BLPSG Chapter 27: Risking death

Abyss: double-update yay!

 

A heavy downpour overnight made the capital seem as if it had returned to winter.

 

The cold air, along with the chill, seeped through the skin into the bones and organs, causing Wen Qingci to cough heart-wrenchingly.

 

Everyone in the Taishu Palace knew that Wen Qingci’s illness had not yet healed.

 

Hearing the cough, the little eunuch walking beside him couldn’t help but turn around and look at Wen Qingci.

 

“Physician Wen, you…”

 

“It’s nothing,” Wen Qingci said with a light smile, removing the handkerchief that had been pressed against his lips, “Let’s go.” He spoke softly.

 

“Oh, oh alright! Alright!” The little eunuch hurriedly turned and continued walking forward, his heart tightening involuntarily.

 

He thought he had seen some blood on the white handkerchief that Wen Qingci had pressed to his lips.

 

The little eunuch’s steps faltered, and he quickly suppressed the fear in his heart.

 

At the same time, he couldn’t help but silently pray.

 

May the heavens protect Wen Qingci, he is our only lifeline now.

 

The puddles on the stone path wetted the hem of Wen Qingci’s robe.

 

Yet, he seemed oblivious to it.

 

As Wen Qingci hurried towards Huixin Palace, he quickly took the opportunity to ask the eunuch beside him: “What exactly is the situation with Consort Lan?”

 

“This, this… It seems the consort is about to give birth, she has bled a lot, and her abdomen is in so much pain that she can’t muster any strength. I don’t know the more specific details,” the eunuch replied.

 

Hearing this, Wen Qingci nodded slightly.

 

This little eunuch must have run to the Imperial Medical Bureau for help as soon as Consort Lan had an issue; it was normal for him not to know the details.

 

However, from his few words, Wen Qingci vaguely had an answer in his heart.

 

—Consort Lan was having a premature birth.

 

An external injury had caused placental abruption, causing her abdomen to be in severe pain at this moment, unable to exert any strength.

 

The baby had entered the birth canal but couldn’t be born after a long time.

 

What to do?

 

What should be done?

 

A light rain began to fall again in the capital, the drizzling drops landing on Wen Qingci, wetting his black hair.

 

But Wen Qingci, deep in thought, had no time to consider this issue.

 

Wen Qingci was a person with a strong sense of crisis; every day since transmigrating into the book, he had never neglected his study and improvement of medical skills.

 

And as a modern person, he inherently possessed more comprehensive medical knowledge and theory.

 

But no matter what, before transmigrating, Wen Qingci was just a medical student with almost no clinical experience.

 

Wen Qingci was never confident that he could easily resolve such a crisis.

 

As he walked forward, he slowly clenched his hand.

 

His neatly trimmed nails dug into the flesh of his palm, leaving deep marks.

 

Wen Qingci coughed lightly again.

 

His brain was thinking rapidly.

 

The first plan that came to mind, and the first to be dismissed by Wen Qingci, was a cesarean section.

 

The sanitary conditions of this era simply did not meet the requirements for surgery, not to mention he had no clinical experience in this area.

 

…Even if he did, according to the customs of this era, a royal physician could not assist in childbirth.

 

At most, they could only diagnose through a curtain, prescribe medicine, and administer a few acupuncture needles.

 

Therefore, Wen Qingci’s original plan was to control the size of the baby and constantly monitor the fetal position, turning the baby with external force at the first opportunity before birth.

 

As Wen Qingci thought, he had already entered Huixin Palace.

 

Although the palace gate was still some distance from the rear hall where Consort Lan resided, as soon as he entered, Wen Qingci felt he smelled a strong scent of blood.

 

“Physician Wen, this way!” Someone ran over and led Wen Qingci to the rear hall.

 

“Alright.”

 

It was still dark, but Huixin Palace was in an uproar.

 

Such noise did not disturb Wen Qingci’s thoughts; instead, it made him calm down instantly.

 

Consort Lan had no choice; she had to give birth naturally.

 

This situation might be even more dangerous than in the original novel.

 

…The biggest problem facing her was the severe pain.

