Although it was not as cold as in the north, it rained for half a month before and after the Qingming Festival, and the temperature in Yongdu dropped back down. The brick and stone floor was filled with chill.
As soon as Wen Qingci arrived at Taishu Palace, he was taken to Ninghe Hall.
It was smoky here, and the air was as choking as ever.
After the ceremony, the emperor, who was sitting at the top, never asked him to stand up, as if he hadn't heard Wen Qingci's words at all.
The cold air came up along the knees, little by little, but after a long time it seeped into the bones, turning into an unignorable pain that spread throughout the body.
Wen Qingci's left hand lost sensation again.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed that the person on the throne was reviewing memorials with his eyes lowered, pursing his lips from time to time, and seemed to be in a very bad mood.
The emperor frowned from time to time, or muttered something in a low voice. He seemed to be so fascinated by what he saw that he completely forgot that there was someone kneeling in the Ninghe Hall.
But having worked with him for such a long time, Wen Qingci was used to this routine.
The emperor was trying to intimidate me and wait for me to beg for mercy.
Perhaps because he vaguely knew the hatred between him and the original owner, although Wen Qingci understood the emperor's intention, he just knelt there motionless, looking as if he wanted to continue to fight with him like this.
Seeing that he seemed to think he had done nothing wrong, the emperor's brows furrowed even more.
“… The issues in Changyuan Town have not been resolved yet, how come the South is also in chaos now!”
No one knew what was written on the memorial in his hand, but the emperor became angrier and angrier as he spoke. In the end, he just waved his sleeves and swept away everything on the desk.
A sharp sound suddenly came from the Ninghe Hall.
The palace maids and eunuchs standing by all knelt on the ground, not daring to make a sound.
As the emperor moved, the porcelain cup filled with hot tea broke into pieces.
In an instant, the scalding tea and broken porcelain pieces splashed out.
A little of it happened to splash onto the back of Wen Qingci's hand, leaving a red mark.
His body shook heavily.
The doors and windows of the Ninghe Hall were wide open, and the cold wind blew towards Wen Qingci from all directions.
In a moment, the remaining warmth from his body was taken away.
Wen Qingci felt a familiar tingling sensation between his chest and back, which quickly turned into pain. He finally couldn't resist the urge to cough.
The pain in his lungs affected the muscles in his waist and abdomen. It was difficult for him to even straighten his back and kneel here.
He rarely had such embarrassing moments.
The intermittent coughing broke the tranquility of Ninghe Hall.
The emperor, who had been pretending to review memorials, finally looked up at him at this moment.
After a long journey, Wen Qingci had already reached his limit.
The emperor raised his eyes and saw dark red blood flowing from his lips like a small snake and swimming into his collar.
He didn't know when his face turned extremely pale, and he really looked like someone who had just recovered from a serious illness.
Is Wen Qingci vomiting blood
Seeing this scene, the emperor finally slowly put down the red pen in his hand.
Wen Qingci forced himself to stop coughing, but the blood on his lips wouldn't stop.
The bitter fragrance unknowingly filled the entire Ninghe Hall.
Although he didn't mean that, the blood on his lips still slightly soothed the emperor's suspicion.
Maybe Wen Qingci was really poisoned.
The emperor thought so in his heart, but he did not show it at all on his face.
The emperor seemed to be alerted by the cough and finally realized that Wen Qingci was here, and he slowly smiled at him.
"My dear, you are here."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The emperor nodded, and then said with a fake smile: "I heard that you were poisoned some time ago... As an imperial physician, you must have no shortage of rare medicinal herbs. After thinking it over, it seems that I can only keep you in the palace temporarily and let someone take care of you and let you recuperate."
Hearing this, Wen Qingci bowed and thanked him as if he didn't know the real purpose of his action: "I thank the Lord for his great grace."
Judging from the sky, he had been in Ninghe Hall for nearly an hour.
But from beginning to end, Wen Qingci never saw the figure of Eunuch Xian beside the emperor.
Instead, the guard who brought him here was standing in front with a smug look on his face.
Obviously, the fact that Eunuch Xian did not bring himself with him when he went to the palace several times aroused the emperor's suspicion or dissatisfaction.
However, after seeing this scene, Wen Qingci actually felt relieved.
Unlike himself who had only been in Taishu Palace for a year, Eunuch Xian had been by the emperor's side for many years and had been observing him all the time. He understood the emperor better than himself and was more realistic.
If the eunuch wanted to, he could have completely removed himself from this matter.
The virtuous eunuch directly admitted the punishment...which was actually a form of surrender.
He realized that the emperor was doomed and completely stood on his side, or the prince's side.
