Chapter 85 The Fierce Bird Will Shoot (Part 5) "Your face, no matter who you're facing..."
Physician Qi was the favorite student of the head of the Imperial Medical Academy. Because he often served the emperor, he was highly regarded by the emperor. The emperor ordered him to take the crown prince's pulse, which should have been a good thing. However, thinking about the emperor's instructions, Physician Qi couldn't help but feel uneasy.
"His Highness the Crown Prince is exhausted today and has just rested. Please have the imperial physician come with me into the inner palace to examine His Highness."
The eunuch who came to lead the way looked rather serious. Physician Qi was unfamiliar with the rules of the Eastern Palace, so he dared not casually ask about the Crown Prince's daily life and diet, and simply followed silently with his head down. As he stepped into the room, he saw a eunuch adjusting the candle wick, and the hall gradually brightened.
Physician Qi bowed through the curtain: "Your subject, Physician Qi Congjian, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince. I have come here by His Majesty's decree to examine Your Highness's pulse."
The eunuch lifted the curtain, and the Crown Prince, still lying on the bed, glanced at him slightly and ordered him to come closer. Physician Qi bowed and stepped forward, seeing the Crown Prince's weary face, and slowly extended a hand from under the covers.
Physician Qi hurriedly took the prince's pulse. After concentrating for only a moment, he slightly adjusted the position of his fingertips, subtly raised his eyes, quickly glanced at the prince, and said, "Your Highness, there is no need to be nervous."
Yan Chao: "..."
Liang Lu, who was watching from the side, suddenly couldn't help but feel nervous.
"What?"
Imperial Physician Qi lowered his head: "Your Highness's inner fire is excessive. If it is not released in time, it may damage your essence. Forgive my bluntness, but Your Highness is at the age of vigorous vitality, and desire is a natural human instinct. Your Highness does not need to abstain from sex to this extent..."
Yan Chao felt a chill run down his spine and awkwardly sat up.
"Your Highness is of noble birth and should not conceal your illness from medical treatment. Why don't you undress so that I can take a good look at you?"
"No need, no need!" Yan Chao waved her hands repeatedly, taking a deep breath: "I am fine, there is no need to trouble the imperial physician." After speaking, fearing that the imperial physician Qi was too persistent, she changed the subject: "Imperial physician, you have come by imperial decree. May I ask if there is anything Your Majesty is worried about?"
She asked bluntly. Seeing the Crown Prince staring at him, Physician Qi quickly lowered his head and replied, "Your Highness, His Majesty is concerned about the Crown Prince's offspring, and therefore ordered me to take your pulse. However, Your Highness can rest assured that you are in good health and that an heir is just around the corner. I will report back truthfully."
"Just around the corner?" Yan Chao's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he hummed in agreement.
Physician Qi bowed and said, "There is another matter to report to Your Highness. His Majesty has ordered me to take the pulse of Consort Xu of the Eastern Palace."
Yan Chao hesitated slightly, considering Xu Shuying's situation. But she could not disobey the imperial decree, so she could only nod and instruct Liang Lu to go with her.
The two withdrew, the curtains slowly fell, and the room returned to silence. Yan Chao lifted the brocade quilt, and Lan Huaien was looking up at her. His forehead was beaded with sweat, and his face was flushed from being covered.
"Are you alright?"
Yan Chao didn't say a word, poured him a glass of water, and slowly sat down on the edge of the bed.
As night fell, Yan Chao faintly heard the chirping of crickets outside. He suddenly remembered that he had walked through the corridor earlier, where the evening breeze was cool, but he hadn't paid attention to whether there was moonlight tonight. Thinking this, he got up to open the window and take a look.
Suddenly a weight came down on my back.
Yan Chao snapped out of her daze and turned to see Lan Huaien leaning closer. She didn't react, but lowered her eyes and asked, "Why were you so nervous when I took your pulse?"
A shrug came from behind. It was Lan Huaien laughing: "Hiding on Your Highness's bed, so close, it's really hard for me to be calm. Besides, with you pressing down on me, I feel suffocated."
"..." She asked that question unnecessarily. After a moment of silence, she asked again, "How could you have the poison of the herb in your body?" She had been worried that Lan Huaien's pulse was normal and that there was a big discrepancy between it and the pulse record of the Imperial Hospital, but she did not expect to find out this result.
Lan Huaien pondered for a moment, then looked up and met her eyes: "I'm not quite sure about this either. Perhaps it's because I drank tea served by a eunuch back in Nanjing. Physician Qi also said that I'm fine, but Your Highness is the one who is more worrying."
