The young man's gaze made Wen Qingci feel fear instinctively.
Why did Xie Bufeng suddenly ask himself this
Thinking of this question, Wen Qingci subconsciously clenched the medicine jade on his wrist.
The coolness of his fingertips finally calmed him down.
Could it be that the fact that I just helped Su Yuzheng pick up the handkerchief was a little OOC in Xie Bufeng's opinion
After much thought, the answer seems to be only this.
Wen Qingci loosened the things in his hand little by little, raised his eyes and smiled gently at Xie Bufeng.
He pretended not to understand and asked, "Why does Your Highness say that?"
Without waiting for Xie Bufeng to answer, Wen Qingci looked away: "I have no interest in so-called 'love affairs'. I have devoted my life to medicine. I don't have any other thoughts now, and I won't have any other thoughts in the future."
His tone was calm, but every word he spoke was decisive.
Wen Qingci's pupils were still as dark as ever.
But under the shallow sunlight, it appears incredibly clear and clean.
The tremendous power of Taishu Palace and the favor of the noble lady of Yongdu were probably not as important to him as a medical book.
"You don't want to get married?"
Unlike modern times, in the Wei Dynasty, probably only monks could be exempted from these "worldly affairs".
Anyone from the Wei Dynasty would find Wen Qingci's words incredible.
"Of course." Wen Qingci smiled faintly, his tone gentle yet firm.
Just kidding, let’s not talk about the fact that I really don’t have any thoughts in this regard.
Just considering the fact that he has to run away in the future... Wen Qingci can't bring his family with him, or have any extraordinary emotional entanglement with anyone.
Hearing Wen Qingci's answer, Xie Bufeng couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
But at the same time, I felt a vague sense of loss and unwillingness that was difficult to explain.
After the palace banquet that day, the emperor approved three months of sick leave for Wen Qing.
Logically speaking, Concubine Lan's "attending physician" has been temporarily replaced, so Wen Qingci, who is ill, can temporarily ignore Concubine Lan.
But in the following days, he still prepared the medicine himself as usual and sent someone to deliver it to Huixin Palace.
Now that the symptoms have been determined, the daily pulse diagnosis is still done by the traditional imperial physician.
However, Wen Qingci still asked the eunuch who delivered the medicine to tell Ming Liu that if Concubine Lan had any problems in the future, she could call him first.
The emperor specially allowed Madam Su and Su Yuzheng to stay in the palace with Concubine Lan for a few days.
As soon as the young eunuch left, Su Yuzheng gently pulled Ming Liu and asked her hesitantly, "Ms. Ming Liu, will the imperial physician Wen not come again in the next few days?"
As soon as she said this, she felt that it was a little inappropriate... Why did she say this as if she was looking forward to what Lan Fei would do
This is really inappropriate for a lady from a wealthy family.
Unexpectedly, Ming Liu just smiled. She glanced at the direction where the eunuch disappeared and said to Su Yuzheng, "Doctor Wen has not recovered from his injury last time. His Majesty has approved a long vacation for him. If there is nothing serious, he doesn't even need to go to the Imperial Medical Office. He can just have a good rest."
“So that’s how it is…” Su Yuzheng’s tone was a little disappointed.
She subconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand.
It seems that I won’t be able to see Wen Qingci in the next few days.
But the next second, Ming Liu continued, "Dr. Wen has been highly valued by His Majesty recently. Not only was he appointed as a Hanlin scholar, His Majesty even granted him a mansion outside the palace. I heard that he left the palace early this morning. I don't know whether he went to recuperate or to take care of the affairs of the mansion."
"Dr. Wen has left the palace?" Su Yuzheng asked subconsciously.
"Yes," Ming Liu nodded, "That's what the eunuch from the Imperial Medical Bureau said just now."
Su Yuzheng pursed her lips subconsciously, and at this moment she already had a plan in mind.
Seeing this, Ming Liu smiled and said nothing more.
The Su family was originally considered a noble family from the previous dynasty, and was not much different from the group of people who were dealt with a while ago.
