Chapter Seventy-Three: Estrangement

“Hurry, I need to get ready,” Tao’er exclaimed joyfully, pulling Diao Chan by the hand. “Sister, you must come with me this time as well!” Diao Chan paused for a moment, then her beautiful face blossomed into a gentle smile as she looked softly at the younger lady beside her.

In Xiangyang, Jiang Wen and Zhang Zhongjing emerged from the pharmacy. Zhang Zhongjing shook his head in disappointment. “None of these shops have genuine ginseng, only imitations that merely resemble the real thing.”

Jiang Wen replied, “Few people nowadays are truly skilled in gathering herbs. Even when someone stumbles upon wild ginseng, they often don’t know how to handle it and end up wasting it.”

Zhang Zhongjing looked at Jiang Wen. “How long do you intend for me to remain at your estate this time?”

“You may stay as long as you wish. Whenever you wish to leave, you need only say so.”

“In that case, let us not delay. Let’s eat now—I must make the most of my time and set out soon.”

Jiang Wen tugged at his donkey’s reins, and Zhang Zhongjing led his horse as they walked together.

“Are you heading north, sir?” Jiang Wen inquired.

Zhang Zhongjing’s expression turned grave. “Yes. Ginseng grows mostly in the north. If what you say is true, and this herb can cure typhoid fever, then I must see it for myself.”

At the entrance to the Jiang estate, the gatekeeper greeted Jiang Wen respectfully. “Greetings, Master!”

Zhang Zhongjing raised his eyes, assessing the residence. “This is quite an estate.”

Jiang Wen smiled. “Send word to Li Er to prepare a fine meal, and have a guest room readied in the east wing. Clear some space in the study as well, and move my annotated manuscripts elsewhere.”

“I thought you said I could leave after the meal?”

“You’ve traveled with me for days, sir. Why not rest here for a while?” Without giving Zhang Zhongjing a chance to protest, Jiang Wen led him into the house.

“Master!” Jiang Wen looked up. Bathed in the spring sunlight, a petite beauty ran toward him with laughter, and beside her was another stunning lady.

With ethereal grace and matchless beauty, her appearance took Jiang Wen’s breath away. Diao Chan’s every step was as graceful as a lotus blooming, her face adorned with a smile as enchanting as dew on a flower, outshining all others.

Though Tao’er had claimed not to mind, seeing Jiang Wen so entranced made her inwardly annoyed, and she pinched his waist hard.

Jiang Wen winced, snapping back to his senses. Diao Chan, secretly pleased, offered a respectful greeting. “I pay my respects, Master. Greetings, sir.”

Zhang Zhongjing inwardly sighed. “A beauty to bewitch men indeed!”

Jiang Wen’s gaze lingered on Diao Chan, and he gave a quiet sigh.

Tao’er smiled. “Master, Ziming returned a few days ago. I heard he was injured at Red Cliffs. Shall we invite him over for a meal?”

Jiang Wen gently patted Tao’er’s head. “Send word for someone to fetch him. Also, have hot water prepared for me and the gentleman here. I wish to bathe.”

“All right!” Tao’er happily let go of him. With a calm expression, Jiang Wen nodded to Diao Chan, then took his leave.

Diao Chan’s expression grew complicated as she bit her crimson lip in silence. “Master, I…”

Inside the house, Jiang Wen and Zhang Zhongjing each soaked in a wooden tub.

Zhang Zhongjing sighed. “Along the way, I’ve seen many servants who are unfit to fend for themselves. Even men in their seventies are put to work.”

“My wife is kindhearted. If we left these people to their own devices, they’d starve. So we took them in, and now they help manage the estate’s grounds.”

“Your wife has a generous heart,” Zhang Zhongjing remarked.

“Master Lü, the master is bathing inside, you can’t go in!”

“What’s the harm? Everyone here knows my relationship with him. Besides, we’re both men—what’s the big deal?”

Bang!