 

Enveloped by immense pain, she was utterly unable to exert the strength to give birth to the child.

 

This era lacked the kind of anesthetics used in modern times; remedies like FuXuan Flower Pill were fine for treating headaches, but using them for surgery was utterly impractical.

 

Wen Qingci rarely lost the smile on his face, appearing somewhat serious.

 

Seeing his expression, the people around him became even more silent.

 

Even a little palace maid secretly wiped away tears on the side.

 

…It seemed Consort Lan might not make it through today.

 

“Don’t cry,” Wen Qingci unexpectedly stopped, smiled at the palace maid, and said, “Consort Lan will be fine.”

 

At the moment he uttered these words, Wen Qingci already had an answer in his heart.

 

One of the main reasons for the original character’s “infamy” was his use of both medicine and poison.

 

If conventional methods didn’t work, then why not… follow the same path as the original character?

 

“Take me to Consort Lan, and call for the midwives,” Wen Qingci said as he opened his medicine box and took out a light green pill from the secret compartment on the last layer.

 

—This was a poison left by the original character, which Wen Qingci had never used.

 

According to the medical book from Valley of Divine Physicians, this pill would paralyze the user’s nerves and gradually cause permanent damage to the system.

 

In this era, it was incredibly dangerous.

 

But at the same time, it also had the ability to make one feel no pain or temperature.

 

The original character had made a note on this page of the medical book, recording his idea of using it as an anesthetic.

 

Even before this, he had conducted several experiments on animals.

 

And he had detailed the results of the experiments, including the speed of effectiveness, in his notes.

 

From this perspective, it seemed to be the only anesthetic he could find at the moment.

 

…He could only take a gamble now.

 

Wen Qingci slowly pressed his hand against his wrist.

 

This light green pill had an antidote; if anything unexpected happened, his blood could also play a certain role…

 

The situation was urgent, leaving no time for Wen Qingci to hesitate.

 

He almost immediately made a decision.

 

Several midwives were brought to Wen Qingci’s side by the eunuch, along with the young royal physician who had arrived at Huixin Palace earlier.

 

Wen Qingci, dressed in moon-white, slowly handed out the light green pill.

 

“Have Consort Lan take this,” Wen Qingci’s gaze slowly swept over them, and he carefully instructed, “Wait for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and the medicine will take effect. At that time, Consort Lan will temporarily feel no pain, and you must seize this opportunity to help her give birth immediately.”

 

…Wen Qingci meant that what he gave was anesthetic?

 

The midwives didn’t think much and hurriedly took the item.

 

However, the young royal physician standing opposite Wen Qingci had turned pale as paper.

 

“Wait!” he suddenly spoke up, blocking the midwives.

 

The young royal physician stared into Wen Qingci’s eyes, almost gritting his teeth as he asked, “What exactly is this that Physician Wen has given?”

 

“Any pill that can be taken by the nobles in the palace has been recorded in the Imperial Medical Bureau’s register… But if I’m not mistaken, there has never been any light green pill listed before.”

 

As he spoke, the young royal physician’s hand in front of Wen Qingci uncontrollably trembled.

 

He wasn’t intentionally causing trouble for Wen Qingci.

 

If anything happened to Consort Lan, he, the on-duty imperial physician, would be the first to be dealt with!

 

He truly couldn’t afford to gamble.

 

Wen Qingci glanced at the pill again, then calmly replied, “It’s a poison.” He finished speaking and even chuckled lightly, seemingly unconcerned about what he had just said.

 

Wen Qingci’s response was exceptionally forthright.

 

However, upon hearing his words, the midwife holding the pill cried out in shock, almost dropping the item in her hand.

 

It turned out to be poison!

 

When Wen Qingci had arrived, he carried an air of nobility, which made them momentarily forget all the terrifying rumors about him, as well as the nickname “Celestial-faced Demon.”

 

The midwife broke out in a cold sweat…

 

Wen Qingci was indeed like the rumors, casually using poison.

 

The life-saving pill had instantly become a hot potato.

 

In this corner, apart from the midwives and the royal physician, there were no others.