But more than ten years ago, after the death of Old Master Su, the Minister of Works, and the eldest son, the family fell into complete decline.
Not to mention that there is an invisible bomb like Xie Bufeng...
Most of the well-known and wealthy families and talented and upstart nobles in the Wei Dynasty were unwilling to form an alliance with such a family.
As for the rest, they were not even worthy of Su Yuzheng's attention.
It was for this reason that Madam Su came up with the idea of letting her enter the palace.
When we met a few days ago, Su Yuzheng almost wrote her thoughts on her face.
Everyone present at the time was happy to see her idea come true.
Although Wen Qingci is known as the "fairy-faced demon", he is also very gentle to others, which is rare in the world.
Moreover, this is not a big problem in the eyes of those who are familiar with the court and the sinister inner palace...
Of course, the most important thing is that Wen Qingci is no longer an ordinary imperial physician. He is now the most respected minister by the emperor.
There has never been a precedent in this dynasty for a third-rank official of such a young age.
Su Yuzheng returned to her room and hesitated for a long time, but finally took a deep breath and went towards Concubine Lan's residence.
—She planned to tell her aunt and leave Taishu Palace early.
But unexpectedly, Su Yuzheng met an unexpected person in Huixin Palace just after she went out.
"Your Highness?" She was stunned for a moment and hurriedly bowed to Xie Bufeng.
Didn't he say that he was not very familiar with Concubine Lan? Why did he come to Huixin Palace again today
"Yeah." Xie Bufeng glanced at his cousin indifferently. When he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped and said to her, "Lan Fei is not feeling well and is resting." After that, he left without looking back.
Xie Bufeng's tone was still as cold as ever, like a basin of ice water poured over a person's head.
Su Yuzheng paused for a moment, and finally came back to her senses.
This is indeed not a good time to disturb Concubine Lan.
I can't let myself get carried away by this kind of thing...
She hesitated for a moment, and finally had to slowly retreat.
Su Yuzheng didn't know that after leaving Huixin Palace, Xie Bufeng lowered his eyes and smiled nonchalantly.
The boy's eyes were filled with disdain.
—In fact, Xie Bufeng didn’t know the current situation of Concubine Lan, and he had never even visited her palace.
From the beginning to the end, he just wanted to block Su Yuzheng here and not let her leave the palace.
*
Ming Liu's information was indeed accurate. The mansion that the emperor mentioned that day had been officially granted to Wen Qingci.
The name was also changed to "Wangtanyuan".
Early that morning, before daybreak, Wen Qingci left the Imperial Medical Bureau in a carriage and headed for Wangtan Garden.
Although Wangtan Garden had not been inhabited for decades, it was a mansion bestowed by the emperor after all. When it was handed over to Wen Qingci, it had already been renovated and provided with servants and maids.
Simply put, Wen Qingci is a place where you can move in right away.
After leaving the palace, he took a short rest in Wangtan Garden and then went to a medical clinic south of Yongdu.
That is one of the few industries in the Divine Doctor Valley.
The Valley of Divine Doctors is essentially a gang organization. If it wants to operate well, it will need a lot of money to support it.
According to the original owner's notes, each generation of the Valley Master of the Divine Doctor Valley would only accept two or three disciples at most, and most of the time, they would only pass down their skills to a single person.
Under the Valley Master, there are about twenty servants. Every three to five years, they would take out one or two pills for auction and exchange them for money.
Every time a pill from the Divine Doctor Valley comes out, it causes a bloody storm in the martial arts world.
Even the royal family was involved many times.
In addition, the servants were also responsible for purchasing rare medicinal materials from various places.
The medical clinics distributed in several major towns in Yongdu are the places where they can rest when they are out and where they can exchange elixirs and materials.
Only people in the Divine Doctor Valley know this information.
Ordinary people only know that in these clinics hidden in the corners of the city, one can always find some priceless and extremely rare medicinal materials.
The old locust tree, which was more than 20 meters high, blocked all the midday sunlight behind it, leaving only a few spots of light falling on the ground.
