Chapter 22 Spring Hunt
Sensing something was wrong, Master Zhao quickly dressed, called his apprentice, quickly checked the contents of the medicine box, and ran to the east wing.
The servants in the inner courtyard of the east wing were all called up by Liu Fu. They carried their medicine chests into the main room. Upon seeing them, Master Zhao exclaimed in surprise, "Young Master, why is your face so red? Is it hot?"
Zhuang Dongqing was actually fine, but upon hearing what Master Zhao said, she touched her face and asked in confusion, "Is it very red? It was a little hot when I first woke up, but now I feel fine."
Master Zhao placed the pulse pillow and asked Zhuang Dongqing to extend his hand to take her pulse.
As soon as they met, Master Zhao couldn't help but let out a soft hiss.
Compared to when she first woke up, Zhuang Dongqing was actually feeling a bit better, but she was still sleepy and didn't notice Zhao Ye's expression.
Master Zhao: "Young Master said he smelled incense on Master today?"
"Ah, yes, I don't know what kind of fragrance it is, but the room still smells after the person leaves."
Master Zhao: "What fragrance does it smell like?"
Zhuang Dongqing thought for a moment, "I can't say for sure. It's faint and subtle, but not cloying. It's like the fragrance of flowers, but very light."
Even after the person left, a faint, lingering scent remained in the room.
These descriptions are contradictory to some extent.
Master Zhao immediately tensed up, switching his hand from left to right and then from right to left, carefully taking the pulse. A thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Master Zhao: "Is there anything different from usual today?"
Zhuang Dongqing's first reaction: "I've been with the Prince all day." Forced.
"..."
After saying that, he realized it wasn't right, so he added, "I also met a friend and had dinner out, that's all."
Master Zhao laid out the needles. "Young Master, I'm going to insert needles into several acupoints on you. If you feel any discomfort, just say so."
Zhuang Dongqing nodded.
After a few needle pricks, Zhuang Dongqing couldn't take it anymore, so Master Zhao didn't continue. He pulled out one needle and brought it close to the candlelight, whereupon he saw that the needle had turned slightly black.
It was exactly the same needle that was pulled from Cen Yan's body that day at Guangyue Terrace.
Master Zhao wiped his forehead; the back of his hand was covered in sweat.
He had begun to understand why Zhuang Dongqing's pulse was always off.
“Young Master, there is a very precious medicine. If we want to open the storeroom, I’m afraid I’ll have to report to the Prince first.”
Zhuang Dongqing nodded, without suspecting anything.
Old Zhao walked away, sweating profusely, his steps quick.
After the announcement was made, they entered Cen Yan's courtyard. Master Zhao went to find Cen Yan, and sent the medicine boy to find Steward Liu Qi.
Cen Yan put on a coat and stood up, saying crisply, "What happened in the east wing? Speak."
Master Zhao bowed first, his gesture so formal that it startled Cen Yan.
At first it was fine, but halfway through the conversation, Cen Yan finally realized something, and his face turned ashen.
After Master Zhao finished explaining the situation, Liu Qi arrived with the medicine boy, and Cen Yan's face was completely unreadable.
Liu Qi exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be...?"
Master Zhao wiped his sweat and said with difficulty, "At the time, I was puzzled. Gu worms in the Southern Frontier are always divided into mother and child. If Gu worms are used as medicine, how come only Your Highness is involved... I never expected it, I really never expected it..."
He was right; the mother and child Gu were indeed separated, and two people were infected.
Cen Yan paused for a moment, "Zhuang Xingchang is not a big shot in the capital. He is just an illegitimate son of the Zhuang family. Who would specifically use this kind of medicine to deal with him?"
Liu Qi had just woken up and was still a bit disoriented: "Perhaps it's meant to be used against you, Your Highness?"
Cen Yan: "At that time, he was about to take the imperial examination and was already a successful candidate in the provincial examination. Even if he suffered a loss, would he give up his promising future and go to court to sue me for insult?"
That's even more impossible.
Scholars value their reputation, so if they suffer such a loss in silence, they will only endure it and will never make a fuss about it.
Liu Qi's mind was still racing.
Master Zhao understood Cen Yan's meaning first, "Does Your Highness think that the original target was someone else?"
Cen Yan: "That makes the most sense."
