My Cold-Hearted Wife Chapter 32

The next morning, the sky was overcast, with threads of rain drifting down from time to time.

Seeing the weather, Cheng Danruo knew that a typhoon must be affecting other areas, and she began packing her belongings early.

Sure enough, around 9 a.m., Nanny Zhang came to tell her that they would have to disembark and take shelter from the wind and rain. Cheng Danruo packed two or three days’ worth of clothes and her personal belongings, then went ashore with them.

There were already two mules waiting by the bank, hitched to a cart. She had no idea where they had managed to find it.

Xie Xuanying came over in person to explain. “There are hardly any medicinal supplies here, and I am also concerned about my teacher’s condition. I thought it would be better to stay in the city for a day or two.”

“I have no objection, but aren’t you in a hurry to get to the capital?” Cheng Danruo asked.

“He is eager to return to the capital. We had originally hoped to reunite there for the Mid-Autumn Festival, but there is nothing urgent waiting for us. His health naturally comes first.”

Having resolved one of her doubts, Cheng Danruo nodded. “Then do as you think best.”

Xie Xuanying apologized again, explaining that the fishing village was poor and there was no second cart to be found nearby. The mule cart had been borrowed by one of the guards from the village headman, so she and Yan Hongzhi would have to share one.

Cheng Danruo naturally said that she did not mind.

She climbed into the cart. Although Zi Su and Nanny Zhang were both women, they had no choice but to follow on foot.

Xie Xuanying had no horse to ride either, so he sat on the front of the cart and drove it himself.

He looked remarkably at ease doing it. It seemed the skills taught among the Six Arts of the gentleman really did come in handy.

The mules moved slowly, and it was not until noon that they reached a small county town nearby.

After asking around, Cheng Danruo learned that they were in Yancheng County, Huai’an Prefecture, Jiangnan Province, corresponding to present-day Yancheng in Jiangsu. It lay close to Yangzhou, with the Guan River running nearby.

“I seem to remember that the Guan River connects to the Grand Canal,” she mused. “Are we going to switch to the waterways?”

Xie Xuanying paused before answering. “If my teacher’s condition has not improved, I am thinking of staying in Huai’an for two days.”

Cheng Danruo smiled without pressing the matter. “That sounds fine.”

They travelled the rest of the way in silence before settling into an inn.

Xie Xuanying summoned a physician.

The moment the elderly doctor stepped through the door, he could tell that his patient came from a wealthy family. He carefully took his pulse for a long while, then proceeded to give an incomprehensible explanation full of medical jargon. In the end, he too diagnosed gout, attributing it to damp-heat accumulation, and prescribed Guizhi Shaoyao Zhimu Decoction.

Xie Xuanying took the prescription to Yan Hongzhi, hesitating.

“San-lang, you’re simply too worried to think clearly.” Yan Hongzhi was in considerably better spirits that day and smiled. “Since Miss Cheng’s diagnosis was correct, she naturally knows how to treat it.”

Xie Xuanying defended himself. “It’s not that I don’t trust Miss Cheng. It’s just that she is still so young…”

He had seen many imperial physicians, and even the youngest among them had been in their thirties. Medicine relied heavily on experience and the passing down of knowledge from one generation to the next. Miss Cheng was only fifteen and had never had a senior physician to guide her, so it was only natural that he had his doubts.

By the same token, he did not have complete confidence in the elderly doctor they had just consulted. Otherwise, he would not have hesitated over whose treatment to follow.

Seeing him frown, Yan Hongzhi thought for a moment before instructing his attendant, “Go and invite Miss Cheng over.”

“Yes.”

Cheng Danruo was staying right next door, so she arrived within moments.

Yan Hongzhi got straight to the point. “Miss Cheng, my student is beside himself with worry. He just called for another physician, who also diagnosed gout. This is the prescription he gave us. What do you make of it?”

Cheng Danruo took the prescription.

Cassia twig, peony root, liquorice, fresh ginger… It was indeed an ancient formula for treating gout.

“It’s fine,” she said. “I have no objection.”

Yan Hongzhi watched her expression. “I would rather hear what you would prescribe, Miss Cheng.”

“If the pain isn’t severe, there’s no need to take medicine,” Cheng Danruo said after thinking it over. “If you really want to take something, you could try plantain seeds boiled as a decoction. They clear heat and promote urination. Drink plenty of water, and it should clear up soon.”

