BLPSG Chapter 30: Must follow Wen Qingci

Wen Qingci took a half step back, distancing himself slightly from the railing.

 

The “antidote” that Xie Bufeng has to take every month is only available at Wen Qingci’s place, so he really can’t afford any accidents.

 

Thus, he did not ponder too deeply on the youth’s words.

 

He simply couldn’t help but wonder, and repeatedly recalled… When exactly had Xie Bufeng arrived silently behind him?

 

*

 

Unlike modern rivers intercepted in sections by dams, regardless of dry or wet seasons.

 

The artificially excavated Yinchuan Grand Canal, like countless natural rivers of this era, was greatly affected by the seasons and precipitation.

 

Generally speaking, as long as the coldest days of winter passed, the canal section near Yongdu could be navigated.

 

However, the quality of navigation could not be guaranteed.

 

The Second Prince, Xie Guanzhi, rode a small boat ahead of the royal fleet on the Yinchuan Grand Canal. Aside from him, there were several accompanying officials on board.

 

“Your Highness, there has been no precipitation in this area recently, so the water level has dropped by more than ten feet… It might be passable for small boats, but if His Majesty’s Pleasure boat arrives, it might run aground here,” said the official responsible for the hydrology of this river section with great embarrassment.

 

The preparations for this southern tour had been long underway, but precipitation was beyond control.

 

His words were clearly objective, but his tone seemed somewhat guilty.

 

“Hmm,” the Second Prince glanced at the river ahead and commanded directly, “Call the boatmen in advance. When the Pleasure boat arrives here, have it towed directly without waiting any longer.” After speaking, he went inside the boat.

 

There are many people on both sides of the canal who make a living by pulling boats.

 

Whenever a boat encountered dangerous shoals or bad waters, or when the water level in the Yinchuan Grand Canal was low, they would be called to pull the boat.

 

For this southern tour, the royal family deployed dozens of boats.

 

To move these boats, at least thousands of boatmen would be needed.

 

Near Yongdu, land transportation was developed, and it was not a major commercial center, so there was not much need for it usually.

 

Therefore, the number of boatmen active nearby was very limited.

 

The official had originally planned to call boatmen from other places in a timely manner when the ships faced difficulty in progressing, but he did not expect Xie Guanzhi to wave his hand and have them come in advance, following the fleet southward.

 

Indeed, this was the optimal solution, but the expense of so many boatmen coming a day early, means one more day of expenses, which can add up to a huge amount.

 

Perhaps only a favored prince like Xie Guanzhi had the boldness to do so…

 

“Yes, Your Highness!” The official hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly followed him inside, simultaneously conveying the decision to those below.

 

Unlike the giant pleasure boat with carved beams and painted rafters, resembling a moving palace.

 

This small boat, advancing ahead of everyone, had a very simple interior decoration, was lighter in weight, and rocked more severely, even making strange noises in the corners.

 

As soon as he entered the boat, a trace of undisguised disdain and disgust flashed in Xie Guanzhi’s eyes.

 

He, who had grown up in luxury, had never lived in such a “shabby” place.

 

The sound of water around the small boat was even more pronounced compared to the Pleasure boat.

 

After staying here for a while, people’s speaking volume would involuntarily rise.

 

As soon as Xie Guanzhi entered the cabin, he heard a whispering sound.

 

“…Did Wen Qingci really say that at last night’s banquet? What was he thinking…”

 

“Absolutely true!” An official who had just come from the large ship to discuss the navigation matter said eagerly, “Everything I just told you is true, not a word is false, and there’s no deception.”

 

Hearing this, another person couldn’t help but exclaim softly, “How can he compare Xie Bufeng with His Highness? Even Xie Bufeng himself wouldn’t believe it if he heard those words.”

 

“What did Wen Qingci say?”

 

“Oh, he said it’s not just His Highness…” The official facing away from the cabin door was about to answer when he suddenly froze, turning slowly like a rusted gear.

 

“Your, Your Highness?”

 

The one who had just spoken was the Second Prince, Xie Guanzhi!

 

Discussing the prince behind his back and being caught red-handed, the man’s legs involuntarily trembled.

 

He thought Xie Guanzhi would have a proper exchange with the hydrology official outside about the boatmen matter, but he didn’t expect the other party to return to the cabin so quickly.

 

Xie Guanzhi didn’t spare him an extra glance.

 

The young man walked straight to the table, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then looked up at the official with an impatient frown, saying, “I’m asking you a question.”

 

“Yes, yes…” The man was first stunned, then realizing he was at death’s door, he finally blurted out Wen Qingci’s exact words from last night’s banquet without missing a single one.

 

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Guanzhi scoffed disdainfully.

