Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 364 Compensation
Yan Ciwan had no desire to be a princess. She planned to leave Chang'an after settling things with Yan Tingyu, and her grandmother would definitely go with her then.

But she knew she had no right to refuse.

The emperor in front of her seemed kind and gentle, and cared for her a lot, but how could a truly virtuous person have broken through the encirclement in the power struggles of that year?
Now that he sits firmly on the dragon throne, wielding absolute power, and has single-handedly established the Inner Guard, controlling the entire court and the public with absolute control, it is enough to prove how formidable his methods are.

Such an emperor would never allow others to refuse his kindness.

Yan Ciwan said with a joyful expression, "I thank His Majesty for his kindness on behalf of my grandfather and grandmother."

"Originally, I wanted to posthumously honor your mother, but she was, after all, the Queen Consort of the King of Xizhou. So this matter can only be put on hold for now. I will discuss it with the King of Xizhou before making a decision."

Upon hearing this, Yan Ciwan's heart sank. Knowing the King of Xizhou as she did, she knew he would be furious. Not only had his queen had an affair and borne him a child, but that man also wanted to posthumously honor her as his own concubine. How could he possibly swallow such an insult?

At that time, a battle will inevitably take place between the King of Xizhou and the Emperor.

Yan Ciwan recalled the war scenes she saw during her dissociative identity disorder: people fleeing to avoid military service, large tracts of fertile land being abandoned, and soldiers being sent to the battlefield never to return...

Even after killing the sorcerer, the conflict between the emperor and the king of Xizhou remained irreconcilable.

She lowered her eyes and said softly, "My mother is not the kind of person who cares about empty fame. She has already passed away peacefully. Please, Your Majesty, let her rest in peace like this."

The emperor insisted: "She may not care about empty fame, but I do. I wronged her back then, and now that I have the ability to repay her, I will definitely make it up to her tenfold."

"But……"

"You don't need to say anything more. My mind is made up on this matter."

Yan Ciwan had no choice but to shut her mouth, her heart growing heavier. Could it be that the horrific scenes of war she saw in her dreams would eventually become reality?

The emperor stood up: "I have other matters to attend to and cannot stay any longer. I must return to the palace now. You should rest well, and I will visit you another day."

Yan Ciwan suddenly spoke up and asked, "Your Majesty, I have a request, but I don't know if I should say it?"

"You said."

"I want to see Yan Tingyu."

The emperor was quite surprised: "But you are seriously injured and unable to move around easily, how can you see her?"

"After I rest for another three days, I should be able to walk again. Could I see her then?"

This was no difficult task, and the emperor quickly agreed: "Yes."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Unable to get out of bed, Yan Ciwan could only watch the emperor leave.

No sooner had the emperor left than Si Buping entered with an old imperial physician.

The old female doctor had a kind face and graying temples. She opened her medicine box, took out a pulse pillow, placed it under Yan Ciwan's wrist, and began to take Yan Ciwan's pulse.

Yan Ciwan carefully examined his eyebrows and eyes, feeling that he looked somewhat familiar.

After the pulse diagnosis was finished, she couldn't help but ask, "What is the name of the imperial physician?"

"My surname is Liu." Yan Ciwan's eyes lit up, and she asked, "Physician Liu, are you Chaolu's maternal grandfather?"

Physician Liu replied with a smile, "It is indeed I."

Yan Ciwan immediately asked Si Buping, "Can I speak with Physician Liu alone?"

Si Buping couldn't understand what the two had to talk about, so he asked in return, "Is there something you're saying that I can't hear?"

"Yes."

Yan Ciwan's straightforward and frank answer left Si Buping speechless. He stared at Yan Ciwan for a moment, but ultimately chose to back down.

After Si Buping left, Yan Ciwan lowered her voice and spoke to Physician Liu.

"I've always wanted to meet you; there are many things I want to ask you in person."

Physician Liu was quite surprised: "What do you want to ask?"

"Twenty years ago, Xie Tanyu, in order to escape the pursuit of the rebel army, took the wounded Crown Prince Renxian into your house. You were the one who treated Crown Prince Renxian at that time, right?"

Physician Liu was surprised that she would ask about this matter, and his expression became very complicated.

He asked, "How do you know these things?"

"Never mind how I know this. Tell me first, did Crown Prince Renxian leave any last words before he died? What was the real cause of his death?"

Physician Liu shook his head: "When Prince Renxian was brought to my house, he was already seriously injured and unconscious. He couldn't say anything. I tried everything but couldn't save him. His cause of death was excessive blood loss and poisoning."

"He's been poisoned?"

"The arrow that struck Prince Renxian was coated with a deadly poison."

Yan Ciwan frowned: "I heard that the arrow came from the Shence Army, but the Shence Army's arrows shouldn't be coated with poison, right?"

"That's not necessarily true. Some archers in the Shence Army would poison their arrows in order to kill the enemy with one shot. This is not uncommon."

Yan Ciwan pressed for details about the type of poison.

After thinking for a moment, Physician Liu said, "It should be a poison made from the gallbladder of a highly venomous snake. I don't know the specific name. These kinds of privately made poisons are very obscure. Unless we find the person who made the poison, it's very difficult to know what kind of poison it is."

Seeing Yan Ciwan's thoughtful expression, he continued, "I already reported these matters to Emperor Wen back then, and Emperor Wen also sent people to thoroughly investigate the truth behind the murder of Crown Prince Renxian. Crown Prince Renxian was indeed killed by the rebels, and this case was closed twenty years ago. Why are you suddenly bringing up this old case again?"

Yan Ciwan had anticipated his question. She explained, "I happened to meet Xie Tanyu when I passed through Yizhou. He was unfortunately murdered, and I was almost arrested as the murderer. Later, in order to clear my name and find out the truth, I gradually learned about Xie Tanyu's past during the investigation and developed a strong interest in his life. That's why I asked this question."

Physician Liu had already learned the whole story of Xie Tanyu's murder from his daughter and granddaughter. Hearing Yan Ciwan say this, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Outsiders all say that Xie Tanyu betrayed his master for personal gain and is a despicable villain, but only I know that those are all rumors. He is such an arrogant person. Even when he was falsely accused of cheating during the imperial examination and almost had his hands broken on the spot, he never begged for mercy. But when he appeared in front of me with Prince Renxian on his back, he knelt down without hesitation and begged me to save the prince. That was the first time I had ever seen him beg someone so humbly."

Yan Ciwan asked, "Later, when Xie Tanyu was released from prison, was it you who treated his injuries?"

"Yes, he spent five years in prison. When he was released, his hair was all white, his body was covered in wounds, and he was so thin that he was unrecognizable. I advised him not to concern himself with court affairs anymore and to take good care of his health, but he refused to listen and insisted on returning to officialdom despite the countless insults. By the time I heard news of him again, he had already been murdered."

Physician Liu's eyes were filled with regret as he spoke.