Chapter 64: The Imperial Guards who came to welcome the emperor had an accident, which happened not far from the capital...
In a daze, Pei Yixue only felt someone whispering in his ear.
When the voices of Prince Qi and Xie Yushu became clearer and clearer, he suddenly remembered that he had fainted just now.
"Well, let's wait until the miracle doctor wakes up before discussing it." The voice of King Qi sounded, with obvious sadness.
Pei Yixue slowly opened her eyes and her sight met Xie Yushu who was standing next to her. His eyes were red, as if he had just cried.
Seeing him wake up, Xie Yushu moved his lips and quickly walked to the bedside to support him: "Awake? Are you still feeling uncomfortable?"
This concerned yet slightly stiff tone… Pei Yixue felt a little strange in his heart. He said calmly, "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, young master."
Seeing Xie Yushu looking at him steadily, Pei Yixue remembered that before he fainted, the other party was still worried about "Pei Yixue" in the capital, so he spoke to comfort him:
"Although Master Pei is weak, he has been taking medicine all year round, so his resistance to the disease is slightly stronger than that of ordinary people. Sir Xie, don't worry too much."
Xie Yushu was silent for a moment before he responded softly, "Yeah."
Two light coughs drew the attention of the two. Xie Yushu turned around and looked at the King of Qi: "Your Highness has been very tired recently. Are you feeling well?"
"I am fine." King Qi put down his hand that was against his lips, turned to Pei Yixue and asked, "What are the plans of the miracle doctor for returning to the capital?"
Pei Yixue thought for a moment, "The epidemic in Lingyi has been under control in recent days, and the other seven provinces have also achieved remarkable results. There should be no more mutant strains in the short term, and nothing serious will go wrong. After I have explained the relevant matters, I will set off to return to Beijing." He glanced at Xie Yushu and King Qi, "I wonder what arrangements Lord Xie and His Highness have made?"
The King of Qi immediately expressed his opinion: "I'll have to trouble the doctor in the capital. The epidemic in the eight provinces has not yet been completely quelled, so I...cannot leave for the time being."
"I will stay here too." Xie Yushu said immediately, his eyes fell on Pei Yixue's face, "Your Majesty has sent me here to provide disaster relief. Now the epidemic has not subsided and the people are still threatened. I can't leave." He paused and spoke softly, "The miracle doctor has been traveling a lot, so please take care of your health and don't overwork yourself."
Not coming back? Pei Yixue almost suspected that she had heard it wrongly.
When Xie Yushu heard the news of the epidemic in the capital before falling asleep, it was clear that he wished he could grow wings and fly back. Why did he change his mind after waking up?
Pei Yixue's heart sank, and he reflected secretly: Could it be that he had just said too much? He shouldn't have said that "Pei Yixue" had stronger resistance than ordinary people, at most he could only say "no different from ordinary people".
His fault.
Xie Yushu's reasons for staying were sufficient and reasonable, so he couldn't dissuade him directly. But he brought Xie Yushu to Lingyi to ensure Xie Yushu's safety, not to take on the task of disaster relief.
Now that he is leaving, Xie Yushu naturally has to go with him.
Pei Yixue turned his gaze and silently looked at King Qi, with clear meaning in his eyes.
Don't think he doesn't know that the masked guard beside King Qi is Du Ruo. It doesn't make sense that King Qi can keep his sweetheart by his side while he and Xie Yushu have to live apart.
"I will be in charge of Yancheng." After receiving Pei Yixue's signal, the King of Qi immediately said, "Since Sir Xie is concerned about the safety of the capital, why don't you return to the capital with the genius doctor?"
"With the miracle doctor here, your majesty and the capital will surely be out of danger. There are many capable officials in the capital, and I may not be able to help much if I go back. Instead, I can do my best by staying in Yancheng." Xie Yushu politely declined.
The King of Qi cast a helpless look towards Pei Yixue.
"In that case..." Pei Yixue raised his hand and gently patted Xie Yushu's hand that was resting on his arm, "Master Xie, please go and do your work first. I have something to say to His Highness alone."
Hearing this, Xie Yushu's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, and then he responded, "Okay."
The two watched Xie Yushu leave the room.
"What's the important matter, genius doctor, that requires Lord Xie to be sent away?" King Qi asked curiously.
"I would like to ask Your Highness for a small favor."
"Oh?" King Qi raised his eyebrows and smiled teasingly, "Godly doctor, please speak."
