The complex emotions were now all hidden under the dark pupils.
Only Wen Qingci knew how complicated his mood was at this moment.
The hall was silent.
Xie Bufeng lowered his eyes and looked deeply into Wen Qingci's eyes, waiting for his answer.
Time stood still in the dim candlelight.
I don't know how much time passed, Wen Qingci slowly lowered his eyes.
Xie Bufeng's breathing stopped at this moment.
He was waiting for that answer.
But before he could react, Wen Qingci suddenly turned around.
Xie Bufeng clenched his teeth instantly, and a dull pain came from his heart.
Is Qingci still leaving
As soon as this thought came to his mind, he discovered in the next second that Wen Qingci did not go towards the palace gate.
Instead, he turned around and walked towards another candlestick at the side of the hall, then took a fire starter from the side and lit the candle.
The flame instantly ignited, swirling around the dragon-shaped candlestick.
But in the blink of an eye, the entire side hall became bright.
His eyes, accustomed to the darkness, narrowed slightly.
The slender, pale figure suddenly became warm.
A clear and gentle voice also sounded. Xie Bufeng heard that Wen Qingci said calmly: "The four steps of 'looking, listening, asking and feeling' are indispensable. Light up the lights so that we can diagnose the disease."
After he finished speaking, he turned around and picked up the medicine box that he had just placed aside.
His movements were still as graceful as I remembered.
A familiar bitter fragrance spreads at the tip of the nose.
The huge joy instantly dispelled the dull pain in Xie Bufeng's heart.
Wen Qingci did not leave.
At least he didn't leave today.
*
The dosage of medicine Xie Bufeng took was not small. Even though Wen Qingci thought that as a "latecomer" in medicine, his blood was not enough to detoxify Xie Bufeng.
From any perspective, this young emperor did not leave himself any way out.
After all, there is still poison in his body that has not been eliminated, and Xie Bufeng is not in good condition and often feels tired.
After getting the answer, he was ordered to rest by Wen Qingci, who had returned to his role as imperial physician.
At this time he began to listen.
After finishing all this, Wen Qingci finally walked through the familiar palace road of the Imperial Medical Bureau and went to the small courtyard alone.
Although he knew what kind of pill Xie Bufeng had taken, he had to figure out the ratio of the pill first in order to detoxify as quickly as possible.
Even if it is a literary and elegant poem, it is impossible to always remember its composition.
But if I remember correctly, there seems to be some record in the medical book that I brought to Yongdu.
Those books should still be in their old place...
Wen Qingci's footsteps echoed in the empty palace road, sounding particularly lonely.
But the echoes under his feet finally calmed him down a little.
After a cup of tea, Wen Qingci slowly stopped, stood in front of the familiar courtyard gate, and looked up at the tall magnolia in the courtyard.
After becoming a Hanlin, Wen Qingci also had his own residence outside the imperial palace.
But for him, this small courtyard in the Imperial Medical Bureau was his "home" during those years.
After a pause, he prepared himself mentally and finally carefully pushed open the gate and walked in.
It still retains its original appearance.
The sun is still scorching in late summer and the air is a bit dry.
The bamboo basket in the corner of the yard was filled with medicinal herbs drying in the sun, and even... it seemed like it had just been turned over not long ago.
Wen Qingci hesitated for a moment. He did not go back to his bedroom immediately, but walked towards the ear room.
The clay stove and the purple sand pot that he used to cook magnolia porridge back then are still kept here. Even in the porcelain vase on the side, there are still magnolia petals from that time.
Wen Qingci couldn't help but stretch out his hand and brush it across the stove. There wasn't even a speck of dust on his fingertips.
This situation and this scene made him have an illusion at this moment - the residual heat from the clay stove had not yet dissipated.
Stop thinking about those trivial things and get down to business!
Realizing that he was distracted, Wen Qingci quickly pulled his thoughts back.
He quickly left the ear room and went to the bedroom.
Accompanied by a slight rubbing sound, the wooden door was slowly pushed open by Wen Qingci.
Like everything else in the hospital, it still retains its original appearance...
The sheets and quilts were neatly folded, and the tables, cabinets, chairs and stools were all spotless.
