“Xian Gonggong please take a closer look, His Highness’s injury was indeed self-inflicted! We are unaware—”
“His Highness’s arm was injured by a pull,” Wen Qingci lightly rubbed his wrist, casually interrupting the imperial guards’ cunning defense. He nodded slightly towards Xian Gonggong, “This time bringing back the Crown Prince to Yongdu is to test medicine for His Majesty. If His Highness has any hidden illness, the results of the medicine test will definitely be inaccurate, and neither you nor I can bear this responsibility.”
His words struck a chord in Xian Gonggong’s heart: “…Wen Xiansheng’s words are indeed true.”
“Unexpectedly, I need to confirm His Highness’s condition first.”
“The matter of the imperial guards will certainly be dealt with impartially,” Xian Gonggong glanced expressionlessly at the guards, then turned to Wen Qingci with a smile, “As for His Highness, please take care of him, Wen Xiansheng.”
“Naturally.” Wen Qingci smiled.
As the chief culprit for summoning Xie Bufeng back to the capital, all the grievances, injuries and illnesses he suffered in Yongdu can all be recorded on his head.
When it comes to caring about his health, Wen Qingci doesn’t believe there is anyone in the world who can compare with him.
Xie Bufeng’s hand slowly moved away from his shoulder blades.
He never believed in kindness or mercy.
And he certainly didn’t think Wen Qingci possessed such things.
…He just wanted to know, what medicine was the physician, who dragged him back to Yongdu, really selling?
“Mmm, powerless and without favor, falling out of favor with His Majesty, and even his mother has been sent to the cold palace, let’s see how long he can survive in the palace.” 』
“Why was I sent to serve this monster… Did I offend Xian Gonggong at some point?” 』
Truly noisy.
Xie Bufeng’s gaze was sharp as an eagle’s, sweeping over the surroundings, instantly giving everyone the illusion that their thoughts had been exposed.
The noise quieted down around him.
People only knew that Xie Bufeng was born without pain, but they didn’t know… since childhood, he could hear the evil thoughts in people’s hearts.
Xie Bufeng grew up in the company of disgust, fear, and even curses.
He had long been tired of hearing what these people were thinking.
Apart from the noise, Xie Bufeng felt nothing else.
“…Wen Qingci, poison him quickly, and once he’s dead, I can serve a new master.”
After a moment of silence, a sudden curse disturbed Xie Bufeng’s mind.
The young man held his breath and hugged the little lamb tightly in his arms.
He quickly recalled everything he heard after coming to the Imperial Medical Bureau: the curses from the heart of the imperial guards, the disdain of the Xian Gonggong, and the malicious speculations of the eunuchs and maids… Only Wen Qingci’s voice was missing.
This is impossible.
Xie Bufeng furrowed his brows suddenly, and looked deeply at Wen Qingci.
He was wiping the bloodstains from his wrist with a handkerchief, then put on a string of medicinal jade beads.
It can not only cover the injured area, but also activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis.
Turning his head and seeing the crimson on Xie Bufeng’s left hand ignored by anyone, Wen Qingci, who was somewhat obsessed with mysophobia, instinctively added, “Bring another clean handkerchief.”
“Yes, Wen Xiansheng.”
As soon as the words were spoken, meeting Xie Bufeng’s cold gaze, Wen Qingci immediately regretted.
—
Ahhhh, it’s better to do less than to do more. Why am I so talkative?
…When things came to this point, there was no room for him to be cowardly.
It was just wiping a hand, isn’t it?
Wen Qingci took a deep breath, picked up the handkerchief, and walked towards Xie Bufeng.
“The bloodstains are here, and the pulse is not clear. It might mislead the diagnosis.”
As soon as he spoke, without waiting for him to touch Xie Bufeng’s skin, the young man suddenly raised his hand to block Wen Qingci’s movement.
Xie Bufeng’s action was quick and fierce, like a black lightning, attacking Wen Qingci.
There was no room for reaction, and the jade beads hanging on Wen Qingci’s wrist fell heavily to the ground with the young man’s movement, making a crisp sound.
Xie Bufeng’s ears were instantly filled with clamor, even the little lamb in his arms was startled.
He deliberately provoked Wen Qingci to confirm whether he had accidentally overlooked the other’s voice or if he really… couldn’t hear anything.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, Wen Qingci paused, then bent down to pick up the jade beads.
“Fortunately they didn’t break.”
His tone was light, dismissing the incident with a smile.
Wen Qingci not only didn’t need to please him, but he also held the power over his life and death.
But he just wrapped the jade string around his wrist again without showing any trace of displeasure.
Most importantly, there is still silence in his ears…
With the handkerchief in hand, Wen Qingci approached once again.
This time, Xie Bufeng did not stop him, allowing him to gently wipe away the bloodstains on his forearm.
…
Leaving Xian Gonggong behind, Wen Qingci and his entourage passed through the front courtyard towards the for diagnosis and treatment.
After walking just a few steps, a white figure suddenly swayed over and bumped into the crowd.
“What’s this—”
“A rabbit, a rabbit! What’s the big deal?”
“Be careful, that was raised by Wen Xiansheng!”
The eunuchs hurried to catch it, and the scene became chaotic.
Wen Qingci paused, then suddenly bent down, picked up the rabbit from the ground, and held it in his arms.
After rubbing its head, he smiled, “How did you end up here?”