The clinic under the shade of trees will easily be overlooked if you are not careful.
The sound of horse hooves stopped at a corner of the long street.
Wen Qingci, dressed in moon-white, slowly stepped down from the carriage.
"I'm going to find the boss and ask him if he can get some of the precious medicinal herbs that are missing in the Imperial Medical Bureau," Wen Qingci said softly to the servant who brought him here, "Please wait here for a moment." After saying that, he went into the clinic.
"Yes, yes!" The servant bowed and tied the horse.
Before Wen Qingci left, he had already asked someone to inform the owner of the clinic in advance. Before he had taken a few steps, the other party hurried over to meet him.
"Mr. Wen, please come in—" The boss hurried forward and bowed deeply, then quickly took Wen Qingci to the small courtyard at the back.
After they walked away, he leaned over and whispered, "What medicinal herbs does Mr. Wen need? There just happened to be a servant in the valley stopping by here to rest. If the clinic doesn't have them, we can ask him to look for them somewhere else."
Hearing this, Wen Qingci couldn't help but feel happy.
His visit to the clinic this time was just an excuse to look for medicinal materials. His real purpose was to contact the people in the Valley of Divine Doctors and plan a way to escape in advance!
Wen Qingci was already excited by his boss' words.
But on the surface, he still looked calm and gentle as usual: "Who came to Yongdu?"
"It's Bai Zhiyuan, Mr. Bai."
As soon as the clinic owner finished speaking, a green figure appeared in front of Wen Qingci.
Before he could see the other person's appearance clearly, the servant from the Divine Doctor Valley suddenly bent down and bowed deeply to him: "Bai Zhiyuan greets the Second Valley Master." The other person's tone was very excited, and even his voice was trembling slightly.
"No need to be so polite." Wen Qingci hurried forward and helped him up.
The original owner was the second master of the Divine Doctor Valley.
Then according to tradition, the person currently in charge of the entire Divine Doctor Valley should be his senior brother.
It had been a while since they last met, so when Bai Zhiyuan saw him, he started asking questions nonstop: "I wonder what medicine Mr. Wen is looking for? It's not available in the Imperial Medical Bureau... Maybe it grows on some snowy mountain plateau?"
On the way here, Wen Qingci had already thought about this question.
"It's the Pure Snow Ganoderma." He followed what the other person said.
The herb he mentioned is called "Wu Gu Xue Zhi", which is one of the important raw materials for the "Quick-Acting Heart-Saving Pills" unique to this world's Divine Doctor Valley.
"Oh... this," Bai Zhiyuan really had no doubts. He paused and said, "This Immaculate Snow Ganoderma is indeed hard to find. There is none in the Yongdu clinic for the time being. But please rest assured, Mr. Wen, I will definitely pay more attention to it for you this time!"
"Thank you for your help."
As they were talking, the two of them had already sat down at the table. The owner of the clinic brought them tea, then quietly closed the door and left.
The Valley of Divine Doctors is not big, with only about forty people in total.
Although there are class divisions in the valley, everything is oriented towards medicine, without the twists and turns of the outside world.
After waiting for no one to come around, Bai Zhiyuan hesitated for a while, but finally couldn't help asking: "I remember that Mr. Wen was mainly concerned with water plague before. Why did you suddenly enter the palace and change the direction of your research?"
Wen Qingci: “…”
This question should be asked to the original owner.
Not to mention Bai Zhiyuan, Wen Qingci himself was more curious than him about what the original owner wanted to achieve by entering the palace.
Not knowing how to answer Bai Zhiyuan, he could only take a sip of tea and pretend to smile without saying anything.
However, the person sitting next to him didn't seem to care whether Wen Qingci gave him an answer or not.
"… The Valley Master said that you went to the palace to take care of your own business, and you will come back when you are done." Bai Zhiyuan put down the teacup, smiled at Wen Qingci and said, "When you are done, feel free to come to the clinic and contact us!"
