Chapter 237 She had seen him
One cold silver needle after another pierced Chu Jichen's legs, which had long since lost all feeling.
At first, he managed to maintain a semblance of calm. But as the apothecary's needles fell faster and faster, the dense silver needles raining down like raindrops, his originally pale face instantly turned bright red!
"Hmm..."
A suppressed groan escaped uncontrollably from his throat!
He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and large beads of sweat, like raindrops, slid down his temples, instantly soaking the brocade quilt beneath him.
Shen Qingci's heart was clenched by his painful groan!
She could no longer care about anything else. She immediately bent down, stretched out her arms, and tightly embraced his body, which was trembling slightly from the pain.
"I'm here." She pressed her cheek against his burning forehead, her voice filled with an endless tenderness and heartache that she herself was unaware of. "I'm here...it's alright."
She whispered soothing words in his ear again and again.
After an unknown amount of time, the surging, intense pain finally began to subside.
Chu Jichen was completely exhausted and collapsed weakly on the bed, too weak to even move a finger.
Once the treatment was completely finished, Shen Qingci finally couldn't help but ask, "Master Yao, how many times will His Highness need this kind of treatment?"
"Once a day, for seven days as one course of treatment." The old doctor put away the silver needles, his voice filled with solemnity. "Seven courses of treatment are required."
Shen Qingci's heart sank even further.
She knew she couldn't change the outcome.
All she could do was stay by his side during his most painful moments and try her best to alleviate his suffering in other ways.
When Qingming came to report the news again, Shen Qingci was in the courtyard watching Physician Li brew medicine.
Upon seeing Qingming arrive, Shen Qingci led her to the study.
"Your Highness," Qingming bowed, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible excitement, "our subordinates have tracked down Liu Wenyuan's whereabouts."
"He is very likely hiding in the palace!"
In the palace?
Shen Qingci narrowed her eyes. Sure enough, the most dangerous place is the safest place.
Liu Wenyuan is quite capable; he managed to hide right under their noses.
If they were in the palace, I wonder if Liu Wenyuan had tried to see Emperor Yongming. If they met and secretly plotted something, that would be bad.
However, with Chu Jichen's people planted around Emperor Yongming, it will probably not be easy for Liu Wenyuan to get close to Emperor Yongming.
Later, she would have to ask Chu Jichen about it and mention it to him.
"However, our subordinates have not yet tracked down his exact hiding place or his current status in the palace. It will take some time to confirm this completely."
Shen Qingci nodded: "Thank you for your hard work. I understand. I can only ask you to continue to keep an eye on things and investigate further."
Qingming responded and bowed as he withdrew.
But a moment later, she turned back.
Shen Qingci was somewhat surprised: "What's wrong? Is there anything else you haven't reported?"
Qingming shook his head, a hint of confusion in his eyes: "Your Highness, when I went out just now, I saw an old man with white hair coming out from the main house. I wonder who that person is?"
An old man with thinning, white hair?
Shen Qingci was taken aback, but immediately realized: "You must be talking about Yao Lao, the master of Physician Li by the Prince's side, who came to treat the Prince's leg."
Qingming's brows furrowed tightly.
Shen Qingci noticed Qingming's expression and immediately asked, "What's wrong?"
Qingming quickly added, "It should... just be a coincidence."
"However, I have seen him in General Shen's army before."
Shen Qingci was somewhat surprised: "Master Yao is Physician Li's teacher. Logically speaking, he should be from the Imperial Medical Academy. How come... he's in the army? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Qingming slowly shook his head, his expression resolute: "I remember now."
"He was a military doctor in General Shen's army."
“But,” she paused, then added, “he wasn’t a military doctor who accompanied the army, but rather a military doctor recruited from the civilian population. He didn’t stay in the army for very long, probably only a little over a year.”
She looked at Shen Qingci and said, "Back then, Miss, you were also in the army, so you must have seen him. His appearance hasn't changed much since then."
“However,” she said to herself, as if she had just thought of something, “you probably weren’t very familiar with the military doctor at the time, so you probably didn’t know that.”
Shen Qingci's brows furrowed tightly.
Hearing her say that, and recalling the old doctor's handsome face again, I vaguely felt a sense of familiarity.
She recalled the complex emotions in the old apothecary's eyes when they first met...
Shen Qingci remained silent for a moment before slowly nodding.
"I see."
After Qingming left again, Shen Qingci remained silent in the room for a long time before asking Wanqing to fetch Physician Li, saying that he should come and take her pulse.
Physician Li rushed over, his face showing undisguised concern: "Your Highness! Are you feeling unwell?"
Shen Qingci slowly shook her head.
“The prince and I,” she looked at him, her voice carrying just the right amount of shyness and solemnity, “we plan to stop taking the contraceptive soup and have a child.”
“I also want my child to come into this world healthy. I had a miscarriage a few months ago. So, I would like to ask you, Dr. Li, to take a look at me and see if there are any aftereffects from that miscarriage? And now... is it suitable for me to have a child?”
Upon hearing this, Physician Li immediately stepped forward and took Shen Qingci's pulse.
Shen Qingci smiled, adopting a casual, conversational tone, and tentatively asked, "If Master Yao is your master, did he also serve in the Imperial Hospital before?"
Physician Li nodded, his voice filled with admiration: "Yes. However, my master resigned from his post and left the Imperial Medical Academy more than ten years ago."
Shen Qingci's eyelashes trembled slightly, uncontrollably.
She then asked, "Did the old doctor know the prince when he was in the palace?"
Physician Li slowly shook his head: "My master was already the head of the Imperial Physician's Office at that time. The Prince was just an ordinary prince who was not favored. I met the Prince first."
He looked at Shen Qingci and smiled: "I mentioned this to you before, Your Highness. When the Prince was ill, his attendants came to the Imperial Hospital looking for someone. But everyone else in the Imperial Hospital was busy, so they just randomly pointed to me, who was just a medical attendant at the time. That's how I got to know the Prince."
“My master,” his voice carried a hint of reminiscence, “was someone I introduced to the prince.”
"At that time, the prince was already away fighting, and I was still in the Imperial Hospital, so I couldn't go with him. But I was really worried about him."
“So,” a hint of relief flashed in his eyes, “he wrote a letter and begged his master to let his master stay by the prince’s side.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com