The cuckoo's soft cry woke up the boy in the house.
Xie Bufeng's fever finally subsided.
What happened last night emerged from his mind bit by bit.
Just when Xie Bufeng thought it was just an absurd dream, the slight beating of his pulse in the palm of his hand suddenly disturbed his thoughts.
He held his breath and slowly turned sideways to look at the edge of the couch...
There was a medicine bowl on the small table, and a silk handkerchief was gently placed on her forehead.
Wen Qingci was wearing a cloak and leaning against the couch, with an indelible weariness between his brows.
His wrist was held tightly in his own hand.
I slept like this all night.
The next second, Xie Bufeng's fingertips suddenly felt hot as if they were burned by fire.
It's time for another routine consultation.
Wen Qingci, as usual, waited outside the Ninghe Hall on time.
Slightly different from previous times, the Ninghe Hall seems to be particularly lively today.
The emperor had just finished checking the second prince's homework and had not had time to let him leave when the third prince's mother brought him here again. She knelt down in the hall with a plop, making such a loud noise that it scared all the palace maids and eunuchs in the hall.
The emperor was also quite surprised: "It's been a long time since we last met, my beloved concubine, what do you mean by this?"
He called her "My beloved", but there was a hint of impatience in his eyes.
Seeing this, Eunuch Xian hurried forward to help the person up and said, "Hey, Wan Zhaoyi, what are you doing? If you have anything to say, just tell His Majesty directly."
Concubine Wan was wearing a slightly outdated sandalwood long dress.
His body was trembling slightly due to nervousness, and he looked extremely embarrassed and uneasy.
The third prince, standing aside, had a guilty look on his face.
Wan Zhaoyi took a deep breath, shook her head and said, "I came to see Your Majesty today because of... the matter of Your Majesty."
"Xie Bufeng?" The emperor pressed his temple with his fingers. "What happened to him?"
"Today, I saw that the Third Prince was still wearing a thick scarf in the palace, so I felt suspicious. I went forward and took a closer look and found that... there was a long scar on the neck of the prince!" Her voice kept trembling.
“Mother… How about, let’s just forget it?” Knowing that he was in the wrong, the Third Prince secretly tugged at the sleeve of the person next to him.
How could Concubine Wan let this go when her son’s throat was almost cut
“… Your Majesty, please understand!” As she said this, Concubine Wan was about to unfold the Third Prince’s scarf so that the Emperor could see his injuries with his own eyes.
"No, you can't do this." Fearing that he would offend the emperor, the eunuch stopped her.
The person on the throne finally spoke up: "You said, this is Xie Bufengshang?"
"Yes..." Concubine Wan couldn't help wiping away her tears, "The Third Prince told me that he was just curious to know whether the First Prince was like the legend said and really couldn't feel pain. He didn't expect that this would anger him and he got hurt by the First Prince." Her voice was already filled with tears.
The third prince knelt there timidly like a quail.
Nonsense!
The voice from the hall came through the diamond-shaped door, and Wen Qingci, who was waiting here, couldn't help but frown.
Wan Zhaoyi was originally a musician. She was a bit cowardly and had little presence in the palace.
In "Fu Ming Tang", the phrase "a loving mother often spoils her son" is often used to describe this mother and son.
Now it seems that this description is really very appropriate.
The third prince, that little liar, lied to my mother.
He deliberately concealed the existence of the trap and pretended to be a victim, and his mother actually believed it
Seeing that the emperor didn't speak, Concubine Wan's gaze suddenly fell on the second prince who had not left yet.
She said anxiously, "Your Majesty, the Second Prince was also present that day. If you don't believe me, you can ask the Second Prince—"
"Oh? Guan Zhi is here too?"
Xie Guanzhi, who was named, had no choice but to step forward to help the Third Prince cover up his lie: "... Yes, Father."
Hearing this, the emperor's face darkened: "Call Concubine Lan and Xie Bufeng to me."
Then he pressed the cold white jade ring heavily against his temple.
"Yes!" Eunuch Xian hurriedly left the hall.
While urging the eunuch to call for help, he quickly invited Wen Qingci in: "Your Majesty seems to have a headache, Mr. Wen, please go in and take a look!"
After Wen Qingci took a few doses of medicine, the emperor's condition was really relieved.
Now, the virtuous eunuch looked at him as if he were a life-saving straw.
After entering the hall, Wen Qingci did not ask any further questions and directly took the emperor's pulse and gave him acupuncture.
After a few injections, the other person's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little.
He had just put away the silver needle when Lan Fei and Xie Bufeng arrived one after another.
This was the first time Wen Qingci saw this mother and son together. Although they were standing side by side, unfamiliarity was written all over their bodies.
They're like two strangers, looking weird no matter how you look at them.
On the way here, the eunuch had already told Concubine Lan what had happened in Ninghe Palace.
So when they arrived at the Ninghe Palace, the emperor said to her directly: "Since my beloved concubine is in charge of the harem, then this matter should be decided by you."
The emperor trusted Concubine Lan and gave her the power to manage the harem. Of course, she could not protect Xie Bufeng.
You even need to be extra careful to avoid being gossiped about.
Although everyone had expected Concubine Lan to impose severe punishment, her answer was still beyond everyone's expectations.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Ming Liu helped Concubine Lan, who was pregnant and looked nervous, to kneel down.
"The prince is guilty of the same crime as the common people..." Concubine Lan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I think that the eldest prince should be handed over to the government office for handling in accordance with the Wei Law."
