A visit to the sick

Xiao Huaijin's calligraphy in the imperial study earned three consecutive marks of "acceptable" from Xiao Lin. The three stood in a row, bright vermilion, each written perfectly straight and neat. Leaning over the low table, Xiao Huaijin held the paper up to the light and examined it over and over, his grin nearly reaching his ears. Only when Zhou Rucheng coughed beside him did he lower the paper, sit properly, and continue with the next character.

Near noon, Liu An came in with a message. He bent at the waist as he approached Xiao Lin and murmured something. Xiao Lin set down his brush, his face expressionless, and said only, "Understood." After Liu An withdrew, Xiao Lin rose and walked over to Xiao Huaijin, looking down as he finished the last character, "frost."

"Huaijin."

Xiao Huaijin looked up.

"You told the Grand Tutor yesterday that you wanted to visit Xiao Yu."

"Yes!" Xiao Huaijin put down his brush and wiped his hands on his robe. "Father, has Second Brother recovered? I want to see him."

Xiao Lin looked into those eyes, so clear that they held not a trace of impurity, and fell silent for a moment.

"I'll go with you."

The Palace of Nurtured Elegance stood on the western side of the Eastern Six Palaces, two long lanes away from the Eastern Palace. When Xiao Huaijin followed his father through its gates, several palace maids in the courtyard were airing bedding. At the sight of the emperor's bright yellow everyday robes, they all dropped to their knees.

"Your Majesty-this servant will inform Her Highness the Noble Consort at once."

"No need." Xiao Lin walked straight inside. "I've come to see the second prince."

Hearing the commotion, Shen Mingzhu came out of the bedchamber to greet them. She was not dressed in finery today, wearing only a lake-blue informal jacket and a plain silver hairpin in her coiffure. She looked somewhat thinner than usual. Her gaze paused on Xiao Lin's face, then on Xiao Huaijin, before she curtsied, her gentle tone without the slightest flaw.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. Your Highness the Crown Prince has come as well."

Xiao Huaijin paid his respects to Shen Mingzhu properly. As he followed his father into the bedchamber and passed her, he caught a faint medicinal scent, the bitter smell of herbal medicine simmered for a long time, just like the medicine the Imperial Medical Academy had prescribed during his last fever.

Xiao Yu was propped against the head of the bed, eating porridge. He had lost considerable weight. His once-round little face now had a pointed chin, both his dimples had grown shallow, and his small sapphire-blue nightclothes hung loose on him. His wrists were so thin that the blue veins showed. He froze for a moment at the sight of his visitors, then hurriedly pushed his porridge bowl aside and threw back the covers to get out of bed and pay his respects. He moved so hastily that the bowl nearly tipped over onto the quilt.

"Stay in bed."

Xiao Lin pressed a hand to his shoulder and gently pushed him back against the head of the bed. Leaning against his pillow, Xiao Yu called hoarsely, "Father."

Xiao Huaijin peeked halfway out from behind his father. The two children exchanged a look, and Xiao Yu spoke first, very softly. "Crown Prince Brother."

"Are you better?" Xiao Huaijin went to the bedside and tilted his head to study his complexion. "The Grand Tutor said you had a fever for days. Was it bitter?"

"Bitter." Xiao Yu puckered his lips. "The medicine was so bitter. Three bowls every day."

"I've had it too!" Xiao Huaijin immediately perked up. "Last time I had a fever, the Imperial Medical Academy prescribed eight bowls-no, I think it was ten. It made my tongue go numb."

Xiao Yu laughed at that, his dimples faintly appearing. Standing in the doorway, Shen Mingzhu saw the corners of her son's mouth lift. It was the first time he had smiled in all these days of illness.

Xiao Lin sat in the chair beside the bed. The bedchamber in the Palace of Nurtured Elegance was exquisitely furnished. The bronze mirror on the dressing table had been polished to a shine, the screen was embroidered with a hundred children, and a bowl of medicine, already stone cold, sat on the low cabinet by the bed. His gaze lingered on the bowl before moving away. He asked Shen Mingzhu what the imperial physician had said. Standing by the bed, she said the physician had diagnosed wind-cold invading the lungs. Once the fever broke, there would be no serious concern, but Xiao Yu needed some days of quiet rest and must not be exposed to drafts. She added that his illness had come on suddenly this time; he had run a high fever for several days, rambled deliriously at night, and called for his father several times.

Xiao Lin's gaze returned to Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu was listening to Xiao Huaijin describe the latest happenings in the Eastern Palace-the straw target had been moved, a magpie had appeared in the parasol tree, and Zhou Rucheng had fallen asleep halfway through explaining the struggle for supremacy between Jin and Chu in the Zuo Commentary. Xiao Huaijin told it all vividly, even imitating Zhou Rucheng's snoring when he reached the part about the Grand Tutor dozing off. Xiao Yu laughed until his shoulders shook and he could barely breathe. Shen Mingzhu reached out to pat his back and ease his breathing.

"Crown Prince Brother, did the Grand Tutor wake up afterward?"

"He did, he did. And when he woke up, he said, 'Your Highness, this old subject was merely resting his eyes.'"

Xiao Huaijin put on a solemn face and imitated Zhou Rucheng's tone quite convincingly. Xiao Yu laughed again, until he began coughing. Shen Mingzhu poured a cup of warm water and held it to his lips, and he took two sips.

Xiao Huaijin stayed by the bed for nearly an hour, rising only when Liu An reminded him from outside that the Grand Tutor was still waiting to teach him in the Eastern Palace. Before leaving, he pulled an oilpaper packet from his sleeve, set it beside Xiao Yu's pillow, and whispered, "These are osmanthus cakes. My nurse gave them to me this morning. I didn't eat them. I saved them for you."

