Treating the people as one's own children invites envy.
At this moment, Zhao Hongxing pointed to a spot and said, "Your Majesty, Imperial Censor Qi is over there."
Qi Dou looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a boy about his age, dressed in white, sitting in a seat and writing a medical prescription.
A breeze occasionally blew towards him, and he just smiled and tucked his hair behind his ear. As if sensing that someone was looking at him, he looked up and saw that it was Qi Dou. He slowly got up and walked over to Qi Dou.
The man bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I, Qi Wenzhe, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, pay my respects. I was busy just now and did not hear Your Majesty's arrival. I was unable to greet you in time. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Upon hearing his voice, Qi Dou felt that this person was truly like a gentle spring breeze.
Then I realized that I didn't want them to feel too constrained by my presence.
Qi Dou raised his hand and said, "No need for formalities. Your failure to receive me in time proves that you were focused on preparing medicine. How could I punish you? I should reward you."
Qi Wenzhe humbly replied, "It is my duty to fulfill my responsibilities in this position."
Qi Dou nodded and said, "Wen Zhe has always been dedicated to his work, so it's alright. I will reward you after you return from Bashu. Tell me first how your preparations are going?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Wenzhe immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I am incompetent and have failed to find a way to cure the plague. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Qi Dou was at a loss after hearing this. Throughout history, plagues have been a torment. Every emperor has experienced a plague outbreak, some minor and some major, during his reign. Therefore, emperors of all dynasties would order the Imperial Medical Academy to research ways to treat plagues, but all of them came up with nothing. However, Qi Wenzhe was a genius. Although he did not find a way to treat the plague, he did find a way to prevent it.
Qi Dou looked at him and said, "My dear minister, rise. I will not punish you. I have decided to send you to Bashu the day after tomorrow. I hope you will live up to my expectations."
Upon hearing this, Qi Wenzhe solemnly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will certainly not fail your expectations."
Qi Dou said slowly, "Get up."
Only then did Qi Wenzhe dare to get up.
Qi Dou looked at him with some reluctance and said, "Wen Zhe, your father has gone to the frontier to fight. You are his only son, and you are the one he worries about most. If you were in the capital, your father might not be so worried, but..."
Qi Wenzhe was somewhat moved when he heard about his father, but he did not show it on his face.
Qi Dou dared not look at him and turned away, saying, "But a plague has broken out in Sichuan and Chongqing, and you are the best doctor. I have no choice but to go for the sake of the people. Now your Qi family father and son have to go into battle. If you are not careful, you will die. Do you... have you ever resented me?"
After Qi Dou finished speaking, he didn't dare to turn around. He didn't know how to deal with Qi Wenzhe's resentment, but no matter what, his thoughts would not change.
After a moment of silence, Qi Wenzhe bowed to Qi Dou and said, "Your Majesty, I have never resented you. My father fought for the country and for the people. If he were to die in battle, I believe he would have no regrets."
Qi Xuan Gui only had one child. From the moment Qi Wen Zhe was born, he hoped that he could fight on the battlefield like himself. He strictly taught him martial arts from a young age, but Qi Wen Zhe was not good at this. He liked to study pharmacology and medicine from a young age. Qi Xuan Gui was disappointed when he found out.
In order to continue studying medicine, Qi Wenzhe could only kneel down and beg Qi Xuangui, saying, "I am unable to inherit my father's mantle, but I beg my father to allow me to continue studying pharmacology and medicine."
Upon seeing this, Qi Xuangui simply turned and left, leaving behind only the words, "You'll have to deal with your own affairs!"
After hearing this, Qi Wenzhe understood his meaning and bowed to his back, saying, "Your son thanks you, Father."
After that, Qi Wenzhe went to study at the Imperial Medical Academy, and the relationship between father and son was not very harmonious.
Then Qi Wenzhe walked up to Qi Dou, bowed, and said, "I am also fighting for the people. If I am unfortunately infected and die, I will have no regrets. I only ask Your Majesty to let the people get out of their suffering as soon as possible!"
Qi Dou frowned upon hearing this and said, "If your Qi family father and son all die, wouldn't I become a sinner for all eternity? I now order you not to die! Come back to me alive!"
Although it was an order, who could say for sure what would happen in a life-or-death situation? Qi Dou could only console himself with this thought.
Qi Wenzhe paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Qi Dou's eyes were filled with pity upon hearing his answer. He hesitated to speak, but just then, an announcement came from outside: "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"
After Li Xing was moved into the Imperial Hospital, he saw that they were all speechless.
Hmm? Did I arrive at the wrong time?
Li Xingyi said softly, "Your Majesty?"
Qi Dou sighed, looked at Li Xingyi and smiled, "Xingyi, what brings you here?"
Li Xingyi explained, “Your Majesty, I heard that there is a plague in Bashu. The Imperial Hospital is going to send people there, but I am worried that the Imperial Hospital will not be able to handle it. So I brought people here to help. I also want to do my part for the people of Bashu.”
Qi Dou smiled upon hearing this, stepped forward, and took Li Xingyi's hand, saying, "Xingyi, you're so thoughtful. These things could have been handled by the servants; why did you have to come and help yourself?"
Li Xingyi calmly replied, "As the Empress, I am the mother of the nation, and the people are my children. How can a mother ignore her child's illness?"
