Chapter 42 Antidote 10 “The carriage is spacious. If Your Highness does not mind,…
The moon was dim and the stars were sparse, lotus flowers swayed, and the rippling water waves washed over his neck. Zhu Song stared at the night sky, his mind clear, realizing that this was probably a midsummer night. He had secretly come to the moat to fish without telling his family, and before he did, he picked two lotus pods for Gu Huaiyu.
Gu Huaiyu likes to eat lotus seeds very much.
Zhu Song remembered that one night Gu Huaiyu secretly followed him for a night walk, and he developed a high fever on the same day he returned. The imperial physician said that he almost became a fool due to the fever.
Just as he was thinking about it, a loud sound of someone falling into the water suddenly came from the calm water surface. Zhu Song hurriedly looked over and vaguely saw a piece of gorgeous robe, which was exactly the same as the one Gu Huaiyu wore that day.
"Gu Huaiyu."
Zhu Song was anxious, unable to figure out what was going on, and subconsciously swam towards him. The calm water suddenly became turbulent, and wave after wave hit his face, choking him and making it difficult for him to breathe.
The moonlight could not shine into the water, which was very dark. He could not remember how long he had been swimming in the dark water, but he finally succeeded in pulling Gu Huaiyu. His body was scorching hot, just like the sunlight at noon in midsummer.
Zhu Song shouted anxiously, "Gu Huaiyu, hold on! I'll take you to see a doctor."
"Gu Huaiyu, hold on." "Gu Huaiyu."
His voice was urgent and sharp, but the person in his arms did not respond at all. He could only keep calling him in the hope of bringing him back to life.
After struggling to surface, Zhu Song finally saw clearly that the person in his arms wasn't Gu Huaiyu, but himself. His whole body was burning hot, and his cheeks were flushed. Zhu Song was shocked. His hand trembled, and the person in his arms fell back into the water. There was a "splash" sound, and Zhu Song suddenly opened his eyes.
What caught his eye was Zhu Lingye's worried look. Seeing him wake up, he quickly asked, "Brother, how are you feeling?"
It was just a dream. Zhu Song breathed a sigh of relief. The high fever had made his throat very dry. "Water."
Zhu Lingye quickly poured him some water and fed him with a spoon.
The dry mouth and tongue felt a little relieved, and Zhu Song closed his eyes tiredly. Zhu Lingye was very worried and asked in a low voice: "Brother, are you dizzy again?"
Zhu Song didn't even open his eyes. "I'm tired. Let me take a nap."
Zhu Lingye said, "The prince is going to make some medicine for you. Just hold on."
Zhu Song frowned and opened his eyes, "How could you let the prince make medicine?"
Seeing that he had become more energetic, Zhu Lingye explained to him, "The prince said that he had been ill for a long time and was good at making medicine, so he insisted on going."
Zhu Song said: "Then we can't let him go."
Zhu Lingye said: "The prince cares about you very much. He has been watching over you for a long time."
Zhu Song's eyes trembled, but he didn't say anything. Zhu Lingye thought he disagreed, so he continued, "You scratched the prince's hand, and he still went to make medicine for you."
Zhu Song was quite surprised, "How could it be?"
Zhu Lingye said, "I'm not talking nonsense. When I came back with the medicine, I saw you grabbing the prince's hand and shouting 'Huai Yu, Gu Huai Yu'. It was only when I came in and said, 'Brother, this isn't Brother Huai Yu, this is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince' that you threw the prince's hand away. I saw a long bloody mark on the palm of the prince's hand."
Zhu Song was stunned.
Zhu Lingye noticed Zhu Song's expression and advised him, "Brother, although you don't like the prince's appearance, he is a really good person. Don't despise him so much."
Zhu Song widened his eyes.
Zhu Lingye said, "He'll be here soon, why don't you apologize to him?"
Zhu Song said with a hopeless look, "I'd better get some sleep." He closed his eyes. Coincidentally, footsteps were heard outside the room the next moment. Zhu Lingye rushed out in two steps and stopped Wen Fengxuan in the corridor, who was carrying medicine. He said apologetically, "Your Highness, give me the medicine. My brother said he doesn't want to see you."
Wen Fengxuan paused for a moment, then handed the medicine in his hand to Zhu Lingye.
Zhu Lingye entered the room carrying the medicine, "Brother, take the medicine."
Zhu Song's head was buzzing with pain, and he didn't hear what he just said outside the door. He asked, "Where is His Highness?"
Zhu Lingye said, "I told His Highness that you didn't want to see him and asked him to go back."
