Without time to think, Wen Qingci subconsciously walked quickly towards the side of the boat.
I don't know when the sky was covered with dark clouds, so dark that it seemed like it would fall to the ground in the next second.
The canal water also turned dark.
Like ink, it rolls and struggles in the river.
The deck of the ship is slightly upturned, which is the highest part of the ship. It is estimated to be about three meters high.
Just looking down can make you dizzy.
Wen Qingci tightly grasped the railing under his hand, jumped over from here on tiptoe, stepped on the surging water, and flew to the place where the fur was floating without hesitation.
The constantly surging, unsupported water surface is full of dangers.
Wen Qingci's calves were already wet after just two steps.
There seemed to be countless hands reaching out from beneath the water, grabbing his ankles and pulling him into the water.
A cold air also came over me in an instant.
"Cough cough cough..." Wen Qingci started coughing uncontrollably, his breathing became disordered, and he almost fell into the water.
But he didn't even look at his feet, he just stared at the piece of fur floating in the water not far away.
The water from the Yinchuan Grand Canal wet Wen Qingci's long hair.
The banished immortal-like character had never been so embarrassed.
He coughed violently, and finally, with all his strength, he leaned forward and grasped the fur tightly in his hand.
Wen Qingci's heart finally settled down.
fine.
Fortunately I found it...
He didn't notice that bright red blood had seeped out from the corner of his lips at some point.
Wen Qingci held his breath and suppressed the itchiness in his chest and lungs.
He wanted to force himself to go back, but the three-meter-high deck and the surging river surface formed a natural barrier blocking him.
The coldness has swallowed up Wen Qingci.
“… Doctor Wen?!”
"Wen Qingci!"
The second prince, who was punished with imprisonment, was being taken to another ship in a small boat.
He looked towards where Wen Qingci was with a look of horror, and ordered the eunuchs accompanying him to row the boat over.
There was a rumble in the sky.
The heavy rain finally fell unrestrainedly on the Yinchuan Grand Canal.
"Are you crazy? Why did you jump into the river?!" The young man pulled Wen Qingci out of the water.
Then he was startled by the biting chill on the other person's wrist.
The boy's eyes couldn't help but fall on the piece of fur that Wen Qingci was holding tightly in his hand.
The silver-white fur of the snow wolf was completely wet by the river water.
It's wrinkled and doesn't look like anything valuable.
Wen Qingci just went to pick up this thing—
If he hadn't happened to pass by, he would have sunk into the water the next moment!
What on earth is this that is so important to him
"Ahem..." Wen Qingci chuckled and shook his head, "Thank you, Second Prince."
His face was as pale as paper, except for the cinnabar between his eyebrows and the blood on his lips, which were glaring red. The small ferry suddenly became quiet.
The scene that just happened in the cabin appeared in Xie Guanzhi's mind again.
Xie Guanzhi hated betrayal the most. He should have questioned Wen Qingci why he did that just now.
Or just ignore this person who stands on the same side as the emperor.
But in the end, he gritted his teeth and looked away: "One life for one life, we are even. But..."
"But you're still sorry for Xie Bufeng."
Xie Guanzhi said this subconsciously, his tone was particularly stiff.
He thought Wen Qingci would not respond, but he did not expect that the other party would smile at him gently and say in a gentle and slightly sad tone: "I know."
Xie Guanzhi: “…”
It was clearly him who did something wrong, but at this moment Xie Guanzhi suddenly felt that what he had just said was a bit too cruel.
It was like a small knife cutting through Wen Qingci's body.
It pierced the flesh, causing a string of tiny blood beads to ooze out.
*
Xie Guanzhi only had a personal eunuch by his side, and he looked much poorer.
But the Second Prince's influence was still there, so the young eunuch obeyed his command and rowed the boat back to the pleasure boat carved with golden dragons, and sent Wen Qingci back.
After returning to the room, Wen Qingci was not in a hurry to change his wet clothes.
He wiped the blood from his lips and carefully spread out the fur in his hands.
The next second, the slightly rough but extremely fine stitches and the not-so-smooth edges appeared in front of Wen Qingci.
Wen Qingci's nose felt sore.
This is a hand warmer.
If I'm not mistaken, it should be made by Xie Bufeng himself...
Without caring about anything else, Wen Qingci immediately rinsed it clean with clean water.
Then he carefully separated the clump of fur and placed it next to the incense burner that was emitting a faint hot steam.
Only after finishing all this did Wen Qingci let out a long sigh of relief.
Then he realized belatedly that his fingers had become so cold that he could hardly bend or stretch them.
Until this time, he finally remembered to change his wet clothes.
It rained heavily on the Yinchuan Grand Canal.
Wen Qingci held an umbrella and headed towards the other end of the boat in the rain.
