The Rise of Phoenixes Novel Translation #166

“This is my beloved concubine.” Jin Siyu turned and said to Physician Ruan, “Please take care of her well.” 

It is Physician Ruan’s first time seeing such majestic wealth. Looking quite shocked, his rebellious mannerism from earlier is now long gone. Bowing humbly, a Physician Ruan goes over to take her pulse. 

“My concubine went out a few days ago and accidentally fell off a frightened horse. Her head was hurt and from that point on, her memory has become a bit confused.” Jin Siyu pointed at the scar on her forehead, “If you could please also take a look and see if there is any way to help her return to normal.” 

The physician and the apprentice both raised their heads to look over her scar carefully. 

She smiled, looking a bit embarrassed. 

The physician looked down, took her pulse, his eyes suddenly narrowed then immediately moved his body and said to his apprentice: “The medical herbs we brought can be taken out to dry in the sun. We will need to use them in a bit.” 

With his lips pressed, the apprentice’s gaze fluttered over the doctor’s shoulders but could see nothing. Nodding indiscriminately, he walked out without saying another word. 

Jin Siyu laughed and said, “Your apprentice seemed like the honest sort.” 

“This is also a pitiful one.” Physician Ruan said, “When he was young he had also suffered a head injury while collecting herbs on the mountain. He gets confused on some things so I ask Your Highness’s pardon if he offends you in the future.” 

“No matter, no matter.” Jin Siyu was in a very good mood. 

The physician looked down and his gaze passed over her hands. The sleeves have indeed covered many things but they cannot fool a doctor. 

Jin Siyu’s senses were very sharp. The moment the doctor’s gaze fell, his eyes immediately followed. Not flustered at all, Physician Ruan smiled frankly and pointed at her bruised and slightly deformed hands and said “Madam’s hands were also injured during the accident? Should I also take a look at it?”

“If you could, that would naturally be the best.” 

There was a sudden muffled sound of *bang* from behind them. They all looked up to see the apprentice holding a medicine box, standing dumbly by Kelie’s bed that was in the corner of the room. The apprentice with his body bent down was in the middle of rubbing his leg. The muffled sound of *bang* was caused by him hitting the corner of Kelie’s bed. 

Seeing all the eyes on himself, he raised his head, pointed at Kelie, and said dryly “Very scary…” 

“Did he scare you?” Understanding flashed across Jin Siyu’s eyes as he smiled, “This mister here, is indeed hurt quite badly. Physician Ruan, after you are done looking over my mistress, please take a look at him as well.” (Mistress= as in wife.) 

“A physician’s duty is to save lives.” Physician Ruan agreed immediately. 

“This mister here is a righteous man.” Jin Siyu said sincerely, “His throat was bitten by a hungry mountain wolf while trying to save my concubine. We don’t know if he will wake up. My concubine is grateful to him and asked for him to be brought over for her to see him at least once. Since Physician Ruan is here, then I will also leave him in your care. Your fame proceeds you so I would not think this sort of external injury is a difficult task for you, sir.”

“Naturally, I will do my best.” Physician Ruan smiled, pulls down her sleeve gently, turns to write down his prescription. Over in the corner, the apprentice is still looking down at Kelie. Physician Ruyan said “Xiao Dai, why are you looking if it will just scare you more. Go put the medicinal herbs out in the sun.” (Xiao means small and is the Chinese endearment that is often put in front of names. Dai means foolish. So, Gu Nan Yi’s temporary name is “Little Fool” Again, this is another case of where the name sound rather harsh in English but trust me, it’s actually a cute nickname in Chinese.) 

Apprentice Xiao Dai obediently bowed his head and walked out. She watched while leaning on the bed. Her gaze moved past Jin Siyu and fell on the retreating figure, a trace of a smile hovered on the corner of her lips. 

A small sound of knocking came from the door, the Puyuan steward said respectfully from outside: “Your Highness, the newly selected servants are all kneeling in the outer courtyard, would you like to go and say a few words?” 

She who already had closed her eyes to rest suddenly opened them. 

Physician Ruan’s hand that was in the middle of writing out a prescription quavered in the slightest. 

With his back to them, Jin Siyu thought for a moment and replied, “There is no need. Have them kneel the full four hours then you can assign them as you see fit. Is there one that’s especially sharp and clever?” 

“This group is all good.” The steward smiled, “Official Liu even picked one to fill the vacancy of the outer patroling guards.” 

Jin Siyu acknowledged with a “Hmm” then asked, “It was all done according to rules?”

“Yes.” 

Jin Siyu smiled. The smile seemed to have some special meaning to it. She raised her eyes, stared at the smile then glanced towards the courtyard’s direction. 

“This group of servants is all fairly sharp.” Jin Siyu suddenly turned to ask her “I am thinking, once you are better, to give you a servant in charge of flowers and birds, to especially raise some rare birds to entertain you. Would that be good?”

“No.” She immediately refused, “Too noisy…”

“Then you make the arrangements.” Jin Siyu turned around with satisfaction, “The one in the study right now is too stupid. I asked you to find someone who can read and write. Did you find a suitable one?”

“We’ve already found one.”

“Then assign him to the study. He can run some errands too.” Jin Siyu gets up, acting as if he is about to leave. She watched him with a smile. 

Jin Siyu suddenly leaned down and whispered softly in her ear, “Be good, once you are better then I will take you to the capital….”

