Infertility
"Hey! Have you heard? The young master of Prince Duan's mansion has been poisoned with a rare toxin and will never be able to have children again!"
Upon hearing this news, the people at the same table nearly spat out their food: "What? Is it true? Wasn't the young master poisoned and unconscious? How come he suddenly can't have children?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down. I have a relative who lives in the alley behind the Prince's mansion. He has seen imperial physicians entering and leaving the mansion several times. This shows that it is absolutely true that the Prince is seriously poisoned!"
"Ah? I remember the prince is not very old, oh dear, he is so pitiful."
"Indeed, the young master is a master of leading troops into battle. It would be such a pity if he had no son to carry on his legacy."
...
At a thatched-roof food stall facing the street, several ordinary-looking men were sitting around a table, eating meat and talking in hushed tones.
The news of Xie Zhuo's poisoning and coma had already become a topic of conversation among the people of Beijing, but now the shocking news that he was infertile has caused an uproar throughout the city.
However, due to Xie Zhuo's status, the people did not dare to say anything openly, but only dared to discuss it in private.
To be precise, Xie Zhuo's poisoning was quite a strange story in the capital.
On his way home from work, he encountered someone abducting children. Out of a sense of justice, he rushed up to fight them. Although he eventually saved the children, he was slashed and the knife was poisoned, causing him to remain in a coma for more than half a month before waking up.
He finally woke up, but the toxins weren't completely cleared, which will affect his future fertility...
Rumors swept through the entire capital like a hurricane.
Everyone loves gossip. If Xie Zhuo's identity weren't so sensitive, the storytellers in the city would have loved to adapt this into a story and tell it three times a day in the teahouse.
The court was also in turmoil because of Xie Zhuo's poisoning.
The marriage between the Prince Duan's Mansion and the Minister of Rites' Mansion was no secret in the court. Now that Xie Zhuo was suddenly rumored to be infertile, the officials looked at Xie Chi and Yu Haoying with a different kind of deep meaning.
They were also privately curious whether the marriage between the two families could still happen.
Xie Chi held a nominal position in the court but did not wield any real power, while Xie Zhuo pursued a military career. This directly led to a significant reduction in the power of the aristocratic families in the court and created a rift between the Prince Duan's Mansion and the aristocratic families. Fortunately, Xie Zhuo was now a military general, and Xie Chi rarely got involved in the struggles between the aristocratic families.
The leak of news of Xie Zhuo's poisoning was no small matter, and the entire Prince's mansion was thrown into chaos.
"Your Highness, we must find out who leaked the information!" Zuo Murui's face was extremely ugly, and she hated the person who spread Xie Zhuo's information.
Xie Chi rubbed his temples. "Don't worry, I've already sent people to investigate secretly."
"Did Physician Gao say anything?" Zuo Murui thought it over and over and still felt that it was probably Gao Jiuyong who leaked the information. Firstly, not many people knew about Xie Zhuo's condition, and secondly, as parents, they would not harm their own child. Therefore, the only person who could have leaked the information was Gao Jiuyong.
Xie Chi shook his head upon hearing this, "It shouldn't be him. If he wanted to harm Huaiyan, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to detoxify him."
Zuo Murui lowered her eyes and thought for a moment. What she said made sense. She then pressed on, "Who else could it be but him?"
Xie Chi narrowed his eyes: "Did you mention Huai Yan's poisoning when you went to the Minister's residence that day?"
"I did mention it. Everyone in the capital knows that Huaiyan was poisoned and unconscious. I just casually mentioned that Huaiyan needs time to recover..." As she spoke, Zuo Murui realized something: "Your Highness, do you mean that the rumors about Huaiyan might have been spread by people from the Minister's Mansion?"
"We cannot rule out this possibility."
"Our two families are about to become related by marriage. What benefits will this bring to them?"
"What if they don't want to get married anymore?"
"Impossible!" Zuo Murui replied instinctively, "Absolutely impossible!"
"How do you know it's absolutely impossible? If Huaiyan were healthy, it would be a good marriage for the Yu family. But now that Huaiyan has health problems, the Yu family might have other ideas."
Zuo Murui shook her head: "No, there must be some misunderstanding. Yadan has been in love with Huaiyan since she was a child, and also with Sulan. Your Highness, last time our manor encountered difficulties, it was Sulan who risked her life to gather information for us... Your Highness!"
"Alright, alright, it was just a guess. The person who spread the news will definitely continue to keep an eye on the situation in the manor. I have already sent my guards to investigate."
Back at Yuzhuxuan, Zuo Murui couldn't calm down for a long time; no matter how she thought about it, she felt a tightness in her chest.
Whether male or female, infertility is a devastating blow to the person involved, and an even greater humiliation for men.
Zuo Murui was absolutely furious!
Xie Zhuo's infertility due to residual toxins in her body is temporary, not permanent. However, after the news leaked, it was spread that Xie Zhuo would never be able to have children.
A sound of something breaking came from the room. The servants all walked with their heads down and on tiptoe, even breathing softly, for fear of accidentally offending their master.
Granny Zhang quickly stepped forward and gently patted her back, advising her, "Your Highness, you must calm down and not let the young master notice anything amiss."
Speaking of Xie Zhuo, Zuo Murui calmed down and asked, "How is things at Qinghui Academy?"
"The young master probably doesn't know what happened yet; it must have been the prince who gave the order."
"Yes, let's go see Huaiyan." Zuo Murui suppressed her impatience, straightened her clothes, and headed towards Qinghui Courtyard.