"I'll have the imperial physician prescribe a treatment for you later; that poison is no joke."
"Yes, thank you, Your Highness."
"Didn't you come here tonight with something important to do?"
Lan Huaien was lost in thought when she was suddenly reminded and slapped her forehead: "Right, I almost forgot."
Then he recounted the events at Zhaoyang Palace in detail. Finally, he emphasized Xu Shuying, deducing, "She served Consort Ning, was the only concubine in the Eastern Palace, and was also a former servant of Zhaoyang Palace. I can't think of anyone else besides her."
Yan Chao had only lowered his guard against Yan Fei today, so when he heard this news tonight, it was like a thunderbolt, and his heart sank to the bottom. When he suddenly heard Lan Huaien mention Xu Shuying, even he himself wavered for a moment: Admittedly, Xu Shuying did not seem like a scheming woman, but what if she was used by someone with ulterior motives? Like Xiao Jiu.
She knew that Madam Sun had been plotting for Yan Fei, but she didn't know when Madam Sun had learned of her identity or what schemes she had devised. And since Yan Fei was growing up, could she have become involved as well?
Yan Chao had risen and stood intently at some point. She squinted, gazing into the void, and asked Lan Huaien, "You agreed?"
"I will not give in easily and will leave room for maneuver. I thought I would first discuss it with Your Highness."
"It's not a bad thing to agree now. Let's put her at ease first, and then make further plans."
"In my opinion, now that Prince Xin has fallen from power, Your Highness can take advantage of the chaos to eliminate Zhaoyang Palace and avoid any unforeseen complications. If Your Highness hesitates, just leave it to me; it won't implicate you." Seeing that he was indeed silent, Lan Huaien frowned, regretting that she had made things clear to him. If she had made up her mind and acted first without informing him, wouldn't that have been more efficient?
Yan Chao glared at him: "What's the rush? Isn't it chaotic enough already?"
And her opponent was never Yan Fei.
"This matter is not very important. Just take care of yourself and avoid causing trouble."
"Yes." Lan Huaien glanced at her expression discreetly, then hesitated to speak.
“My identity will be revealed sooner or later, and the Sun family will still be useful. Since she has run into you, please keep her in check for now.” Yan Chao looked at him intently and added, “Don’t take her life unless absolutely necessary.”
"Your subject understands."
The candlelight flickered suddenly, plunging the room into darkness. One of the candles on the bedside candlestick had gone out. Yan Chao ignored it, sitting back down on the bed. By the dim candlelight, he gazed at Lan Huaien's face, his handsome features softened by a tenderness and earnestness.
She raised her hand to stroke him, intending to tell him to get off her bed, but the words that came out were different: "Do you have this face, so attentive to everyone?"
"Your Highness is only being attentive to me; to others it is mere flattery."
"Always good at being glib and smooth-talking."
Lan Huaien sighed softly, "It seems Your Highness will never understand my feelings for you."
What do you want me to understand?
Yan Chao murmured softly, lowered his eyes, cupped his face, and gave him a light kiss, as light as a dragonfly skimming the water. He could clearly feel his breath quicken.
She casually brushed her hand past his ear and smiled slightly: "I suppose you're quite knowledgeable about this. Why don't you teach me?"
Lan Huaien's eyelashes flashed, and a raging fire suddenly ignited in his chest. Almost without thinking, he leaned over and pushed her down. Their warm lips met, his kiss forceful, intense, and unpredictable. Yan Chao refused to back down, sometimes responding and sometimes returning the kiss.
Their breaths mingled, and it was impossible to tell whose heart was pounding so fiercely. Yan Chao hugged his waist tightly, his ears ringing, every inch of his skin tensing involuntarily, yet suddenly feeling a tingling, soft sensation. A strange heat flowed downwards, as if a cool breeze had crept in. Wet. Pounding like his heartbeat.
She was slightly out of breath, almost succumbing to it. In the hazy, lingering moment, a restless hand roamed around her waist. He was untying her sash.
Yan Chao suddenly came to her senses. She took a breath, pushed Lan Huaien away, and said in a hoarse voice, "Get up. Liang Lu will be back soon. This is the East Palace."
Her clothes were half undone. As she fiddled with them, she seemed somewhat reluctant to leave. Looking at Lan Huaien, she saw that he was also disheveled, his face flushed, and he was gazing at her with a mournful expression.