The guard who brought Wen Qingci forward saluted and said, "Your Majesty, the health of the Hanlin Master is indeed not good. I think it would be better to send a few people to accompany the Hanlin Master just in case."
"That's right," the emperor said to him after a pause, "find four or five people to follow him, and you can also add a few more guards from the Imperial Medical Bureau."
The guard glanced at Wen Qingci nonchalantly, then turned around and saluted: "Yes, Your Majesty."
The cold wind wrapped the green smoke from the incense burner and brought it to Wen Qingci.
At this moment, his deep gaze was obscured.
On the fifth day after Wen Qingci returned to Yongdu, the battle report from the north finally arrived.
He happened to be taking the emperor's pulse at that time.
After reading the battle report, the emperor was furious.
His muscles kept twitching that night, and even acupuncture couldn't calm him down.
But this is just the beginning.
In the days that followed, reports of great victories in the North flew here like snowflakes without stopping.
The emperor finally realized how bad of a move he had made previously, and that Xie Bufeng was not as simple as he had originally thought.
The military merit policy has not been abolished yet, but Xie Bufeng has already reached the highest position where there is no limit to his achievements thanks to one victory after another.
—
On the surface, Wen Qingci could move freely in Taishu Palace, no different from usual.
In fact, within just one day, there were suddenly many more pairs of eyes around him.
The guards watched his every move closely, looking at him like a prisoner.
Wen Qingci lost almost all his freedom.
In order to reduce trouble, Wen Qingci usually stayed in the Imperial Medical Bureau and would only go out when the emperor asked him to take his pulse.
His life, at first glance, seemed very peaceful.
But only those who are in it know that the air around him seems to have turned into boiling water.
It may seem calm on the surface, but in fact it has the power to burn people.
Sometimes Wen Qingci didn't have a chance to say a word for several days in a row.
Only Yu Guanlin would sometimes chat with him.
"… It's almost May," Yu Guanlin stroked his beard with a smile after talking to Wen Qingci about the prescription. He glanced at the weeping willows in the distance and said softly, "After this birthday, I will be seventy-five."
Wen Qingci put down the book in his hand and looked at Yu Guanlin.
The Wei Dynasty emphasized "refusal", and officials were slow in retiring.
It usually takes two to three years from submitting a resignation to returning home with one's wife and children.
Wen Qingci remembered that Yu Guanlin had mentioned this matter when he first came here, and now, he is finally going to take action.
"Congratulations, Imperial Doctor Yu," Wen Qingci said with a smile, "You can travel as much as you want in the future."
Yu Guanlin also laughed: "That's right, I have been a royal doctor for so many years, but I have never been to Songxiu Mansion to see the place where medicine is produced. If you have time in the future, you must take me there for a good look."
Wen Qingci knew that the other party was being polite to him, so he quickly agreed.
Before the two of them finished their conversation, footsteps were suddenly heard outside the Imperial Medical Office.
Wen Qingci subconsciously turned around to look.
—Ming Liu, who had not been seen for more than a month, appeared in the small courtyard of the Imperial Medical Bureau with a few people.
She said anxiously, "The little princess just fell down and is crying non-stop. I don't know where she fell. Doctor Yu, please go over and take a look!"
"Okay!" Hearing her say that, Yu Guanlin quickly packed up his things and stood up.
Generally speaking, when princes and princesses were injured or sick, they would come directly to him.
However, Yu Guanlin didn't expect that he had just stood up by holding the table, and before he had taken two steps, he slowly sat back down, holding his waist: "Hey... Miss Ming Liu, wait a moment."
It seemed that he got up too quickly and sprained his waist.
Yes, Yu Guanlin is already over seventy years old, so he should be careful.
Ming Liu looked a little anxious, and she subconsciously turned her gaze to Wen Qingci.
"Mr. Wen, is it convenient for you to come over?"
The news that Wen Qingci was "recuperating" in Taishu Palace had long spread throughout Yongdu.
Although his daily activities in the palace were not restricted, Concubine Lan was worried about causing trouble for Wen Qingci. In recent times, she had never contacted Wen Qingci.
After he said this, Ming Liu realized that he was a little abrupt.
But the next moment, Wen Qingci slowly stood up, holding the medicine box: "Okay, I'll go with you."
The guards looked at each other. They said nothing, nor did they stop him. They just followed Wen Qingci to their destination.
Huixin Palace still looks the same as before, except that the weeping willows planted next to it have grown a lot taller.
“… It’s okay, Your Highness. Look in the mirror. The swelling on your forehead has disappeared.” Wen Qingci handed over the bronze mirror in his hand.
Xie Fuyin, who was sobbing in his mother's arms, finally took the mirror reluctantly.
Then he looked into the bronze mirror with his amber eyes.