Qi Dou was taken aback for a moment, and Qi Wenzhe smiled and said, "Your Majesty the Empress cares deeply for the people; no wonder His Majesty wanted to marry you."
Upon hearing the voice, Li Xingyi looked at him and said, "You flatter me, Imperial Physician Qi. Imperial Physician Qi went to Sichuan to serve the people. I was only here to help prepare medicines at the Imperial Hospital. I was no match for Imperial Physician Qi who risked his life to save the people in Sichuan."
Qi Wenzhe smiled but didn't say anything. Qi Dou said, "Wenzhe, you should go ahead and get busy. We've already taken up a lot of your time."
Qi Wenzhe bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I shall take my leave."
Qi Dou then said to Qian Wu and the others, "It's getting late, you should go and help out too."
Qianwu and the others bowed to Qi Dou and went to do their work. Seeing this, Li Xingyi slowly said, "Your Majesty, I should also go and help."
Qi Dou took her hand and said, "I will go with you."
The next second he said to Zhao Hongxing, "Hongxing, you should bring some people to help too."
Upon hearing this, Li Xingyi was taken aback.
Why...?
Li Xingyi quickly regained his composure and said to Qi Dou, "Your Majesty, you don't need to come and help."
Qi Dou looked at her and smiled, "Xingyi, you are the mother of the world, then I am the father of the world, and I also want to fulfill my responsibilities as a father."
Li Xingyi was speechless. After all, it was his own words, so he could only help Qi Dou.
Suddenly, the Imperial Hospital was filled with the Emperor and Empress, their entourage, and other staff members, all bustling about – a scene that seemed utterly out of place.
In Cining Palace, Shi Hui was meditating with her eyes closed when she heard Shunhua say in her ear, "Your Majesty, the Empress has led the way to help at the Imperial Hospital. His Majesty happened to be there, and to everyone's surprise, His Majesty condescended to help along with the Empress and the servants!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Hui suddenly opened her eyes, angrily slapped the chair, and said, "Nonsense! This Li Xingyi is really restless! It's one thing for him to act recklessly, but he even dragged His Majesty into it!"
Shunhua seized the opportunity to say, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, I heard that the Empress said that as the Empress, she is the mother of the nation, and the people are her children. How can a mother not care if her child is sick?"
"His Majesty said that he is the father of the world and should fulfill his responsibilities as a father."
Shi Hui immediately stood up and said, "What do you mean, 'the mother of the child'?! I knew this Li Xingyi had no bearing whatsoever for an empress!"
Shunhua asked, "Your Majesty, what should we do?"
Shi Hui laughed and said, "Hmph, didn't she say she was the mother of the world? Spread all the rumors she said and let the people know!"
Shunhua asked, puzzled, "Your Majesty, isn't this helping her?"
Shi Hui said, "Of course not. Since she is a mother, shouldn't she fulfill any requests the people have for her children?"
Shunhua immediately understood and said with a smile, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will do it right away!"
Then Shi Hui closed her eyes and regulated her breathing.
At Shou Kang Palace, smoke slowly drifted out of the incense burner, filling the room with swirling smoke.
Liang Qu knelt on the prayer mat, her hands moving the prayer beads one by one as she chanted sutras beneath the statue of Guanyin. Hui Deng stood beside her, and a palace maid entered and whispered something in Hui Deng's ear.
Huideng gestured for the palace maid to leave, and quietly looked at Liang Qu.
Liang Qu sensed the gaze, stopped rubbing the prayer beads in his hand, stopped chanting, kowtowed to the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, and then walked out of the room.
After sitting down in the main hall of the palace, she said, "Hui Deng, you can speak now."
Huideng said, "Empress Dowager, the Empress and His Majesty are in the Imperial Hospital helping to prepare medicine with the servants."
Liang Qu asked, "What happened?"
Huideng recounted everything Li Xingyi and Qi Dou had said, but Liang Qu remained unconvinced. He simply walked to the pear tree in the courtyard, stroked a branch, and said, "Huideng, it is a blessing for our country that Xingyi has such thoughts, isn't it?"
Hui Deng replied, "Yes, Her Majesty the Empress truly has the awareness to be a model for the nation."
Liang Qu broke off a branch from the pear tree in his hand and said, "But... there are people who think that Xingyi's actions and ideas are wrong. Do you think that person is... jealous? Or does she simply not understand the meaning of that position?"
Huideng knew who Liang Qu was referring to, and lowered her head, saying, "This servant does not know."
Liang Qu looked at the pear branch in his hand and said, "Don't you know? Well, she got her position through underhanded means, so what could she possibly understand?"
In his early years, when the late emperor was still the crown prince, he had his eye on Liang Qu as his crown princess. When Shi Hui found out, she did not hesitate to drug the crown prince. When they were enjoying the imperial garden, she deliberately let the emperor and others see the two of them being intimate. In order to save face for the royal family, she had no choice but to tell the world that the two of them had long been in love and that Shi Hui had long been chosen as the crown princess.
At this point, Shi Hui became the Crown Princess, and Liang Qu became the Crown Prince's concubine. Qi Lie disliked Shi Hui even more because of this. When he was nineteen, his eldest daughter Qi Qing was born. The emperor was dissatisfied because the Crown Princess had no children, so Qi Lie had no choice but to obey. When he was twenty, his eldest son Qi Dou was born in June, and not long after, his second daughter Qi Min was born in October. He ascended the throne at the age of twenty-three.
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