Zhu Song was so angry that he wanted to hammer the bed, "When did I say I didn't want to see him?"
Zhu Lingye said: "Brother, I know you can't say it, but we all see it, you don't need to hide it."
Zhu Song glared at him. Zhu Lingye had been busy all night and dizzy. Looking at Zhu Song's eyes, he realized that there was something wrong with what he had said. "Then, shall I go call His Highness over?"
"Go quickly."
Zhu Lingye placed the medicine on the bedside table and ran out again. As soon as he went out, he saw Wen Fengxuan standing in the corridor not far away. He walked over and said, "Your Highness, my brother wants to see you again. Go meet him."
Wen Fengxuan turned his head to look at him and said softly, "No need."
Under the moonlight, Zhu Lingye felt that Wen Fengxuan was even more pitiful than Zhu Song, who was seriously injured. He made an excuse for Wen Fengxuan, "It's so late, it's time to go to bed."
Wen Fengxuan nodded without saying anything. Zhu Lingye also turned and left without saying anything.
After entering the house, Zhu Lingye's face looked bad. Zhu Song looked up at him and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Zhu Lingye sighed, "Brother, I feel so sorry for His Highness."
"Um?"
Zhu Lingye continued, "Really? When you threw his hand just now, I saw tears in his eyes."
"Um?!"
Zhu Song felt as if he had eaten bitter herbs, and then asked, "Where is His Highness?"
Zhu Lingye said, "He's asleep."
Zhu Song's heart sank. Zhu Lingye handed the medicine to him and said, "Your Highness brought it up after it cooled down. Drink it directly."
Zhu Song took the first sip and swallowed it. It was so bitter that it made his teeth fall out. But he said nothing and handed the bowl to Zhu Lingye, "I'm going to sleep for a while."
"Well, I'll keep you company."
Zhu Song couldn't stay awake for a moment tonight. He just wanted to sleep until tomorrow morning. He must explain everything clearly to Wen Fengxuan.
As the drug took effect, Zhu Song's head began to feel dizzy and he soon fell asleep.
The next day, Zhu Song was awakened by the pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw a white-bearded old man checking his wound. Seeing that he was awake, he nodded and said, "Well, not bad, young man, you are in good health and have recovered well."
Zhu Lingye had been dozing off, but he woke up completely upon hearing this. He said excitedly, "So my brother is okay?"
The old doctor replied: "The injury is serious. You need to rest well for a while and don't overwork yourself."
Zhu Lingye and Zhu Song both breathed a sigh of relief. Zhu Lingye finally had the energy to chat with him. "Old doctor, you came so early today. I should have come to pick you up earlier."
The old doctor replied, "What are you talking about? My old bones can't stand your tossing and turning."
Zhu Lingye was a little surprised, "Then where did you sleep last night?"
The old doctor said, "I shared that handsome young man's room with you last night."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Lingye's brows furrowed instantly, "Then where does he sleep?"
The old doctor said, "Then I don't know."
The post station was not big, and there were many people on this trip, so the rooms were all full. Even Xie Ningyuan didn't have his own room.
Zhu Lingye quickly asked, "Where are the others?"
The old doctor said, "When I came over just now, he was standing in the corridor. He even asked me about the patient's condition."
"Fuck!" Zhu Lingye rushed out, but Wen Fengxuan was no longer in the corridor. Zhu Lingye hurried downstairs and asked the guard who was on duty last night, "Where is His Highness?"
The guard replied, "He just got on the carriage."
Zhu Lingye, unwilling to give up, asked, "Your Highness, did you stand on the corridor all night last night?"
The guard nodded. Zhu Lingye cursed again and quickly walked to the carriage, but was stopped by Xie Ningyuan. "Your Highness is resting. Lord Zhu, please come back later if you need anything."
As soon as the words fell, Wen Fengxuan's gentle voice was heard, "Master Zhu." As he spoke, the curtain on the car window was lifted.
Meeting Wen Fengxuan's slightly tired eyes, Zhu Lingye's breath got stuck in his throat, and he didn't know what to say.
Wen Fengxuan asked again: "Master Zhu, if you have anything to say, please speak directly."
Zhu Lingye felt like there was cotton in his throat and he couldn't make a sound. In the end, he just turned around and left.
Zhu Lingye returned to the room, the aura around him was as gloomy as after the rain. He sat down in the room without saying a word. He caught a glimpse of Zhu Lingwang who was still lying there, and instantly felt an outlet for his anger. He walked over and punched him twice, waking him up immediately.
