Chapter 29: Initial arrogance followed by obsequiousness is laughable.

Lin Jingcheng carefully examined Zhou She's wound, applied the medicine again, and then said, "This gentleman's injury is not serious and will not cause any future problems."

Emperor Hong'an nodded in satisfaction. Seeing Lin Jingcheng get up to leave, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Why are you late?"

Lin Jingcheng replied, "His Highness the Sixth Prince seems to have a fever. Several masters have gone to check on him, but he is not getting better."

He gave a wry smile.

The emperor frowned: "Fever again?"

The Sixth Prince is only one year old. Zhou She rolled down his trouser leg, hopped on one leg twice, and listened attentively.

The emperor didn't seem to mind and said, "I understand. You may leave."

Lin Jingcheng quickly took his leave and then bowed slightly to Zhou She.

Zhou She returned the greeting, still thinking about the Sixth Prince, when he heard the Emperor calling him: "Come here and play chess with me."

Zhou She responded and quickly walked to sit down opposite the emperor.

Before the celestial curtain disappeared, Zhou She set out the chessboard and heard the sound of the celestial curtain:

As expected, no one approved of the Crown Prince's actions. When he actually decided to kill Emperor Zhongzong, he discovered that the entire court, including officials and imperial relatives, were asking him the same question: the evidence was unclear, the procedure was wrong; His Highness's intentions were good, but they should wait for His Majesty's decision!

The prince waved his hand and said, "My father is sickly and not in good spirits..." What a filial son!

Before he could finish speaking, someone jumped out and said, "What a coincidence! I also have a divine physician here. I just invited him to the capital. He can be examined by His Majesty."

Emperor Hong'an: "A divine physician?"

He could only think of the legendary Liang Xiao. This man had served in the palace in his early years, but unfortunately he resigned and went on a long journey, disappearing without a trace. Of course, some people also said that he had died long ago.

Zhou She then recalled a name he had heard not long ago: the military doctor of the Imperial Guard, who seemed to have been a disciple of the legendary physician Liang Xiao.

Could the person who jumped out be Huai Leju?

My arch-enemy's intuition is truly remarkable; Tianmu indeed said:

The Crown Prince turned his head and saw that it was truly a case of enemies meeting each other with intense hatred. It was clearly one of his Eastern Palace officials: Huai Leju!

The ruler and his subjects were nominally one, but in reality, they were irreconcilable enemies.

The divine physician Huai Leju mentioned was none other than Liang Xiaoliang Jichuan, a renowned physician of the Ning Dynasty. At the age of fifty, he resigned from his position as an academician of the Imperial Medical Academy and traveled throughout the north and south of the Yangtze River, while simultaneously writing books to save lives.

Liang Xiaoyi saved countless lives and left behind the classic medical prescription "One Penny Cures All Diseases," also known as "Simple and Convenient Prescriptions for Saving the World," which is the cheapest and most effective prescription for poor people.

In the second year of Gyeonghwa's reign, the second year of King Jungjong's ascension to the throne, the *Jishi Jianbian Fang* (Simple Prescriptions for Saving the World) was published throughout the land. It is said that a simplified version was initially available, richly illustrated, and reasonably priced. It was likely the most widely promoted publication during King Jungjong's political career, second only to newspapers.

Emperor Hong'an reached out and took out two black pieces from the chess box.

"Click," the chess piece landed, and he asked, "Did you name this medicated patch?"

Zhou She himself thought it was similar, but if he were to name it, it would most likely become "The Poor Man's Imperial Physician and Miracle Medicine" or "Teach You to Be an Imperial Physician, Starting from Zero".

"I don't know either," Zhou She replied cautiously.

As he spoke, he casually picked up a white piece. Zhou She didn't understand Go; he only knew Gomoku. So, with a casual "thud," he placed the white piece next to the black piece.

Emperor Hong'an stared at his chess pieces, his expression somewhat subtle. After looking at them for a while, he asked in confusion, "What kind of move is this?"

Zhou She innocently replied, "I haven't studied it."

Emperor Hong'an: "..."

Zhou She: "..."

Emperor Hong'an was somewhat speechless. He reached out and moved the white piece aside, then looked up and said, "Tianmu said your chess skills are not good, and it seems that he wasn't lying."

Zhou She laughed: "Your Majesty, everyone has their own ambitions. I have never thought about anything too profound before, so please understand my chess skills."

The emperor stared at him.

The young Zhou She had a cheerful smile.

Emperor Hong'an was well aware that rumors had been circulating outside the palace that he was cynical, arrogant, lazy, and uneducated.

All of this meant that his understanding of Zhou She ended there; who could have imagined...

The emperor sighed with some inexplicable emotion: "The Northern Barbarians have come to our gates. The late emperor personally led several expeditions against them, but ultimately failed to succeed. Yet Zhou She succeeded."