After making sure that the swelling on her head had subsided, she stopped crying and slowly calmed down.
Just now, Xie Fuyin accidentally fell here and got a small bump on his head.
The people in Huixin Palace tried to coax her for a long time but still didn't know why she was crying, but Wen Qingci could tell at a glance that the little girl was probably just conceited.
Xie Fuyin is only a little over one year old, but she already has a love for beauty.
Having lived with her mother since she was a child, she unconsciously became a bit spoiled and willful.
Seeing this, Wen Qingci laughed and turned around to organize the medicine box.
He didn't hate this kind of personality at all, instead he thought it was innocent and natural.
I don’t know what Xie Bufeng looked like when he was a child
The sudden thought startled Wen Qingci.
In an instant, countless images that had been suppressed in his heart emerged.
His fingers paused, and his movements couldn't help but speed up.
Children have short memories. Wen Qingci hasn't been to Huixin Palace for some time, but Xie Fuyin doesn't feel that he is strange at all.
After stopping sobbing, Xie Fuyin came over and wanted to chat with him.
The scene before him looked very heartwarming—ignore the words of the guards behind Wen Qingci who were always staring at him.
After picking up the clothes that were wrinkled by Xie Fuyin, Concubine Lan also walked over slowly with a smile, and then casually moved the incense burner that was blocking her way to the side.
At this moment, Wen Qingci saw some anxiety in her eyes.
If you count carefully, those incense pills should have expired.
Concubine Lan's eyes followed her movements and slowly fell on the incense burner at hand: "Recently... it's time to replenish the incense. I wonder if the several incense commonly used in the palace are ready."
Her tone was relaxed, just like a casual chat.
Although the two of them did not point it out last time, it was already a tacit understanding as to who made the incense pills.
The pills were about to run out, and Concubine Lan had to bring up the matter directly in front of Wen Qingci.
Seeing Concubine Lan talking to Wen Qingci, the guards immediately became nervous.
Wen Qingci's men couldn't help but pause.
He could understand Lan Fei's eagerness to avenge her family, but he still felt that she was being too impatient.
In this era, if the matter of poisoning the emperor was exposed, all nine generations of the clan would be punished.
Wen Qingci couldn't help but think... In addition to revenge, Concubine Lan might have other reasons why she had to poison the emperor immediately or make him insane.
After hearing what Concubine Lan said, Wen Qingci smiled and said calmly, "It shouldn't matter if there's one less fragrance."
Concubine Lan frowned subconsciously and looked at Wen Qingci.
What does he mean
The imperial physician, dressed in moon-white clothes, slowly picked up the packed medicine box and stood up. He smiled gently at the little princess, then turned around and said to Concubine Lan in his usual gentle tone, "The effect of these incenses is only to clear the mind or calm the spirit. Although they are useful, they are no match for medicinal herbs. Now that I'm here, you can use medicine directly if you need anything."
Wen Qingci paused and said, "Besides, it has been so long, the effect it should have has already been achieved."
After he finished speaking, he slowly nodded to Concubine Lan and said with a smile: "Your Highness's injury has been treated. I will take my leave now, Concubine Lan."
Lan Fei's heart was startled: "Okay..."
Several guards sent by the emperor kept their eyes on Wen Qingci, but in the end they could not hear anything from his words.
Seeing Wen Qingci was about to leave, they paused for a moment, and hurriedly followed Wen Qingci's footsteps and left.
However, after Wen Qing left, Concubine Lan stood there for a long time before she slowly sat down, clutching her handkerchief.
The so-called "fragrance pills" were actually poison, and they both knew it very well.
So... Wen Qingci meant that he planned to take direct action and no longer rely on incense
Lan Fei's palms suddenly broke out in cold sweat.
Perhaps it was because Wen Qingci usually behaved too gently, and she almost forgot his nickname "Fairy-faced Rakshasa".
Wen Qingci appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was actually beating in his throat.
He silently glanced at the guards following behind him, and then couldn't help but think:
The original owner must have had the murderous intention long ago, and concealed his identity to contact Concubine Lan and gave her the incense pill.
The emperor's body was irreversibly affected by the use of incense pills for a long time.
As a man who loves life, he will naturally try his best to find someone who can heal him...
From this perspective, it was almost inevitable that the original owner would enter the palace.
Wen Qingci clenched his palms little by little... Although he knew that the emperor and the original owner had a blood feud, as a modern man, he had no way to really poison and kill the emperor as the original owner had planned.
But like he said just now - it has been so long, the effect has been achieved.
The emperor had been suffering from heavy metal poisoning for many years. Even if he stopped burning incense now, he could not save his health from getting worse day by day. Countless people inside and outside the palace wanted to kill him.
It's just a matter of time.
(End of this chapter)