“So you fled back as soon as Wancheng was pacified, leaving Bofu behind. How considerate of you!”

Lü Meng had one arm wrapped in linen and suspended from his neck, while his right hand clutched a drumstick he’d just stolen from the kitchen. Four eyes turned toward him. Lü Meng glanced at Jiang Wen and Zhang Zhongjing, then silently took a bite.

The silence was total.

He spat out a chicken bone onto the floor.

“Out!” Jiang Wen barked, his face dark.

“Oh, pardon me.” Lü Meng turned and closed the door. “What a strange pair, bathing together when there are so many young ladies in this house!” he shouted deliberately as he left, making Jiang Wen smile wryly.

“Who was that ruffian?” Zhang Zhongjing asked as soon as Lü Meng left.

“A general,” Jiang Wen replied, quickly rising and slipping behind a screen to dress.

“A general so lacking in manners?”

In the side hall, wine and delicacies were set out for the feast. Tao’er supported Jiang Hao as he sat to Jiang Wen’s lower left, while she took her place at his right.

“Where is Diao Chan?” Jiang Wen inquired.

Tao’er replied, “Sister said she’s not feeling well.”

“I’ll see her after the banquet,” Jiang Wen said.

“Everyone, tonight’s feast is just a simple welcome. There’s no need for formality.”

After the banquet, Lu Min bid Jiang Wen farewell, patting Lü Meng on the back and scolding, “How could you drink so much when you’re still injured!”

“Heh, what’s an injury? Just wait till tonight—I’ll show you I’m not helpless yet!”

Lu Min blushed and twisted Lü Meng’s ear.

“Ouch, ouch, wife!”

“You’ll have to wait till you’re healed for children!”

Under the hazy moonlight, Jiang Wen brought a meal to Diao Chan’s quarters in the western wing. Spotting her silhouette seated in the distant pavilion, he approached without a word. Diao Chan instantly stood and greeted him. “I pay my respects, Master.”

“Eat something. I know you’re not truly unwell.” Jiang Wen set the tray on the stone table. “Tao’er made these dishes for you.”

Beneath the moonlight, Diao Chan’s alluring figure was tinged with sorrowful beauty. “Master, have you always held prejudice against me?”

“Yes.” Jiang Wen answered quietly, arranging the utensils. “Have the servants clean up when you’re done.”

Diao Chan’s slender fingers clenched as she could no longer restrain herself. “Is it because of my status? Though I was married in name to Lü Bu, we were never truly husband and wife!”

Jiang Wen said nothing. Diao Chan’s beautiful eyes locked onto him as she forced out the words, “Master, have you ever felt anything for me?”

“Your beauty is famed across the land,” Jiang Wen replied, glancing at her. “I am pleased to have such a beautiful lady in my house.”

“Then why do you treat me with such indifference?”

Jiang Wen stepped closer. Diao Chan’s cheeks flushed abruptly, her eyes meeting his handsome face with a flustered, unfamiliar warmth spreading through her heart.

Behind a column, little Shu watched intently, muttering, “Go closer, Miss, go closer!”

Her ears turning red, Jiang Wen murmured softly, “Because you are not truly part of the Jiang family.”

The fluttering feeling in Diao Chan’s heart was quenched as if doused with cold water; her luminous eyes grew misty.

Without another word, Jiang Wen turned and left, leaving Diao Chan alone with a sorrowful smile. “Jiang Changsu, if that is so, why did you marry me?”

Zhang Zhongjing stood at the door, watching Jiang Wen return from the western wing.

“Greetings, sir,” Jiang Wen said with a bow.

Zhang Zhongjing returned the salute. “I’ll be setting out tomorrow.”

“So soon? Will you not stay a few more days?”

“There is no time to lose,” Zhang Zhongjing replied. “I’ll leave these medical texts here. They contain prescriptions I’ve collected from healers across the land, as well as my own writings. Keep them safe for me until I return.”