Chapter 88 Fate Brings Us Together But No One Is Destined
The British Duke's Mansion, garden, on the rockery.
Bathed in the first rays of sunrise, Xu Jingzhen practiced breathing exercises diligently. After meditating for exactly half an hour, he took out the tortoise shell, recited a prayer, and then scattered it in front of him.
This was his third time consulting the oracle, and it was still about his marriage to Li San Niang.
As it turned out, this hexagram was no different from the previous two; it was still the Qian hexagram, with Qian above and Qian below.
Xu Jingzhen glanced at the divination chart again. He hadn't eaten anything, but his mouth felt bitter. He put away the tortoise shell and copper coins, nimbly jumped down from the artificial rock, and ordered his servant to prepare a carriage to go to the Fang family.
Fangjia, northwest direction, Ping'an Garden.
Looking at the small patch of bamboo grove, Fang Chengxian's servant Duoshou had been following Fang Chengxian's orders to brew medicine in the past few days. After the medicine smell filled the garden, he waited for the medicine bowl to cool down before secretly digging a hole and burying it in the backyard. The smell of medicine was quite strong in that place in just a few days.
After thinking for a moment, Duoshou dug a pit a little further away, this time deeper, enough to keep him from falling many times.
When I returned with the empty medicine bowl, I saw Fang Chengxian sitting in the hall, leaning against the table, reading a book.
"My lord, I have buried the medicine."
Fang Chengxian nodded and turned his attention back to the book.
Just then, a sound came from outside the door. It turned out that Xu Jingzhen had come in with his servant. "Why do you still study at home when you're not going to the academy?"
Fang Chengxian watched helplessly as Xu Jingzhen snatched the book from his hand, folded off a corner, and put it back on the bookshelf. "Why fold the corner again? There's a bookmark right there."
"Oh, I just happened to be there and didn't see it. I promise I won't break the corner of your precious book next time. Let's go, let's go today."
When Xu Jingzhen said they were going, it was naturally to go with Fang Chengxian to find Li Sanniang to cure her poison. Seeing Fang Chengxian's somewhat reluctant expression, Xu Jingzhen straightened her posture, sat down, and whispered, "You won't regret it, will you? Didn't I send you a message yesterday?"
Xu Jingzhen glanced at Fang Chengxian before continuing, "You haven't been eating at home these past few days, have you? Do you want to die? Are you really regretting it?"
Fang Chengxian smiled bitterly, first gesturing for Duoshou to go to the inner room to get the bundle containing two small boxes that had already been put away, before turning to Xu Jingzhen and saying, "Of course I want to live, but the thought that someone in my family wants to harm me makes me feel a little reluctant. Alright, that's enough, let's go."
Xu Jingzhen pointed to Duoshou, who was carrying a bundle on his back from the inner room, indicating what it was.
"It's just the consultation fee; we can't let Madam Li work for nothing. It's just some gold and silver."
Li San Niang received a note from the doorman on the street yesterday afternoon, knowing that Xu Jingzhen and Fang Chengxian were coming today. She had also informed her father and second brother, Li.
Both sides understood that the matter of detoxifying Fang Chengxian could not be discussed openly. So, looking at the sky, Li San Niang and Li Er Xiong went to the four children's courtyard and waited at the newly opened back door on the west side.
Before long, upon hearing the knocking, Li Erxiong spoke first, asking who it was. Li Sanniang, upon recognizing Xu Jingzhen's voice, nodded to Li Erxiong and opened the door. Fang Chengxian, wearing a cloak, and Xu Jingzhen, still dressed in a Taoist robe, bowed to Li Erxiong and Li Sanniang together.
"Third Sister, how have you been?"
"Third Miss, I apologize for disturbing you."
Xu Jingzhen and Fang Chengxian left their servant Duoshou behind, and had Xu Jingzhen's servant Wuwei drive the carriage away, so that they could pretend that the two of them had not gotten out of the carriage, in order to prevent anyone from spying on Fang Chengxian's whereabouts.
They welcomed the man in and brought him to the main hall, where Li's father naturally sat at the head of the table to wait.
Li's mother had already left home, and Li's sister-in-law brought tea on a tray. Chen Qiuniang had been called out by Tuva that morning to buy items needed for the wedding.
