Whether it's "better safe than sorry" or "once bitten by a snake, twice shy," it doesn't matter.
After Lu Tianjiao left in a huff, Zhang Mama stood there for a while, pondering. In the end, she still picked up the ebony food box she had left behind with some doubt and hurried towards Xinglin Pavilion.
As soon as he stepped into the quiet Apricot Grove Pavilion, he shouted loudly, "Imperial Physician Yue, Imperial Physician Yue, come out..."
"Here it is, here it is..." After a short while, a somewhat impatient male voice could be faintly heard.
Granny Zhang stopped in the courtyard and carefully followed the sound. When she looked up, she saw that the over-forty-year-old Physician Le had somehow climbed onto the roof, to a place hidden by trees, and was fiddling with something that looked like weeds or wildflowers growing on the tiles.
Upon seeing this, Granny Zhang felt her heart pound, her head spin, and she felt as if she couldn't breathe. She hurriedly clutched her chest and exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! What treasure have you found this time, you old geezer? You're so old, yet you still think you're a young man! Why are you climbing so high? There are plenty of strong men in this mansion; you could have just asked one of them! What if you fall? Oh, oh, come down quickly! You scared this old woman to death..."
However, Physician Le remained oblivious, continuing to speak with great relish, "Granny Zhang, you don't understand. Don't underestimate these little things that stubbornly grow in the cracks of roof tiles, looking just like pine trees. They're called house pine, drought-resistant and cold-resistant. Not only are they highly ornamental, but they also have extremely high medicinal value. When used in medicine, they can not only clear heat and detoxify, stop bleeding and heal sores, but also have the effects of promoting diuresis and reducing swelling. They are very effective for eczema, boils, dysentery, hemorrhoids, liver disease, and so on."
"Alright, alright, this old woman knows that in your eyes, Physician Le, everything in the world can cure diseases and save lives. But I say you'd better get down quickly, just looking at you makes me dizzy. Oh dear, I can't take it anymore, I can't take it anymore..." As Zhang Mama spoke, she gently rubbed her head and then "thumped" down on the stone table in the courtyard, supporting her forehead with one hand, seemingly starting to pant weakly.
Physician Yue carefully lay on the eaves, examining the situation closely. Hearing the sound, he glanced down and saw that the person's expression had changed slightly. Only then did he slowly climb down the wooden ladder.
Approaching her, he anxiously picked up the large earthenware pot from the stone table and poured her a bowl of clear, rich, and pleasing Pu'er tea. He handed it to her, saying with concern, "Your old habit has flared up again, hasn't it? You wouldn't listen to reason. You, Zhang Mama, are the most disobedient and stubborn patient I've ever seen in this manor, and indeed in my entire life. What can I say to you? Here, don't be angry. Try this Pu'er tea. It has many benefits, including lowering blood lipids, aiding weight loss, inhibiting bacteria and promoting digestion, warming the stomach, promoting saliva production, quenching thirst, and relieving hangovers and detoxifying. It can clear the stomach and promote saliva production, aid digestion and resolve phlegm, relieve hangovers and detoxify, promote urination and dispel cold, stop coughs and resolve phlegm, and lower blood lipids and cholesterol—it's truly beneficial!"
Granny Zhang was indeed quite frightened at this moment. As soon as she received the teacup, she quickly took a sip to calm her nerves, having no interest in tasting the tea. She then sighed deeply and said wistfully, "Alas, what do you know, you old hag? If the Dowager Princess were still alive, this old woman wouldn't have to work so hard, worrying about so many trivial matters! You've seen it yourself, our young master never asks about or cares about these many trivial matters in the Prince's mansion. Originally, we were finally hoping for a princess to come, but he just leaves her hanging day and night." She remained silent, as if no one was there. The noble Princess Dongning had traveled a thousand miles to marry into our Western Qin, yet she ended up in the royal palace with only a nominal title. It was truly pitiful, quite heartbreaking. Since the grand wedding, she had been confined to Shaohua Pavilion by His Highness as if under house arrest, unable to participate in any affairs of the palace. Now, if I were to abandon her or neglect her duties, wouldn't this vast royal palace descend into complete chaos? How could I, an old woman, explain this to the deceased Dowager Consort? Besides, His Highness is now… sigh…
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered Xuan Yuanhan on his sickbed, and Zhang Mama sighed heavily again.
As Physician Le listened to Granny Zhang's story, he silently sat down beside her. After a long silence, he seemed helpless and lost all interest in savoring the tea in his hand. Instead, he tilted his head back and drank the entire bowl of tea in one gulp.
After a long pause, she finally came to her senses and spoke again to comfort him, "That's true, but you should take care of yourself first. I'm sure His Highness knows his own situation. But if you don't take this old ailment seriously, the consequences will be very serious. I'm not joking with you at all. If it really comes to that, you won't be able to take care of His Highness, and you'll even need others to take care of your own food, clothing, and shelter. Wouldn't that make you a burden to His Highness?"
