159. The sky has not fallen yet

There were no lights in the courtyard of Taiping Medical Clinic, only the rising moonlight.

The sweat on Chen Ji's head evaporated into white mist in the cold air. The strong servants brought by Concubine Jing looked solemn, as if they would pounce on him at any time.

They looked at Chen Ji indifferently, and Chen Ji also looked at them indifferently. She Dengke and Liu Quxing squatted at the kitchen door, not knowing what to do. Liang Gou'er went out to drink and disappeared.

Liang Mao'er didn't care about the others. He brought a bowl of rice from the kitchen and handed it to Chen Ji, saying honestly, "You haven't eaten yet. Hurry up and have a couple of bites."

Chen Ji looked at the white rice and bacon slices in the bowl and asked, "Is this for me?"

Liang Mao'er smiled and placed a pair of bamboo chopsticks on the bowl: "Master said at noon that you would be back, so he left it for you."

Chen Ji breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, Brother Maoer."

He held the bowl and slowly ate the rice in it while leaning against the window outside the main door, secretly listening to the sounds inside the house.

From the room one could faintly hear Concubine Jing's suppressed sobs and Prince Jing's voices and coughs.

Gradually, the voices of Prince Jing and Concubine Jing became softer and softer, and they seemed to have fallen asleep again.

After a long time, Chen Ji heard Concubine Jing sobbing softly through the white paper window: "Doctor Yao, tell me the truth, what is the condition of the prince?"

Old Man Yao said casually, "Madam Jingfei, the prince only needs to rest for a while and he will recover. There is no need to worry."

The sobbing in the room gradually subsided.

Chen Ji turned his head and looked through the white paper window at the shadows in the room cast by the kerosene lamp.

Concubine Jing seemed to hand something to Old Man Yao, and then asked, "Doctor Yao, tell me the truth. How is the prince?"

Imperial Physician Yao hesitated for a moment. "The prince is already frail. He hasn't recovered from his cold yet, and now he's exhausted all his energy and spirit caring for the Crown Prince and the Princess. Judging by his pulse, he'll be gone for a month at the earliest, and three months at the slowest. It's time to start preparing for his funeral!"

Chen Ji's pupils shrank slightly. He subconsciously looked at other people in the yard, and only felt relieved after making sure that no one heard the conversation in the house.

Prince Jing,,, is leaving?

Could it be that the other party insisted on going on a secret tour because he actually knew that he had not much time left, so he wanted to accompany his children to take a look while he was still able to walk?

Under normal circumstances, the Crown Prince would naturally inherit the throne after Prince Jing's death, but now the Liu family is about to rebel. How can the Crown Prince handle such a situation?

Concubine Jing was incredulous and perplexed: "One month... doesn't that mean I can't even make it through the year?"

Old Man Yao said softly, "If we can get the 'Shengyu Pill' made by the Medicine Official of Laojun Mountain's Dao Court, perhaps we can delay it for another three years."

Chen Ji was puzzled. What kind of elixir was so precious that Master had to use the word "please"?

Concubine Jing was puzzled and said, "I only knew that Shengyu Dan was the guardian of the Dao Court, but I didn't know it was so magical."

Old Man Yao explained, "That's the culmination of the Medicine Official's alchemy. There are only two of them left in the world. One was presented to the current emperor by the Huangshan Daoist Court. The other is in the hands of the Laojunshan Daoist Court. It's enshrined on Jade Emperor Peak, drawing its essence from the sun and moon. One Shengyu Pill prolongs one's lifespan for three years. Not a day more, not a day less. Even if one is seriously ill, they can still function normally for three years."

Concubine Jing was about to go out: "I will go get medicine for the prince."

Old Man Yao added from behind her, "The Shengyu Pill's ability to prolong life is just a secondary benefit. Its true purpose is to help officials overcome tribulations. If Laojun Mountain's Taoist leader, Cen Yunzi, wants to overcome human tribulations and break through to the divine realm, he must use this substance."

Concubine Jing was in a dilemma: "Such an important thing, can Daoting give it to me?"

? "

"That depends on what price Madam is willing to pay!"

Old Man Yao then said calmly, "However, birth, aging, sickness and death are the natural order of life. What is meant to come will come, and what is meant to go will go. There is no need to force yourself to change your fate."

Concubine Jing was silent for a long time, then she lifted her skirt and walked out: "Since the prince insists on staying in the clinic, I will not say anything more. I'll trouble Imperial Physician Yao to take good care of him. As for the matter of Sheng Yudan, I'll think of a way..."

After saying that, Concubine Jing came out with red eyes, opening the door curtain, and the emerald green pendant on her earlobe shook.

She gave Chen Ji a cold look, then walked out with Chunrong's support.

Chen Ji discovered that the jade hairpin that was stuck in the other party's hair when she came was missing.

He carried his bowl of rice, lifted the door curtain and walked into the house. He saw his master holding a kerosene lamp and putting the hairpin into the cabinet.

He glanced at Prince Jing and asked Old Man Yao from behind, "Master, even you can't save the prince?"

Old Man Yao sneered: "I'm not a god."

Chen Ji felt a pang of regret.

Old Man Yao closed the cabinet and turned to look at him: "Are you sad?"

Chen Ji shook his head. "No, I'm not familiar with Prince Jing. I just thought he was a nice guy. It's a shame that he died so young at the age of forty-five."

"That's so sad. I thought we knew each other so well!"

Chen Ji turned around suddenly, and saw that in the dim room, Prince Jing suddenly opened his eyes, sat up, and pulled out the silver needles on his chest one by one.