It was as if the owner had just left for a while and would be back soon.
Wen Qingci stood in the room, feeling dazed for a moment.
Were these all sorted out by Xie Bufeng himself
How is it possible? He is the king of a country. How could he have nothing to do and come here to clean the room every day
—Almost at the same time when this thought came to mind, Wen Qingci rejected it himself.
His eyes swept across the cabin and finally landed on the desk at the corner of the table.
Wen Qingci finally remembered the important matter and quickly walked to the desk to start searching.
There are no ready-made antidotes for those poisons, only prescriptions for detoxification.
If Xie Bufeng had only taken one ingredient, the poison might have been easily detoxified.
But when mixing so many together, you have to consider the incompatibilities and taboos and think carefully.
The candlelight illuminated the small bedroom, making Wen Qingci's facial features look particularly soft.
Whenever he reads a medical book, he becomes fascinated.
After finding the medical book that recorded those elixirs, Wen Qingci began to write and draw on the paper, thinking about ways to detoxify them.
By the time he came to his senses, the moon was already at its zenith.
Wen Qingci slowly put down his pen, stood up and stretched his wrists.
It’s getting late, you should go to bed early.
At this moment, the cool night breeze of late summer suddenly blew in through the window, gently caressing Wen Qingci's cheek which was not covered by a veil, and making his black hair dance lightly behind his back.
Wen Qingci's gaze involuntarily fell toward the window.
He originally just took a casual glance, but he didn't expect to see Xie Bufeng, dressed in black, holding a lantern, walking through the palace path and slowly stepping into the courtyard.
The two people's eyes met at this moment.
“…Your Majesty?” Wen Qingci was startled and immediately looked away.
Wait, Xie Bufeng, what are you doing here in the middle of the night
The yard was not big, and Xie Bufeng was tall and had long legs, so he walked across the yard and reached the door in just a few steps.
Without giving Wen Qingci any time to think, by the time he reacted, Xie Bufeng had already blown out the lantern and left it hanging gently outside the house.
At this time Wen Qingci finally remembered that when he was in Lianhe County, the young imperial physician once told him that Xie Bufeng still lived in his old house.
So... he came here, of course, to sleep!
He was indeed roommates with Xie Bufeng for a long time.
But how can that compare to today
At that time, Xie Bufeng was still a teenager, but now... he has grown up and said such words to himself.
After his attention shifted away from the book, the words that Xie Bufeng had whispered in his ear not long ago once again echoed in Wen Qingci's heart.
Like a stone, falling into a cold pond.
The quiet night and the silence amplified the ambiguity in the room.
I've lived here for several years.
It was not until now that Wen Qingci realized that this bedroom was so small.
Wen Qingci couldn't help but take a half step back. He tried to hold back and pretended not to know, reminding, "Your Majesty, aren't you going back to the palace to rest tonight?"
His inner thoughts were extremely exciting, but he could only pretend to be calm on the surface.
Unlike Wen Qingci, Xie Bufeng's tone was extremely calm, as if he was really simply answering Wen Qingci's doubts: "This is where I have lived every day for the past year."
He paused and continued, "… I have not yet moved into Yiguang Palace, and Yuguang Palace has not been occupied for a long time and is still in ruins."
Xie Bufeng's voice was low and slightly hoarse.
It has a convincing power.
Yi Guang Hall was the sleeping hall of emperors of all dynasties.
The deposed emperor Xie Zhao had lived there before his death, and the coup that day also broke out outside the Yi Guang Palace, so it was unlucky anyway.
It's understandable that Xie Bufeng doesn't want to go there.
The Yuguang Palace had already fallen into disrepair after years of age, and it was already too much for a prince to live in, let alone for the emperor...
Wen Qingci nodded somewhat heavily.
How come I don’t know that His Majesty the Emperor has suffered so many “miserable things”
Everyone in Taishu Palace knew that Xie Bufeng had turned the former Imperial Medical Office into his residence.
For a while, Wen Qingci seemed to have no other choice but to "invite" the emperor out of here with confidence.
As for myself.
As a "dead person", I can't wander around Taishu Palace in the middle of the night looking for a place to stay.