"Okay, then I'll trouble you." Wen Qingci nodded with a smile.
Bai Zhiyuan's words made him realize that the original owner's senior brother should know his real intention of entering the palace.
If I choose to fake my death and leave the palace, the other person will be the one who can help me the most.
Wen Qingci couldn't stay in the clinic for too long.
Jian Dan exchanged a few words with Bai Zhiyuan, then he got up and left.
The carriage passed through the long street and reached the avenue.
"Doctor Wen, are we going back to Wangtan Garden to rest today?" the coachman asked him.
"No..." Wen Qingci paused and replied, "Let's go back to the Imperial Medical Bureau."
Compared with the Imperial Medical Bureau, Wangtan Garden is certainly much more luxurious.
But as a modern man, Wen Qingci is still somewhat afraid of this century-old house that has not been lived in for many years.
It's okay to take a short rest, but staying here overnight is really a challenge.
"Yes." The servant thought that Wen Qingci was worried about his work, so he didn't think much about it and drove directly to the Imperial Medical Bureau.
It was different from the desolate and deserted scene the last time I left the palace.
Today, Yongdu has regained its usual popularity.
In the afternoon, the long streets were crowded with carriages, horses and pedestrians.
The carriage was squeezed in the middle of the long street, and its speed was therefore much slower.
"Mr. Wen, do you want to find someone to clear the road?" the servant couldn't help asking.
Wen Qingci was already a third-rank official, so he naturally enjoyed this privilege.
However, Wen Qingci himself was not in a hurry. He leaned against the wall of the carriage and looked at both sides of the street through the gap in the curtains: "No need to bother." His voice passed through the curtains and reached the ears of the servant.
A servant who can be assigned to Wen Qingci is naturally very perceptive.
"Yes, Mr. Wen." Hearing that Wen Qingci was not in a hurry, he slowed down and even introduced to the people in the carriage: "At the end of this street is Yongdu's West Market. Many merchants from the Western Regions trade here. The things may not be very valuable, but no matter what strange things you can find here..."
Thinking of the legend about Wen Qingci, the servant added, "Oh, right! There are also foreign doctors there. I have never seen their Western foreign medicines. I wonder if Mr. Wen knows anything about them?"
Hearing this, Wen Qingci couldn't help but look past the crowd and towards the end of the road.
It was indeed very lively outside the market town.
As they were talking, the carriage passed through the long street and arrived outside the West Market.
A drizzle began to fall in Yongdu at some point, and the long street paved with bluestone slabs became wet.
"Wait a minute," Wen Qingci suddenly said, as if he had thought of something, "Stop here first, I want to go down and take a look."
“Ouch—”
The servant hurriedly pulled the reins and stopped the carriage.
Wen Qingci held an umbrella, got out of the carriage, and headed straight towards the West Market.
The reason for his visit was not because of the "Doctor Hu" mentioned by the servant, but because of another thing...
In a few days it will be Xie Bufeng’s birthday.
It is only right that I should prepare a gift for him.
Every year, whether it is a prince or a princess, their birthday would be celebrated grandly in Taishu Palace.
However, as an invisible person in Taishu Palace, no one mentioned this matter until Xie Bufeng's birthday was approaching.
It's like this day doesn't exist.
Lan Fei, the only one who definitely remembered this day, also had an accident before Xie Bufeng's birthday.
At the hour of Yin, when it was still dark, a burst of hurried footsteps woke the entire Imperial Medical Bureau from their sleep.
"Imperial Physician, come quickly, Imperial Physician--" The young eunuch ran over breathlessly. Before he entered the hall, his sharp voice had already penetrated and pierced the ears of those in the hall.
The imperial physician on duty at night rubbed his eyes and walked out of the room in a daze: "What's wrong? May I ask which palace this eunuch is from?"
The young eunuch bent over and held onto the pillar, struggling to adjust his breathing while saying in a trembling voice, "It's Huixin Palace! Concubine Lan... Concubine Lan is probably going to give birth prematurely!"
