Chapter 5
With no one inside, Wei Luo went straight into the inner room. If Shen Yao had really stolen his handkerchief, the most likely place to keep it was here.
The bedchamber of a young woman's boudoir is an extremely private place, but Wei Luo didn't care. In his mind, Shen Yao was hardly a virtuous woman...
Wei Luo carefully searched the bed and wardrobe, sweat beading on his nose from excessive tension, but he found nothing.
He was unwilling to give up. It wasn't his style to come all this way and leave empty-handed. So he turned his gaze to the space under the bed and a dark wooden box came into view.
The wooden box was dark in color and had strange patterns carved on the outside. With a sixth sense, Wei Luo felt that something was wrong. Just as he was about to open it, Liu Heng's voice came in.
Wei Luo's expression changed drastically. He quickly pulled away and went outside, only to see Shen Yao squatting outside the bathroom door, desperately trying to pry open the door.
"What are you doing?"
A man's voice suddenly came from above, which startled Shen Yao so much that she knelt down.
She turned around in alarm, feeling guilty, and almost blurted out, "Weren't you inside?"
Wei Luo: "...??"
"!!!"
Shen Yao crawled back, without even eating dinner.
Biluo asked her why she looked so pale. Shen Yao rested her chin on her hand and silently shook her head. She was certain that Wei Luo must think she was a pervert. While she was worrying, her stomach started to hurt again, so Shen Yao went to the clean room again.
*
"I never expected that she would have such a fetish."
Wei Luo is questioning the meaning of life.
Liu Heng agreed, "Perhaps Miss Shen suffered some kind of shock, maybe the previous whipping damaged her brain?"
Wei Luo raised an eyebrow and said, "You're right. Although she was a bit bad before, her behavior was still relatively normal. But now..." Wei Luo pointed to his head and laughed, "She'll probably be a madwoman in the future."
Wei Luo concluded that the behavior of a madman was illogical.
He and Shen Yao were sworn enemies, and the thought of his enemy becoming a madman excited Wei Luo. But after the excitement subsided, Wei Luo suddenly felt something was wrong, and upon reflection, he realized something was amiss: "If she has this kind of fetish, then why is she taking my handkerchief?"
In an instant, all sorts of thoughts popped into Wei Luo's mind. His expression changed drastically, and he wished he could rush to Yikun Palace to question Shen Yao immediately.
Liu Heng hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, did you find anything during the search of the inner chambers?"
"I didn't see a handkerchief, but there was a wooden box under her bed, which is very strange."
Wei Luo drew the patterns on the outside of the wooden box and asked Liu Heng, "Do you recognize them?"
Liu Heng held the Xuan paper in the book, squinted at it, and after a few breaths slapped his thigh and exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness, this is terrible! This pattern is a witchcraft pattern from western Hunan."
"What?"
Wei Luo quickly leaned closer, and Liu Heng pointed to the pattern and explained, "Look, this is the shape of a spider lily, and these lines below symbolize the eighteen levels of Avici Hell. This little figure is a vengeful ghost..."
Liu Heng was an avid student of the Five Elements, the Eight Trigrams, and astronomical arts. These things were not unfamiliar to him. Now that he recognized them, his expression became extremely serious, while Wei Luo's face turned pale as he listened.
According to Liu Heng, the wooden box was used for witchcraft, so it must have contained paper figures or cloth dolls with names written on them. He considered Shen Yao his enemy, and Shen Yao felt the same way.
Therefore, Wei Luo was certain that his name must be among them.
Using witchcraft to curse the crown prince is a capital offense, and the feeling of discovering that one has been cursed by someone else is as unbearable as eating excrement.
Wei Luo was instantly enveloped in frost. He stared coldly at the Xuan paper and said, word by word, "This matter is not over."
He was never a lamb to be slaughtered.
Do you think the handkerchief might be in there too?
Liu Heng suddenly looked up and met Wei Luo's deep eyes. His eyebrows twitched slightly, sensing that His Highness was about to make a move!
A storm is brewing.
The next day, Wei Luo fell ill with a high fever and lay motionless in bed.
