Wei Qing returned to his estate, his hands tucked into his sleeves the entire way. Just as he entered the gates, Old Madame Wei was waiting in the garden with two concubines.
"Qing’er, His Majesty summoned you in such haste; was there some trouble?" Old Madame Wei asked. "Could it be that little brat from the Chen family has caused another disaster?"
"It was merely matters of state, Mother. There is no need for you to worry," Wei Qing replied. "You two, assist the Old Madame as she walks through the garden. Mother, I have urgent business to attend to and cannot stay to keep you company." Wei Qing knew well that his mother was simply using the opportunity to push these two girls into his sight, but he had no such inclinations.
Returning to his study, Wei Qing asked his head steward, "What has the Third Young Master been doing at home these past few days?"
Wei Buyi was close in age to Cao Zong, and the two often played together.
"In response to the Marquis, the Third Young Master has been in the estate recently and has rarely gone out. Both the Young Marquis and the Second Young Master have been keeping a close eye on him," the steward said with a smile. "Oh, a few days ago, the Third Young Master mentioned a friend was ill. He requested our estate’s Physician Hu to attend to them and prepared many gifts and tonics."
"Who was ill?" Wei Qing pulled the medicinal prescription from his sleeve and set it upon the desk.
The steward was puzzled but did not dare to look closely. "This old servant does not know."
"Go and call the accountant and Physician Hu here."
The steward acknowledged the order and left.
If Cao Zong truly was acting as recklessly as that woman had claimed, Wei Qing could not help but worry for his own youngest son—if he began indulging in such debauchery at such a tender age, what would become of him later? Wei Qing reached out and pulled a bamboo switch from a corner of the study, one that had not been used for years.
The accountant, unaware of the reason, presented the ledgers detailing Wei Buyi’s expenditures to Wei Qing. Physician Hu, however, felt his heart drumming in his chest. Under Wei Qing’s stern intimidation, he quickly confessed, saying only that he had gone to see a friend of the Third Young Master and did not know the patient's identity.
Wei Qing understood the situation clearly now, and his anger flared.
"Bring Wei Buyi here." Wei Qing tested the bamboo switch; it was still sturdy. Moments later, Wei Buyi arrived.
"Father!" Wei Buyi did not know why he had been summoned, but thinking he hadn't left the estate recently, he felt no fear.
Wei Qing sat upright, placing the switch beneath the desk. "Come here and sit. I have questions for you."
Wei Buyi sat down. "Father, what is it?"
"Have you been associating with the Marquis of Pingyang lately? I heard he is ill."
Wei Buyi was startled. Lowering his head, he said, "I heard he was sick. Father, how did you find out?" *That shouldn't be right,* he thought. *Didn't Cao Zong say he was keeping it a secret?*
"Did you go to visit him? He is a relative, after all. What is his ailment?"
Wei Buyi assumed Wei Qing was merely concerned for Cao Zong and quickly smiled. "Of course I went! I visited him long ago and sent many tonics. I even found his doctor for him!" The youth’s face was full of a desire for praise.
"Then what is his illness?" Wei Qing asked expressionlessly.
Wei Buyi froze. After a long pause, he said, "It seemed to be a common cold... I don't know, I'm not sure."
"You took a doctor from our own estate; how could you not be sure? If you aren't sure, then were those tonics given at random? What if the Marquis of Pingyang ate the wrong thing?"
"This..." Wei Buyi began to stammer. "No, no, no, that's not it. I knew... I knew at the time, but... but I've forgotten now." He did not dare speak the truth.
"Then think carefully." Wei Qing spread the prescription written by Physician Hu before Wei Buyi.
Wei Buyi didn't quite understand it, so Wei Qing placed the prescription from the Song family’s pharmacy beside it. This time, Wei Buyi recognized it.
"Father..." His voice trembled. "I... I don't recognize this."
