Chapter 118: Caught in a Dilemma The ointment sent by that imperial physician was indeed effective…
The ointment sent by the imperial physician was indeed effective. Yinreng's feet scabbed over after only two days of application to the ulcerated areas, and once the scabs fell off, the newly healed, bright red skin could be seen underneath.
Cheng Qianyue estimated that, given the current situation, applying the ointment to her feet for another day or two should be enough. However, the ointment smelled really bad; it had a strange, unpleasant odor. So, every time Yinreng had someone apply it, Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but wrinkle her nose.
Yinreng chuckled when he saw her backing away, knowing she disliked the smell of the ointment. So he said in a deep voice, "Don't be fooled by the strong smell. This ointment contains good herbs like Saposhnikovia divaricata, Angelica dahurica, and Pueraria lobata to dispel dampness, and it's mixed with lard and sesame oil. If good medicine tastes bitter, then this is good medicine with a strong smell."
Cheng Qianyue only recognized common medicinal herbs, so she only vaguely heard the names of the herbs he mentioned. However, she clearly heard him mention lard and sesame oil, and immediately said, "No wonder it smells so strong." Moreover, she finally knew how to describe the smell of this ointment; it was truly comparable to perfume mixed into Banlangen granules.
Yinreng laughed and said, "I'll apply it for two more days and then I won't apply it anymore."
Cheng Qianyue nodded and said, "But I think the effect is really good." She paused and continued with a smile, "I was thinking that if soaking my feet or applying medicine didn't work, I would come up with a wild method for you, sir."
Wild Method?
Yinreng was genuinely intrigued by her words, "You don't know anything about medicine, so where would you get any unorthodox methods?"
Cheng Qianyue proudly raised her head and said, "Don't look down on me, sir. My method is sure to work." She didn't mince words and said seriously, "I've thought it all out. If your athlete's foot is too bad, I'll have someone dig up some soil from the flower bed for you to step on."
She'd had athlete's foot before. It happened during her university military training. Ugh, standing all day during training left her drenched in sweat, especially wearing those rubber-soled shoes. By the time she got back to the dorm at night, her feet were completely white from being soaked. Then, not long after, her feet developed painful blisters. Once they burst, they were incredibly itchy and painful, and the medicine she bought didn't help much. Later, during the National Day holiday, her mother took her to her maternal grandparents' house in the countryside. She was told to take off her shoes and go with her grandparents to harvest summer peanuts. And wouldn't you know it, after just two days of harvesting peanuts, her athlete's foot mysteriously disappeared. At the time, her mother said, "This thing is purely a rich person's disease; a trip to the fields and it's all gone."
Afterwards, Cheng Qianyue searched online and found that athlete's foot is caused by a fungal infection on the feet, but this fungus doesn't have the ability to invade the human body and only affects the skin. So why does it get better when you go to the fields? It's because there are many different kinds of bacteria in the ground. These bacteria can't infect people, but they can kill the fungus.
Oh, so athlete's foot is a sign of weakness. Cheng Qianyue remembered that. But at first, Yinreng's athlete's foot wasn't serious, so she didn't mention this folk remedy. But now that it's broken and oozing pus, she thought the symptoms were similar to hers in her previous life. If the imperial physician's medicine didn't work, she would use the old method to treat him.
"Going to the ground, what does that mean?" Yinreng asked, raising an eyebrow.
Cheng Qianyue felt a strange sense of superiority, thinking to herself, "Do you even know what fungi are?" After a while, she changed her approach: "Because people in the village don't get this disease. People say it's a delicate disease of the rich, and it will get better if you go into the soil."
Yinreng thought to himself that he must have heard this from the tenant farmers of the Cheng family before, and said with a smile, "Can a country remedy really be more effective than a prescription from the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital?" Then he added, "I'm almost fully recovered, so I don't need your method anymore." But as soon as he finished speaking, he saw the smile on Cheng Qianyue's face slowly disappear, and asked in confusion, "Why are you unhappy?"
Cheng Qianyue snapped out of her reverie, forced a smile, and slowly said, "It's nothing, it's just... I think I miss home." When she was first reincarnated, she often thought about her parents and other relatives from her previous life. Later, after she learned to speak, although the Cheng family members occupied much of her thoughts, she still occasionally thought about her parents from her previous life. But today, she realized that those memories seemed as distant as a century ago. Cheng Qianyue thought, she seemed to be slowly becoming a person from the Qing Dynasty.
Yinreng did some mental calculations and realized that it had indeed been quite some time since they left the capital. No wonder she was homesick. He comforted her, saying, "It was a slow journey here, but the return trip will be quick. Once His Majesty has finished meeting with the students from Jiangnan, he will probably set off back to the capital."
Cheng Qianyue sighed softly, then smiled wryly to herself. Honestly, why was she worrying about all this?
Afterwards, Yinreng applied the ointment for two more days and then stopped, because his foot had healed. However, even though it was healed, he never left the garden, and even when the Emperor sent imperial physicians again, he would only use the excuse that his foot was still not healed. Cheng Qianyue watched him pursing his lips as he wrote a memorial, his eyes filled with a mischievous smile.
However, his good mood didn't last even a day before it quickly soured. At noon, Chen He came to report that students were kneeling and worshipping outside the villa.
