The emperor became more and more dependent on the Fuxuanhua Pill, and his condition became uncontrollably good and bad.
What happened that night was suppressed, and everyone present kept silent.
But privately, the news spread quickly and became the topic of discussion in the blink of an eye.
Songxiu Mansion is the most important stop during the southern tour.
In addition to visiting tombs and temples and investigating people's sentiments, the emperor would also offer sacrifices to the river god and pray for good weather along the canal and throughout the south of the Yangtze River.
Sacrifice is of great significance to people of this era.
All members of the royal family, including Concubine Hui and Xie Guanzhi who had been under house arrest, appeared on the bank of the Yinchuan Grand Canal with Xie Zhaolin.
The emperor was the only protagonist of this sacrifice, and the others only had to watch the ceremony from the sidelines.
Wen Qingci, the imperial physician, stood at the end of the crowd, just like last time.
Before this, Wen Qingci had only participated in the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven once.
He had no idea what sacrifices were like in this era.
But in his opinion, such royal activities should be solemn and sacred.
But today's river sacrifice seems awkward no matter how you look at it...
The river bank was flat, and Wen Qingci could only see from afar through the crowd a Taoist priest in a purple robe, waving a sword in front of him.
Their movements did not resemble the usual impression of a royal sacrifice, but rather like... performing a ritual
This might not be an illusion, as Wen Qingci felt a chill running down his spine.
He couldn't help but think again of the story behind the canal that Xie Bufeng told him.
Wen Qingci guessed that one of the main reasons why the emperor was so persistent in touring the south and heading straight to Songxiu Mansion was to perform a ritual here to suppress the wronged souls.
This is all too possible in today's era.
There were sounds of drums and music ahead, and Wen Qingci slowly closed his eyes.
He couldn't help but clench the medicinal jade hanging on his wrist.
It was clearly noon in summer, but the sunlight falling on Wen Qingci made him feel a biting chill.
The cicada chirping and wind sounds in my ears suddenly turned into howling...
There are too many wronged souls hidden beneath the wide canal.
The ritual ceremony beside the Grand Canal in Yinchuan seemed to calm the emperor's heart a little.
In the afternoon, when Wen Qing left to take the patient's pulse, he called Lan Fei to his side and started playing chess with her as usual.
It is already June before we know it, and the air in Songxiu Prefecture is filled with a humid and hot feeling.
After Wen Qingci finished taking the emperor's pulse, he picked up a pen and thought about the emperor's symptoms and the adverse reactions of the Fuxuanhua Dan. He did not pay attention to the two people's casual conversation.
Until Lan Fei's voice, which suddenly rose a few degrees, reached his ears.
"… The Yinchuan Grand Canal is busy with river transportation and is the lifeline of our dynasty's grain and grass. Your Majesty was indeed very far-sighted when he made this decision." Concubine Lan said with a smile, and then she casually placed a piece on the chessboard.
The emperor frowned slightly.
Xie Zhaolin took good care of himself and it was hard to tell his age, but after some time, deep wrinkles appeared between his brows.
"This matter has been mentioned by someone in the previous dynasty. I just put it into practice." The emperor said calmly.
The present emperor obtained his throne through abdication, so our dynasty is not like other dynasties that avoid discussing past events, let alone smearing or slandering them.
Even every time when talking about the past, the emperor's words would always be filled with a sense of awe and nostalgia that was hard to tell whether it was true or false.
Concubine Lan alone has brought up topics related to the previous dynasty many times.
Wen Qingci had originally not been interested in their idle chat, but this time he couldn't help but put aside what he was just worrying about and listened carefully.
Concubine Lan smiled, then sighed and said, "Your Majesty once said that after the Yinchuan Grand Canal was completed, he would bring...Emperor Ai to visit Jiangnan. I didn't expect him to leave so early..."
According to the news Wen Qingci had heard recently, Concubine Lan, the Emperor, and the Emperor Ai of the previous dynasty were not much different in age, and they should have known each other for a long time.
Perhaps because of this, when Concubine Lan talked about him, she used more ordinary words.
She seemed to regard Emperor Ai as an ordinary friend who had passed away many years ago.
Hearing this, the emperor finally showed some unnecessary expression on his face.
He pursed his lips and tapped the chessboard with his fingers from time to time, looking a little impatient.
"He does like Songxiu Mansion." After saying this lightly, the emperor immediately put down the chess piece and then changed the subject a little awkwardly.
Seeing this, Concubine Lan no longer mentioned the previous court events.
After the two players made a few moves, the game of chess ended hastily.
The emperor had calmed down a lot after receiving psychological comfort after the sacrifice.
But now his vision slowly became confused like before.
The Convolvulus Pill was once again in the hands of the emperor.
"Okay, my beloved, you go back and take care of the princess. I will take a rest." He said in a deep voice.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Concubine Lan slowly stood up, bowed to the emperor, and walked out of the room, her expression remaining calm from beginning to end.
Hearing the emperor say that he wanted to rest, Wen Qingci also prepared to leave.
Just as he raised his hand to pack the medicine box, Eunuch Xian suddenly walked quickly into the hall with a man in silver armor.
