Chapter 45
The blood-stained and seriously injured young man was none other than Xiao Cheng's shadow guard, Shen Huaishi.
After a closer look, Lin Qingyu discovered that Shen Huaishi's injuries were more serious than he had expected: the most fatal one was a deep knife wound on his chest that allowed the flesh to be seen, and the wound was faintly black. In addition, there were other sword wounds of varying sizes. An ordinary person injured like this would have passed out from excessive blood loss, but Shen Huaishi could still stand in front of him as if nothing had happened, worthy of being a royal secret guard from the Tianji Camp.
Lin Qingyu only met this person once. The last time they met was at Lu Wancheng's mourning hall, and Shen Huaishi held a long sword on his shoulder. If someone else treated him like this, he would probably be at the top of his list of grudges. But the man surnamed Jiang told him that this plain-looking shadow guard in front of him would be Xiao Cheng's only weakness in the future.
Shen Huaishi was injured like this, he must have been doing something for his master, and later went to the Imperial Medical Bureau to get some golden wound medicine that could stop bleeding. His gaze stayed on Lin Qingyu's face for a long time without saying a word. He covered the knife wound on his chest with his hand and tried to walk around Lin Qingyu.
Lin Qingyu said: "I'm afraid Guard Shen's injury cannot be cured by just one or two golden wound medicines."
Shen Huaishi pursed his lips and said, "Don't bother Doctor Lin."
"It is a doctor's duty to save the dying and heal the wounded. You'd better get rid of the poison now before it gets too serious. Otherwise, the poison will enter your heart and your martial arts will be ruined. How can you continue to serve the prince?"
Hearing the last sentence, Shen Huaishi's expression relaxed a little. Lin Qingyu added: "You were poisoned by the Five Poison Powder from the Western Regions. I happen to know how to detoxify it. Do you want to try it?"
No matter how powerful Shen Huaishi's martial arts skills are, he is still a human being. He has been holding on for so long and is now at the end of his strength. If he rejected Lin Qingyu, he might not be able to return to the East Palace in a clear mind. After weighing the pros and cons, he said, "Thank you, Doctor Lin."
A light was lit in a corner of Qiancao Hall. Shen Huaishi took off his shirt, revealing his chest and back, which were covered with new and old wounds, and it was a horrible sight.
When Lin Qingyu was traveling and studying, he also treated injuries for people in the martial arts world. Most martial artists had a lot of injuries of varying degrees on their bodies. Compared with those martial artists, Shen Huaishi is even more capable than them. I guess he has worked hard for his master.
Since Xiao Cheng fell in love with him, how could she bear to let him suffer so much. Perhaps it is just as Mr. Jiang said, a servile person will always look down on those who are willing to go through fire and water for him, but those who look down on him will haunt him instead.
Lin Qingyu cleaned Shen Huaishi's wound and applied the antidote: "It will be a little painful."
Shen Huaishi shook his head. This little pain was nothing to him. Lin Qingyu's jade-like face was right in front of him, and the teardrop mole at the corner of her eye was particularly moving under the candlelight.
Noticing his gaze, Lin Qingyu raised her eyelashes and said, "Why are you looking at me?"
"Doctor Lin is as graceful as the moon, with a heavenly appearance. No wonder..." Shen Huaishi said in a low voice, revealing a sense of envy and inferiority, "No wonder His Highness is obsessed with you."
Lin Qingyu stopped what he was doing and looked at him carefully: "With this face of yours, why would the prince favor you?"
It is true that Xiao Cheng is a romantic man, but he either likes quiet and pure women or favors real beauties. Shen Huaishi's appearance is extremely ordinary at first glance, and it is still ordinary after looking at it for a long time. At most, it can only be described as heroic.
Shen Huaishi was stunned: "How did you..."
"How do you know?" Lin Qingyu glanced at the ambiguous marks on Shen Huaishi's collarbone, "You have more than just injuries."
Shen Huaishi stood up suddenly, his eyes alert: "I don't know Dr. Lin, why was Dr. Lin able to call out my name last time at the Nan'an Marquis' Mansion?"