Chen Ji: ...

It was acted.

Prince Jing smiled at him and looked at the half-eaten meal in the ceramic bowl in his hand: "Give it to me, I'm starving!"

Chen Ji handed over the bowl and chopsticks silently. Prince Jing did not mind that these were the bowls and chopsticks he had used. He finished the food in a few mouthfuls and ate with gusto.

"The bacon is a bit salty..."

Prince Jing handed the empty bowl to Chen Ji.

Chen Ji looked down and found that there was not a single grain of rice left in the bowl.

He wondered, "You vomited blood earlier. How come you look fine now?"

Prince Jing laughed and said, "We're not that familiar with each other, why should I tell you?"

Chen Ji: ...

Prince Jing stood up and folded his clothes. He smiled and patted his shoulder. "It's a good thing you caught me when I fell off my horse. Otherwise, I would have been badly hurt. Tell the truth, young man. When you carried me back to the clinic, were you worried that after I died, no one would pay you your annual dividend of 2,500 taels of silver?"

Chen Ji answered honestly, "I'm very worried. Otherwise, I wouldn't have run so fast!"

Prince Jing chuckled softly: "You are honest!"

After saying that, he turned around and pulled open the bed in the room, revealing a deep tunnel under the bed.

There is a two-foot-wide staircase in the tunnel, and no one knows where it leads to.

Chen Ji looked at Old Man Yao and then at Prince Jing.

It turns out that there has always been a tunnel leading to the outside world hidden in this clinic.

The reason why Prince Jing pretended to be dead and insisted on staying in Taiping Clinic for treatment was that he wanted to escape through the tunnel in the clinic on the eve of the Liu family's rebellion.

And Master has known all this for a long time.

Chen Ji was puzzled: "Where are you going, Your Majesty? Are you coming back? If you leave like this, what will happen to the Crown Prince and the Princess?"

Prince Jing was amused. "I'm just going out to meet someone and will be back soon. Why... do you think I'm going to run away and wander around the world?"

The traces suddenly become clear

Prince Jing is going out to conspire with someone to deal with the Liu family.

But in this Luo City, who else is worthy of such painstaking efforts by a powerful vassal king to escape?

Secret Service?

Or was it the big shot he had a secret meeting with in Yichuan County?

Chen Ji asked again: "Your Majesty, why don't you hide this huge secret from me?"

Prince Jing said meaningfully, "Because you will know sooner or later."

Chen Ji fell into deep thought.

At this time, Prince Jing took the oil-slag lamp from Old Man Yao, lifted his clothes and walked down the stairs step by step. Before he entered the tunnel, he turned around and looked at Chen Ji and said with a smile, "Young man, guard the door and don't let anyone in. Also, for breakfast tomorrow, I want a bowl of quinoa porridge, a plate of fermented bean curd, and two steamed buns. I want the fermented bean curd from 'Heji'. Please buy it for me tomorrow morning!"

Chen Ji raised his eyebrows: "Are you sure now is the time to talk about this?"

Prince Jing walked cheerfully into the tunnel, his voice drifting from it: "The sky hasn't fallen yet. We have to eat our fill, right?"

The house fell silent again.

Chen Ji looked at Old Man Yao, only to see him calmly take out a stick of fire and light an oil residue lamp.

Old Man Yao raised his eyelids and said indifferently, "Why are you staring at me?"

Chen Ji asked, "Master, why did you come to Luocheng three years ago?"

Old man Yao said casually, "Are you controlling me? It's not your turn to be the boss of Taiping Clinic yet. Stop asking nonsense questions! I'll tell you things you should know. Don't ask about things you shouldn't know."

Chen Ji took a deep breath and asked, "Are you a sick tiger?"

The small main room was silent until the oil wick crackled softly. Then Old Man Yao said slowly, "If I were a sick tiger, the first thing I would do would be to expose you, the thief of Jingchao."

Chen Ji glanced at the ground nervously and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Anyone who knows my identity is dead or gone. I am no longer a Jing Dynasty spy."

Old Man Yao sneered, "Do you really think it's so easy to leave the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department? One day, someone who knows your identity will return to the land of Ning Dynasty. How will you cope then? Will you go on a killing spree again?"

Chen Ji remained silent.

Old Man Yao said slowly, "You were too rash this time. You shouldn't have offended those bald men for the princess's sake. If they were really that easy to bully, then the Buddhist Tongbao wouldn't have become a hard currency across the country. When they put their hands together in front of you, it doesn't mean they're being polite, it means they're trying to use force on you."

Chen Ji asked, "...Is this the case with all Buddhists?"

Old Man Yao smiled and said, "Of course not. The monks of Jingchao Kujue Temple are indeed real monks. They observe the full precepts and practice asceticism constantly."

However, at this moment, Liu Quxing's voice came from outside the door: "Madam Yunfei, Master just gave the prince acupuncture, and he just fell asleep..."

Yun Fei's cold voice came into the room: "Get out of here."

Chen Ji and Old Man Yao looked at each other and said, "Master, what should we do?"

Old Man Yao curled his lips and said, "The prince told you to watch the door, but he didn't tell me."

Chen Ji was dumbfounded: "Is that how you understand it?"

"What else?"

Without thinking too much, Chen Ji turned around, lifted the curtain and went out.

Outside the door.

Concubine Yun was dressed in a gorgeous brown robe with gold thread embroidered on the edges. She wore a golden hairpin with flower ornaments on both sides, looking dignified and majestic.

She looked at Chen Ji expressionlessly: "Are you going to stop me?"