This achievement will surely make her and her son a little more amiable.
Jiang Chuting never expected the Empress to bring this up. His eyes widened in surprise, and he smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. However, I am used to wandering freely in the martial world and have a carefree and unrestrained nature. I am afraid that my sudden entry into the palace would spoil the fun."
His smile was as warm as the wind, and his voice as gentle as water; he was completely different from what I had imagined.
She was confused. If he wanted to enter the palace, how could it be her place to arrange it?
The Empress choked up, then felt a strange sense of shame. She quickly said, "It was my rudeness." Realizing that Zhang Dequan was looking at her, she stepped aside slightly to make way for him: "Your Majesty is waiting, please."
Jiang Chuting bowed slightly: "This humble subject takes his leave."
The Empress watched his departing figure for a long time, then lowered her head and sighed.
Jiang Chuting followed Zhang Dequan, only to discover upon arrival: "This is..."
"In response to your question, young master, this is His Majesty's bedroom."
It's still daytime, why would Pei Jing be in his bedchamber? Before Zhang Dequan could speak, he heard the sound of a bowl being smashed coming from inside.
"I don't want it, take it away!"
Jiang Chuting only learned from Zhang Dequan that Pei Jing had been experiencing pain all over his body recently. The imperial physicians had consulted for a long time but still couldn't figure out the cause. They couldn't just ignore it, so they said it was because he was too tired from handling state affairs and prescribed some calming and sedative medicine, telling him to rest more.
The medicine was completely useless, but the Imperial Hospital kept sending people over. Pei Jingzheng was getting annoyed waiting for them, and in a fit of temper, he smashed the medicine bowl.
Jiang Chuting happened to see it.
The palace servants packed their belongings and withdrew in silence. After Jiang Chuting went inside, Zhang Dequan quietly closed the bedroom door.
Pei Jing sat at the desk, his face pale and his chest heaving. He flipped through the pages of a book with a clattering sound, coldly glaring at Pei Jing as he approached. "Master, are you seventy or eighty years old? Can't you even walk from the Empress Dowager's palace to here? Do you know how long I've been waiting for you??"
Jiang Chuting knelt down opposite him and said, "Try to control your temper and take good care of yourself."
Pei Jing slammed the book down.
Jiang Chuting said, "Excessive liver fire can easily lead to illness. You need to learn to control your emotions."
"You're having a passionate affair with your young master Lin outside the palace, and you expect me to control my emotions? If I weren't controlling my emotions, I would have killed him long ago!"
"……Yeah?"
Pei Jing sneered, "Why are you looking at me like that? You know what happened that time, right? Come to think of it, it's not my fault. I told you to kiss me and I'd let him go. You refused, so I grabbed him."
Hearing his sophistry, Jiang Chuting remained silent.
"And in the end, I even let him go. I was merciful enough and gave him a chance, but he still stubbornly kept bothering you. Do you know why I haven't done anything to him yet? It's because I'll soon have a reason that will leave you speechless to kill him!"
Jiang Chuting's fingertips twitched slightly. Pei Jing had just finished speaking when he suddenly coughed violently, his cheeks turning an unnatural red.
Jiang Chuting thought for a moment, then called Zhang Dequan and asked him to bring another bowl of medicine.
Pei Jing glared at him fiercely, coughing intermittently with slightly unsteady breathing, but remained silent.
Zhang Dequan hurriedly presented the medicine, which Jiang Chuting personally handed to him, instructing him, "After taking the medicine, get a good night's sleep."
Pei Jing finished the medicine, wiped his hands with a handkerchief, and sneered, "If you want to stay here, let me sleep with you so you can leave the palace?"
Jiang Chuting shook her head, not wanting to argue with him about these things.
Jiang Chuting was summoned to the palace by the Empress Dowager several more times, but it was always just to drink tea and chat. Each time, Pei Jing would have someone take him away afterward. More often than not, Jiang Chuting would just sit beside him, watching him review memorials.
