Chapter 37: Give me the medicine and get out!
When Monk Yu heard the word "Wang Xiang", his expression changed slightly.
"Wang Xiang..." Monk Yu hesitated for once. "I fought him half a month ago in Wuchang Prefecture. His internal energy is quite unique. He has mastered the Flower Finger technique to perfection, and his moves are ruthless. I'm afraid I'm no match for him."
Zhou Heng raised his eyebrows when he heard this: "Is there anyone in this world that you dare not touch?"
Monk Yu smiled bitterly, "There are always people better than you, and there are always higher things. I once thought I was unrivaled, but now it seems I'm still not up to par. If Ah Heng insists on me taking action, I'll gladly sacrifice my life for you for ten thousand taels of gold!"
Zhou Heng was so enraged by the monk that he laughed: "Where can I find you ten thousand taels of gold? Forget it. I know you're afraid of death, so I don't have to kill you. I'll just test Wang Xiang, is that all right?"
Monk Yu said seriously, "One thousand taels of gold."
Zhou Heng wanted to kick him out.
After calming down a bit, Zhou Heng pressed his forehead and said impatiently, "Speaking of this, have you returned the money to Shanmei?"
"Ah, I was in such a hurry I forgot." Monk Yu's eyes wandered. "But don't worry, Ah Heng. Aren't you going to Shaanxi in a few days? I'll go with you then and return the money on the way."
Zhou Heng said, "No rush. You stay in the capital and help me with one more thing."
Monk Jade first extended one hand, fingers spread wide: "Kill someone, five thousand taels of gold." Then he slowly retracted four fingers, leaving only the index finger: "To get information, one thousand taels will do."
Zhou Heng held his forehead, unwilling to argue with this bald donkey any more, and began to talk about business: "... Prince Xuan's brain is full of water. He found a bunch of evil Taoist priests from nowhere for the emperor to make elixirs with all kinds of messed-up things. The old man is getting more and more confused. It's okay for him to harm the children and court officials, but now he is going to harm innocent palace maids! It's really... Sigh, you stay in the capital for the time being, keep a close eye on Prince Xuan and those evil Taoist priests, and do your best to prevent them from causing trouble."
Monk Yu: "Okay, what about Wang Xiang?"
Zhou Heng said, "No rush. Wang Xiang probably won't be returning to the capital anytime soon. He's just sending his sister back to Yan'an Prefecture on his way there. He has other confidential matters to attend to, so he can't leave for the time being. You stay in the capital first. Once I take down the Jinyiwei, I'll have that person come to the capital to replace you."
"Are you still planning to attack the Jinyiwei?" Monk Yu was surprised. "Ah Heng, lying in love will lead to serious consequences."
Zhou Heng looked at Monk Yu with a gloomy gaze and said in a cold tone, "Since he has a sincere heart and happens to be of use to me, why shouldn't I use him? The situation in the court is changing rapidly. Whether it's true or false, it's all a burden. Now that I'm in the game, I believe I have a clear conscience. Why do you have to worry about me?"
Monk Yu was silent.
After Zhou Heng finished giving his instructions, he waved his hand, signaling Monk Yu to leave. Zhou Heng walked a few steps out of the study, then suddenly turned back and said coldly, "Also, give me Shanmei's money. I'll take it back and return it to him."
Monk Yu: “…Okay.” He wanted to return it in person!
But Zhou Heng was a man of his word. Ever since Monk Yu had known him, he had never shown much tenderness. He was like a rock, unbreakable by wind and rain, solid and steady. Only when facing his dearest sister did Zhou Heng show a little tenderness.
…
After more than ten days of rapid travel, Zhou Xian was about to enter Shaanxi when he fell ill again. It was the transition between autumn and winter, and he had taken another dip in the icy river, chilling him to the bone. His old illness finally recurred more than half a month later.
The battle on the front lines waited for no one. Even though Zhou Shan was seriously ill, the group couldn't stop their pace, though they could only walk a little slower. Fortunately, Zhang Jin was used to taking care of Zhou Shan, so he personally did everything from boiling medicine to feeding her and rubbing her body, not letting anyone else move.
When the carriage stopped for a rest at night, Zhang Jinwei had the eunuchs boil some hot water and bring it into a wooden basin. He put his hand in to test the water's temperature, and when it was too hot, he let it cool and turned to apply a cold handkerchief to Zhou Shan's forehead.
Zhou Xian's face flushed with fever, and he lay sickly on the soft couch in the carriage, his hair damp and his breath hot. Wrapped in thick blankets, he felt so stuffy that he secretly held out his hand to cool himself down.