Zhu Lingwang opened his eyes and sat up suddenly, staring at Zhu Lingye intently, "Too scary, too scary."
Zhu Lingye felt his back tingle when he looked at him, "What's wrong with you?"
At this moment, Zhu Lingwang saw Zhu Song waking up, his eyes widened even more, and he shouted in disbelief, "Brother?"
Zhu Lingye was speechless. "Why are you talking so weird?"
Zhu Lingwang said: "If you knew what I saw last night, it would definitely be more exaggerated than mine."
Zhu Lingye took the opportunity to ask, "What did you see?"
Zhu Lingwang still felt a lingering fear when he recalled what he saw last night. "I saw the prince cut open my brother's chest, pulled out the tendons, tied them into a knot, and then reached in and pulled them out a few times." Zhu Lingwang shuddered as he spoke. "It was so horrible."
Zhu Lingye didn't believe him at all, "You must have been confused from sleeping."
"If he hadn't stopped the bleeding first, even the Great Immortal couldn't have saved him." The old doctor interrupted, adding a few words of sarcasm, "He's your lifesaver, and not only is he ungrateful, he's also terrifying."
After hearing what the old doctor said, Zhu Lingwang still couldn't believe it, but he didn't say anything. However, when Zhu Lingye heard that it was Wen Fengxuan who saved Zhu Song's life, his face immediately became even uglier.
Zhu Song's expression had always been very ugly, but it was no longer apparent at this moment.
There was silence in the room for a long time before Zhu Song said, "Let's go."
Zhu Lingye was surprised, "Now?"
"Um."
The old doctor advised: "Your injury is so serious, it's better not to travel, so as not to make the wound worse."
Zhu Song looked at Zhu Lingwang and said, "Send the old man back."
The old doctor quickly waved his hand and refused, "That's not necessary, I know the way."
At Zhu Song's insistence, the group finally continued on their journey, but now Zhu Song could not ride a horse, so he had to take a carriage. There were only two carriages in the group, one belonging to Song Shunran and the other to Wen Fengxuan.
Zhu Song couldn't get out of bed, so he was carried downstairs on a sedan chair. On the way, Zhu Lingye said to him, "Brother, I'm sorry that you have to stay with Song Shunran."
Zhu Songli ignored him and directly ordered his attendants, "Go to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's carriage."
Zhu Lingye said, "If you apologize like this now, His Highness will be angry and it will be difficult for him to do anything."
Zhu Lingwang answered from the side, "If it were me, I would rather be with Song Shunran."
Zhu Song was in great pain and looked exhausted, so he didn't talk nonsense with them.
They carried him to Wen Fengxuan's carriage. Xie Ningyuan, who had been leaning against the carriage with his arms crossed, pretending to sleep, jumped out when he heard the noise. He looked at the three people and asked, "Master Zhu, what do you mean?"
Zhu Song replied, "To prevent any further complications, I must return to the capital as soon as possible. I am not able to ride a horse, and I would like to meet His Highness. Please ask His Highness for permission."
Xie Ningyuan frowned and looked at Zhu Song, as if he was about to refuse. Zhu Lingye interrupted and said, "Why don't you go and talk to His Highness? My brother heard yesterday that the thieves had kidnapped His Highness the Crown Prince, so he hurriedly chased after them and fell into a trap."
Xie Ningyuan's brows furrowed even more when he heard this. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Wen Fengxuan's slightly weak voice from inside the carriage, "Send Master Zhu in."
Zhu Lingye was immediately delighted, "Thank you, Your Highness."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Fengxuan came out of the carriage. He looked straight at Xie Ningyuan and said, "Go find some cotton to cover the floor."
"yes."
Xie Ningyuan turned and left.
Wen Fengxuan got off the carriage and stood on a different side from Zhu Song. The carriage hid his figure. Zhu Lingye whispered to Zhu Song, "I'm really angry."
Zhu Lingwang said, "I'd better go talk to Song Shunran."
Zhu Lingye clapped his hands and said, "Shut up."
Zhu Song instructed the two of them, "Go check and make sure nothing is missing."
"oh."
The two turned and left. Zhu Lingye blamed Zhu Lingwang, "It's all your fault. I was already in a bad mood, and you kept mentioning Song Shunran."
Zhu Lingwang retorted, "The prince is definitely not as weak as you think. You'd better stay away from him."
Zhu Lingye retorted, "What's wrong with not being weak? Do I have to be as weak as you, fainting when something happens?"
Neither of them could convince the other, and they walked away arguing.
