Chapter 218: Pushing into a desperate situation
After Shen Qingtan made up his mind, he did not go to the dining hall of Hualing Temple, but turned into the house to discuss with Zhao Yi.
"Second Master, Uncle Qin has come with a letter saying Zhongyuan is unwilling to come to the capital." Shen Qingtan, not understanding Zhongyuan's character, expressed his concerns, "Your health is not suitable for long journeys, and Zhongyuan's whereabouts are difficult to find. I'm worried that when you get better and go to Baohua County again, he will be gone. I plan to go to Baohua County in person to invite him to the capital."
Zhao Yi finished reading the letter and coughed twice. "Even miracle doctors have their own temperaments. He claimed he didn't want to go to Beijing. I'm afraid he has some concerns. You may not be able to get what you want by going to Baohua County this time."
"I've been thinking about inviting him to Beijing first. If I can't convince him, I'll write to you. By then, you'll be better and ready to go to Baohua County."
Shen Qingtan's eyes were filled with worry: "I'll be guarding Zhong Yuan over there, and I'll feel more at ease."
Zhao Yi pondered for a moment and said, "It's getting late today, let's talk about it tomorrow."
Shen Qingtan frowned: "Do you want to go together?"
"Tomorrow, ask Court Envoy Chen to come and take my pulse. If the situation allows, I'll go with you." Zhao Yi held her hand and said gently, "Zhongyuan has said that if we want him to treat us, we must go to him in person. If you go alone and he thinks we're not sincere, wouldn't that offend him?"
Shen Qingtan looked solemn and thought for a long time. She said in a dilemma: "Let's talk about it tomorrow."
On the second day, Jiang Chao invited Chen Yuanshi to come to Hualing Temple to take Zhao Yi's pulse.
Chen Yuanshi learned from Jiang Chao that they had found Zhongyuan, and reported the good news to Emperor Jing'an, who graciously allowed him to follow Zhao Yi to Baohua County.
"Master Xiao Zhao, you are weak and shouldn't be tired, let alone traveling." Court Envoy Chen suppressed his excitement at the prospect of meeting the miracle doctor and said calmly, "Take a spacious and comfortable carriage and slow down your journey to Baohua County. I'll be by your side to look after you, so you shouldn't be in any danger."
Shen Qingtan was still worried: "Can the Second Master's body withstand it?"
Dean Chen smiled and said, "I'm sure I can hold on until I see the miracle doctor."
Shen Qingtan: “…”
With the approval of Chen Yuanshi, Shen Qingtan ordered people to prepare a spacious carriage, cover it with thick mattresses, and prepare all kinds of medicines and food. Then he rented a shoulder chair to carry Zhao Yi down the mountain.
Shen Qingtan got on the carriage and asked, "Shall we ask Brother to go with us to Baohua County? With Brother by our side to protect us, there won't be any trouble."
"My fourth uncle and my uncles returned to the imperial court yesterday. The palace will hold a welcoming banquet today. My brothers-in-law will also be attending the banquet, so it will be inconvenient for them to accompany us to Baohua County."
Zhao Yi looked relaxed: "The emperor has arranged for assassins to protect me in secret, so I will be fine."
Shen Qingtan felt relieved.
-
Yuwangfu.
Prince Yu was wearing a spotless white robe and sitting in an armchair reading a letter.
After opening four or five letters in a row, his expression became increasingly gloomy.
"Your Highness, the second branch of the Duke's Mansion was expelled from the clan. The Duke only gave them a two-story house on Xingning Street, and did not give them a single cent of the family property."
Zhan Shi asked cautiously, "Do you still want this chess piece?"
"Why not?" Prince Yu put the letters one by one into the stove and burned them. "Only those who are forced into a desperate situation will fight back at the risk of their lives."
Zhan Shi was stunned: "Do you want to use them now?"
"It's not enough yet. The Second House is not in dire straits yet." Prince Yu said nonchalantly, "We need to wait a little longer. We need to put on one or two more scenes before we can reach the peak."
Zhan Shi felt a chill in his heart and his scalp went numb.
