Langhua: The Codependence of a Prince and His General

Physician

Lin Xiangyang took Xuanyuan Yao from Yan'er hands and threw one of the Second Prince's arms over his shoulder, while Hua Yuheng silently took the other side. Xuanyuan Lang trailed behind them, feeling somewhat guilty for not sharing any part of the burden.

"Take the rear, Master Liang, and keep an eye out for any curious onlookers, would you? If you see anyone following us, kindly tell them to go along on their merry way."

Xuanyuan Lang nodded, grateful for something to do. As they walked down the windy back streets, a few people made an attempt to follow them, but they vanished hastily as soon as Xuanyuan Lang caught them looking. He did not have to say a word or raise a hand.

"Nice aura you have there, Your Highness," Lin Xiangyang said breezily. "Very princely."

Hua Yuheng gave him a look. "Watch it."

"Don't worry, we're safe now. And we're here."

He freed up one hand and knocked on a shabby wooden door.

Xuanyuan Lang looked around. They were in a shadowy back alley at least three streets away from Scarlet Pavilion. The taller buildings on either side seemed to keep both the noise and the light out; the hustle and bustle of the busier streets sounded muffled and distant even though the vendors were plying their trade merely a stone's throw away. When Lin Xiangyang said they had enough privacy here, Xuanyuan Lang could believe it.

The door creaked open, and a child about as tall as his waist peered out. "Who's there?"

"Tongtong, it's me." Lin Xiangyang waved at him with a grin. "Is your mother in?"

The boy nodded and opened the door further, turning out to yell, "Mom, it's Master Lin."

"Drunk again?" A woman in her thirties emerged from the back room, wiping her hands on a cloth tied to her waist as the men entered the front hall. Her clothes were plain but clean, her hair tied up neatly into a no-nonsense bun. There were already some lines wrinkling her face, especially where she wore a natural frown, though Xuanyuan Lang had the feeling that she might not care.

"Nah. It's always more fun to watch someone else get drunk, don't you think?" Lin Xiangyang lowered Xuanyuan Yao onto a simple rough hemp bed by the wall. "Could you bring us some of your miraculous hangover medicine? And check this man for anything else while you're at it, now there's a dear."

"You can save your sweet words. Just remember to pay the treatment fee." The woman pulled a stool up to the bed while the boy Tongtong bounded into the back room, presumably to prepare the medicine. Hua Yuheng could not keep the surprise out of his voice when the woman picked up Xuanyuan Yao's wrist and began reading his pulse.

"A female physician?"

"I wouldn't call myself that. No, I'm merely a humble herbalist who dabbles in diagnoses and certain prescriptions."

Women could not be physicians, of course. That statement hung in the air between them, unspoken. It made sense that she would not make any loftier claims otherwise.

Lin Xiangyang began the belated introductions. "Yuheng, this is Madam Yun. She mainly serves the ladies of Scarlet Pavilion, and a few trusted regulars like yours truly."

"Only you could say that like it's something to be proud of." Madam Yun rolled her eyes. Xuanyuan Lang thought Hua Yuheng would like her already. "And this is the adorable junior brother you keep talking about?"

Hua Yuheng glared at Lin Xiangyang. "What nonsense have you been saying about me?"

"Nothing but the truth, I swear on my heart." It would be more convincing if just about anyone else said it.

Xuanyuan Lang was in no mood to enjoy their banter this time, however. "Madam Yun, how is my... the patient?"

"Hmm." Madam Yun took her hand of Xuanyuan Yao's pulse and touched his forehead, then turning up his eyelids with a hand rougher than any of the imperial physicians Xuanyuan Lang had ever seen. She even patted his cheeks, loud enough to Xuanyuan Lang wince slightly. "He's out cold. There was more than wine in his drink. And his complexion is unnaturally red."

Lin Xiangyang raised a brow. "A hint of aphrodisiac, maybe?"

"A larger dose than the girls usually use, I reckon. But the balance was slightly off, so he was knocked out rather than turned on."

Xuanyuan Lang instinctively glanced at Hua Yuheng and saw the same shock reflected in the latter's eyes. They were not used to hearing such language from the mouth of a woman... or from anyone, to be honest. Next to them, Lin Xiangyang nodded sagely, as though this was an everyday occurrence.

"Looks like someone has some explaining to do. I'll ask Madam Hong later which courtesan was attending to... this young master over here."

"When will he wake up?" Xuanyuan Lang frowned as the implications began to gradually sink in. But that was not his first priority right now. "Will there be any lasting effects?"

"His pulse tells me he's not used to these substances, so I'm afraid he'll be out for a while, and he'll probably wake up with a splitting headache afterward. Even with my medicine, he's not waking up before sundown."

"I'll go home and get a carriage." Hua Yuheng knew what Xuanyuan Lang was thinking. "A discrete one."

Xuanyuan Lang nodded somewhat tersely and remained tense after Hua Yuheng left. There was something else happening in the shadows here, and he hated that he did not know what.

The boy Tongtong soon returned with a bowl of clear brown medicine, taking so little time that Xuanyuan Lang was quite certain the medicine had been brewed in advance. Lin Xiangyang shrugged when he asked.

"What can I say? Madam Yun's recipe is quite popular among certain crowds."

After Madam Yun fed Xuanyuan Yao the medicine and cooled his head down with a wet towel, the Second Prince's unnatural flush slowly subsided. Underneath the redness, his lips were pale and his lashes trembled.

"...Big Brother..."

There was an almost inaudible murmur when Madam Yun replaced the towel on his head. Xuanyuan Lang stiffened. If he had heard it, Madam Yun and Lin Xiangyang must have too, but they made no indication of it. The back-alley physician merely went on with her business while Lin Xiangyang looked deep in thought.

The silence stretched on.

"I'm back."

When Hua Yuheng walked in through the door again, he blinked to see how eagerly Xuanyuan Lang turned to him. "What happened?"

"Nothing. Did you get the carriage?"

"Yeah. And I picked up a little someone along the way."

Xuanyuan Lang's joy and relief immediately turned sour when he saw the girl behind him.

"Yan'er?"

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