Chapter 97: Once the old illness feels pity for him, there is no hope.
Yu Qing's bluntness startled Xie Jing.
He hadn't expected Yu Qing to remember even this detail. He whispered, "Yeah. But it's nothing. It got better later."
It’s not healed at all, Yu Qing thought, otherwise why would he be so frightened this time?
Now she finally understood why Xie Jing behaved so strangely that day. He was often distracted when they were together, and she always felt that he was very depressed. This was probably the reason.
A few days ago, she was sick and stayed indoors, so the two of them had not met. Yu Qing knew nothing about Xie Jing.
Xie Jing has been enduring all this silently?
Seeing her silence and her serious expression, Xie Jing felt a little uneasy. He asked softly, "Did you...come to see me today?"
Yu Qing nodded.
She had been quite frank with Xie Jing, who was in a state of confusion. But now that Xie Jing was awake, she felt somewhat uncomfortable. After all, when they were alone together, the prince was a little embarrassed by the way he had hugged and coaxed her, speaking sweetly to her.
Xie Jing was unconscious for most of the day and night. He vaguely remembered that Yu Qing had come, but he was not very clear about some details - he didn't know whether it was his own imagination or it really happened.
He asked again: "Did you hug me again?"
Yu Qing: “…”
She said, "Yeah."
Xie Jing felt a pang of pain at the tip of his nose, and for a moment, the pain in his body wasn't as severe, nor was the blockage in his heart. Just now, he had been a bit depressed in front of his brother, but now he suddenly felt that he might still be able to be cured.
He looked at Yu Qing eagerly and asked, "Then why are you standing so far away now?"
Yu Qing was silent for a moment, but finally stood over involuntarily. Xie Jing put his arms around her waist and leaned in her arms, just like a wounded little vixen. Yu Qing thought helplessly, he's too clingy.
She said slowly: "What's going on with vomiting blood?"
Her expression was cold and her voice was calm. She was actually forcing herself to keep a straight face and not let her voice tremble. After hearing what Xie Jing said just now, anyone would be terrified.
Xie Jing said, "I think it's okay. Don't worry."
Yu Qing paused. She knew Xie Jing was terrified, too. Why else would his face be covered in tears that night at the palace? And those whispers today—the very thought of them pierced her heart.
She said, "Look up."
Xie Jing raised his head, not understanding what was going on. Then Yu Qing lowered his head and kissed him on the forehead.
"Don't be afraid," Yu Qing said, "there will definitely be a way."
·
Prince Rui was still waiting outside, so Yu Qing couldn't delay any longer. After standing up and passing the screen, he couldn't help but sigh.
She didn't want to show too much worry in front of Xie Jing just now, for fear of increasing his anxiety. In fact, she was not sure either.
After coming out, she discussed with Prince Rui for a while. After finishing the business, she said, "Ninth Prince..."
"Now that he's recovered a bit over the past two days, I'll send someone to escort him back to the capital," Prince Rui said solemnly. "I have some theories about the cause of his illness. Perhaps it's a hangover from an old illness. Let the renowned doctors here take a good look at him. As long as he's not delayed too long, he should be fine."
Yu Qing asked, "Sequelae?"
King Rui was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "You don't need to know."
Yu Qing frowned.
Prince Rui was usually straightforward and frank, speaking his mind without letting anyone guess. But now he was playing a riddle, and it had to do with Xie Jing, which made her feel inexplicably uneasy.
However, she also agreed to return to Beijing. The hunting ground was short of medical care and medicine, and it would not be good to delay here.
The next day, the deputy commander of the Golden Feather Guard personally led a team to escort Xie Jing back to Beijing.
During the remaining days of the autumn hunt, Yu Qing controlled the imperial guards, and Prince Rui also stabilized the situation and temporarily did not bring Xie Jing's affairs to light, but undercurrents were still surging everywhere.
After the celebration, they set off to return to the capital.
Not long after Yu Qing arrived home, she heard from her mother's housekeeper that the wife of the Marquis of Zhongwu would be hosting a banquet in a few days, inviting the noble ladies she knew to come and enjoy tea. She thought for a moment and said, "I'll just call it quits on the grounds of illness. I need to be cautious during this period."
