Chapter 112 Haitang "You must at least live until tomorrow's wedding."...
Autumn comes swiftly and leaves in a hurry. By the time the first wisp of white frost condenses on the eaves, the two countries of Ying and Qing have already disappeared in the dust with the autumn wind, and the new dynasty has established its foundation in the cold winter at the end of the year.
On the day the Qing army entered Yingdu, King Jiang Zhi of Ying had already passed away. In the end, a group of court officials held the imperial seal and knelt on the outskirts of the city to accept the surrender.
The new emperor was none other than Qing's military advisor, Huanzhen. Not only did he not appoint a member of Qing's royal family as the new emperor, he even changed the country's name to "Cheng". For this reason, the former Qing army, led by the military commander Zhan'ai, naturally disagreed and launched a palace coup on the day the new emperor ascended the throne. However, all this seemed to have been expected by the new emperor, and it was settled in just a stick of incense.
The former nobles and royal relatives of the two countries were demoted to commoners and imprisoned in the capital for the rest of their lives.
In addition, the new monarch issued an edict, stating that Huaicheng belonged to Daying a hundred years ago, but because of the monarch's stupidity, he designated this place as an epidemic cemetery and abandoned his people. Now, the world is united and the barbarians have retreated, and this city should return to the country. He specially exempted Huaicheng from taxes for ten years and allowed it to govern itself according to its own rules. If a neighboring country invades, Chengguo will mobilize the entire country to resist.
At first, the people of Huai had many complaints about this, but when they heard that taxes would be exempted for ten years and saw that the new king was benevolent in his administration, their resentment gradually dissipated.
The capital was filled with celebrations of the founding of a new country, with the beating of gongs and drums and the hanging of lanterns and decorations. At that time, Songheju, far away in Huaicheng, was also decorated with red silk and wedding satin, but the servants who were busy coming and going had no joy on their faces, but instead were shrouded in a layer of sadness.
Although Wen Minyu was also filled with a deep sense of melancholy, he stood in the courtyard with his back straight. He said loudly, "Tomorrow is my brother's wedding day, so we should be happy. How can we be so sad? If my sister-in-law saw this, wouldn't she be heartbroken? Don't let this make people think we're neglecting the bride."
The servants knew that when a happy event comes, they should greet it with a smile. But...
Wen Minyu noticed everyone's concerns. He pondered for a moment, then raised his eyes again, filled with determination. "This morning, I saw my sister-in-law bring a physician into the mansion. This physician is none other than the renowned Doctor Jia. Now that we have him, there's no need to worry about my brother's illness being incurable."
…
Hanlangxuan was still silent.
The person on the couch's breathing had gradually stabilized, and it was obvious that the medicine had taken effect. Seeing Song Xieqing fall into a coma, Zhu Hao asked Gongsun Jia to come in and take his pulse.
Since resigning from his official position, Gongsun Jia has been traveling around the new country with the sound of a bird, using his wife's surname Jia as a pretext to save the dying and the wounded. Zhu Hao had to go through many twists and turns to find his whereabouts. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but glance at Gongsun Jia who was giving acupuncture to Song Xieqing... His whereabouts were so erratic, he must have forgotten the promise he made in prison to take her in as his disciple.
Gongsun Jia has always been a leisurely person. No matter how difficult or complicated the disease is, it is all easy for him to handle. But at this moment, his two white eyebrows are close together.
After a long pause, Gongsun Jia looked up at Zhu Hao, wanting to say something but stopping himself. After a pause, he finally said, "You know, I've always been a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush with you."
Since the beginning of winter, Song Xieqing's health has been getting worse day by day. He vomits blood from time to time and has difficulty eating or drinking. Zhu Hao thought he had made sufficient preparations, but now he was in a state of panic. "...Master, it's okay to talk for a while."
Gongsun Jia's two white eyebrows twitched when he heard the word "Master". He sighed softly and said, "Before we get married, I advise you to find another good partner."
Zhu Hao was startled at first, but instead of taking offense, she smiled. "My disciple's 'it's okay to talk about it' refers to my husband's illness."
