Song in the Clouds c37

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Since ascending the throne at eight, till today, Liu Fu Ling had accumulated close to fourteen years of Qi Ju Zhu. Meng Jue finished all the fourteen years of records within a month, and made meticulous notes.

As he flipped through records of various years, comparing them, he thought of all of Liu Fu Ling’s symptoms. Suddenly, his eyes fixed on something, as if he had a revelation, and quickly read through all his notes again, then threw the bamboo scroll aside and hurriedly left.

After four hours, he came back in a rush, and ordered San Yue and Liu Yue to follow him out of the capital. The horse trotted the whole way, till they were out of Chang An. Once they reached a remote hill, Meng Jue ordered the carriage to stop. San Yue and Liu Yue looked at each other in bafflement, each not knowing what Meng Jue was trying to do.

Meng Jue smiled “Climb the mountain with me.” Meng Jue had already spent many days shut up in his residence; it was rare that he would make a trip out, so both of them smiled and answered yes. No one lived at the foot of the hill, and as such, the foliage was lusher, and filled with the rawness of nature. There were many sources of water on the mountain, rivers, streams and waterfalls were present at every turn, whether big or small, they all came together at the foot of the mountain to form a large river. The river water was as clear as crystal, with wild ducks and geese swimming around in flocks, and the occasional heron or swan soaring past the skies.

The area glowed wherever sunlight fell, sometimes fish would jump out of the water, a full body of silver scales, and with a pretty swish of its tail, landing back into the water with a splash.

San Yue was excitedly making sounds of wonder.

Meng Jue smiled as he appreciated his surroundings, then started to climb up the mountain by following the flow of the stream. Ragged rocks lined the area and thick undergrowth blanketed the area, so there was no proper path. However, all three of them possessed a good set of martial arts skills, so they didn’t find the climb difficult at all; San Yue even felt that it was more fun climbing this mountain.

There were many cypress and elm trees on the mountain, their lush leaves keeping the hot summer sun at bay. Vines crawled across boulders, swaying gently in the wind. The stream wound across the boulders, and the water only further brought out the crisp green of the vines. On drier land, small purple flowers bloomed. Although they weren’t gorgeous, they stood out. San Yue scooped up a few purple flowers from the water, and asked “Master, what is the name of this vine? I’ve never seen it anywhere else.”

Meng Jue smiled at the boulder, and replied “Wild lobed kudzu vine.”

When they reached the top, Meng Jue stood at the edge of the cliff, surveying his surroundings. Under the sunlight, everything was green, teeming with life, not a single rotting leaf to be seen. San Yue was jumping around the woods, leisurely taking in everything. In a short while, she had already run far. Suddenly, she screamed, and frightened Liu Yue, who thought she might have seen a poisonous snake or a ferocious beast; but when he rushed over, he only saw San Yue staring dumbly at the scene in front of her

“How gorgeous!”

Under the great elm tree lay an endless stretch of purplish-red flowers; they danced and sparkled, as if the sunset had fallen onto the ground.

None of the flowers were of the same size, some were as big as a large bowl, others as small as a gnat, but they all resembled clocks; at the passing of the slightest breeze, each of these ‘clocks’ would gently sway. From above, it looked as if a fairy had cloaked herself with colours and was dancing gracefully. The stream water, which flowed across the boulders next to the flowers moved swiftly at times, and slowly at others, as if it was accompanying the dance.

Screaming because of a few flowers? Liu Yue laughed “Women!”

San Yue glared at him “Don’t you find it gorgeous? Master, you be the judge!”

Meng Jue stood quietly behind them, staring intently at the purplish-red sunset glow displayed before them and smiled “Very gorgeous indeed. The sun is about to set, let us head back..”

Once again, they walked along the dry gullies the stream had carved out, but the climb down was way faster than the hike up, and they were at the river in a short while.

Once the road back, Meng Jue leaned against a soft couch and fell into deep sleep.

Liu Yue loosened his grip on the reins, allowing the horses to move at a slower pace; San Yue whispered “Master hasn’t slept this well in a long time. In future, we should ask him out more often.”