"Alas." Zhang Jinwei sighed. His sharp eyes caught a glimpse of white on the edge of the quilt. He leaned over, grabbed Zhou Xian's paw, and stuffed it back into the quilt. "Just bear with it for another night and work up a sweat, and you'll be fine."
Zhou Xian's voice was hoarse: "It's hot."
"You're almost burning like a little furnace, how can you not be hot?" Zhang Jinwei was helpless and gently stroked Zhou Shan's cheek with his hand. He had just returned from outside and his hands were still cold. Zhou Shan pressed his face against them, trying to absorb a little coolness.
Zhang Jin used his other hand to test the water temperature. Seeing that it was about right, he picked up a handkerchief and swung it in the water. After wringing it dry, he slowly unfolded it and gently wiped Zhou Shan's face.
After wiping his face, he washed the handkerchief, slightly opened the quilt, and began wiping Zhou Shan from the neck down. Zhou Shan's body was burning hot, her white skin a sickly red, and it felt frighteningly soft to the touch. It seemed that if Zhang Jinwei applied a little more force, Zhou Shan would melt in his palm.
"Xianxian..." Zhang Jinwei whispered in Zhou Xian's ear while picking her up, unbuttoning her underwear, and wiping the sticky sweat off her body.
Zhou Xian felt dizzy and could only utter a nasal sound: "Hmm?"
"They said there are many famous doctors in Shaanxi and Shanxi. When you return to Yan'an and settle down, I will ask someone to invite them to treat you, okay?" Zhang Jinwei said softly.
Zhou Xian blinked: "Have I ever told you?"
Zhang Jinwei shook his head.
Zhou Xian buried her face in the man's arms. "I probably took too many medicines when I was a kid. Those kind of medicines don't help me grow, but they make it easier for men to disguise themselves as women. But the medicines are too potent. I've been feeling uncomfortable ever since, and the aftereffects are obvious... I wrote to Imperial Physician Li after I returned. He was the one who prescribed the medicine for my mother. Perhaps he knows how to best treat her."
Zhang Jinwei tightened his arms around Zhou Shan and remained silent for a long time. He wiped Zhou Shan's body clean without a word, and when he was done, he tucked her into the quilt and said, "Okay, Shan Shan, go write a letter to Doctor Li. But I'm still worried, so I'll ask another doctor to come and see you."
Zhou Xian couldn't help but curl his lips when he heard this. Seeing a doctor meant taking more medicine, and medicine was basically bitter. He hated taking medicine and also hated seeing a doctor!
He was just as he was vehemently condemning the idea of seeing a doctor and taking medicine when someone knocked on the carriage and a Jinyiwei said in a loud voice, "Your Excellency the Censor, the princess's medicine is ready."
Zhang Jinwei said, "I understand." He stood up, lifted the thick curtain, and took the food box from the Jinyiwei. He opened the box and saw a bowl of thick medicine and a small dish of preserved fruit.
He smiled at the Jinyiwei and said, "Thank you very much."
The Jinyiwei scratched his head and said embarrassedly, "Eunuch Wang asked me to bring it over. He said the princess has never liked taking medicine since she was young, so he brought some candied fruit or something to soothe her appetite."
Zhang Jinwei's smile faded a little: "Eunuch Wang is thoughtful."
After saying this, he sent the Jinyiwei away and returned to Zhou Shan with a food box, his expression grim.
Zhou Xian had tinnitus, and Zhang Jinwei had just spoken to the Imperial Guards in a low voice, so he couldn't hear anything clearly. He asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's okay. The medicine is ready. Get up and take it." Zhang Jinwei gave him a gentle smile.
Zhou Xian silently pulled up the quilt to cover her face, looking like she was pretending to be spoiled and saying, "I just won't eat it."
Zhang Jinwei Xiaoxiao didn't say anything, so he pulled off the blanket covering Zhou Shan's face and gently pinched Zhou Shan's cheek: "Be obedient."
No.
When Zhou Xian thought about the fact that this person would have to ask a lot of doctors to prescribe medicine for him later, he became worried and decided to pretend to be asleep to fool the situation.
Who knew that Zhang Jin was so hateful that he not only lifted his quilt, but also... Zhou Xian swallowed the medicine in humiliation. His lips and tongue were robbed by the man. The bitter taste of the medicine followed and spread in his mouth, making him feel dizzy and angry.
Zhang Jinwei kissed his cheek and asked with a smile, "Are you still taking medicine?"
