good season

Chapter 44 Little Sun (Happy New Year)

Before Zhao Shiqing had time to think deeply, he saw two people sitting on the ground.

One is Zhao Tinghan and the other is a white-haired old man.

Zhao Tinghan was seen with his eyes closed, beads of sweat the size of beans oozing out of his forehead. His trouser legs were rolled up, revealing half of his calves and a pair of bare feet, which were pierced with more than a dozen silver needles.

Dengxin made a gesture for silence. Zhao Shiqing didn't say anything. He found a cushion and sat down cross-legged.

Zhao Shiqing finally understood that his elder brother came to Wanfu Temple every day to treat illnesses, but he didn't know who this old man was.

She stared at Zhao Tinghan intently. She could see that Zhao Tinghan was enduring the pain. She knew that Zhao Tinghan was frail and sickly. She also asked Zhao Yunnuan what disease her elder brother had. The imperial physician couldn't cure it, but he still lived for so many years.

Zhao Yunnuan said it was pulmonary emphysema.

Zhao Tinghan came to Beijing when he was five years old. The winter of that year was particularly cold. He had just arrived in the capital and was not used to the climate and water, so he fell ill. After that, he would get sick every autumn when the wind blew. He tried many prescriptions, but there was no improvement.

Although Denghua's cough yesterday was fake, it proved that Zhao Tinghan was indeed having an attack. But now, the way the old doctor gave Zhao Tinghan acupuncture did not look like he was treating pulmonary emphysema.

Zhao Shiqing only had some knowledge of medicine, which was what Murong Linlang told her when she was making medicinal food.

That's right, although Murong Linlang has a father with superb martial arts skills and a mother who is known as the Medicine Fairy in the martial arts world, her own martial arts and medical skills are all at amateur level.

Her best skill is cooking.

The reason why she fell in love with Zhao Shiqing was because Zhao Shiqing could not only communicate with birds and animals, but also had a good nose.

So there is a reason why Zhao Shiqing’s martial arts skills are mediocre. Her master’s martial arts skills are average, so how could hers be second to none?
Zhao Shiqing's imagination ran wild. From her master's medicinal diet, she thought of the braised pork made by her master. Although braised pork is just a home-cooked dish, it is her master's shortcoming. At least that's what Zhao Shiqing thought. She always felt that the braised pork made by her master was lacking something.

For this reason, Murong Linlang forced her to eat braised pork for ten consecutive days, so that now she has lost her appetite when she hears the word braised pork.

In short, the master’s braised pork doesn’t smell good and doesn’t taste good.

She had the impression that she had eaten better braised pork before, so one year when her master returned to the palace with her, her master was not convinced and asked each of the palace's chefs to make a dish of braised pork.

When Zhao Shiqing shook her head repeatedly, she saw her master sneering at her.

"You little liar, you still dare to lie to me?"

So she was punished to eat braised pork again.

When Zhao Shiqing thought of this, he saw the old doctor start to withdraw the needle, and Zhao Tinghan's pale face finally showed a hint of color.

But the blood color soon faded again. Dengxin wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief but did not let him roll down his trouser legs. Zhao Tinghan still kept his legs stretched out and slowly opened his eyes.

Just as Zhao Shiqing was about to stand up, he saw the old doctor also stand up at this time. He said to Zhao Tinghan: "Young Master, you can stand up in half an hour. I will take my leave first."

Zhao Tinghan said to Dengxin, "Send Doctor Han to me."

The old man followed Dengxin out, and when he passed by Zhao Shiqing, he didn't even look at her.

Zhao Shiqing's heart was like a thousand horses galloping, Doctor Han, Han Baochang?
She sent people to Hoi An to look for Han Baochang, but couldn't find him. The Han family's ancestral home was in Hoi An, and they had been practicing medicine for generations. The largest clinic in Huichang was opened by the Han family, but the Han family told them that Han Baochang had died half a year ago, dead, dead!
The people from the Prince of Liang's Mansion even went to the Han family's ancestral tomb. It was less than three years old, and although no tombstone had been erected, the tomb was pointed out to them by Han Baochang's grandson himself. How could it be wrong? Which grandson would point to a tomb and randomly identify his ancestors?
Therefore, the people in Prince Liang's Mansion did not suspect anything and returned to the capital with regret. Zhao Shiqing was also very regretful. How could Doctor Han die?

But birth, aging, sickness and death are the most normal things for an old man who has been retired for many years.

Zhao Shiqing had never doubted it before coming here. Only Zhao Tinghan and Zhao Shiqing were left in the room.

Zhao Shiqing took the futon and sat next to Zhao Tinghan, who quickly covered his legs and feet with a piece of cloth.

The little sister has grown up and there are differences between boys and girls.

Zhao Shiqing asked with concern: "Can you cover it? Don't you need to let it air dry for a while?"

Zhao Tinghan said: "No need."

Zhao Shiqing didn't ask any more questions: "Brother, please tell me what's going on. Your illness doesn't seem to be pulmonary tuberculosis."

It has been more than half an hour since she came in, and Zhao Tinghan has not coughed once.

Zhao Tinghan let out a bitter smile. "I did have pulmonary tuberculosis when I was a child, but the prescription that Dr. Han gave me later on was very effective. I am actually fine now, but I still have to cough a few times from time to time, so that he will feel more at ease."

Although he did not say it explicitly, Zhao Shiqing understood that the "that person" Zhao Tinghan was referring to was the one sitting on the dragon throne.

In other words, Zhao Tinghan has been pretending to be sick all these years.

"But what disease did Doctor Han treat you with acupuncture just now?"

Zhao Shiqing became more and more puzzled. If his elder brother's illness had already been cured, why did Dr. Han continue to give him acupuncture? The pain on his elder brother's face just now did not seem to be fake.

"Poisoned, I'm poisoned."

Zhao Tinghan laughed at himself and said, "It's all my fault. I should have been on high alert when Dr. Han was forced to retire, but I still overestimated myself. The poison was infiltrated into my body little by little, and by the time I realized it, it was too late."

Zhao Shiqing asked, "Can Doctor Han cure this poison?"

Zhao Tinghan sighed: "This poison is not difficult to cure. The difficulty lies in the fact that it has already taken deep root. It will take at least three to five years to eradicate it."

Zhao Shiqing understood. No wonder the imperial physicians who came to the palace to treat Zhao Tinghan had been replaced one after another since Doctor Han retired.

Zhao Tinghan added: "Not only the imperial physicians are replaced, but also the servants in the palace. They must be replaced every three months. Of course, this is my request."

Zhao Shiqing nodded. She thought of the secret passage, the grocery store, and the Wanfu Temple.

She gave Zhao Tinghan a thumbs up: "Brother, you are awesome."

If it were her, she would probably not be able to find a free space for herself under heavy surveillance.

Zhao Tinghan smiled bitterly: "What's so great about that? I can't even attend my father's funeral."

Zhao Shiqing comforted him, "Brother, please believe me, I will take you back, I can definitely do it."

Zhao Tinghan looked at the little girl in front of him. His little sister was nothing like what he had imagined.

The little sister he thought of had a pair of confused eyes, like a lonely and helpless little white flower.

The real little sister has bright and determined eyes and a confident and cheerful smile. When I first saw her under the bed, she was like a little sun, and the originally dim space under the bed became bright because of her.

　My dears, Happy New Year 2025! May you be rich all year round!
　　(End of this chapter)