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Upon entering the palace, Meng Jue reported to Liu Fu Ling “Your subject already knows what illness your majesty is suffering from, and have also found a cure for it.”

When he heard the news, even the normally poker-faced Liu Fu Ling couldn’t tamp down the happiness brimming in his eyes when he looked at Yun Ge. He asked Meng Jue “Is it the unprecedented case of chest tightness? How are you going to treat it? How long will treatment take?”

Meng Jue requested “Your subject would like to report a few matters to your majesty in private.” Yun Ge frowned and stared at Meng Jue. Meng Jue smiled, but under that smile was an unquestionable determination. Liu Fu Ling nodded, acceding to his request.

Yun Ge waited outside for more than two hours, standing till her legs ached; only then did she hear Liu Fu Ling commanding people to enter and she quickly rushed in. Liu Fu Ling remained detached as usual, and Meng Jue was still warm and genial; they both looked the same, but Yun Ge sensed that there was a bond of understanding and trust now between them that wasn’t there before, something only men shared – it was something that she wouldn’t be part of no matter how close she was to Liu Fu Ling.

Yun Ge let go of whatever remaining reservations she had, and some strange feeling coursed through her, she couldn’t tell whether it was surprise, sadness or bitterness, but the only thing she was sure of was that, this time Meng Jue would definitely do his best to treat Liu Fu Ling’s illness.

The moment everyone heard that the illness was treatable, the mood lightened, and they were more casual with their words. Meng Jue instructed Yu An and Yun Ge “Although his majesty isn’t suffering from chest tightness, it could also be considered chest tightness, one of the symptoms being blocked blood flow, leading to chest pains. Light food will promote better blood flow. During this period of treatment, his majesty is not to eat red meat. However, his majesty should eat more beans.” Yu An quickly said “Yes.” Meng Jue continued “As his majesty does not wish his illness to be made known to the imperial physicians, so it must appear as if all the food preparation is done according to Physician Zhang’s prescription, avoiding pork, mutton, and eating fish and chicken.”

Yun Ge said “These bunch of quack physicians at the Imperial Physician Institute, they were all abuzz with the discussion of his majesty’s illness at first, fearing that others would first claim credit, then when they realised the illness was untreatable, they all grew timid and fearful, fearing that their heads would roll, and started to push responsibility away, even faking illness so they wouldn’t have to do consultation. Only two to three physicians remained to treat him, but the only one that is making any effort is Physician Zhang, the others aren’t willing to take the risk at all; blindly agreeing to whatever Physician Zhang says. What you’re trying to say is to let everyone think that Physician Zhang is treating his majesty, while you treat him in secret, therefore I would still need to cook fish or double boil chicken for his majesty, to cheat and fool others.”

Meng Jue nodded “Yes, it must appear as if we are following Physician Zhang’s orders on the surface.”

Yun Ge asked “How do you plan on treating him?” Meng Jue asked Yu An “Has Supervisor Yu prepared the thing I humbly requested?” Yu An replied “Yes”, and turned to leave. Not long after, he returned carrying a wooden box, and passed it to Meng Jue. Meng Jue requested Liu Fu Ling to take off his outer robe and lie down, smiling “If your majesty doesn’t want to look, just close your eyes and don’t think about it.” Liu Fu Ling smiled “It is a rare chance to see something I’ve never seen before. It will be too much of a waste if I were to close my eyes.” Yun Ge perked up at their exchange and sidled up to Meng Jue “Last time it was a needle that was as long as an awl, what is it this time?”

Meng Jue placed the box in front of her and mentioned for her to open it. When she did, she was so surprised she let out a scream, dropping the lid on the floor and taking a few steps back. Meng Jue and Liu Fu Ling both laughed at her reaction.

The box was full of worms with greyish-brown bodies. They differed from other worms in that, most worms would wriggle, but the moment these worms saw that the lid had been opened, they quickly poked their heads out, moving wildly in the air, looking very hungry, like they were about to gobble a human whole, causing chills to run down the spine of anyone who saw them.

Yun Ge was slightly annoyed “All of you knew they were worms, but still tricked me into opening the box. These worms…….these worms aren’t meant to be eaten right?” As she spoke, she shot Liu Fu Ling a sympathetic look.

