The Sickly Beautiful Prime Minister's Cannon Fodder Scum Wife - Chapter 4

Just two fleeting encounters!

Ha… just two encounters, and for your sake she nearly took my life.
Xie Qingqi’s heart burned with hatred.

Silence fell.

She watched as Li Huaiyin’s pale, slender fingers turned the pages of her book while lifting and lowering them with a grace like butterflies in a valley, wings brushing lightly over flower stems before flitting away. The sight was so elegant, so pleasing, that Xie Qingqi found herself lost in it, momentarily forgetting the ache that had gripped her heart only seconds earlier.

“Have you stared enough?”

Li Huaiyin didn’t even look up, her cool voice breaking the trance.
Flustered, Xie Qingqi rushed out of the room, but not before sneaking one last glance at the book in Li Huaiyin’s hands.

Back in her quarters, she carefully recalled the pulse she had felt earlier and wrote out a revised prescription.

On the desk lay introductory medical texts and a formula sent over by Hua Shian. The prescription wasn’t bad. At most, it differed from her own by a few ingredients. As for the books, Xie Qingqi had begun reading medical texts when she first learned her characters; by now, their contents were engraved in her memory.

But such prescriptions could only ease the recent chill Li Huaiyin had caught. They could never cure the frail condition she had carried since birth.

To truly heal her would require daily acupuncture, needles precisely placed along her back, combined with moxibustion to warm and open the meridians. It was not something that could be accomplished in a short time.

And with Xie Qingqi’s former reputation, to even suggest such treatment might well be seen as courting death.

Besides, in just a few months, Princess Xiao Mingzhu was destined to rescue Li Huaiyin. Time was running out. Thinking of the tragic fate of the “original” Xie Qingqi in the story, she couldn’t help but feel weighed down.

She knew brooding would only harm her health, so she shut her eyes, trying to drive away such thoughts.

But all she could see was Li Huaiyin as she had first appeared—frail yet unyielding—and the vision from the novel: Li Huaiyin clad in crimson court robes, standing above the hundred officials, boldly advising the emperor with strategies to govern the nation.

A talent like hers, born to guide an era, should never be cut short so early. Xie Qingqi prided herself on her medical skills, but however many patients she could save, none could compare to the countless lives Li Huaiyin could bless in the future.

She summoned Zhu Yue.
“Send some of the books from my study over to Madam and prepare this new prescription.”

Do all that one can—leave the rest to fate.
But now was not the time to surrender.

As for acupuncture…

After long deliberation, her thoughts circled back to the bowl of calming soup that had brought her here. A plan began to take shape.

******

That night, Princess Xiao Wanhua returned from the palace and summoned both Xie Qingqi and Li Huaiyin.

The moment Li Huaiyin stepped out, she saw a figure waiting with a cloak draped over one arm.

“The wind is cold outside. Put this on before we go.”
Xie Qingqi shook the cloak open and wrapped it smoothly around Li Huaiyin’s shoulders.

“Since the start of spring, the Empress Dowager’s health has been poor. Her birthday is near, but the Empress has decided to keep the celebration small. Just close kin, a few consorts, some princesses and princes, and your maternal relatives.”

Xie Qingqi looked at Li Huaiyin. The cold wind had drained even more color from Li Huaiyin’s face. Her thin lips pressed together, and wrapped in the black fox-fur cloak, she looked like a porcelain doll bundled in velvet.

Would such a family gathering be too cruel for her?

Xie Qingqi hesitated before saying, “Mother, you know Huaiyin’s condition. It isn’t wise for her to go out into the cold.”

Xiao Wanhua replied gently, “I know. But your grandmother dotes on you. Since your marriage, you’ve yet to enter the palace to pay respects. She specifically said she wants you to bring your wife.”

“But….” Xie Qingqi began.

Her mother cut her off. “I know you care for your wife. Why not ask for her opinion?”

Li Huaiyin parted her lips slightly. “I can go.”

Xiao Wanhua’s face lit with relief. “Don’t worry. Our family is not some small household. When we go out, there will be sedan chairs and all manner of warm coverings. You won’t be left to the cold.”

After that dinner, Xiao Wanhua was called daily into the palace to help prepare the celebration. The Marquis himself was often at camp. The vast estate was left to just its two masters: Xie Qingqi and Li Huaiyin.

