Chapter 198 Medical Consultation

The celebratory banquet started grandly but ended hastily.

Surrounded by a group of people once again in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and carefully protected like a piece of glass, Yinzhen rubbed his temples helplessly.

"The banquet is over, you should all go back now. Are you planning to stay overnight in the palace?"

"Brother..."

Yunli looked at him with red eyes, seemingly wanting to say something but unable to.

Yinzhen pretended to be relaxed and explained nonchalantly, "I just caught a cold, so my sense of taste hasn't been very sensitive lately. You don't need to make such a fuss."

But no one present believed him.

Yunzhi had a cold face, as if he was about to rush out and fight someone. "Your Majesty, your health is a matter of national importance. You must not avoid seeking medical treatment."

"Brother, I'm really alright."

Yinzhen continued to explain, but to others it was just a cover-up. Yunzhen tried hard to suppress his unease, walked to Yinzhen's side, and pleaded, "Fourth Brother, please see the imperial physician."

"The fourteenth day of the lunar year, why bother the imperial physician..."

Before Yinzhen could finish speaking, Honghui, along with his younger siblings, rushed over with the imperial physician.

"Father, I've brought the imperial physician."

Previously, Yinzhen had been keeping it a secret from him, and Yinsi, who knew he didn't want to see the imperial physician and didn't force him, was caught off guard when he suddenly discovered that Yinzhen had lost his sense of taste. The fear in his heart was completely uncontrollable.

He secretly found Honghui and asked him to fetch the imperial physician. Surely Fourth Brother couldn't ignore his son's request?

Honghui thought more than Yunsi did; he not only brought the imperial physician, but also his younger siblings who could run.

"Honghui, you..."

Yinzhen was astonished to see so many people appear. Before he could say anything, he was surrounded by his children.

"Father, why don't you see the imperial physician? How can you get better if you don't see the imperial physician? Are you afraid of taking medicine?"

Hongzhou rolled his dark eyes and glared angrily at Yinzhen.

"Father, shall we consult the imperial physician?"

Buer gently tugged at Yinzhen's sleeve, her eyes slightly red, looking at him pitifully.

When faced with his tall and strong brothers, Yinzhen could refuse them without hesitation. But when it came to his children, who used both soft and hard tactics, Yinzhen ultimately couldn't bring himself to be ruthless.

After a moment of silence, he finally nodded: "Alright, let the imperial physician take your pulse."

Seeing that Yinzhen agreed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and quickly made way for the imperial physicians to come forward and take his pulse.

Seeing so many princes, crown princes, and imperial princes gathered here, the imperial physicians were uneasy, fearing that the emperor had fallen seriously ill. One after another, they frowned and stepped forward to take his pulse with seriousness.

"how?"

Yun Ti, being impatient, was the first to ask.

The imperial physicians looked him over carefully, and finally selected a highly respected physician to report: "His Majesty is in good health, but there is a slight trace of a cold. He will recover after taking two more doses of herbal medicine."

"I already said that I am fine."

Upon hearing this, most people breathed a sigh of relief.

From the moment he entered the hall, Yinreng, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up: "Where is Imperial Physician Wang Hesheng? I remember he was the Emperor's personal physician."

Back then, after he kicked Yinzhen down the steps, he learned that his father had assigned the imperial physician Wang Hesheng to Yinzhen. And over the years, he had indeed been in charge of Yinzhen's health.

"this……"

The imperial physicians exchanged glances, then answered hesitantly, "President Wang is only responsible for the Emperor's health and does not work at the Imperial Hospital."

"So where is Physician Wang? Your Majesty, why don't you summon Physician Wang to take your pulse?"

Yinreng stared intently at Yinzhen's expression, not missing his fleeting evasiveness. His heart sank; sure enough, Yinzhen had tampered with the pulse.

The others vaguely remembered the name Wang Hesheng. Judging from the atmosphere between Yinreng and Yinzhen, they gradually understood something, and the Hall of Mental Cultivation fell silent again.

"You may leave now."

"Yes, Your Majesty, we take our leave."

After dismissing all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy, Yinzhen sat solemnly in his chair. Perhaps knowing that he could no longer hide it, he looked at everyone and began to explain: "There's no need to find Physician Wang; he is preparing medicine for me."

"What kind of medicine do you want to make?" Yunreng pressed on relentlessly.

