The time in confinement seemed exceptionally long; the huge Taishu Palace was nothing more than an exquisite cage.
Wen Qingci, who was in the midst of it, even lost a clear concept of the passage of time and seasons.
The days were divided into small segments by the battle reports coming in from the north.
No one in the Wei Dynasty, from officials to common people, had ever thought that their army would achieve such a great victory.
The atmosphere in the court and the country became heated because of this, except for the most honorable person in Taishu Palace, who remained lifeless.
"Your Majesty, this is the latest battle report from the north—" The guard wearing soft armor knelt on one knee on the cold floor of Ninghe Palace.
He carefully raised the battle report with both hands, and finally glanced secretly at the man sitting on the throne.
The emperor raised his eyes and looked at him: "Speak."
"…Your Highness's men," the guard said after a pause, "have already reached the royal court of Beidi."
In contrast to Xie Bufeng himself, the emperor hated others calling Xie Bufeng "general" in his ears.
Therefore, although Xie Bufeng's military rank was clearly written on the battle report, what the guards read out became "Your Highness".
Hearing this, the emperor laughed coldly: "Well, well, he is indeed capable... He actually reached there."
The war between the Central Plains Dynasty and the Northern Di has lasted intermittently for thousands of years.
It’s not that no one had ever attacked the Northern Di royal court, but that was many years ago.
The emperor seemed to be praising Xie Bufeng, but his fake smile was even more frightening.
The emperor made no comment on the report of the great victory, but instead said, "Bring me the defense maps of Yongdu and Taishu Palace."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The guard slowly breathed a sigh of relief and handed over the wax-sealed defense map in his hand.
The incense in the Ninghe Hall is still burning quietly.
Seven or eight incense burners of different sizes and shapes are hidden in every corner of the hall. The mixed smells are so fragrant that they are pungent.
The young eunuch standing behind the emperor couldn't help but frown when he smelled the odor.
—Usually at this time, the virtuous eunuch would always be by the emperor's side, but since when, he began to neglect the old eunuch who had been with him for decades and promoted newcomers instead.
But all this seems particularly insignificant compared to other things that have happened in Yongdu in recent times.
The cough and blood on the corner of Wen Qingci's lips seemed to confirm to the emperor that he was poisoned.
Before the guard went to Wen Qingci's residence, the emperor had actually hinted to Eunuch Xian to send someone to bring Wen Qingci to the palace.
But the eunuch always evaded the question by saying, "Wen Qingci has fallen into a coma due to poisoning and his body is not suited to excessive exertion."
In the eyes of the emperor, all this seemed to be an attempt by Eunuch Xian to curry favor with Wen Qingci.
How could the emperor allow such a thing to happen under his nose?
Therefore, although Eunuch Xian did not receive any punishment, it did not change the fact that the emperor disliked him more and more.
Everything that has happened in recent times is reminding him that it is time to promote new "confidants".
—The guard who brought Wen Qingci to the palace that day was one of the newcomers selected by the emperor.
The emperor was slow in handling military reports, but he was extremely efficient and decisive in doing things like this.
He promoted a group of young, ambitious people with no background from the garrisons of Taishu Palace and Yongdu, and formed a team called "Hengxinwei" to serve as his personal guards and ceremonial guards.
And within a few months, they gradually took over the security of the entire imperial city.
The war in the north has not yet ended, but he has already begun to be wary of Xie Bufeng.
The current emperor may not care much about court affairs, but he is particularly focused on maintaining his position.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly. Wen Qingci, wearing a cloak, sat in the small courtyard of the Imperial Medical Bureau, reading a book.
The breeze lifted his long hair, drawing a shallow mark in the air, and a snow-white rabbit was jumping around at his feet.
Wen Qingci was already a sight just sitting there.
In such an environment, even Heng Xinwei, who was not far away and was always watching him, couldn't help but breathe lightly and dared not disturb him.
The courtyard was quiet, and Wen Qingci's cough seemed even more harsh.
He casually picked up a silk handkerchief and placed it against his lips, and what he saw was another blinding scarlet color.
Wen Qingci glanced at the thing in his hand indifferently, then threw it into the burning incense burner on the side. The next moment, it turned into ashes and disappeared without a trace, leaving no trace at all.
Wen Qingci's eyelashes drooped slightly, and he looked listless.
Against the backdrop of his pale face, his lips, which had just coughed up blood, became even redder.
At this moment, weakness and fatigue were written all over his face, but this not only did not diminish his elegance, but instead gave him a sense of decadent beauty.
Wen Qingci slowly closed the medical book in his hand and stood up from under the magnolia tree.
From beginning to end, his left hand hung quietly by his side.
The Tianci poison had already had an impact on his body, not to mention that Wen Qingci had been tormenting himself in recent times. Unknowingly, his illness had become more and more serious.
