Pulse 63
◎He was an imperial physician who had served in the army for many years and had excellent medical skills and could bring people back to health.◎
A team of secret agents rushed to Jinzhou overnight, led by none other than Cheng Wu. Following His Highness's instructions, they were to maintain secrecy while gathering information, especially not alerting anyone within the Marquis Xuanping's residence.
Four other secret guards returned to the capital and brought Xun Zhou and his family to the enclosure to pay a visit to His Highness.
The round trip will take some time, and the day when the emperor returns is not far away.
But His Majesty Prince Zhao was unwilling to wait even half a day longer, and the sooner the better.
Night fell over the hunting grounds. Inside Prince Zhao's tent, the dinner prepared for the day had been heated up three times.
Sun Jing paced outside the tent, finally making up his mind, and said to the inner room: "Your Highness..."
“No need.”
When the words "as usual" came, Sun Jing could only stop talking and step back.
He couldn't understand what happened in the paddock today.
After His Highness returned from Jiuyun Mountain, imperial edicts were issued secretly one after another.
Apart from summoning the military doctor to inquire about Lord Gu's injuries, His Highness locked himself in the tent for the rest of the time.
It was only natural that Prince Zhao would be concerned when Lord Gu suffered a minor injury. However, Sun Jing observed Prince Zhao's expression upon his return, and it was clear that he was filled with both worry and fury. He rarely saw Prince Zhao look like this, and he wondered who had angered him. Furthermore, Sun Jing secretly observed that Prince Zhao's anger was tinged with a touch of joy, further confusing him.
The evening breeze was cool and pleasant, but the tent was very stuffy.
A thought vaguely emerged in Lu Jing's mind, a thought he had never imagined.
Even though there was no actual evidence, he was already 70% certain in his heart.
This intuition was so strong that he almost immediately thought of going to Yuan Le's tent and confronting her face to face.
The ambiguous and restless relationship he had experienced over the past six months was still vivid in his mind. The resolution he had made after struggling for several months seemed to be becoming a joke.
He also wanted to ask Yuan Le why she would rather choose Meng Ting than let him take her back to the camp.
His rationality was almost overwhelmed by his intuition and obsession. Lu Jing wrote down the last secret order, with a little clarity and doubt left in his heart.
Xuanping Marquis Mansion. He couldn't believe that Xuanping Marquis Mansion was so audacious. It would have been fine if they had just switched the dragon with the phoenix, but they were willing to risk the crime of deceiving the emperor and let Yuan Le enter the court.
No, this could never be the style of the Xuanping Marquisate.
With his rationality returning to him, Lu Jing suppressed his hopes. If he held on to too much hope, he wouldn't be able to withstand such a huge ups and downs.
It is simply unbelievable that Yuan Le, who grew up with me, is a girl.
Could it be that he really couldn't accept Long Yang's kindness, so he magnified the insignificant details on the hunting ground?
The evidence from both sides was presented one by one, and they were evenly matched. In the battle between reason and emotion, he needed more evidence.
After checking the useful clues one by one, Lu Jing even thought of the theory of supernatural powers.
A marriage from a previous life, could it be that the Buddha of Chongsheng Temple is really so powerful that he can turn Yuan Le into a girl?
But he—he clearly didn't make a wish at that time.
The tent was so stuffy that it was hard to breathe. Lu Jing stood up and brushed aside the curtain.
"temple--"
"No need to follow."
Sun Jing stopped talking mid-sentence, watching His Highness's departing figure. The young disciple beside him said with a bitter face, "Master, what about His Highness's dinner?"
Sun Jing was also puzzled and could only say, "Let's keep it warm."
…
The moonlight is beautiful tonight, casting a shadow over the river, making the waves sparkle.
The evening breeze created ripples on the water. Lu Jing calmed down and thought about all the past events one by one.
Yuan Le first rejected the marriage proposal from the Duke of Qi's Mansion, preferring to say that she had a preference for both men and women rather than marry Qin Ying; in Wangyun Tower, Yuan Le said that the reason why he had not married yet was due to his own reasons and had nothing to do with others; and in the hunting ground, when the matter of a woman disguising herself as a man was mentioned, Yuan Le's expression was particularly strange.
Everything can be explained if Yuan Le is really a girl.
In the rear house of Marquis Xuanping's mansion, Madam Meng was afraid that it would be difficult to change Yuan Le's identity, but there were plenty of people who could do it.
