Imperial Medical Academy (Part Two)
Qi Minghua was a little curious, but didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she said to Xie Xiangsi, "Then I'll have to trouble you, cousin."
The aroma of medicinal herbs mingled together in the side hall, even the air carried a slightly bitter scent. Xie Xiangsi frowned almost imperceptibly and extended her hand: "Thank you for your trouble, Young Master Qi."
She had a vague suspicion when Zhou Yanzhi said he would take her to the Imperial Hospital, but she didn’t feel any discomfort. Why did Zhou Yanzhi bring her to have her pulse checked?
The bitter aroma of medicinal herbs lingered quietly around them, creating a somber atmosphere.
Qi Minghua took his pulse, lowered his eyes and carefully felt it. As time passed, his originally relaxed brows gradually furrowed, making the other two's breathing become somewhat heavy.
Xie Xiangsi couldn't help but ask, "Young Master Qi, do I have some hidden illness?"
Qi Minghua didn't answer, but just shook her head slightly, and then asked her to open her mouth again.
After a moment, he withdrew his hand and said to the two people beside him, "My cousin is not ill."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xiangsi breathed a slight sigh of relief; it was good that nothing had happened. Zhou Yanzhi, however, remained somewhat grave. Even if he wasn't ill, there could be other underlying issues.
Sure enough, the next second, Qi Minghua added, "It's poisoning."
"Poisoning?!"
Jie Xiangsi was somewhat surprised.
How could she have been poisoned? Who would poison her?
Qi Minghua nodded: "Yes, but it's alright. The person who poisoned you probably didn't use much force, or it's a slow-acting poison. I'll develop an antidote for you and prescribe some medicine to nourish your body. You should be fine then."
He then added, "But do you know what kind of poison this is? If I were to identify it, it would take quite a bit of effort, and my cousin would suffer a bit."
Just as Jie Xiangsi was about to say she didn't know, something suddenly popped into her head.
That day in Danzhou, Zhang Xu had forced her to drink medicine. After drinking it, she lost consciousness. When she regained consciousness, she felt incredibly cold, colder than being in the snow, a cold that seeped from the inside out.
Could it be that bottle of medicine?
After thinking for a moment, she glanced at Zhou Yanzhi, then turned to Qi Minghua and said, "Young Master Qi, I've been with my cousin the whole way. Could you please keep an eye on him for me?"
Qi Minghua nodded readily: "Of course." After a pause, he turned to look at Zhou Yanzhi, who was deep in thought, and said with a hint of teasing in his tone: "Ce'an, why aren't you lending a hand? Your cousin has already spoken."
Jie Xiangsi: "..." Did you learn this from Lord Su?
Zhou Yanzhi: "..."
Zhou Yanzhi coughed as if issuing a warning, then placed his hand on the table, adding, "Minghua, don't be like Su Feng."
Qi Minghua smiled and hummed twice, then placed one hand on Su's pulse, remaining noncommittal about whether he would continue to learn from Master Su.
After a moment, he withdrew his hand, sighed softly, and gestured for Zhou Yanzhi to open his mouth.
Just as the two thought there was another problem, Qi Minghua raised an eyebrow at them and said in a very relaxed tone, "Your pulse is strong, your tongue is rosy, your yang energy is abundant, and you are very healthy."
Zhou Yanzhi: "..."
Jie Xiangsi: "..."
Zhou Yanzhi said helplessly, "Ming painting, don't imitate Su Feng."
Upon hearing this, Qi Ming looked innocent: "Oh, you guys are taking this too seriously, just kidding."
Zhou Yanzhi was speechless.
Turning to Xie Xiangsi, Qi Minghua asked curiously, "My cousin asked me to take Ce'an's pulse, did you find anything?"
Jie Xiangsi nodded, her eyes darkening: "My cousin and I have been living and eating together for the past month. If someone poisoned me, my cousin would likely be affected as well."
Qi Minghua nodded: "Indeed."
