Two days later, Wen Qingci delivered the prepared Fuxuan flower pill to the Ninghe Hall.
At that time, the Emperor was playing chess with Consort Lan while discussing going to Yishan to enshrine Zen in the near future.
He had been preparing for this event for nearly a year.
Unlike inheriting through blood relations or founding a country through military achievements, “an illegitimate rise to power” had always been a thorn in the heart of Xie Zhaolin, who had been chosen as the emperor.
The more others talked about it, the more he wanted to prove that he is destined by heaven.
Concubine Lan dropped a white stone on the chessboard and said, “…The imperial mausoleum of the previous dynasty is at the foot of Yishan Mountain. After the enshrinement, will your Majesty go to pay respects?” Her tone was quite cautious.
“Hmm…” The Emperor’s expression was inscrutable as he looked at the chessboard without even lifting his eyelids. “Yes, it’s time to pay a visit.”
Subconsciously, Wen Qingci, who was writing medical records, glanced at the Emperor.
In the eyes of this monarch who always hid his emotions, there was a rare hint of nostalgia.
Wen Qingci remembered reading in the “Supporting the Ming Hall” that the previous royal family had a hereditary disease, resulting in few offspring and almost all emperors dying young.
In fact, Emperor Ai was younger than the current Emperor.
“After paying respects, let’s also visit the Chen Mausoleum,” the Emperor said casually as he placed another piece on the board.
“The Chen Mausoleum” was where Xie Zhaolin would be buried a hundred years later. Construction had begun since he ascended the throne and had taken nearly twenty years to complete.
“…Yes.”
He doesn’t know if it was an illusion, but Consort Lan’s expression seemed a little weird when she heard this, but the next second she used a chess piece to hide the strange emotion.
The Ninghe Hall fell silent once again.
Only the light sound of pieces being placed on the board occasionally broke the silence.
Wen Qingci was about to finish writing the medical records when a burst of footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.
Then, the sharp voice of a eunuch rang out, “Your Majesty, Lady Wen Zhaoyuan wishes to see you!”
Before the Emperor could even lift his eyelids to respond, a figure in water-red robes rushed past the eunuch’s obstruction and knelt outside the hall with a thud, “Your Majesty, Qingyun has a favor to ask—” Her words were interrupted by a loud thud as she kowtowed heavily.
All eyes in the hall turned towards her.
“I heard that Xi’er has been, has been taken to the Ministry of Justice,” Lady Wen cried with tears in her eyes, “Please spare his life, Xi’er was indeed confused this time, but he has no intention of harming Your Majesty!”
Upon hearing this, the Emperor couldn’t help but frown and pressed his fingertips to his forehead with displeasure, his eyebrows furrowed tightly.
It seemed like his old headache was acting up again.
This time, Consort Lan spoke first, “Lady Wen Zhaoyuan, do not bring up court matters here!”
The woman kneeling on the ground sniffled and took a deep breath before continuing, “But… but Qingyun… Qingyun cannot just…”
“You have been in the palace for many years, don’t you understand the rules?” Consort Lan’s tone became stern, even putting down the chess piece she held.
Wen Zhaoyuan finally choked back her sobs and fell silent.
The jewels on her head emitted a faint tinkling sound as she swayed.
For the already headache-stricken Emperor, this was undoubtedly torture.
The original story barely mentioned this “Wen Zhaoyuan,” so Wen Qingci had to recall for a long time before realizing that the person in front of him should be the mother of the fourth prince in the palace, also the younger sister of the Marquis of Zhong’an.
At just twenty years old, Wen Zhaoyuan, pampered and spoiled since childhood as the only daughter in the family, naturally had the innocence and naivety of a noblewoman.
Wen Qingci has eaten melons so many times, but he has never seen anyone who still wears gold and silver when they come to the emperor to plead for mercy and suffer misfortune.
After a moment of silence, Wen Zhaoyuan muttered, “As an aunt, I cannot just stand by and watch Xier’s life be ruined…”
“Imperial Physician Wen, bring the Fuxuan flower pill to me,” the Emperor interrupted, swallowing the medicine as soon as it was handed to him, then letting out a long sigh.
