"I will walk you back," Bai Yue told the doctor once he was done writing the prescriptions. The show had ended and it was time for her to go back to Liu'er. Especially when a strong feeling of awkwardness hung over Concubine Xi's bedroom like a thick fog.
"I will trouble you then, my lady," doctor Sheng responded respectfully. And gratefully too because he wanted nothing more than to leave this place. Power play occurred frequently in big families and doctor Sheng would be forever thankful if those little tyrants could avoid troubling innocent passerby like him. "Farewell, my lord."
Count Zhong hadn't improved in the past few minutes. Hearing the doctor, he merely gave him a nod before turning back to his unconscious concubine and the kneeling Bai Chen at her bedside.
"Dong Li, accompany fifth sister to see doctor Sheng off," Bai Chen ordered his manservant without letting go of his concubine mother's hand. From his head to his toes, all his body oozed a deep sense of love for his family, creating the picture of a perfect son.
"Yes, young master." Promotion, promotion, where is my promotion? Young master, can't you stop acting and think about my poor legs?
Bai Yue adverted her eyes from her second brother and his servant and bowed slightly to her father before she walked out of the room with the doctor. Dong Li followed them, always remaining three steps behind.
The breeze that touched Bai Yue's cheeks still lacked warmth and left the skin of her face cold and a little painful. Especially her nose which she couldn't help but bury in the collar of her coat and rub against the soft fabric. The scent of fresh roses filled her nose.
"My lady... Actually, there is no need to see me off. A servant would do," doctor Sheng said when he noticed the shiver that ran through her.
"Doctor, you came here so early in the morning to save my father's concubine. Currently, he worries too much about her and cannot bear to leave her room. Seeing you off is my way of expressing my family's gratitude to you. This, I can't let a servant do in my stead or people would say the Bai family is not sincere."
"Ah, so this is like this. My apologies then. I didn't want to offend you."
"Don't worry, I'm not angry. You only said this out of concern."
As a proper young miss of a noble family, Bai Yue didn't walk fast in the presence of a man. Although the Bai manor was far from the biggest in the capital, it was still of decent size and the walk to the outer court gates wasn't short.
Bai Chen should have been the one walking the doctor out, had he not lost all common senses because of his sick and wounded birth mother. However, Bai Yue didn't complain. In spite of the chilly wind, it was rather nice to walk outside.
You never knew how wonderful it was to have legs and be able to walk until you lost them.
"I won't accompany you farther, doctor Sheng," she announced when they reached the gate to the outer court. Without explicit authorization, women of the Bai family weren't allowed to take a single step out of the inner court.
Doctor Sheng bowed to her before he straightened his spine. His expression changed to one of concern. After a moment of hesitation and a discreet glance towards Servant Dong, he opened his mouth and said in a low voice the words he hid deep inside his mind ever since he saw her.
"My lady, forgive me if this offends you but I have seen many young women like you before and cannot but worry about your health."
Bai Yue lifted a brow, feeling rather amused. Women like her? Was being reborn so common? What was next then? Waking up after death in the wrong body? Or better, in another world?
"What do you mean, doctor Sheng?"
"My lady, unless I am wrong, you should have little appetite and difficulty sleeping?"
"Yes, I do, and the dark rings under my eyes sure are a good clue."
"Usually, I see this in women after their wedding nights or after a difficult moment in their life," the man continued. His eyes were void of curiosity towards her situation. No matter how many times Bai Yue looked and peered at him, all she could see was his concern for her.
Ah, it seemed that there were still good people in this god-forsaken world.
"Doctor, please cut to the chase. Whatever you want to say, just say it. As you can see, I am obviously an unmarried girl so there are little chances that I am like the women you spoke of."
Many nobles liked to believe they were unique. Whether in terms of beauty or wits, they pretended that no one was their equal.
Bai Yue didn't think like this. The world was big and she never possessed any superpowers allowing her to see the heart of other people. Also, she was certainly not a peerless beauty. Nonetheless, she didn't believe many people woke up in their younger bodies after death.
"My lady, it is true I do not know your story and what led you to this state. However, what I care about are the results, not the circumstances."
Sometimes, he did find out about them. And it caused him to develop a very askew picture of the so-called nobles - the 'elite' of the State of Zhou.
Bai Yue stared at the doctor and her heart started racing and pounding in her chest like the hooves of a horse on the stones paving a road.
"And what are the results you see in me, doctor Sheng?"
"Trauma. You, my lady, went through something that left you utterly traumatized." He paused to let his words sink in. "Whatever caused you to become like this, it is possible to overcome it.
She made a sound of agreement. "You are right. There are scars in my mind and in my heart. But what if I don't want to overcome them?"
They made her who she was now. They forced her to find her courage and her strength to live again and leave this place in the future.
Moreover, could someone truly overcome Death?
"Overcoming something never means forgetting it. You can't allow traumatic events to define you. My lady, don't be the branch that anyone can snap. Be the reed that dances with the wind, even in the wildest and strongest storm."
The words rang out loudly in her ears, leaving her stunned and speechless. It took her a while to come back to her senses.
"Doctor Sheng... Are you really only a doctor?"
The man let out a bark of laughter. The wrinkles at the corner of his eyes deepened, yet they didn't make him look older. On the contrary, he suddenly looked ten years younger.
"Young lady, the mind is complementary to the body! To heal one means to heal the other, too. One cannot go without the other."
This was certainly the first time she ever heard such an adage. Even in the Imperial Palace, imperial doctors never dared to speak such words. After all, who would let other know there was something wrong with their mind?
"Could it be that you disdain other doctors, then?" Bai Yue couldn't help asking in mock anger.
Doctor Sheng didn't answer her question and merely gave her an enigmatic smile. Then, concern flashed again in his eyes and he said, "my lady, I won't keep you outside any longer."
He bowed deeply and whispered, "if you ever wish for a place to heal at your own pace, you can to Xiangqi village."
Xiangqi village? Bai Yue pondered at the familiar name. Where and when did she hear it?
"Are you saying this because of my father's identity?"
If yes, the man would be disappointed. Her father couldn't care less about owing a simple doctor a favor.
"Not at all. Everyone is welcome in Xiangqi village. The only requirement is to work for food and lodging. Even if you wish to run away from your family, Xiangqi village would welcome you. No one there will hurt you or force you to do anything you don't want to. Even the Emperor wouldn't."
Ah, so that was where she heard the name of Xiangqi village. Although it had been built a century ago by a group of widows, it wasn't until the previous Emperor that the village was officially recognized. From his decree, anyone could seek sanctuary from Xiangqi village as long as one didn't commit a heinous crime.
It sounded nice but most people would never step a foot in that place willingly. The reason was that the inhabitants usually consisted of divorced women, eunuchs who failed to be selected to work in the Imperial Palace and didn't find a place elsewhere, widows and concubines who wished to leave their husbands' family, and former prostitutes and slaves who managed to escape.
Also, their immunity stopped once they stepped outside the borders of the village.