Chapter 81 The Prodigal Brother (Twenty-One): A Merchant's Son's Counterattack Against a King of a Different Surname...
"Your Majesty, the heir apparent of Prince Ding's residence, Tingxuan, requests an audience. He says he has found a doctor who is skilled in treating headaches for you," Yang Yan said cautiously, his voice tinged with trepidation, fearing that he might offend the troubled Emperor Hongjing again.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Hongjing raised his previously furrowed brows slightly. "Xuan'er is here? Let him in!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Yang Yan bowed and withdrew from the hall, then politely said to Gu Tingxuan, "Your Highness, His Majesty invites you in!" After saying this, his gaze involuntarily fell on the composed young man beside him.
juvenile?
Yang Yan was taken aback. Could the young master be referring to this divine physician...?
Since returning to the capital from Wenyuan County, Gu Tingxuan had kept a low profile, unlike Gu Tingxun, who would visit the palace whenever he had time, showering Emperor Hongjing with words of filial piety that always brought a smile to his face. At this moment, upon seeing this face so strikingly similar to Gu Tingxun's, Emperor Hongjing was momentarily stunned.
"Grandson greets His Majesty, wishing His Majesty good health and longevity." Gu Tingxuan knelt down with Song Ce and said respectfully.
Emperor Hongjing was taken aback by these words. "Xuan'er, when was your stuttering cured?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, I was cured before the New Year. After recuperating for some time, I am no different from an ordinary person," Gu Tingxuan said, lowering his eyes.
"Excellent! Excellent!" Emperor Hongjing clapped his hands and laughed, "I wonder which divine physician treated Xuan'er?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Tingxuan stepped aside and led Song Ce to kneel before Emperor Hongjing. He said with remorse, "Your Majesty, this is indeed Physician Song Ce. I brought Physician Song to the palace because of Your Majesty's headaches. Recently, I heard my father mention at home that Your Majesty's headaches have flared up again. I thought that Physician Song's skills are superb, and perhaps he could cure Your Majesty's stubborn headaches."
"You child, you have a heart full of filial piety. Get up!" Emperor Hongjing waved his hand, then looked at Song Ce. Seeing that he still seemed to be a boy, he had some doubts in his heart. But considering that Xuan'er's stuttering had been cured, Emperor Hongjing had more expectations for the person in front of him.
"Doctor Song looks quite young. May I ask who his teacher was?" Emperor Hongjing asked rather kindly.
"Your Majesty, I am a disciple of the reclusive physician Jun Mingzi. My master was indifferent to fame and fortune throughout his life and devoted himself to the study of medicine. I was fortunate to be able to listen to his teachings, but I have only learned about one-tenth of his skills so far," Song Ce said without changing his expression.
"Jun Mingzi... I have never heard of this person before. I suppose he is a great master living in seclusion. Well, since I have no chance to meet him, and you were introduced by Xuan'er, then you shall examine him for me today." Emperor Hongjing nodded slightly, his tone carrying a hint of the scrutiny unique to emperors.
Upon hearing this, Song Ce knelt down steadily and kowtowed, saying loudly, "This humble subject will certainly do his best to live up to Your Majesty's trust."
At this moment, Prince Ding, accompanied by Gu Tingxun, was in Ning'an Palace telling the Empress amusing stories he had heard outside the palace, making the Empress laugh heartily. Just as the atmosphere became increasingly warm and harmonious, a young eunuch hurriedly entered, bowing his head. He first greeted the Empress at the head of the table before whispering a few words in Prince Ding's ear. In an instant, the smile on Prince Ding's face froze, and a flash of surprise and anger crossed his eyes. However, he quickly suppressed his emotions and regained his usual composure.
Seeing this, the Empress asked with concern, "Qi'er, has something happened?"
Upon hearing this, Prince Ding forced a smile: "Mother, it's nothing, just some trivial matters in the palace."
The Empress shook her head slightly upon hearing this. "You are usually so composed, yet you are so out of control now. What could be the matter?"
After a moment's hesitation, Prince Ding recounted how Gu Tingxuan had brought a country doctor into the palace without permission to treat Emperor Hongjing's headaches. Upon hearing this, the Empress frowned. "Although Xuan'er is a bit impulsive, he meant well after all. Qi'er, don't be too harsh on that child."
