Chapter 162 Intending to summon him back to the palace! And then…
Inside the Prince's Mansion.
Qi Chengming couldn't hide the smile on his face: "Good...good! Getting this one is worth more than a thousand troops!"
He was genuinely happy.
The young prince couldn't help but get up and pace back and forth, eager to unleash a set of punches with fervent passion.
He has never been able to win over the officials in the court; this lack of competitiveness is a fatal flaw, and there's nothing he can do about it.
But now that they've won this person over, and hearing him personally say he's willing to reciprocate and secretly use his connections to help...
This is the most powerful political asset Qi Chengming has heard of so far.
However, he will remember the lessons of the First Prince and the Third Prince and will not openly have any close relationships with his ministers.
He had not forgotten the rise of the Jiangnan faction of officials... It was because the Hedong faction of officials was everywhere in the court, but due to the personal interests of the former Minister of Rites, their relationship with the Third Prince was gradually becoming closer, which made Emperor Hongren feel threatened, so he secretly supported them.
Zhao Emei stood straight in front of him. The young man had a silly look on his face, his skin was tanned dark, and his muscular build proved that his years of mining life were not just for show.
"You did very well this time, Xiao Dezi," Qi Chengming praised, looking at his personal eunuch.
Xiao Dezi came over carrying a box. He opened it and found a coral hairpin made of glass, crystal clear and exquisitely beautiful. Beneath it lay a large voucher.
Zhao Ema's eyes lit up instantly. She looked at the wooden box with longing, so excited that she was a little flustered. It was clear at a glance that the gift had touched her heart.
“I remember you were newly married, and this undercover mission took quite a while. This is compensation for you,” Qi Chengming said knowingly.
These are miners who came from Ruzhou. They are considered Qi Chengming's first batch of true confidants, and they have now settled down in Liuzhou. Qi Chengming naturally doesn't have the problem of 'neglecting and failing to reward subordinates he has acquired'; he keeps them in mind from time to time.
Although the glass factory was doing brisk business locally, such an exquisitely crafted piece of jewelry would probably have emptied Zhao Ema's pockets for several months. For Qi Chengming, a simple reward would allow Zhao Ema to complete her task and return home to enjoy a sweet wedding. Why not?
Qi Chengming's patient stakeout and intricate intelligence gathering were not in vain—when luck is on your side, even good news comes in pairs:
The caravan's reply indeed missed the letter he sent.
Qi Chengming opened the letter and was overjoyed, as if a pie had fallen from the sky.
Guess what?
No wonder his smuggled salt had been sold in large quantities to Jiangnan, disappearing without a trace and selling smoothly. Qi Chengming was too naive, thinking it was the result of the caravans spending a lot of money to pave the way. It turns out... the officials they bribed were completely useless.
The root cause is... that Lord Xie Zhongyun was secretly supporting these private salt merchants in their fight against the local unscrupulous merchants.
The caravan members initially knew that their prince cared about Lord Xie, so they paid close attention. However, the deeper they dug, the more alarmed they became. Now that the matter had been exposed, Lord Xie no longer bothered to pretend, leaving the caravan in a difficult position. They could only continue to be a tool in Lord Xie's hands while urgently sending a letter to Qi Chengming to report the situation.
Whether they liked it or not, this was not a major decision they could make on their own; they could only state the pros and cons and then seek Qi Chengming's advice.
"Of course we should continue to maintain this." Qi Chengming didn't even hesitate before instructing Xiao Chengzi to grind the ink; he needed to reply immediately.
Helping Lord Xie fight the salt merchants, building a closer relationship, and gaining some benefits for himself—this was the result he had always dreamed of! Now that Lord Xie had taken the initiative to join his caravan, Qi Chengming was overjoyed.
Who says threats can't be used to curry favor?
As long as the caravan doesn't end up being discarded after being used, and successfully connects him with Lord Xie, that's all that matters.
"Your Highness, is there good news again?" Xiao Chengzi observed the expression and was also happy for his prince.
Qi Chengming nodded slowly.
He never went into detail about the caravan business, but he would collect all the letters from various places and send them to him. Among the letters that came this time was a daily correspondence from Zhang Ting of Yulin Prefecture.
Qi Chengming barely paused before thinking of something: "Zhang Ting said that two mysterious officials were staying at the post station, and one of them had attendants carrying medicine chests, indicating that they were coming from the capital towards Liuzhou."
Xiao Chengzi had a sudden inspiration, and a surprised smile appeared on his face: "Your Highness, could it be... the Imperial Physician?!"
"Eighty percent." Qi Chengming guessed the same thing. He shrugged, patiently waiting for someone to come and verify his guess. If it was true, it would mean that his rudimentary plans in the capital had been effective, and the Emperor was beginning to value him.
Xiao Chengzi's face flushed, and he lowered his voice, "If it's an imperial physician from the palace... that would be wonderful! His Highness's poison can finally be cured..."
During this time, they were extremely worried. They couldn't truly put their minds at ease until the prince's poison was cured.
"Keep a close eye on Eunuch Dai and see if they make any secret contact or if His Majesty has any new decrees," Qi Chengming solemnly instructed.
After his poisoning, Qi Chengming wanted to test whether Emperor Hongren was willing to investigate the truth, whether he would stand up for him, how much he valued him now, and how worried he was about him.
This will help him decide what to do next.
"Yes." Xiao Chengzi solemnly replied and went out to find Steward Song.
Two days later.
The weary messenger Cui and the old imperial physician arrived in Liuzhou and quietly knocked on the door of Prince Rui's mansion.