If Zhuang Dongqing had been sent by someone, she wouldn't want to leave the Prince's Mansion. She would even actively fight for the status of the legitimate son for the child in her womb, since he was also of noble birth. Although his status was slightly lower, he could still become the principal wife.
Otherwise, given how coincidental that night was, Cen Yan found it hard to believe that Zhuang Dongqing had wandered in by mistake.
Cen Yan tried to recall exactly how many footsteps he heard outside the door that night, but he couldn't remember clearly. His own condition was not good, so he naturally couldn't keenly observe changes in his surroundings.
"Then, even if it is, how can we be sure?" Liu Qi asked, puzzled.
Cen Yan breathed a sigh of relief: "Simple, just call Liu Fu over."
Liu Fu always followed Zhuang Dongqing and took care of his daily life. If there was anything, it was best to ask him directly.
Liu Fu arrived and, seeing Cen Yan, Liu Qi, and Master Zhao all in the west wing, felt somewhat awkward.
But Zhuang Dongqing was in poor health, and Liu Fu answered all her questions without reservation.
Thus, within a short time, everyone in the West Wing knew that Zhuang Dongqing had shielded Li Yang from the drinking.
Cen Yan pressed his temples.
Master Zhao was speechless: "This...this is truly a vicious scheme!"
If Cen Yan and Li Yang were to have an affair, it would have far-reaching consequences. The son of a prince of a different surname and a favorite concubine, given the scandal, would likely lead to a deadly feud.
Cen Yan's focus, however, was not on that. He asked Liu Fu, "Did you get drunk from that wine?"
Liu Fu nodded.
Cen Yan had a headache. He felt something was wrong after drinking one cup. How much medicine would it take to get drunk from this wine?
No wonder his was cured, while Zhuang Dongqing's was still dormant in his meridians.
Knowing they had more to say, the servants led Liu Fu out first.
For a moment, the west wing was silent.
Both Master Zhao and Liu Qi looked at Cen Yan with trepidation.
After a moment, Cen Yan looked at Lord Zhao and slowly said, "The particularly precious medicine you mentioned, you wouldn't be referring to me, would you?"
Master Zhao: "..."
Master Zhao was drenched in sweat: "If we need to use medicine, we do need to open the storeroom and find a medicinal herb from the southern border."
Cen Yan chuckled: "I understand. If my plan doesn't work, I have a backup plan."
Master Zhao kept his head down and didn't dare to say a word.
Knowing that now was not the time to be harsh, Cen Yan paused for a moment and said, "What should we do about him? Tell me."
Master Zhao: "If I had been poisoned that day, the poison should have been mostly neutralized by the end of that night."
Thinking of Zhuang Dongqing's dazed look when she rested, Cen Yan felt it was hard to say.
Without arguing, he gestured for Master Zhao to continue.
Master Zhao looked up at Cen Yan, and seeing that Cen Yan was expressionless, Master Zhao said, "If...if Your Highness is willing, then naturally, following the original solution is best..."
Before he could finish speaking, Cen Yan asked, "Is there no other way?"
Cen Yan was unwilling, but Master Zhao was actually prepared for this. When he heard it, he was not surprised and changed his words, saying, "Young Master should only have residual poison in his body now. This kind of poison is based on Gu worms and also has the characteristics of Gu worms. Even if it is cured, it can remain dormant in the body for a long time and will take time to dissipate."
“The symptoms are not serious. I thought that soaking some herbs from southern Xinjiang that are safe for the fetus in water and then administering acupuncture might help to alleviate the symptoms.”
"But whether it can be completely resolved, I dare not guarantee."
Cen Yan wasn't surprised. "The poison used to treat me and the prince was carefully selected, so it's normal that it's difficult to cure."
After a pause, he made a decision: "Let's try this method first."
Master Zhao agreed.
*
At midnight, both the east and west wings were brightly lit. The herbs were taken out of the storeroom, boiled to remove their toxicity, then diluted and steeped in water before being handed to Zhuang Dongqing.
Then Master Zhao administered the acupuncture.
Unsure whether he had triggered the remaining poison in Zhuang Dongqing's body, Cen Yan simply sat in the courtyard and waited, without going into the main house.
As dawn broke, Master Zhao came out.
He wiped his sweat as he said, "It's under control for now."
Cen Yan also breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."
