Xie Bufeng is just a little malnourished.
After simply prescribing a prescription for his recovery, Wen Qingci put down his writing, called the eunuch responsible for taking care of his food and daily life, and patiently gave him instructions.
Every detail, from food to clothing expenses, was taken care of.
Throughout, the young man remained silent, observing him silently.
In Xie Bufeng’s eyes, Wen Qingci’s every expression gradually overlapped with the way he cared for the rabbit.
The same patience, the same tenderness.
The same bone-chilling coldness hidden behind the mask.
After diagnosing the pulse, Wen Qingci even took the time to gently tidy up the young man’s sleeves, his movements incredibly gentle.
As if—he was that pitiful rabbit sent into the cage.
….
After the examination, the two of them headed towards the deepest part of the Taishu palace.
The prince returning to the capital should logically meet the emperor.
As for Wen Qingci, it was a routine medical consultation.
The sunlight filtered through the flower window, casting a fine pattern in the Ninghe hall.
Wen Qingci had no time to appreciate the scenery, focusing solely on filling out today’s medical records.
“… His Majesty’s headache has been relieved, but he still feels weak and has difficulty sleeping,” Xian Gonggong said softly as he lit incense.
The current emperor is named Xie Zhaolin, formerly known as the “Prince of Suzhou.”
Ascending to the throne after the previous emperor died childless, he, renowned for his virtue and wisdom, was chosen by the courtiers as the emperor, still in his early forties.
Xie Zhaolin’s sword-shaped eyebrows and starry eyes, as well as his upright appearance, are in line with people’s imagination of a wise Emperor.
However, the occasional furrowed brow and the fingers pressed against his temple added an undeniable fatigue to the emperor.
To avoid being exposed, Wen Qingci’s first task was to fill in the notes left by the original owner.
Combining what was written there with his observations over the past few days.
No matter how he looked at it, he felt that the Nine-Five Emperor’s body seemed to be suffering from heavy metal poisoning.
“Has His Majesty been taking any pills recently?”
The medical records, akin to modern-day patient charts, required recording the patient’s past medications, and Xian Gonggong replied without much thought: “None.”
Wen Qingci noted this down.
Indeed, there was no mention in “Supporting the Ming Hall” of any interest His Majesty might have had in alchemy or cultivation.
Could it be some other cause?
The soothing incense burned, and the emperor finally relaxed his brows.
“It’s been over ten years since we last met, and you, Bufeng, have become a young man,” the emperor’s voice, through the smoke, landed gently in the hall, “Time flies indeed.”
Finally, he sighed, “It’s only been a few days since we were so young… Come, let me have a look at you.”
The emperor’s voice was filled with affection and nostalgia, like any father who hadn’t seen his son in years.
Tears welled up in Xian Gonggong’s eyes, seemingly moved by the scene before him.
But Xie Bufeng remained silent.
Wen Qingci’s hand holding the pen paused, unable to resist stealing a glance towards the front of the hall.
As expected of the future big boss, Xie Bufeng remained unruffled, as if he hadn’t heard the emperor’s words, unmoving.
The atmosphere grew tense.
“Uh… His Highness has long resided in Suzhou. This return to Yongdu presents an opportunity to show filial piety to His Majesty,” Xian Gonggong quickly interjected, “It’s just been many years since he last visited the capital, and there’s indeed some lack of etiquette. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will make sure to instruct him properly.”
More than just a lack?
From the time he started keeping records, Xie Bufeng had only had attendants who rotated regularly to care for him.
In their eyes, as long as he stayed alive, nothing else mattered.
In theory, Xian Gonggong had provided an ample way out, but Xie Bufeng showed no intention of stepping down.
The young man’s gaze slowly fell on the eunuch.
“What are you looking at, you uneducated bastard!” Why don’t you open your mouth and say a few nice words to His Majesty? 』
Hearing this, Xie Bufeng raised his eyebrows slightly.
Nice words?
“Your Highness, His Majesty called you. Come forward—” Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by a sneer.
“Filial piety?” Xie Bufeng said casually, “At the age of three, I was sent to Suzhou. Isn’t it to ‘fulfill filial duty for the late Emperor and guard the tomb for the Empress Dowager’?”
The young man’s words carried a hint of Suzhou accent, hoarse and deep, easily tearing through the royal family’s hypocritical veil.
Everyone in the hall couldn’t help but widen their eyes and looked at him in shock.
Xie Bufeng was born to be seen as a monster.
Fortunately, being the eldest grandson, he was the only one the late Empress Dowager had seen from the younger generation.
The Empress Dowager was pretty good to him. When Xie Bufeng was a child, he also lived a good life in the palace for three years.
Until he was three years old, the Empress Dowager drove to Hexi and was buried back in Suzhou.
The emperor, who had long disliked Xie BuFeng, sent him over in the name of “fulfilling filial piety and guarding the tomb”, out of sight and out of mind.
Over a dozen years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Hearing this, the current emperor laughed angrily. Suddenly, he rolled up his sleeves, and with one sweep, the jade Boshan incense burner emitting green smoke was knocked over.
In an instant, it shattered into pieces.
Seeing this, all the eunuchs and palace maids in the hall immediately knelt down.
The atmosphere became tense.
Xian Gonggong kowtowed while loudly pleading to Xie Bufeng, “The late Empress Dowager loved His Highness the most when she was alive. As her descendants, guarding her tomb is also a filial duty!”
Around them, chaos ensued, but the slight joy in the young man’s eyes grew.
Xie Bufeng’s indifference completely angered the emperor.
“Bring him here and teach him some manners—” The emperor’s voice was cold as frost.
The palace guards immediately moved to bring Xie Bufeng forward.
