Wen Qingci's hand fell from his chest at some point.
The collar of his gown was wrinkled by him, revealing a pale neck covered with scarlet blood.
His breathing was still uneven and his chest rose and fell.
The young man looked away subconsciously as if he was scalded and looked into Wen Qingci's eyes.
"You've been poisoned. It's Tianci." Xie Bufeng is not a person who likes to beat around the bush. After a pause, he asked directly, "Why?"
Wen Qingci was in no hurry to answer his question, but said softly: "The poison of 'Tian Ci' attacks once a month, piercing the heart and bones, and there is no cure for it for a lifetime. If you don't take the antidote in time, you will die of the poison in three days at the least..."
With every word, Wen Qingci's heart sank a little.
The notes left by the original owner recorded in detail the symptoms that Tianci suffered when he had an attack.
Wen Qingci originally thought that he had summarized it from somewhere else.
Comparing it with his own feelings just now, he realized that what was recorded here were actually the original owner's personal experiences.
No wonder it’s written in such detail!
When he first came here, Wen Qingci was still very confused as to why there were antidotes hidden everywhere in the original owner's bedroom and the side hall of the Imperial Medical Bureau where he often went.
Now he finally understood that it was not prepared by the original owner for Xie Bufeng out of kindness, but for himself...
Wen Qingci recalled his notes while suppressing the complicated thoughts in his mind, and said calmly: "'Tian Ci' was originally developed to control medicine people. Anyone who wants to become a medicine person must take this poison first, regardless of whether they are willing or not."
Taking regular poison will cause one to lose freedom to a certain extent and become controlled by others. This ensures that all medicine people become the "private property" of the Valley of Divine Doctors.
"The reason why I have 'Tianci' in my body is, of course, because..." Wen Qingci slowly closed his eyes after saying this. After pausing for two or three seconds, he suddenly raised his eyes and looked at Xie Bufeng, "Because, I am a medicine man."
A hint of smile then appeared in his dark eyes.
Xie Bufeng subconsciously held his breath and his heart skipped a beat.
The bitter fragrance on Wen Qingci's body comes from his blood.
Most importantly, compared to what was written in the original owner's notes... he realized that he was not only a medicine man, but also a medicine man who changed his profession halfway.
—This also means that the “medicinal properties” in his blood are lower.
The poison that an ordinary medicine man could cure with a few drops of blood would require half a cup for Wen Qingci.
Also affected by this, the timing of his poison attacks became extremely irregular, sometimes occurring every three to five months, and sometimes only one or two weeks.
After coughing, the originally clear voice became slightly hoarse.
Wen Qingci's smiling voice was like a feather, softly brushing past Xie Bufeng's ears.
The boy's heart began to beat wildly, and it seemed like it was about to burst out of his chest.
Xie Bufeng once heard the word "medicine man" from the emperor's voice.
According to legend, they grew up surrounded by poisons and rare spiritual creatures.
Not only can the blood cure all kinds of poisons, it can even bring the dead back to life. It is the most rare miracle medicine in the world.
Even the emperor in Taishu Palace would be moved by this.
Xie Bufeng once thought that it was just a legend, but he didn't expect that one day Wen Qingci would personally admit that he was the medicine man.
The boy paused for a moment, and finally couldn't help asking him: "Why do you want to be a medicine man?"
Once people knew that he was a medicine man, Wen Qingci's situation would become extremely dangerous.
Why
This question should be asked to the original owner!
Wen Qingci's heart was filled with despair, but there was still a smile on his face.
“Ahem… Your Highness, I will not miss the opportunity to possess a panacea. A little danger is nothing to me.” As he spoke, his dark eyes seemed to brighten a little.
Wen Qingci's words were full of sense of rightness.
Xie Bufeng held his breath.
As a man obsessed with medicine, he would not hesitate to treat his own body as "medicine", not to mention using other people for experiments.
In Wen Qingci's world, there is no right or wrong in this matter, and there is no need to worry about it.
Because that was his only answer and choice.
Wen Qingci threw the bloodstained silk handkerchief into the incense burner. The sudden flames made Xie Bufeng realize belatedly:
The exposure of his identity would put Wen Qingci in an extremely dangerous situation, but he never kept anything back or concealed anything from himself and gave himself all his trust.
trust
This was the first time Xie Bufeng had such an experience.
*
The Ninghe Hall is filled with incense burners, with smoke rising from the air. From a distance, it looks like a fairyland.
The people inside were all terrified.
The emperor's fingers were tapping lightly on the edge of the throne from time to time. He pursed his lips tightly and looked particularly unhappy.
Wen Qingci couldn't help but light the incense a little slower.
As the king of a country, Xie Zhaolin does not have much free time. He can only take a short break at noon, so he can only choose to deal with "trivial matters" at this time.
As luck would have it, that was the time when Wen Qingci was doing his routine medical consultation.
As an imperial physician, he can always appear at the first scene of the melon-eating event.
Kneeling in the center of the hall was Concubine Hui's personal maid, Rui Yue.
In front of her was a tourmaline hairpin, which was obviously no ordinary item.
All the people involved in this matter were called to the Ninghe Hall.
Under the gaze of everyone, Ruiyue trembled and confessed the whole process.
With every word she spoke, Concubine Wan's face turned paler.
As for the third prince, he collapsed to the ground early.
"I swear, this matter has absolutely nothing to do with Concubine Hui! It was... the son of Marquis Zhong'an, who gave me this hairpin and asked me to bring him into the palace in front of the guards..."
"Third Prince, he, he also gave a guarantee. If the Third Prince hadn't asked, I would never have dared to do this!"
In recent days, there has been a panic in Taishu Palace.
Ruiyue certainly knew how much importance the emperor attached to this matter.
