He had the habit of taking medicinal baths, especially after autumn, for which he specially built a large bathroom and dug a small white marble bathtub.
He soaked in the steamy pool, feeling relaxed, imagining Zhuge Qing struggling to death in agony, and everything that Zhuge Qing had taken away from him returning to him.
No, more than that.
He will take over all the connections and power that Zhuge Qing has accumulated over the years, including the Black Armor Army.
“I’m really looking forward to it.”
…
Su Xiaoxiao was waiting for news in Yu Wenxi's room.
The little princess secretly pushed open the door and took a look inside: "Qin Su."
"Little Princess." Su Xiaoxiao turned around and saw that it was her, and greeted her.
The little princess pushed the door open and closed it gently.
"Don't worry, Qin Su, no one will find me."
Su Xiaoxiao smiled.
It would be strange if no one noticed, but the Emperor of Western Jin Dynasty turned a blind eye to it. Except for not allowing Yuwen Yi to enter the courtyard, the little princess could jump around as she pleased in other places.
The little princess sat down next to Su Xiaoxiao: "Qin Su, are you waiting for my mother?"
Su Xiaoxiao hummed.
"Mo Xie just told me that he is going out with my mother." The little princess didn't understand much about the affairs between adults. She just felt that it was not good for her mother to go out and leave Qin Su here alone, so she decided to come and accompany Qin Su.
"Qin Su, how is my brother's condition? When can I see him?"
Su Xiaoxiao said to her, "It will be soon. When the young prince recovers from smallpox, you can go see him."
"That's great!" The little princess took Su Xiaoxiao's arm and said, "Qin Su, I'm glad you're here, otherwise I might not have a brother."
Su Xiaoxiao comforted him, "Little Prince, you are a lucky person, everything will be fine."
The two talked for a while, and then Yuwenxi and Moye came back.
Yuwenxi took off his cloak, glanced at Su Xiaoxiao and his daughter, and said to Moye, "You go out for a walk with Xin'er."
This is something I want to talk to Su Xiaoxiao alone.
"Yes." Moye took the little princess out.
Yu Wenxi put the brocade box on the table, but not next to Su Xiaoxiao, but in front of herself.
Su Xiaoxiao roughly understood what had happened.
She looked at Yuwen Xi: "Your Highness."
Yuwen Xi asked seriously: "What is your relationship with Zhuge Qing?"
It seems that Yuwen Xi already knows that it is Zhuge Qing who needs this herb.
Su Xiaoxiao's expression was very calm, without any guilt or panic of being caught. She asked, "Did Feng Xiaoran tell His Highness?"
This Feng Xiaoran is Zhuge Qing's mortal enemy. No, it is Feng Xiaoran who thinks of himself as his mortal enemy. Zhuge Qing never regarded him as an opponent from the beginning to the end.
Feng Xiaoran has been investigating Zhuge Qing. She remembered Mei Ji said that Feng Xiaoran had pharmacists under his command. Perhaps they had also read Zhuge Qing's medical records and guessed Zhuge Qing's condition.
There was only one thing that Su Xiaoxiao couldn't figure out. This kind of cold disease was very rare, and the imperial doctors were helpless. How did the pharmacist know that the herbs in Wei could treat the symptoms? Yu Wenxi said coldly, "It's him. Now it's your turn to answer me."
Su Xiaoxiao lowered her eyes and sighed: "It was your father who asked me to treat Zhuge Qing."
Yu Wenxi was stunned: "What?"
Su Xiaoxiao whispered, "Although His Majesty Xijin didn't tell me who the patient was, he showed me his medical records. He was disabled, and the person His Majesty valued so much, I couldn't guess who else was besides Zhuge Qing."
Of course Su Xiaoxiao couldn't reveal Zhuge Qing's true identity to anyone, so she just pushed the blame onto the Emperor of Western Jin.
"If Your Highness doesn't believe it, you can go to the palace to inquire. I believe that with Your Highness's ability, it will not be difficult to find out the matter."
Yuwen Xi frowned: "Yesterday Xin'er said that she and the eunuch came to you to the palace just for this matter?"
Su Xiaoxiao said in a depressed mood: "Half of it is about Zhuge Qing's matter, and the other half is to inquire about the condition of the young prince. I showed my refusal yesterday, and today His Majesty sent Eunuch He to come over and gave me double the deposit. I am not entirely for the money, I am just worried that His Majesty is so determined, and if I refuse, I may offend His Majesty."
Yu Wenxi asked: "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Su Xiaoxiao hesitated and said, "First, I just guessed it was Zhuge Qing, and I have no evidence. Second,..."
Yu Wenxi said calmly: "Second, you are also worried that I won't help you."
Su Xiaoxiao whispered, "Yes. The Western Jin Dynasty is powerful, and I am just a daughter of a general from the Great Zhou Dynasty. I cannot afford to offend the emperor of the Western Jin Dynasty. I don't want to offend His Highness either, but I think that given His Highness's character, even if he knew, he would not embarrass me."
Yuwen Xi said sternly: "Stop flattering me! I will find out if your father asked you to treat Zhuge Qing! If you didn't lie, it would be fine. But if you lied at all——"
Su Xiaoxiao met her gaze frankly: "Your Highness, just go and check."
Except for the statement that she showed rejection, the rest are all false. It doesn't matter whether she showed rejection or not, at least the Emperor of Western Jin believed that she would refuse.
Yu Wenxi pushed the box in front of her: "Take the herbs and see if they are correct. Also, be careful. Feng Xiaoran gave me the herbs too easily. I'm worried that he may have tampered with them."