He only knew about the former owner’s habit of keeping experimental rabbits after arriving. In today’s era, this was an extremely unconventional behavior, and also evidence of the former owner’s “demonic nature”.
Although he currently had no intention of conducting animal experiments, Yongdu was by no means a good place for releasing them.
In the end, Wen Qingci had no choice but to keep it here.
The rabbit, still trembling, clung to Wen Qingci’s shoulder, its long claws poking into the flesh of his neck.
Although there was no bleeding, the skin was definitely broken.
“Wen Xiansheng, your shoulder is injured—”
“It’s nothing.”
Wen Qingci not only didn’t mind, but even hugged the rabbit tighter, comforting it softly, “Don’t be afraid.”
A young eunuch ran over in a panic, seeing Wen Qingci, immediately knelt down on the ground.
“Wen Xiansheng, forgive me. We were cleaning the cage just now and didn’t expect it, it actually, it actually slipped out,” the young eunuch kowtowed repeatedly, extremely fearful, “I’ll take it back to the cage right away and make sure it doesn’t run around again!”
“No need, it’s just a few steps away, I’ll take it back myself.”
Wen Qingci couldn’t help but rub its ears gently, turned around and carried it towards the bamboo cage in the corner of the yard.
The eunuchs immediately followed.
Only Xie Bufeng stood there, looking at Wen Qingci’s back.
Why would an imperial physician raise rabbits in the palace?
Wen Qingci hugged the rabbit, bent down and touched the bedding in the cage, then turned and said to the young eunuch, “The grass is still a bit damp. Next time, make sure to dry it properly, and remember to ventilate it frequently so the cage doesn’t get too damp.”
Finally, he patiently warned: “By the way, remember to find another piece of to grind its teeth.”
“Yes, yes,” the eunuch nodded quickly, carefully noting down his words, “I’ll do it according to your instructions!”
After making sure the bedding was properly laid, Wen Qingci added some to the cage, then carefully put the rabbit down and sent it back to its nest.
And absentmindedly scratched the rabbit’s chin.
“Behave yourself and don’t run around anymore.” With that, he subconsciously used his thumb to gently rub the rabbit’s chubby cheek.
Wen Qingci’s words were full of indulgence.
With a slight chill still lingering in the early spring air, the white rabbit, attached to Wen Qingci’s warmth, couldn’t help but jump forward, chasing the warmth of his palm.
Seeing this, Wen Qingci couldn’t help but smile. He paused for a moment, allowing the rabbit to cuddle up in his palm.
The faint warmth of the sun cast a gentle glow, filtering out the slight coldness in Wen Qingci’s demeanor, leaving only tenderness.
“All right, little one, I’ll come play with you when I’m free.”
Remembering that there were still things to be done, Wen Qingci reluctantly stood up and walked back to where Xie Bufeng was.
His expression remained unchanged, as if the incident just now was just a minor episode.
But the expressions on the faces of the people behind Wen Qingci were all extremely ugly.
The eunuchs exchanged glances with each other, their internal thoughts vivid and colorful.
Xie Bufeng focused his attention and finally extracted some useful information from the chaotic thoughts.
—The rabbits in the Imperial Medical Bureau were indeed raised by Wen Qingci, and the alfalfa, dried vegetables, and corn by the bamboo cage were all personally prepared by him.
Moreover, Wen Qingci not only raised one rabbit but more than one.
Today, only this one was seen because the other rabbits were either killed by him, to estimate the efficacy of the medicine, or they were dissected and dismembered by him, turning into a pile of flesh.
Clearly, he was just caressing its body a moment ago, but the next moment Wen Qingci could draw and skin it, leaving only a pile of rotten flesh.
And then use a silver blade to separate the rabbit’s organs and nerves one by one.
The methods were bloody and cruel, something the eunuchs had never seen before.
That day, they realized… It turns out that rabbits can scream when they are in extreme pain.
Xie Bufeng couldn’t help but turn his head and look at Wen Qingci.
This was the first time he had seriously observed a person.
Under the jade crown and black hair was a fair forehead with a hint of crimson in the slender eyebrows.
Long eyelashes fluttered like trembling butterfly wings, blocking the glass-like pupils and all the emotions hidden within…
Unfathomable.
In the Lingkong Hall, Wen Qingci slowly placed his fingers on Xie Bufeng’s pulse.
He concentrated, recalling what he had learned in class and in daily life, patiently discerning Xie Bufeng’s pulse.
Fully focused, Wen Qingci ignored the slight tremor of the young man’s index finger.
Xie Bufeng’s gaze fell on Wen Qingci’s shoulder inadvertently, where there was a clear red mark from being scratched by the rabbit.
His gaze moved downwards, to the bruise on Wen Qingci’s wrist, caused by his own grip.
The faint bitter fragrance emanating from Wen Qingci’s body dissipated in the wind and reached Xie Bufeng’s nose.
His heart sank.
Xie Bufeng suddenly realized—it was not unexpected that he couldn’t hear Wen Qingci’s thoughts.
It was inevitable.
Wen Qingci was obsessed with medicine.
In his eyes, he and the rabbit he carefully cared for, destined to be killed by his own hands one day, were no different!
Wen Qingci would not have any ill intentions towards a rabbit, let alone care about the scars caused by the rabbit.
…So it was the same for him.
Oh no. A Misunderstanding! This will lead to Sadness! Reader is sad!
Oh man! What an opportunity for misunderstandings. Curious how this will play out and get resolved!