“… Oh, what a rare guest! Mr. Wen, please come in!” Seeing that it was Wen Qingci, Eunuch Xian quickly opened the door, welcomed him in, turned around and served him a cup of fresh tea.
"You're welcome, eunuch." Wen Qingci smiled and sat down with him, while casually placing the medicine box next to the table.
This cabin is the residence of Eunuch Xian. The old eunuch, who is not on duty, wears a navy blue gown and looks no different from other old men on the street.
The two have known each other for so long that they are quite familiar with each other.
After a few pleasantries, the eunuch smiled and said, "I wonder why Mr. Wen came to visit us..."
Wen Qingci lowered his eyes and smiled, his gaze unconsciously falling on the medicine box at hand.
"I came to see the virtuous eunuch, and I do have an unreasonable request."
"You are so polite. Please feel free to speak, Mr. Wen!" Eunuch Xian looked flattered.
Wen Qingci slowly opened the medicine box, and a row of porcelain bottles were neatly arranged there.
"This is the antidote that the eldest prince needs to take every month, as well as some medicine for injuries..." Wen Qingci paused for a moment, raised his eyes and said to Eunuch Xian, "The eldest prince left in a hurry today and was unable to bring the medicine with him. So I would like to ask Eunuch Xian to find someone to deliver these medicines to the eldest prince for me."
Eunuch Xian paused for a moment, then slowly laughed, "Of course, of course! Such an important antidote cannot be forgotten."
The old eunuch's eyes were cloudy, hiding all his thoughts in them.
I didn't expect Wen Qingci to have more conscience than he appeared.
Having served the emperor for so many years and observing his changes, the virtuous eunuch had long realized that the emperor's condition had reached its limit.
I should make other plans.
During this period, while eunuch Xian was trying to calm the emperor and prevent him from noticing anything unusual, he was also carefully observing the people around him, especially the princes.
The current emperor has four sons in total.
Among them, the fourth prince was too young, and his mother Wen Zhaoyuan's family, the Zhong'an Marquis Mansion, was involved in the aristocratic rebellion a while ago.
Some died, some were exiled, and everything was defeated overnight.
Even Wen Zhaoyuan herself was sent to another imperial temple to become a nun because of a few words from Concubine Lan.
The Fourth Prince is now being raised in turn by several other concubines who have little power and presence.
He was obviously not to be counted on.
As for the third prince, he is even more of a hopeless case.
After much thought, I still have to choose between the Second Prince and Xie Bufeng.
In the eyes of most people, Xie Guanzhi was just temporarily down and out.
There is no need to say much about his ability and prestige.
If the emperor died suddenly, he would be the most likely person to be pushed onto the throne by the court officials.
As for Xie Bufeng... Concubine Lan's methods are much more clever than Concubine Hui's. Although her family is not as prominent as it used to be, it is still a big family, at least much stronger than the Jingzhao Yin who was just exiled.
If he is really lucky, he will come back alive from the battlefield.
Then it is not impossible for him to succeed to the throne.
In short, after observing for such a while, Eunuch Xian finally focused his attention on Xie Bufeng and Xie Guanzhi.
Now that Wen Qingci has brought it up, Eunuch Xian will naturally do him a favor and help him.
Although we don’t know what happened behind the scenes, we can see that these two princes have a good relationship with Wen Qingci.
In this case, it would be beneficial for me to have a good relationship with Wen Qingci, with no harm in sight.
Eunuch Xian took the medicine very solemnly.
He saw that all these porcelain bottles were labeled with the efficacy, usage and dosage written in fine tiny calligraphy.
Eunuch Xian had watched Wen Qingci write medical records for several months, so he recognized at a glance that the handwriting on the label was not Wen Qingci's.
As if he could read his doubts, after handing over the medicine, Wen Qingci coughed twice and said, "By the way, when you ask someone to deliver the medicine, please don't say that I prepared these medicines for injuries."
If he said he prepared it himself, Xie Bufeng would probably not even glance at it like he did just now.
He paused for a moment and said, "Just say it was sent by Concubine Lan."
"Okay!" Eunuch Xian agreed immediately.
The old eunuch was very thoughtful. He vaguely guessed Wen Qingci's thoughts and said, "The military affairs at the border are all about major events, and it is difficult to tell the status of Your Highness from them. However, we happen to have a few acquaintances in the army. If Mr. Wen needs it, we can ask someone to write a letter about Your Highness's recent situation and send it to him."
Wen Qingci never liked owing favors to others.
But he understood that the things that Eunuch Xian had just said could only be done by him, as the emperor's confidant, in the entire Taishu Palace.
"Then I would like to thank you, eunuch," Wen Qingci nodded gently at him, paused and said, "If you have any questions..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the old eunuch with a smile.
Eunuch Xian shook his head slowly, approached Wen Qingci and said, "Mr. Wen, please don't be polite to our family. It will be fine as long as you can remember us in the future."