A snowfall blanketed the world, leaving only white in every direction, and the cold deepened.

Xie Qingqi brewed medicine, warming herself by the brazier before carrying it into the inner room.

Two braziers burned inside, filling the chamber with heat, though a faint cool fragrance lingered in the air.

Li Huaiyin sat upright, reading with a hand warmer nestled in her lap. A thick white fox pelt covered her chair, yet her complexion remained bloodless, almost sickly pale.

A dozen books lay on the table, stacked into two neat piles—half already finished.

Passing her the bowl of medicine, Xie Qingqi noticed a set of clothes sent over by Xiao Wanhua’s attendants still neatly folded on the table.
“You’re not going to try them on?” she asked.

“No need.” Li Huaiyin sipped the bitter brew slowly, not once touching the chestnut cakes beside her.

Used to this, Xie Qingqi still urged softly, “The medicine is so bitter, at least have some sweets.”

No reply.

She tried again. “You don’t want to enter the palace, do you? I could send word to Grandmother…”

“Is it that I don’t want to go, or you don’t want me to?” Li Huaiyin lifted her gaze, her voice cool. “Are you afraid that, as the daughter of a disgraced minister, I’ll bring shame to the heir of the marquisate?”

“Of course not!” Xie Qingqi denied at once. “Marrying you was my choice. How could I ever despise you?”

“Your choice?” Li Huaiyin gave a cold laugh. “Was it not for revenge?”

Xie Qingqi faltered.

“Or perhaps,” Li Huaiyin continued, “you just don’t want me meeting someone in the palace?”

“How could that be….”

But Xie Qingqi’s words caught in her throat, remembering how she had once asked about Li Huaiyin’s ties with the eldest princess.

Did Huaiyin think she feared them growing too close? Or worse—that she might prevent the princess from taking her away?

For once, Xie Qingqi found herself speechless.

Yes, she had worried before that Li Huaiyin might leave too soon, before she could cure her. But she was not the same as the original. She would never lock Li Huaiyin away in the back courtyard. Whether the princess came or not, Li Huaiyin’s freedom was her own.

“I only thought,” Xie Qingqi explained carefully, “since you wouldn’t try the clothes, perhaps you didn’t want to go. Given your family’s… situation, I feared it would trouble you. If I hesitated, it was only because I worry for your health.”

Li Huaiyin’s reply was icy. “How hypocritical.”

Xie Qingqi pointed at a golden hairpin inlaid with pearls, resting atop the folded garments.
“I never meant to keep you from going out. I even picked this hairpin myself the other day. Once your health improves, you may go wherever you wish.”

For once, Li Huaiyin didn’t reject it outright. She picked it up, turning it between her fingers.

Hope leapt in Xie Qingqi’s chest. Thinking she’d earned a sliver of trust, she pressed her luck.
“It’s been days since I last checked your pulse. Shall I?”

“Mm.” Li Huaiyin placed her left hand on the table, fingers curved in an elegant arc.

Xie Qingqi lightly set her fingers on the wrist. The pulse was still erratic and shallow, difficult to grasp. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus. 

A sudden chill brushed her neck, followed by a sting of pain.

Her eyes flew open. Li Huaiyin held the golden hairpin against her artery, her gaze sharp as ice.

“Who are you, really?”

“I’m Xie Qingqi. Who else could I be?”

“The real Xie Qingqi wouldn’t know how to take a pulse.”

The pressure of the pin deepened, close to breaking skin. Sweat beaded on Xie Qingqi’s brow.
“I… learned from Aunt Hua.”

Unmoved by her excuse, Li Huaiyin shifted her question.
“Why did you bring up the eldest princess before, and now act like you don’t want me entering the palace? If I insist on going, will you kill me next?”

Xie Qingqi shook her head quickly, too afraid to move.
“I only mentioned her because I dreamed she took you away. I’ve changed—I won’t ever treat you like before. You can go wherever you wish.”

“Wherever I wish—once my body is healed?”

“Yes.”

“Then it will never be healed, will it?” Her tone was calm, but her certainty cut like a blade.

Xie Qingqi’s chest ached at her words. She vowed solemnly, “I will cure you.”

Expressionless, Li Huaiyin said, “No need. Just write a divorce letter and let me leave.”