Zhou She was stunned.

He was somewhat amused and exasperated; how could the emperor be more emotional than he was?

Before Emperor Zhongzong came to the capital, he specially brought Liang Xiao with him.

Their connection began in the 28th year of the Hong'an era, when Emperor Zhongzong began to build his personal army in the northern frontier. At that time, he was still relatively young, and one day on his way back from battle, he happened to meet Liang Xiao, who was traveling to Mingyuan Pass.

The old man and the young man became fast friends upon their first meeting, despite their age difference. Thirty years after Hong'an, Liang Xiao, now over seventy, stopped traveling north and south and settled in the Xun'an Army.

The old emperor looked brooding, with a hint of inexplicable jealousy: "When he wanted to leave, I offered him gold, silver, jewels, official positions, and titles, but he was unmoved. You, on the other hand, managed to keep him here."

The black stones on the board have already surrounded the white stones, and the white stones' defeat is inevitable. There is no point in continuing to play.

But Zhou She was still frowning and seriously pondering the game of chess. Upon hearing this, he replied, "If Your Majesty says so, it seems that the Divine Physician is not short of money."

Of course, the miracle doctor is not short of money.

“Liang Xiao comes from a family of doctors,” Emperor Hong’an said. “This man is truly skilled.”

Zhou She raised his head and smiled, "Your Majesty, perhaps the divine physician only wishes to spread his medical skills throughout the world so that there will be successors."

"Do you think I don't know?" Emperor Hong'an frowned. "If that's the case, how can we keep him here?"

"Soldiers guard the territory and protect the people," Zhou She said earnestly. "Isn't Liang Xiao's act of saving the soldiers equally significant?"

Emperor Hong'an remained silent for a moment, then finally said, "You mean that treating my illness in the palace is the most meaningless thing to do?"

Zhou She: "..." When did he say that? Your Majesty, you shouldn't let your imagination run wild!

As a renowned physician, Liang Xiao was not content to remain merely a royal doctor. He had two ambitions: first, to save lives, and to save as many people as possible; second, to write books: which famous physician throughout history has not written a book? But the medical knowledge he wanted to write was not for doctors, but for the millions of impoverished people under heaven.

Medical care was scarce, and countless people died from even the slightest cold or flu. Ancient medical technology made it difficult for them to survive any calamity. Liang Xiao hoped to do something for these people, even if it only offered a sliver of hope.

He traveled extensively throughout China, meeting countless high-ranking officials and dignitaries. Emperor Zhongzong was the first to acknowledge him, and he even offered to help Liang Xiao publish his book.

When the screen shook, everyone knew she was about to release another video.

As the sun sets, an old man and a young man sit facing each other in a deserted forest.

The young Emperor Zhongzong slapped his thigh, affirming the old man's bold words: "Old man, if you're willing, I can help you publish a book!"

"Hehe." The old man chuckled, his face lined with wrinkles. He asked curiously, "Don't you think all I've done is pointless?"

I don't think so.

"Whose young master are you?" The old man's smile vanished as he propped himself up on his legs. "Thank you, but I have money, and you don't seem to have much. Books aren't cheap—"

"Old man," Emperor Zhongzong was overjoyed to hear this, and sitting on the ground, he looked up and asked, "When you finish writing, can you give me a few copies?"

Liang Xiao: "...?"

Emperor Zhongzong was a little embarrassed and touched his nose: "Mingyuan Pass is also short of doctors, and I really don't have much money. I was thinking of promoting this idea so that minor illnesses can be treated by oneself..."

In short, it means "to take advantage of someone for free".

As he spoke, his voice grew softer and softer, and he himself seemed a little guilty.

However, a moment later, he was met with the old man's thunderous laughter: "Hahahaha—of course, of course. Since the young master trusts me, why should I be stingy? It's just that the book isn't finished yet, so I'll stay at Mingyuan Pass for a few months!"

Emperor Hong'an's expression softened slightly at this moment. He glanced at Zhou She and, unusually, showed some agreement: "Not bad."

Zhou She was a little uncomfortable being praised.

Liang Xiao served King Jungjong for more than ten years and died at the age of eighty-three. In the first year of Jinghua, the "Simple Prescriptions for Saving the World" was published. The name "One Coin to Cure a Hundred Diseases" was really too rustic. Next time, we should not let King Jungjong name it. King Jungjong immediately promoted it with all his might and recorded it in the official records. Later, the finished product we see today came into being.

Times have changed, but even after eight hundred years, the wisdom of our ancestors still shines brightly. Even now, you can still find hardcover editions in libraries. Not long ago, my niece fell ill and used a prescription from the section on colds and flu, and it worked really well. Highly recommended!

