Su Huaijing took leave for as long as Rong Tang was ill.
It was not until Zhou Gang and Ke Hongxue, who were only one step away from resigning, came to Yong'an Lane one after another and asked Su Huaijing what he was planning. Only then did he return to the Censorate and resume his daily court attendance.
Bi Xin was transferred back from the outskirts of Beijing, and was responsible for Rong Tang's daily life and pulse diagnosis during the day. Su Huaijing returned home after noon, and during Rong Tang's half-asleep sleep, he handled some official business of the Censorate and private affairs.
Rong Tang occasionally opened his eyes and saw the dim light in the room. Under the light, he could see Su Huaijing's increasingly haggard face. He couldn't help but worry whether he would collapse first or damage his eyes.
But he was asked to light a few more candles to make the room brighter, but Su Huaijing was unwilling to do so.
He was afraid of disturbing Rong Tang's already restless sleep.
After the morning court session ended that day, Su Huaijing walked up the steps in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. In front of him was a man wearing the crane-shaped court robe of a first-rank official, surrounded by a crowd. He caught a glimpse of his figure out of the corner of his eye, waved to others to leave, and stood there waiting for a while.
Su Huaijing stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty."
"Yes." King Ning Xuan nodded calmly, walked out of the palace gate with him, and asked casually, "Is Rong Tang sick?"
Su Huaijing found it ironic.
Rong Tang's illness lasted for more than ten days, and even the Queen sent people to inquire about him. However, Rong Mingyu, his biological father, did not take the opportunity to ask about his son's condition until he saw him at the court meeting.
Su Huaijing lowered his head: "To answer your question, yes."
Rong Mingyu glanced at him and asked indifferently, "What's the situation?"
Su Huaijing was a little dazed for a moment. He didn't even know what kind of answer King Ningxuan of Dayu, who was second only to the emperor, wanted to hear about the illness of his only legitimate son.
He was silent for a moment, then said, "The doctor said I need to rest well."
Rong Mingyu's steady steps slowed down for a moment. He turned his head to examine Su Huaijing, his sharp eyes scanning him, pulling out the meaning behind this sentence:
No comment means.
Whether it was good or bad, whether he could live or die, his daughter-in-law didn't tell him anything.
Rong Mingyu looked at him for a few moments, then calmly turned away and said in a deep voice, "Since you need to rest well, please ask the doctor to take care of you every day. There will be servants and maids to serve you in daily life and decoction of medicine. As an official appointed by the court and an important official of the Censorate, how can you abandon your duties and waste your time serving your husband every day?"
Su Huaijing lowered his head, looking at the red light reflected on the snow on both sides of the palace road, smiled softly, stood still, bowed, and respectfully and humbly apologized to his father-in-law: "Your Highness is right, Huaijing will remember it."
That night, the crying of a young child in the west courtyard of Prince Ningxuan's mansion woke up the entire house. Prince Ningxuan's concubine and young son both had high fevers and were in critical condition.
On the second day, King Ning Xuan, who never missed the morning court, took a rare leave.
Su Huaijing stood in the team, lowering his eyes, with the corners of his lips slightly raised, revealing a playful smile.
It turns out that it's not state affairs that are more important, but that Tangtang is not important enough in the prince's heart.
Su Huaijing's mood improved a lot, like a spring that was compressed to the bottom and suddenly bounced back. All the bad emotions that were suppressed in his heart and had nowhere to vent found a way to vent in an instant and began to rage unreasonably.
On the day when the youngest son's fever subsided, Ning Xuan Wang's third son Rong Yuan started to have a fever; on the day when Rong Yuan's fever subsided, the second son Rong Zhe started to catch a cold; on the day when Rong Zhe recovered, concubine Qian died in her sleep with large patches of acne growing on her body.
The news of the death was passed to Wang Xiuyu, and the mistress had to return home to handle the funeral. The news finally reached Rong Tang's ears.
He woke up in the middle of the night, feeling a little hot, and was held in someone's arms. Su Huaijing closed his eyes, as if he was having a sweet dream, with the corners of his lips slightly raised in an upward arc.
Rong Tang looked at it for a while, and the arc did not retreat but rose instead. Su Huaijing said lazily: "Tangtang can kiss you if you want."
Rong Tang was silent for two seconds, not knowing how to evaluate his confidence, but in the end he raised his head and kissed Su Huaijing's lips.
The initiative was quickly passed on. Rong Tang was pressed on the bed and kissed by him and he was a little dazed. After a long time, he began to cough muffledly, and Su Huaijing finally let him go.
Rong Tang opened his mouth and breathed for a long time, looking at the villain with misty eyes.
Su Huaijing raised his hand and gently wiped the corners of his eyes, then said with a smile, "What does Tangtang want to ask me?"
Rong Tang hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "Qian?"
Su Huaijing generously admitted: "I did it."
Rong Tang was immediately a little nervous, but he didn't know how to say it clearly. After hesitating for a moment, Su Huaijing took the initiative to comfort him: "The child is fine."
Young Master Rong's eyes immediately lit up, and their sick face was as crystal clear as the stars in the sky. Su Huaijing couldn't help but lowered his head and kissed him gently again.
"The child is innocent. Besides, it's not Rong Mingyu's child. He got a fever because Qian didn't take good care of him. He caught a cold. It has nothing to do with me."
If there really is any relationship between them, it was probably that when Xing Feng was administering the medicine, he discovered that the child was sick, and was worried that the two would be connected. Su Huaijing was misunderstood by Rong Tang, so he came back specifically to ask what to do. Su Huaijing asked Bi Xin to sneak into the palace and cure him.