 

—He had lived for so long and had never encountered anyone comparing Xie Bufeng with himself.

 

It was simply absurd.

 

The official who had come from the large ship was not familiar with Xie Guanzhi.

 

Seeing the other party’s expression, he felt even more guilty.

 

He should not have said those words…

 

He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly knelt down with a loud thud, making a great commotion.

 

“Forgive me, Your Highness, forgive me…” The man’s voice was filled with guilt, repeating the phrase over and over.

 

But Xie Guanzhi didn’t even lift an eyelid; he picked up the teacup on the table and took a light sip.

 

“He’s just an Imperial physician, what does he have to do with the southern tour’s river transport?”

 

Xie Guanzhi’s face remained calm, but in reality, he said this through gritted teeth.

 

Although he was not the Crown Prince, he had always been held in high esteem since birth and had hardly ever been wronged.

 

Xie Guanzhi was accustomed to being superior in every aspect.

 

Growing up in such an environment, his competitive spirit and desire for recognition were stronger than that of ordinary people.

 

He usually wouldn’t pay attention to the words of the common folk, even considering it beneath him to listen.

 

But…

 

A few days ago, Xie Guanzhi had just ordered an investigation into Wen Qingci, listening to all the messy rumors related to him.

 

Perhaps the rumors themselves were a mix of truth and falsehood, but having witnessed Wen Qingci’s abilities, Xie Guanzhi had to admit that probably no one could compare with Wen Qingci in the field of traditional medicine.

 

He clearly did not belong to the category of “common folk.”

 

Xie Guanzhi was disdainful in words, but after hearing Wen Qingci’s remarks, he felt not only absurdity and vague anger but also took it to heart.

 

The young man slammed the teacup onto the table and turned to walk out of the cabin.

 

He never gave another glance to the person kneeling on the ground.

 

…

 

The Pleasure boat Wen Qingci was on had a deep draft, and its movement was not very noticeable, rather like a cradle lulling one to sleep.

 

In the past few days, the pleasure boat has been very quiet at night.

 

It was as if even the air had fallen asleep.

 

Wen Qingci was no exception.

 

But on the following day, before dawn, Wen Qingci opened his eyes in a daze.

 

In his sleep, he faintly heard a heavy sound.

 

After waking up, Wen Qingci instinctively turned to look through the screen at Xie Bufeng.

 

It wasn’t until his gaze fell on the empty cabin that Wen Qingci paused and then remembered that he was not in the Imperial physician’s office.

 

He was on the Pleasure boat of the southern tour.

 

He propped himself up with his arms and slowly sat up.

 

The sounds outside the boat became increasingly clear.

 

Wen Qingci casually draped a cloak over himself and walked slowly to the window.

 

The cool dampness of the river, the creaking of wood and ropes rubbing against each other, and the low, heavy footsteps all reached Wen Qingci’s ears at once.

 

This was…

 

He paused for a moment, then finally followed the long ropes to look towards the shore.

 

—Countless men dressed in short brown clothes were neatly lined up on both sides of the Yinchuan Grand Canal.

 

They carried long pulling ropes on their backs, one end connected to their arms, the other to the large ship.

 

At this time, this group of people were chanting slogans silently, dragging the huge pleasure boat, and moving forward step by step along the shore with difficulty, their bodies full of hardship.

 

These are the pullers on both sides of the Yinchuan Grand Canal.

 

They said they were walking along the shore, but at some point, half of their bodies had been wet by the river water.

 

The rough brown cloth stuck to his body, the water vapor evaporated by his body temperature, and then got wet again…

 

This feeling is so uncomfortable

 

At this moment, the brows of everyone living by the canal are filled with hardship and pain.

 

Countless boatmen lined up in a long queue, and one couldn’t see the end at a glance. It was extremely spectacular.

 

When he was in middle school in his previous life, Wen Qingci had learned about the ancient profession of “pulling boats” from textbooks, but when he saw the scene with his own eyes today, he was still shocked.

 

As a modern man, Wen Qingci on the boat suddenly felt guilty about this scene.

 

He couldn’t ignore the scene of the human-powered boat being pulled.

 

…He doesn’t know how long this difficult river section is.

 

Thinking of this, Wen Qingci hurriedly turned around, washed up quickly, changed his clothes and walked out of the cabin.

 

He walked quickly to the side of the boat, wanting to see what the situation was ahead.

 

He doesn’t know what time it is. The sky is still dark, with only sporadic starlight shining gently on the canal.

 

Wen Qingci didn’t expect that he had just walked out of the door and had not taken a few steps when he met Xian Gonggong who came out to study the tow rope.

 

“Wen Xiansheng, why are you up so early?” When Xian Gonggong saw him, he couldn’t help but be surprised. Then he quickly stepped forward to salute him and smiled as he looked forward. “Could it be that you were woken up by the noise outside?”