"I used to be in poor health, so I naturally had some medicine made to nourish my body. I also had my pulse checked, and you have all seen the effects of this medicine; it's quite good."

"Then why would one lose their sense of taste, or even their sense of smell?"

Yun Tang couldn't help but ask. As the person chosen to offer the toast, Yun Tang had noticed something was wrong. Not only could he not taste the aroma, but even though the cup was so close to Yin Zhen's nose, he didn't notice anything amiss. So, his sense of smell must be malfunctioning too.

"It's just a minor side effect," Yinzhen said casually, but the others couldn't hide their worry and heartache.

Losing taste and smell is just a minor side effect, so is this medicine really just for conditioning the body? And through what means is it conditioning the body?

"Alright, if we continue, it will involve royal secrets. It concerns the fate of the nation, so please don't ask any more questions, and I won't say anything more."

Yinzhen displayed his imperial authority, giving a plausible and respectable reason. The others, constrained by their status, refrained from pressing further. Of course, this didn't mean they gave up; they simply avoided mentioning it in front of Yinzhen for the time being, fearing to displease him.

My health is already precarious; what if I get even more upset and something else happens to me?

The group exchanged knowing glances, deciding to continue their investigation behind Yinzhen's back. They decided not to press the matter further and took their leave. Only Yinreng remained motionless.

Yinzhi glanced at them a few more times, wanting to say something, but was pulled away by the third prince, Yinzhi. Honghui, after being comforted by Yinzhen, also left with his younger siblings.

Soon, only Yinzhen and Yinreng remained in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Yinzhen, do you hate me?" Yinreng suddenly asked.

Yinzhen looked up, glanced at Yunreng whose eyes were deep and thoughtful, pondered for a moment, and then shook his head.

"Why wouldn't I hate you? If I hadn't kicked you out back then... how could you, how could you have ended up like this today?"

Yinreng clearly didn't believe Yinzhen's previous excuses. Perhaps as the "perpetrator," he was better able to perceive the changes in Yinzhen, the "victim." Even though Yinzhen was being evasive, he knew in his heart that Yinzhen's health must be seriously compromised.

“It would be a lie to say I have no resentment at all; I’m not a saint,” Yinzhen smiled. “Back then, when you kicked me, I actually felt a lot. There was resentment towards you, disappointment towards Father Emperor, and ambition for this throne…”

"It was after that that I went from being passive to being proactive. That's why Potato came along. He seemed to have withdrawn from the center of power, but in reality, he gradually tightened his grip on real power and also gained the Emperor's trust."

At this point, Yinzhen didn't mind talking to Yinreng about his past schemes, most of which were obviously fabricated, but Yinreng wouldn't realize it.

"So, Second Brother, your kick caused me to change my behavior. I had resentment, but no hatred. After all, I successfully ascended the throne, and as for the other negative effects, I should accept them."

"Once you've ascended the throne, you must consider the well-being of the nation. Second brother, your civil and military achievements are both excellent, so I can naturally overlook past grievances. In recent years, we have maintained a good relationship as ruler and subject, so naturally, any resentment has dissipated. Second brother, you should let this matter rest."

Yinzhen considered this matter from the perspective of the country and the emperor. It seemed like he didn't care about himself, but it was also because he cared too much about the Qing Dynasty.

Compared to simply playing the emotional card, this reason is obviously more likely to convince Yinreng and is more in line with the image that Yinzhen has always presented.

But just because Yinzhen didn't care doesn't mean Yinreng can let himself off the hook. From the day he learned that Yinzhen had health problems, guilt has been tormenting him, making it hard for him to sleep. It's not just guilt towards Yinzhen, but also guilt towards the Qing Dynasty.

"Second brother, if you really can't get over it, please take care of Honghui for me in the future."

Upon hearing Yinzhen's words, Yinreng, who had been silent for a long time, slowly raised his head, looked at Yinzhen seriously, and hesitated to speak.

"I suppose I've been a good emperor, but unfortunately... there are still many things for others to do. Following in his father's footsteps, I think Honghui will also be a good emperor. For the sake of the Qing Dynasty, please help Honghui more in the future, Second Brother."

“Yinzhen, I have never regretted recommending you. You are a good emperor.” Yinreng did not deny Yinzhen’s achievements at all. After a pause, he said softly, “I will protect Honghui. Honghui will definitely be a good emperor as well.”

The voice was soft, but the promise was heavy.