Chapter 74074 Medicine Introduction
Chapter 74
The Second Prince, long deceased, had returned in spirit form, sparking discussion within the palace. Many of the Emperor's brothers and sisters came to greet him. Rumors circulated that the Emperor had been visiting the Second Prince for several days, treating him with great kindness. Those princes and princesses who had been waiting to see him also came to Yunxiao Palace to pay their respects to Xue Zhongjian.
Jianfeng was gentle and polite to his brothers and sisters, but in reality, he felt nothing. Not to mention that most of his brothers and sisters were born after his death, even those he had spent time with in his youth were like strangers when he saw them again.
Xue Zhongyu never showed up.
"Xue Zhongyu is not in the palace?" Jianfeng asked casually.
Bai Hansheng secretly observed Jianfeng's expression before saying, "His Highness is seriously ill and hasn't left the palace in a long time."
He then added, "I heard that His Highness is in a coma, otherwise I would definitely come to see His Highness to reminisce about the past."
Jian Feng raised his eyelids, looked at Bai Hansheng meaningfully, and asked, "That's quite interesting."
Bai Hansheng pursed his lips tightly and didn't dare to say anything more.
Jianfeng lazily lay on the recliner, which was rocking slowly. He closed his eyes and tried hard to recall what happened three hundred years ago.
He couldn't remember many things, but he still remembered that when he was young, he liked to lie on this lounge chair on warm afternoons.
Just as Bai Hansheng was about to leave, Jianfeng said, "Tell me about Yingji."
Bai Hansheng was stunned, confused as to why His Highness, who had disappeared for three hundred years, would suddenly ask about Ying Ji. Bai Hansheng thought about it again. Ying Ji was the daughter of Concubine Wan and the younger sister of Xue Zhongyu. Could it be because of this identity?
Bai Hansheng didn't dare hesitate and immediately told Jianfeng the truth. Yingji's affairs were no secret in the Nine Realms and Twelve Kingdoms, and Bai Hansheng tried to tell the story in an objective and concise manner.
After he finished speaking, Jian Feng was silent for a long time, then said, "Go and call a palace maid who used to serve in her palace."
Bai Hansheng looked troubled and stammered, "Of the palace maids who used to serve the princess, one died, and the other followed her out of Duxue Country."
Just two people? Putting aside the dead one, could it be Basho who followed her out of Duxue?
"Banana?" Jianfeng asked.
"Your Highness knows?"
Jianfeng was happy.
Jian Feng stopped rocking the recliner and asked, "How does Xue Zhongyu treat her?"
"Of course they are very good." Bai Hansheng blurted out. "They are siblings, and with such unspeakable rumors, it's natural that they have a very good relationship."
Jian Feng turned around and stared at Bai Hansheng. Bai Hansheng's expression gradually became uncomfortable as he was stared at him.
Jian Feng suddenly pulled up the corner of his mouth with a forced smile and said, "Bai Hansheng, it's really surprising that you're still alive."
Bai Hansheng looked at the young face before him and realized that the person before him was no longer the young man he had been three hundred years ago. A chill ran down his spine, and he tried his best to tell Jianfeng what he knew.
Jianfeng listened silently with no expression on his face.
After Bai Hansheng finished his report and everyone had left, Jian Feng rested his chin on one hand and looked out the window at the setting sun, muttering helplessly to himself, "How come you are her daughter and his biological sister? Tsk."
Jianfeng didn't just ask Bai Hansheng. Over the next few days, he also inquired with other people, and slowly pieced together a tragic truth, word by word.
After getting the answer, Jian Feng was unwilling to stay in the palace any longer. After all, he came back this time to find a reason.
But before leaving, he wanted to find Xue Zhongyu.
Before Jianfeng could see Xue Zhongyu, he was stopped by Wan Fei.
An Fei stood at the door, staring at Jian Feng with caution and vigilance, "What are you doing here?"
She stood in front of the door, obviously not wanting Jian Feng to enter.