Gu Tingxun was somewhat displeased upon hearing this, "Grandmother, you don't know..."
Prince Ding quickly interrupted him, bowing and replying, "Your Majesty's teachings are etched in my mind. However, this matter concerns the safety of Father Emperor. If anything were to happen to Father Emperor, even a thousand deaths would not be enough to atone for it. Your Majesty, I am truly worried, so I will take my leave now."
"Okay, you can go ahead."
After leaving Ning'an Palace, Prince Ding and Gu Tingxun hurriedly headed one after the other to Emperor Hongjing's Dezheng Hall. In Prince Ding's view, Gu Tingxuan's actions were simply reckless; if anything went wrong, the entire Prince Ding's residence could be implicated.
As the father and son entered the Hall of Virtuous Governance, they immediately saw Gu Tingxuan and a young boy standing before Emperor Hongjing. Suppressing his anger, Prince Ding stepped forward and bowed deeply to Emperor Hongjing, saying, "Greetings, Father."
When Emperor Hongjing saw Prince Ding approaching, he smiled and asked, "Why didn't you three come together?"
Upon hearing this, Prince Ding bowed slightly and respectfully replied, "Your subject and Xun'er just went to pay our respects to the Empress Dowager's palace. We heard that Xuan'er brought a country doctor into the palace to treat Father Emperor's headaches. Your subject was worried and came to see what was going on." As he spoke, Prince Ding turned to look at Gu Tingxuan, his eyes filled with reproach, and said, "Xuan'er, such an important matter, how dare you take it upon yourself to bring a person of unknown origin into the palace to treat your imperial grandfather? What if…"
Gu Tingxun had long disliked his elder brother, and immediately chimed in, "Yes, elder brother, since you brought people into the palace, you should have at least sent someone to find out about their background beforehand!"
Upon seeing this, Gu Tingxuan stepped forward, knelt down, and said, "Father, I did this because I was worried about my grandfather. Doctor Song is a highly skilled physician, and I firmly believe that he can alleviate my grandfather's suffering."
Prince Ding snorted coldly: "This Doctor Song is so young. Even if he has a master, he is still just a greenhorn. All the imperial physicians in the palace are well-read and experienced. Even they are helpless against His Majesty's headaches. Yet you expect a mere boy to cure His Majesty?"
Seeing the tense scene, Emperor Hongjing frowned and said, "Alright, I have already made a decision on this matter. Xuan'er's actions are purely out of filial piety. Let Doctor Song give it a try!"
“Since you have said so, Father, I will not say anything more. However, Physician Song, His Majesty’s health is a matter of national importance, and you must not take it lightly,” Prince Ding said with a complicated expression.
Upon hearing this, Song Ce bowed again: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, this humble subject will do his utmost."
Seeing that the country doctor ignored him, Prince Ding felt a surge of anger and said with a grim face, "That's for the best."
Thus, Song Ce was placed in the palace, while Prince Ding led Gu Tingxuan and Gu Tingxun back to the Prince's residence.
"You unfilial son, kneel down before me!" As soon as he entered the main hall, Prince Ding snorted coldly and scolded Gu Tingxuan.
Gu Tingxuan straightened his back and knelt down as instructed.
Prince Ding slammed his fist on the table, roaring furiously, "How dare you make such a big decision on your own! Do you even have any respect for me as your father?"
Seeing this, Gu Tingxun added fuel to the fire, feigning concern, "Brother, Father is right! That country doctor is of unknown origin, and who knows who might be hiding behind him! You brought him into the palace without any regard for the consequences, which is far too reckless."
Gu Tingxuan remained calm, looking directly into Gu Tingxun's eyes, and said, "Didn't Brother Xun go to Xinglin Spring a few days ago to invite the divine doctor? Why have you changed your tune today, saying that this divine doctor is just a country doctor with an unknown background?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Tingxun's face instantly turned bright red, and he said incredulously, "You mean... that young man is the miracle doctor of Xinglin Spring?"
"That's true," Gu Tingxuan said calmly.
"Xun'er, is what your elder brother said true?" Prince Ding asked, his tone unreadable.
Gu Tingxun's eyes darted around. Although he was somewhat flustered, he still forced himself to remain calm and said, "Father, what my elder brother said is true. However, I went to invite that divine physician to come to the manor to examine your leg ailment. I had no other intentions, Father!"
