Although Jiang Suizhou felt that Huo Wujiu was rather baffling, he still
returned to Anyin Hall that day.
He initially was reluctant to stay at Gu Changyun's place for a long time,
and had been staying there purely because he was bedridden. Now that he
finally got better, he naturally wanted to return to his own place.
——He had to face Huo Wujiu's scowls, though.
He also had no idea where he had provoked Huo Wujiu. However, knowing
that this man was as capricious as the weather, with an utterly unpredictable
temper, he didn't pay him any mind.
When he returned to Anyin Hall, he and Huo Wujiu remained in their own
space as in the old days, and no one provoked anyone.
He also quietly waited for his arrangement with his two staff to take effect.
True enough, from the time Jiang Suizhou fell ill, the palace sent imperial
doctors. Nonetheless, the imperial doctors only said that his illness was due
to weakness and palpitation, and they couldn't cure it. Hence, even after
taking bitter medicine for several days, he never got better.
Treatments did not work, and gradually, the news that the imperial doctors
brought back to the palace became stale.
They told the Hou Zhu that His Highness Jingwang's health was
deteriorating, and now he could only rest in bed. Perhaps because the illness
struck too swiftly and damaged His Highness Jingwang's foundation, his
already fragile constitution became even worse.
This was something worth celebrating for the Hou Zhu, more than the New
Year.
Of course, sharing the joy with others was better than enjoying it alone.
After knowing this, the Emperor immediately told the imperial doctor that
there was no longer a need to treat him. However, he must go to Jingwang's
Manor again and inadvertently reveal the matter to His Highness Jingwang.
Tell him that his frail self might be running out of time.
The Imperial Doctor naturally did as he was told.
So, early this morning, when the Imperial Doctor from the palace checked
Jiang Suizhou's pulse, he showed a look of swallowing the words on the tip
of his tongue back.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Suizhou saw his feigned serious expression at a
glance, leaned on the headboard, and coldly asked.
The Imperial Doctor sighed and hesitated for a while. Afterward, Then he
sighed again and knelt down in front of Jiang Suizhou.
"Although this servant is reluctant to speak bluntly…" he sighed, "Your
Highness better stop taking this medicine."
Jiang Suizhou knew it very well.
As expected, this serious doctor still couldn't deal with Gu Changyun's
unorthodox methods. The doctor must have found that he couldn't cure him
and ran to tell the Hou Zhu. He then got orders from the latter to stop giving
him medical treatment in the future.
Then, their own recruitment notices for doctors could also be posted out.
Even the dead soldiers Xu Du kept on his behalf could act as servants. They
could dispatch several of them to seek medical advice in remote places.
With this in mind, Jiang Suizhou was deeply at ease, but he still maintained
an impatient expression. He frowned and asked, "Why should I stop it?"
The Imperial Doctor cautiously glanced at him.
"The truth is…" he stammered, not knowing how to say it.
Jiang Suizhou scowled: "This Prince dislikes hearing nonsense."
The Imperial Doctor criticized inwardly: I know you don't like to listen to
nonsense, but I'm afraid you won't be able to accept this concise truth.
He made up his mind and said cautiously, "The truth is, Your Highness is
seriously ill. Your roots and bones are already damaged, so it's difficult to
cure you."
Jiang Suizhou was stunned.
What? Was Gu Changyun's medicine so good that it had fooled a wily old
fox of the Imperial Hospital?
He was only focused on the doctor and didn't notice that when Huo Wujiu,
who was nearby, heard this, his head snapped up. Huo Wujiu frowned and
looked in Jiang Suizhou's direction.
He listened as the Imperial Doctor stammeringly continued, "Your
Highness also…also doesn't need medical treatment. If you have any tonic,
bird's nest and ginseng, you can just take them, by all means. Maybe you
can…can…"
"Can what?" Jiang Suizhou frowned.
The Imperial Doctor gulped his saliva and relayed the words the Hou Zhu
had told him.
"Your days are numbered."
Right after his words fell, the room fell into a deathly silence.
The Imperial Doctor kowtowed on the floor and did not dare to move.
After a long time, he heard Jiang Suizhou's slightly tremulous voice.
"Get lost," he ordered.
The Imperial Doctor froze and looked up at him dumbly.
Then he saw Jiang Suizhou on the bed with a frosty face, towering over him
and squeezing out a couple of words between clenched teeth.
"Get out."
As if given a second life, the Imperial Doctor rolled and crawled as he fled.
Soon, the only two people left in the room were Jiang Suizhou and Huo
Wujiu.
Huo Wujiu's brows were wrinkled and rigidly tight.
…What did that Imperial Doctor just say?
He stared closely at Jiang Suizhou.
He saw Jiang Suizhou, sitting on the bed, raising his hand and rubbing his
temples. It was as if he was trying to suppress some emotion. The corners of
his mouth were twitching and almost trembling.
Just because he stayed at Gu Changyun's place for a few days, he…
The hand that Huo Wujiu placed on his knee clenched tightly, and the veins
on the back of his hand throbbed.
He no longer cared to grumble and ridicule Jiang Suizhou for abandoning
himself to sensual pleasures.
Now he not only wanted to kill Gu Changyun, but also hated his own
disability and uselessness. He could no longer turn the world upside down
and find a doctor who could cure Jiang Suizhou for him.
He stared fixed at his hand.
He suddenly had an urge to initiate contact with Ji Hongcheng, risk finding
Lou Yue in advance, blackmail him for his life-saving grace, and kill his
bloody way out in advance.