Yuwen Xi doesn't want anything to happen to her now. Putting aside personal feelings, Yuwen Xi still expects her to treat her son.
Su Xiaoxiao took the brocade box and said, "Thank you, Your Highness. I'll take my leave now."
After leaving Yuwen Xi's yard, she found a deserted place and opened the brocade box. The herbs looked normal and smelled fine.
She closed her eyes.
This time the pharmacy let her in smoothly. She opened the box and took a look: "It is indeed poisonous."
She left the pharmacy, picked up the herbs that had been thrown out on the ground, and put them back into the brocade box.
Fortunately, she had two plans.
"Ouch! Crow!"
The little princess's scream was heard from the garden not far away.
Su Xiaoxiao quickly closed the brocade box and walked over.
It turns out that the Five Tigers are back.
When it arrived at the Princess's Palace, it finally couldn't fly anymore, and fell down with the bird and the grass.
Su Xiaoxiao decisively went to get the herbs.
The five working men fell on the shoulders of the little princess.
The little princess was startled and almost grabbed it and threw it into the pit, but luckily she found that the feel of it was familiar.
"The Five Tigers?"
She opened her eyes wide, "Wu Hu, why did you turn black? Were you struck by lightning?"
The Five Tigers who were just disguised as crows: "..."
Su Xiaoxiao stuffed the herbs into her arms unnoticeably.
When I looked up, I found Moye watching me from a distance.
Mo Xie looked away, pretending she saw nothing.
There is no need to check whether the herbs brought back by the Five Tigers are poisonous. After all, if they were poisonous, the Five Tigers would have been poisoned to death long ago.
In view of its great contribution, Su Xiaoxiao generously rewarded it with five bird seeds after returning to the inn.
The five tigers felt that their bird life had reached its peak! Five bird food, five! Can you believe it? The five tigers had their own bird cage, without a door, but they built a small bird nest.
It stored the bird food in its own little bird nest.
In the future, when there is no bird food, it can take it out and eat it slowly.
There was no stove for boiling medicine in the inn, so Su Xiaoxiao went to Zhuge Qing.
Wei Ting was afraid that he would run away again, so he stayed in the house to watch over him.
Zhuge Qing was sitting in a wheelchair beside the bed, and the three little ones had already fallen asleep on his bed.
What surprised Su Xiaoxiao was that the three little ones were sleeping neatly, with even their hair in the same direction.
She blinked hesitantly.
Wei Ting came over and whispered, "Second brother put it there."
Su Xiaoxiao: “…”
A Yuan was guarding the house, while the killer and Mei Ji were guarding the courtyard.
Su Xiaoxiao, Zhuge Qing and Wei Ting went to the study.
"Did you get the herbs?" Wei Ting asked.
"I got it." Su Xiaoxiao said, "That Feng Xiaoran is really cunning. He guessed that it was my second brother who wanted the herbs, and actually gave the princess half a poisonous herb. Fortunately, I was prepared."
She took out the other half of the intact herbs.
Wei Ting felt half relieved, but the other half would have to wait until his second brother recovered.
Su Xiaoxiao looked at Zhuge Qing and said, "Second brother, before refining the medicine, I want to take your pulse again."
Zhuge Qing stretched out his thin wrist.
Su Xiaoxiao took his pulse and asked, "Second brother, how many days ago did you take the stone marrow?"
Zhuge Qing said: "Yesterday."
Su Xiaoxiao frowned: "Only one day..."
Wei Ting asked: "So what?"
Su Xiaoxiao said: "Second brother's pulse has not changed much from before he took the medicine. The stone marrow has less and less effect on second brother."
Wei Ting looked at Zhuge Qing with pity, and Zhuge Qing smiled calmly.
Wei Ting noticed that his face was much paler than when they first met, and beads of sweat were beading on his forehead. Second brother... had been enduring the pain brought by the cold poison.
Su Xiaoxiao began to check his legs: "By the way, second brother, did you see Guo Lingxi when you entered the palace today?"
"Yes."
"Did she recognize you?"
“I wore a mask.”
Su Xiaoxiao: You are worthy of being the second brother.
Zhuge Qing's condition could not be delayed any longer, so Su Xiaoxiao decided to make medicine overnight.
A Yuan had already bought the medicine jars and alchemy furnace according to her request and placed them in a separate room.
Before starting, Su Xiaoxiao said carefully, "Second brother, let me make it clear first, I have not tried this prescription. The patient's condition recorded above is similar to yours, but not exactly the same, so I cannot guarantee the effectiveness of this prescription for the time being."
Zhuge Qing smiled and said, "No problem."
"Then I'll go."
Su Xiaoxiao closed the door and Wei Ting stood guard outside. Even if the sky fell tonight, he would never allow anyone to disturb her.
It rained heavily again in Xidu tonight. Wei Ting stood in the rain without moving a step.
Su Xiaoxiao strictly followed the steps recorded in the notebook and boiled the alchemy furnace for a whole night. Other medicinal herbs were fine, but there was only half a plant of this Wei herb.
She had no chance to make mistakes.
When it was dawn, the heavy rain finally stopped and Su Xiaoxiao's door was opened from the inside.
She walked out in a daze, looking extremely embarrassed.
Wei Ting just looked at her, not daring to ask her.
Su Xiaoxiao faced the morning light after the rain, spread out her palms, revealing a small box the size of her palm.
With everyone's feeding, the number of bird food for the five tigers increased from three to five.
(End of this chapter)