Lu Yufu was startled and said, "Okay."
Yu Qing added, "If someone from his family comes to visit, it's not okay to close the door and not see them, but you must keep someone with you."
At this point, everyone should understand. Lu Yufu couldn't help but say, "Qing'er, be careful outside."
Yu Qing had anticipated the chaos that was about to break out in the capital, but there was nothing to worry about. Prince Rui had already made preparations. Her only concern was that Xie Jing had returned to the capital a few days ago, and she didn't know how he was recovering.
Qiying came to report, "Prince, you were away a few days ago, and the messenger eagle brought back a letter. I accepted it for you."
Yu Qing was a little surprised. She hadn't written to anyone recently. Could it be from her elder sister? Or a general at the border? She found the letter quite thick. After unfolding it and reading a few lines, she was stunned.
Three years ago, she learned that the princess suffered from a congenital deficiency. Both the imperial physicians and the famous doctors in the capital were helpless. She had sent letters to many people asking for help, thinking that the Central Plains was so vast that perhaps she could find a good doctor.
However, the condition was intractable, and news was slow, so many doctors didn't know how to treat it. Even if someone recommended a renowned physician, even if they contacted him, he would have to travel to the capital to be personally examined by the princess. As a result, Qingjia died after only a few months, and naturally, there was no cure, and she never made another appointment.
And now, she received a belated reply.
The friend who delivered the message was actually a chivalrous man from the martial arts world. He had gone to support the Northwest War when it was at a stalemate a few years ago. Yu Qing, who had just taken command of the troops, got to know him. Later, he did not enter the court and continued to travel around.
This person knew very little about what was happening in the capital. Although he had contacts with Yu Qing, he had little interest in princes and generals, and never asked about them. He had no idea that Princess Qingjia had already been buried.
Recently he visited the Nanzhao area and was quite curious about what he saw and heard. Suddenly he remembered that Yu Qing had asked for medicine for his wife. After thinking about it and comparing it, he felt that he had some clues, so he sent a letter to Yu Qing.
It is said that the princess had a strange disease that was systemic and would flare up every once in a while. The doctors in the Central Plains could not find anything unusual, but he happened to come across similar symptoms, which turned out to be the witchcraft of Nanzhao.
The witch doctors there had their own system, completely different from that of the Central Plains people. Their voodoo and poison techniques had various effects, such as love poison, soul-bewitching poison, and mother-child poison. Some could heal, such as using poisonous insects to repair broken meridians or damaged organs. Of course, there were also extremely sinister poisons. If they entered the body, they would cause excruciating pain, bleeding from all seven orifices, and ultimately death from the torment.
Common symptoms of poisoning include pain, fever, mental damage... If they are treated as ordinary diseases, they will definitely not be effective. Many doctors in the Central Plains do not understand these voodoo principles.
In the storybook, the palace was full of constant struggles and life-and-death struggles. Since Yu Qing's wife was from the royal family, that person guessed that perhaps an enemy had poisoned the princess with a poisonous insect, so perhaps a witch doctor could be asked to check her out.
The more Yu Qing read, the more solemn his expression became.
She had heard rumors about poisonous insects before, but she had only considered them as strange stories, having never seen one in person. She had never imagined that such a thing could really exist in the world.
If you think about it carefully...it's really possible.
Nanzhao was also the place where King Rui was exiled. She recalled King Rui's concealment and became suspicious.
She looked at it again and felt that it was very similar.
Xie Jing was indeed weaker than others, and his hands were always a little cold. Heart palpitations and vomiting blood could indicate damage to the heart vessels, while fever could also be a sign of a poisonous attack...
There are also old illnesses that all the imperial doctors were helpless to treat.
If, as the letter says, you have severe pain all over your body and your Qi and blood are flowing backwards...
Yu Qing's hands, clutching the paper, turned pale.
Although she didn't know whether this guess was true, she was already feeling panicked.
Qiying came over to bring some tea and snacks to Yu Qing, and found that she was in a daze again. She always looked like this since Qingjia... King Jing came back.
"Prince? ...Qing'er?"
Yu Qing came back to his senses, stood up, and said, "...I'm going out first."