After saying that, he drank the tea in his hand.
—
The emperor's joy and relief from seeing Xie Bufeng off did not last long.
In the afternoon, Wen Qingci was called to his cabin again.
The person who came to call him this time was Eunuch Zhao: "… Your Majesty was just sleeping, and his body suddenly twitched for some reason. It looked really scary. Doctor Wen, please come and take a look." His tone was quite urgent.
Muscle twitching is also a symptom of chronic mercury poisoning.
Thinking of this, Wen Qingci couldn't help but look at the eunuch again.
I don’t know how much Eunuch Zhao, who is in charge of lighting the incense, knows.
However, after taking several heavy doses, the emperor's muscle twitching symptoms gradually disappeared over time.
But ever since I stopped taking the Convolvulus Pill last time, the symptoms not only came back but also showed signs of getting worse.
The other imperial doctors were helpless as usual, and only after Wen Qingci's acupuncture did the emperor's condition improve slightly.
Therefore, Wen Qingci became the emperor's life-saving straw.
While communicating with Eunuch Zhao about the emperor's symptoms, Wen Qingci quickly walked into the cabin.
The emperor didn't want anyone to see him sick, so the bright yellow bed curtains fell as usual, leaving only his wrists exposed, while he waited for the imperial physician to come and take his pulse.
Wen Qingci quickly put the medicine box aside, stepped forward and placed his hand on the emperor's pulse.
Before he could figure out the cause of the disease, he suddenly heard the sound of hurried footsteps.
Two men wearing straw raincoats were brought over by the eunuchs.
He knelt on the ground with a nervous look on his face, his body shaking constantly.
"Your Majesty, the person has been stopped and brought back."
"Okay..." the emperor said slowly, "Call Concubine Lan as well."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Having worked beside him for so long, Wen Qingci had already developed the habit of not looking too much or asking too many questions.
Ever since he heard the word "Lan Fei", his nerves became tense, but his hands did not stop moving for a moment.
Wen Qingci stabbed the emperor's arm with a silver needle.
The other person's muscles, which had been twitching and shaking, finally slowly calmed down.
The ship was already large, not to mention it was raining heavily outside.
After a long while, Concubine Lan was finally brought in.
Such a big thing happened today, even she looked unhappy.
“… I pay my respects to Your Majesty.” With the help of the palace maid, Concubine Lan slowly knelt down.
"Um… "
The emperor's voice came from behind the bed curtain after a long while, but he did not mean to ask Concubine Lan to get up.
The cabin fell silent again.
The flow of time also slowed down at this time.
Just when Wen Qingci couldn't help but wonder whether the emperor had fallen asleep inside, his voice finally came from behind the bed curtains.
"Take out everything." the emperor ordered.
"yes."
Several guards came forward, escorted the two men in straw raincoats down, and took out two packages from under the thick raincoats.
Then he took the things apart in a few seconds.
Wen Qingci's heart couldn't help but fall...
The emperor slowly retracted his hand from the bed curtain. He sighed and said helplessly, "Although Xie Bufeng is a prince, he is no different from an ordinary soldier when he goes to the battlefield. He must not be treated specially."
As he spoke, his voice became stern: "Lan Fei, look at what you are doing! Do you still take me seriously?!"
The package then opened, revealing a pile of common medicines and several thick clothes.
Seeing this, Concubine Lan immediately kowtowed and apologized: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I just... "
Love your son dearly.
These four words were on the tip of her tongue, but Concubine Lan found it difficult to say them.
After Xie Bufeng entered the palace, the two of them had been keeping their distance and pretending not to be familiar with each other. What they did today would definitely make the emperor suspicious.
But... Although it is summer now, the temperature in the north is still not high.
Xie Bufeng was suddenly sent away without any preparation. As a mother, Concubine Lan could not sit idly by.
There was indeed a hint of displeasure in the emperor's voice.
He found a justifiable reason for himself: "Even if he is my son, he must use the same medicine as the soldiers, eat and live together. Others can endure such suffering, so why can't he?"
Wen Qingci, who was standing aside with his head lowered, bit his lips silently.
The emperor said this, why didn't he go to the battlefield and eat and live with the soldiers? He was very good at being generous to others.
What's more, as far as Wen Qingci knew, before going to the battlefield, soldiers would spend a long time preparing in their hometown.
The army of the Wei Dynasty was only issued armor, and the cotton clothes worn under the armor were all brought by the soldiers from their homes.
—It’s true for both soldiers and generals.
However, this scene reminded Wen Qingci that he should perhaps buy some cotton clothes and send them to Xie Bufeng.
The emperor simply made his thoughts clear.
He didn't want to train Xie Bufeng at all, he simply wanted to kill Xie Bufeng.
I didn't even want the boy to live any longer.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look at the virtuous eunuch standing on the other side of the emperor.