Lu Jing remembered that before Yuan Le was born, the eldest son of the Marquis Xuanping had yet to be born. When the second branch of the family had a grandson, there were rumors that the title of Marquis Xuanping would be lost to someone else.
If this is the case, it is reasonable for Marquis Xuanping to let the newly born Yuan Le take on the status of the legitimate son.
Once you have an idea you like, all the clues you can think of will lean towards it.
Another example is the dispute over the succession of the Marquis Xuanping's heir, between Yuan Le and Gu Ningzheng. Anyone with a discerning eye knows which choice to make. Even with the interference of the Marquis Jingping's mansion, it wouldn't be enough to sway the Marquis Xuanping's decision. If the Marquis Xuanping wanted to maintain his prosperity for a hundred years, then, given his foresight, he should have chosen Yuan Le.
But he has been slow to ask the court to confer the title of Crown Prince.
"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
Lu Jing came back to his senses after hearing the voice, stood up and bowed, saying: "Father"
Emperor Mingde couldn't fall asleep in the middle of the night, so he went out of the tent to relax. From a distance, he saw Qi'an sitting alone by the river.
Emperor Mingde lifted his robe, sat casually on the stone, and waved his hand to signal Li Ji to move away.
Seeing that Qi'an sat beside him naturally without his signal, Emperor Mingde felt a little happy.
Among his princes, only Qi'an could be so close.
Emperor Mingde smiled and asked with concern, "Are you worried again?"
Outside the palace, there are fewer complicated rules, and at this moment he is just a father.
"I am just recalling some things from my childhood." Lu Jing looked at the calm river surface, time flowed silently like this.
"I was thinking about my time learning horseback riding and archery."
Emperor Mingde smiled. When Qi'an started practicing martial arts, the political situation was stable and he had more free time.
Qi'an's riding and archery were all taught by him personally, and his foundation was very good.
Emperor Mingde thought of the prey sent from Prince Zhao's Palace in the past two days. Qi'an's martial arts were the most outstanding among all the princes, and he lived up to his teachings.
Lu Jing could still recall many details of his childhood: "My father taught me how to respond if I encounter danger while riding a horse, or if the horse gets frightened and runs away."
This is also what he taught Yuan Le.
The moon was high in the sky as the father and son chatted, and before they knew it, the night had deepened.
Li Ji ordered people to prepare some easy-to-digest midnight snacks. Sun Jing breathed a sigh of relief. His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had not eaten dinner yet, so it would be just right for him to have a meal with Your Majesty.
…
The moonlight shone obliquely into the dream. In the luxurious bedroom, there was movement on the couch for a long time.
The girl's jade-like skin was dotted with marks, and a pink blush appeared, which made people feel excited.
“No…no more…”
She was exhausted and didn't want to accompany him any longer. But the emperor hadn't yet finished his meal, so she begged for mercy in vain and retreated to the bedside.
Then someone easily grabbed her white and tender ankles and pressed her back under his body.
"you--"
The gentle kiss that did not match the previous strong action suppressed the dissatisfaction in the words. Gu Ningxi's wrist was pinned to the pillow, and finally the emperor was satisfied again.
Gu Ningxi was so tired that he woke up in the middle of the night.
Most of the injuries on his body were not serious, except for the ankle which was slightly more serious.
She propped herself up on the bed and sat up. She lost her sleepiness and began to recall what happened in the forest during the day.
He also held her ankle in the same way, making her lose her composure for a moment.
She didn't know whether she had revealed any other flaws in front of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao in broad daylight.
Probably not, with her cousin's help, she has never had much contact with His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
Perhaps because he fell from his horse, the situation was too dangerous and Gu Ningxi always felt a little uneasy in his heart.
The wound was still painful, and Gu Ningxi was half asleep and half awake in the second half of the night. He finally fell asleep at dawn.
…
The news of Gu Ningxi's injury did not spread too far, and the Xuanping Marquis Mansion deliberately suppressed the news.
The sun was shining brightly and it was already afternoon.
"Your servant greets His Royal Highness Prince Zhao. May Your Highness be blessed."
Outside Gu Ningxi's tent, the servant who followed from Leyouyuan saluted respectfully, with a hint of fear in his tone.
Lord Gu ordered the door to be closed and visitors to be refused, but since the visitor was His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, he not only did not dare to stop him, but was even afraid to delay him.
When the servant's legs were trembling, fortunately Gu Ningwan in the neighboring tent heard the noise.