She continued, "But there was one time that was different. I was kidnapped, and Zhang Xu gave me a drug that made me feel cold all over."
Upon hearing this, a solemn expression appeared on Qi Minghua's face.
“But when I woke up at the Jing residence after being injured, I didn’t feel that sensation anymore. I thought it had been healed while I was treating the sword wound.” Xie Xiangsi paused, then turned to look at Zhou Yanzhi: “So it wasn’t?”
Zhou Yanzhi nodded and explained, "Your sword wound healed, but you were still unconscious and kept shouting 'cold.' The doctors we called all said they couldn't do anything. I sent a message to Minghua, and he said he wasn't quite sure what was going on and that he needed to see the person in person to treat you."
Qi Minghua nodded in agreement: "That's right, Ce'an did send me a message."
Changing the subject, Zhou Yanzhi turned to Xie Xiangsi and added, "But you woke up later and didn't say 'cold' anymore, but I was worried, so I was in a hurry to take you back to the capital."
"I see." Xie Xiangsi nodded, then, as if remembering something, she suddenly asked, "Have either of you ever heard of the medicine 'Moon Gazing Powder'?"
"Wangyue San?" Qi Minghua asked, somewhat puzzled.
"this."
Zhou Yanzhi took out a small paper packet from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Qi Minghua, explaining, "This is something I brought back from Danzhou. This medicine comes from the Northern Yi tribe and is mostly used to treat high fever."
"Later it was introduced to our Great Zhao and called 'Wangyue San'. Most of the people who bought this medicine were brothels in the capital. The medicine was also renamed 'Bingxing'." He paused, his voice lowering, "to... to add spice to the bedroom."
Jie Xiangsi: "..." Hearing this usage again, I'm still a bit speechless.
Qi Minghua: "..." Oh?
Qi Minghua coughed lightly, glanced away uncomfortably, pushed the paper package back, and said, "I see, it has such a wonderful use. I don't need this yet, Ce'an, you should keep it for yourself."
Jie Xiangsi: "..." What kind of pig talk is he talking about?
Zhou Yanzhi: "..." A month has passed since we last met, and Minghua has really changed a lot since then. He can't even understand what I'm saying anymore.
Helplessly, Zhou Yanzhi rubbed his forehead, his voice revealing a hint of despair: "Minghua, that's not what I meant."
Suddenly, a hand pushed the paper package that had been being tossed around back to its original position. Meeting Qi Minghua's evasive gaze, Jie Xiangsi said earnestly, "Young Master Qi, you misunderstand. What my cousin means is that this medicine is very likely the poison I was given."
Qi Minghua: "..."
"Really?" Qi Minghua smiled awkwardly.
He took the paper packet, opened it, and smelled it. His expression gradually became serious. He then turned to Xie Xiangsi and said, "Cousin, may I take a little of your blood?"
Before Jie Xiangsi could answer, Zhou Yanzhi frowned first: "Draw blood?"
“That’s right, I need to confirm whether this medicine is poison or not.” Qi Minghua nodded, glancing at Zhou Yanzhi’s expression, he chuckled, leaned forward and patted his shoulder: “Just a little bit.”
After saying that, he turned to Xie Xiangsi and comforted her, "Cousin, don't worry, I'll be quick, it won't hurt."
"It's alright." Jie Xiangsi reached out her hand. "Young Master Qi can take the blood."
...
A silver needle pierced the fingertip, and bright red blood quickly welled up, dripping into the prepared porcelain bowl. Instantly, a light veil of red spread across the clear water.
Qi Minghua shook the porcelain bowl and sprinkled some Moon Gazing Powder into it. A moment later, the pale water instantly turned a light blue and emitted a faint fragrance.
Upon smelling that familiar fragrance, Jie Xiangsi's pupils suddenly contracted.
She had smelled this fragrance on Zhang Xu, and also on Zhou Yuyi just now.
Looking at the discolored water in the bowl, Zhou Yanzhi asked in a deep voice, "How is it?"