Meng Jue said “His majesty won’t be eating those worms, those worms will be eating his majesty instead.” He gestured for Yu An to assist the Emperor in rolling his sleeves up and taking off his socks, revealing his bare hands and legs. He then used bamboo tweezers to pick up the worms one by one, placing them on Liu Fu Ling’s fingers and toes. The moment the worms caught sight of a body, they immediately clung on to it, and their bodies slowly started to expand, as their body expanded, their colour also changed, from the greyish-brown to blood red.

Yun Ge’s brows knit tightly together as she watched the scene in front of her “They are sucking blood! Does it hurt?” Liu Fu Ling smiled as he shook his head “It doesn’t.” Meng Jue added “These worms are called leeches, they thrive in dark, wet places and feed on blood. As they suck blood, they will release an anaesthetic that would cause the host body not to feel any pain. However, if it enters a human body, it could cause death.”

Yun Ge immediately said “Yu An, keep an eye on those worms.” Yu An smiled “Yes.” As they spoke, all the leeches on Liu Fu Ling’s fingers were becoming larger and larger, almost four to five times their original size. Yun Ge watched the leeches in horror.

“These worms are greedy creatures, each time they suck blood, they can grow up to 10 times their original size.” After soaking the bamboo tweezers in wine, Meng Jue picked each leech up, threw them back in the box before taking out another batch of greyish-brown leeches to place on Liu Fu Ling’s fingers and toes. Yun Ge asked “Why are you using them to suck his majesty’s blood?”

Meng Jue was busy with his work and couldn’t be bothered to reply. It was only after some time did he say “All ten fingers link back to the heart, the blood in the hands will circulate back to the heart. The leeches’ blood sucking will help cleanse his majesty’s blood, giving him a smoother blood flow. The toes correspond to the five organs, through stimulating blood flow in the legs, the five organs will benefit too.”

Yun Ge nodded, though not really understanding his words. She had never heard of this method of treatment before, trust Meng Jue to come up with such an unusual method. “Will the leeches have to suck his blood every day?”

Meng Jue said “Once every day and night, the sooner we cleanse the body of the old blood, the faster the body will replenish the system with new blood, giving rise to a more effective treatment.” Yun Ge was slightly worried “At this rate, and having to abstain from meat and fish too, will his body be able to take it?” Liu Fu Ling tried to soothe her worry, saying “All sick people will naturally become weak; once recovered though; the body will regain its former condition with the proper care.” Meng Jue said “The prescription I have written will stimulate blood flow and replenish his ‘qi’. After ten days, I will readjust my treatment according to the effects. I will also choose a batch of Chinese Brake herbs, using special herbs as fertilizers. When needed, you could always stew a batch of it. I would have to ask Supervisor Yu to sneak them into the palace. Yun Ge, you have to prepare them yourself, don’t pass it on to someone else.”

Yu An and Yun Ge both nodded “Understood.”

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Meng Jue’s treatment, though horrifying, was effective. After a few months, Liu Fu Ling’s chest tightness and pain were much better without the help of acupuncture. Although his heart would still act up once in a while, but the frequency and the intensity of the pain had lessened drastically. There was no way to hide his progress from Physician Zhang; but try as he might Physician Zhang just couldn’t figure out how his illness suddenly took a turn for the better. With all those questions, he couldn’t decide whether it was true or merely surface progress. Under Liu Fu Ling’s secret command, Physician Zhang told the world that the Emperor was in critical condition.

Yun Ge asked Meng Jue when Liu Fu Ling would completely recover. Meng Jue said, in three months, the blockages in the heart would clear, curing his chest pains but this was only the beginning. As he had been afflicted with this illness for a long while, it would require prolonged periods of proper treatment for his health to return to that of a normal person- maybe two years, three years, or longer. As he got better and with what limited time he had, Liu Fu Ling hastened the implementation of his plan, hoping that everything would be settled in the next two to three months.

He became harsher, stricter with Liu He, leaving no time for the two of them to even sit down for a cup of tea. In the eyes of the people at court, they only saw the Emperor getting worse, unable to attend morning court sessions; then they thought of how the Emperor had no children, and started to be perturbed, paying Liu He and Liu Xun even closer attention.