 

There was no time for hesitation; the young royal physician on duty tonight bit his lip, took a step forward, and whispered to Wen Qingci, “…Let’s gamble now, follow the usual procedures, and even if something happens to Consort Lan, it’s fate, and perhaps leniency can be sought.”

 

He spoke with some struggle and hesitation, lacking confidence.

 

After all, in the world of the palace intrigue novel “Supporting the Ming Hall,” it was indeed true that “if you can’t cure her, you all will be buried with her.”

 

After saying this, the young royal physician looked up at Wen Qingci.

 

…He didn’t understand why Wen Qingci chose to take such a risk.

 

Unlike himself, the on-duty royal physician, Wen Qingci was not the primary person responsible for this matter.

 

Not to mention that he is now a popular figure around the emperor. Even if something happens to Consort Lan, he may not be affected at all.

 

Wen Qingci himself must be aware of this.

 

The imperial physician paused for a second or two, but decided to continue: “But if the Consort really took the ‘medicine’ you gave her, and something happened… Poisoning the noble lady would cost you your head -“

 

Wen Qingci’s move was absolutely crazy!

 

However, after hearing the words of the young imperial physician, Wen Qingci just smiled at him faintly without saying a word.

 

Wen Qingci bypassed the young imperial physician and said directly to the midwives, “We are the only ones here. Just pretend you have never heard of what this elixir is and use it without worry.”

 

The midwives exchanged glances.

 

Although Wen Qingci did not explicitly state it, having been in the palace for so many years, they all understood the physician’s implication.

 

— Wen Qingci intended for them to feign ignorance, taking the responsibility for this matter upon himself.

 

These midwives, who mostly lived outside the palace, had heard numerous disordered rumors about Wen Qingci.

 

While they feared him, they also vaguely regarded Wen Qingci as a “medical deity,” which added a measure of trust in him.

 

After a moment’s hesitation, the eldest stepped forward and asked, “May I inquire, Physician Wen, how confident are you in this?”

 

Wen Qingci did not directly answer her question but slowly shifted his gaze towards the back hall and said softly with a smile, “Time waits for no one.”

 

Wen Qingci’s serene demeanor was starkly out of place amidst the tense atmosphere of the entire Huixin Palace.

 

Yet, it was this very demeanor that helped the midwives to make their decision.

 

The midwife who had just spoken with Wen Qingci clenched the pill in her hand.

 

“Let’s go—” she said, leading the others towards the back hall.

 

Might as well take this gamble!

 

In a blink, the corridor emptied significantly, leaving only Wen Qingci and the young physician from before.

 

The latter’s forehead had, at some point, sprouted beads of sweat the size of soybeans, his expression one of unsettled shock.

 

At that moment, he was panting heavily while looking at Wen Qingci, his eyes filled with fear.

 

— Fear of death, and of Wen Qingci.

 

“Let’s go,” Wen Qingci nodded and said softly, “Wait outside the hall.” As his words fell, he began to walk forward at a leisurely pace.

 

The physician wanted to follow, but as he took a step, he realized his legs had already stiffened in place, unable to move—

 

The area outside the rear hall of Huixin Palace was crowded with people.

 

Madam Su, accompanied by Su Yuzheng, stood at the forefront, both clutching their handkerchiefs tightly and staring intently at the hall doors.

 

Under the circumstances, Su Yuzheng merely glanced at Wen Qingci before quickly averting her gaze.

 

Only after reaching this spot did Wen Qingci confirm that the strong scent of blood he had smelled earlier was not an illusion.

 

— Nearly all the palace maids of Huixin Palace were bustling in and out, carrying basins brimming with bloodied water.

 

Intermittent screams of agony echoed from within the hall.

 

The atmosphere was so tense it was suffocating.

 

Slowly, the sky began to brighten.

 

Yu Guanlin, the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau, also hurriedly arrived at Huixin Palace from outside the palace.

 

The elderly physician was catching his breath in the open space in front of the hall and had not yet had the chance to greet Wen Qingci and inquire about the situation when the screaming suddenly ceased as if paused.