“Then we’ll follow your advice.” Yan Hongzhi would absolutely refuse to take medicine if he could avoid it. He turned to Xie Xuanying. “Feeling reassured now?”

Xie Xuanying pressed his lips together and said quietly, “I was being foolish. I apologize.”

Cheng Danruo: “?”

It took her a moment to understand. “Oh. I don’t mind.”

She set down the prescription and said sincerely, “When someone’s life is at stake, having another physician reach the same diagnosis as I did actually comes as a relief.”

There were many times when she wondered: Could she really bear the weight of another person’s life?

In an era when modern medicine was still so far away and medical practice was based almost entirely on accumulated experience, how was she supposed to distinguish what was useful from what was useless? There was no question that the medical theories she had learned were more advanced, but would her practical application of them be equally sound?

The more she questioned herself, the less confident she felt.

“Let the old gentleman choose for himself,” Cheng Danruo said.

Yan Hongzhi smiled. “When it comes to medicine, familiarity is better than novelty.”

Such trust in her was enough that, despite the heaviness in her heart, Cheng Danruo could not help but smile faintly.

That afternoon, Yan Hongzhi’s condition improved considerably. The pain was almost completely gone, and he was even able to get out of bed and walk a few steps.

After discussing it with his teacher, Xie Xuanying decided that they would continue travelling by sea, but make more frequent stops along the way to stock up on fresh vegetables, fruit, and live poultry.

“We set out to avoid trouble, and in the end, we still have to deal with it.” Yan Hongzhi shook his head ruefully.

His reason for choosing the sea route had been very simple.

There were countless docks along the Grand Canal, with people constantly coming and going. Whenever they went ashore, there would always be someone well informed who came to pay them a visit, either to extend an invitation or host a banquet.

Yan Hongzhi could turn down seventy or eighty percent of such invitations, but there were always some he could not easily refuse. This time, he was eager to return home and had no desire to socialize, so he had chosen the sea route in the hope of enjoying a little peace and quiet.

Now that his health was no longer a serious concern, he had no wish to change their plans.

They stayed in Yancheng for a day. The following morning, the sky turned overcast, but the rain had stopped. Anyone with experience could tell at a glance that the typhoon had not reached their area, so it was safe to put out to sea.

However, when the group returned to the small fishing village where their ship was moored, one of the guards came hurrying back less than half an hour after leaving. His expression was grim.

“Master.” The guard was from Marquis of Jinghai’s household. “Something is terribly wrong. I went to return the mule cart just now, but I found that there was no sign of anyone in the village. I didn’t dare board the ship without investigating.”

Xie Xuanying froze, then immediately felt a chill run through him. “Are you certain?”

The guard nodded, then lowered his voice. “There was blood in the soil by the corner of a wall. I’m afraid our ship may be in danger.”

“Pirates?” Xie Xuanying considered it briefly. “Go back and investigate. Find out exactly what happened. If the villagers have simply fled, then that’s one thing. What worries me is if they haven’t.”

But the guard said, “The die is already cast. It’s too late to go back now. Young Master, why don’t you and Master Zizhen return to Yancheng first and decide what to do from there?”

But young men were not known for lacking courage.

Especially Xie Xuanying, whose grandfather had been ennobled as a marquis for driving out pirates. Though he had been raised to study the classics, he was no frail scholar who could barely lift a chicken. He immediately said, “Leave two men behind to escort my teacher and Miss Cheng back to the city. The rest of you come with me. Let’s go and take a look.”

“Young Master!” The guards were horrified. “Absolutely not. Please, think this through!”

Xie Xuanying said nothing. Instead, he looked to Yan Hongzhi.

Yan Hongzhi knew nothing about such matters and asked, “There are also more than ten helmsmen and sailors aboard the ship. What about them?”

The guard answered respectfully, “We have no idea. But pirates are ruthless. If they really took an interest in our ship, I’m afraid the crew may have met with disaster.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” Xie Xuanying came to his senses, frowning. “Our ship may be small, but it is still armed. If they were losing a battle at sea, the crew could have come ashore immediately and sent word. How could they have simply handed over the ship without a sound?”

The guard fell silent.

The steward beside them, however, spoke up. “Young Master, there is something you do not know. Though they were told to remain on the ship and stand by, life at sea is hard and tedious. If they get the chance to come ashore, even for half a day, that is more than enough time to seek some entertainment.”

In other words, there was no way the sailors would obediently remain aboard the entire time. Once their masters had left, they had probably left only a few men behind to watch the ship while the rest went ashore in search of amusement.

