9 9. The Incident

Jiang Hua couldn't help but to gulped his saliva from the anxiety after he treated his younger brother. He doesn't know what's the cause of Li Jie's sickness and examined him in circumspect. However, he checked all the pulses and he discovered none but only a headache and a hasty panic attack.

"A-jie, what happened from your way here? Did you get bullied from someone or have you eaten stranger's food?" Jiang Hua consulted him as he rested his right palm to Li Jie's forehead. Li Jie antsy shook his head and shut his eyes, sweat kept falling due to his fast heart rate. Jiang Hua was so nervous that he barely managed himself to calm down.

'Why is he becoming like this? His heart rate keeps getting faster every second.' Jiang Hua speculated about this matter and hastily acupuntured his calming points. At first, Li Jie furrowed his brows and then he was grown accustomed about it. He finally calmed down. Li Jie fell asleep and his heart rate returned to normal.

Jiang Hua thought his heart flew from his ribs, knowing his brother fell ill because of the trauma or maybe more than that. Because of his little brother's illness that Jiang Hua sent a letter from the manor, telling that he couldn't make it for tomorrow since his brother fell ill.

Lim Hao hastily read the letter and his face show a hint of inquisitiveness, then immediately told the General about the doctor's response. Delun cogitated and sighed. The consultation was tomorrow at twelve, but this doctor seemed so avid about the brother of his and thought maybe his brother's condition was fatal.

Lim Hao somehow find it quite amusing. He merely witnessed that Jiang Hua's brother which is his sneaky and clever concubine who ran away from the palm of his hands seemed perfectly fine when he left the clinic. Why is Li Jie fell ill so suddenly? Of course, he didn't bother to tell the General that the doctor he was about to hire was Li Jie's brother. He believed that this episode was out of his reach and told himself not to bother about it.

Besides he was an assistant, not a love expert. He was not sure if Delun was clearly in love with Li Jie, or Li Jie reminded him of someone else. Lim Hao heaved a sigh and went back from his table inside the General's office, checking the schedule of the General's affairs.

As the two began sorting out the scrolls, a guard was jittery as he knocked on the door resulting Delun and Lim Hao stopped their movement and locked their gazes where the sound resided.

"Come in." The guard came in and kowtowed, he kneeled his right leg in front of the General and reported the matter he encountered during the day.

"General, a corpse was found in the Capital this morning. It looks like the person died due to a knife that fiercely stabbed his stomach. According to our inspection, the murderer was so vicious that almost his intestines went out from his body."

"A corpse? Stabbing? What did this person did that the murderer tortured him so severely?" Lim Hao said and looked at the Guard with a tense expression.

"That... This servant and the other inspectors found out that this person was a bandit. And also, I found a pouch in the bandit's waist. It has a black peony embroidered in the middle of the pouch." Now that the guard had told them about the gory scene that had happened earlier, it was crystal clear that the bandit was hired by the Liu's. The Liu's symbol was a peony, symboling the richness and prosperity. All of the clans had a flower symbol on their tradition. One of the powerful clans such as the Feng clan had a symbol of Narcissus, the new beginning and rebirth, also a heavenly beauty.

They chewed over thoughts of why Minister Liu had negotiated with the bandits, no one knew what's behind of the Liu's motive. As the General-in-chief who was always out in the battlefield, he always sorted out all the pests in just one swoop of his sword.

'What is the Chief Censor doing?'

"Lim Hao, what are your thoughts?" Feng Delun said as he dug even deeper from the case, as if he could pierce the abyss of no return deep into his eyes. Lim Hao hummed, thinking in arcane.

"I wonder, did the Censors doesn't monitor the Minister lately? Although we have known this matter since the Capital is not much farther from here, but this was not supposed to be our job. The capital incident this morning, does the Minister really involved by such act?" Lim Hao muttered, thinking that this was quite suspicious. If the bandit was killed by the Minister, then why bother sending him silver? Or was it because the Minister had asked this bandit an errand and was 'accidentally' or 'intentionally' killed on the way? If so, what kind of errand does this Minister wanted to accomplish that he seemed quite desperate to obtain it? He even ordered criminals to do the job.

'The chief Censor accidentally not know this matter? Why does it seemed like he doesn't care at all? Or is it because they were plotting something and joined forces?' Feng Delun thought the same, but whoever killed that bandit seems like he held too much grudge towards the victim.

"Leave. Tell the Prime Minister about this matter and then wait for his response. This excellence needs the Prime Minister's thoughts regarding this situation." Delun ordered the Guard and he quickly nodded. The Guard then bid his farewell and vanished out from their sight.

"The Minister Steward really wanted to take you down eh? He seems eager to swallow you up." Lim Hao teased, Delun scoffed as he mocked Minister Liu deep inside his head.

"What if the Prime Minister had something on his sleeves?"

"No. I know the Prime Minister. He is an upright man and had a sense of justice towards the good. He is not crooked just like that venomous snake." They both shook their heads. Feng Delun debated if the Chief Censor was involved in the Liu's plan. He couldn't help but to asked silently; is he abusing his title as a Chief censor? How impudent!

