damp soil, and he slid down the slope.

The First Prince instinctively reached out to grab him but lost his own footing and tumbled forward. Fortunately, his heavier build and strength kept him half-suspended on the edge, preventing a full fall.

Eunuchs screamed and rushed over in panic.

“Brother… Brother…”

The Second Prince, dangling in midair with one hand gripped by the First Prince, cried out in terror. Too scared to move, he hung helplessly.

Brother… Brother…

The First Prince stared at him. Even in this panicked, disheveled state, the little boy’s face remained rosy and endearing…

So clever… so well-spoken… Father adored him…

Why are you so stupid? Why can’t you be more like him? He’s even younger than you!

It was all because of him…

If not for him, he wouldn’t have to sit through lessons he couldn’t understand, wouldn’t be scolded by the Consort, wouldn’t see his father shake his head in disappointment. He used to be the one everyone praised—but now, no one noticed how well he studied. They only laughed at him for not understanding maps, for being slow.

It was all because of him…

Without him, Father would still favor him the most. The tutors would still call him the brightest. The Imperial Consort wouldn’t force him to do things he hated…

These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. The eunuchs were shouting, rushing forward, reaching out—but everything seemed to slow down, fading into the background.

The First Prince looked at the sobbing Second Prince…

…and let go.