 

He was talking about the sound of the oars being pulled.

 

In front of Xian Gonggong, Wen Qingci could only continue to pretend to be calm.

 

He lowered his eyes and smiled before answering, “It is indeed a bit loud.”

 

Wen Qingci then paused and asked Xian Gonggong in a roundabout way, “I wonder how long this section of the voyage is? How long will it take? Your Majesty’s headache has not been completely relieved yet, and I’m afraid he will be disturbed by this noise.”

 

“Wen Xiansheng is indeed very careful!” Upon hearing this question, Xian Gonggong first praised him, and then quickly replied, “To be honest, We are not very clear about the route. Wen Xiansheng, don’t worry. Your Majesty also encountered such a thing when he first toured the south along the Yinchuan Grand Canal more than ten years ago. When we came this time, we made preparations in advance. The new soundproofing in your Majesty’s cabin is very good, and you can’t hear the outside noise.”

 

Xian Gonggong was chatting with Wen Qingci.

 

“I see…” Wen Qingci nodded gently and his eyes fell on the shore.

 

It was said to be for the convenience of the people, but from beginning to end, the emperor did not want to hear any voice from outside.

 

He thought with some disdain.

 

Seeing that Xian Gonggong was here, Wen Qingci could not look forward any further.

 

He was just about to turn around and go back to the cabin when he saw a very unfamiliar boat approaching from a distance.

 

Before Wen Qingci could ask Xian Gonggong what was going on, he suddenly frowned and said, “It’s the Second Prince… Why is he here?”

 

The planks of the two boats were connected, and the people on the small boat quickly walked up.

 

Xie Guanzhi was surrounded by the crowd.

 

His face was a little pale, and his arms hung limply by his side, looking as if he was injured.

 

Seeing Wen Qingci here, the eunuch following Xie Guanzhi hurried over and said loudly: “Physician Wen! The Second Prince’s arm was hit by the rope on the fence just now. Come and take a look!”

 

“Okay, Your Highness, come this way.” Wen Qingci frowned slightly, and then led them to the small clinic that was temporarily opened on the Pleasure Boat.

 

Perhaps because it was too painful, Xie Guanzhi kept his lips tightly pursed the entire time, not making a single sound, being unspeakably quiet.

 

The young eunuch beside him was chattering non-stop.

 

After arriving at the clinic, Wen Qingci learned the whole story from the eunuch.

 

A few hours ago, Xie Guanzhi got up and went to the deck to busy himself with pulling the boat.

 

He went to bed late last night and had not recovered his energy in the morning.

 

In addition, it was still dark at that time, so even with the lights on, he could only see a vague picture of the surrounding scenery.

 

As a result, Xie Guanzhi failed to notice the mast that was swinging towards him, and the rope hanging on it.

 

If you don’t dodge in time, it will hit you.

 

Against the backdrop of the entire ship, the mast and the ropes used to hang the sails seemed very fragile and narrow.

 

But once you hold it in your hand, you will realize that this heavy rope is definitely a dangerous item.

 

“Physician Wen, please take a look at His Highness’s arm. Is it——”

 

Before the young eunuch finished his plea for help, Xie Guanzhi, who had been keeping his lips tightly pursed, finally uttered a sound: “Why are you crying? My arm is fine, swallow back all those curses!”

 

The next second, the little eunuch who had been wailing just now fell silent.

 

Pain.

 

The feeling of the rope hitting his arm was really painful.

 

Xie Guanzhi clenched his teeth along the way and did not cry out in pain.

 

Until the last second, he finally prepared himself mentally. He forced himself to move his shoulder slightly despite the pain to make sure he could still move normally.

 

After hearing Xie Guanzhi’s voice, Wen Qingci finally slowed down a bit in opening the medicine box.

 

He gently pressed on Xie Guanzhi’s wound through his shirt, and said without looking away, “Let me check if there is anything wrong with your bones first.”

 

Except for Xie Guanzhi who had work to do, all the other princes and princesses lived on this pleasure boat.

 

Somehow, the news of Xie Guanzhi’s injury spread.

 

Wen Qingci had just begun to examine his joints and bones, and before he found anything, he heard footsteps outside.

 

Before Xie Guanzhi could even look up to see who it was, a familiar voice rang in his ears.

 

“Second brother, is your arm okay?” The chubby young man trotted over. He looked at Xie Guanzhi with a worried look on his face. His expression was a little too exaggerated, and it was obvious that he came here to curry favor with someone on purpose.

 

When he saw this little fat boy, the only words that came to Xie Guanzhi’s mind were “bad luck”.

 

He glanced at the Third Prince, then slowly closed his eyes, without giving him any face.

