Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 70: Spring Thoughts

Chapter 70: Spring Thoughts
Li Zhao returned to the East Palace at night and asked someone to call the prince's physician Zhang Huaicheng to the inner hall to wait for an examination.

There are a total of four physicians attending to the crown prince in the Eastern Palace, all of whom are of the seventh rank and are affiliated with the Crown Prince's Medicine Bureau. Their main job is to diagnose and prescribe medicine for the crown prince.

Zhang Huaicheng was a descendant of Zhang Zhongjing and he was the one who took the prince's pulse most often.

What happened in the Imperial Garden had already been reported back to the Eastern Palace.

During these hours, all the officials in the Eastern Palace were in a state of trepidation. From the hour of Shen, the prince's guests, the concubines of the Spring Office, the Chancellor, the Sheren, the Night Guards, the prince's servants, the Secretary of the Imperial Library, the Internal Affairs Officers and others all gathered in the Chongwen Hall, waiting for the prince to return to the palace to summon them.

No one expected that the first person to be called was the prince's physician.

Zhang Huaicheng is an honest man. He smiles when he sees people and never gets angry. He speaks softly and gently. If anyone comes to him with a headache or fever, he will explain patiently. Regardless of whether he will cure the disease or not, the sense of security he feels makes him popular.

But today, Zhang Huaicheng couldn't laugh.

Who didn’t see the prince’s face?
It was as black as the face of the fireman in the kitchen.

The entire Chongwen Hall was silent.

Lai Fu coughed lightly, signaling that the gentlemen did not need to look as sad as if their parents had been bereaved, and said with a gentle smile:
"Your Highness drank a little too much in the Imperial Garden today, and was blown by a cold wind, so he feels a little uncomfortable. Your Highness has asked everyone to go back and rest, and come to Chongwen Hall to discuss matters tomorrow..."

Everyone responded in unison.

I guessed in my heart that I could do nothing to help Zhang Huaicheng.

When Zhang Huaicheng entered the inner hall with great trepidation, the prince had just come out of his bath.

He was wearing a loose robe and a wide belt, the hair on his forehead was still damp, his thin lips were slightly pursed, his expression was very serious, the corners of his mouth were slightly turned down, and there seemed to be some unbearable haze lurking in his eyes. In any case, he looked more solemn than any other time Zhang Huaicheng came to take his pulse.

What happened in the Imperial Garden?

Could it be that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was really being plotted against and had something happen to him with that woman?

Zhang Huaicheng gently put down the medicine box in his hand, not daring to make any sound.

When he looked up again, he saw that the prince had already placed his wrist on the table. He hadn't even waited for him to take out the pulse pillow from the medicine box. His handsome face was as cold as ice and as quiet as a cold pond as usual, but it faintly revealed a kind of dejection and anxiety that was ready to die...

Zhang Huaicheng was startled.

He quickly leaned forward and placed the prince's hand on the pulse pillow.

"Is your Highness feeling unwell?"

Li Zhao: "I feel uncomfortable everywhere."

This……

But this will make Zhang Huaicheng very embarrassed?
He pondered, lowered his head and savored it carefully, and said after a while:

"Your Highness's pulse is stringy, slippery and rapid, especially on the radial side. This is a sign of internal heat evil accumulation and stagnation of Qi and blood. In my humble opinion, you may have eaten something extremely dry, which caused liver fire to become hyperactive and disturbed your mind, so you are irritable and restless... I will give you a few prescriptions of heat-clearing, fire-purging, detoxifying and relieving stagnation medicines, and then use moxibustion to disperse the stagnant heat, and I think you will feel much better..."

Li Zhao opened his eyelids.

"Doctor Zhang, have you ever heard of the southern Xinjiang poison?"

Zhang Huaicheng was startled.

As a doctor, how could I not have heard of it?
He nodded and said honestly, "I have heard a lot, but I have never seen it. But I think that the mysterious evil arts in the secret places of Southern Border are nothing more than rumors spread among the people through strange insects and mysterious spells... There is no such thing in the world that can manipulate people's hearts at will..."