Lin Qingyu answered irrelevantly: "The medicine has not been finished yet."
Shen Huaishi knew that Lin Qingyu didn't want to answer him, so he said indifferently: "I'll do it myself."
Lin Qingyu no longer forced himself and stood up and moved aside. Shen Huaishi had some injuries on his back, and it was very inconvenient for him to apply medicine himself. Seeing that he was struggling, Lin Qingyu sneered and said, "You are suffering here, but where is the prince? Maybe he is enjoying himself with someone else."
Shen Huaishi froze when he heard this. Liang Shangfang said in a deep voice: "He is the prince. He can favor anyone he wants - including you, Doctor Lin. You can avoid the first day, but you can't avoid the fifteenth."
Lin Qingyu smiled: "That's right."
Shen Huaishi only felt that Doctor Lin's smile was very bewitching, with a sense of compassion for the world and an indescribable charm. This is probably the kind of beauty that the prince can truly care about.
Shen Huaishi finished applying the medicine hastily and thanked Lin Qingyu again: "It's dark, Doctor Lin, be careful on your way back home. I'll take my leave."
Lin Qingyu said: "After the effect of the medicine wears off, come to the Imperial Hospital to find me and I will change the medicine for you."
"No." Shen Huaishi said, "The secret guard was injured, the fewer people who know about it, the better."
"Then I'll go to the East Palace to find you." Lin Qingyu said, leaning over to blow out the candle, and Qiancao Hall fell into darkness again.
For several days, Lin Qingyu did not see Chu Zhengde in the Imperial Hospital. The emperor's headache worsened to the point where he was unable to attend court. Chu Zhengde accompanied the emperor and was on standby in the Qinzheng Hall.
When Hu Ji talked about this, Lin Qingyu was pounding medicine. He is currently only a seventh-rank medical officer. Compared with going out to see patients, he spends more time in the Imperial Hospital prescribing medicine.
Lin Qingyu asked: "Does Your Majesty suffer from headaches frequently?"
Hu Ji said: "When the emperor is overworked with state affairs, he will suffer from headaches. This time it is very serious. He can't take care of the government affairs. He can only let the crown prince govern the country."
The emperor is old and has an incurable disease called migraine. I'm afraid Xiao Cheng will have to spend more and more time as regent in the future.
Lin Qingyu put the pounded medicine into the medical box: "I'm going to go out for a while."
Xiao Cheng was suspicious by nature, and the Eastern Palace was also heavily guarded. Even though Lin Qingyu was wearing an official uniform and carrying a medical box, and was obviously an imperial physician, he was still stopped by the guards of the Eastern Palace: "We have not received any news from His Highness that he has summoned an imperial physician. Imperial Physician Lin, please go back."
Lin Qingyu said: "I am not here to treat your Highness."
"No matter who you are treating, you are not allowed to enter the East Palace without His Highness's order."
As expected, Xiao Cheng’s defensiveness was so strong that it was beyond the reach of those idiots in the Nan’an Marquis’ Mansion. Lin Qingyu was just thinking about what to do when he heard someone calling him, "Doctor Lin."
After a while, Shen Huaishi's complexion looked much better than last time. When the two guards saw him, they bowed and said, "Master Shen."
"Doctor Lin is here to see me." Shen Huaishi said, "I will take him to my room."
"With Lord Shen here, we can rest assured." The guard said as he made way for Lin Qingyu.
From this we can see that Xiao Cheng's attitude towards Shen Huaishi is indeed different from that towards others. Maybe it’s not yet to the point of love, but at least there is trust.
Lin Qingyu followed Shen Huaishi to a room in the back hall. Shen Huaishi opened the door and said, "Young Master Lin, please come in."
The house is simple and plain, without any unnecessary items, which shows that the owner of the house has a quiet personality and seldom comes home. Shen Huaishi poured Lin Qingyu a cup of rough tea: “I didn’t expect you to really come.”
"Why?"
