Chapter 14 Dim Light (Part 5) "Please, Your Highness, save this servant's life..."
Suddenly, everything became bright, and the warm light was right in front of me, making me feel a little warm all over.
For a fleeting moment, she was somewhat dazed. In the dark, cold night, a faint light caught her falling body.
But her hand began to throb again, and she finally turned her thoughts back with a touch of disappointment. Slowly, she raised her hazy eyes, and the warm breath she exhaled quickly melted into the cold night.
"I said, no one needs to follow me..."
She suddenly stopped, and finally remembered: "Who are you?"
The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but she was too lazy to think about it for the moment. Deep down, she harbored a degree of wariness, yet for some reason, she felt inexplicably calm.
The man didn't answer her question. After a moment of silence, he said, "Your Highness's hand injury is quite serious. If it's not bandaged and treated promptly, it will be considered a cripple."
Yan Chao's eyebrows twitched, and he subconsciously snapped, "How dare you..."
The man held the lamp up to her eyes, examined it carefully, and interrupted her, "Also, Your Highness, are you currently... running a fever?"
She was so weak that she could barely stand.
Seeing him approach, Yan Chao became wary and instinctively took a step back. However, he lost his balance and was about to lean backward.
Behind them was the palace wall.
Without thinking, Lan Huaien reached out to grab her hand, but in an instant he realized that he couldn't hold onto that swollen hand at all. So he simply spun around and leaped behind her, catching her as she was about to crash into the wall.
When I helped her up, I couldn't help but frown; the prince in front of me was far too thin.
He could see Yan Chao's wariness, so after helping her to her feet, he quickly took a few steps back.
Yan Chao himself was still in a daze. He reached out to support himself against the wall and turned his head to see a burning flame on the ground.
Lan Huaien hadn't paid much attention and had dropped the lamp. The lamps used by lower-ranking palace servants were of inferior quality, so they would catch fire as soon as the candle was tipped over, and the slight noise was especially clear in the quiet night.
The eunuchs rushed over when they saw the fire, and immediately spotted Lan Huai'en standing opposite the Crown Prince. Without asking any questions, they took him away.
Seeing that Lan Huaien was still in a daze, Xiao Jiu kicked him, but didn't let go of his back, pressing him down to kneel.
This scene does indeed seem somewhat familiar.
"How dare you attempt to assassinate His Highness the Crown Prince! You have no desire to live..."
Lan Huaien, perhaps because he had been in a high position for too long, was caught off guard and winced in pain.
"Let him go."
Yan Chao didn't even glance at Lan Huaien. His gaze fell on the pile of broken palace lanterns, the faint smell of ashes seeping into his breath.
She felt a brief, inexplicable sense of loss.
Liang Lu draped a cloak over her shoulders, keeping his head down so as not to look at the scars on her face.
Yan Chao shook his head slightly at Xiao Jiu, his tone somewhat ethereal: "He had no intention of assassinating. Clean this place up and find out what he wants to do."
Xiao Jiu responded with a "Yes".
Liang Lu was helping her to leave when someone grabbed the hem of her robe from behind.
"Your Highness, I just saved you..."
"Oh, thank you." Yan Chao was in great pain and extremely tired. He bent down and reached out to pull his robe back without any expression.
Lan Huaien refused to let go: "You can't just watch me freeze to death in this freezing cold..."
Yan Chaoqing's piercing gaze pierced his eyes: "When you framed Meng Huai and he died unjustly in prison, it was much colder than it is now."
Lan Huaien retorted, "But Lord Meng's death really has nothing to do with this servant..."
"You should tell His Majesty these things." Yan Chao frowned, suppressing the anger in his heart. He did not want to say anything more to him and raised his head to signal the eunuch to pull him away.
"Please, Your Highness, save my life!" His voice was already trembling with sobs, filled with sorrow and a hint of grievance.
Yan Chao: "..."
She took a deep breath, feeling dizzy and weak all over, and didn't want to get entangled with him.