Pei Jing's condition fluctuated, causing him to lose weight and become noticeably thinner. His cheeks, which had been perfectly plump before, now had more defined and handsome features, and his eyes exuded a more imposing presence. He was completely different from the aloof young man he had first met.
The Empress Dowager was clearly distracted that day. Jiang Chuting knew that she was troubled by Pei Jing's health, so he took his leave after sitting for a short while.
Before leaving, he saw Yuanxi, who was standing beside the Empress Dowager, nod at him almost imperceptibly, her eyes conveying something.
Jiang Chuting had a sudden thought: Could it be that the time she was talking about was about to arrive?
I went to Pei Jing's place again and listened to his latest progress in the investigation of the Lin family. By the time I returned to Changning Pavilion, it was already getting dark.
As the carriage approached Changning Pavilion, Jiang Chuting heard Xing'er's happy laughter. She lifted the curtain and looked out, seeing Lin Zhi playing with sparklers with Xing'er. The flying sparks illuminated their bright smiling faces, and Jiang Chuting was momentarily lost in thought.
During this time, Xing'er always wanted to run out and play with Lin Zhi, and Lin Zhi was also very affectionate towards Xing'er, buying him food and toys and playing with him. The relationship between the two progressed rapidly.
Xing'er excitedly shouted, "Brother, more, more!"
"Okay, but be careful not to get your hands on him." Although she initially forced herself to be nice to Xing'er because of Zhao Chengyang's words, Lin Zhi's mindset had changed after spending time with him these past few days. This child was cute and well-behaved, and Lin Zhi couldn't bring herself to dislike him. When she couldn't see him, she couldn't help but think about and hope to see him soon. Being clung to by him every day gave her a strange sense of satisfaction.
Lin Zhi was about to light another one for him when he spotted the carriage. He quickly stood up and looked in that direction with longing eyes.
Jiang Chuting got off the carriage and called out, "Xing'er."
"father!"
Lin Zhi immediately poked Xing'er's back twice with his fingers. Xing'er raised her little face to look at him, patted her chest, and ran towards Jiang Chuting.
After Jiang Chuting led Xing'er inside, Lin Zhi sat back down, feeling a sudden emptiness in her heart, and a sense of loss lingered for a long time.
Back in the house, Jiang Chuting noticed that Xing'er's arms were bulging. At first, he thought it was some kind of toy, but Xing'er reached in and pulled out a purple bellflower. The flower was still very fresh, and it hadn't been crushed when placed in his arms.
"Father, this is for you, brother."
"..." Lin Zhi actually turned her attention to the child. Jiang Chuting knew what the flower represented, took it, glanced at it, put it aside, and said, "Let's wash our hands and eat."
Xing'er nodded, having completed the task assigned by Lin Zhi.
After dinner and a bath, Jiang Chuting tried to put Xing'er to sleep, but Xing'er kept calling him "brother" and using his fragmented and incomplete expressive ability to tell him about playing with Lin Zhi until he fell asleep.
Jiang Chuting turned her head to look at the bellflower on the table, and after a long while, she looked away.
The evidence he provided, along with witness testimonies and clues accumulated by Ling Guang and his group over the years, led the imperial court to send people to pursue the case with all their might. They have already arrested and interrogated Hong Jun, Qin Ye, and others, confiscated all the medicinal fields and furnaces, and even saved some people who were about to suffer persecution again.
Qiao Xun, Lin Xi, and Hong Yufei were extremely cunning. They sent out a few people to take the fall while they themselves went into hiding.
A while ago, an earthquake struck Minxian County, causing a sinkhole near a temple on the outskirts of the city. The shocking sight revealed countless skeletons; a rough count estimated over a thousand bodies. After investigation, it was indeed found to be related to the Lin family's drug trials.
Although the truth about the drug trials is still unknown to the public, there are already some rumors circulating, and some places have begun to boycott Lin family-related industries and shops.