As the Grand Eunuch, Song Gu showed great respect by welcoming this confidant of the Emperor inside and gratefully led him to the bedside to deliver the imperial decree. On the way to the main courtyard, he couldn't help but whisper:
"Please forgive me, Your Highness. It's not that my lord is impolite, but the poison doesn't seem to cause any harm, yet it keeps His Highness bedridden for days, and he shows no signs of improvement..."
"My heart is truly heavy..." Song Gu's voice choked as he spoke the last part.
Manager Hua, who had been following behind, appeared grief-stricken, keeping his head bowed and not daring to look up: "..."
...In the past, we only saw that Chief Eunuch Song was methodical in handling affairs, generous in his demeanor, and knew how to conduct himself appropriately. Who wouldn't think he was a fine man? But ever since he had to deal with those visiting officials, big and small, he has only become more and more adept at playing the role of a yin-yang eunuch.
"I was merely following His Majesty's orders to escort the Imperial Physician to treat Your Highness. There is no need for Your Highness to rise and greet him," said Cui, the envoy, in a steady, middle-aged voice.
He also seemed to be a high-ranking figure in the shadows, possessing a refined and understated aura, yet his tone was as humble as Song Gu's. The two of them were extremely polite to each other, neither showing the slightest arrogance.
Xiao Chengzi, holding a bowl and serving with a worried expression in the main room, was struck by this and seemed to be deep in thought.
'This attitude seems...'
"Does His Majesty value their prince highly now?!"
Having spent too long in the palace, a place of sycophancy and backstabbing, Xiao Chengzi and Xiao Dezi exchanged a furtive glance. Both were acutely aware of this situation. In the past, these so-called "secret envoys" were practically figures they could meet or even speak to. Especially since they were being so polite to Chief Steward Song…
Xiao Chengzi and Xiao Dezi were overjoyed and eagerly went to see the old imperial physician, placing their hopes on him.
"Please, Your Highness, lend a hand." The old imperial physician spoke very politely, not daring to offend him.
"Cough cough cough... Thank you for your trouble." Qi Chengming said weakly, handing over his wrist for the old imperial physician to examine with focused attention.
Since receiving Zhang Ting's message, he hasn't taken any more antidote pills, and today his health bar is stuck at "7" in a mediocre state.
"It's a rare poison." The old imperial physician, as expected of someone specifically responsible for the emperor's court, possessed top-notch medical skills and was particularly adept at treating poisons. He quickly reached a conclusion, opened his eyes, let out a slight sigh of relief, and his brows relaxed somewhat.
"Although it has been a long time, it has not really damaged the internal organs. I wonder what kind of medicine Your Highness took before?"
"It's a prescription left by a renowned physician who happened to be passing by the Prince's residence," Song Gu quickly replied, summoning a eunuch to fetch the prescription and the dregs of the medicine the Prince had recently used. Gan Tang, being meticulous, also quietly called a maid to retrieve the previously preserved evidence, the "poison basin," just in case.
"Oh?" The old imperial physician had also heard of the country doctor's reputation. Because of his superb and comprehensive medical skills, the doctor was occasionally invited to the palace. That miraculous doctor wasn't skilled in poisons, yet he managed to keep the prince safe and protect his internal organs. It was truly admirable.
The old imperial physician was itching to discuss medical techniques with the other party, but now was not the time to talk about such things. He could only suppress his desire and focus on studying the prescription, pondering for a long time afterward.
"How is it?" Cui Anshi asked in a hoarse, somewhat anxious voice.
He was on tenterhooks.
His Majesty gave a strict order before this trip out of the capital: Prince Rui's life must be preserved at all costs; he must be kept healthy and strong, without illness, premature death, or loss of offspring. Even the slightest harm…
Not everyone can withstand the wrath of a king.
After hearing all this, who wouldn't have some doubts?
Even if it weren't for His Majesty's request, Cui Anshi himself wanted to curry favor with this Second Prince.
"Of these prescriptions, Banxia Baizhu Tianma Decoction is the most suitable. I will also add a dose of Tianma Gouteng Powder." The old imperial physician sketched and wrote down a new prescription, making some changes to the original prescription and increasing the amount of bezoar.
After he finished treating the patients, the other members of the main house all breathed a sigh of relief.
"How long will Your Highness need to take the medicine?" Cui asked indirectly.
"It will be fine in a month or so." The old imperial physician quickly added the second half of the sentence, "But you must not overwork yourself in the near future. You need to rest for a while to strengthen your body and replenish your vital energy."
"..." Cui Anshi fell silent after hearing the second half of the sentence.
He knew how to write a reply to His Majesty.
Both of them knew before they set off that His Majesty was eager to bring Prince Rui back to the palace as soon as he was cured of the poison. Now it seemed that they couldn't depart directly in a month.
But thinking about it, this is good news for Prince Rui himself, otherwise, in a panic, he would be caught off guard in everything he does.
Cui, wanting to curry favor, waited for the old imperial physician to leave. Once he was in the courtyard where he was assigned to stay, he seemingly casually revealed that "His Majesty wants Prince Rui to return to the capital."
He himself was very busy, and even had to go out late at night despite his fatigue.
Go find Eunuch Dai Xiyu to inquire about the details of Prince Rui's poisoning, and report back to His Majesty together.
"Is that so?" Qi Chengming jumped out of bed. Because of his health bar, he didn't feel any discomfort at all. He listened to the report with great enthusiasm and felt even more at ease.
Return to the palace!
Emperor Hongren intended to summon him back to the palace!
Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi exchanged a glance, their faces beaming with joy and disbelief.
What does this mean?
Has His Majesty finally begun to... value their prince, in a way that makes him worthy of being one of the heirs?
This opportunity is within reach!
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Author's Note: The weather has started to warm up these past few days, and I'm finally not getting sick as often! I'm back to updating! Sorry for keeping you all waiting! *bows*
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