At this moment, Granny Zhang slowly shifted her gaze to the ebony food box she had just brought and placed on the stone table. She then reached out and pushed it in front of Physician Yue, her brows furrowed, and asked with a somewhat grave expression, "Take a look, is this the medicine that Lu Xian's daughter asked you to get?"
Upon hearing this, Physician Le hurriedly reached out and lifted the lid of the food box, taking out a prescription that seemed strangely familiar. He then quickly unwrapped it and examined each ingredient: "Honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, hawthorn, kelp, kelp, mung bean, lotus leaf, coix seed, corn silk, radish seed, agastache, poria cocos, salvia miltiorrhiza, notoginseng... Yes, this medicine is indeed from Lu Xian's daughter, Tianjiao asked me to get it this morning. Lu Xian personally devised the prescription, and I have carefully considered the properties of the ingredients, so there shouldn't be any problems. If, as Tianjiao says, Lu Xian uses it extremely well, then this prescription will be far more effective than acupuncture for your chronic ailment."
As soon as he finished speaking, Physician Yue seemed to suddenly realize that Zhang Mama was acting strangely, so he asked again, "What's wrong? You seem to distrust this girl. She's really doing this out of kindness! After all, Lu Xian's secret recipe is very rare. ...Oh, she even personally and carefully brewed a pot of medicine for you. I say, you old stubborn woman, why don't you take it quickly?"
As Physician Yue spoke, he lifted the lid of a dark porcelain jar inside and was pleasantly surprised to find it. He quickly poured out a bowl of the medicinal soup and presented it to Granny Zhang.
"'One should not have the heart to harm others, but one should not be without the heart to guard against others.' I was just being extra cautious. How could the honest and virtuous Lu Xian have given birth to such a thing? That little girl, she's been quite pretty since she was little, eloquent, and always says things that the Dowager Empress likes. Such a cunning girl at such a young age. I never imagined she was such a two-faced person, always doing things that are hard to fathom. Eight years ago, if it weren't for saving her, how could the Dowager Empress have been involved in that inexplicable incident?" A mysterious fire raged, burning them alive in the City God Temple in the south of the city, leaving no trace of their bodies. This fire was too bizarre; it must be related to that young girl. Every time I think about it, I'm filled with rage. I wish I could tear that girl to pieces with my own hands. How could her life be compared to that of the Imperial Concubine? How could she possibly be worthy, how could she possibly be worthy? Zhang Mama painfully recalled that unforgettable scene, and couldn't help but roar in anguish.
"'Everything is predestined, and nothing is up to us.' Now that so many years have passed, you should let it go. That was the Dowager Consort's own choice, and she must have had her reasons. After all these years, Lu Xian has been loyal to His Highness, following his lead and protecting him from countless open and covert attacks in and out of the court. Countless times, he has used his unique medical skills to pull His Highness back from the brink of death, bleeding profusely from the battlefield. Without him, His Highness would not be as strong as he is today. I believe he will be eternally grateful for this, and his loyalty to His Highness will never waver throughout his life."
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhang persisted, saying, "That's what Lu Xian owes the Dowager Consort. Even if he were to repay it with the lives of his entire Lu family, he still wouldn't be able to pay it back, let alone just doing what he should have done as a subject. Our Highness was born powerful. Even if someone plotted to kill him, he would still encounter benefactors everywhere. 'Those who survive great calamities are destined for great fortune.' In this sense, even without Lu Xian, our Highness would still be the most powerful force in the Western Qin Kingdom, forever invincible."
Seeing this, Physician Yue had no choice but to agree and feign weakness to avoid further angering her. "Granny Zhang, you can't just say things like that. Alright, alright, our His Highness was born strong, invincible, invincible, alright? I advise you to quickly drink this medicine, so you can continue to have the strength to curse whoever you want here, to hurl all your insults, isn't that right?"
Finally, after venting her anger, the extremely stubborn old nanny of the Prince of Qin's mansion tilted her head back and drank the bowl of medicinal soup that Physician Yue had handed her, which was personally prepared by Lu Tianjiao.
After a while, Zhang Mama came to her senses and said, "By the way, has His Highness's medicine been prepared?"
"It's all ready. I'll go get it now." Physician Yue said, then got up and hurriedly walked into the house.
Seeing Physician Yue bring out the medicinal soup, Granny Zhang sighed repeatedly, saying, "Alas, I don't know what's wrong with His Highness this time. Even when he was covered in such severe sword wounds in the past, he never fell unconscious for this long. If this continues, what will become of him?"
As they were talking, Physician Yue had already placed the medicine bowl into the food box, and Granny Zhang also got up to prepare to feed Xuanyuan Han the soup and medicine again.
Meanwhile, outside the archway of Xinglin Pavilion, Lu Tianjiao heard everything inside clearly…
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