“Du Qingyun, is that not enough?” Consort Lan took a deep breath and said to the eunuch beside her, “Send her back. This is not the place for her to speak nonsense.”
“Yes, yes…Consort Lan.” Xian Gonggong immediately obeyed the order and asked someone to take Wen Zhaoyuan away, who was full of reluctance.
This was the first time Wen Qingci had seen Consort Lan so angry, but compared to the insincere pleading for Lady Wan ZhaoYi, her attitude seemed genuinely considerate for the other party.
Wen Qingci nervously glanced at the person on the dragon throne.
He didn’t know if this prescription was as miraculous as described in the books.
The Ninghe Hall fell silent as everyone held their breath, observing his expression.
Two or three minutes passed, and the person on the dragon throne finally opened his eyes slowly. His furrowed brows relaxed.
…The Fuxuan flower pill had indeed taken effect!
The others in the hall looked at him in shock.
The emperor moved the white jade finger and moved it away from his forehead. He paused for a moment and said to Wen Qingci: “The imperial physician Wen has performed meritoriously with the medicine. It is my decree to reward him with a hundred taels of gold and ten pieces of brocade… The position is the same as Yu Guanlin.”
Wen Qingci immediately bowed in gratitude.
The Fuxuan flower pill, a miraculous pain-relieving medicine even by modern standards, was truly a divine pill for him, who had been suffering from headaches recently.
With the pain gone, the Emperor’s tone became elevated, “And the other physicians accompanying you to the Wanghe, each shall receive ten taels of gold.”
As a modern person, Wen Qingci didn’t have a great concept of the Emperor’s rewards. His reaction was very calm, unlike others who would pretend to decline the reward. But this also inadvertently matched the original owner’s character.
The other people in the palace, after the emperor finished rewarding him, silently exchanged glances – His Majesty really valued him!
How many imperial physicians have spent their whole lives and are only a sixth-grade “imperial physician”, but Wen Qingci was young and not long after entering the palace, he was on an equal footing with Yu Guanlin, who was more than seventy years old!
Not to mention a hundred taels of gold… Before this, the emperor had only given this kind of favor to important officials in the court.
Unknowingly, Wen Qingci’s body had been heavily imprinted with the mark of “the emperor’s confidant”.
As per the etiquette of the court, all recipients of rewards must express gratitude in front of the Emperor. Upon hearing these words, Xian Gonggong quickly sent someone to notify the physicians at the Medical Bureau.
“Wait a minute -” the Emperor, in a good mood, suddenly stopped him and added, “Also, give ten tales of gold to the Crown Prince.”
Finally, he remembered Xie Bufeng!
In recent months, Wen Qingci, as the “Physician in charge,” had received many rewards, but the Emperor had never mentioned rewarding his son, who had tested the medicine for him.
…The people in the Taishu Palace were very good at observing and understanding words. After this reward was announced, Xie Bufeng’s situation would also improve a bit.
Wen Qingci’s mood also lightened considerably.
Xian Gonggong quickly summoned the physicians from the Medical Bureau, and the gold ingots for the rewards were brought to the hall early.
However, unlike the other physicians who were tearful and excited, Xie Bufeng showed no excitement at receiving the reward. Despite the Xian Gonggong’s hints, he only hastily expressed his thanks and then casually picked up a gold ingot and tossed it up and down.
Throughout the process, he showed no respect towards the Emperor.
The Emperor, whose mood was originally good, changed his expression immediately.
Fortunately, with his headache somewhat relieved, he didn’t want to ruin his mood again with Xie Bufeng. Seeing the latter’s indifferent attitude, he waved his hand and ordered Xie Bufeng to leave.
“Alright, Consort, you should go back and rest.” The Emperor placed his final piece on the board without even lifting his head, addressing Consort Lan.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Consort Lan, who was already pregnant, was helped up by Ming Liu and exited the Ninghe Hall cautiously.
The willow trees in the Taishu Palace had already budded, and the thawed lake surface rippled with the breeze.
At noon, there was only Xie Bufeng alone in the corridor beside the Ninghe Hall.