"I am still worried about him staying in Yancheng." Pei Yixue's eyes narrowed slightly, "Your Highness, please send a postman to the pharmacy and inform Master Xie in person that the epidemic in the capital is getting worse and the situation is critical. Everyone in the imperial city is in danger."
The smile on the King of Qi's face deepened: "The Divine Doctor is... trying to force Master Xie to make a decision?"
Pei Yixue stood up and said firmly: "He should have been with me."
"Okay." The King of Qi agreed with a smile, "Regarding the epidemic, my father originally said to follow the instructions of the divine doctor."
At the entrance of the pharmacy, Xie Yushu was helping to distribute the medicinal soup, while Pei Yixue was whispering with several doctors about the follow-up matters.
The sound of hurried horse hooves came closer and closer. The postman dismounted and loudly delivered the message: The situation in the capital is critical, and we urge the miracle doctor to return as soon as possible!
Xie Yushu's heart tightened, wondering how fast Pei Yixue should hurry to be considered as "returning quickly".
Before he could put his heart at ease, a waiter from the Jishiyi Station came running up to him breathlessly, bringing him an urgent report in a panicked manner!
"The Dong family... The Dong family has unfortunately been infected with the disease and is dying!"
Infected? Xie Yushu's pupils shrank suddenly, and he subconsciously turned his head to look at Pei Yixue beside him - he was clearly here in good health!
He's lying again... Why is he suddenly spreading such rumors? Is he trying to trick him into returning to Beijing?
A nameless anger suddenly rose up. How could Pei Yixue joke about such a thing? If he was still kept in the dark, Pei Yixue should know how worried this news would make him.
"Thank you, sir?" The waiter at the post station called out tentatively when he saw his expression change.
"...I understand." Xie Yushu suppressed his surging emotions, his voice carrying a strange calmness.
The guy was stunned: "Xiao, understand?" Isn't this a bit of a wrong reaction?
Pei Yixue next to him was also slightly stunned: Do you understand?
Xie Yushu was silent for a moment, staring at the waiter and asking, "Anything else?"
"No, it's okay." The guy felt guilty and glanced at Pei Yixue subconsciously. Pei Yixue glanced to the side quickly, signaling him to leave immediately.
"Then... I'll take my leave now." The waiter felt as if he had been pardoned. He was so nervous that he couldn't move his hands and feet when he turned around. It took him several steps to adjust himself.
My heart was pounding: Isn't this right? Am I exaggerating? How can Mr. Xie be so calm? Will the boss blame me?
"I just heard from that guy that... Master Pei is sick, and the situation seems not good." Pei Yixue stepped forward, and asked tentatively, "Master Xie... What are your plans next?"
Xie Yushu looked up at him and said in a muffled voice, "Go back to Beijing."
The huge rock pressing on Pei Yixue's heart was finally removed, and he could hardly suppress the upward smile at the corners of his mouth.
It turned out that he was pretending to be calm, but he was anxious deep down.
"Don't worry too much, sir. Mr. Pei is a lucky man and will be fine." Pei Yixue comforted.
Hearing this, Xie Yushu stared at him intently, his lips moving as if he was about to say something but stopped, and finally responded, "Yeah."
We set off at 3 p.m., and the red sun sets in the west.
Pei Yixue and Xie Yushu rode together, at the front of the escort team of dozens of people.
"Can the miracle doctor still withstand the journey on horseback?" Xie Yushu asked with his head tilted.
"It's okay." Pei Yixue grabbed the reins tightly and replied with a smile.
The horse whips cut through the sky, and the group set off towards the capital in a mighty procession.
Even if one whips the horse to hasten, it will still take several days to get back to the capital.
Pei Yixue only hoped that the things he left behind before leaving Beijing, plus the prescriptions that had been sent to various places, would provide some feedback back to the capital and temporarily ease the crisis.
The people behind the Qingzhou incident were clearly trying to get him out of the way. If he hurried back to the capital, he would probably be in danger on the way, which would only delay him further.
But the facts were contrary to what Pei Yixue had thought. Not only were they not robbed or killed, but their smooth journey was somewhat strange.
The accident happened when they were still five or six hundred miles away from the capital.
There was a cloud of dust ahead, and a large group of soldiers were galloping towards them!
Pei Yixue and the others immediately stopped their horses, and a guard rode forward to investigate.
Soon, the guards came back at full speed, reporting loudly: "It's the Imperial Guards!"