The imperial physician Gao said that Xie Zhuo's infertility was due to residual toxins in his body, and that he could recover once the toxins were expelled. However, the rumors circulating outside seemed to suggest that Xie Zhuo was born infertile, which made Zuo Murui very uncomfortable.
Moreover, there's no way to clarify the fact that she can't have children.
Putting aside the fact that Xie Zhuo's body needs two or three years to recover, pregnancy and childbirth are uncontrollable events; when a person conceives and when they give birth is uncertain. She can't just accelerate time and jump three or four years into the future, pointing at Xie Zhuo and saying, "Look, the residual toxins in my son's body are gone, and he can now give birth to healthy children."
Zuo Murui had actually asked Gao Jiuyong privately if there was any way to recover quickly after two or three years, as that was too long.
Gao Jiuyong's answer was: "There is a way, but the process is very painful."
She remembered Gao Jiuyong's explanation: "Blood is the foundation of life. It circulates in the body at all times. Those whose blood and qi circulation is not smooth will be weak and prone to illness. On the contrary, those whose blood and qi circulation is smooth will be healthy. The prince's blood has been contaminated by toxins. The toxins have entered the meridians through the blood. The only way to speed up the expulsion of toxins is to bleed him."
"Blood circulates throughout the body. Releasing toxic blood can stimulate the liver and spleen to release more healthy blood."
Upon hearing that bloodletting was required, Zuo Murui immediately abandoned the idea of making Xie Zhuo recover quickly. She understood that it was better to let him recover slowly and that haste makes waste.
As Zuo Murui stepped through the gates of Qinghui Courtyard, she composed herself.
After taking the antidote pill, Xie Zhuo's body had recovered to about 70-80%, but because of Gao Jiuyong, he had to take a medicinal bath every few days.
Smelling the bitter aroma of the herbs floating in the air, Xie Zhuo's eyes flashed with a hint of helplessness. Although taking a medicinal bath was a bit troublesome, he had to soak for a while longer in order not to give himself away. Fortunately, the medicinal bath was made of mild herbs and would not harm his body.
Just then, Xie Zhuo came out of his medicinal bath. His black hair was all tied up high behind his head, and his deep eyes under his sword-like eyebrows were like a thick, unyielding ink. His face was no longer as pale as before. Because he had just come out of the hot water, his hair still had a trace of moisture, and his skin had a faint luster.
After changing into casual clothes, Xie Zhuo began to deal with things. He had been lying in bed for a long time, and there were too many backlogged matters that needed to be handled.
"How is Sun Chi doing?"
"Your Highness, we have obtained the confession."
Xie Zhuo took the confession and read it through. Sun Chi confessed in detail about how he contacted the Soul-Snatching Sect to assassinate Fu Zhi Qiao. The confession was even sealed with Xie Zhuo's fingerprint.
"Very good, keep a close eye on him, don't let him die."
The drama is not over yet, and Sun Chi still has a use.
*
A knock sounded at the door. "Your Highness, the Princess Consort has arrived."
Upon hearing that Zuo Murui had arrived, Xie Zhuo quickly stood up straight, tidied his clothes and hair, and respectfully bowed: "Son greets Mother Consort."
"Okay." Seeing that Xie Zhuo's hair was still a little damp, knowing that he had just taken a medicinal bath, Zuo Murui's eyes revealed endless affection: "Huaiyan, how are you feeling?"
Xie Zhuo replied with a smile, "Thank you for your concern, Mother. I'm feeling much better."
Seeing Xie Zhuo, who was kept in the dark, Zuo Murui couldn't suppress her sadness and forced a smile: "That's good, that's good. Your body hasn't fully recovered yet. Your father has asked His Majesty for leave for you with the Imperial Guard. Just stay home and rest during this time and don't go anywhere."
"Is Mother hiding something from me?"
Zuo Murui's expression stiffened for a moment, but she quickly concealed it and forced a smile: "No, Mother just hopes you can rest well."
Xie Zhuo interrupted her, "Now that things have come to this, Mother, are you still going to keep it from me?"
Zuo Murui's palms were sweating: "What nonsense are you talking about, child? What is your mother hiding from you?"
Xie Zhuo looked at her quietly without saying a word.
Finally, Zuo Murui gave in, "You knew?"
Xie Zhuo pursed his lips: "Mm."
"Huaiyan, take good care of yourself and don't think too much..."
"Some things don't cease to exist just because I don't want them to." Xie Zhuo took in her gaze and said with a wry smile, "Mother, since I'm already in this situation, why should I delay such a fine young lady? This marriage... let's just call it off!"
Xie Zhuo looked dejected.
If Fu Zhi Qiao were present at this moment, she would definitely praise him for his "great acting skills!"
Zuo Murui said anxiously, "Huaiyan, you must not think like that. Doctor Gao said that medicine can help you recover, and your body can be healed!"
A pang of heartache flashed across Zuo Murui's eyes. Why did her outstanding son have to suffer so much?
“Mother, I know my own body. I want to return to the cavalry to serve the court. However, I don’t want to live under the pointing fingers of the world.”
Zuo Murui understood his resistance, sighed, and said nothing more.
The mother and son remained silent for a while.
Zuo Murui lowered her eyes, hiding the heartache in them, and said, "I will discuss this with your father."
Looking at Zuo Murui's sorrowful face, Xie Zhuo felt a pang of emotion, but then he thought of something and forced himself to harden his heart.
After Zuo Murui left, Xie Zhuo instructed Wang Qianxin: "Go and deliver the gift to Miss Yu."
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