People from the Imperial Medical Academy came wave after wave, but they still couldn't diagnose Wei Luo's illness.
When the news reached the emperor, he was extremely anxious. The crown prince had just been officially appointed as the Eastern Palace Prince, and if something happened at this time, there would be another uproar in the court.
He had only enjoyed a period of peace when his tranquil life was disrupted. He then ordered all staff of the Imperial Medical Academy to be on standby, and anyone who failed to cure the Crown Prince would be dismissed and punished. At the same time, he issued a decree to select folk doctors to enter the palace for treatment.
Inside Cining Palace, a light-colored bed curtain covered a bed where Wei Luo lay with his eyes closed, his face flushed, and his lips pale, as if they were covered with white powder.
Several imperial physicians huddled together and discussed, "His pulse is strong and his breathing is steady. His Highness doesn't seem to be ill, but why is he still running a high fever and unable to wake up?"
"How strange! In my twenty years of medical practice, this is the first time I have encountered such a strange disease."
"Could someone have poisoned it?"
"It doesn't look like it. If it were poisoning, the lips should be purplish-red, but the prince's symptoms are clearly different."
"What about kidney heat?"
...
Various speculations were put forward, only to be quickly refuted.
The Crown Prince fell ill for three days, and the Imperial Hospital was in complete chaos. The Emperor was so anxious that he couldn't eat, and the Empress Dowager and Empress fasted and prayed daily for the protection of the Crown Prince from their ancestors. The palace servants and eunuchs were extremely careful in their care, not daring to speak loudly for fear of offending him.
The entire palace was shrouded in shadow, except for Shen Yao, who was exceptionally cheerful. She knew all too well the inside story of the Crown Prince's illness.
"I never thought that ghosts and gods really existed. I've lived for twenty years and this is the first time I've ever seen a deity appear."
Shen Yao sat in the chair, gazing at the jar on the ground, feeling a sense of reverence for ghosts and gods for the first time. She had only chanted the incantation for three days, and even before all the necessary items were gathered, she had managed to make Wei Luo fall seriously ill.
That's absolutely amazing!
Biluo chimed in, "This is also the first time I've witnessed a miracle firsthand. Now that the Crown Prince is ill, do we still need to collect his semen?"
The implication is: Is the patient still capable?
Shen Yao was also pondering this question.
The witchcraft has already taken effect, but we don't have all the necessary materials. Will this affect the subsequent steps?
To nip the problem in the bud, Shen Yao wanted to eliminate all future troubles once and for all. After thinking for a long time, she decided to continue collecting.
Your Highness, I am so sorry!
*
Wei Luo was awakened by hunger.
"Liu Heng, I need to eat."
The hoarse voice pierced through the bed curtains and reached Liu Heng, who was dozing nearby. He quickly got up, pulled back the bed curtains, and asked, "Your Highness, why are you up?"
"I'm hungry... hurry up and get me something to eat."
Wei Luo felt dizzy and lightheaded.
"But Your Highness, you are a patient now and cannot eat."
"You, Liu Heng! Are you trying to starve me to death? I was faking illness, not really sick."
Wei Luo wiped off the white powder from her lips, then used a handkerchief to wipe off the rouge from her cheeks. She threw the handkerchief at Liu Heng, then lifted the bed curtains, got off the bed, picked up the water jug, and poured it into her mouth.
Liu Heng followed behind him, saying sullenly, "Your Highness, that's cold water. This servant will pour you some hot water."
Before he finished speaking, Wei Luo had already gulped down a pot of cold water. He put down the pot and ordered, "Get some meat. Don't let someone who's not sick get sick from starvation."
Liu Heng's brow twitched, and he was about to stop Wei Luo from indulging in his appetite when Wei Luo shot him a sharp glare, leaving no room for argument.
Liu Heng had no choice but to obediently prepare the meal.
During the meal, Wei Luo asked, "Is there any news from Shen Yao's side?"
"Not at the moment."
"Yes. I have been feigning illness for three days. Wait two more days, and during the consultation, you imply to the imperial physicians that this is a witchcraft-related illness. At that time, in order to save their lives, they will definitely attribute the illness to witchcraft. In short, make this matter as big as possible, understand?"