Li Zhao said: "Then take a look at me, do I look like someone who has been poisoned?"

Zhang Huaicheng's pupils shrank, and he immediately knelt on the ground, his hands clasped and trembling slightly.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, please don't scare me..."

Li Zhao: "Yes or no?"

Zhang Huaicheng didn't dare to say yes because he couldn't diagnose it.

He didn't dare to say no, because he didn't know what strange things the prince had encountered in the imperial garden.

"Hey, His Highness, would you like me to find two witch doctors from Southern Xinjiang?"

Li Zhao withdrew his hand and calmly put down his sleeves.

"No need."

What's the point of looking for those people to come back and talk nonsense?

It would be bad if more people knew about this.

In fact, it is easy to verify whether one has been infected with the "Love Silk Gu". As long as there is no reaction as described by Xue Liu, then it is fine. There is no need to be afraid of her. If there is...

As soon as he thought of Xue Liu's face, he suddenly felt his heart beating, and the beautiful scene in the bamboo hut came to his mind.

He didn't know whether it was the residual poison of the "Love Silk" that was stirring his mind, or the "Love Silk Gu" that was causing trouble, but he suddenly felt a little hot and uncomfortable, his blood was rising, and his breathing became a little rapid. The more he tried to clear his fantasy, the more difficult it was to suppress the heat surging in his body. His Adam's apple rolled unconsciously, and he clenched his fists tightly...

Damn Xue Liu!
He must kill her!

"Blessing……"

Lai Fu was hunched over beside him, his heart pounding with fear.

"Your Highness, I am here."

"Prepare water."

Lai Fu was stunned.

Didn’t Your Highness just take a shower?

Li Zhao crossed his legs slightly, clenched his knuckles until they turned white, and pinched his palms. With a calm face, he said to Zhang Huaicheng, "Go down and write a prescription for me. Give me a dose of medicine to calm my mind... no, a decoction to calm my mind and soothe my nerves."

Zhang Huaicheng looked at the prince, thoughtful.

"Wei Chen takes orders."

After Zhang Huaicheng left, Li Zhao looked coldly at Lai Fu, who had an innocent look on his face.

"The water was too hot just now, it needs to be cooled down!"

Lai Fu was sold into the palace by his family when he was very young, but he knew a little about matters between men and women. Upon hearing the voice, he quickly agreed and went to prepare water.

Your Highness, aren't you ruining your body by taking a cold shower right after the spring chill?

I don't know what kind of drug His Highness took, but he seems to be totally different after coming back from the Imperial Garden...

~

The next morning, the emperor issued an order. Princess Pingle was bewitched by the servants in the palace and behaved inappropriately at the Spring Flower Banquet. Later, she repented and felt so guilty that she fainted. Fortunately, she was saved by the sixth girl of the Xue Mansion.

Your Majesty, in gratitude for Miss Xue Liu's rescue efforts, specially bestowed ten pieces of top-grade Sichuan brocade, a Hetian mutton-fat jade ruyi, a pair of jadeite hairpins inlaid with rubies, ten boxes of imperial nourishing ginseng soup, and a plaque with the inscription "Benevolent, Kind and Benevolent Woman" to honor her virtue.

The princess has always been virtuous. Although she was bewitched by the servant and lost her mind for a moment, her actions were contrary to the royal style. If she is not punished, it will be difficult to restore the discipline of the palace. Therefore, she is confined to her room for three months to reflect on her mistakes as a punishment.

The wicked slaves in the palace who were involved in the incident and instigated the princess are unforgivable and will be beaten to death.

The vague divine message has caused many speculations from those who don't know the truth, as well as deep regrets from those who know the truth.

Killing the servant to silence him saves the princess's face.

Emperor Chongzhao's punishment for this matter did not surprise anyone.

Because over the years, he has indulged Ping Le more than once or twice...

What’s more, Princess Pingle is still bedridden?

How should he, a father who loves his daughter so much, punish her?
Eventually, rumors about Princess Pingle's illness spread.

"The princess seems to be insane and her behavior is strange..."

"I have been staying in the palace for two days and have not returned home yet..."

