On the same day, the emperor sent someone to the Imperial Medical Bureau and took away the beast trap.
There were more than twenty eunuchs and palace maids on duty in the Ninghe Hall. The things that happened in the hall and Wen Qingci’s words were soon spread by them.
There was still no movement in the palace for the time being, and everything fell into a calm before the storm.
The sky was clear after the snow, and the air was crisp.
The slight sound of weapons colliding broke the afternoon tranquility.
Wen Qingci was preparing to feed the rabbits when he suddenly looked up and saw that the guards outside the Imperial Physician’s Bureau had been replaced by several unfamiliar faces.
He was puzzled, and then the Imperial Physician, Yu Guanlin, came out of the hall holding a teacup.
And following Wen Qingci’s gaze, they looked outside together.
“…Regardless of who brought the beast trap into the palace, this matter is related to the guards,” the old imperial physician chuckled and stroked his beard, saying casually, “In the past few days, the guards at various places in the Taishu Palace have been changed. I heard that even the eunuchs and palace maids will be thoroughly investigated.”
After saying this, Yu Guanlin raised his murky dark brown eyes and looked slowly at Wen Qingci.
He was observing himself—
Wen Qingci’s heart suddenly tightened.
It wasn’t just the emperor trying to use this matter; apparently, Consort Lan also wanted to take this opportunity to control the order in the Taishu Palace in her own hands.
“Well,” Wen Qingci smiled and bent down, gently touching the white rabbit in the cage, “I see.”
He seemed indifferent to this matter.
The old imperial physician lowered his hand from his beard, “I’m getting old. Sitting at the desk for an hour, my back and waist ache. It seems that in another two years, I’ll have to return to my hometown to beg for bones…” He sipped his tea and walked towards the hall while smiling, “Since ancient times, heroes emerge from the young. With Physician Wen here in the future, I can rest assured.”
“You have rich experience and superb medical skills, why talk about…”Wen Qingci was organizing his words, intending to compliment him, but before he could finish his words, Yu Guanlin suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him.
The old imperial physician narrowed his eyes and shook his head gently, saying, “The most taboo thing in life is the word ‘greed,’ and the most important thing is ‘keeping to one’s own duties.’ In my life, as a physician, I have reached the end. As for other matters, I have no interest in them and shouldn’t have any interest in them.”
Finally, he sighed again, “In these decades, there have been many people in the Imperial Physician’s Bureau who are more skilled than me. But I am able to reach today, become the head of the department, all thanks to what I just said.”
His words, at first glance, sounded like those of a retiring physician lamenting the storms he had experienced over the years.
But Wen Qingci’s hand that was caressing the rabbit paused for a moment.
…Yu Guanlin was greedy and a little swayed by others. This was not a secret in the palace.
The “greed” and “keeping to one’s own duties” he just mentioned were not about money or wealth.
They were about…court affairs.
Yu Guanlin was reminding himself to stay away from politics.
The name “Wen Qingci” had already spread throughout Yongdu since he entered the palace.
The recent incident of “recovering corpses” made him even more famous.
As an imperial physician, Wen Qingci’s presence was too strong.
The weather after the snow had not yet warmed up, and the cold wind, like a knife, cut through Wen Qingci’s chest and lungs, causing a faint fishy-sweet taste in his mouth.
The original owner’s body was already frail, and perhaps because he caught a cold in the snow a few days ago, Wen Qingci’s condition had worsened in recent days.
He suppressed the discomfort, smiled and raised his head to look at Yu Guanlin, speaking calmly, “I am only interested in practicing medicine, and other things will take their own course.”
Wen Qingci’s reaction was too calm, giving Yu Guanlin a feeling that the person in front of him had already prepared for the worst outcome.
“You—” Yu Guanlin couldn’t help but frown.
“Catastrophes and blessings have their own destiny,” Wen Qingci said calmly, looking into Yu Guanlin’s eyes with a smile, “Just let it happen.”
The eyelashes cast shadows, covering his pupils, and it was difficult for Yu Guanlin to tell what kind of mood Wen Qingci was in when he said these words.
The old imperial physician fell silent suddenly.
Wen Qingci guessed that Yu Guanlin must be cursing the stubborn ghost who wouldn’t listen to good advice in his heart.
But he had no choice.
Instead of sitting and waiting for death, it was better to struggle.
Although Yu Guanlin was more than fifty years younger than him, he still felt a kind of profound and unfathomable feeling from the young man in front of him.
At this moment, the front hall suddenly became lively, with concubines sending palace maids to find Yu Guanlin for treatment.
At this time, the front hall suddenly became lively, and some concubines sent maids to come to Yu Guanlin for medical treatment.
The old imperial physician suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, exchanged a few words with Wen Qingci, and then left the courtyard quickly.
In the blink of an eye, there was only Wen Qingci left in the courtyard.
After feeding the rabbits, Wen Qingci returned to the side hall.
Usually, there was only him here, but in the past few days, there was an extra figure.
A young man in black sat in front of the desk reading a medical book.
—Wen Qingci originally asked him to stay in the small courtyard to read, but for some reason, Xie Bufeng insisted on following him here.
“Does Your Highness have any questions?” Wen Qingci walked slowly to Xie Bufeng’s side and, after seeing the title of the book, reminded him softly, “There are two chapters in this book: “Golden Blade wound” and “Tendon Rupture wound”, you’d better read it carefully and record it.”