The fishermen were poor. Although they made their living from the sea and were not likely to go hungry, they had little money to spare. With a little cash, it would not be difficult to find women willing to spend half a day with them.

Xie Xuanying was understandably angry at having been caught off guard by his own men, but he suppressed it and said, “Send two men to the shore to find out exactly what happened to our ship. See whether there are any other ships as well. First, determine how many people are there.”

He then surveyed the surrounding terrain. The land was completely flat, leaving their group conspicuously exposed. He immediately ordered, “The rest of you fall back to the woods about five hundred meters away.”

Once he had made up his mind, everyone else remained calm.

Two short, stocky guards broke away from the group to investigate, while the others stayed with the mule cart and slowly retreated.

The wheels turned with a steady rumble, and soon the woods they had passed earlier came into view.

“Stop.”

Xie Xuanying suddenly pulled on the reins and jumped down from the cart, slowly drawing his sword.

He had finally figured it out.

When pirates came ashore, they were there for little more than plunder and profit.

If they had really taken an interest in the sea-going ship, they would have killed the helmsmen and sailed away with it. Whatever else could be said, that ship was worth far more than any amount of gold or jewelry.

What valuables could there possibly be in such a remote little fishing village?

Yet something was strange. The ship had not been taken, and there was blood in the village, but no bodies.

Why would anyone bother burying the dead? Why go to all that trouble?

If the guards had found corpses, they probably would not have been nearly so alarmed. It was the blood without any bodies that suggested the pirates had some other plan.

So they certainly would not board the ship recklessly. Instead, they would choose the safer option.

For example, they might hide in the woods and watch for developments, or take a shortcut to the nearest military garrison.

Either way, they would have to pass through the woods they had deliberately avoided on their way here.

Xie Xuanying was the third son of his family, the legitimate son of his father’s second wife. The Marquis of Jinghai had, deliberately or otherwise, steered him towards a scholarly path, distinguishing him from his elder legitimate brother, who had pursued a military career.

Thus, despite growing up in a military household, Xie Xuanying had never fought in a battle, commanded troops, or even spent time training in the army.

But talent had never had anything to do with experience.

Sometimes, all it took was a single moment for it to awaken.

“Sir, just stay in the carriage. Do not get out.” Xie Xuanying spoke slowly. “Miss Cheng, there is no need to panic either. I will handle everything.”

Yan Hongzhi remained composed. “Go. Do not worry about us here.”

He made no move to enter the woods and instead signaled for the guards to take up defensive positions. Even the men hiding in the woods could tell what was going on.

The bandits swarmed out, gleaming blades in their hands.

“Protect Young Master!” The guards felt their scalps prickle and hurriedly formed up to defend him.

Sitting inside the carriage, Cheng Danruo lifted the curtain and studied the attackers.

The swords they carried were very different from those used by the guards. They had a pronounced curve and were about 1.2 meters long, their distinctive shape immediately recognizable.

“They look like pirate swords,” she said softly. “It seems these really are pirates.”

In another world, during the middle and late Ming dynasty, the Wokou disturbances were notorious. Although historians have long debated their exact nature, one thing was certain: the people who came ashore to burn, kill, and plunder were not all wokou. Some were just bandits.

Since crossing into this world, Cheng Danruo had encountered the dead more than once. Yet, from the perspective of simple national sentiment, she would rather kill pirates than her own countrymen.

There was, however, a downside.

Genuine pirates were not easy opponents. During the Ming dynasty, there had even been incidents in which bands of merely sixty or seventy pirates killed four or five thousand people and nearly fought their way to Nanjing.

That was certainly partly due to the incompetence of the officials in charge, but it also demonstrated how capable these pirates were of moving swiftly from place to place and launching raids.

In short, they were tough to fight.

Cheng Danruo counted the enemy.

Twenty-six.

Then she looked at their own side.

Xie Xuanying had eight guards, one personal servant, and one steward. Yan Hongzhi had two personal servants and a steward, while Nanny Zhang had her husband. But only the guards were actually useful in a fight. The others had long since gone weak in the knees, cowering against the side of the carriage in terror and serving absolutely no purpose.

As for Cheng Danruo, Zi Su, Yan Hongzhi, and Nanny Zhang, the four of them were essentially dead weight.

Could they win?

She fixed her eyes on the battle, unwilling to miss even the slightest detail.