Liu Heng nodded repeatedly.
Wei Luo was very pleased to see this.
To achieve the effect of being sick and weak, he went hungry for three days in a row, only drinking bits of white rice porridge during that time. Now, once he touches meat, he can't stop eating for even a moment.
Therefore, after finishing the feast, Wei Luo, who was pretending to be sick, suddenly felt unwell in his stomach and intestines, so he put down his chopsticks and hurriedly ran to the clean room.
Wei Luo spent almost the entire afternoon in the clean room, changing clothes repeatedly, but her stomach still showed no signs of improvement. Liu Heng was extremely anxious. "Your Highness, perhaps we should have the imperial physician examine her?"
"What are you looking at?" Wei Luo's tone turned stern, and his stomach started to hurt again. He frowned, feeling resentful. He could see the imperial physician when he was faking an illness, but he dared not see him again when he was really sick.
The imperial physicians were incredibly astute; they recognized his symptoms at a glance. Therefore, Wei Luo had no choice but to endure the punishment, but he had already blamed Shen Yao for it.
By evening, several imperial physicians came for another consultation. Just like in the morning, Wei Luo's symptoms showed no improvement; in fact, his complexion looked even paler than in the morning.
The imperial physicians were in dire straits; they not only risked losing their positions but also their lives. After the usual consultation, one of the physicians was to meet with the emperor to explain the crown prince's condition.
Today it's Physician Jia's turn.
The evening breeze was chilly, and he walked quickly, not even bothering to straighten his official hat which was askew.
In the past, being improperly dressed when meeting the emperor would certainly have been punished, but today the emperor was clearly distracted. As soon as Physician Jia arrived, the emperor immediately pressed him for details: "How is the Crown Prince's condition?"
Imperial Physician Jia hurriedly said, "Your Highness's condition has not improved."
Imperial Physician Jia kept his head down. Although he couldn't see the emperor's face, he knew that the emperor's expression must be quite gloomy.
He became increasingly terrified, and despite the cold weather, he broke out in a cold sweat.
After a long while, the emperor's voice finally came, "You've worked hard, my dear minister. Now you may return."
If a general amnesty were granted, Physician Jia would flee as fast as he could, cursing as he went, "Damn it, why did this have to happen to me?"
Imperial Physician Jia was the one in charge of treating the Crown Prince's illness. If the Crown Prince were to truly die, he would be held primarily accountable. Imperial Physician Jia lamented his bad luck and unfortunate fate.
He sighed and, just as he was about to walk out of the palace gate with the eunuch, he was suddenly stopped by someone.
Shen Yao had been waiting for him.
"Imperial Physician Jia," Shen Yao greeted him.
Physician Jia didn't recognize Shen Yao and was momentarily stunned. After looking her up and down, he asked, "May I ask who you are, young lady?"
Who I am is not important; what matters is that I can help you.
If you want to lie, you have to be righteous and act it out. Even if you're just pretending, you have to make it look real. Shen Yao held her head high.
"I know you are treating the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince has been kind to me, and I cannot bear to see him die from his illness, so I have come to tell you about the Crown Prince's condition. Is Your Highness's face flushed and lips pale, and is he suffering from a high fever and unconsciousness?"
"Yes, yes, yes," Physician Jia replied repeatedly.
In the past, he wouldn't have paid any attention to what a young woman said, but these were extraordinary times, and he couldn't care less about such things. So he asked, "What are your thoughts, young lady?"
“I once saw similar symptoms in an ancient book. This is a disease of stagnation of vital energy. As a man, you, Imperial Physician, should know that if a man cannot release his fire, he will get sick in the long run. Your Highness is nearly twenty years old and has been observing mourning for your mother for two years. In my opinion, the symptoms are about 80% similar.”
Imperial Physician Jia was utterly astonished, his mouth agape, "This, this..."
He was unable to refute it for a moment.
Seeing this, Shen Yao was delighted. Sure enough, men were all concerned about that aspect. She quickly leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Actually, you can try it first. Just do this..."
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