But there is no need to tell this to Rong Tang, as he himself is not a good person.
He just told Rong Tang: "Last fall, Qian drugged my mother and I discovered it."
Rong Tang's pupils shrank slightly, and he tensed up instantly. Su Huaijing rubbed the back of his hand and whispered to comfort him: "We've stopped her. Don't worry, Tangtang, mother is fine."
For a moment, Rong Tang was not sure whether the worry he expressed was referring to the fact that Wang Xiu Yu was almost poisoned by Qian, or whether Su Huaijing himself had committed a sin of murder.
Rong Tang just looked up at him and asked in a low voice: "Why are you in a bad mood?"
The moonlight penetrates the window frame, the light is dim, and they rub against each other's pillow, gentle and affectionate.
Su Huaijing chuckled and sighed half-truthfully: "Tangtang promised me such a sweet candy, but he dragged his feet and refused to recover and fulfill his promise. He also asked me why I was in a bad mood. Why is he bullying me like this?"
"… "
Rong Tang was speechless for a moment. He rolled over on the bed, turned over with his back to Su Huaijing, and buried his head in the quilt until his earlobes turned red from his breathing.
Su Huaijing let him lie there for a few seconds, then turned sideways and hugged him. He gently rubbed his chin against Rong Tang's hair and said softly in a puffy voice, "Good night, Tangtang."
It’s already halfway through winter, when will you get better
Rong Mingyu is the one who deserves revenge the most. You should see his end with your own eyes, right
-
On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, all officials have a day off.
The weather was fine and Rong Tang looked much better. He put on his clothes and got out of bed.
Shuangfu and Shuangshou had already packed their luggage and got on a carriage to leave the city.
Su Huaijing was a little unhappy, but he still went along with Rong Tang and didn't say much, except that he frowned a little more frequently.
That day, Rong Tang discovered that Meng Ye was giving acupuncture, and Su Huaijing no longer concealed it. He would grab Rong Tang's wrist from time to time to feel his pulse, without hiding anything.
Instead, it makes the patient himself nervous.
Su Huaijing asked him what he was so nervous about, Rong Tang smiled and said: "It is painful to treat people, I am afraid you will be sad."
Su Huaijing was unable to say anything.
How could Rong Tang look like a dying patient? He even had the time to worry about the doctor's mental health.
Su Huaijing didn't know what to say, and whatever he said seemed powerless.
It was cold in the twelfth lunar month, and Rong Tang insisted on going to worship Buddha. Su Huaijing was extremely reluctant, but he still let the carriage go and stop, and finally entered the gate of Tuolan Temple after noon.
It is a Buddhist pure land with fragrant mist. Countless dignitaries and poor common people come to pray to gods and Buddhas for protection. Countless people go to the Zen temple to meet the world-famous monk Huimian.
Rong Tang and Su Huaijing entered the mountain gate. Before they could explain their purpose, a young monk came forward, put his hands together and chanted a Buddhist mantra: "Donor, please follow me."
Rong Tang was slightly surprised, but did not say much. Su Huaijing fixed his eyes on her and said in a deep voice, "Excuse me, where are you taking us, Master?"
The young monk said, "You have misunderstood. Uncle Master has only invited you, the donor. Please wait outside."
As soon as the words fell, Su Huaijing's face darkened instantly, and he took a step forward to block Rong Tang: "Who is your uncle-master, and how did he know we were coming?"
"Master said the sky is fine and the snow is clear, so it's time for the old friend to come back."
The Sanskrit chants and Buddhist verses that can be heard throughout the year in the temple reach your eardrums and cleanse your soul.
Su Huaijing refused to give in and was unwilling to let Rong Tang out of his sight. After a moment of stalemate, Rong Tang gently patted his arm.
Su Huaijing turned his head, and Rong Tang said, "It's Master Huimian."
Su Huaijing was slightly startled, his eyes moved slightly, and his persistence loosened for a moment. It seemed that he had heard of Huimian's Buddhist name.
Rong Tang said, "I met him once before, and he gave me a treasure. Today I am here to return it."
Shuangfu followed behind him, holding a brocade box in his hand. Inside the box was the Buddha statue that Rongtang took away from Tuolan Temple that day.
He had not informed anyone beforehand of his visit, and even before he was stopped by the novice monk, Rong Tang was not sure whether he could meet Huimian on this trip.
But as soon as he uttered the word "old friend", he knew who he wanted to see.
Rong Tang asked Su Huaijing to wait for him in the temple's side room, and he followed the monk to the Zen temple alone.
In the scripture chanting pavilion, monks and pilgrims kneel side by side on cushions, chanting scriptures in low voices to atone for their sins, to pray, and for the myriad worldly desires.
The compassionate Buddha statue has a look of pity, without desire or demand, without hatred or admiration.
Rong Tang walked through the path and was led by the novice monk into a courtyard with plum trees planted in it. The door of the house faced the courtyard. A monk with gray robe and white hair was kneeling on a cushion, lighting a censer of incense and warming a pot of tea. He looked up and invited Rong Tang to come in and sit down.
The fragrance of tea and the sandalwood from the temple mixed together. Rong Tang's eyes fell on Hui Mian's snow-like long hair, but the monk looked into his eyes and suddenly smiled.
The gentle voice was like the prophecy of an ancient Buddha, and he said with a smile: "Now there is desire in the eyes of the donor."
(End of this chapter)