Xie Yushu breathed a sigh of relief. But Pei Yixue's heart tightened, and he asked anxiously, "Who is the leader?"
"It seems to be Lord Jiao Jin, the chief judge of the Imperial Hospital, and General Dai Jiang!"
Pei Yixue's eyebrows jumped fiercely. He was not familiar with the person in the Imperial Hospital, but Dai Jiang... this person had a close relationship with the King of Jin! He didn't believe that the King of Jin would be so "kind" to send someone to pick him up.
Seeing that the enemy troops were very close, less than a hundred meters away, it was impossible to turn around and escape.
Pei Yixue suppressed Teng's doubts and decided to use stillness to overcome the obstacles.
When the distance was less than ten meters, Xie Yushu grabbed the reins tightly and was about to move forward.
Pei Yixue's breath was choked, and he stretched out his hand to stop him: "Ashu!"
Xie Yushu turned around when he heard the voice. Pei Yixue immediately changed his words: "Master Xie, it's okay..." Before he could say the reason for leaving someone behind, a deafening shout came from the front:
"Jiao Jin, the chief judge of the Imperial Hospital, respectfully welcomes the miraculous doctor back to the capital!"
Jiao Jin's voice was filled with tears, and he shouted several times, almost crying.
Seeing this, Jiao Jin and Dai Jiang don't seem to be on the same side? Pei Yixue focused his attention on Dai Jiang.
Dai Jiang dismounted from his horse and took the lead in kneeling on one knee to salute: "Dai Jiang, the Lieutenant General of the Imperial Guards, respectfully welcomes the miracle doctor back to the capital!" Hundreds of Imperial Guards behind him also shouted in unison.
Pei Yixue couldn't judge the situation at hand for a moment, and frowned: "Everyone, please stand up quickly! I am not worthy of such a great gift."
Jiao Jin cried out in a heavy voice, "Divine Doctor! Please come back to the capital with us as soon as possible! Your Majesty and all the princes have unfortunately fallen ill. The Prince of Yan and the Prince of Qin have already... have already passed away! Several other princes are also in danger! Most of the ministers in the court have also fallen ill. The capital... The capital is like purgatory!"
Xie Yushu asked anxiously, "How could it be so serious?! There should have been a lot of prescriptions for the symptoms sent back to the capital from Chizhang and other places in the past few days!"
"The symptoms of the epidemic that broke out in the capital this time do not match the prescriptions that were sent back earlier!" Jiao Jin explained with sobs, "This disease is more than ten times more dangerous than the epidemic that the eight provinces suffered! Originally, Your Majesty also... Fortunately, thanks to the magic pill left by the miracle doctor before he left Beijing, Your Majesty was able to hold on until the day when the miracle doctor returns!"
The "magic pill" that Jiao Jin mentioned was a life-saving pill that Pei Yixue prepared overnight with great effort and painstaking efforts, even after cutting the roots of a thousand-year-old ginseng before he volunteered to go to Qingzhou.
If this medicine had not been given to him, his departure from Beijing would not have been so smooth.
But to turn the capital into this state, is the poisoner crazy? Pei Yixue asked in a deep voice: "Has the person who poisoned been caught?"
Dai Jiang clasped his fists fiercely, and said indignantly: "Reporting to the divine doctor! The mastermind behind this, Prince Jin, has been captured by me and several loyal ministers! This beast was so mad that he intended to use the plague to control the court officials and the government. Now he has reaped the consequences of his actions. He has also been infected with the plague and will not live long!"
Prince Jin was the mastermind, Dai Jiang and several ministers teamed up to capture him, and then Prince Jin himself fell ill and was dying?
"Since the Prince of Jin is the mastermind behind this, how could he be unable to resolve this epidemic?" Pei Yixue's doubts deepened and his vigilance did not diminish in the slightest.
How could there be such a stupid person in the world who poisons others and ends up poisoning himself?
"At first... yes." Dai Jiang's eyes flashed with a trace of guilt, and he quickly lowered his eyelids, "How could I have expected that the disease would change so quickly, and in the blink of an eye... it was out of control."
So, the King of Jin really lost more than he gained? Pei Yixue glanced at the nearly 300 imperial guards in front of him, then looked at the only 30 guards behind him, and asked, "Who made the poison?"
"Doctor, do you have any questions? Can we talk while we're walking?" Before Pei Yixue could hear the answer, Jiao Jin started wailing again, "The capital can't wait any longer!"
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