Once the Ministry of Justice has concluded its trial and the case is made public, it will undoubtedly cause a huge uproar.
Lin Zhi will not be spared either.
Pei Jing is holding back for now, but the opportunity will come soon, and he will not hesitate.
Jiang Chuting closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then got up from the bed, pushed open the window, and lightly leaped out, quickly disappearing into the darkness.
...
Lin Zhi was staring blankly at the stars when a pebble suddenly bounced off his feet. He stood up abruptly and caught a glimpse of a figure flashing by. Surprised and delighted, he immediately followed after it.
They walked quite a distance until they stopped in a small alley.
Jiang Chuting, dressed in a blue robe, stood with his back to him, bathed in the bright moonlight. Without uttering a single superfluous word, he said directly, "Leave Jincheng and wait for me in Guangling."
Lin Zhi walked around to stand in front of him, her eyes fixed on his face, and hugged him tightly: "I missed you so much, Chu Ting. Did you see the flowers I gave you? My love for you is eternal and unwavering."
Jiang Chuting: "...Lin Zhi, do you think I'm here to reminisce about the past? I'm telling you to leave now and stop playing dumb."
Lin Zhi buried her face in his shoulder, hugging him tighter and tighter: "You can say you want me to leave a thousand times, but I still won't understand."
Jiang Chuting closed her eyes wearily, remained silent for a moment, and said, "Although you've been in Jincheng, you should know about the Lin family's affairs. If you don't find a way to leave, you'll die. Do you want to go back to the Ministry of Justice's prison? Besides, I said you go to Guangling first, and I'll come find you."
"If I die, at least you'll think of me occasionally and miss me, but if I'm gone, there will be nothing left."
Jiang Chuting pushed him away, took two steps back, and said coldly in her dark eyes, "Lin Zhi, do you know what I hate about you? You're like a child who never grows up, and you're always stubborn and annoying!"
His tone was extremely harsh, and when he bluntly said that he hated her, Lin Zhi felt a sharp pain in her heart. With red eyes, she blurted out, "Yes, I am childish and stubborn, of course I can't compare to my father."
Jiang Chuting's breathing became disordered, her blood surged, a metallic taste filled her throat, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Lin Zhi was shocked: "Chu Ting!" She reached out to touch him, but was pushed away. Lin Zhi hadn't expected this, and was flustered and at a loss for words: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I, I..."
Jiang Chuting clutched her chest to calm herself before whispering, "Lin Zhi, I'm giving you one last chance. Either disguise yourself and hide somewhere in Guangling to wait for me, or never see me again for all eternity."
Lin Zhi was shocked. His hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly as his mind raced. He gritted his teeth and finally said, "Okay, I promise you." He quickly added, "Then you must come. I'll be waiting for you."
Lin Zhi wanted to touch him, but just as she was about to grab his sleeve, she missed.
Jiang Chuting didn't even glance at him, then spun around and flew away, disappearing in an instant with the soft rustling of her clothes.
“Chu Ting…” Lin Zhi felt a sudden chill and heat throughout her body, and her heart was filled with pain as she looked at his back.
After standing frozen in place for a while, Lin Zhi returned to the inn, packed his things, and planned to leave Jincheng before dawn.
...
The next day, when Jiang Chuting went out, she glanced at the distance and, not seeing Lin Zhi, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After handing Xing'er over to Jiang Xian, he went to the palace. After sitting with the Empress Dowager for a while, he went to see Pei Jing as usual.
Having a rare moment of leisure, Pei Jing asked him to accompany him for a stroll. Because he had been unwell lately, Jiang Chuting had suggested that he summon renowned folk doctors to the palace to examine him.
The imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy are all quite skilled, but having spent so much time in the palace, their methods and thinking tend to be rather rigid and conservative in order to avoid making mistakes. The path of medicine is endless; remaining stagnant is less effective than some folk doctors. Those folk doctors have more experience and knowledge, and perhaps they would offer different insights and methods after examining the patient.