Although he is a doctor, due to his special physical condition, Wen Qingci can only do his best to recuperate.
After a long time, I simply stopped paying attention to my body.
He was about to leave when he suddenly heard footsteps not far away.
"Mr. Wen, Mr. Wen!" A girl wearing a light blue palace dress and with her hair combed into two small buns came running over, and she seemed to be holding something in her hand.
"Your Highness, Princess, please slow down!" The wet nurse followed her breathlessly.
The moment he saw the person coming, Wen Qingci's eyes suddenly became gentle.
Xie Fuyin was young and had short hair. Although the palace maid tried her best to comb her hair, it became slightly loose after she ran a few steps, revealing a few stubborn curls.
"Why is Your Highness here?" Wen Qingci hurriedly leaned over and asked her with a smile.
"Here, here's a gift for you!" Xie Fuyin was less than two years old, but her articulation was already very clear among children of the same age.
After saying this, the little girl slowly opened her palms.
It turned out that what she was holding in her hand was a bunch of unknown wild flowers.
The light purple petals are not even as big as a fingernail and have no fragrance. They are completely incomparable to the rare flowers and trees in the imperial garden, but they have a kind of stubborn beauty.
Xie Fuyin's face flushed slightly. The little girl was a little embarrassed, but also a little expectant as she said, "I picked this myself... I gave it to my mother, to Sister Ming Liu, and to Mr. Wen!"
After saying this, he secretly raised his eyes and glanced at Wen Qingci.
Seeing this scene, the nanny behind laughed softly.
This little guy Xie Fuyin is not only a little vain, but also likes beautiful people.
She was clamoring in the palace all day long to see the "handsome Mr. Wen" in the Imperial Medical Bureau.
The sunlight fell into Xie Fuyin's eyes.
Her amber eyes were clear and bright. Wen Qingci paused and slowly took the flower from her hand.
"Thank you, Princess."
"No thanks, no thanks!" Xie Fuyin retreated behind the wet nurse embarrassedly, but at the same time he couldn't help but secretly glanced at Wen Qingci.
She didn't know that Wen Qingci was in poor health, nor did she know that he had just coughed up blood. She only knew that Wen Qingci's lips were light red today, and he seemed to look better than usual.
Wen Qingci smiled, turned around, took out a porcelain vase from the side, and carefully put the flowers he had just received into it.
Finally, I added a little water and kept it here.
I don't know when Xie Fuyin came over curiously.
At this moment, the rabbit that had just jumped away appeared in the sight of several people again.
Seeing this, the little girl immediately became interested.
Xie Fuyin exclaimed "Wow" excitedly, then squatted down and carefully touched the rabbit's head.
The white rabbit didn't know where it had rolled just now, and there were some mud and grass scraps on its body.
Seeing Xie Fuyin directly touching it, the nurse was also shocked by her: "Your Highness, treat it as the heart!"
"It's okay, it's okay!" Xie Fuyin giggled and refused to let go no matter what was said.
Wen Qingci stood up and looked at the scene in front of him with a smile.
If Xie Bufeng was not regarded as a monster, would he have grown up to have a personality like Xie Fuyin and be as happy as her every day?
Children can be incredibly destructive.
But in just a few minutes, Xie Fuyin made a mess of the place, and the rabbit was chased around.
The nurse who followed behind her turned around a little embarrassedly and said, "We are so sorry, Mr. Wen, that we always come here to disturb you."
Wen Qingci smiled but before he could say anything, Xie Fuyin, who was chasing a rabbit, turned around with a pout and said, "I'm not like my elder sister and second sister. I can't play with each other. It's really boring to stay in Huixin Palace all day."
Her tone was a little frustrated.
—Of course, there was more than one princess named Xie Fuyin in Taishu Palace. It was just that the others were never valued by the emperor. In addition, their mother was not very favored, so they never had much sense of existence.
The "eldest sister" and "second sister" mentioned by Xie Fuyin were born to the same concubine and grew up together.
After saying that, Xie Fuyin couldn't help but say with regret: "... I don't know when my brother will come back."
She had long lost her memory of Xie Bufeng, but she learned from the conversations with people around her that she had a biological brother who was currently killing enemies on the battlefield.
Xie Fuyin had previously sought to play with the Fourth Prince, but the latter thought she was too young and refused to take her.
So thinking of this, Xie Fuyin suddenly looked up with some distress and asked: "Mr. Wen, do you think my brother will play with me?"
Wen Qingci's heart suddenly trembled.
He smiled and nodded gently to Xie Fuyin: "Of course... When Your Highness was little, His Highness loved to hold you in his arms."
Wen Qingci didn't know that his expression became more gentle when he said this.
"Mr. Wen, do you know what kind of person my brother is?"
Like Wen Qingci, Concubine Lan also had many more attendants around her.