He vaguely felt that Prince Yu was going to add fuel to the fire and push the second branch into a dead end, forcing them to sacrifice their lives and drag Shen Qingtan and others to hell.
Ever since the Qingzhou incident was exposed, Concubine Ling fell out of favor and Prince Yu was confined to his house, he has become more and more patient.
Prince Yu lowered his eyes to look at the words "Zhao Yi" on the rice paper, remembering the letter sent to him from the palace. The news that the Second Lady of the Duke's Mansion had plotted to murder Zhao Yi had reached Emperor Jing'an.
Emperor Jing'an was furious, but after hearing that Duke Zhao had expelled the second branch of the family, he did not vent his wrath on the second branch.
"Your Highness, Zhao Yi is seriously ill. This morning, Court Envoy Chen went to Hualing Temple to check his pulse." The Chancellor asked, "Zhao Yi didn't stay at the temple to recuperate, but actually took Court Envoy Chen with him and left the capital. Is there something else going on?"
"Zhao Yi has not been sent out to serve as an official, nor does he have any errands that would require him to leave the capital. Shen Qingtan has already returned to his ancestral home, and the Zhenbei King's family is also in the capital."
Prince Yu analyzed slowly, "Your Majesty is most concerned about Zhao Yi's health. Zhao Yi's condition was critical yesterday. If he leaves the capital today, Your Majesty will definitely try his best to stop him and will not arrange for Envoy Chen to accompany him."
The Chancellor was stunned, unable to understand the meaning of Prince Yu's words.
"I remember that Envoy Chen concluded that Zhao Yi only had a few months left to live, and that only by finding Zhong Yuan could there be a glimmer of hope. Therefore, my father issued an imperial edict to find Zhong Yuan."
Prince Yu raised one corner of his lip and smiled playfully, "They left the capital today to look for Zhong Yuan."
Apart from seeking treatment from Zhong Yuan, there was no other reason that could prompt Zhao Yi to leave Beijing despite his illness.
Zhan Shi was shocked. "If Zhao Yi is cured, won't the capital be in turmoil?"
Prince Yu and Zhao Yi had a grudge against each other, but Zhao Yi was deeply favored by Emperor Jing'an.
Now that Consort Xian is in charge of the Six Palaces, and Prince Rui is in charge of the Ministry of War, if Zhao Yi supports Prince Rui...
Maybe the emperor will really make Prince Rui the crown prince.
Prince Yu held up his wide sleeves with his left hand, and with his right hand, he dipped the wolf hair brush in ink and drew a horizontal stroke on the two characters "Zhao Yi".
He watched quietly as the thick ink eroded the two words, leaving only two blobs of black ink.
Prince Yu threw down the wolf hair brush in his hand and said, "Zhongyuan may not be alive."
Zhan Shi inexplicably felt that these plain words were full of murderous intent. His heart was pounding rapidly, and he realized that Prince Yu was going to take action against Zhong Yuan.
-
A spacious carriage slowly drove into Baohua County and stopped in front of an inn.
Jiang Chao and Jiang Mu dismounted and came to the carriage: "Second Master, Second Madam, we have arrived at Wushe Inn."
Shen Qingtan looked at Zhao Yi. His face was pale and there was no blood on his lips.
It took them four days to reach their destination, a journey that should have taken two days.
"If you feel unwell, tell me and don't try to be stubborn." Shen Qingtan touched his forehead and felt a cool sensation, not a fever. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Zhongyuan is at the inn. Let's go find him for treatment first, and then go back to our room to rest."
Zhao Yi covered his mouth with a handkerchief, coughed a few times, and nodded.
Shen Qingtan helped Zhao Yi get off the carriage, walked slowly into the inn, and went straight to the third floor.
They were worried that the news would leak out if they left Beijing and someone with ulterior motives would get there first, so they arranged for two assassins to come to Wushe Inn in advance to secretly protect Zhongyuan.
As soon as Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi reached the third floor, a black shadow emerged from the darkness.
"Master Zhao, Zhong Yuan had already left when I arrived at Wushe Inn."
The assassin added, "My subordinates have discovered that a group of people are after Zhong Yuan. He must have left the inn to avoid them."
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