The imperial physician was startled and walked out with his medicine box.
As the cold wind blew outside the palace, he finally seemed to remember something and clenched his fists and said, "… Imperial Doctor Wen, that's right! Imperial Doctor Wen is also in the palace tonight!"
After several months of getting along, the people in the Imperial Medical Bureau were still afraid of him.
But in the eyes of this group of people, Wen Qingci has long become an almost omnipotent being.
Whether you want to find someone to share this heavy responsibility with you, or simply seek help, Wen Qingci is the best choice.
The imperial physician's words reminded the young eunuch.
"Okay! Please go to Huixin Palace first. I will go find Doctor Wen now!"
"good!"
It rained all night in Yongdu.
The little eunuch's boots, socks and clothes were all soaked by the rain just by running from Huixin Palace to the Imperial Medical Bureau.
He had just run to the gate of Wen Qingci's courtyard, and before he had time to knock on the door, he heard the wooden door in front of him creak and was opened by someone inside.
The imperial physician, wearing a moon-white cloak, leaned against the door, smiled and gently supported him as he lost his balance and nearly fell.
A faint bitter fragrance was blown over by the morning breeze.
Wen Qingci's body has not recovered yet. Last night's rain made his chest and lungs feel stuffy, so he woke up early in the second half of the night.
Although he did not hear what the eunuch said in the front hall, the noise not far away made him guess that something might have happened to Concubine Lan.
Without any hesitation, Wen Qingci quickly got up, changed his clothes, washed up, and walked out.
The cold and chilly air that had accumulated overnight invaded Wen Qingci, and even the cloak on his body could not block it.
As soon as he stood still, he coughed lightly a few times.
The young eunuch was stunned and didn't know how to say the words he had prepared on the way.
—Princess Lan’s physical condition is very dangerous.
This is a hot potato for any imperial physician.
Would Wen Qingci really be willing to go to Huixin Palace with me
Just when the young eunuch was feeling anxious, Wen Qingci finally stopped coughing. He smiled apologetically at the young eunuch and said directly, "Let's go. I'll go to Huixin Palace with you."
Fearing that he might disturb Xie Bufeng, Wen Qingci lowered his voice deliberately.
“Yes... yes..." The young eunuch who had been stunned here finally came to his senses, turned around and went to Huixin Palace with Wen Qingci.
In a trance he suddenly realized.
At that moment just now, I actually forgot my fear and all the rumors about Wen Qingci.
The cinnabar between the eyebrows, and the black eyes filled with compassion.
At this moment, Wen Qingci is like a god or Buddha who saves people from the sea of suffering...
Wen Qingci was very careful when he went out.
But the moment he closed the narrow door of the bedroom, the young man lying on the bed slowly opened his eyes.
Xie Bufeng couldn't help but look into the courtyard through the slightly opened window.
Unlike most places in Taishu Palace, the drainage of this inconspicuous courtyard in the corner of the Imperial Medical Bureau is not very good.
After one night, the accumulated water on the ground had overflowed the blue bricks.
It rained heavily last night.
The boy's eyes and mind were a little confused.
After thirteen years of living in the imperial mausoleum, Xie Bufeng developed the habit of light sleep.
When he is sleeping, he will be awakened by the slightest movement.
But it rained so much last night, and I didn’t even feel anything at all…
It was not until Wen Qingci opened the door and the cold wind from the courtyard blew the bitter fragrance on his body out of the house that Xie Bufeng finally woke up from his sleep.
Xie Bufeng realized belatedly that after he moved to the Imperial Medical Bureau, he seemed to no longer wake up inexplicably from dreams as he did before.
I don’t know if it’s the faint bitter fragrance on Wen Qingci’s body, or his presence, that has such a reassuring power.
At this moment, the bitter fragrance dissipated, and Xie Bufeng couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness and loss as if he had been abandoned.
At the hour of Yin, the silver moon is still high in the sky.
Seeing the full moon, the boy suddenly remembered... Tomorrow seemed to be his birthday.
(End of this chapter)