Seeing that Xie Bufeng was acting arrogantly here, he pretended to be ignorant even though he knew the truth.
Wen Qingci simply pretended that nothing had happened and just gave up.
Isn't it just being roommates
There's nothing to be afraid of.
"Okay," Wen Qingci said to Xie Bufeng, trying to suppress his smile, "Your Majesty, please do as you please."
After he finished speaking, he immediately slipped back behind the screen.
Therefore, he did not notice that as soon as he finished speaking, a faint smile involuntarily appeared on Xie Bufeng's lips.
The carriage did not go any faster during the day.
But after being on the road for several days, although Wen Qingci was nervous, he fell asleep soon.
However, Xie Bufeng, who had just had a good rest, was the complete opposite of him.
On a summer night, the wooden window was slightly opened, and a cool breeze blew in through the window gap.
The faint bitter fragrance in the room was blown away to a very light and clear level.
Wen Qingci always sleeps quietly and doesn't make any sound at all.
Even though he was tired from the long journey, he was still so quiet after falling asleep that even his breathing was difficult to detect.
At this time, the bitter fragrance was blown away by the breeze.
There were no cicadas on that summer night, and for a moment the room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Just like the hundreds of days and nights before.
Xie Bufeng suddenly felt uneasy...
Is Wen Qingci really by his side
When he thought of this question, his heart began to beat heavily, as if it would burst out of his chest at the next moment.
Ming Baitian had seen Wen Qingci before and even held him in his arms.
But at this moment, Xie Bufeng couldn't help but doubt that everything that happened during the day might just be a dream.
Wen Qingci did not return to Yongdu.
Or maybe after saying those words, he left here.
The person on the couch slowly opened his eyes.
The amber eyes looked exceptionally cold.
Xie Bufeng slowed down his movements, held his breath, stood up and walked towards the screen.
The moonlight passed through the window and fell on Wen Qingci's face through the gap in the bed curtains.
It made his skin look so pale that it was almost transparent.
After making sure that all this was not a dream, Xie Bufeng's heart finally calmed down a little bit...
—
At this time, the Imperial Medical Bureau had already moved elsewhere.
For nearly a year, Xie Bufeng has been handling official business here.
The next morning, Wen Qingci wrote the first prescription and immediately sent someone to deliver it to the current Imperial Medical Bureau.
Two hours later, an imperial physician brought the boiled herbs here.
As luck would have it, the person who delivered the medicine turned out to be an acquaintance of Wen Qingci.
It was he who told himself the story of Xie Bufeng and that "old friend" in Lianhe.
When he saw it was Wen Qingci, his eyes widened instantly.
The young doctor took the medicine out of the wooden box and placed it on the table. He then couldn't help but glance back at the servants outside and asked in a low voice, "... You, how did you get into the palace?"
When he saw the prescription just now, doubts arose in his mind.
The same heavy dose and risky prescription, it looks like the work of that colleague from Song Xiufu.
And now, seeing the familiar figure and veil of the person coming, countless wonderful ideas instantly emerged in his mind.
But in the end, he could only ask in a roundabout way: "You... you know the inspector's identity, right?"
The decoction of herbal medicine is complicated. As he spoke, Wen Qingci was holding the medicine bowl and observing the color of the soup to determine the effect of the decoction.
Hearing this, he paused: "I know."
Wen Qingci could only answer this way.
Then he immediately changed the subject: "Today's medicine soup is still a little bit undercooked, I can boil it for another cup of tea tomorrow. Thank you for your help."
"Okay, I'll make a note of it!"
Unexpectedly, after saying this, the other party was not in a hurry to leave.
The young doctor asked softly, "Now you should know who the 'deceased wife' I was talking about that day was, right?"
The story of Xie Bufeng and "Imperial Physician Wen Qingci" has spread throughout the streets and alleys of Wei Dynasty.
If I say I don't know, I'm afraid no one will believe me.
There was no other way, so Wen Qingci could only avoid the question: "… If I remember correctly, the person you are talking about seems to be a man?"
He silently wanted to correct the other person's use of the word "deceased wife".
But the young doctor obviously misunderstood.