Although she was not kept a close eye on all the time, Concubine Lan, who had always been very cautious, became even more cautious.
She rarely mentioned anything about Xie Bufeng to Xie Fuyin.
Sure enough, as soon as Xie Fuyin finished speaking, all the guards nearby turned their eyes over.
Being stared at by so many cold eyes, Wen Qingci remained calm.
"I know." Wen Qingci smiled and thought carefully. Seeing this, Xie Fuyin stopped chasing the rabbit.
"He... is a very good person, a very good brother. His Highness was born to be an excellent general, a hero of the Wei Dynasty, and is admired and worshipped by countless people," Wen Qingci looked into Xie Fuyin's amber eyes and said to her, "Your Highness should also be proud of him."
Wen Qingci's tone and look were extremely serious when he spoke, and there was no sign of him coaxing a child at all.
After saying that, he paused and then smiled and said, "Princess, please remember that His Highness loves you too."
Hearing this, even Xie Fuyin became serious. She nodded very solemnly: "Okay!"
The girl's eyes were clear and bright. Although she had never left Yongdu, she didn't know what the north looked like, and she didn't understand the meaning of war, but at this moment she seemed to follow Wen Qingci's gaze and see the dazzling young man.
The scene he saw in Changyuan Town that day suddenly appeared in Wen Qingci's mind.
In a trance, he seemed to see the heavy snow flying like goose feathers again, and the young man wearing black armor and riding a horse in the snow.
Countless people cheered and shouted his name.
The bonfire outside the city that day seemed to never go out.
The guards who were watching all looked unhappy, and the wet nurse couldn't help but feel scared.
"All right, Princess. Don't you want to play with the rabbit? Go quickly." In her haste, she didn't care whether she was dirty or not.
"Ah~rabbit!" Xie Fuyin finally remembered this.
She turned around and saw the plump, white rabbit raised by Wen Qingci jumping around in the yard.
Xie Fuyin immediately lifted the hem of her skirt and trotted over there, hoping to catch the rabbit at this time.
Her movements were so fast that even the wet nurse and the other palace maids who followed her were unable to react.
However, no matter how skillful Xie Fuyin's movements were, she was just a child after all.
There was green grass planted in the courtyard of the Imperial Medical Bureau, and a few bluestone slabs were laid on the grass to serve as roads.
After years of being trampled on, the patterns on the bluestone slabs have been worn away completely.
It rained a little last night, and the flagstones became a little slippery.
At this time, Xie Fuyin was holding up the edge of her skirt with both hands, and her peripheral vision could not see her feet.
Before she could react, her body suddenly lost balance and fell to one side.
"Ouch—" the little girl couldn't help but exclaimed and closed her eyes subconsciously.
The wet nurse and palace maid on the side widened their eyes and rushed over immediately.
"Your Highness, be careful!!!"
"Princess!"
But they were still a step slow.
Just as Xie Fuyin’s head was about to hit the ground, Wen Qingci, who was not far away, pointed his toes and floated over like a wisp of mist in an instant.
Wen Qingci reached out and wanted to pull Xie Fuyin up before she fell to the ground.
But as soon as he raised his arm, the unignorable numbness and pain spread along the bones and throughout his entire arm.
Wen Qingci's left hand fell heavily as if it had been struck by lightning.
He subconsciously wanted to stretch his fingers, but then he found that his hands had lost consciousness at some point and were completely out of control.
Wen Qingci could only turn around immediately and hug Xie Fuyin in his arms.
The two of them fell heavily onto the bluestone slab.
Xie Fuyin’s body was soft, but the girl with good food still had some weight.
After Wen Qingci fell, his entire back and waist began to ache.
He opened his mouth to ask if Xie Fuyin had fallen, but before he could say anything, he started coughing violently.
The palace maid finally ran here and helped them stand up.
Xie Fuyin was frightened and stood there crying loudly.
But before she could cry twice, she saw the blood on Wen Qingci's lips that he had not had time to cover.
Xie Fuyin was completely stunned here, and even stopped crying: "Wen, Mr. Wen, what's wrong with you?"
The little girl looked at Wen Qingci with red eyes.
"Ahem... It's okay." After standing up, Wen Qingci forced a smile at Xie Fuyin, trying to comfort her.
But the little girl didn't buy it: "But your mouth is bleeding..."
Xie Fuyin sniffed, his eyes red with guilt, and said in a nasal voice: "I'm sorry, Mr. Wen, I, I... shouldn't have caught the little rabbit."
The little girl broke free from her nurse's arms and ran over.
Before Wen Qingci understood what she meant, Xie Fuyin reached out and carefully rubbed Wen Qingci's left arm that was hanging by his side.
"Mr. Wen, what's wrong with your hand?" Xie Fuyin looked up and asked him.