Along with him, there was also a faint smell of blood.
The man bowed hastily, without even glancing around, and knelt down and said, "Your Majesty! The Northern Di are heading south, gathering all their forces and heading straight for Changyuan... Not only are they stealing cattle and sheep, they're even... even..."
Having said this, he suddenly began to hesitate.
"What's the matter?" The emperor raised his voice, "Just tell me!"
The man slammed his head heavily on the ground again, and finally squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth: "Even... occupied Changyuan."
The emperor's face suddenly turned ugly.
No one expected that this time the leader of Beidi would not play by the rules at all.
After returning to the grassland after looting, they only took a short rest before heading south again to occupy Changyuan, located at the northernmost tip of Wei Dynasty!
Logically speaking, this amount of time is not enough for them to repair and recover from the disaster...
But they chose to take the risk.
A faint green smoke flowed out from the gaps in the incense burner, tying people inside like a silk thread.
The emperor took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Sit down first and tell me in detail."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Seeing that the two were going to talk about military intelligence, Wen Qingci packed his medicine box a little faster.
Just as he packed up his things and prepared to leave the back hall, the emperor suddenly spoke, and said slowly in the direction of Wen Qingci: "…The eldest prince is about to turn eighteen. Logically speaking, he should have left the palace and set up his own residence long ago."
Perhaps because of the long period of incense burning, his voice became particularly low.
Wen Qingci's footsteps paused slightly.
After saying this, the emperor turned around and murmured to the man in military armor beside him: "Now, I should also go and gain some experience."
The other party was stunned for a moment. Although he didn't understand what the emperor meant, he nodded hurriedly.
Wen Qingci slowly walked out of the back hall.
He couldn't help but stand in the yard and coughed lightly twice.
The person who came to deliver the military report might not understand what the emperor meant.
But after hearing this, he, who had watched "Fu Ming Tang", understood everything.
—The emperor wanted to send Xie Bufeng to the battlefield.
"Your Majesty... uh, Your Majesty?" Inside the palace, the soldier talked for a long time before realizing that the emperor had lost his concentration.
His eyes were still on the place where Wen Qingci disappeared, and no one knew what he was thinking.
The emperor slowly withdrew his gaze.
"Go on." He took a sip of tea and said softly.
"yes… "
While drinking tea, the emperor hid the smile on his face.
He wants to kill Xie Bufeng.
But this eldest prince, apart from being a little unpopular, had not made any major mistakes.
As a "benevolent monarch" and a father, he certainly could not deal with Xie Bufeng for no reason, or kill the young man secretly and give others a chance to talk about him.
After much thought, sending Xie Bufeng to the battlefield is the best option.
Xie Bufeng grew up in Suzhou and had never been exposed to any martial arts or military affairs.
Asking him to go to the battlefield to deal with the new leader of Beidi would be simply asking for his death.
But so what
The emperor laughed slowly.
As a prince, Xie Bufeng should have been given some experience, and his death on the battlefield only showed that he was not qualified enough.
Wen Qingci's back had completely disappeared outside the hall.
In the emperor's view, his plan was perfect.
The only variable is Wen Qingci.
Everyone in Taishu Palace knew that Xie Bufeng had always been by Wen Qingci's side and was almost inseparable from him.
The emperor was not worried that Wen Qingci, who was devoted to medicine and obviously had no interest in the court, would help Xie Bufeng.
He was only worried that after Xie Bufeng went to the battlefield, that group of people would most likely arrange the young man to a safer place in the rear for Wen Qingci's sake.
But solving this problem is simple.
All he needs to do is let Wen Qingci send Xie Bufeng to the battlefield personally.
*
After knowing the emperor's intention, Wen Qingci became extremely uneasy.
He was half asleep and half awake that night and didn't even sleep for two hours in total.
My heart was beating wildly due to anxiety.
As soon as the sky was getting light, Wen Qingci got up, changed his clothes, left the room, and went outside to get some fresh air and calm down.
Although it is summer, the air in Songxiu Mansion is still chilly in the early morning.
While recalling the plot in "Fu Ming Tang", Wen Qingci walked aimlessly along the rockery in the mansion.
By the time he reacted, he was already standing outside a familiar courtyard gate.
—Xie Bufeng is living here temporarily.
This is the courtyard in the corner of the entire mansion.
There is nothing around except rockery and small woods.
Xie Bufeng did not lock the gate tightly, but left a gap.
A silver light flashed through the hall.
Through the gate, Wen Qingci saw that the young man had gotten up early just like himself.
At this time, he was practicing sword alone in the courtyard.
Their eyes met gently.
Wen Qingci, who was originally planning to leave, hesitated for a moment, then pushed open the door and walked in.
In Xie Bufeng's hand was a heavy ink-colored sword.
This sword has no decorations at all, and the blade is covered with rust. It doesn't look like a good sword at all.
But in Xie Bufeng's hands, it seemed to have life and was as ferocious as if it had life.
The boy's swordsmanship was without any fancy embellishments, and was entirely based on attack as defense.
His moves were straightforward and fierce, and each one was aimed at taking someone's life.