She came hurriedly and bowed deeply: "Your Highness, your Highness, is greeted by your servant."
"Get up."
Lu Jing spoke lightly, observing the situation outside Yuan Le's tent, and suddenly felt that their intention to delay time was so obvious.
Gu Ningwan remained calm and politely asked, "Your Highness, are you here to see Xi'er?"
"nature."
Gu Ningwan glanced at the curtain and said, "Your Highness, please."
Behind the screen, Gu Ningxi had just finished tying her hair.
She was only wearing a middle garment and was unable to get up from the bed to pay her respects because her ankle injury had not yet healed.
Fortunately, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao would not argue with her. When Gu Ningxi was about to speak, she heard His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, who was sitting on the wooden chair in front of the couch, take the lead: "All of you go down."
"yes."
The servants outside the screen filed out. Gu Ningwan moved her lips. Her sister looked disheveled and it was not appropriate for her to be alone in a room with His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
Unfortunately, due to the order from His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, she had no choice but to bow and leave for the time being, with a look of worry in her eyes.
She left the tent and immediately told her maid to prepare some medicine and bring it to the tent as soon as possible.
Gu Ningxi sat upright on the couch, her slightly curled hands hidden beneath the brocade quilt. No one else was left inside the tent, and after the noise died down, no one spoke for a moment.
Gu Ningxi turned her face slightly to avoid the gaze of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
The seemingly unintentional little action was extremely clear in Lu Jing's eyes.
Since he returned to Beijing, he had sometimes been with Yuan Le in private, and he could vaguely sense Yuan Le's discomfort. However, at that time, he had simply dismissed it as his own suspicions and didn't take it to heart.
Now it seems that there is a good reason for this.
When he left Beijing four years ago, Yuan Le was just coming of age.
Lu Jing sat in front of the couch, unconsciously looking at the delicate jade-like eyebrows and eyes of the person in front of him.
He remembered that when he was young and studying at the Imperial College, someone said that Yuan Le looked like a girl and was even more beautiful than a girl.
How come he hadn't noticed it before?
There was silence in front of the bed for a while, and then Lu Jing asked, "What does the doctor say?"
He first asked about Gu Ningxi's injury.
"It's nothing serious. The injury on my foot didn't hurt the bones. The doctor said I'll be fine after a few days of rest."
"What about the other injuries on your body? Have you asked a doctor to take a look?"
After a pause, Gu Ningxi responded "yes".
The camp was different from the Marquis Xuanping's residence. The accompanying military doctors were all sent by the palace. Gu Ningxi only asked Doctor Li to bandage his ankle injury.
Lu Jing had heard the same words last night. He asked deliberately, "Have you asked the doctor to take your pulse?"
"It's just an external injury," Gu Ningxi forced a smile. "There's no need to take my pulse, right? You'd better not prescribe me a bunch of bitter medicine, which would be very disgusting."
Her expression was natural, and her reasoning was fluent. If Lu Jing hadn't guessed it earlier, he probably wouldn't have noticed the clue.
The scene at the hunting ground yesterday was still fresh in his mind. After a moment of silence, Lu Jing asked, "Do you blame me?"
Yuan Le was injured because of him, so he should compensate her.
Gu Ningxi shook her head. "Things on the hunting ground are inherently dangerous. No one can predict them."
She should have thought about the risk of injury long before going into the mountains to hunt. She really never thought of blaming His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
She lowered her eyes, spoke sincerely, and looked obedient and sympathetic.
"Does the injury still hurt?"
She had clearly said it didn't hurt in front of her sister, not wanting to make her worry. But when she met the gaze of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, Gu Ningxi felt a surge of resentment in her heart.
She nodded silently, no longer pretending not to care: "...Yeah."
At that moment, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao felt his heart twitch.
"It should be fine in two days." Gu Ningxi said quickly, as if to comfort herself, or to tell His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
After a pause, Lu Jing said, "I sent someone to invite Doctor Li yesterday."
He was an imperial physician who had been with him in the army for many years. He had excellent medical skills and was good at bringing people back to health, especially external injuries.
Doctor Li has come with the emperor to identify herbs in the nearby mountains and compile a medical book. If we invite him overnight, he should arrive by evening.
Lu Jing looked into Gu Ningxi's eyes and said, "Let him take a look at the injury on your foot and take your pulse, okay?"
【Author’s words】
I've been too busy these past two days, I should be able to update earlier tomorrow~
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