"Yes, yes," he looked up at Wen Qingci and said mysteriously, "You two both know medical skills, your body shapes are similar, and your temperaments seem to be somewhat similar."
Seeing that Wen Qingci finally came to Taishu Palace, he finally took a deep breath and said what he had not finished saying that day: "To be honest, I think His Majesty must have seen his shadow in you."
The tone of his words was ups and downs and very exaggerated, and he almost said directly that Xie Bufeng regarded Wen Qingci as his own substitute.
"Your Majesty has a deep affection for that imperial physician, no one can compare to him," the young imperial physician reminded Wen Qingci, worried that he would be too deeply involved in the affair. "You must remember this."
Wen Qingci: “…”
How should I respond to this
Seeing that Wen Qingci was still silent, the imperial physician couldn't help but get anxious: "I'm really not kidding!"
"After hearing that the person His Majesty loves is a man, a young man in Yongdu also tried to get close to him. Not only did he fail, he almost lost his life, and even implicated his entire family... His Majesty already has someone in his heart. No matter how special he is to you, it's all because of that imperial physician."
After he finished speaking, he asked again seriously: "Do you remember it?"
Because of the veil blocking his view, the young imperial physician did not see that Wen Qingci's expression had already changed following his words.
Fearing that the other party would continue to talk, Wen Qingci had no choice but to grit his teeth and say, "... Remember."
"Okay, that's good!" The young doctor finally breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll go back to the Imperial Medical Office first. I'll prepare the medicine according to your request tomorrow."
After he finished speaking, he fled away.
The freshly decocted medicine is still boiling hot.
The heat penetrated the porcelain wall and pierced Wen Qingci's fingertips.
It was not until his fingertips were scalded red that Wen Qingci finally woke up from a dream and gently put the medicine bowl down.
Even at this moment, his ears were still slightly red.
*
After Xie Bufeng returned to the palace, Xie Guanzhi, who had been tired for quite some time, finally couldn't wait to return the memorial to him.
Although he is still ill, he still has to handle a lot of official business every day.
According to Wen Qingci, Xie Bufeng had been busy with these matters in the side hall of the Imperial Medical Bureau before.
But when he came back, His Majesty the Emperor also moved all his work to his bedroom.
The movements are extremely natural.
The boiled medicine soup is still cooling on the table.
A faint bitter smell floats in the room like a silk thread.
Wen Qingci sat at his desk reading a medical book, while Xie Bufeng sat beside the couch, reviewing memorials.
At this moment, Wen Qingci suddenly heard a suppressed cough in his ears.
He paused while writing and could not help looking back at the couch.
Xie Bufeng's hands had tightly grasped the clothes in front of his chest at some point, his brows were furrowed, and it looked as if the poison was taking effect.
Although he wanted to say that Xie Bufeng was asking for trouble, Wen Qingci was still shocked when he saw the other person's expression.
He walked quickly forward and picked up the bowl of medicine.
"Your Majesty, the medicine has cooled down. It is better to take it as soon as possible."
As he spoke, he suddenly seemed to realize something and turned around to look at his medicine box.
If I remember correctly, I should still have some honey left.
Although Wen Qingci has never taken a dose of medicine.
But he knew that the herbs he prescribed were extremely bitter and difficult to swallow.
"Please wait a moment. This medicine is a bit bitter. I'll go get something."
After saying this, Wen Qingci was about to turn around and get some sugar from the medicine box.
But before he could move, Xie Bufeng suddenly reached out and grasped Wen Qingci's wrist tightly between his fingertips.
Xie Bufeng, who was in a state of poisoning, had a slightly high body temperature.
The moment her wrist appeared at his fingertips, Wen Qingci's hand trembled slightly as if it was burned.
The medicine in the porcelain bowl shook slightly, creating ripples.
"No need." Xie Bufeng said lightly.
As soon as he finished speaking, he actually grabbed Wen Qingci's wrist and drank the medicine in the porcelain bowl.
He didn't even frown from beginning to end, as if he was unaware of the smell.
There was a pause of several seconds.
Wen Qingci exerted a little force, trying to pull his wrist out of Xie Bufeng's hand: "Your Majesty, please let go, I want to put the medicine on the table."