Pei Jing accepted his suggestion and summoned several people to the palace, but they would not arrive until tomorrow.
Jiang Chuting stood by the bridge watching the fish, while Pei Jing brought fish food and sprinkled some out from time to time. He had a smile on his face and seemed to be in a good mood.
"I only heard from my mother yesterday that the person who saved me when I was a child was actually you."
Jiang Chuting smiled slightly at him.
Pei Jing tilted her head to look at him, her smile bright: "How was it? How did it feel when you held me back then? Did you ever imagine that child would grow up and fall for you?"
How could he have imagined this? Just like when he saved Lin Zhi, he never thought that one day in the future he would have so many emotional entanglements with her.
"It's such a pity. I was too young and unconscious at the time, so I didn't get a good look at what you looked like back then."
Jiang Chuting said, "Just like now, there's nothing to see."
"You're handsome, you have no idea how handsome you are," Pei Jing murmured. Physical good looks were one thing, but he also possessed a clarity and gentleness that emanated from his very bones, captivating those who weren't careful, making them unable to extricate themselves. Pei Jing gazed at his face, then suddenly sighed, "If I could have foreseen this day, I would have ordered you to be taken back to the palace and hidden away, allowing only you to love me, only you to belong to me. And when I grew up, I would… devour you whole."
Jiang Chuting didn't know what to say, so she simply responded with silence.
Upon seeing this, Pei Jing laughed twice. Before his laughter had even stopped, his expression suddenly changed, and he gripped the bridge railing, his fingers tightening.
Although Jiang Chuting wasn't staring at him, she quickly sensed something was wrong and hurriedly supported his slowly falling body: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty?"
Pei Jing's hand fell limply to his side, and he fainted in his arms.
Pei Jing suddenly fell ill. The Empress Dowager, the Empress, the young prince, and several concubines of the harem all stayed in the side hall, while several important officials stayed outside the bedchamber. Jiang Chuting avoided the attention of many people and stayed in a room by herself, waiting for news.
The atmosphere inside and outside the palace was heavy and somber.
A group of imperial physicians held a consultation late into the night, only to emerge in a panic and report: the symptoms were too strange, and they could not find the cause for the time being, so they could only try medication first.
The Empress fainted immediately. The Empress Dowager was both angry and anxious. She scolded them severely and sent people to hurry up and invite the folk healers who were not expected to arrive until the next day into the palace.
The next morning, the doctors in the room held an urgent consultation and debated for nearly half an hour before finally reaching a fairly consistent conclusion.
However, this result made all the doctors tremble with fear, and they all passed the buck, afraid to speak up.
Finally, the eldest imperial physician reluctantly reported to the Empress Dowager that His Majesty was suffering from an extremely rare disease. This disease was congenital and extremely difficult to diagnose before it manifested. Once it occurred, it was unstoppable. If no cure could be found, His Majesty would die from organ failure within a month.
According to medical records, there have only been three cases of this disease in the past few hundred years, and all of them died.
Currently, none of the people gathered here have a solution.
The Empress Dowager, who had been holding on, lost her strength and collapsed into Yuanxi's arms.
Jiang Chuting also received the news and was immediately stunned, her five fingers slowly clenching.
Could it be that the timing Yuanxi was referring to was when Pei Jing would die?
Once he dies, I will let go of him.
Pei Jing was still young, only in his early twenties. Jiang Chuting didn't love him, but she never intended for him to die like that.
Half an hour later, Pei Jing woke up and summoned Jiang Chuting in. As soon as Jiang Chuting entered the hall, the room was filled with the smell of medicine. Before she even got close, she could hear Pei Jing coughing intermittently.
Jiang Chuting walked lightly to the bedside and sat down. Pei Jing's face was ashen, but when he saw him, he actually smiled.