Wei Qing pulled the bamboo switch from beneath the desk. Wei Buyi jumped back in fright, shouting, "Father! Father! It wasn't my idea! I was just listening to Cao Zong!"
Wei Qing raised his hand and brought the switch down on Wei Buyi. The boy dodged and cried out, "Father, listen to me! It really wasn't my idea! Cao Zong found the prescription himself; I only found out when I was playing with him!"
"Then tell me, why exactly is he ill?"
"He went to the pharmacy himself to get the medicine, and then someone sent him some pills called Jinxu Pills. He tried to be brave and took them all together, and that's when something went wrong."
"And you still helped him hide it? Could you take responsibility if something had happened to him?"
"He said he was afraid his elder sister would find out, and afraid the Grand Princess of Pingyang would know, so I helped him." Wei Buyi felt a burning sting on his back and began to cry.
"At such a young age, you both dabble in such things. As his friend and his elder in generation, you did not advise him but instead assisted him. Do you not deserve a beating?"
Wei Buyi wailed, "What could I do? He is a Marquis, his rank is higher than mine! I couldn't control him!"
"You still argue! Look at your eldest brother; at your age, he already held an official post..."
"That's only because you only dote on the youngest!" Wei Buyi huddled into a ball, shielding his head and crying out.
"What did you say?" Wei Qing was choked with rage.
"Oh my, what are you doing? Buyi, come to Grandmother quickly!" Old Madame Wei rushed in, shouting as she pulled Wei Buyi into her arms.
Feeling he had a protector, Wei Buyi grew bolder. "Did I say something wrong? When Eldest Brother was my age, you hurried to His Majesty to beg for an official post for him! But me? You don't care about me at all! When Eldest Brother makes a mistake, you don't punish him, but I was just being kind to help Cao Zong and you beat me! You're biased! Biased! Biased! Everyone says parents love the youngest child, but you just want to beat me to death!"
Wei Qing raised his hand, but Old Madame Wei blocked him. "What are you trying to do? What did Buyi do wrong? I heard it when I was coming in; our Buyi was being kind-hearted. Why are you beating him?"
"Kind-hearted? If something happened to the Marquis of Pingyang, would His Majesty and the Grand Princess think he was being kind-hearted?"
"Oh, please! In these noble households, which young man doesn't have a few maids serving him? If something goes wrong, it must be the servants' fault for not serving him well. What does it have to do with our Buyi? Besides, which estate doesn't have those kinds of medicines? Even your sister, when she was serving His Majesty back then, didn't she also offer—"
Wei Qing shot her a sharp, warning look.
"What is that look for? His Majesty used them too! Go ask your sister! Your sister said many people in the inner palace secretly prepare such things. Fine, fine, I won't speak of His Majesty. Stop looking like you want to eat someone! As for Buyi, if you hadn't stopped me, I would have picked out several maids for him already!"
"This isn't a matter of maids! Buyi and Cao Zong are so young, yet they act with such profligacy. What will become of them?"
"Oh, what is there to fear? The Grand Princess is about to marry you. In a few months, you will be Cao Zong’s grandfather! Are you afraid you won't have time to discipline him then? When the time comes, you can just take Buyi and Cao Zong and discipline them together." The Old Madame smiled.
Wei Qing was fuming, but he could not reason with them. After a few more words, the Old Madame left, coddling her precious Wei Buyi.
Wei Qing had no choice but to head to the Pingyang Marquis Estate. Princess Weizhang had gone to the palace, and Grand Princess Pingyang had not visited the Marquis estate for a long time, staying at her own residence.
The steward of the Pingyang Marquis Estate did not understand why Wei Qing had come and hurriedly led him to see Cao Zong. Cao Zong was still lying in bed, and when Wei Qing entered, he saw the boy flirting with a young maid.
"Grand-uncle, why have you come?" Cao Zong was startled and offered a forced smile.