After saying that, he coughed softly again.
As a specialist in treating difficult and complicated diseases, he couldn’t help Xie Bufeng change his medicine every day.
Wen Qingci thought for a moment and decided to hand this task over to Xie Bufeng himself.
The desk was filled with books he had found for the young man. In addition to the “Compilation of wound Medicine”, there were also “Secret Forbidden Prescriptions for Golden Wounds” and the like.
In case Xie Bufeng still goes to the battlefield in the future, he can be considered a little prepared.
“No,” Xie Bufeng shook his head.
“That’s good,” Wen Qingci went to the window to mix spices.
Most medical books were obscure and difficult to understand.
But Wen Qingci found that Xie Bufeng read them without any difficulty.
This completely contradicted his upbringing of being uneducated and growing up alone in Suzhou.
…Looking at it this way, there were really many hidden plots in “Supporting the Ming Hall.”
Wen Qingci was curious, but constrained by the character setting, he could only suppress his doubts.
A gentle breeze brushed by, scattering the incense ash.
Lost in thought, Wen Qingci accidentally inhaled some into his lungs.
The next second, his chest suddenly itched and hurt.
“Cough, cough, cough…” He instinctively pressed the handkerchief against his lips.
Wen Qingci thought it would be the same as usual, just a few coughs and it would be fine.
But a few seconds later, his chest suddenly felt itchy, as if ants were gnawing at it.
Then, his heart began to ache heavily.
Accompanying this was an undeniable dizziness.
In a daze, he saw Xie Bufeng put down the book and look over at him.
“Cough… It doesn’t matter. Your High… Your Highness… just keep reading.” Wen Qingci clenched his hands and tried to regulate his breathing.
It’s strange to say that he checked his pulse several times and found nothing wrong with him.
Wen Qingci took a lot of medicine in the past few days, but not only did his symptoms not ease at all, he even coughed up blood more and more frequently.
“Cough, cough…”
The incense ash inadvertently inhaled into his body ignited his chest and lungs like flames, spreading rapidly.
The scenery in front of him began to sway.
Fresh blood uncontrollably overflowed, staining his moon-white robe red.
His heart also began to ache.
Something’s wrong!
…These symptoms couldn’t be explained simply by having a poor constitution.
Wen Qingci’s thoughts were extremely chaotic, and he subconsciously wanted to grasp something nearby, but before he could touch it, he was grabbed by someone.
Then, a dull pain came from his arm.
Along with this, the words “poison attack” suddenly appeared in Wen Qingci’s mind.
The original owner’s body had long been poisoned!
“Don’t move—” Xie Bufeng’s voice brought his thoughts back, “That’s the incense burner!”
Xie Bufeng had no sense of pain himself, so when he grabbed someone, he didn’t know how much force to use.
He tightly grasped Wen Qingci’s pale and slender wrist, as if he wanted to crush the other’s bones.
In the amber eyes of the young man, there was a rare moment of panic.
The copper incense burner was scalding hot.
Wen Qingci’s hand almost touched it.
The vermilion between Wen Qingci’s eyebrows was now dazzlingly red.
He struggled to turn around, and with difficulty, forced out a smile at Xie Bufeng.
“Cough…the third shelf of the desk, after “The Treatise on Plague”…” Wen Qingci clutched the fabric on his chest tightly and said with difficulty, “There is a jade vase there, cough…please bring it for me, Your Highness.”
The young man quickly walked to the bookshelf and took the things in his hands.
The moment he handed it to Wen Qingci, the words “Tianbei” on the jade bottle burst into Xie Bufeng’s eyes.
…how could it be? !
After taking the medicine that day, he was told:
The poison Wen Qingci fed himself was called “Tianci”, and the antidote he prepared was called “Tianbei”.
The development of things completely exceeded Xie Bufeng’s expectations.
He was dressed in moon white, dyed red by blood.
The excessive pain made the ends of his eyes dizzy…
Wen Qingci stood leaning against the window and poured the pills from the jade bottle into his mouth.
In the next second, he finally slowly closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing.
The side hall fell silent.
Xie Bufeng’s ears were filled with only the sound of wind and the soft sound of magnolia falling from the branches.
The breeze lifted up the remaining snow and stirred Wen Qingci’s long hair.
His eyes were slightly closed, and his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, leaving only cinnabar and blood stains between his eyebrows, which were so red that it was dazzling.
Even at this time, Wen Qingci was still calm and not at all panicked.
Xie Bufeng’s amber eyes glanced at Wen Qingci.
The young man’s gaze was unabashed and unrestrained, like a wild beast assessing its prey.
Wen Qingci’s breathing gradually became regular, and he stopped coughing.
Apparently… The medicine “Tianbei” was effective for him.
Wen Qingci and himself, both had been poisoned by the “Tianci” toxin.
He was right in front of himself, but he seemed to be hidden in a mist, making it difficult for people to see through.
This feeling made Xie Bufeng extremely uneasy.
After a few breaths, Wen Qingci slowly opened his eyes.
He used a handkerchief to gently wipe the blood from the corners of his lips, then glanced sideways at Xie Bufeng and smiled gently. After coughing twice, as if he had guessed what Xie Bufeng was thinking, he said softly, “If Your Highness has any questions… just ask.”
Poison?!?!
How did he get poisoned