Wen Qingci: “…”
He didn't expect that Xie Fuyin actually noticed the problem with his left hand.
Before catching a cold on the canal, Wen Qingci's left hand was at best unable to lift heavy objects. But after that ordeal and the bumpy ride to the north, after returning to Taishu Palace, his left hand was almost as good as useless...
Wen Qingci's left arm hung at his side, unable to move.
Not only that, but it became extremely cold sensitive and was in pain almost all day and night.
Wide robes with large sleeves were popular in the Wei Dynasty, so it was difficult for ordinary people to see the activities of his men.
In addition, the injury was to the left hand, which would not be exposed by writing or acupuncture.
So Wen Qingci had been hiding very well during this period, and almost no one noticed that there was something wrong with his hand.
Until just now, it was caught by the sharp-eyed Xie Fuyin.
Although the girl is young, she is obviously not someone who can be easily fooled.
The pair of bright amber eyes stared at Wen Qingci quietly... innocent, serious and stubborn.
Wen Qingci leaned down, smiled gently at Xie Fuyin, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "My arm has been slightly injured, and I can't move."
As expected, Xie Fuyin, who was not easy to fool, asked, "But aren't you a doctor?"
Wen Qingci smiled and said to her: "Doctors can't cure all diseases and injuries."
Xie Fuyin nodded, not quite understanding: "Then why was Mr. Wen injured?"
Her voice was hoarse and nasal, and only the two of them could hear this conversation.
"I caught a cold some time ago."
"Cold?"
"I took some cold water," Wen Qingci finally found a way to change the subject, "so Your Highness, remember to avoid cold water."
“Is that so…” The little girl finally pursed her lips and stopped asking questions.
Seeing this, Wen Qingci couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He also lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear, and said, "This is a secret between His Highness and me. Please remember not to tell anyone else."
The word "secret" can especially touch the hearts of children.
Hearing Wen Qingci's words, Xie Fuyin immediately nodded and solemnly agreed: "Of course, of course!"
A breeze blew over, carrying fallen leaves.
Their secrets were also wrapped in it.
—
The appearance of "Heng Xinwei" made the emperor feel a little better to a certain extent.
His physical symptoms wax and wane, but generally speaking they are manageable.
When he was not ill, the emperor looked like a normal middle-aged man.
But his biggest problem has never been physical but mental.
Although no one inside or outside the Taishu Palace dared to say it openly, everyone knew that the emperor's "madness" was becoming more and more serious.
He was originally good at pretending to be a wise ruler, but now he could no longer control his emotions.
It was clear that more than a year ago he was just a little irritable in private and would occasionally break cups and glasses.
But now he can hardly control his emotions even in the court.
“Doctor Wen—” The young eunuch ran into the Imperial Medical Office breathlessly. While adjusting his breathing, he hurriedly said to Wen Qingci, “You should go to Baiqiao Tower to check it out! His Majesty, His Majesty, he seems…”
He was clearly in a hurry just now, but he suddenly fell silent when he said this.
Wen Qingci put down the pen in his hand and stood up.
"What happened to him, Your Majesty?"
The young eunuch looked around and finally, as if he had made up his mind, lowered his voice and said to him, "Your Majesty, his... that old illness seems to have come back again."
The "old illness" mentioned by the eunuch refers to hysteria, which is a general term for mental illness in this era.
The emperor himself refused to admit that he had any mental problems, so Wen Qingci, the imperial physician, never wrote so in the medical records.
However, everyone inside and outside the court had long assumed that the emperor was suffering from hysteria.
"Okay, take me there."
"yes!"
The young eunuch quickly turned around and took Wen Qingci to his destination.
On the way, he said, "I don't know which gentleman said something that angered His Majesty... Just now, His Majesty was in court when he suddenly became furious and the court was interrupted."
The morning court session was forced to be interrupted. It seemed that the emperor had indeed gone too crazy.
"… We originally thought that His Majesty was going to go back to the Ninghe Hall to rest, but somehow, he ended up going to the Baiqiao Building. Then he was talking in the empty building, hysterically not letting anyone get close to him, and… he also fined a bunch of adults."
Wen Qingci understood that the young eunuch came to him to find a way to calm the emperor down.
The few of them walked very quickly and arrived outside Baiqiao Building in just a few minutes.
Perhaps because the emperor was particularly crazy this time, the Hengxin guards who were guarding outside the building said nothing after seeing Wen Qingci and let him in.
The door of Baiqiao Tower was slightly open.
Before he could push the door open and walk into the building, a familiar voice reached his ears.
The emperor looked up at the flower-painted patio on the top of Baiqiao Tower, took a big step back as if he were hallucinating, and then suddenly said to the void in a trembling voice: "... Ning Yuzhao, are you, are you going to take my life again?"
(End of this chapter)