 

“What… what’s happening?”

 

The sudden silence startled Yu Guanlin, who instinctively placed his hand over his chest.

 

In the midst of childbirth, the abrupt stop of screams was not a good sign.

 

Just as he was about to instruct the palace maids to draw the curtains so he could enter and check the pulse, Wen Qingci slowly approached and said to Yu Guanlin, “Lord Yu, there’s no need to panic.”

 

“No need to panic?” Yu Guanlin repeated Wen Qingci’s words unconsciously.

 

He finally noticed Wen Qingci’s expression, eerily calm.

 

Wen Qingci glanced forward, then turned to Yu Guanlin and said, “Consort Lan has taken the pill I gave her, she won’t feel any pain for now.”

 

“What pill did you give her?” Yu Guanlin asked instinctively.

 

“Tiyue,” Wen Qingci replied indifferently.

 

“Have you lost your mind?!” Yu Guanlin’s eyes widened in shock. Unlike the young physician who knew nothing, he had heard of the notorious reputation of the medicine Wen Qingci mentioned.

 

He blurted out, “That’s highly toxic!”

 

After speaking, Yu Guanlin realized something was amiss and quickly shut his mouth, looking around cautiously.

 

But Wen Qingci didn’t mind.

 

He nodded and said, “Don’t worry, I have the antidote.”

 

“—You!” Realizing Wen Qingci was taking a gamble, Yu Guanlin clenched his teeth in frustration.

 

He then quickly walked forward to inquire about Consort Lan’s condition from the palace maids who had just come out with water.

 

… Somehow, Wen Qingci sensed a hint of disappointment in his words.

 

After Yu Guanlin left, Wen Qingci was left alone.

 

Seeing the pale green pill take effect, Wen Qingci breathed a sigh of relief.

 

But before he could relax, a familiar voice sounded behind him.

 

“Why did you do this?”

 

Amber eyes looked at him coldly.

 

When Wen Qingci had left the Imperial Medical Bureau, he had intentionally not disturbed Xie Bufeng.

 

But somehow, the young man had still arrived here.

 

Wen Qingci understood that Xie Bufeng’s question was not about why he gave Consort Lan such a pill, but why he involved himself in this matter.

 

He took another deep look at the back hall, then turned and walked over to Xie Bufeng.

 

“Your Highness, medicine and poison are indistinguishable if unused. Only when used does it gain meaning from the person who uses it. I came here today to give it meaning.”

 

Xie Bufeng’s gaze darkened.

 

Wen Qingci’s voice was not loud.

 

But as his words fell, everyone in the open space turned their eyes towards him.

 

After a few seconds of silence, footsteps and a faint laughter came from outside Huixin Palace.

 

“The minister speaks the truth.” Having heard about the situation in Huixin Palace, the emperor had also arrived early in the morning, and he was now watching Wen Qingci from a distance.

 

The man in the bright yellow robe lowered his voice and murmured with a smile, “… Medicine has no inherent meaning; it all depends on the one who uses it.”

 

The emperor’s demeanor was incredibly relaxed.

 

After uttering those words, he even chuckled.

 

When he had arrived at Huixin Palace, he had already been informed by the eunuch about what Wen Qingci had fed Consort Lan.

 

Yet, the emperor was not the least bit annoyed.

 

Even though Consort Lan and the little princess in her womb were undergoing emergency treatment inside, the emperor did not spare them an extra glance.

 

He simply laughed to himself, “Truly, a master of medicine.”

 

The emperor’s words were filled with cold-bloodedness.

 

Seeing the pill Wen Qingci gave take effect, and the people inside the hall truly unaware of any pain, the midwives dared not delay.

 

With the help of the original plot, Wen Qingci knew that Consort Lan’s childbirth would be a breech birth, so he had controlled the size of the baby early on.

 

Against this backdrop, the midwives also used all their knowledge to help Consort Lan deliver the baby.

 

Time ticked away, second by second.

 

The sun had risen at some point, casting warm golden light over the entire courtyard.

 

The chill from the previous night’s rain was also somewhat dissipated.