“You go ahead, I have something to discuss with him,” Consort Lan dismissed Ming Liu and walked over to Xie Bufeng.
At this moment, Xie Bufeng, who was walking ahead, also turned around.
Consort Lan lifted her skirt and walked quickly towards him.
“Why were you so disrespectful in the hall just now?” Consort Lan paused and said, “After all, he is your father…”
If Wen Qingci were here, he would surely be shocked by the private interaction between these two, which was not as “unfamiliar” as they usually appeared.
Xie Bufeng didn’t answer Consort Lan’s question. Instead, he glanced into the distance and said, “The people in the Taishu Palace are numerous and diverse. Mother, do not be careless here.”
Consort Lan pursed her lips, sighed softly, and lowered her voice to remind Xie Bufeng, “The physicians of the Valley of the divine physicians have been reclusive for generations. Even when Emperor Ai of the previous dynasty was critically ill… they couldn’t invite a divine physician out of seclusion. But Wen Qingci entered the palace on his own initiative. Don’t you find it strange?”
“Regardless of whether it’s me or His Majesty, our illnesses are nothing difficult for him. Moreover, he has been focusing on the plague in recent years and is not interested in His Majesty’s condition,” Consort Lan’s speech quickened, showing that she had carefully investigated Wen Qingci, “I don’t know what he’s up to this time… but since he’s human, he must have a motive. The deeper he hides it, the more cautious we must be.”
After speaking, Consort Lan took a deep breath and said, “In any case, you spend a lot of time with him, so be careful. And don’t neglect your studies in the Medical Bureau.”
Xie Bufeng finally spoke, “In a few days, I will move back to the Yuguang Palace.”
“That’s good…” Consort Lan couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Outside the Ninghe Hall was not a good place for conversation. Consort Lan reminded Xie Bufeng again not to hold a grudge against the Emperor before hurriedly leaving.
Only after her figure disappeared into the corridor did Xie Bufeng smile and spin the small gold ingot in his hand lightly.
Hold a grudge?
Hatred was built on the foundation of pre-existing emotions, and Xie Bufeng had no impression of this father Emperor, having left the palace at the age of three. There was no such thing as “hatred.”
Xie Bufeng had long been accustomed to all kinds of malice, and ordinary dislike was like a breeze to him.
The reason why he has been fighting against the emperor is because Xie Bufeng “heard” an interesting thing early –
The current Emperor has murderous intentions towards his princes.
Not only towards himself, but also Xie Guanzhi and Xie Yinshang.
Xie Bufeng finally walked slowly towards the direction of the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Xie Zhaolin knew that the country was not upright. He was not only afraid of the nobles and ministers, but was even wary of his own children.
As an emperor, Xie Zhaolin didn’t care at all whether others were sincerely pursuing him or pretending to cater to him.
He just wants to understand at a glance and firmly control everyone.
The more Xie Bufeng openly expressed his disgust and disdain, the more relieved the emperor became.
Thinking of this, Xie Bufeng’s lips couldn’t help but raise a sarcastic arc.
——The Ninth-Five Lord in Ninghe Hall, to him, is nothing more than a vicious dog that can be walked around and played with.
As long as a person has negative emotions, he will put his weakness in front of Xie Bufeng and let him take advantage of it.
Xie Bufeng always likes to get along with evil people.
Except for Wen Qingci, who was an exception among exceptions…
Sometimes Xie Bufeng felt that Wen Qingci was truly single-minded in his medical pursuits, without any ulterior motives. But sometimes, he felt that Wen Qingci was like a calm surface hiding a deep pool, and no one knew what lay at the bottom.
The young man couldn’t help but narrowed his eyes slightly.
Since he was human, he must have envy, resentment, hatred, and fear.
…No one is an exception.
Wen Qingci was like the moon in water; the more serene and calm he appeared, the more he tempted Xie Bufeng to disturb the moon and explore its depths.
Thank you for the update~
⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂)⸝♡
Explore his depths you say? Hmmmmmm.
What a fun peek into everyone’s motivations and thinking process! The behind the scenes machinations are getting complex
la sorpresa que se va a llevar jejeje~