As they hurried along, Concubine Lan's face turned pale, but her tone was particularly firm.
Wen Qingci's hands, which were giving acupuncture, could not help but pause.
If he had not watched "Fu Ming Tang", he would have doubted whether Xie Bufeng was Concubine Lan's biological son!
Lan Fei's words directly turned a "family affair" into a "public affair" and completely excluded herself from the matter.
Throughout history, there have been princes who were sent to the Ministry of Justice for treason.
But no one has ever been treated as a commoner and locked up in the government office.
At that time, Xie Bufeng will not only face severe punishment, but will also become a laughing stock of the whole world.
Wen Qingci couldn't help but clench the silver needle in his hand.
Everyone in Ninghe Hall held their breath.
"Troublemaker... If Concubine Lan hadn't given birth to him, she might have become the queen now." Ming Liu clenched his hands, unwillingly, "It's better to lock him up in the government office, at least he won't cause trouble in the palace for a while."
Xie Bufeng lowered his head and smiled.
He did not kneel down to admit his mistake, nor did he simply accept the punishment. Instead, he set his eyes on the cowardly Third Prince.
The young man's body trembled. "Fortunately, he wasn't in the Ninghe Hall just now. He didn't know that I had concealed the animal trap..."
have no idea
Xie Bufeng raised his eyebrows slightly and said sarcastically, "Third Prince, you can't hide the fact that you buried animal traps in the snow just because I wasn't in Ninghe Palace."
"You, you—" the third prince retorted subconsciously, "You are talking nonsense!"
Seeing that the emperor looked unhappy, the eunuch Xian quickly interrupted: "Your Highness, you can't say such nonsense. Where did the trap come from in Taishu Palace?"
"You'll have to ask Xie Yinshang about this."
Xie Bufeng directly mentioned the third prince's name, and the little fat boy couldn't help but tremble again.
At this point, the Third Prince certainly couldn’t admit it: “Your Highness… Your Highness has never seen a trap before! Please understand—”
In the huge Ninghe Palace, no one believed what Xie Bufeng said.
"Alright, alright, Your Highnesses, Ninghe Hall is not a place to solve cases."
The virtuous eunuch had served the emperor for most of his life and was the best at observing people's expressions and speaking for the emperor about things he was too lazy to say.
Hearing this, Wen Qingci immediately understood... The emperor didn't care who lied between Xie Bufeng and the third prince, or who was injured, and he was too lazy to find out the so-called "truth".
He was upset and just wanted to end this farce as soon as possible.
Sure enough, the emperor turned his gaze to Concubine Lan again, waiting for her to express her opinion.
"What do you think, my dear?"
Concubine Lan was about to speak, but was suddenly interrupted by Wen Qingci.
The imperial physician dressed in moon-white gently put down the medicine box in his hand.
He suddenly turned around, took a few steps back, gathered his sleeves and bowed deeply to the emperor.
Wen Qingci's movements were extremely graceful, his eyes were full of compassion, his appearance was noble and dignified, and his temperament was far superior to that of the princes and grandchildren in this palace.
At the same time, a sudden sound appeared in Xie Bufeng's ears.
"Shut up, you are so stupid—"
Clear, gentle... that is the voice of Wen Qingci.
This is impossible.
Xie Bufeng looked at Wen Qingci in disbelief.
This was the first time he heard what the other person was thinking.
It was extremely quiet in the Ninghe Hall. Every word Wen Qingci said was deeply engraved in Xie Bufeng's heart.
But the boy still had doubts... Maybe his fever hadn't subsided yet? What he just said was just an illusion.
"Doctor Wen?" The emperor was also surprised by his actions. "Do you have something to say?"
After taking a few doses of medicine, his attitude towards Wen Qingci became more respectful.
Wen Qingci slowly held his breath.
He knew very well that as an imperial physician, he should focus on curing illnesses and saving lives and do his job well.
You must not get involved in politics or palace fighting, as it is easy to get sucked into the quagmire without realizing it...
The original owner's fate of being torn into pieces by five horses was closely related to his giving advice to the emperor and sending Xie Bufeng to the battlefield.
But if he didn't say it, then no one present, including Concubine Lan, would believe what Xie Bufeng said.
Do I really have to protect myself and watch Xie Bufeng being locked up in the government office
If you ask yourself, Wen Qingci can't do it.
Wen Qingci lowered his eyes and said softly, "There is indeed one thing."
His tone was calm, which was out of tune with the tense atmosphere in Ninghe Hall. His words were like a stream, flowing slowly from his ears into his heart.
"On the night of the Community Day, I did help His Highness remove a trap from his shoulder."
"Today, the trap is still in the Imperial Medical Bureau."
The third prince's face suddenly lost all color.
He never expected that the trap on Xie Bufeng's shoulder was taken off by Wen Qingci!
Unlike other imperial physicians, Wen Qingci is devoted to medical skills and has no interest in external things. He always speaks whatever he thinks.
The most terrifying thing is that now even his father respects him a little... There was complete silence in the Ninghe Hall.
Xie Bufeng's gaze was fixed on Wen Qingci.
Wen Qingci was clearly kneeling here, but his exceptionally calm and composed figure made him seem like a god or Buddha who had come to show mercy to the world.
The next moment, Xie Bufeng clenched his palms again.
He suddenly felt that the scene before his eyes was extremely dazzling...
Wen Qingci shouldn't be kneeling here.
He should not kneel before anyone.
(End of this chapter)