Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 135 Tacit Understanding
Sitting in the sedan chair offered a wider view, and it was because she saw Shen Tu Zhuo in the crowd that Tan Huai Ke let her veil flutter. Her intention was to let him know that she had noticed him, but not too blatantly in front of everyone.

As the sedan chair traveled along that stretch of road, she deliberately avoided it and did not notice her uncle's depressed and resentful expression; she only heard a cheer from behind.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tan Huai Ke saw the person leap up and remove their veil, and she thought to herself that she had wasted her time. It was really too difficult to get this person to keep a low profile. Not only did they not understand her intentions, but they could always find a way to make a scene. Fortunately, there were quite a few people cheering in this kind of setting, so it didn't seem too abrupt. They just assumed that he was a philandering playboy.

After thinking it over, she turned to Zhou Wenzong and whispered, "Shentu Zhuo has entered the city. He is unaware of the current situation. Why don't we change our route and go to the clinic? We can find an opportunity to explain things to him."

Zhou Wenzong looked at her and nodded.

Under the bright, warm sunlight, his queen appeared exceptionally pale and weak. He knew that Tan Huai Ke had sacrificed too much to complete this marriage alliance. The accusations, framing, hostility, and infighting had nothing to do with her, yet she had endured it all for him. Moreover, she had risked her life to save him during the year-end sacrificial ceremony, thus incurring his kindness.

He used to think of this wedding as a means to gain personal benefits, nothing more than a performance. But now that a young woman's life has been sacrificed, he feels both admiration and pity for her.

He was unwilling to admit that the moment he saw Shen Tu Zhuo, he vaguely felt that this good brother was a bit of an eyesore.

If the person beside you truly becomes your bride...

For days, he had repeatedly imagined this scenario, wondering if he could protect her unharmed and if he could help her get rid of the false title of Princess Mohe one day, so that she would no longer have to struggle to survive. But when he learned from his elder brother, the Crown Prince, that his mother was planning to give him a fake antidote, he knew that this was impossible.

The treacherous nature of people in the imperial court will eventually become a shackle binding her, and may even cost her her life.

She was powerless to control her own destiny, but so was she.

So all he can do right now is to keep her firmly under his wing, push the original plan through to the end, and fulfill her wish to retire gracefully.

So the King of Qin ordered a temporary change of route to the clinic to treat his beloved concubine's old ailment.

To ensure that the King of Qin and his queen would not be disturbed, the guards cleared the way to the clinic.

Watching the departing palanquin, some onlookers wondered, "The princess is unwell, why didn't she ask the imperial physicians to treat her, instead of going to a local clinic?"

Others replied, "The Princess Consort of Qin was originally a princess of a foreign tribe. Perhaps she has some kind of intractable disease that our Great Xuan has never seen before, and even the Imperial Hospital is helpless? I heard that the princess has been suffering from acclimatization problems since entering the pass, and it seems to be getting worse. This disease is not a big deal, but it is not a small deal either. It must be quite torturous."

"Indeed, if the imperial physician's method were effective, what kind of miraculous medicine could His Highness Prince Qin not afford? Why would he need to seek out a folk doctor? Perhaps he has been ill for a long time and, seeing that folk doctors deal with many strange illnesses, he wanted to try a folk remedy on the Princess."

"Speaking of Dr. Lan at Ningping Medical Clinic, isn't she a traveling female doctor from the south? Maybe she really has a way?"

"They're heading to Ningping Medical Clinic. Does Your Highness Prince Qin have the same idea as you?"

The sedan chair stopped in front of Ningping Medical Hall. Zhou Wenzong personally helped Tan Huaike out of the sedan chair and ordered someone to invite Dr. Lan, a well-known female itinerant doctor in the city, to give her a proper diagnosis and treatment.

Tan Huaike followed Doctor Lan into the quiet inner room, but the door was not closed; there was only a bamboo curtain separating them.