In a remote mountain forest, Liang Xiao was picking medicinal herbs.

Upon hearing Tianmu's words, he straightened up, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and tossed the herbs in his hand into the medicine basket behind him.

At this time, Liang Xiao was only sixty-four years old. Although his hair was already gray, he was still in good spirits.

He was pleased with Tianmu's words, but not surprised.

He is already writing the legendary "Simple and Convenient Prescriptions for Saving the World," but it is a long book that will take a long time to develop. He will have to work on it step by step, and the prescriptions will be updated one by one before the most inexpensive and effective prescriptions are finally formed.

For him, writing a book was the easiest thing, and publishing a book was also easy. But getting the emperor to personally promote it, making the book known to everyone in the world, and spreading it far and wide was the most difficult thing.

What they care about is their own dignity. In most people's eyes, medicine should be the best. Why should they care about the weeds growing by the roadside?

It was just a thankless and exhausting task.

"Emperor Zhongzong..." he murmured, the old man who had never paid attention to the contents of the sky before now having some interest in it for the first time, "It seems to be called Zhou She?"

Liang Xiao accompanied Emperor Zhongzong to the capital, having been invited by the emperor to treat his illness long ago. However, the trip was repeatedly postponed until this day.

The Crown Prince's refusal was ineffective. Huai Leju opened his mouth and, looking at the Crown Prince, began to berate him: "Crown Prince, what do you want to do? I see you have treacherous ambitions; are you planning a rebellion?!"

The Crown Prince nearly fainted. Huai Leju was about to speak again when he was immediately stopped, and Liang Xiao was invited into the palace.

Tianmu said these words just as Huai Leju stepped off the training ground.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and noticed the strange expressions on the faces of the Imperial Guards: "What's wrong?"

The subordinates listened to the sound from the sky, then glanced at their indifferent-looking boss, and exchanged bewildered glances.

Listening to your boss gossip in front of him requires incredible patience.

Huai Leju seemed to know what they were thinking and said calmly, "What Tianmu wants to say is none of my business."

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of flattering voices immediately rang out around him.

Phrases like "a magnanimous adult" and "nonsense from the heavens" all came out in a chaotic rush.

Before this, everyone thought that King Jungjong and Huai Leju had a bad relationship, however...

As soon as Tianmu finished speaking, the originally melodious music instantly became upbeat, and accompanied by a burst of energetic music, a pair of black boots stepped into the screen.

[This is a selection from the Jinghua Dynasty. Although the costumes look rather disheveled, Emperor Zhongzong is truly handsome...]

"Snap, click..."

The owner of the leg walked into the darkness and stopped in front of a set of iron bars.

The camera pans up, revealing a pair of dark eyes. Following his gaze, one can see the young man sitting cross-legged opposite him.

The young man, with his eyes closed, heard footsteps and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "Long time no see."

A glint flashed in Huai Leju's eyes, and he said coldly, "If you die, His Majesty will definitely come after me when he wakes up."

The young man looked up, a beam of light shining directly on the lower half of his face: "Why use His Majesty as an excuse? Since you so deeply resent His Highness the Crown Prince, why are you putting on this act? Who are you trying to impress?"

Huai Leju took two steps forward, placed his hands on the iron railing, and his veins were bulging.

The young man's gaze fell on his fingers, and he said jokingly, "Huai Ziyou, even if you use all your strength, you can't dismantle this iron block."

Huai Leju suddenly came to his senses.

He suddenly realized how out of line he had been, and after a long silence, he slowly said, "I have done as you said."

One tall, one short; one inside, one outside; the two gaze at each other.

The young man was clearly the one sitting, but Huai Leju was breathing rapidly.

After a long while, Huai Leju said again, "His Majesty has woken up and asked me to take you to the palace."

The young man stood up. He was extremely tall, seemingly possessing a natural air of intimidation, and his elongated shadow enveloped Huai Leju.

He leaned on the iron railing with one hand and said, "Thank you."

Huai Leju took a step back, his expression strange, and remained silent.

The young man walked past Huai Leju and said again, "Lord Huai, I will always remember your help. If Fang Jingru is right, thank you."

Historical records state that these two men never met, and if they did meet, they would fight. There are countless examples of this; I will give a few simple ones:

In the twenty-first year of Hong'an, Huaixu suffered a stroke in a brothel. Emperor Zhongzong rushed to see what was happening, but was caught on the spot by Huai Leju, and the two fought each other.

In the twenty-fourth year of the Hong'an era, Zhou Lao Er set fire to the capital, which escalated into a serious incident. As a result, Emperor Zhongzong was caught in the crossfire, and the two sides fought again as soon as they left the palace.