"The imperial physicians kept running to the Huayi Palace. The threshold of the Huayi Palace was almost broken by the imperial physicians..."

"At night, the lights in Huayi Palace were bright, and there was a faint sound of a woman's moaning..."

"Your Majesty went to Huayi Palace to visit the princess immediately after the court session. I think the princess is seriously ill..."

"A young eunuch said that he saw the princess crying and rolling around on the bed while she was sick..."

Some news gradually spread to the market.

There is some embellishment.

There are groundless accusations.

No one knows whether it is true or false.

But the fact is that the princess has not recovered since she woke up and has not returned to the princess's mansion yet...

It is not appropriate for a married daughter to stay in the palace for a long time. Although it is not uncommon for the emperor to make exceptions for Princess Pingle, some people still speculate that her illness is different. Firstly, the palace is heavily guarded, which is more conducive to concealing the news. Secondly, His Majesty loves his daughter, and it is more convenient for the Imperial Hospital to take care of her...

Then the princess summoned her husband into the palace to accompany her all day and all night.

But no one knows what the specific disease is.

The guards at Huayi Palace were strengthened and were as tight as an iron barrel.
-
At noon, Jinshu came to Lixiangyuan to visit Xue Sui.

Speaking of rumors, she said, "It's hard to get news from the palace. We don't know the truth about Pingle's current situation yet..."

Senior Sister Yuheng’s methods rarely fail.

But there were many famous doctors in the palace, and Xue Sui was not sure if anyone had discovered any flaws...

Because the medicine contained her own blood, she could not use any ordinary poison. If Pingle had any trouble, Emperor Chongzhao would probably take someone to task for his unreasonable temper.

Xue Sui didn't want to implicate others.

For example, the female doctor who was guarding her...

Therefore, the poison she gave Pingle was very similar to the sleeping pills that Pingle had taken by Doctor Hu. Even if Doctor Hu diagnosed something, he would only think that Pingle had taken too large a dose, which damaged his soul. He would not think that she had done something wrong...

As for why there would be such a lewd and crazy behavior?
What Doctor Hu could think of was probably the "love attraction" that Pingle had given her.

After all, drinking her blood and being victimized by love is understandable. Pingle took the initiative, and such a despicable act could not be exposed to the public, not to mention that she is now the princess's "lifesaver".

But Xue Sui still wanted definite news.

"Ling Yu..."

The little dove cooed and hopped onto her desk.

Xue Sui spread out the paper while Xiao Zhao ground ink beside him.

She thought it over again and again, and silently wrote a few words on a piece of white paper.

"The wind shakes the green bamboos, and their voices are faint. When the swallows enter the palace, do not delay in asking."

The wind shaking the green bamboo refers to the constant rumors and gossips.

The voice and appearance are far away, which means that it is unknown what the current situation of Pingle is.

Huatang refers to the palace.

Baige Lingyu has already sent the letter. Prince, please reply to my message, but don't be too late.

She was too lazy to guess what expression Li Zhao would have when he saw the news. She calmly asked Xiao Zhao to put the letter into the mailbox, tie it to Lingyu's legs, and then put her arm around Lingyu's little head affectionately.

"Go ahead. Be careful, don't get beaten up and have to drink soup."

Lingyu made a cooing sound and rushed into the sky.

Soon, it disappeared into the blue sky at the four corners of the yard.

Xue Sui opened the window to get some fresh air and looked at the sky.

This blue sky is so beautiful. If it were free from the dirt and filth of the world, people could laugh to their heart's content, their families could be happy, and they would not have to worry about food and clothing. How wonderful it would be...

Lingyu came back quickly this time.

It was written by Li Zhao himself.

One line.

Bare teeth and show claws.

Just like Li Zhao himself.

"The wind blows wildly beside the flowers, and my spring thoughts are in disorder. Medicines are useless to my wild nature."

Xue Sui put the letter on the fire and lit it, with a slight smile on his face.

Second update, read it during dinner, it goes well with rice...

The sun is shining brightly in Chengdu today. I wish you all enjoy the sunshine and have a happy day!

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