But then he cried out pitifully, "As the year draws to a close, the eunuch above me is determined to torment me. He ordered me to sweep snow here. When I saw His Highness the Crown Prince passing by, I thought I should at least clear the path you would take, so I followed him... The eunuch said that if he finds even the slightest bit of snow left uncleaned, he will beat me to death. Please, Your Highness, save me..."
Yan Chao lowered his eyelashes, knowing without thinking that he had other intentions, but still said, "Take him back for questioning."
.
When the group returned to the East Palace, they were busy for quite some time. Liang Lu sent someone to the Imperial Hospital. Fortunately, the Imperial Physician Feng Jingmo was on duty that night. Upon hearing that the Crown Prince was unwell, he did not dare to delay and came directly.
Feng Jingmo and Old Master Cui were old friends, and Feng was considered a confidant of the Cui family. He entered the Imperial Medical Academy in the first year of Xuan Ning and was highly qualified. His medical skills were also among the best in the Imperial Medical Academy. Unfortunately, he was framed and his career was delayed. He was always suppressed.
What everyone in the palace knew was that Feng Jingmo was practically the Crown Prince's personal physician. Whenever someone from the Crown Prince's faction came to request his services, they would always consult Physician Feng first, and even the chief physicians and vice-chiefs of the Imperial Physicians' Office would not give him a second glance.
The young eunuch who went to fetch him explained things quite clearly, so before taking his pulse, he had a general understanding of the situation and had a clear idea of what was going on.
But when he saw Yan Chao's hand while taking his pulse, he couldn't help but be stunned.
He immediately understood. Without asking any further questions, he lowered his eyes to take the pulse.
After drinking the ginger soup, Yan Chao felt slightly better, but her face remained pale, and the fever had left her limbs weak and cold. Actually, it hadn't been particularly cold today; the Crown Prince's illness had likely been building up for days, only now erupting.
Feng Jingmo sighed inwardly and instructed the little eunuch carrying the medicine box to step forward and apply medicine to the wound on her hand.
"Your Highness's pulse is weak and feeble, indicating a deficiency of Yang energy, a symptom of external wind-cold①. It is currently the coldest period of winter, and Your Highness's cold was caused by cold air entering your body, further compounded by the recent exertion..."
“I know all that,” Yan Chao suddenly interrupted him, his voice low and hoarse. “You don’t need to say that I’ve been working too hard, Physician Feng. If outsiders hear this, there will be some gossip. It’s just that I’m weak and I fell ill because I caught a chill.”
Feng Jingmo looked up and saw the weariness and emptiness in her eyes. He paused for a moment before nodding and saying, "I understand."
Over the years, he has taken care of the Crown Prince's health. When he has nothing to do, he looks through the medical records. The Crown Prince rarely gets sick throughout the year and has always been in good health.
Where does this physical weakness come from?
He got up and went to the side to write a prescription, deliberating carefully before finally picking up his pen. Liang Lu followed and placed the inkstone in its proper position before looking at what he had written on the paper.
The prescription used was a relatively safe one: Zaizao San (Rejuvenating Powder) to boost Yang and Qi, and to relieve exterior symptoms and dispel cold.
"Chills and fever, with mild fever and severe chills... Astragalus membranaceus 2 qian, Ginseng, Cinnamomum cassia, Aconitum carmichaelii (processed), Notopterygium incisum, Saposhnikovia divaricata, Ligusticum chuanxiong 1 qian each, Glycyrrhiza uralensis 0.5 qian..."
After Feng Jingmo finished writing, he carefully checked it again, habitually blowing on the paper to make sure the ink had settled before handing the prescription to a young eunuch to get the medicine.
He then turned to Liang Lu with a kind expression: "Your Highness's fever will subside tonight. Please take good care of him, Eunuch. If it improves by tomorrow morning, there shouldn't be any problems."
Liang Lu nodded.
He then instructed, "I have some medicine for the injury on Your Highness's hand, which you must change frequently. Now, whether it is a cold or an external injury, you must not get chilled again."
But then he thought of the Crown Prince's current condition and wondered if he could focus on recuperating. With that thought, he could only sigh; there was nothing he could do.
