“In fifteen days Bao and Shi will have to unite in matrimony,” said Chen.
Fan turned pale, and her weakened body began to sink onto the pillows. The servants knew what to do, as faints were not unusual with their mistress. However, this time it was much worse. It was decided to send for the sisters from the cloister, urgently.
“According to the astrologists’ forecast, their marriage will be long and happy. She is to bear a son, who will be conceived during their first matrimonial night. If this does not happen, you know what will be done to Bao and all the rest of us.”
“But she hasn’t turned fifteen yet, and the red dragon hasn’t visited her. She is not able to conceive.”
The cloister was located high up in the mountains, which, however, were not far away from Chen Li Hong’s home.
....
Having left Shi under the solicitous care of his Monk Tutor, I did not worry for him. At that moment I was much more concerned about his future bride, whom I was eager to meet. Having assessed the situation, I realized that it was most favourable. Entering the cloister I introduced myself as a ‘nun, who knows all herbs’, and willingly volunteered to leave for the first ‘call’, which, I was sure, would allow me to enter the home of Li Hong without arousing anybody’s suspicion.
Sister Fu (Talisman) was Master of the Art of the Emptiness of Love, Master of Internal Alchemy, of Herbal Healing and Surgery. She was the private counsellor of Missus Fan and taught the elder girls ‘The Art of Delights’. She was happy to have a new counterpart. She had a warm smile. Sisters from the cloister treated her with reverent awe. There were rumours that she could take away youth and energy from young lads and lasses through casting a glance at them. She welcomed me and treated me well, happy to have a travelling companion and an aide, which meant she could take more books, herbs and other things she needed for that visit.
The news that beautiful Bao, the favourite daughter of Missus Fan, had been chosen to become the wife of the son of the Illustrious Lord, instantly spread over the cloister, as many sisters had been involved in her life. The number of items and messages was gathering like a snowball, but we had to hurry, and sister Fu and I left the cloister.
The cobblestone road that we were following was, in fact, a giant, gently sloping staircase rounded at the top with mossy curbs, built in the dense forest that was covering the slope of the mountain.
Oaks, planes, acacias, larches and pine-trees with long silky needles lined this road. Around a bend we suddenly saw a little waterfall with crystal-clear water, the beginning of a little stream, where the willows were bathing their slender twigs.
Suddenly a little rock fell right in front of me. I raised my head and saw white goats walking in the water upstream. The one closest to me turned its head and stared at me in curiosity. When approaching Chen Li Hong’s mansion, we made a stop near a partially destroyed octagonal swimming pool. In the centre was a statue of a dragon carved from stone, which had kind eyes and an open mouth.
Sister Fu took out a little pebble from her basket and gracefully threw it into the mouth of the dragon.
“He accepted the gift. Everything will be fine,” said she smiling, addressing either me, or someone far away.
At the entrance there were people waiting for us. Servants rushed towards us to offer us sedan chairs. I had not been used to such kind of travel, but I had no choice. It was pleasant to observe the two strong handsome men running along the cobblestone path carrying the chair so skilfully that I didn’t feel any lurches at all! The sedan chair which sister Fu was riding in was decorated with a little gold bell, giving out melodic chimes and glittering in the rays of the midday sun.
The servants brought us straight into the library of the Master, where Missus Fan was still lying. Sister Fu introduced me, “This is the One Who Knows All Herbs.”
Then she took out of her basket everything she needed and started examining Missus Fan. Having taken Fan by her frail wrist, she sank deep in thought, and was looking at me without seeing me, which made me feel quite ill at ease.
“What can you say, One Who Knows All Herbs?” she asked me, as if it were I who was taking the pulse. I replied, “Lavender, rose, mint, anise, geranium, and neroli.”
“Well done! Make the drink!”
While I was making the drink, she took out two metal bowls with rounded thick edges covered with wood. One was a bit smaller, and the other one slightly larger. She helped the Mistress to lie down on her back and signalled to bring her candles. She laid bare Fan’s left arm and chest down to the navel. Holding the small cup in one hand, she took the candle, and swiftly, so that that the candle even did not go out, covered the candle with the bowl and put the bowl, its hollow down-side, on the left arm of the Mistress, somewhere (about one palm’s width) above the wrist. The second bowl, the larger one, was put in the same way in the centre of the woman’s chest, between her breasts, to the point, which obviously was the centre for the heart joint. She took a miniature hourglass out of her basket and sank further into meditation.
Yes, one did not need to take Missus Fan’s pulse to state that the woman had a weak heart. Her refined paleness resulted not from her high breed, but from a heart disease, and the same was the reason for the bluish shadows under her eyes, which made them look sad and appealing. All these were symptoms of a serious disease.
Right when the last bit of sand sank into the lower part of the hourglass, Sister Fu opened her eyes, removed the bowls and signalled me to serve the drink. Fan took a couple of swallows and fell asleep. Her cheeks acquired a pink tint, which put us at ease, and we proceeded to the library.
Mister Chen had already been waiting for us.
“Sisters, I really need your advice. You know that our daughter Bao has been chosen as a bride for Shi from the Nan Song family. We teach all our daughters to make good wives. But Bao’s health is weak, and we did not expect that it would be she, who would leave us. But this is not all. When Bao was born, astrologists predicted her departure right after she turned fifteen. Fan asked the astrologists to calculate another date, which would allow our daughter to live a happier life, and she convinced me to enter that date into the family book as the date of birth of our daughter. And this is why the astrologists of the Nan Song’s house selected Bao. If this is revealed, Bao will be executed, as well as all my family. I cannot bear the thought of having to kill my beloved daughter right after the wedding party to save the lives of the other children. If I could, I would rather kill myself, but without me everyone would surely die.”
His words and thoughts were frantic.
“Mister Chen,” I started gently, “if Bao is doomed to die at the age of fifteen, how old is she actually now?”
“Now she is fourteen and a half.”
“So, why to kill her, why to rush things?”
“The matter is that according to the astrologists’ predictions, she has to bear a son, who will become the heir to the throne. But this is not possible. The red dragon has not visited her yet, and she has got only half a year to live before she turns fifteen. Maybe, I will talk to her and ask her to take in poison by herself? I don’t know what I am talking about. I don’t know what can be done.”
Now we understood the reason of Chen’s anxiety.
“Please, allow us to examine Bao.”
Chen clapped his hands and ordered to bring in Bao. The youthfulness and the beauty of the girl wrung my heart. She was beautiful in the way only children could be, who arouse your desire to take them into your arms. Her cheeks pink from running, her smile happy and with not a single thought about the upcoming misfortune. However, what did she have to do with the predictions of the astrologists? She happily greeted everyone.