Concubine Wan had been furious for the past few days. She'd known about Xue Zhongjian's sudden return, but the emperor's ambiguous attitude had made her even more uneasy. After all, this wasn't three hundred years ago; she could no longer persuade the emperor simply by whispering in his ear.
Jianfeng looked Concubine An up and down and said with a smile, "Time is cruel. I heard that the once favored Concubine An has gradually fallen out of favor. If she didn't have a son, she might have died in the harem long ago."
Princess An had experienced all sorts of vitriol and harshness over the years, but she still couldn't stand being mocked by the younger generation. She sneered and said, "At least I'm still alive."
——Unlike your mother who died early.
Jianfeng heard the hidden meaning behind Anfei's words, and his eyes turned slightly colder. But he remained silent and motionless, even a strange smile lingering between his eyebrows, making people confused.
Princess An became increasingly panicked and shrieked, "Why did you come back? For my son?!"
"No." Jian Feng shook his head, "For your daughter."
Concubine An was stunned. For Yingji? What kind of trouble had Yingji caused outside again?
Jian Feng's eyes lit up and he laughed heartily. He looked past Concubine Wan and glanced at the inner hall behind her. He didn't insist on going in, but turned around and left with a smile.
Only after Jian Feng's figure had faded did Concubine An slowly loosen her tightly clenched hands in her sleeves. She hurried back to the inner hall, walked through the magnificent hall, and headed straight for the bedroom.
Xue Zhongyu lay on the jade bed in the bedroom, his face as pale as paper and lifeless.
Seeing her son in this state, Concubine Wan felt a wave of grief. She sat down beside the bed, took her son's hand, and said distressedly, "I must save my son."
"Xue Zhongjian is back. Mother has a bad feeling. She feels he has bad intentions this time."
"Don't worry. Mother won't let him take away everything that belongs to you. He's been dead for three hundred years, and now in this state of being neither alive nor dead, I don't think he can cause any big trouble. Besides, Mother has secretly sent people to drive him into the Soul-Extinguishing Well as soon as possible!"
"My son, when will you wake up?"
"Mother has found the secret recipe to cure you. We only need the final ingredient to complete the medicine. Then we can wake you up."
"Did you hear everything Mother said to you? Mother knows you must have heard everything..."
An Fei held Xue Zhongyu's hand and talked to her softly.
A palace maid came hurriedly over and reported anxiously, "Your Majesty, we've caught Bajiao."
Princess An's eyes, which had been filled with love as she looked at her beloved son just a moment ago, now showed a hint of ruthlessness.
"My son, your mother will go and get the last dose of medicine for you." She gently put down Xue Zhongyu's hand, carefully covered him with the quilt, stood up, and strode out.
Since such a humble letter home couldn't call Yingji back, Concubine Wan naturally had to use other means.
If soft tactics don’t work, then we have to resort to hard tactics.
Concubine An knew very well that her daughter's weak points were Hibiscus and Banana. Empress Dowager Xue used Hibiscus to exploit her, and Concubine An wanted to use Banana, who was still alive, as bait.
"Lead the way." Concubine Wan walked out of the hall. The cool moonlight poured down like a basin of cold water, reflecting the coldness on Concubine Wan's face.
Jianfeng stood in the shadows, half-closed his eyes as he watched Concubine An's receding figure. He saw the palace servant who had reported the incident hurried away, then quietly returned, taking advantage of the soul's lifeless and breathless nature to avoid being seen, and overheard what the palace servant had reported to Concubine An.
"Bajiao?" Jianfeng curled his lips. "It seems that the person who attacked Bajiao last time was sent by you."
After all, he had learned a few magic tricks from him, so he could be considered half of Basho's master - Jianfeng thought so.
That night, Jianfeng concealed his whereabouts and infiltrated Bajiao's imprisonment. In the empty room stood a large iron cage, covered by a large piece of cloth. The room was pitch black, but Jianfeng's eyes had long since adapted to the darkness. He quickly walked toward the cage. He sensed the cloth and found it was indeed enchanted.
He was thinking about how to crack the trap, and casually glanced through the gap in the black cloth into the iron cage. When he saw Bajiao clearly, Jianfeng was stunned.