Xiao Yu looked down at the packet of osmanthus cakes. The wrapping was a little crumpled, clearly having spent quite a few hours tucked inside a sleeve. He clasped the packet and looked up.

"Thank you, Crown Prince Brother."

Xiao Huaijin waved a hand.

"No need to thank me. Come play in the Eastern Palace when you're better. I have a bow and arrows. I'll teach you archery."

Xiao Yu's eyes lit up, then he instinctively glanced at Shen Mingzhu. She stood in the doorway, her expression hidden against the light. She paused, then gave a slight nod. Only then did Xiao Yu turn back and nod to Xiao Huaijin, a trace of suppressed excitement in his voice.

"All right. Once I'm better, I'll definitely come."

Xiao Huaijin followed Xiao Lin out of the Palace of Nurtured Elegance. At the doorway, he turned back and waved to Xiao Yu. Propped against the head of the bed, Xiao Yu waved back.

After father and son had gone some distance, Shen Mingzhu sat beside Xiao Yu's bed. Xiao Yu held up the packet of osmanthus cakes for her to see.

"Mother, Crown Prince Brother gave these to me."

Shen Mingzhu looked down at the crumpled packet and peeled back a corner of the oilpaper. Inside were two perfectly intact cakes, still carrying a faint fragrance of osmanthus.

"Then eat them. Don't let them go to waste."

Xiao Yu took one and put it in his mouth, then wrapped the remaining osmanthus cake again and set it beside his pillow.

"I'll save this one for tomorrow."

After leaving the Palace of Nurtured Elegance, Xiao Lin did not return directly to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. He took Xiao Huaijin on a circuit of Taiye Lake. The autumn wind stirred a fine layer of ripples across the water. The weeping willows on the opposite bank had begun shedding their leaves, which floated on the surface, rocking with the ripples.

Walking beside his father, Xiao Huaijin suddenly looked up.

"Father, Second Brother said the medicine was bitter."

"Mm."

"The medicine I took last time I was sick was very bitter too."

"I know."

"Then next time Second Brother takes bitter medicine, can I come keep him company? I'll just watch him drink it-" He thought for a moment. "If I just watch him drink it, he won't be afraid."

Xiao Lin's steps faltered. He looked at the weeping willows across Taiye Lake and was silent for a moment.

"Yes."

Delighted, Xiao Huaijin skipped two steps ahead, then stopped to wait for his father. Seeing that his father was walking slowly, he slowed down too and walked close beside his leg, occasionally reaching for the willow branches hanging beside the path. Whenever he caught one, he tugged it, scattering dew from the leaves all over his head. He shook his head and reached for the next one.

When they returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Liu An was clearing the teacups from the imperial desk. Xiao Lin sat down but did not review the memorials. Instead, he suddenly asked who had visited Xiao Yu during his illness.

Liu An considered, then listed a few names-apart from the imperial physicians, only the Noble Consort herself had kept watch. Consort Jing had sent someone with tonics once, as had Consort Xian. The mistresses of the various palaces were probably all waiting to see how things developed. After all, the Noble Consort was not usually close to the other consorts, and the second prince did not often play with the other princes the way the fifth prince did. Liu An phrased it discreetly, but Xiao Lin understood. He leaned against the back of his chair and looked out toward the Imperial Garden.

"Have I been too cold toward these children all these years?"

Liu An did not answer. It was not that he dared not answer, but that the question left no room for him to offer an opinion in the first place.

Xiao Lin did not press him. He opened a memorial, wrote two lines of comments, then set down his brush again.

"Issue an edict. For his propriety and scrupulous observance of etiquette during this illness, the second prince, Xiao Yu, is to receive one ruyi scepter and ten new books. Once he has recovered, he may visit the Eastern Palace at any time without requesting separate permission."

Liu An paused in surprise. In all the years since His Majesty's accession, rewards for the princes had always followed established practice, never with an extra word added. The gifts in this edict were few, but the words "visit the Eastern Palace at any time without requesting permission" carried more weight than ten ruyi scepters. He acknowledged the command without further questions and turned to convey the edict.

When the edict reached the Palace of Nurtured Elegance, Shen Mingzhu was feeding Xiao Yu his medicine. After hearing Liu An out, she expressed her gratitude for the imperial favor flawlessly, a fitting smile on her face. Once Liu An left, she set the medicine bowl on the low bedside cabinet and stood there for a moment. Xiao Yu poked his head out from under the quilt.

"Mother, did Father really mean it? Once I'm better, I can go to the Eastern Palace to play with Crown Prince Brother?"

Shen Mingzhu nodded. Xiao Yu pulled his head back beneath the quilt, forming a small mound under it. A moment later, a muffled cheer came from beneath the covers.

Shen Mingzhu did not hear that cheer. She turned and walked to the window, looking at the osmanthus tree outside. Autumn had come, and the whole tree was in bloom, its fragrance so heavy it was almost choking. She was wondering whether His Majesty had truly come to the Palace of Nurtured Elegance today to see Xiao Yu, or whether he had used the visit to make a display for everyone in the court and the harem. The Shen Clan had recently been pressing him step by step at court. Contrary to his usual manner, His Majesty had drawn close to the crown prince, then held him on the imperial throne at the Dragon Boat Festival banquet, and now had personally brought him to visit his sick brother-taken separately, each was merely an everyday occurrence in the harem, but strung together, they formed a chain of signals. His Majesty was telling everyone that he had only one successor. His other sons, however good they might be, were only sons.