He was leaning quite close, his body shielding her thin figure. From the angle of Physician Ruan and the apprentice who was outside the window, it looked like he was affectionately kissing her forehead. 

Both of their hair fell down, entangled seductively on the bed. 

She doesn’t move, nor speak, or move away. With her eyes half-closed, she seemed to have exhausted all her energy on the physician’s visit and not noticed at all his intimacy. 

Physician Ruan concentrated on writing his prescription. 

The apprentice was laying out the herbs with his head lowered.

Jin Siyu walked out of the door with a smile, the corner of his robe brushed by the apprentice’s face. 

The apprentice doesn’t move and finally raised his head after a long time. Turning, he took the medicinal herbs to the back of the house to lay it out on the other side. That side, separated by the wall, was her bed. 

He slowly spread out the herbs. Squatting by himself in the corner, after a long time, he slowly pressed his palm against the wall.

Behind the wall, is where she is leaning against. Behind the wall, is her beating heart…

If it’s possible, he wants to smash this wall to pieces.

If it’s possible, he wants to go through the wall to take her away. 

If it’s possible, he wants to take her away from this iron prison of wealth that is surrounded by traps, to be free to continue to be together. 

But he knew that he couldn’t. 

The surroundings have already been modified with countless traps, countless soldiers. She is the trapped bait in the iron wall that is waiting to draw the reckless to their death. 

He is not afraid of death but he can’t cause her to die. That kind of body can no longer handle any sort of turmoil. 

He can only squat by the corner of this wall. Facing a wall, missing her. 

The more he thinks, the more he misses. 

It turns out, all those togetherness they spent day in and day out that he took for granted, became extremely precious when they are forced to pretend to be strangers even when they are only within a few feet of each other. 

The chilling wind blew in. 

He closed his eyes and raised his face against the cold winter wind of the northern land. 

Separated by the thick wall.

Using the palm of his hand.

To hear.

Her. 

The room is very quiet. All the maids left to see Jin Siyu out so only her and Pyisican Yuan are left in the room. 

She still had her eyes closed while Physician Ruan is focused on writing out the prescription, neither of them sparing the other a glance. 

The only sound in the room is Kelie’s heavy strange breathing. She suddenly opened her eyes and said sincerely to Phyisican Ruan: “Sir, this friend of mine saved my life. For me, one has already died so there must not be another death.” 

Holding a pen in his hand, Physician Ruan turned his head to look at her with puzzlement. 

Pulling her lips into a wry smile, she doesn’t explain herself but asks “Sir, do you think he can be saved?”

Physician Ruan leaned down and looked Kelie over and replied “This man’s will to live is very strong and had a good healthy strong body previously so it will be worth a try.” 

“Then I will rely on you sir then.” She smiled. 

Seeing the maids have returned, Physician Ruan tells them “Carry this patient out of mistress’ room, we need to be careful he doesn’t pass any sickness to the mistress.” 

Taking out a handful of herbs, Physician Ruan adds “Hang this on the door, and burn it to air the room every night for two hours. As for the incense that has been used previously, don’t use them anymore, the patient can’t handle them right now.” 

Whatever he said, the maids did without questioning since they were probably already admonished by Jin Siyu to do so. 

The prescription was written. The herbs were put together and brewed by the apprentice but the one to feed the medicine was a maid. The apprentice stood by the bed, not leaving, his gaze glued to the bowl with medicine in it. 

“You are so clueless.” Feeling uncomfortable, the maid complained, “Why are you still standing here?”

Physician Ruan who was in the middle of looking through the herbs hurried over, pulled his apprentice away, and whispered to him “Xiao Dai, be good!” Physician Ruan then apologized to the maid “Sorry miss, please excuse him, this is a rule I had since I started practicing medicine to observe the patients’ reaction to their medication so I can adjust accordingly.” 

Appeased, the maid’s frown promptly turned into a smile and moved her body aside “Since I am not the one being looked at anyway, go ahead and look.” 

Physician Ruan kept on trying to pull his apprentice away but the apprentice suddenly flicked his sleeve causing the doctor to stumble forward. Letting out a hopeless laugh, the doctor said “This stubborn kid.” Physician Ruan stopped trying to pull his apprentice away but neither did he himself walk away. 

With two people now crowding by the bed, one of them staring steadily at the maid feeding the medicine, it would cause anyone to feel uncomfortable. Yet she acted as if nothing is amiss, her eyes didn’t even wonder as she finished the medicine a spoonful after spoonful. Taking out a napkin to press against her lips, the maid smiled “Miss, you are extra speedy at drinking your medicine today.” 

“I feel like this medicine is easy to take. It’s a bit bitter but when I drink it, it doesn’t cause my inside to have a tsunami.” She replied lightly then promptly closed her eyes. 

Taking the hint, Physician Yuan quickly pulls the somewhat stiff apprentice towards the door. The kid’s footstep was heavy, dragging his heels the whole way. All the maids chuckled, feeling that the fool is indeed entertaining. 

When the two figures were about to disappear past the door, she suddenly opened her eyes and glanced their way. 

As if there were eyes on his back, the apprentice also abruptly turned to look at her. 

However, the only thing he saw was her with her eyes closed, sleeping peacefully as before, as if she had never opened her eyes. 

The pause on the doorstep was only for a moment.

His gaze floated for thousands of miles, unable to reach her. 

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