…
The sun was setting in the west, and dusk was falling. Song Xieqing woke up from his drowsiness, the lingering depression from his dream still clogging his heart. He glanced up and saw that it was Zhu Hao taking a nap on his chest. The woman's black hair was wrapped around his neck like a waterfall, and her two hands were tightly holding the corners of his quilt, as if she was afraid that he would run away.
The corners of his pale lips curved up, and he raised his hand to gently stroke his wife's hair, tracing her eyebrows and eyes, trying to engrave the tenderness of this moment into his bones.
Zhu Hao's eyelashes suddenly fluttered like butterfly wings, revealing a pair of misty eyes.
When their eyes met, they smiled before they spoke.
"You really don't regret it?" he asked softly.
"What are you regretting?"
"Now I need someone to help me even get up. It's hard for me to walk in the snow with Pian Pian anymore. Will Pian Pian still marry me?"
A koi carp on the windowsill suddenly jumped up, and the splashing water droplets wrapped in the rosy glow fell together, like a bunch of candle flowers exploding in a water jade jar.
Zhu Hao looked at his thin figure, and also at her own body which had been crystal clear in recent days. Her eyes were filled with sourness, but the corners of her lips were still curved as usual. She did not answer the question, but held Song Xieqing's face and kissed his lips.
From shallow to deep, lingering and affectionate, the bitterness of the medicine spreads between the lips and teeth, mixed with the salty taste of tears.
Song Xieqing wiped the corners of her eyes with his fingertips and asked softly, "Why are you crying?"
"Because of you."
She buried her head in his embrace, a faint heartbeat beneath her bony bones.
Whenever Zhu Hao thought of Gongsun Jia's words, she felt as if her internal organs were choked. She remembered that time outside Zhe'erzhai, she blamed him for committing suicide and wasting his life, and for this, she was angry with him without saying anything.
But he never told her that he was poisoned by a strange poison that was eating away his bones and making him feel like he was being tortured every day.
Zhu Hao wiped away her tears, then gently kissed the red mole on his neck, and then said, "I'll go to the kitchen to check..."
Just as she was about to stand up, she felt a chill on her wrist. Zhu Hao had someone pull her back to the couch. Song Xieqing's fingertips trembled slightly as he exerted force. He asked her, "Pianpian...you know, don't you?"
Although he seemed to be asking a question, his tone and expression revealed relief that everything had been settled.
The poison of Bitu would be difficult to detect by an ordinary doctor, but I don’t know who she has asked for help this time.
The dusk cast a shadow between his eyebrows and eyes. Zhu Hao felt a pang of pain in his heart, but his voice was calm. "You should have told me earlier."
The grip on her wrist gradually loosened, and Zhu Hao sighed, "I'll forgive you this time, but it won't happen again."
After saying this, Zhu Hao stood up and left. The door of Hanlangxuan opened and closed again. She leaned out half of her face, which was immersed in the sunset light. The corners of her eyes were still red. She said to the person on the couch in a tone that was almost a death order: "Song Xieqing, you must at least live until the wedding ceremony tomorrow. Do you understand?"
Song Xieqing looked at the last ray of sunlight that filtered through the crack in the door and said with a low laugh, "Okay."
There were still servants clearing the snow outside the courtyard. When they saw that it was Zhu Hao, they all bowed their heads and saluted. However, Zhu Hao did not go to the kitchen, but walked through the moon-shaped door, came to the west wing, and knocked on Gongsun Jia's door.
Gongsun Jia knew who it was just by looking at her toes, so she simply said through the door, "No matter how much you beg me, it's useless. I really don't have an antidote for this poison."
I only heard the person outside the door say: "Master, you have misunderstood. I am not here for Song Lang. Please meet me, Master."
Not for Song Lang?
Oh, Gongsun Jia was stunned and twirled his beard. Since this girl was not seeking medical treatment for that boy, why would she come to find him, an old man, at the risk of braving the cold?
Gongsun Jia stood up and opened the door, but saw the snow in the courtyard reflecting the setting sun. Zhu Hao was standing on the steps, his nose red from the cold. He stepped aside to invite the person in.