“No.” Seeing the cold light in her eyes sharpen, Xie Qingqi pleaded, “I know I did terrible things before, that I hurt you. But I truly want to turn over a new leaf. Can’t we… not separate?”

“Why should I believe you? Besides…” Her face was unreadable. “Forcing this into your neck might be the only way to help you ‘turn over a new leaf.’”

The sting at her neck deepened. Xie Qingqi was not unafraid of death, but she knew if she couldn’t save Li Huaiyin, her end would be far worse. Closing her eyes, she whispered, “If you’d rather kill me than divorce me—then do it.”

“Fine. Then die.”

The pin pierced skin. A bead of blood rolled down its shaft. Pain made Xie Qingqi wince, yet oddly steadied her resolve.
“My life is worthless. But if you die with me, who will clear the Li family’s name?”

She opened her eyes slowly, lowering her gaze to the fragile hand before her—pale and thin.

Even now, gripping a weapon and threatening her life, Xie Qingqi couldn’t bear to answer threat with threat. Memories of Li Huaiyin’s past suffering rose unbidden.

Gently, she said, “Could you trust me, just once? Don’t judge me by my words—judge me by what I do from now on.”

She raised her hand as if swearing an oath.
“If I ever treat you poorly again, let me die miserably in the streets, torn apart by wild dogs.”

Feeling the pressure of the pin slacken, Xie Qingqi cautiously stood, moving slowly enough to avoid alarm. Li Huaiyin rose as well, still pressing the weapon to her neck.

“I promise you,” Xie Qingqi said earnestly, “once your illness is cured, whether you want a divorce or wish to leave, I will never stop you. Just… give me some time—”

“Xie Qingqi!”

A crisp, youthful voice rang out from outside, followed by Zhu Yue’s anxious protest.
“Your Highness, the Young Master is resting, please allow this servant—”

“Out of my way!”

The door creaked open. Alarmed that someone might see Li Huaiyin stabbing her, Xie Qingqi suddenly pulled Li Huaiyin tightly into her arms.

Li Huaiyin was startled by the abrupt embrace. Her grip loosened, but not before the hairpin in her hand scraped a shallow cut across Xie Qingqi’s neck. She heard a sharp, suppressed intake of breath right by her ear.

With her back to the doorway, Xie Qingqi discreetly slid the hairpin out of Li Huaiyin’s hand and tucked it into her sleeve. But the closeness of their bodies meant certain places inevitably brushed together, leaving Xie Qingqi drenched in cold sweat.

“What are you two doing?” A richly dressed girl frowned and snapped, “Carrying on like this in broad daylight? Li Huaiyin, and you call yourself the capital’s celebrated talent? Shameless! Let go of her at once!”

Li Huaiyin merely cast the girl a glance, then lowered her gaze, resting her cheek against the side of Xie Qingqi’s neck. Her eyes fell on the fresh red mark there, with a thin trace of blood not yet dried.

To Xiao Shuyan, this was blatant provocation. Her temper flared instantly.

“Who dares disturb this Young Master’s rest in broad daylight?”

Xie Qingqi slowly turned, still keeping hold of Li Huaiyin’s hand. Pretending she had only just noticed the visitor, she spoke with feigned regret.
“I didn’t realize the Fifth Princess was paying me the honor of a visit. Forgive me for not welcoming you from afar, I beg Your Highness’s pardon.”

In the original story, the Fifth Princess Xiao Shuyan who born to the favored Consort Xian was deeply doted upon and notoriously arrogant. Like the original Xie Qingqi, she was one of the capital’s unruly troublemakers. The only flaw was her poor taste: from beginning to end, she adored none other than Zhou Changyu.

The girl eyed the two of them suspiciously. “Xie Qingqi, since when have you and Li Huaiyin been so close?”

Xie Qingqi chuckled. “I don’t quite follow Your Highness’s meaning. If I’m not close to my own wife, then who else should I be close to?”

“But you once told Brother Changyu that marrying her was only….”

“—a trick to fool him,” Xie Qingqi cut in smoothly before she could finish.

Li Huaiyin slipped her hand free and returned to sit down in her chair. Xie Qingqi immediately followed, caught hold of that same hand again, and refused to let go.

The corners of Li Huaiyin’s lips curved into a lovely smile as she looked at Xiao Shuyan.
“You saw it yourself—it’s she who won’t let go of me.”

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