Cheng Qianyue stopped embroidering her handkerchief and immediately looked up to examine and listen carefully. She saw Yinreng's brows furrow, and he asked, "Which students are these?"
Chen He lowered his head and replied, "This servant had someone inquire, and these people were just summoned by the Emperor and came out of the temporary palace. It seems that because they had not been able to pay their respects to you at the temporary palace, they specially knelt and bowed outside the villa."
Yinreng lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought, and simply waved his hand at him. Cheng Qianyue watched as his good mood of the past few days vanished in an instant. That evening, he held her and couldn't help but sigh.
As a result, the number of students who came to kneel and worship on the second day was several times that of the first day. Moreover, they not only performed the grand kowtow outside, but also submitted essays inside, humbly requesting that the Crown Prince condescend to offer some guidance.
Yinreng took a deep breath as he looked at the document that had been delivered, and without even glancing at it, had it taken away. Afterwards, he instructed, "Tell them I'm unwell, and tell them not to gather at the gate of the villa, but to go back home." Then he stopped writing and paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, as if he were lost in a maze.
Cheng Qianyue had previously heard him mention wanting to avoid trouble, and she guessed that this trouble might be related to the Emperor summoning the scholars. Now, seeing Yinreng like this, she felt she was right. However, she hadn't expected the scholars to flock to the villa; wasn't this a case of him being blocked inside by the scholars?
Yinreng clenched his fists as he walked.
The Emperor summoned scholars to discuss statecraft, and the first two days were naturally the most lively. However, the Emperor's health was already poor, and his condition had worsened after suffering heatstroke. Therefore, it was really unnecessary for the Crown Prince to steal the spotlight from the Emperor at this time. If the Emperor was too exhausted to continue and asked him to offer advice, perhaps the Emperor wouldn't mind at first, but he feared it would cause displeasure later. But who knew that the scholars would actually go to a separate residence after being summoned by the Emperor? Wasn't this just stirring up trouble between him and the Emperor?
The key point is that they not only kowtowed, but they actually submitted articles to him. What would the emperor think if this got out? Ha, if it weren't for the fact that those people were scholars, he would have ordered them to be driven away.
Yinreng took a deep breath.
He had planned to go to the imperial palace tomorrow to meet with the scholars alongside the emperor, but now he couldn't go out at all. If one of them, lacking common sense, asked him for guidance in front of the emperor, it would be disastrous.
He decided to keep asking for leave. But he still felt incredibly frustrated. Finally, overcome with annoyance, he slumped down next to Cheng Qianyue, his face contorted with resentment.
He was wandering around lost in thought, so Cheng Qianyue hadn't gone near him. But now that this angry pufferfish was here, she couldn't ignore him anymore. She reached out and stroked his back repeatedly to soothe him. She whispered, "Master, no matter what happens, we shouldn't get angry. What if we ruin our health? Wouldn't that just make our loved ones suffer and our enemies rejoice?"
Upon hearing her words, Yinreng let out a long breath, his eyes flashing with cold light. After a long while, he muttered angrily, "A bunch of traitors!"
It's obvious that someone else was behind this, trying to put him in a difficult position. If he did as they wished, it would be seen as disrespecting the emperor and trying to usurp the throne. But if he continued to hide, he would inevitably be seen as incompetent and mediocre.
What a clever and underhanded trick!
But he's not afraid. When he ascends to the throne in the future, he will let the world know whether he truly has the ability to rule the world.
Seeing that his face was still so gloomy, Cheng Qianyue stood up for him and said, "Those are no good people. I curse them to fall flat on their faces and see if they dare to come back when they're all bruised and battered."
These words were crude, but they were undeniably satisfying. Hearing them say that, Yinreng's anger subsided considerably. He couldn't help but chuckle, but then frowned and said, "They'll get their comeuppance someday." What did a few bruises matter? He'd make those people bleed later.
After sitting beside Cheng Qianyue for a while, Yinreng got up and went to the study in the side room, where he practiced calligraphy by himself. Cheng Qianyue thought to herself that the Kitchen God would probably be eating ink again today, and she thought about asking the cook to make some refreshing dishes.
Before they could even have dinner, someone arrived. And it was none other than Liang Jiugong, who served the Emperor. After bowing, he said, "His Majesty specifically sent me to inquire after the Crown Prince's well-being. His Majesty's intention is that if the Crown Prince is alright, he will be invited to the temporary palace to meet with the scholars from Jiangnan."
Yinreng had already made up his mind, so he still used his foot ailment as an excuse.
Liang Jiugong wasn't worried about not doing his job well, because the Emperor had other instructions. He continued, "The Emperor has spoken on this matter. He said that if the Crown Prince is not well, then please have him write a maxim on governing the world based on what he saw and heard on his southern tour. The Emperor intends to use your article to spread the word."
Yinreng was stunned upon hearing this, still somewhat bewildered even after Liang Jiugong had taken his leave. What did the Emperor mean by this? He pondered for a long time. Finally, he sighed deeply and began writing an essay that evening.
Cheng Qianyue watched him burning the midnight oil, thinking he looked like a college student rushing to finish a paper before a deadline. Oh dear, he looked rather pathetic! But there was nothing she could do to help, so she went to bed early. She didn't even know when Yinreng got into bed.
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