Jiang Chuting felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.
Yesterday I was strolling in the garden feeding the fish, and today I'm like this. It was all so sudden.
"Master, hug me." Although Pei Jing was weak, he could still move. He propped himself up, lay down on Jiang Chuting's lap, and hugged his waist with both arms.
This time, Jiang Chuting didn't push him away. As he wished, she wrapped her arms around his body and comforted him, saying, "Xiao Jiu, there will be a way."
Pei Jing inhaled his scent with longing, showing no fear whatsoever as he hovered on the edge of death, and said firmly, "Of course, I won't die like this."
Jiang Chuting gently patted his shoulder.
Pei Jing looked at him from his arms, his dark eyes filled with dependence: "Stay here and stay with me until I get better. You're not allowed to go anywhere."
Jiang Chuting lowered her eyes and looked back at him, saying softly, "Okay."
...
The Empress Dowager, who had been unconscious for a whole day, finally woke up. Before she had even fully opened her eyes, her icy hand grabbed Yuanxi's wrist, and she said in a trembling voice, "Tell me, Yuanxi, tell me, Xiao Jiu will be alright, right?"
Yuan Xi held her hand and said, "His Majesty will get better. Empress Dowager, have you forgotten? I calculated it back then. His Majesty was destined to suffer this calamity. As long as we find the right opportunity to get Young Master Jiang away from His Majesty's side, His Majesty will definitely be safe in the future."
"Are you really not lying to me?"
"No, Your Majesty. His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and will be protected by the gods."
The Empress Dowager had always trusted Yuanxi, but this time the shock was too great, and she still found it difficult to calm down.
"When will that time come?" The Empress Dowager has been frequently summoning Jiang Chuting to the palace lately, showing her affection for him, so that when she has no choice but to send him away, Xiao Jiu will not think that she is doing this because she has a prejudice against him, so as to avoid mother and son becoming enemies.
But now, as long as his departure can make Xiao Jiu better, she would rather let Xiao Jiu resent her than not drive him away. She doesn't care about anything else.
"Your Majesty, you can rest assured," Yuanxi said softly. "His Majesty's illness has actually been cured in some cases, but it is not recorded in medical books."
The Empress Dowager was both surprised and delighted. She struggled to sit up and stared at Yuanxi, asking, "Are you sure you mean it?"
Yuanxi nodded: "While you were unconscious, a doctor from outside the palace discovered that there was a family of doctors. The head of the family was highly skilled in medicine and had cured a patient like His Majesty more than ten years ago. However... they were imprisoned and executed a few years ago for committing a crime, and their descendants have mysteriously disappeared."
The Empress Dowager exclaimed excitedly, "Then quickly send people to search! Hurry!"
"Your Majesty, we have already sent people to search for them. If they are found, there will surely be a prescription, and His Majesty will be saved."
At least there was hope, and with Yuanxi's assurance, the Empress Dowager cheered up a bit. She got up, had someone help her wash and change, ate a few simple things, and hurriedly went to her bedchamber to visit Pei Jing.
These past two days, Jiang Chuting has been staying with Pei Jing and has learned that the palace has sent people out to search for the whereabouts of the descendants of the He family, a renowned family of physicians.
When he first heard about the He family, the name seemed strangely familiar. But when he saw the portraits of the He siblings, he was astonished.
He asked, "What's the name of the person you're looking for?"
The minister in charge of the search replied respectfully, "The younger brother's name is He Shaojun, and the older sister's name is He Shaoshu."
Jiang Chuting realized that the people they were looking for were actually Shao Jun and his sister.
He hadn't seen the young master for over a year, and didn't know if he was still in Jincheng. Jiang Chuting explained to Pei Jing that he had personally left the palace, mainly searching and inquiring in the vicinity where he had seen him at the lantern festival. After searching for a whole day, he actually found him.
It turns out that the siblings had been living in Jincheng all along, hoping to find an opportunity to clear their family's name.
