The royal tent, resplendent in gold, was filled with the strong smell of medicine. The King of the Western Rong, dressed in a magnificent fur coat, lay half-reclined on the bed, his brow furrowed, his hand constantly touching his chest.
A Western Rong physician, around fifty years old, stood by his bedside taking his pulse. This physician was the royal physician in charge of treating the Western Rong king. On the table beside the bed, the unfinished medicinal soup was still steaming, and dozens of Western Rong generals stood below, whispering among themselves.
After taking the pulse, the doctor said somewhat nervously, "Your Majesty, the medicine has been ingested for half an hour; it should be effective by now..."
The king had previously sent out many spies to find out the whereabouts of the goddess. Yesterday, he learned that the goddess had left Youzhou for Shangjing, but he had not yet had time to send someone to invite her.
Recently, the king's heart condition has shown signs of worsening. If the goddess cannot be summoned, the situation is likely dire. However, he dared not say this to the king's face.
The King of Xirong closed his eyes, raised his hand and waved it. The doctor quickly and tactfully withdrew.
Just as the doctor arrived at the tent entrance, Lupin and Luna entered. Upon seeing them, the doctor exclaimed, "Commander, is this the one who brought the goddess's medicine?"
The cavalry captain had just reported to him that Luna, the brother of Commander Lupin, had brought the goddess's medicine. He was skeptical at first, but in desperation, and with the king in such a critical condition, he decided to summon him.
Lupin nodded and said to the physician, "Wait while I go to see the king."
Upon hearing Lu Bang's voice, the Western Rong King turned his head and opened his eyes, saying weakly, "Commander, you've arrived. Have you found out what I instructed you to do?"
Lu Bang first bowed and said to the King of Xirong, "Your Majesty, I have inquired carefully. Many soldiers saw with their own eyes that the arrow did indeed hit General Yu Mian in the chest, but whether he was injured or not is unclear."
The King of the Western Rong raised his hand, and Lu Bang and the doctor quickly stepped forward to help him up.
The King of Xirong sat up, his face pale. After catching his breath for a while, he said, "If General Jade Face is injured, this will be the best opportunity for our Xirong army to attack Youzhou. Although I am slightly unwell, I cannot miss this opportunity."
The generals inside the tent all bowed and said, "We are willing to follow Your Majesty into the flames."
Lupin supported the Western Rong King's arm and back, saying, "Your Majesty, rest assured, the cavalry has assembled according to your instructions."
The Western Rong King nodded, his gaze falling on Luna, who stood alone at the lower end: "Who is this?"
The doctor said, "This is Luna, the younger brother of Commander Lupin. He says he has brought the goddess's medicine that can cure the king."
Lupin gave Luna a look, and Luna quickly knelt down and bowed deeply, saying, "This lowly Luna greets Your Majesty, and wishes Your Majesty a long and healthy life."
The King of Xirong waved his hand and said, "Get up. You said you had the goddess's medicine."
Sweating profusely, Luna nodded stiffly and held up the medicine packet with both hands: "Your Majesty, this is the medicine given by the goddess. There are five pills in total, which can... can cure Your Majesty's illness."
He had no idea what the drug was doing and was constantly worried about whether he could keep his head if it didn't work.
The chief physician examined the medicine packet and turned to the King of the Western Rong, saying, "Your Majesty, judging from this small medicine packet, the medicine inside is probably a fraud."
The King of the Western Rong asked, "How can you tell?"
The doctor said, "The doctor we invited last time prescribed medicine by the pound, and he still couldn't cure the king's illness. Now, with just a few pills, it's simply child's play. It's obviously fake."
Luna trembled with fear and said repeatedly, "It's not fake, doctor, this medicine is not fake. I got it from a doctor named Su in Youzhou. He said it was given to him by a goddess."
The King of Xirong shook his head and said, "I feel a tightness in my chest. Usually, it would ease after a while, but it has been half a day now and there is no improvement. If this is truly the goddess's medicine, I am willing to try it."
The doctor looked troubled and said, "Your Majesty, this medicine was brought by a commoner like myself. What if the enemy intends to harm you?"
Lupin interjected, "Your Majesty, you may have someone test the medicine on yourself first. If it works well, Your Majesty may take it."
He is Luna's brother. If the king believes that Luna presented fake medicine, even if Luna is not beheaded, he will probably lose his newly acquired position as commander of ten thousand. Now he has to speak up for Luna.
The Western Rong King said, "That's simple, just let Luna eat one herself."
Luna hesitated after hearing this. He didn't know what the effects of the medicine would be, and he still had some concerns.
Seeing that he wouldn't take his medicine, the doctor said sternly, "Luna, are you going to disobey the king's orders?"
Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Luna had no choice but to open the packet of medicine, take out a pill, put it in his mouth, and swallow it. He felt a pleasant aroma, confirming that it was indeed medicine. However, swallowing it made his heart ache.
He just ate up one hundred taels of silver like that.
Everyone in the tent stared at him for a full quarter of an hour. Luna also knelt on the ground for a quarter of an hour, feeling that his knees were going numb.
At this moment, he heard the King of Xirong say, "If it were poison, it should have taken effect long ago. Quickly bring me the medicine to take."
The doctor approached Luna, took the medicine packet from her hand, and asked, "How should I take it?"
“One pill a day will last for twelve hours.” Luna recalled the instructions Su Wan had given him: “No water needed, just swallow it directly.”
The doctor didn't believe that this little pill could have much effect, but the King of Xirong had already spoken, and he couldn't disobey. So he took the medicine to the bedside, took one out of the paper package, and gave it to the king.
Lupin helped the king lie down again and stood by his side to serve him.
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