Master Zhao: "Right now, we're just controlling it. Whether it can actually cure the poison remains to be seen and we'll probably need to observe for a while longer."
"how long?"
Master Zhao estimated for a moment: "Give me a month, with acupuncture every three days. If there's no improvement, I'm afraid I'll have to..."
Cen Yan interrupted, "I understand."
What followed was unspoken between the two; Cen Yan didn't want to hear it, and Master Zhao didn't bring it up again.
Standing up, after thinking for a moment, Cen Yan still asked, "How is he?"
Liu Fu replied, "After sweating it out, I felt better and went to sleep."
Cen Yan nodded, glanced at the main house, but didn't go in. He turned around and went back to the west wing to catch up on sleep.
When only the two of them remained on the road, Liu Qi said, "Master, actually..."
Knowing what Liu Qi wanted to say, Cen Yan calmly said, "I talked to him about the child yesterday, and he himself has no intention of entering the Prince's mansion."
Liu Qi was stunned: "Huh?"
Cen Yan stopped there and said no more.
*
A few days later, the day arrived for Zhuang Xingchang to leave Beijing with his family. True to his word, Zhuang Dongqing went to see them off.
Zhuang Xingchang held his hand and said a lot of things. Zhuang Dongqing picked through the words and analyzed the main idea: work hard for Cen Yan and speak well of him. In the future, when he returns to the capital, he will rely entirely on Zhuang Dongqing.
Zhuang Dongqing forced a smile and agreed to everything.
But in his heart he was thinking that this time he was leaving, he must never let the Zhuang family return to the capital.
The lady, the eldest son, the third son, and the fourth young lady were all in the carriage and did not get off or show their faces the entire time. Zhuang Dongqing was very satisfied. He didn't expect them to say thank you. As long as they didn't appear in front of him, he would be grateful.
Then the imperial edict finally came down, declaring that the crown prince would be imprisoned until his death.
However, at the same time, the Emperor was too grieving and had been bedridden for several years without going out. This year, he finally decided to start a spring hunt and stay at the imperial palace for a while to relax.
When Cen Yan received the news, he was working at the Dali Temple.
Suddenly inspired, he casually asked the commander of the Imperial Guards who were escorting him during the spring hunt.
Upon hearing several familiar names, my temples twitched involuntarily.
"Then I will need to lead my personal guards to protect you..."
Before he could finish speaking, the imperial eunuch interrupted him with a smile, "No need. His Majesty has specifically instructed that this trip will only last half a month. It has been a long time since the Prince of Dingxi has gone hunting. His Majesty is considerate and has told His Highness to pack his riding gear and go have some fun."
"Your subject obeys the decree."
They returned to the Prince's residence that evening and discussed which people to bring.
Everything else was easy to handle, but the only difficult one, which Cen Yan had not expected, was Zhuang Dongqing.
He needs acupuncture every three days and can't be separated from Master Zhao at all. But Master Zhao is the divine physician left to Cen Yan by the old prince. He must protect Cen Yan. Wherever he goes, Master Zhao will definitely follow.
Cen Yan thought for a moment, then asked about the arrangements for the spring hunt in the capital. The name of the commander he received still made him press his temples.
For a few moments, Cen Yan even suspected that Zhuang Dongqing might know something, otherwise how could it be such a coincidence...
Get rid of any random thoughts that might be on your mind.
Cen Yan has always been cautious in his work.
Since the two options were about the same, Cen Yan made the decision: "Then let's take him along."
This is perfect; the elite troops in the manor don't need to be scattered, and they can all go to the imperial palace with them.
Zhuang Dongqing was already worried that a mutiny might occur in the capital. After receiving the news, he thought about it and nodded decisively.
Since he didn't know where was safe anyway, he might as well stay by Cen Yan's side.
Cen Yan is someone who can survive until the end; if he's with him, he'll most likely be safe.
After both sides reached an agreement, the mansion spent a day tidying up.
The following day, as the imperial carriage departed from the palace, the carriages belonging to the Prince of Dingxi's residence waited at the designated location for the imperial carriage to pass by, and the prince's carriages slowly joined the procession.
Inside the carriage, Zhuang Dongqing was fast asleep, leaning against a cushion.
Cen Yan sat opposite him, closing his eyes to rest, preferring to stay out of sight.
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