After hearing Jiang Chuting describe Pei Jing's illness, Shao Jun and Shao Shu exchanged a glance. Jiang Chuting assumed they were acting this way because they didn't know the prescription, but then Shao Jun said, "Master Jiang, to be honest, although our family has fallen on hard times, some important items were hidden away beforehand. The kind of pill His Majesty needs is readily available here. However, there's one thing added to it that will..."
What will happen?
Shaojun exclaimed, "Oh dear, it means that after taking this medicine, you can't..."
Shao Shu, who had been deep in thought, patted his hand and said to Jiang Chuting, "Hero Jiang, may I accompany you to the palace to present the medicine? I will personally explain the situation of this medicine to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty."
Jiang Chuting knew that she wanted an audience with the emperor so that she could take the opportunity to bring up the matter of their family again. After a moment of hesitation, she agreed: "Okay."
Shaojun grabbed Shaoshu's wrist: "Sister, I'll go with you."
Shao Shu pressed him back down to sit and comforted him, saying, "You stay home and take good care of the children. Don't worry, with Master Jiang here, I'll be fine."
Shao Shu had already heard about Jiang Chuting, her benefactor, from Shao Jun, and felt grateful and trusting towards him. Therefore, when he came to see her, Shao Shu had no doubts whatsoever.
She was quick-tempered and efficient. Without saying much, she took out the medicine bottle from the hidden compartment and went to the palace with Jiang Chuting.
The Empress Dowager and the Empress had received advance notice and were eagerly waiting in the side hall. When they saw Jiang Chuting leading Shao Shu in, they stood up almost simultaneously.
Shao Shu was about to kneel and pay her respects, but the Empress Dowager waved her hand, urging her to stop, "Quickly, take the medicine to the imperial physician for inspection. If there are no problems, then have His Majesty take it immediately."
"Your Majesty, please calm down." Shao Shu clasped her hands tightly together, glanced at the Empress beside the Empress Dowager, and said, "Regarding this medicine, I have something else to report."
The Empress Dowager said, "Speak quickly."
"This medicine was made by my father years ago. It contains more than fifty kinds of medicinal herbs, the most important of which is the Two Loves Flower from the Southern Frontier. The Two Loves Flower has both advantages and disadvantages. After taking it, it can indeed save one's life, but..." Everyone in the hall was staring at her. Shao Shu hesitated for a moment before continuing clearly, "After the user recovers, it is best to sever all romantic feelings and separate from the person they admire, never to see them again. Otherwise, being moved by love is equivalent to shortening one's own lifespan. The stronger the love, the more it will shorten one's lifespan. Once the foundation is damaged, it will be truly beyond saving. This matter is of great importance, and I dare not conceal anything, so I have told you everything truthfully. I have brought all the medicine. The rest depends on the will of His Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress."
As soon as she finished speaking, the hall fell into a deathly silence, as if even the air itself had frozen.
The Empress Dowager and the Empress had different expressions, but their eyes both turned to Jiang Chuting, who was standing quietly beside Shao Shu.
Yuanxi, who was beside the Empress Dowager, was also looking at Jiang Chuting and nodded slightly to him.
Jiang Chuting's heart was in turmoil, and she silently exhaled. Only now did she truly understand what Yuanxi meant by the timing of their departure.
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
I skimmed through the outline and realized that with a little more effort, it'll be finished soon. There's about one hidden chapter left, and I'll be around 400,000 words. Although I'm not entirely satisfied with this story, I still want to see it through to the end, and I absolutely must give it a happy ending!
Also, there are two side effects to writing this: first, I don't want to write any more historical romance novels; second... I really don't want to write any more stories about wives chasing after their husbands, so I'll probably change the setting for the "Runaway Bride with a Baby" pre-order story. I mentioned when I started the pre-order that the concept would change over time, so I hope those who added it to their favorites won't mind!
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