Zhou Wenzong waited outside, able to vaguely see the two figures and hear them talking, but he couldn't see or hear them clearly. They had only come under an excuse and didn't really expect to cure Tan Huaike's chronic illness.

Just as he was lost in thought, a guard came to report that someone claiming to be an old friend of the prince was requesting an audience with a veil that the princess had lost.

Zhou Wenzong sat upright and looked serious. Well, he's quite good at seizing opportunities.
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Upon hearing that the two had gone to the clinic instead of returning to the mansion, Shen Tu Zhuo guessed that they were making things easier for him. Even though the area along the way had been cleared, he still made a detour to the vicinity of the clinic in advance and had the guards announce his arrival.

As expected, the King of Qin agreed to see him.

Upon entering the clinic, Shen Tu Zhuo did not greet Zhou Wen Cong, but instead looked around to confirm Tan Huai Ke's location. Unfortunately, like the King of Qin, he could neither see nor hear clearly through the bamboo curtain.

Zhou Wenzong coughed twice to remind him of the occasion—an old friend had rushed in, carrying his own princess's veil, and was rudely peeking at him, the young master, with his neck outstretched. He was truly audacious.

Shen Tu Zhuo then withdrew his gaze and respectfully greeted him: "Greetings, Your Highness, Prince Qin."

Zhou Wenzong nodded slightly and said in a pretentious tone, "Oh? Isn't this Zhongqi? When did you arrive in the capital?"

Shen Tu Zhuo: "..." How fake. This person is indeed not good at acting.

At this moment, Shen Tu Zhuo dared not call him "Song Shu" anymore, and answered in a serious tone: "This humble subject has come to take the examination by order of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, and happened to find the Princess's veil by the roadside, so I have come to return it."

He bent down and held up the veil, and Zhou Wenzong reached out to take it.

I tugged at it twice, but couldn't get it.

Zhou Wenzong looked down at him and said, "If you want to return it, then let go."

Shen Tu Zhuo kept his head down, maintaining this posture, thinking to himself, "You really want to take it? It's just a veil, can't you just give it to me as a reward? Or can't I hand it to Tan Huai Ke myself?"

It wasn't until the third attempt that Zhou Wenzong managed to snatch it and put it in his pocket.

Shentu Zhuo: "..."

After exchanging a few pleasantries about various topics, he kept glancing at the bamboo curtain over there. But the more anxious he became, the less Zhou Wenzong wanted to do as he pleased.

After all, she was the bride he had gone through so much trouble to marry. Didn't he have any pride?

Moreover, His Majesty and the Empress have bestowed upon them guards and maids, and now that they are surrounded by all sorts of people, it is not suitable for them to meet and discuss openly. Therefore, Zhou Wenzong intends to resolve this matter quickly.

At this moment, Doctor Lan handed out a prescription from the inner room and asked the apprentice to fetch the medicine.

Shen Tu Zhuo stared longingly.

However, Tan Huaike still did not come out. Those outside heard her say slightly louder, "I would like to trouble Dr. Lan to administer acupuncture to me."

It's obvious she's deliberately avoiding us.

Given this, Shentu Zhuo could only give up any further hope.

Zhou Wenzong took the prescription from the apprentice and examined it carefully. He then instructed Pei'er, the princess's personal maid, "The main kitchen is too far away. By the time the medicine is delivered, it's already cold. From today onwards, set up a special stove in the east wing for decocting the medicine. The princess often has shortness of breath and coughs around 9 PM. If she experiences severe chest tightness, give her a dose to relieve the symptoms."

Pei'er agreed.

Zhou Wencong then looked at Shen Tu Zhuo: "Huh? Zhong Qi is still here? Is there anything else?"

Are you trying to kick him out? That's so fake.

Shen Tu Zhuo wisely took his leave.

However, he also understood perfectly that the King of Qin's instructions to Pei'er were actually addressed to him, making it clear that—

Today at 11 PM, outside the east wing.
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Next chapter: If you're so capable, don't steal someone else's sister-in-law!