Zhou Xian trembled as he climbed to his feet, his face red as blood. He reached out to snatch the bowl of medicine and said viciously, "I'll eat it myself—"
Zhang Jinwei took a sip of the medicine and put it on Zhou Shan's lips again. The lips that were usually rosy were a little flaky due to the illness, but they were still soft and so hot that they almost burned Zhang Jinwei. He closed his eyes, bit the tip of Zhou Shan's tongue, and passed the medicine in little by little. Zhou Shan was very clumsy in these things, she didn't know how to breathe, and she didn't know how to respond. Once the kiss started, she froze in his arms. Of course, Zhou Shan was very good at biting, and she could always find various ways to bite Zhang Jinwei's lips. Every time he kissed Zhang Jinwei and left, others would ask the censor what happened to his mouth, and he would say it was a cat bite.
Where did the cat come from in this wilderness?
Zhou Xian was ill and weak, so he had no choice but to take the medicine obediently. After he finished, his eyes were blurred with tears, and he hit Zhang Jinwei's chin with his head, making him laugh.
Zhang Jinwei smiled so hard that his eyebrows raised: "Take the medicine quickly."
Zhou Xian didn't want to pay attention to him. He closed his eyes, took the bowl, pinched his nose, and swallowed all the medicine in one gulp. The bitterness was so intense that tears welled up in his eyes. He glanced at the preserved fruit in the food box and reached for it.
"That was brought by Wang Xiang. Does Xianxian want to eat it?" Zhang Jinwei whispered in his ear.
Zhou Shan was a little hesitant. He had a grudge against Wang Xiang, and the preserved fruit in front of him suddenly lost its taste. He withdrew his hand awkwardly and was about to lie down when Zhang Jinwei came over again.
The kiss was gentle and long. By the end, Zhou Shan's tongue was numb. How could he even remember what "bitter" tasted like? Only when he was almost out of breath did Zhang Jinwei let go and wiped the traces from Zhou Shan's mouth with a handkerchief.
"Get out of here!" Zhou Xian curled up in the quilt and sulked.
Zhang Jinwei said innocently, "It's very cold outside. Xianxian is already sick. If I get sick from the cold, who will take care of her?"
It's simply impossible to communicate!
Zhou Xian simply pretended to be asleep and refused to open his eyes no matter how Zhang Jinwei coaxed him. He treated Zhang Jinwei as a turtle chanting sutras and went to sleep soundly.
When they returned to Yan'an Prefecture, Zhou Shan's illness had not yet fully recovered and would relapse at the slightest gust of wind, so they asked someone to bring a warm sedan chair to pick up Zhou Shan.
Zhou Xian was carried out of the car by Zhang Jinwei. When he stood firm on the ground, he looked up and saw Qianshan running towards him crying. She hugged him and said in a nasal voice, "Princess... you are finally back! We were so worried that we couldn't eat or sleep well, because we were afraid that you would suffer and be bullied outside..."
She was crying so hard that her face looked much thinner than before. Zhou Xian took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped away the tears from her face: "Okay, I'm back, aren't I?"
Qianshan pouted, looking very aggrieved, and her tears were about to fall onto Zhou Shan's clothes. Muxue, who was calm and composed, saw the prince consort's smile gradually fade, and hurriedly pulled Qianshan away.
Mu Xue naturally wanted to cry, tears welled up in her eyes, but she was stubborn and refused to cry. She just said in a hoarse voice, "I'm glad the princess is back."
Zhou Xian asked, "Where's my aunt?"
Qianshan answered first, "Auntie caught a cold a few days ago and only felt better yesterday. She can't go out, so she's waiting for the princess in the yard!"
Zhou Xian felt sorry when he heard this.
He went out for a walk, gained nothing, and even caused a lot of people to run around for him. It was really outrageous. He still missed the hustle and bustle of the world outside, but there were more important things to do at the moment. He decided to put his long-cherished wish aside for the time being, at least... at least he would not cause anyone any more trouble.
Zhang Jinwei picked up Zhou Shan again and said to Qianshan and Muxue, "Let's not talk about it for now. The princess is also sick and can't stand the wind. You can go back and ask Lord Zeng if there is a good doctor in Yan'an Prefecture, and ask someone to come and see the princess." After that, he stuffed Zhou Shan into the warm sedan chair.
Qianshan was extremely anxious upon hearing this, and turned around to look for Zeng Wenjun, leaving Muxue behind to follow the sedan chair back to the yard.
Zhang Jin was about to get on his horse after settling all the affairs when he suddenly saw Wang Xiang coming from not far away and smiling at him.
Mu Xue, who was following the sedan chair, was puzzled and asked, "Eunuch Wang?"
Wang Xiang smiled at her in a friendly manner and nodded without answering. Then he turned and said to Zhang Jinwei, "I have something to say to your Majesty. I wonder if your Majesty would be willing to give me some face?"
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