The warmth of the charcoal fire came over him. Zhu Hao rubbed his frozen earlobes and asked, "Master, are you leaving tomorrow?"
"For your sake, I'll finish your wedding wine before you leave." Gongsun Jia stroked his graying beard. Seeing her suddenly fall silent, he felt unbearable. He frowned and asked, "Just say what you want to say. When did you learn to be so hesitant?"
"Master, do you plan to continue practicing medicine and saving lives with Quesheng in the future?"
"...I certainly can't say I'm saving the world." Gongsun Jia coughed dryly, wrinkles forming at the corners of her eyes. "While I can still walk, it would be great to show the child some worldly wisdom. When I can no longer walk, I'll settle down in Shu and open a small clinic... I've already transcribed those acupuncture techniques from the classics that were nearly lost due to the fire... If you're truly interested in studying medicine, you can come find me in Shu."
"Disciple thanks the master." Zhu Hao smiled with curved eyebrows.
However, she ultimately had no chance to learn medicine from her master. However, if the medical classics and acupuncture techniques could be passed down to future generations, Li Yuan's father would have been reborn through the soul-bewitching acupuncture technique. Now, only one last thing remained...
Gongsun Jia narrowed her eyes and said, "You came here not just to inquire about my whereabouts, right?"
"He's Song Lang's half-brother." Zhu Hao didn't beat around the bush and spoke directly, "I once saw a medicine in Master's medical manual. It came from Wushan. If it's soaked in turtle blood, it becomes a hidden poison. Anyone who drinks this poison and has children will develop a hidden disease, which will be passed down through the blood of their descendants for generations. When it attacks, they will feel chest tightness and heartache..."
Later, she looked through the map and saw that Wushan was in the territory of Dara. Thinking of the unchanged trajectory, Wen Minyu had colluded with Dara because of his mother's death, she thought that this poison was given by Dara to restrain Wen Minyu.
"Do you suspect this kid has been poisoned?"
Zhu Hao nodded, but she couldn't be sure when Wen Minyu and Dara started to collude, and she didn't know whether the matter had changed because of Xiayang's victory and Dara's retreat... Perhaps, Wen Minyu has not taken the fork in the road now.
Zhu Hao also knew that Shi Chunsheng could not take any gamble. Since she had come to a hundred years ago, any glimmer of hope was worth a try.
Gongsun Jia didn't like to meddle in other people's affairs, so she didn't ask Zhu Hao how he knew the information.
He stroked his beard, pondered, and agreed without thinking.
I thought her purpose was over, but then I heard the little girl sitting opposite me ask, "Master, do you have any medicine... that can make people pass away without knowing or feeling anything? Without even a trace of pain?"
…
It was getting light outside. When Zhu Hao opened his eyes, he saw that in the water jade tank on the windowsill, in addition to a koi, there was also a crabapple branch leaning against it. The pink petals were covered with dew, shining brightly, and tiny streams of light floated among the flowers and leaves.
I wish I could wake up in a moment, put on my slippers and clothes, and open the door.
In the yard stood a beautiful woman in a pink floral dress, holding a basket with flowers in it. A faint smile spread across her brows. The sky was about to brighten, but she was as beautiful as the morning glow reflected on the snow.
Zhu Hao was stunned for a moment, and a vague guess arose in his mind, "You... are Xie Qing..."
"Yes." The woman's eyes moved and she paused, "But no."
"...Why don't you meet him?"
"Now that I've changed my destiny, it doesn't matter whether we meet or not." In the blink of an eye, the crabapple tree leaning against the water jade jar flew into her hands, the morning dew on its petals glittering and ready to fall. "Pianpian, because of you, he no longer has to live with regrets."
The woman handed her the crabapple blossom and said, "This flower comes from the forbidden area of the Nine Heavens. If you moisten the petals with water and drink it, whether you are a wandering soul or reincarnated, you will be able to retain the memories of a hundred lifetimes."
"Just think of it as... my gift to you of a wedding." She took your hand in blessing and smiled faintly. "Thank you for your hard work, child."
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