Qi Minghua put down the porcelain bowl, sighed, turned around to meet the gazes of the two people, and nodded slightly, "It's this one."
"Alright, now that we know what the poison is, things will be easier from here on out." Qi Minghua washed his hands, put one hand on Zhou Yanzhi's shoulder, and smiled at Xie Xiangsi beside him, saying, "Cousin, I'll write you a gentle remedy in a bit. You get the medicine, simmer it over a low flame, drink it for seven days, and then you'll be detoxified."
"Young Master Qi, I'd like to ask, why do we have to wait seven days?" Xie Xiangsi asked, somewhat puzzled.
Upon hearing this, Qi Minghua slightly curved his lips, his gaze falling on her left wrist, a hint of deep meaning flashing in his eyes: "When I took my cousin's pulse earlier, I found that she was depressed. If I'm not mistaken, the scratches on her left wrist must be the ones she made herself when she tried to kill herself, right?"
Instead of answering, he asked, "If you want to die, why do you want to live?"
Upon hearing the words "suicide," Jie Xiangsi, trying to cover her tracks, pulled her sleeve over her left wrist: "I..."
Seeing her subtle movements, Zhou Yanzhi's brow twitched slightly, and he raised his hand to tap Qi Minghua's back.
Sensing Zhou Yanzhi's meaning, Qi Minghua sighed inwardly, swallowed back what she wanted to say, and softened her tone: "The antidote pills I developed are very potent, and my cousin's current body cannot withstand them."
"If we rush to detoxify, it will backfire. It's better to recover first, which will make detoxification easier later."
Jie Xiangsi nodded slightly: "Xiangsi understands, thank you Young Master Qi."
Qi Minghua waved her hand: "No need to thank me. After all, you are Ce'an's future wife. I can't just stand by and watch you die."
"Alright, that's enough."
Fearing that Xie Xiangsi might be uncomfortable, Zhou Yanshang stepped forward and pulled her outside into the hall. He held the silent Xie Xiangsi in his arms, lowered his head and whispered, "I'm sorry, it's my fault. I've made you suffer."
The person in his arms shook their head.
Jie Xiangsi said in a muffled voice, "It's not your fault." After a pause, she looked up at Zhou Yanzhi, whose face was filled with worry, and said, "Aren't you supposed to go to see the Emperor? Go quickly."
“But you…” Zhou Yanzhi was still a little worried.
Jie Xiangsi raised the corners of her lips and revealed a faint smile: "I'm really fine. You should know me. Such words are not enough to make me sad."
"So, will you wait for me to finish my audience with the Emperor and return to the manor with me, or will you go back first?"
"..."
Gently patting her back, Zhou Yanzhi said softly, "Then I'll have Ji Feng take you home?"
Jie Xiangsi nodded.
"good."
...
After seeing Jie Xiangsi off, Zhou Yanzhi returned to the side hall, where Qi Minghua had already prepared tea and was waiting for him. Seeing her return, Qi Minghua raised an eyebrow and asked knowingly, "Did you see your dear little cousin off?"
Zhou Yanzhi remained silent, but punched him in annoyance, knocking him face down on the table.
Sensing his resentment, Qi Minghua chuckled and got up to pour him tea herself, saying, "She lied to you, schemed against you, ran away from you time and time again, and even committed suicide due to depression. And yet, you're still devoted to her."
“Ce’an, you should know that I, Qi Minghua, never save those who are determined to die.”
Upon hearing a certain jarring word, Zhou Yanzhi frowned: "She doesn't have it now."
“But it existed before,” Qi Minghua said unhurriedly.
Zhou Yanzhi ignored him and said, "I only care about the present."
"Alright, alright." Qi Minghua chuckled, patted his shoulder, and teased, "I never thought that our aloof Lord Zhou would one day bend over for love."
"alright."
Zhou Yanzhi slapped Qi Minghua's outstretched hand away, turned his head, and looked serious.
"What were you trying to tell me when you hinted that I should stay?"
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