In the twenty-seventh year of Hong'an, Emperor Zhongzong left the capital. Huai Leju went to see him off, but they did not see eye to eye and parted on bad terms.

In the thirty-second year of the Hong'an era, on the eve of Emperor Zhongzong's return to the capital, he received a letter from Huai Leju. The contents of the letter are unknown, but Zhongzong reportedly tore it up on the spot and was very upset.

Huai Leju's face was ashen, and everyone present unconsciously kept a distance of eight hundred meters from him.

Everyone remembers that Fang Jingruo was the scapegoat that Huai Leju casually passed on to Zhuang Shi. But what does Tianmu mean by this? Could it be that they…

They've been in cahoots for a long time?

Zhou She glanced at the emperor and saw that he seemed to be in a relatively normal mood. He couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that Huai Leju was actually one of his men?

When did this happen?

Given the current situation, they are still locked in a fierce battle, and the most likely timeframe is the 27th year of the Hong'an era.

If things hadn't improved, why would he have gone to see me off? It doesn't make sense.

Emperor Hong'an was also listening to the sky, his feelings complicated: "You and Ziyou... are quite alike."

Zhou She nearly had a heart attack. He didn't really want the emperor to think he and Huai Leju were in cahoots, so he casually said, "Your Majesty, he even made me take the blame."

"I heard it." Emperor Hong'an glared at him. "Why didn't you say so then? But..."

He didn't say what exactly this was.

Zhou She was rather skeptical; he couldn't very well say that the tone with which he scolded the Fifth Prince resembled that of Huai Leju.

Yesterday, I watched the entire live stream of the artifacts unearthed from Huai Ziyou's tomb, and here are some firsthand tidbits worth mentioning:

First, until the twenty-fifth year of Hong'an, the relationship between the two was very bad, without a doubt.

Secondly, the relationship between Huai Leju and Zhou She did not improve until at least the 28th year of Hong'an. In the year that King Jungjong established the Xun'an Army, Huai Leju sent him a letter, writing about his own experiences, which could be considered a gesture of support from a friend. Later, when King Jungjong was short of money, Huai Leju also sent him some.

Third, in the third year of Jinghua, Emperor Zhongzong led an expedition and conquered the Northern Di royal court. Huai Leju stayed in the capital and wrote a letter to an old friend, saying, "Although Your Majesty is unfamiliar with the court, you are still a wise ruler. You are in the mountains and your knowledge of Your Majesty is only based on hearsay. Since you have ambitions, why not follow Your Majesty to create a prosperous era?" He used this to persuade his friend to take up an official post.

The funniest part was when his friend replied, asking if Emperor Zhongzong was truly a wise ruler, and telling him not to lie to him. Huai Leju, looking at the list of executions Emperor Zhongzong had prepared before his departure, said decisively: "He really was a good man. The people of Ning Dynasty don't lie to the people of Ning Dynasty."

Huai Leju stared at the sky, his hands clenching the handkerchief so tightly it made a cracking sound.

Everyone was terrified and exchanged glances:

'Where is the deputy commander?!'

I'm on duty today!

'The commander seems to be going crazy—'

'Should we slip away first?'

Huai Leju suddenly came to his senses, his chest heaving violently, but his mind was still blank.

He always thought that even if he listened to Zhou She, he would never speak in this tone or like this.

As for the letters he exchanged with Emperor Zhongzong, there were so many that it was impossible to read them all. Watching his tone change from "Zhou She" to "Zhou Xingyuan" to "Lord Zhou" and finally to "Your Majesty," well... it was actually quite amusing.

Lord Huai's initial arrogance followed by his obsequiousness is laughable.

Zhou She almost laughed.

Watching others make a fool of themselves is definitely more fun than being the one hanging up there.

Emperor Hong'an laughed, "Your kill list? Who are you planning to kill?"

The game has come to an end, and Emperor Hong'an has already won.

Zhou She picked up the black and white pieces one by one and said innocently, "Your Majesty, Lord Huai seems to agree with killing them as well."

Shifting the blame eastward, brother, if I'm in trouble, you won't escape either.

The emperor nodded with interest: "Indeed, I'm sure Tianmu will bring up these matters again. I really want to hear who you most want to kill."

Of course, it must be admitted that Huai Leju was not a liar. After his friend entered officialdom, he indeed had a smooth career and rose to the position of Minister.

After all, people jokingly say that King Jungjong is a masochist, but he truly has the patience to endure anything. As long as there's substance to the argument, you can point fingers and insult him without a problem; at most, he'll retaliate a few times, and they'll see who wins the verbal battle. He's also incredibly generous; wealth and honor are just around the corner, and his posthumous honors will be arranged for him, as long as he doesn't do anything wrong…

Jinghua Grand Stage: If you have talent, come and join us! This is no joke.