“…” Qiying thought, it was just as she thought.
We used to leave after dark, but now we don’t even need dinner.
However, after taking a few steps, the prince turned back and spoke hesitantly, "Qiying... well, please help me... reveal a little bit to my parents later. I'm afraid they won't know and will be scared in the future."
Qiying opened her eyes wide.
She said, "Wait, are you going to tell them about the princess?"
Yu Qing sighed, "Let's not talk about the princess for now. It's a long story, too complicated, and prone to misunderstanding. Let's first let them know about this person."
In the past, Yu Qing had always been stubborn, and despite Qiying's indirect hints, she still refused to admit that she had any involvement with King Jing, and was unwilling to reveal it to her family.
Qiying said quietly, "Ah, I think this day will come. You always seem to have lost your soul... It was like that before, and it is still like that now."
Yu Qing was speechless and felt a little embarrassed.
In fact, she hadn't thought too far ahead. She just suddenly felt that it would be better to tell her parents. After all, besides Xie Jing, there would be no one else.
She had never been very good at opening up. She wanted to say, "But I really like him too much and can't leave him. There's nothing I can do." But she couldn't bring herself to say it. In the end, she said, "...He's quite pitiful, so..."
Qiying sighed, "You know what? My eldest sister told me last time that no matter how much you like a man, there's still hope. But if you feel sorry for him, there's no hope."
Yu Qing: “…”
She defended herself, "It's not that I think so, it's that he is really pitiful."
Qiying looked at her as she left with a look that said "there's no hope."
·
Along the way, Yu Qing kept thinking about the illness that Xie Jing might have experienced, and became increasingly shaken.
She hadn't really cared about these things since he came back. She wondered if she had treated him too badly.
She wondered how much better he had gotten in the past few days, and whether the doctor treating him was reliable. She'd think about whether she could get the best sorcerer in Nanzhao to come over. Perhaps it really was a poison? It wouldn't hurt to check him out.
However, before she even arrived, she had already discovered that the guards at Prince Jing's Mansion were particularly strict, with one more layer of security than usual.
Seeing her, the guard at the door said, "Sir, the prince is not seeing guests these days, please go back."
Yu Qing said, "Go and tell them that Yu Qing is here to see me."
The guard wanted to say something, but turned and went back in. Not long after, he came back and said, "The prince is not here. Please go back, sir."
Yu Qing frowned and asked, "You won't see me either?"
The guard nodded.
Yu Qing had never been turned away by Xie Jing. Every time she came, he was smiling.
If the situation had been like a few days ago, Yu Qing would have turned around and left upon hearing this. He would not have stayed any longer and would probably have had some doubts in his heart.
Now she no longer makes arbitrary assumptions about Xie Jing.
She had a sudden thought and wondered, could it be that he is even sicker now?
Yu Qing pretended to leave, and soon, as dusk fell, she bypassed the guards and climbed the courtyard wall as she had done before. She was about to head to Xie Jing's residence, but just as she leaped onto a rooftop, someone jumped up and stopped her—the person was very good at Qinggong, obviously a master.
Yu Qing took a look and asked in surprise, "General Duan?"
Duan Zhirui said helplessly, "Sir, I have been ordered to guard His Majesty the Ninth Prince. Due to the current special circumstances, I cannot allow him to leave. Please return."
Yu Qing frowned and said, "I just wanted to see His Highness, but there were too many guards and I didn't want to barge in without permission, so I resorted to this desperate measure. General, please give me some space. I will definitely not do anything bad to His Highness."
She didn't want to delay and moved away, but Duan Zhirui still took a few steps back.
Seeing Yu Qing's hand on the scabbard, he pleaded, "My Lord, it's not easy for me to be on duty. I have to endure hardships, even if I don't achieve any merit. If I am seriously injured by you, I will not only not receive any compensation but also be scolded. Please be kind."
Yu Qing: “…”
Her chest rose and fell several times, and Duan Zhirui said earnestly, "I know why you came. Your Highness is fine, don't worry."
If she tried to force her way in, Duan Zhirui would definitely not be her match.
She looked at Duan Zhirui with a sharp gaze and asked, "What does the Second Prince mean?"
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