Xie Ningyuan brought the bedding quickly and removed the benches around the carriage to make it more spacious. He laid a thick layer of mattress, which was soft and collapsed when pressed. Only when it was no longer hard at all did he carry Zhu Song into the carriage.
The air seemed to still carry the scent of peaches from Wen Fengxuan. Zhu Song lay in the carriage, staring quietly at the roof. A moment later, Zhu Lingye came over and said, "The inspection is complete. We can set off."
Zhu Song responded, and then he heard Zhu Lingye speak again, his tone was unusually gentle, "Your Highness, please get in the car."
Zhu Song clenched his hands slightly, and the next moment the curtain of the carriage opened, and Wen Fengxuan appeared in Zhu Song's sight. Zhu Song subconsciously called out, "Your Highness."
Wen Fengxuan nodded. Because there were no stools, Wen Fengxuan could only sit on the mattress. He didn't walk too close and just sat down next to Zhu Song's thighs.
Wen Fengxuan was not in a good mood either. As soon as he got into the carriage, he leaned against the carriage and dozed off with his eyes closed. Zhu Song knew that he had not slept all night and didn't want to disturb him. Before leaving, Zhu Lingye brought him some medicine to drink. As the carriage creaked and swayed, Zhu Song soon fell asleep.
When he woke up, it was already noon. The team stopped for lunch. Wen Fengxuan got off the car. Zhu Song had no way to get off, so he had to eat in the car. Zhu Lingye brought him food.
Zhusong said: "Help me up."
Zhu Lingye was afraid that he would tear the wound, "I'll feed you."
"No need." Zhu Song rejected him without hesitation. Zhu Lingye knew that he was a man of his word, so he did not insist and helped him up.
Zhu Song ate slowly, and Zhu Lingye was waiting beside him. He originally wanted to ask Zhu Song if he had apologized, but before he could ask, he saw Wen Fengxuan coming back.
Zhu Lingye and Zhu Song said, "I'm going down."
Zhu Song looked up and naturally saw Wen Fengxuan, so he said, "I don't want to eat it anymore, just put it away."
Zhu Lingye looked at the remaining half of his dish and said, "How can you recover if you eat so little? His Highness won't mind. Eat it. I'll go down and talk to him."
After saying this, Zhu Lingye jumped off the carriage without waiting for Zhu Song to speak.
Zhu Song leaned against the carriage and watched them. The distance was a bit far and it was noisy around, so Zhu Song couldn't hear what the two were saying. He just saw Zhu Lingye talking and gesticulating. Wen Fengxuan listened quietly without any change in his expression.
The sun was strong in midsummer and you would start sweating after a while. Even though Zhu Song had not finished eating, Wen Fengxuan had already returned to the carriage.
Wen Fengxuan didn't say anything. He returned to the carriage and dozed off, his aloofness evident. Zhu Song's hand, holding a chopstick of rice, paused mid-air. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Zhu Lingye say from the window, "Brother, medicine."
Zhu Song reached out to take it and drank it in one gulp. It was so bitter that he grimaced.
Perhaps the sound woke Wen Fengxuan, and he opened his eyes and looked at Zhu Song, but only for a moment before closing his eyes again.
Zhu Song asked Zhu Lingye to put away the food, and then he and Wen Fengxuan leaned against the carriage, the two sitting opposite each other. After sitting for a while, Zhu Song made sure that Wen Fengxuan was not asleep before calling out, "Your Highness."
Wen Fengxuan opened his eyes and their eyes met.
Zhu Song's tongue swept around his mouth, and the remaining medicine made it taste even more bitter. "I heard about what happened last night from Ling Ye. I didn't hear what he said at the time. I just had a nightmare."
Wen Fengxuan still didn't say anything, but his eyes moved, as if he was expecting his next words.
Zhu Song recounted his dream in brief, but Wen Fengxuan's expression did not improve as he expected. Instead, he lowered his eyes and said, "Your Excellency, there is no need to explain. As long as you are well, that's all that matters."
The effect was not as expected, and Zhu Song became a little anxious. He explained bluntly: "Don't listen to Zhu Lingye's nonsense. I have never hated you."
Wen Fengxuan responded softly, his tone calm and lonely. Zhu Song was really anxious and continued, "I am happy every day when I can see Your Highness."
Wen Fengxuan's fingers on his knees moved, and Zhu Song then remembered that Zhu Lingye said that he had cut his palm and left bleeding marks. Zhu Song picked up his hand, and he keenly noticed that Wen Fengxuan's hand trembled.