Seeing that he still refused to kneel, the guards who understood the emperor’s intentions immediately struck him hard on the knee, and with a heavy sound, Xie Bufeng was finally forced to kneel on the ground.
Wen Qingci suddenly tightened his grip on the pen in his hand.
His heart rate also accelerated.
On the ground where Xie Bufeng kneeled, there were still jade fragments left behind from the shattered incense burner.
The sharp jade pieces instantly cut open the young man’s calf, leaving behind a large pool of bright red blood.
But Xie Bufeng didn’t even furrow his brows.
Having grown up barbaric in Suzhou for more than ten years, he didn’t care whether he was doing well or not, he was hurting himself, and he also wanted to make the people he disliked unhappy.
The thick scent of blood rushed to his nostrils.
Already troubled, the emperor became even more agitated. He pressed his fingers against his temples, gritting his teeth, “The relationship between ruler and subject, father and son, must be taught today!”
Angry, his fingers trembled.
The guards continued to press down on Xie Bufeng’s shoulders, preventing him from getting up.
“Imperial Physician! Imperial Physician! Come quickly to see His Majesty!” The emperor’s appearance frightened Xian Gonggong, who immediately turned and called out loudly to Wen Qingci in the corner of the hall.
Seeing this, Wen Qingci immediately picked up his medicine box and walked forward.
The emperor already had problems with muscle spasms. Now, angered by Xie Bufeng, his entire arm trembled uncontrollably.
With no time to spare, Wen Qingci immediately administered acupuncture, aiming for the acupuncture point on his wrist.
Wen Qingci saw out of the corner of his eye——
As the blood puddle beneath Xie Bufeng expanded, the young man’s complexion gradually grew worse.
It seemed that Xie Bufeng’s leg was cut by the jade fragment.
Wen Qingci’s hand, in the midst of administering the acupuncture, involuntarily stiffened.
This couldn’t go on…
Even if he didn’t die, he would lose half his life.
No one in the hall cared about Xie Bufeng’s leg injury, not even Xie Bufeng himself.
Only the gradually paling complexion silently spoke of the passing of life.
As a medical student, Wen Qingci silently clenched his teeth.
He couldn’t convince himself to stand by and watch all of this happen.
Although it didn’t hurt, Xie Bufeng’s body was still shaking slightly due to excessive blood loss, and his lips were losing their color little by little.
Xie Bufeng, as depicted in “Supporting the Ming Hall,” only appeared in a few chapters, a true tool man.
He parachuted into the ending and killed everyone, and was nicknamed a “plug-in” by readers.
Yet the sight of the young man’s swaying back conveyed to Wen Qingci,
Xie Bufeng was not invincible, nor was he immune to injury, and he certainly wasn’t a paper-thin character.
He, like all men, has only a mortal body.
Under the words “suffering humiliation as a boy”, which the author mentioned briefly, there is a life full of flesh and blood and full of unwillingness.
How did he spend this time described in the original text?
After a few more needles, the emperor finally calmed down.
… Wen Qingci should have withdrawn the needles and left this place of conflict.
But his body reacted faster than his mind.
The imperial physician suddenly knelt down, “Your Majesty, please forgive him for the time being.”
Wen Qingci’s voice was gentle but firm.
In an instant, all eyes were on him.
Was he pleading for Xie Bufeng?
With the incense still burning and smoke curling around, Wen Qingci seemed like the rumored exiled immortal descending to earth.
Even the emperor was stunned.
The words had been spoken, with no room for retreat. Wen Qingci could only continue on, steeling himself.
“Your Highness has lost too much blood from the wound on his calf, likely damaging a blood vessel. If we don’t stop the bleeding soon, it could lead to a great disaster. Moreover, it will be impossible to test medicine in the short term, which may affect the preparation of the prescription.”
His tone was calm, serious, as if he had devoted his entire being to medicine.
Finally, the emperor’s gaze fell on the pool of blood.
Wen Qingci’s words made him calm down.
Regardless of whether they tested the medicine or not, the current emperor ruled with benevolence, and naturally could not carry out punishment that would result in his son’s death…
The hall fell silent.
After a moment of silence, the emperor stood up, throwing out a sentence of “we will address matters of etiquette another day.” He then lost interest in this mess and returned to the harem to rest.
Xian Gonggong hurried to follow.
In a blink of an eye, only the attendants and Wen Qingci and Xie Bufeng remained in the hall.
With everyone gone, the young man could finally leave.
However, the loss of blood made it difficult for Xie Bufeng to summon the strength to get up. After a few attempts, he still couldn’t succeed in standing.
At this moment, Wen Qingci finally picked up his medicine box and walked slowly over.
He coughed softly, not in a hurry to help the young man up, but instead bent down, looking into Xie Bufeng’s eyes.
Wen Qingci didn’t wear his usual smile, but the tenderness in his eyes remained unchanged.
He gently patted the young man’s shoulder, saying solemnly, “A moment’s pleasure is indeed amusing, but in my eyes, Your Highness’s life is the most precious thing.”
Wen Qingci’s voice was clear, like shattered jade, and his ink-black eyes were filled with seriousness.
The faint scent of medicine seemed to wrap around the young man.
Wen Qingci was speaking to the young man with his head bent.
From Xie Bufeng’s angle, he happened to be able to see his delicate white neck, which was usually tightly wrapped in clothing, and the light blue blood vessels hidden underneath.
Somehow, he remembered the warm and soft feeling when the imperial physician’s fingers lightly brushed against his shoulder…
But then, the strange warmth in Xie Bufeng’s heart disappeared.
After all, now Wen Qingci only has one rabbit.
It would indeed be a pity if it was killed.
Glad Wen Qingci was able to step in and save Xie Bufeng! But oh man, the tenderness he’s showing is totally being misunderstood
I wonder how they will resolve this misunderstanding