 

This time, Xie Guanzhi was too lazy to even say the word “waste”.

 

For a moment, the Third Prince, who had rushed to curry favor with the second prince, could neither stay nor leave, so he had to look around.

 

It was at this moment that he finally noticed that the person opposite Xie Guanzhi was Wen Qingci.

A deep-seated fear arose within him, and the Third Prince couldn’t help but silently retreat half a step backward.

 

The next moment, he suddenly stood up straight.

 

…The words Wen Qingci had spoken on the pleasure boat that night had already spread here, he didn’t believe Xie Guanzhi hadn’t heard them.

 

Thus, the Third Prince, eager to curry favor, first reminisced for a while, then suddenly cleared his throat and said with a slightly mocking tone: “…The emperor’s patrol is a major event, like today, if it weren’t for Second Brother’s thorough preparations, having the boatmen ready to accompany us, our boat would probably be stranded here.”

 

After speaking, he chuckled “heh heh” with an insinuating tone: “I see only Second Brother has such ability!”

 

These words were meant to flatter Xie Guanzhi, but also directed at Wen Qingci.

 

Or perhaps it was a deliberate mockery of his wrong “prophecy” that day.

 

By this time, Wen Qingci had finished examining Xie Guanzhi’s arm.

 

After confirming that the other party had not injured his bones, he took out the blood-activating and stasis-dispelling medicine from the medicine box.

 

His movements were gentle and unhurried, without a half-second pause, as for the words of the Third Prince, it was as if he hadn’t heard a single sentence.

 

Wen Qingci showed no excess reaction, leaving the sycophantic Third Prince’s flattery only half-complete.

 

Although he feared the imperial physician before him, emboldened by Xie Guanzhi’s presence, the Third Prince also put on a bit of borrowed authority.

 

He directly asked Wen Qingci: “Don’t you have anything to say?”

 

Wen Qingci finally slowly raised his head.

 

Since the words had been spoken that day, he would not take them back, especially not in front of the Third Prince, so as to not contradict himself.

 

“What I wanted to say remains the same as that day,” he said with an exceptionally calm tone, even maintaining that familiar smile on his face as he spoke.

 

This time, not only did the Third Prince lose his patience, but even Xie Guanzhi suddenly opened his eyes wide.

 

Without giving him time to get angry.

 

Wen Qingci, as if suddenly remembering the Third Prince’s words just now, looked at Xie Guanzhi with a smile and said: “However, there is indeed one thing I wish to say.”

 

“What?” the young man frowned.

 

“The canal waters are cold, and the boatmen’s clothes are mostly wet. If you do not wish for the cold to seep into their bodies, Your Highness, remember to prepare the preventive medicinal soup for them.” After speaking, Wen Qingci gently closed the medicine box, smiling at the young man.

 

He clearly didn’t say a word, but his intention to drive the guest away couldn’t be more obvious.

 

“No need for your reminder.” As the words fell, the Second Prince rose and walked briskly towards the cabin door.

 

The Third Prince hurriedly followed: “Second Brother, wait for me—”

 

Half a step behind, he did not see the flicker of guilt in Xie Guanzhi’s eyes after those four words were thrown.

 

…Wen Qingci’s reminder was not in vain, he had indeed overlooked the matter he mentioned.

 

Xie Guanzhi, leading the way, used his uninjured hand to push open the cabin door.

 

The next second, his gaze collided with that of the young man standing like a guardian deity outside the cabin.

 

Xie Bufeng leaned against the dark cabin wall, his gaze as cold as a knife, piercing Xie Guanzhi in an instant, then slowly sweeping up from below, scanning the young man.

 

The young man’s gaze was impolite and supremely arrogant.

 

The moment they brushed past each other, it gave Xie Guanzhi goosebumps all over.

 

…Why was Xie Bufeng standing here?

 

No, it seemed he had been following Wen Qingci closely recently.

 

After a few seconds’ pause, Xie Bufeng finally moved his cold gaze away.

 

Then he closed his eyes again.

 

What happened on that snowy night has become his nightmare.

 

This morning, Xie Bufeng awoke from his sleep, walked out of his room subconsciously, looking for Wen Qingci’s figure.

 

Then he heard the noise and followed it here.

 

Knowing that Wen Qingci was inside the cabin treating someone, Xie Bufeng slowly clenched his fist, the feeling from the dream once again enveloping him.

 

Wen Qingci is a medicinal man.

 

…In the eyes of Xie Bufeng, who could always hear malicious thoughts, the people of this world were all greedy.

 

They coveted Wen Qingci’s blood.

 

If he does not follow Wen Qingci’s side closely, then he may be stolen like the lamb on that day, and then …… lose his life.