Wei Qing explained the situation and demanded that Cao Zong go see Princess Weizhang and Grand Princess Pingyang to have an Imperial Physician examine him properly. Terrified, Cao Zong clung to Wei Qing’s leg and began to sob. "Please don't let my grandmother and mother know! My grandmother hasn't looked after me in a long time, and if my mother finds out, she will surely beat me to death..." He sobbed and gasped for breath, his words sounding more pitiful by the second.
Wei Qing felt his position was awkward and it was not his place to discipline the boy. He could only offer a few stern warnings and told him to release the people from the pharmacy.
Cao Zong agreed immediately and let Wei Qing take the man away then and there. When Wei Qing saw the eldest Song son, who had already been severely beaten, he sighed. After a few more words of admonishment to Cao Zong, he led the man away.
Meanwhile, A-Jiao and Wei Yuan were idling peacefully in the palace. The next day, Wei Yuan ran to A-Jiao, her face full of excitement.
She said that Wei Qing had gone to the Pingyang Marquis Estate. Grand Princess Pingyang had thought Wei Qing was there to see her, but by the time she arrived, Wei Qing had already left. Only then did she discover her grandson was ill. She also found out that Princess Weizhang had gone to the palace alone, so she took Cao Zong to the palace to argue with Weizhang.
In front of Wei Zifu, Grand Princess Pingyang began to berate Weizhang for being a failure as a mother, accusing her of ignoring her son’s illness to go to the palace for herself. Weizhang was displeased and retorted that Pingyang, as the mother-in-law, rarely visited the estate and hadn't seen her grandson in weeks, whereas she, the mother, was at least by the child's side.
The two sides began to quarrel. Seeing his grandmother and mother at odds, Cao Zong also began to wail. Wei Zifu could not mediate the dispute, and the commotion eventually alerted Liu Che.
Liu Che, still nursing a head injury, thought something major had happened. When he arrived and heard the details, he lost his temper instantly. The investigation into the witchcraft in the palace was still unresolved, yet these people were idle enough to stir up trouble. He summoned the Head of the Imperial Physicians to examine Cao Zong, and the truth was laid bare.
In the end, he issued a decree: Grand Princess Pingyang and Princess Weizhang were to return to their respective estates. Cao Zong was grounded to reflect on his errors, as was Wei Buyi. The pharmacy where Cao Zong had purchased the medicine was ordered to close. The involved servants were all sentenced to ten strokes of the cane, while those who served him closely received thirty.
A-Jiao shook her head. "Why close the Song family’s shop? They were merely filling a prescription. How could they possibly refuse a Marquis?"
Wei Yuan shrugged. "There was no helping it. This time, His Majesty punished everyone."
Guo Tun, standing calmly to the side, said, "My Lady need not worry. That Song family has many shops in Chang'an; they won't miss this one."
A-Jiao looked back at Guo Tun.
Guo Tun continued, "The Physician Assistant Song Zhen, who came to examine My Lady a few days ago, is the second son of the Song family. He has studied medicine under Imperial Physician Qin since he was a child and is quite accomplished despite his youth."
"Oh?" Wei Yuan remarked. "So that's how it is. It seems the Song family’s business is quite large—several shops in the capital, someone serving in the Imperial Medical Department, and they even supply medicinal herbs to the palace. Tsk tsk! I knew of their pharmacy before, but I didn't realize their business was so extensive."
A-Jiao lowered her eyes and smiled softly. *With Mother helping them in the shadows, how could the business not grow large? If it weren't large, they wouldn't be able to supply the palace.* However, ever since she entered Longmen Palace, she had not seen Cunmo again. Occasionally, letters would be tucked inside medicinal prescriptions—but even those were rare, for if the palace discovered them, it would be considered the crime of illicit private communication.
Guo Tun smiled. "Those who can establish a connection with the palace are naturally not small."
A-Jiao smiled as well. She guessed that at some point yesterday, Guo Tun must have run back to deliver a message to Liu Che, and today he was eagerly explaining things to her.
***