Wen Qingci's originally heavy mood became a little lighter because of Xie Bufeng's swordsmanship.
Xie Bufeng is a genius.
He actually practiced the heavy sword to this level just by relying on the martial arts manual...
No wonder he was able to break the death trap set by the emperor, climb out of the mountain of corpses and return to Yongdu.
The small courtyard where Xie Bufeng lived was hardly taken care of, and there was a layer of gravel on the ground.
Seeing the thing under his feet, Wen Qingci bent down as if he remembered something and picked up a stone in his hand.
The next moment, he threw it towards where Xie Bufeng was.
Wen Qingci doesn't have much internal strength, but hidden weapons have always been about winning by cleverness, and what he pursues is to use the small to defeat the big.
When the Taishu Palace coup occurred, the guards who came towards him were unable to escape Wen Qingci's hidden weapons.
But this time, before the stone got close, it was forced away by the sword energy in Xie Bufeng's hand and fell heavily to the ground.
"Your Highness's skills are indeed excellent." Wen Qingci couldn't help but praise the young man.
Hearing this, Xie Bufeng slowly put down the heavy sword in his hand.
The cold and murderous gaze suddenly became gentle.
After being praised by Wen Qingci, Xie Bufeng lowered his eyes.
After a moment, he whispered, "Thank you."
The boy, who usually said whatever he thought, rarely hesitated on how to respond to the other person.
Wen Qingci saw that Xie Bufeng was wearing a black suit to facilitate sword practice.
The ribbon that tied her hair loosened at some point, causing her slightly curly black hair to flow down her back.
A little sweat appeared on Xie Bufeng's forehead.
A few strands of long hair stuck to his face, which instead of making the boy look dishevelled, made his facial features look even more fierce and dangerous.
Just like the transformation from a beast into a human just now.
Wen Qingci was shocked by the coldness that was inadvertently revealed in Xie Bufeng's amber eyes.
He paused, then walked towards Xie Bufeng with a smile.
"Where's your highness's headband?"
The clear and mellow voice flowed through Xie Bufeng's heart like a stream.
The boy subconsciously raised his hand and touched his hair, then belatedly realized that the ribbon that tied his hair had fallen off at some point.
Do I look a little rude now
As soon as the strange thought popped up in Xie Bufeng's mind, he heard a slight sound in his ears.
Wen Qingci slowly took off the string of medicinal jade hanging on his wrist.
The courtyard where Xie Bufeng lived was not big, and behind it were the steps leading to the house.
Before he knew it, the boy was already half a head taller than Wen Qingci.
Wen Qingci climbed two steps before he could barely reach the top of Xie Bufeng's head.
The boy didn't understand what Wen Qingci was going to do, and subconsciously turned to look at him.
"Your Highness, don't move."
Wen Qingci's hand slowly fell on his shoulder, stopping the boy's movements.
Then he slowly gathered Xie Bufeng's long hair with his fingers.
Xie Bufeng has a lot of hair, which is naturally slightly curly, so it is not easy to take care of it.
But Wen Qingci's actions were exceptionally patient.
Obviously nothing has happened now, and Wen Qingci even still has the idea of changing the plot, but when he thinks of the description in the original book, he can't help but feel guilty.
Along with this, there is also a little guilt and tension.
After realizing that Wen Qingci was going to help him tie his hair, Xie Bufeng even breathed carefully.
He was so quiet, completely different from the unruly and sharp-tongued boy when I first met him.
Maybe it's because of guilty conscience.
In Wen Qingci's eyes, Xie Bufeng looked so pitiful no matter how he looked at him.
Just like a wolfhound that behaves well but is still about to be abandoned...
Wen Qingci: “…”
Wait, what am I thinking about
How can you compare the future big boss to an animal
Wen Qingci quickly threw aside the mess in his mind.
He patiently used the thin string of azure blue medicinal jade in his hand to tie up Xie Bufeng's long hair.
The wide sleeves brushed over Xie Bufeng's cheek and slid down from his wrists.
The faint bitter fragrance from Wen Qingci's body also enveloped the young man at this time.
Xie Bufeng subconsciously wanted to hold his breath, but he couldn't help but take a greedy deep sniff.
In a trance, he suddenly reached out and held Wen Qingci's wrist.
"What is it, Your Highness?"
Wen Qingci's heart was startled.
Xie Bufeng held Wen Qingci's hand tightly and slowly turned around.
He walked up a step, and the distance between them was only a span.
Suddenly, there was no difference in height.
Wen Qingci couldn't help but have an illusion... The tip of his nose was just a little bit away from touching Xie Bufeng's.
Their breaths crossed inadvertently, and Wen Qingci subconsciously turned his head to the side, trying to avoid the boy's gaze.
But Xie Bufeng suddenly looked into his eyes at this moment and asked almost word by word: "If...if I fall in love with a man, what should I do?"
Xie Bufeng looked calm, but his heart almost jumped out of his chest.
Just like that, he uttered the craziest words in the past seventeen years.
The boy's voice became particularly hoarse at this moment.
It reveals an unprecedented danger.
(End of this chapter)