Yan Chao silently turned her head away, got up and opened the window. Lan Huaien was left sitting on the bed in a daze, sighing for a long while, then resting her chin on her hand and watching her retreating figure.
"The moonlight is very bright tonight, come and see."
"Ah... okay." Lan Huaien agreed, jumped off the bed lightly without even slipping on her shoes, squeezed next to her, and looked up as well.
A full moon hung in the sky, bright, clear, and radiant, its silvery light casting a cold glow over the courtyard, where the ground was covered in frost, creating a desolate scene. Lan Huaien, who was not usually one to wallow in melancholy, felt a strange sadness in his heart at this moment.
A gust of wind made him shiver, and the lust in his chest instantly vanished without a trace. He felt utterly empty. Somewhat disheartened, he looked at Yan Chao; she was silent, perhaps lost in thought. Just as he was about to say something, footsteps sounded outside.
"You're on duty tonight. If you don't go back soon, it might arouse suspicion," Yan Chao suddenly reminded him.
Lan Huaien wanted to leave her with a final smile, but he didn't, only replying with a "Yes." As he left, he passed Liang Lu.
Liang Lu paused, not having time to turn around, when he suddenly heard Yan Chao ask from inside, "Has Physician Qi been sent away? How is Madam Xu?"
Liang Lu replied "yes" and stopped walking. "The imperial physician said that the concubine has some emotional distress, but it's nothing serious. With careful treatment, she will be fine."
Yan Chao nodded, knowing that her problem stemmed from her heart. Lan Huaien's words were still ringing in his ears, and he didn't know what Shu Ying was thinking, so he could only let the imperial physician examine her for the time being.
Liang Lu could see the Crown Prince's hesitation. In his opinion, it would be better to settle Xu Shi outside the palace, so that His Highness would have less to worry about. He sighed inwardly and said, "Does Your Highness wish to make arrangements? This servant will have someone prepare water."
Yan Chao snapped out of her daze and noticed Liang Lu standing outside the curtain with his head bowed. She nodded and said, "Let Shen Niang come in."
When Imperial Physician Qi returned to the Qianqing Palace to report to the Emperor, the eunuch serving the Emperor was Sun Shan. Upon hearing the report, the Emperor's expression softened slightly. He beckoned Sun Shan closer and whispered in his ear, instructing him to do something. Sun Shan acknowledged the order and withdrew. Just then, as the Emperor was about to retire for the night, the eunuchs filed in, and the Emperor coughed and asked, "Where is Lan Huai'en?"
Sun Shan had already gone to the outer room, but then went back and said, "Your Majesty, I saw that Eunuch Lan had returned from Zhaoyang Palace, but he is nowhere to be seen now. Perhaps he has some urgent matter that has kept him away."
The next day, Feng Jingmo was so shocked upon hearing that Imperial Physician Qi had examined the Crown Prince's pulse that he nearly lost his composure. Judging from Imperial Physician Qi's pulse diagnosis, it was indeed somewhat different from previous examinations. While Feng Jingmo was still reeling from the shock and pondering the matter, Imperial Physician Qi, noticing something amiss in his grave expression, tentatively asked, "I don't usually serve the Crown Prince; is there anything I've overlooked?" Feng Jingmo quickly replied that there wasn't.
Physician Qi was already living in constant fear before the Emperor, and had no desire to compete with him for credit before the Crown Prince. So he didn't ask any more questions, but simply offered a few more words of advice: "I have seen the prescription you wrote. The ingredients are well-matched and the dosage is appropriate, but you are being too cautious. His Highness the Crown Prince is in good health, so it would be appropriate to add some aphrodisiac and qi-boosting medicines."
Feng Jingmo figured out that this was probably the emperor's will, so he had no choice but to respectfully agree.
The Crown Prince, as usual, attended to state affairs in the Wenhua Hall. The case of the rebellious prince's plot was still under investigation, and at the height of the turmoil, infighting and the elimination of dissidents among court officials were inevitable. However, the Cabinet showed no intention of suppressing it. Those impeachments might not reach the Emperor directly, and the confessions of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had not yet been made public; everyone harbored their own thoughts.
The Crown Prince remained remarkably composed, not only attending to the serious case in the capital but also keeping abreast of reports from the provinces. While natural disasters were unavoidable in autumn and winter, man-made calamities could perhaps be avoided. For example, the border generals in the north had reported a shortage of military supplies.