·
Three days later, Yingji returned to the Duxue Kingdom Palace as promised and went to the Aixue Cave.
On the surface, the Ai Xue Cave was a place where the Duxue Kingdom's royal family kept spirit beasts for entertainment. In reality, it also housed several powerful demonic beasts and served as a training ground for the Duxue Kingdom's royal children.
This was Yingji's second visit to Aixue Grotto. The last time, it was Concubine Wan who brought the young Yingji here to take Xuezhongyu home after his training.
Yingji still remembers that day when it snowed heavily. The snow under her feet was higher than her calves. She was shivering with cold and looked up at her mother, only to see her mother looking at the Sorrowful Snow Cave with joy and anticipation on her face.
She was so cold.
She thought, is it because she was born unable to practice cultivation that she feels cold? She looked at her mother's gentle expression and swallowed back the words "I'm so cold".
This time, Yingji came alone, and Concubine Wan had been waiting for a long time.
The thick snow crunched beneath her feet, bringing Yingji back to her senses. She paused, looking ahead at Concubine An. She stared at her, carefully examining the woman who had given her life. She still remembered the attachment and love she had felt for this woman in her childhood.
But all of this had been killed long ago.
Yingji smiled and said, "I heard that you are dying of illness?" Her tone was light, even with a hint of gloating.
Wan Fei looked at her daughter, a complex emotion swirling through her heart. But it quickly faded. She said, "You've grown up. I can't lie to you anymore."
She looked at the iron cage that held Basho. She hadn't been able to trick her back with a letter, but luckily she had been able to capture someone close to her and force her to return.
Yingji wasn't interested in a verbal battle with her, so she asked listlessly, "Why are you trying so hard to get me back?"
Concubine An said, "I want to borrow something from you."
Yingji raised an eyebrow: "What treasure do I have that you're going through so much trouble with?"
Wan Fei took a deep breath and said, "Your heart."
Yingji laughed, her body shaking with laughter, as if she had just heard a very funny joke. She covered her lips to stop laughing and said, "How funny! You didn't kill me before, but now you want to kill me?"
"After all, you are my biological daughter, so I naturally don't want to take your life." said Princess An.
Yingji thought for a moment and suddenly asked, "Did something happen to your good son?"
As long as Xue Zhongyu is involved, An Fei will always do whatever it takes and become almost crazy.
"Your brother treats you well. You certainly can't bear to see him get into trouble. Right?"
Treat her well? How should Yingji respond to this?
How shameless.
Yingji glanced at the iron cage beside Concubine An and asked, "What happened to Xue Zhongyu?"
"Your brother went astray while practicing martial arts and has been in a coma for a long time. Now we need a medicine to bring him back to consciousness." Concubine An's eyes flashed with cruelty, "We need the heart of a loved one!"
The closest relatives to her, apart from her parents, are only her biological sister.
Yingji thought of the letter sent by Princess Wan.
The tearful mother-daughter relationship was just a conspiracy to trick her back. Although Yingji didn't believe the letter at all and guessed it was a trick, she still didn't expect that Concubine Wan tricked her back to take her life.
Yingji found that she didn't feel much heartache. Perhaps when she left home, she had already given up all her family ties and no longer cared about them.
She folded her arms, the fine snow brushing against her face, ruffling her red gauze skirt. She said slowly, "You love your son so deeply, so taking your own heart would be most appropriate."
Concubine An remained silent. Yingji continued to mock her, "Why, you're not willing to risk your own life to save your precious son?"
"You know, it was because of you that he abandoned his cultivation and has now become possessed. End your own life. Don't let your mother kill her daughter herself."
Yingji sneered. She actually had the nerve to bring up what happened back then. "Even if I died, I'd feed my heart to the dogs, not to you and your son!"
An Fei's patience ran out.
"Then use your tiger essence to test the knife first!" Concubine An pulled hard and pulled off the black cloth covering the cage.
Yingji still sneered.
The iron cage was opened, and the tiger spirit inside transformed into a dark shadow and rushed straight towards Concubine Wan. The sinister aura was very strong.
There is no banana in the cage at all!
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