After a moment's thought, he turned and bowed to Yan Chao: "Your Highness should rest quietly at this time. If I go to the Emperor's presence tomorrow to take your pulse, I can take the opportunity to explain to His Majesty..."
Yan Chao shook his head, tugged at the corner of his mouth, and gave a faint smile: "No need. I am not usually sick, and this news will probably be over by today. Saying more will not do you any good. I have plenty of time to rest these few days, so the imperial physician can rest assured."
Feng Jingmo didn't think too much about it, bowed again, and took his leave.
As I left the East Palace, I suddenly noticed that there seemed to be more guards outside the palace gates. Upon closer inspection, they appeared to be imperial guards.
He was startled and vaguely guessed what was going on before he understood what the Crown Prince meant by "there is plenty of time to recuperate."
Liang Lu followed behind and had a eunuch hand him a box.
"Father-in-law, this is..."
"I'd like to trouble you, Lord Feng, to make the trip tonight. As the year draws to a close, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you even more during this time. This is a small token of His Highness's appreciation; please consider it a treat for us."
Feng Jingmo declined repeatedly, but after bowing and expressing his gratitude in the palace, he accepted the gift.
He knew the Crown Prince's intentions, and he also knew how high the risk was of concealing his secret. Over the years, everything had been peaceful and without any major mishaps, and the Crown Prince had remained as polite as ever.
Occasionally, I think about it, and it's not just because of my relationship with the Cui family. Most doctors have a compassionate heart.
.
Ying, who was in the palace, looked worried.
Yan Chao returned after dinner time, and the food had been prepared to be served, but she was drowsy and couldn't eat anything. After much coaxing, she only ate half a bowl of porridge.
Ying was always gentle and kind. When she changed the handkerchief on her forehead, she was both shocked and worried when she touched the burning forehead. When she looked down, she saw the layers of gauze on her hands and remembered the red and swollen appearance she had just seen. She was so heartbroken that tears streamed down her face.
She watched Yan Chao grow up, and she did everything a mother should do. Now, apart from being by her side to do these things, she couldn't share any of her worries.
Yan Chao had woken up at some point, his eyes half-open as he gazed silently. Only one lamp was lit in the bedchamber, making the light somewhat dim. Ying Shi stood guard to one side, her silhouette blurred in profile.
I've seen that kind of back view countless times since I was a child, and my heart still aches.
She heard a faint, suppressed sob in her ear. She sighed softly and said in a hoarse voice, "...Yingniang, don't cry, it will all pass."
Ying turned her head, her eyes still wet with tears: "It will pass."
“When I was a child, my mother would always comfort me when I was sick, but look, I don’t even have the strength to comfort her now…”
Ying turned to wipe away her tears, got up, took the handkerchief off her forehead, and replaced it with another one.
He touched her head and felt that it was no longer too hot, then he was relieved and said softly, "Your Highness will be fine after a good night's sleep."
Yan Chao nodded, then closed his eyes drowsily again. After a while, he suddenly said, "Ying Niang, go to sleep. You'll be fine by tomorrow morning."
She didn't seem to hear Ying get up after that, and she didn't think about it anymore.
I slept very soundly and didn't have any more nightmares. These past few days have been filled with pressure from all sides, dealing with things every day without daring to slack off for a moment, and I'm truly exhausted.
I'm vaguely thinking that it's better to be sick.
When she awoke again, the palace was quiet. Her head still felt a little heavy when she opened her eyes, but it was much better than the night before. Turning her head slightly, she noticed a faint light outside the bed curtains.
Thinking it was dawn, she reached out to look out. She struggled to sit up, her body aching slightly, and instinctively raised her forearm to shield her eyes while her other hand was about to pull back the curtains.
A faint light seeped in through the crack. She frowned; it didn't quite seem like natural light.
However, what appeared before her eyes with the light was a familiar figure.
Yan Chao looked up and met his gaze.
His face froze instantly, his breath hitched, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
"Lan! Huai! En!"
How did he get in?!
A note from the author:
Note: ① For information on wind-cold syndrome and the formula Zaizao San, please refer to the Ming Dynasty book "Six Books on Typhoid Fever".
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