"Winter is approaching, and the soldiers guarding the border cannot have their pay delayed for too long."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand. I will certainly discuss and resolve this with you all."
When Feng Jingmo met the Crown Prince, it was already afternoon. As was customary, he first wanted to take the prince's pulse, but the prince waved his hand and refused. Last night's situation was truly alarming but ultimately safe. Feng Jingmo secretly breathed a sigh of relief and blurted out, "I wonder who that person is? I'm afraid Physician Qi may already have some suspicions. Right now, we can only see if there is any way to remedy the situation."
"His Majesty has sent the imperial physician to examine me, so I can rest assured. After that, Physician Qi will no longer examine my pulse, so you don't need to worry too much." Yan Chao comforted him for a few words, then brought up what Yan Li had said and asked him about the herb: "If this herb really does harm one's offspring, and the Imperial Hospital did not examine me, so they are keeping their mouths shut, what do you say?"
Feng Jingmo hurriedly knelt down and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I did not mean to conceal anything. It is true that the herb can harm one's offspring, but the so-called 'extinction of offspring' is an exaggeration. The yin and yang of the human body are different. In men, it can damage the kidney essence, while in women, it can damage the Chong and Ren meridians, manifesting as symptoms such as irregular menstruation and coldness in the uterus. These are different symptoms of the same origin. Your Highness's pulse indicates damage to the Chong and Ren meridians and depletion of yin blood, which is far from the incurable disease of depleted kidney essence."
“That’s alright, I hadn’t planned on doing that for the next few years anyway.” Yan Chao’s gaze had already shifted away from him, and he asked in a softer tone, “Since you knew what was going on, why didn’t you say so sooner?”
"In my humble opinion, Your Highness need not worry too much about this matter. Moreover, the situation was tense at the time, and the entire Imperial Hospital was watching Your Highness. I was afraid that if I spoke out now, Your Highness would be uneasy and it might cause some unexpected problems."
"No need to say more, I know your loyalty." Yan Chao helped him up and didn't ask any more questions. Feng Jingmo has served the Crown Prince diligently all these years, and she has entrusted her life to him. Now, should she still doubt him?
When Feng Jingmo was about to take his leave, Yan Chao remembered to tell him about Yan Fei.
Feng Jingmo was shocked, but upon closer reflection, the Imperial Medical Academy's attitude towards Prince Chang Le did seem somewhat unusual. In his memory, Zhaoyang Palace had never directly sent anyone to the Imperial Medical Academy; it was always the eunuchs who conveyed imperial edicts ordering the imperial physicians to go.
Yan Chao thought to herself that Yan Li's words matched Lan Huaien's, so it seemed that Yan Li wasn't just talking nonsense. She instructed, "If you have the opportunity, keep an eye out. If you don't find an opportunity, then forget about it."
That evening, Qiu Cong and Zhang Ji entered the Qianqing Palace to report the results of the interrogation to the emperor. Yang Ren was also in the warm pavilion at the time, and the emperor did not hide it from him, and ordered that a copy of the confession be presented to him as well.
The emperor held Yan Li's confession in his hands. He flipped through the pages, his expression gradually darkening. Finally, he lost patience and slammed the document down on the table, clearly enraged. The atmosphere in the hall was so oppressive it was almost suffocating; even Lan Huai'en dared only lower his head in silence. Just then, Zhang Ji abruptly spoke up: "Your Majesty, the rebel king's confidant could not withstand the torture and is already dead."
The emperor's forehead veins bulged suddenly, and he roared, "How dare you plot rebellion! You deserve to die! You should be torn to pieces! Your entire family should be exterminated!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down!" A crowd of people knelt in the hall. Lan Huai'en hurriedly tried to massage the emperor's chest. The emperor, however, irritably pushed him away, letting out a cold laugh: "Si Cun, look at him! This is my good son! The Capital Garrison, the Military Command, the Imperial Guard… he's planned everything meticulously, scheming and determined to take my life!"
Yang Ren clutched the confession of the rebel king's confidant tightly in his hand, repeatedly pleading, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger." The emperor slumped into his chair, sweeping the confessions aside with a wave of his hand. The densely packed words scattered on the floor, but no one dared to pick them up. The emperor's voice trembled slightly, as if in a sigh: "Yan Shu, this is your son..."
Just as everyone was filled with fear and unease, a palace attendant suddenly appeared outside, urgently conveying the message: "Your Majesty, the rebellious prince has committed suicide out of fear of punishment!"
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