Xie Bufeng didn't say anything. He took the bowl with his other hand and placed it on the small table piled with memorials beside the bed.
"What's going on with the palm of your hand?" he suddenly asked seriously at the end.
Palm
Wen Qingci was stunned for a moment, then followed Xie Bufeng's gaze and looked towards his palm.
Not only the fingertips, but even the originally white skin at the base of the thumb was burned red.
"…Maybe the medicine bowl was quite hot, so I didn't pay attention when I picked it up."
Wen Qingci's voice became a little hoarse for some reason.
Xie Bufeng said nothing, and it was unclear whether he heard his explanation or not.
He just suddenly lowered his head.
Then he gently placed a kiss on Wen Qingci's red fingertips.
He moved with extreme caution.
It actually has a bit of pious meaning...
The faint airflow generated by breathing wrapped around Wen Qingci's fingertips.
This is a kiss without any lewd color.
But it caused Wen Qingci's body to tremble slightly.
—It felt like a weak electric current was passing through the fingertips and spreading along the nerves to the limbs and bones.
As Xie Bufeng moved, his long hair fell, covering his cold eyes.
Only after kissing Wen Qingci's ten fingers did Xie Bufeng finally slowly let go of the other's wrist.
But before Wen Qingci could breathe a sigh of relief and step back to the table, he saw that Xie Bufeng's face suddenly turned pale.
Along with this, his brows furrowed even more tightly.
Wen Qingci used heavy doses of medicine, not to mention that they were three-tenths poisonous.
Not long after taking the medicine, Xie Bufeng's heart began to ache again.
"Your Majesty, how do you feel?" Thinking of this side effect, Wen Qingci paused and immediately said, "I'll go find you some painkillers." Xie Bufeng had no sense of pain before, and Wen Qingci was not sure whether the pain he felt now was the same as that of ordinary people.
I'm also not sure whether he has gotten used to a world of pain.
"No, it's not serious."
A deep voice sounded beside Wen Qingci's ears.
Seeing that Xie Bufeng was still stubborn, Wen Qingci's tone became colder: "It turns out that Your Majesty is really not afraid of poison. In this case, I don't have to worry about anything when I take the next dose of medicine."
Due to concerns about strong adverse reactions, Wen Qingci’s medicine is actually a “modified mild version”.
But seeing Xie Bufeng's current state... I think I should just give him a taste of his own medicine.
"Qingci, are you angry?"
Before he could react, Xie Bufeng suddenly stood up and gently held Wen Qingci in his arms.
Although he was ill, Xie Bufeng was able to make Wen Qingci unable to move without any effort.
The slightly curly long hair brushed past Wen Qingci's cheek.
Another itch.
"I dare not." Wen Qingci put his hand on Xie Bufeng's arm, trying to push him away.
But his strength was obviously no match for the man behind him who was more than a head taller than him.
Wen Qingci's tone was a little stiff.
No one in the court had ever dared to speak to Xie Bufeng like this.
But after hearing Wen Qingci's words, Xie Bufeng laughed softly instead.
There was a heavy rain not long ago.
The chirping of cicadas in the trees also disappeared with the rain.
The room was silent.
The only sound in Wen Qingci's ears was Xie Bufeng's slightly bitter breathing.
After an unknown amount of silence, Xie Bufeng finally slowly turned aside and whispered in Wen Qingci's ear, "I'm sorry."
Finally, Wen Qingci realized belatedly that Xie Bufeng's arm was trembling slightly due to pain.
Xie Bufeng slowly withdrew his strength and hugged Wen Qingci from behind.
Then she whispered in his ear: "Don't leave, let me hold you for a while, okay?"
There was an utmost caution in his words.
After he finished speaking, he slowly closed his eyes.
Wen Qingci's hand, which was pressing on Xie Bufeng's arm in an attempt to push him away, paused for a moment, and finally fell slowly.
In Xie Bufeng's mind, the antidote was not the bowl of medicine he had just taken.
But the person in my arms.
The tip of his nose slowly rubbed across Wen Qingci's neck.
He saw silence as a promise.
At this moment, Xie Bufeng finally took a deep sniff of the bitter fragrance that fascinated him.
(End of this chapter)