"By the way General, why so eager getting the young master from the Chen household? The General seems barely know that young master. Yet, you kept chasing him to the palm of your hands?" Lim Hao asked, putatively curious about the General's mind's eye.

"This General doesn't know."

"Perhaps, did he remind you of someone?" The General paused, doesn't know how to respond him. He somehow felt uncomfortable deep down in his chest and breathed heavily. Yes, he did remind him of someone so close to him, someone who always stood by his side, also, he who also left by his side, never to come back again. Lim Hao sighed heavily and looked at Delun.

"If you, perhaps sees another person in him, then you should cut it out. If he fell in love with you, I can't imagine what his expression will be like. It's hard to fell in love with a person who sees somebody else besides himself. It's as if he exists only you to love him as a substitute. It is quite painful right?"

"Whatever your thoughts are, you still can't stop me."

"General, I'm just warning you. You never know what binds you in the future." Lim Hao looked wary, he then sighed and went out to rest. As Lim Hao went out, Feng Delun shaken his breath. He pushed himself to calm down as the memory remained in his heart flashed back into his mind. At the same time, he muttered with a slight pain could be heard from his lips,

"I miss you."

**********

It was almost dusk when Li Jie awakened. The turmoil he felt earlier seemed to calm down. As he glanced to the side, he saw Jiang Hua kept holding his hand as his head laying on the side of the bed, sleeping. Li Jie felt like his eyes sting.

He still remembered the scenes when his father Jiang tucked him to bed when he fell ill. It was the time when he was five, the cell was too cold for him to sleep. The blanket was way too thin that it was not enough for him to warm his body. No matter how he coiled his blanket from his neck to his toes, it was still too cold. Jiang Hua noticed that Li Jie's face was red and immediately checked him, he had a fever. Jiang Hua shared his blanket with him and hugged Li Jie, sharing his warmth so that his body warmed up carefully. Father Jiang was there when the times he was sick and weak. Even after now, he knows that his brother Jiang was not his father from his previous life, or he believed he is. But he still couldn't help but to remind him of his father. Right now, he missed his cell. He missed his cold bed. He missed all his fathers. And, he missed all the love and care for those people who raised him.

Li Jie cried silently. He never felt like this before. His heart was like a stone. He was ruthless. He was cold-blooded. But right now, he could feel that every single day, his heart would go soften. And he was getting more sensitive these days. He had to admit, he loathed it.

Jiang Hua's eyes fluttered open and saw a crying Li Jie in front of him. He panicked, why did his little brother cried?

"A-jie, what's wrong? Are you having a nightmare?" Li Jie sniffled as he hugged his brother dearly. Jiang Hua could feel his breath hitched, his feelings soften. Seeing his 'fragile' brother cried over his shoulder, he felt tongue-tied and frozen, as if he doesn't know what to do.

"Shh! Don't cry. Brother will cry too." Jiang Hua kept petting his hair as he kept shushing Li Jie, just like a crying infant.

"Now now, my little brother is big yet he's tiny. My brother is too precious. Stop crying now." Li Jie smiled, and forced himself to calm down. He broke the hug and rubbed his swollen eyes. Jiang Hua's dainty heart shattered upon seeing Li Jie in a pitiful state.

After he wiped his eyes, Li Jie gave his brother a bright smile and held his hand.

"Brother, let's go home." Jiang Hua lowered his gaze into Li Jie and nodded happily.

"Um." The brothers closed their shop and went home. As they walked, Jiang Hua held Li Jie's hand. He was afraid that his brother will go astray and eventually went lost. When they passed the alley where the accident happened, Li Jie tightened his grip on Jiang Hua's hand, the other seemed confused and pondered about it. He wanted to ask Li Jie what's wrong, but the other seemed that he doesn't want to answer his question. He could only pout in disappointment and walked leisurely.

Not after they went out of town and arrived at their household, Li Jie let out his heavy sigh, feeling relieved.

Inside the house, the chores were done nicely and the supper was ready.Tu Fai, Jin Ping and Cheung Chao were waiting for them to come home.

"You two were late." Tu Fai glared at the two making them nervous.

"W-well, Li Jie feel unwell the entire day that I closed the clinic temporarily until tomorrow. We're not sure if he is okay now."

"Why is he ill? Did he ate something bad?" Cheung Chao asked, his face clearly showed that he was worried.

"That...Yes." Jiang Hua lied. He already knew that Li Jie doesn't have an upset stomach. It was a problem with Li Jie's nerves. He seemed tense and his heart rate was absolutely abnormal. It was as if he had gone into an investigating session, or as if he had been wronged. Or maybe, as if he was guilty. Of course, it was just one of the causes of panic attacks.

"But brother, I'm perfectly fine."

"No buts. You have to rest and that's final! You can't go out of the house until you're fully recovered." Li Jie pouted but he was being ignored pitifully.

"Fine. But brother, I want to ask you a favor."

"What is it?"

"Teach me how to be a doctor." The room was in silence. Jin Ping, who was in his quiet behaviour found his mouth hanged open. Cheung Chao and Tu Fai were startled.

When did he got his interest in the medical field?