Zhu Song turned Wen Fengxuan's hand over, and sure enough, there was a deep blood mark on the palm of his hand.
Zhu Song immediately frowned and apologized sincerely, "Sorry, I didn't mean it."
Wen Fengxuan's fingers curled up and he pulled them back but they didn't twitch. He stopped moving and said, "It's okay. I don't blame you, sir."
Hearing this, Zhu Song blamed himself even more, "Have you applied the medicine?"
Wen Fengxuan curled his fingers even tighter, almost covering the scar on his palm. He said, "It's just a minor injury. Don't worry about it, sir."
Zhu Song called out, "Zhu Lingye."
Zhu Lingye heard the voice and rode over. "What's going on?"
Zhu Chan said, "Go to the nearest town and get some pain-relieving ointment."
Zhu Lingye asked, "Can you apply the pain-relieving ointment now?"
Zhu Song said, "Just go if I tell you to. Why are you talking so much?"
Zhu Lingye said dissatisfiedly: "Isn't this just caring about you?"
"Go ahead." Zhu Song lowered the curtain and looked back at Wen Fengxuan. "Thank you for your help last night, Your Highness. If you need anything in the future, just let me know. I will do my best to help you."
Wen Fengxuan replied, "Your Excellency is very polite."
Zhu Song said, "I cannot express my gratitude enough for saving my life. I hope Your Highness will not think me useless."
Wen Fengxuan lowered his eyes and said, "My lord, you are injured. Please rest more."
Realizing that Wen Fengxuan didn't want to continue, Zhu Song didn't say anything more. He straightened up, grimacing in pain. He looked at Wen Fengxuan and said, "My wound hurts so much. Your Highness, can you help me?"
Wen Fengxuan stepped forward, supported his arm, and helped him lie down. Because of the posture, Wen Fengxuan was leaning against Zhu Song's side, so he could also be considered lying down.
Zhu Song turned his head to look at Wen Fengxuan. The two were very close, and Zhu Song could see the shadow cast by Wen Fengxuan's long eyelashes on his face.
"The carriage is spacious. If Your Highness doesn't mind, why don't we lie down and rest together?"
Wen Fengxuan raised his eyes and looked at Zhu Song. Their eyes met. Zhu Song looked into Wen Fengxuan's deep and beautiful eyes, and his breathing became lighter for a moment.
At this moment, Zhu Lingye's voice rang out from outside the car window, "Brother, Brother Huaiyu has replied."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Fengxuan straightened up, sat back in his original seat, leaned against the carriage and closed his eyes.
Zhu Song frowned slightly, then said, "Bring the letter here."
Zhu Lingye opened the window and handed him the letter. Zhu Song took the letter and asked, "Have you bought the plaster?"
Zhu Lingye replied: "I just met the messenger when I went out. I haven't left yet."
"Go quickly."
Zhu Lingye was curious about the contents of the letter, "What does it say?"
Zhu Song said: "You go first, I will show you when I come back."
"Okay." Zhu Lingye agreed reluctantly, but his movements were not slow. As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of galloping horses was heard.
Zhusong opened the letter and read it.
'Elegant style, seeing your words is like meeting you in person.
As soon as I received your letter, I submitted a memorial to the palace, and the imperial concubine replied that she had never seen such a thing.
The journey to Jizhou is extremely arduous, so be sure to take care of yourself. Song Shunran is a man of no integrity, accustomed to abusing his power and authority. Avoid conflict with him unless necessary.
Everything is fine in Beijing, don't worry.
Waiting for your return.
I cherish you.'
Gu Huaiyu's handwriting was very elegant, with his strokes flowing smoothly and completed in one go, making it very ornamental. Zhu Song read it several times, and when he raised his eyes, he met Wen Fengxuan's gaze.
Zhu Song thought he wanted to know the contents, so he handed the letter to him.
Wen Fengxuan didn't answer it, but glanced at the content. "This is a letter from your good friend, I won't read it."
Zhu Song explained, "Official correspondence is not considered private."
Wen Fengxuan glanced at Zhu Song, looking surprised, then pursed his lips and smiled, "Master Gu is indeed your close friend. Even an official letter is so careless."
Willful? Zhu Song glanced at the contents of the letter again. It was just ordinary content. How could it be considered willful?
Oh, Zhu Song understood. He smiled and explained, "Your Highness is referring to Song Shunran. Everyone in the capital knows this. It doesn't matter whether it's written down or not. I guess he was just reminding me because he was afraid I'd forget."
Wen Fengxuan raised his eyebrows slightly and said nothing.
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