She was so nervous that her upper and lower teeth started to chatter uncontrollably and her speech became incoherent.
Wen Qingci listened for a long time before he barely understood Ruiyue's meaning.
Long before the Community Day Festival, the Prince of Zhong'an said that he wanted to bring a "strange thing" into the palace to show the Second Prince.
At that time, Concubine Lan was still in the cold palace, and everyone in the Taishu Palace wanted to curry favor with Concubine Hui.
After receiving the hairpin, Ruiyue greeted the guards and allowed the son of Marquis Zhong'an to avoid the search.
After saying this, Ruiyue immediately kowtowed to the emperor and said in a trembling voice: "I really didn't know...what the son of the Marquis Zhong'an brought into the palace was actually a trap—"
As she spoke, Ruiyue started crying.
The other eunuchs and palace maids kneeling behind her were also all the same earth color.
This time, Concubine Lan not only thoroughly investigated how the trap was brought to Taishu Palace, but also dug deeper along this line and dug out all the people hiding in the gray area - regardless of whether they were related to this matter or not.
From high-ranking female officials like Ruiyue to ordinary eunuchs and palace maids who stole and sold palace property, and guards on duty.
Even in the Imperial Medical Bureau, several doctors who stole rare medicinal materials were caught.
The emperor didn't even glance at the people below. He put his white jade ring against his forehead and said to Concubine Lan in a deep voice: "People with evil intentions don't need to stay in Taishu Palace. First, they will be punished with fifty lashes according to the palace rules, and then sent out of the palace. If this happens again in the future, all will be dealt with in this way-"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Concubine Lan hurried forward and saluted.
Hearing this, the Third Prince's body trembled again and he almost fell down in the hall.
He knew that the emperor's words were not only spoken to other eunuchs and palace maids, but also to himself.
The third prince's noise was not loud, but it was particularly irritating in the silent Ninghe Palace.
The emperor finally set his eyes on him.
"Wan Zhaoyi, go back and reflect on your actions for half a year, and you are not allowed to step out of the palace! As for you... not only did you sneak forbidden items into the palace, but you also slandered your brothers and lied to me!" He said coldly, "Send you twenty strokes of the cane, and kneel outside Baochen Palace for three days to reflect on your actions!"
There is an open space outside Baochen Palace, with no cover or obstruction.
Although it hasn't snowed in the past few days, the temperature has not yet warmed up.
After twenty strokes of the cane, he will have to kneel for three more days. Even if he doesn't die, he will be severely skinned.
After hearing the emperor's words, Concubine Wan's eyes went dark and she collapsed to the ground.
"Your Majesty, please... please..." Concubine Wan begged while crying, "Yin Shang is still young, such a severe punishment... He, he can't bear it..."
Not only Wan Zhaoyi, but even Concubine Lan beside her paused for a moment and said hesitantly: "I hope Your Majesty will think twice, the Third Prince is still young-"
Unexpectedly, her plea angered the emperor instead.
The person on the throne laughed out of anger: "What? My beloved concubine is not satisfied with my decision?"
He narrowed his eyes and slowly tightened the teacup in his hand. With just a little force, he could crush it in his palm.
"I dare not!" Concubine Lan knelt down hurriedly.
On the other side, the emperor waved his hand directly to the guards and said, "Go now, without delay."
"Yes!" The guards immediately stepped forward and dragged out the third prince who was lying limp on the ground.
There was a sound like a pin drop in the Ninghe Hall.
The sound of heartbeats is infinitely amplified.
Heavy metal poisoning affected the emperor's mood, making him extremely irritable, not to mention that he was already angry just now.
Begging for mercy at this time would undoubtedly add fuel to the fire.
It has been several months since he came here, and Wen Qingci has probably figured out that... the emperor is a person who values face very much and is soft-hearted, not hard-hearted. If Concubine Wan begs for mercy a little longer, the emperor might really let him go.
But at this moment, Concubine Lan appeared and interrupted the other party.
Did she really just mean it
The emperor was in a bad mood and dismissed all irrelevant personnel.
Wen Qingci carried the medicine box and returned to the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Before we knew it, it was almost late spring.
When the magnolia reaches the season of withering, the petals dance in the breeze and fly all over the yard.
Unlike other imperial physicians, Wen Qingci likes to make his own medicine.
He skillfully used a ruler to press the prescription, poured the weighed medicine into a sand pot to soak it, then sat back at the table and began to cough softly.
Wen Qingci had already washed off the blood stains on his body and changed into a brand new set of white clothes.
At first glance, he looked no different from usual except that his face was a little pale.
However, the feeling of the poison was still engraved in his mind and could not be dispelled for a long time.
Wen Qingci had taken the antidote a little late, and his head was still dizzy. It took almost all of his strength to force himself back to the Imperial Medical Bureau.
While the medicine was soaking, he leaned against the window, intending to rest for a while.
When Xie Bufeng came back, this is what he saw...
The magnolia petals fell into Wen Qingci's arms along with the setting sun.
He frowned and took a nap, his whole body filled with fatigue.
Finally, another gust of wind blew into the house.
The spring breeze was still chilly, and Wen Qingci, who was leaning against the window, started coughing subconsciously.
Before Xie Bufeng could react, he had already walked to Wen Qingci, took down the cloak hanging on the hanger, and gently covered him with it.
The boy's fingers inadvertently slid across the other's cheek.
The cold and delicate touch was instantly imprinted in Xie Bufeng's mind.
The next second, Xie Bufeng, frightened by his own actions, suddenly frowned, stood up, and quickly walked out of the side hall.
His actions disturbed the air in the hall.
The familiar bitter fragrance from Wen Qingci's blood attacked Xie Bufeng again...
Everything was reminding Xie Bufeng of the fact:
Wen Qingci, like himself, was poisoned by Tianci.
(End of this chapter)