 

But even then, Wen Qingci’s hands and feet remained ice-cold.

 

It’s about half past six.

 

According to the notes of the original owner, in half an hour, he must administer the antidote; otherwise, once the toxin completely destroys the nervous system, it would cause a disaster.

 

Wen Qingci held his breath, silently counting down the time in his heart.

 

He had never felt time pass as quickly as it did now.

 

Wen Qingci kept his gaze fixed on the back hall.

 

He did not see that Xie Bufeng’s eyes were always on him.

 

The young man was observing him.

 

The long eyelashes and dark pupils hid Wen Qingci’s emotions.

 

But his straight back and unwavering gaze still clearly told Xie Bufeng—Wen Qingci was deeply concerned about Consort Lan’s condition.

 

… By now, the medicine had taken effect as he had said, and Wen Qingci’s purpose should have been achieved.

 

Did his current focus prove that, besides “medicine,” Wen Qingci cared more about every “life” entrusted to his hands?

 

Fifteen minutes…

 

Ten minutes…

 

Time passed bit by bit.

 

The emperor, who had been waiting outside Huixin Palace, had reached the time for the morning court session.

 

He was about to instruct the eunuch beside him to leave the place.

 

The next moment, a clear cry suddenly filled everyone’s ears.

 

“baby’s born—” The midwife’s excited voice came from inside the hall.

 

The next moment, a little palace maid stumbled out, knelt on the ground with a thud, and kowtowed three times to the emperor before loudly announcing, “Your Majesty, Consort Lan has given birth to a princess! The childbirth went smoothly, and both mother and daughter are safe!”

 

Mother and daughter are safe…

 

His gamble had paid off!

 

Wen Qingci finally took a deep breath, the thorn in his heart dislodging.

 

His body staggered involuntarily, and the next instant, a dense, prickling pain surged through his forehead.

 

Regaining his senses, Wen Qingci began to cough uncontrollably.

 

“Physician Wen, are you alright?” Su Yuzheng, too, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Consort Lan and her child were safe. She had run to Wen Qingci’s side at some point, urging him with a worried face, “Please go and rest!”

 

“It’s nothing,” Wen Qingci slowly shook his head, struggling to move forward, “I must go and see Consort Lan first.”

 

He had to administer the antidote to Consort Lan as soon as possible.

 

By now, the area outside the back hall was crowded, and the emperor, who was about to leave, stayed to generously announce his rewards.

 

Huixin Palace was bustling with activity.

 

Yet, this bustle had nothing to do with Xie Bufeng.

 

He was abandoned by the entire world, unnoticed by anyone… and no one remembered that today was also his birthday.

 

This solitude was something Xie Bufeng had long been accustomed to.

 

At this moment, he only felt… the moon-white figure disappearing into the crowd was particularly glaring.

 

Even Wen Qingci had forgotten about himself.

 

He had been standing there for who knows how long.

 

Finally, the young man couldn’t help but lower his head and laugh at himself mockingly.

 

… Why would he have such a nonsensical, idle expectation?

 

Wen Qingci had successfully saved Consort Lan’s life today, naturally becoming the center of everyone’s attention, amidst the lively occasion.

 

As for the little princess in Huixin Palace… born on the same ill-fated day as himself, she should feel unlucky.

 

The young man slowly turned around and began to walk out of Huixin Palace.

 

The rain in Yongdu had started again, even heavier than in the morning.

 

Drip-drop, drip-drop.

 

In just a few seconds, the rain had soaked the young man’s shoulders and hair.

 

Xie Bufeng walked alone through Huixin Palace, slowly making his way towards the endless palace road.

 

The raindrops fell like needles, like tears.

 

Fog rose on the palace road, obscuring the view ahead.

 

Just as Xie Bufeng was about to be completely drenched by the rain, a series of footsteps suddenly came from behind him.

 

Before Xie Bufeng could react, a paper umbrella was gently raised beside him once again.

 

Accompanying it was a faint bitter fragrance.

 

The young man’s heart suddenly began to beat heavily.

 

He held his breath, not daring to turn back to see who was beside him.