The old eunuch nodded slowly at him.
—The two men just decided to wait a few days until the emperor has almost forgotten about this matter before sending someone to the north.
The emperor probably had expected that Concubine Lan would do this, so he kept staring at her.
Before the two men in straw raincoats could catch up with Xie Bufeng, they were brought back by the emperor's men.
However, he obviously did not expect that in addition to Concubine Lan, Wen Qingci also did the same.
He even cooperated with the Xian Gonggong...
The emperor on the other side of the bed curtain pretended to be a strict father as usual.
He told the people around him, "Since Xie Bufeng is going there for training, he must not lie. You all need to keep an eye on Concubine Lan and don't let her do such a thing again!"
"… If it happens again, we will all be punished together."
"Yes." The eunuchs and palace maids around all knelt down on the ground, breaking out in cold sweats.
Seeing this scene, Wen Qingci couldn't help but feel fortunate.
Fortunately, the person I first found was the virtuous eunuch. If I had found Concubine Lan, it would not only be troublesome but also easy to be exposed...
The farce finally ended.
Concubine Lan was brought back to her residence, and after the acupuncture, Wen Qingci also walked out of the cabin holding an umbrella.
The heavy rain was still falling, and the Yinchuan Grand Canal was shrouded in fog. At first glance, you couldn't even see where the river bank was.
A misty wind blew over, and Wen Qingci started coughing uncontrollably again.
A tingling sensation spread throughout his chest and lungs, and he subconsciously put the handkerchief to his lips.
The next moment, the originally white silk handkerchief was soaked red with blood.
I don’t know where Xie Bufeng is now. Is he walking all the way or has he found a place to hide from the rain
This is the heaviest rain in Wei Dynasty this summer.
Continuous dark clouds covered more than ten counties.
The rumbling thunder continued all day.
After all, the speed of the ship is a little slow. The messengers who delivered military reports recently all came by land on fast horses, and of course they did the same when they returned.
More than twenty horses galloped through the valley. The rain here was as heavy as on the canal.
The dirt official road became muddy due to heavy rain.
One of the horses was running when it was tripped by something. It neighed and fell heavily to the ground.
Even the soldiers on horseback were thrown off.
His body trembled twice, followed by a painful groan.
The whole team also stopped.
One of them wiped the rain off his face with his hands and shouted to the others: "Why don't we stop for today? The rain is too heavy!"
"Not to mention that the horse can't run, if there are gravel rolling down, it will cause a disaster—"
His voice was shattered by the heavy rain, and when it fell into everyone's ears, it seemed extremely unreal.
After saying this, the man jumped off his horse and helped the soldier who had fallen to the ground, but the fast horse was still neighing on the ground.
"That's true... but we don't know how long it will take for the rain to stop. If it doesn't stop, will we just stop moving forward? These military orders are all time-limited. If there's a delay, we won't be able to take responsibility!" Another soldier retorted hesitantly.
Because of the rain and mud, the line was much longer.
As the man spoke, the last few horses caught up.
Everyone's eyes involuntarily fell on the young man...
The heavy rain wet Xie Bufeng's black hair and tight clothes. His amber eyes were even colder than the heavy rain at that moment.
He cut through the rain like a sharp blade.
"Keep going," Xie Bufeng said coldly without even pulling the reins, "Leave one person to take the wounded back to the fleet."
After he finished speaking, he continued walking forward without looking back.
Everyone knew that Xie Bufeng would never return from this trip.
But he was the prince after all, and everyone had to obey his orders.
The few of them looked at each other, then rode forward through the rain again.
At the same time, he couldn't help but think in his heart... The aura around Xie Bufeng was totally unlike that of a young boy who had lived in the imperial mausoleum since childhood and was spoiled.
On the contrary, at this moment they all unexpectedly sensed a natural aura of a general in Xie Bufeng.
It has been more than three hours since he left the fleet, but from the moment he left Wen Qingci until now, Xie Bufeng has never looked back...
The heavy rain is still falling.
A tear slid down from the corner of the boy's eye, and the next moment it merged into the rain, disappearing without a trace.
The sky was filled with fog and no one noticed Xie Bufeng's slightly red eyes.
Xie Bufeng gritted his teeth and urged his horse forward.
He couldn't help but lower his eyes and smiled self-deprecatingly...
The boy slowly loosened the reins and gently touched the woolen bracelet hidden under the clothes on his wrist.
When Xie Bufeng set off, he asked the soldiers for a bandage to wrap it tightly around the wound.
Fortunately, it's still dry.
He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
I should hate Wen Qingci, but I couldn't help but think of his gentleness back then.
never mind.
I'm going to die anyway. What's the use of rationality for a dying person
It was raining heavily.
Xie Bufeng let himself go and fell into longing against his will.
(End of this chapter)