Shen Huaishi hesitated for a moment and said, “No one will care about the injuries on the secret guards.”
Lin Qingyu didn't care, he approached Shen Huaishi only because he wanted his master's life. "In that case, you can take care of yourself." Lin Qingyu opened the medical box, "Don't always think about the prince, and be nicer to yourself."
Shen Huaishi lowered his eyes and said, "But my life was given by the prince." His sight happened to fall on the corner behind Lin Qingyu's medical box. His expression suddenly changed, and he grabbed Lin Qingyu's wrist that was blocking in front of him, "Why do you know the secret code of the Shen family?"
Lin Qingyu frowned and asked, "Secret code?"
"This." Shen Huaishi pointed at the strange pattern engraved on the corner of the medical box, his voice trembling slightly, "How do you know..."
Lin Qingyu remained silent. He doesn't know, it's that person who knows.
So, this is the reason why that person gave him a medical kit? For Shen Huaishi?
Lin Qingyu said calmly: "Let go first."
The two were preoccupied with their own thoughts and did not notice the footsteps approaching from the door. With a "bang", the door was pushed open from the outside, and Xiao Cheng, wearing a dragon robe, strode in. When he saw the hands of the two, he narrowed his eyes dangerously: "It seems that I came at the wrong time."
Shen Huaishi came back to his senses and knelt down to salute: “Your Highness.”
Xiao Cheng ignored him and made him kneel down: "Why are you here, Xiao Qingyu? I didn't go looking for you, but you came to my door. But, didn't you go to the wrong place? My bedroom is not here."
Lin Qingyu said: "Since I am the imperial physician, I came to Guard Shen's place to treat his injuries."
"Injured?" Xiao Cheng finally looked at Shen Huaishi straight in the eye, "Are you injured?"
Shen Huaishi lowered his head and said, "It's just some minor injuries...it's my incompetence."
"You are indeed incompetent." Xiao Cheng turned the jade ring on his hand, "You can be hurt by a small matter. What use do I have for you? Why don't you leave?"
Shen Huaishi glanced at Lin Qingyu, his lips trembling: "Your Highness, this is my room..."
Xiao Cheng stared into Lin Qingyu's eyes and said with a smile: "I just want Xiao Qingyu to help me... take your pulse in your room."
Lin Qingyu clenched his fists in the sleeves of his official uniform and said calmly, "Your Highness is so relaxed, is there another great victory in the northwest?"
Speaking of the northwest, Xiao Cheng naturally thought of Gu Fuzhou, and also remembered that the beauty in front of him was Gu Fuzhou's sworn brother. There was a trace of reluctance in his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, a eunuch came to report in a hurry: "Your Highness, Yongliang has arrived in an emergency from 800 miles away. All the ministers are waiting for you in the Qinzheng Palace."
State affairs are important, and Xiao Cheng knows what is more important. He took one last look at Shen Huaishi and said, "You're on duty today, come here." After that, he turned away.
Shen Huaishi stood up shakily, looked at Lin Qingyu with complicated eyes, and followed. The eunuch said, "Doctor Lin, please go back."
Shen Huaishi was right, he could escape the first day, but not the fifteenth. Only when Xiao Cheng disappears forever can he be completely relieved.
Xiao Cheng walked into the Qinzheng Palace and waved his hand to exempt the ministers from the formalities: "Why, is it Gu Fuzhou who is here to resign again?"
"Your Highness, since the last time Your Majesty told him that he would return after 'losing the battle', General Gu has not mentioned the matter of resigning." The Minister of War said, "This time, he said in the memorial that he intercepted a secret letter sent by the Western Xia Army to the Western Xia capital. There was a code on the secret letter, and he suspected that it contained the military secrets of the Western Xia. But no one in the Western Expedition Army could understand it, so General Gu wanted Your Majesty to make it known and find talented people in the capital to help him decipher this code."
"There is such a thing." Xiao Cheng was skeptical, "What is the code? Tell me."
The Minister of War cleared his throat and read out solemnly: "Odd things change, but even things don't."
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