Many people continually visited Liu Xun’s residence hoping to gain an audience with him, so he decided to simply close his gates and get rid of the guards guarding the door so that anyone who came would be facing a shut door. Liu He continued to behave as before, joking jovially with everyone. Often, those court officials would feel very excited after spending almost a day talking to Liu He, only to realise once Liu He had departed that they had not even talking about the main point.

Everyone was each trying to guess Huo Guang’s reaction, but all they could see was his unwavering loyalty to the Emperor. Huo Guang lived a secluded life, speaking little, only entering the palace every day to discuss political matters with the Emperor, giving a detailed report of everything and meticulously handling each matter that was handed down to him with care. Under his strict eye, none of the Huo sons dared to step out of the line, only focusing on fulfilling their duty and ignoring the chatter around them. Many court officials tried to test Huo Guang’s attitude, but whether they made oblique references or goaded him, he would not budge. Huo Guang was like a deep, murky well; even the biggest stone flung into it would not even cause a ripple.

Liu Fu Ling’s worsening condition not only affected the relationships of the court officials with each other but also Liu He, Liu Xun’s and Meng Jue’s relationship. Liu He and Liu Xun slowly drifted apart, whether intentional or not.

In the past they would often gather together to discuss the task in which his majesty had entrusted them, helping each other, and covering for each other. If you couldn’t think of something, I’d fill in, if I overlooked something, you’d remind me. They joined forces to face Huo Guang, corrupted officials, the rich and noble, and derived joy from that combat! After settling matters at hand, Liu Xun would often bring Liu He, in plain clothes, to search for the hidden gems of Chang An, as one was a youxia of Chang An who knew everybody, gallant and full of integrity; the other was irreverent and informal despite his noble upbringing, longing for life in the Jianghu. Their views coincided on many matters and enjoyed a very amicable relationship with each other.

Although Liu He knew Meng Jue first, but Meng Jue was someone who was outwardly warm yet cold, someone who might seem close but in fact held others at a distance. In addition, he had a deep, complicated thought process, unwilling to involve himself in trivial matters, so purely comparing their personalities, Liu He felt like he was closer to Liu Xun.

Yet now, even when the both of them met occasionally, they never broached the subject of politics, nor did they head out to tour the city together again. Following the conversation in the study, Liu He sought Meng Jue out a few times to pepper him with questions about the Emperor’s health: “Is his majesty’s illness really incurable?”

Meng Jue never gave a direct answer and Liu He stopped asking. Although he still referred to Meng Jue as “Third Brother”, or “Xiao Jue”, but he slowly started to transfer Si Yue and the others away, changing the people who served him to the old people who served at Changyi Residence.

Liu Xun treated Meng Jue as per normal, often asking Xu Ping Jun to cook some simple dishes and inviting Meng Jue to visit to eat and drink. Meng Jue would go if he had the time to, if he didn’t, he would kindly refuse the offer. Liu Xun wasn’t too bothered by it, whereas Xu Ping Jun, after many days of not seeing Meng Jue, would specially prepare some food and send it to his residence, asking San Yue if Meng Jue was well, and complain that Meng Jue hasn’t visited in so long that Hu’er would just forget him if this went on. However, in the past whenever Liu Xun faced a prickly issue at court, especially if that involved Huo Guang, he would often ask for Meng Jue’s opinion, but now he didn’t mention it at all, as if he was settling all his problems with ease. Meng Jue acted as if he was oblivious to the turmoil around him, treating everyone as per normal – other than treating Liu Fu Ling, he would be gardening in his residence, flipping through scrolls of poetry, or leisurely walking through the markets of Chang An, but he never bought anything, only walking aimlessly, sometimes asking for a quote.

Despite the dark clouds looming over Chang An, Meng Jue’s life was simple and peaceful.

The autumn wind blew, and the leaves fell from their branches in a flurry. He stepped over the fallen leaves, and they crackled in protest. The withered, half-withered and freshly fallen leaves all mingled together, destruction and bleakness in the gorgeousness.

Chapter end