Hearing what her brother Li said, Li Ersao stayed in her courtyard with Luzhu and Xiaowulang and didn't come out.
Xu Jingzhen and Fang Chengxian bowed to Li's father and second brother, saying that they had disturbed them, and then had a servant present the gift box.
"Dr. Li, Dr. Li, we are sorry to have come here so in advance. We hope you will forgive us for our small gift."
If Li Sanniang hadn't seen Xu Jingzhen's frivolous and smiling face before, she probably wouldn't have recognized that the handsome and refined gentleman in front of her, who exuded an air of elegance in every gesture, was the same person who was so shameless in front of her.
Father Li nodded to Sister-in-law Li, and Sister-in-law Li led the servant downstairs with the gift box.
After everyone took their seats, Fang Chengxian took the initiative to start the conversation, "Dr. Li, I'm sure Third Madam has told you about my poisoning. I'd like to trouble you to take a look at me today."
Li's father had previously heard from Li San Niang that the pulse and symptoms of Fang Chengxian's poison were very similar to those of the poison concocted by his master, Poison Yama.
In fact, although Li's father had learned the poison skills of the Poison King, he had spent the last few decades treating and saving people and had never poisoned anyone. However, he had cured several secret agents of the Bad Guys a few times.
Therefore, Li's father was also somewhat curious about the poison Fang Chengxian had been given.
That's human nature; once you've learned something, you'll always want to put it into practice to verify what you've learned.
Father Li then gestured for Fang Chengxian to extend his hand, and used three fingers to examine his pulse. After a moment, he gestured for Fang Chengxian to extend his other hand. After examining both hands, Father Li then looked at the tongue coating and the white, dot-like pustules that Li San Niang had previously emphasized under the tongue.
Finally, Li's father inquired in detail about Fang Chengxian's physical symptoms from his childhood to his current age.
Li's father also asked Fang Chengxian if he still remembered the prescriptions he had taken since childhood.
Fang Chengxian was also prepared, and took out a stack of papers from his pocket. "I can't remember the ones from too early, but these are prescriptions from doctors my family have found for me in recent years."
However, the most recent one, which I heard Third Sister mention last time, I haven't had it for many days.
As for food, I don't dare to eat what's kept in the kitchen at home anymore; I buy everything from outside.
Haha, you know what? These past few days, without taking medicine or eating at home, I've actually felt much lighter.
Father Li took them and looked at each one carefully. After glancing at Li San Niang, he said, "The poison that Fang Langjun was poisoned with is indeed similar to the properties of that poison."
This poison, because its toxicity primarily causes death through congenital weakness and deficiency, taking anywhere from five to six years before the poison reaches the heart and causes death, is not widely known.
Holding the prescriptions written by Fang Chengxian, Li's father pondered for a few moments before continuing, "If Young Master Fang hadn't met the renowned physician Liang, and hadn't had so many good medicines to keep him alive, he would have died long ago from the poison entering his heart and causing him to vomit blood."
Hearing Li's father's words, Xu Jingzhen and Fang Chengxian felt a great weight lifted from their hearts.
Although the two couldn't say they didn't believe what Li San Niang had said before, Li's father had built up his reputation in Chang'an over the past twenty years, which was much more reliable than Li San Niang's reputation, which was based on her connections with high-ranking officials and nobles.
After hearing Li's father's diagnosis, the two felt that since he could pinpoint the exact name, he should also be able to detoxify the poison.
Seeing the intense gazes in their eyes, Li's father coughed lightly, picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and then continued, "Detoxification is certainly feasible."
But just as San Niang had feared, Fang Langjun's poison had penetrated his lungs and heart so deeply.
"If we were to use an antidote, firstly, the process would undoubtedly be extremely painful, and secondly, it might shorten Fang Langjun's lifespan."
"Dr. Li, I always thought I was born with a deficiency, and I used to think that there was no point in living like this."
Not to mention that the former head of the Imperial Medical Bureau had already predicted that I wouldn't live past twenty-five, and I am now twenty-one.
Even if curing the poison shortens my lifespan, I think it's still better than not living past twenty-five.
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