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Ding's anger subsided slightly. He frowned and looked at Gu Tingxuan: "You heard it too, Xun'er had no other intentions. But you, as the heir of the Prince's mansion, act so recklessly and disregard the overall situation. From today onwards, the eldest son is confined to the Prince's mansion. Without my order, he is not allowed to step out of Qifeng Courtyard even half a step!"
Gu Tingxuan suddenly laughed. He raised his head and asked Prince Ding, "Father, if I may be so bold as to ask, in your heart, what level must I reach for you to be satisfied with me?"
Prince Ding was taken aback by Gu Tingxuan's sudden question, then glared at Gu Tingxuan: "You... what makes you say that?"
"My son feels that in your eyes, everything I've done seems to be wrong," Gu Tingxuan said with a faint smile.
Prince Ding's face grew increasingly grim, as if he had been thinking of something. He snorted heavily, "Shut up! You've done something wrong today, and you don't even consider the consequences. Now you dare to argue with me? I'm punishing you today so you'll remember this lesson and take it as a warning for the future." With that, Prince Ding turned and left, leaving Gu Tingxuan kneeling alone in the main hall.
Seeing this, Gu Tingxun's lips curled into a barely perceptible sneer. "Brother, you should listen to Father and reflect on your actions at Qifeng Courtyard." With that, he followed Prince Ding and left.
...
Five days later, the news that Gu Tingxuan, the heir of the Prince Ding's Mansion, had been enfeoffed as the Prince of Yeling by His Majesty quickly spread throughout the capital.
Upon hearing this news, Prince Ding was so shocked that he dropped his teacup to the ground, his face filled with disbelief. Since the founding of our dynasty, there had never been a precedent of the emperor personally bestowing an title upon a crown prince. Accompanying the imperial edict were additional rewards allocated by the palace for Gu Tingxuan.
Consort Yan pursed her lips and knelt down behind Prince Ding to receive the imperial decree. She looked at the items presented by the palace servants on red lacquered trays, her hands under her sleeves almost crushing the silk handkerchief before she managed to compose herself and give a respectful smile.
Gu Tingxun, however, did not have the same composure as Consort Yan. He knelt behind his father and mother with a gloomy expression, bowing his head and receiving the imperial decree at the gate with everyone else from the palace.
Seeing this, Yang Yan stepped forward with a smile, bowed to Prince Ding, and said, "Your Highness, what a joy! The young master is so promising, all thanks to your excellent guidance!"
Prince Ding, his face stiff, forced a smile and said, "Eunuch Yang is too kind."
"Hey? Prince Ding, where is Prince Yeling? Why didn't he come to receive the imperial decree?" Yang Yan looked around and asked.
“Xuan’er… Xuan’er…” Prince Ding stammered, just as he was thinking of how to smooth things over, when he heard Consort Yan behind him say with a smile, “A couple of days ago, Xuan’er was feeling a little unwell, so Your Highness let him rest in the courtyard, afraid that if he went out and caught a chill, his condition would worsen.”
"That's right." Prince Ding breathed a sigh of relief and quickly echoed.
"Why is Prince Yeling ill? His Majesty has instructed me to personally deliver this jade token to Prince Yeling. Please, Your Highness and Consort, lead the way!" Yang Yan said with a smile.
"This... Eunuch Yang, please, please." Although Prince Ding was unwilling, he dared not disobey the imperial decree, so he could only smile and walk in front to lead the way for Yang Yan. The group then headed towards Qifeng Courtyard in a grand procession.
Before long, the group arrived at the entrance of Qifeng Courtyard. Prince Ding stepped forward first, cupped his hands to Yang Yan, and said, "Xuan'er is currently unwell. If there is any inadequacy in our hospitality, I hope you will forgive us, Father-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Yang Yan smiled and waved his hand, "Your Highness is too kind. I am only acting on His Majesty's orders. You are really making me feel ashamed."
Prince Ding nodded slightly and gestured for the guards to open the gate of Qifeng Courtyard.
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Author's Note: I got back late today QAQ, that's all for now~ Tomorrow and the day after, lots and lots of work, time to wrap things up~
The sky has fallen, things have been fixed (obediently kneels down) (bowing frantically)
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