—
At the door, Meng Qianshan hurriedly ran in and plopped on his knees in
front of Jiang Suizhou's bed.
Jiang Suizhou was startled.
It was really no wonder he was distracted. It was just that the Imperial
Doctor's performance surprised him too much. He and Gu Changyun
originally only wanted to fool him for a while, but never thought it would
have such a remarkable effect.
It even made people think that his days were numbered?
Jiang Suizhou wanted to laugh.
He saw Meng Qianshan kneeling in front of him with tears in his eyes. Just
as he opened his mouth, he burst into tears.
"Master!" Sorrow enveloped him.
He made Jiang Suizhou tremble in fright. For a spell, he felt that he was no
longer a living person, but a piece of memorial tablet placed on the bed.
"Control yourself." He frowned.
Meng Qianshan wiped his tears in a flurry. However, the more he wiped,
the more tears fell, like a bottomless river.
"Master, surely we can find a doctor who can cure you!" he cried, "If
anything untoward happens to you, I won't live, and I'll serve you
underneath…"
"All right, all right."
His weeping gave Jiang Suizhou a headache.
"Okay, in a moment, you will go out and look for people to put up notices
for me. Afterward, send some troops to the surrounding counties to find a
doctor," he instructed, "Anybody with excellent medical expertise, whether
they're famous or practice unorthodox methods, must be brought back.
Understood?"
Meng Qianshan nodded repeatedly.
Jiang Suizhou casually yanked a silk handkerchief and lightly flung it on
his face.
"If you understand, go and do it. Don't mourn in front of this Prince," he
said.
Meng Qianshan whimpered and nodded again. He wiped his tears and ran
out to do his job.
Jiang Suizhou watched his back with some amusement.
Although his own 'dying' was fake, Meng Qianshan's reaction…still moved
him.
He withdrew his gaze and happened to meet Huo Wujiu's eyes out of the
corner of his eyes.
Jiang Suizhou froze and turned his head to look at Huo Wujiu.
Huo Wujiu frowned and looked straight at him sullenly.
With no one else in the room, Jiang Suizhou uttered a snorting laugh
heedlessly and curled his lips in a smile: "Did you also think I am about to
die?"
Huo Wujiu frowned and looked him up and down.
A few moments later, he said slowly, "Don't take it to heart. The doctors in
the capital have encountered very few difficult cases, so don't dwell on
their diagnosis."
Jiang Suizhou was stunned, and then he seemed to realize that Huo Wujiu
had thought he was a little out of sorts from anger.
He froze and was about to speak, when he saw Huo Wujiu approach him
with his wheelchair pressed. He said indifferently, "You'll eventually be
cured."
Jiang Suizhou was momentarily stunned.
Whether it was his illusion or not, he heard a clear affirmation from Huo
Wujiu's mouth, as if he was promising him something.
At present, he was obviously just a captive…
Jiang Suizhou did not know how Huo Wujiu had already contrived plans in
this very short period.
He had shifted all the early and step-by-step plans he had in mind forward,
and changed a safe and smooth road into a thorny shortcut.
And all this was to break free from his cage in advance, to step into the
blood mud of all those enemies who bullied and humiliated him, and guide
his sword toward the Jing Dynasty. While at it…while at it, he would search
all over the world and find someone who could save this dim-witted and
invalid Jingwang.
…It was just in passing.
Jiang Suizhou was totally in the dark about this, but he somehow felt the
firmness in his tone.
He was momentarily stunned, then spoke steadily, saying words that made
him feel a little out of bounds himself.
"Of course, I'll be fine," he echoed.
"…I can heal you too, do you believe it?"
—
After that day, Jiang Suizhou recuperated in his residence with peace of
mind.
He looked too content, and within two days, Huo Wujiu noticed the signs.
He didn't resemble a terminally ill patient, but rather like a hunter who was
waiting for his prey to fall into the trap.
And why exactly was he doing this?
Huo Wujiu would always remember the words he said to him that day.
Jiang Suizhou said he would heal him, and he asked him whether he
believed it or not.
Huo Wujiu couldn't possibly not grasp what he meant. But, for the first
time, he, who had always been bold, did not dare to delve deeper.
How could someone harm himself in order to seek medical treatment for
him?
The notion was like a little animal that broke loose and rampaged its way to
his heart. He was so flustered that he hurriedly shut the little thing back to
its cage and randomly found a corner to tuck it in.
This was the very first time in his life that he had done such a cowardly
deed.
Jingwang Manor was sedate and peaceful, but in the Ministry of Rites, there
was turmoil and chaos of war in recent days with everyone feeling
imperilled.
The Ministry of Justice thoroughly investigated Ji You, but only found that
he embezzled and could not find the whereabouts of the money. So, in
accordance with the court's practice, officials of the Ministry of Justice dropped in and questioned all the officials up and down the Ministry of
Rites who had contact with the matters of the Emperor's birthday banquet.
Few people, who held office at court, were spotless. Moreover, His Majesty
was in charge of investigating the case, so no one dared to neglect it.
Those innocent bystanders also had some calculations. They must hide
under such thorough scrutiny for fear of being caught in the crossfire.
Jingwang Manor wasn't spared either.
After scouting all the way down, an official finally went up to the door of
the Jingwang Manor.
Everyone in the court knew that Jingwang was unwell these days and had
been recuperating in his house. There were also rumors abounding that His
Highness Jingwang was seriously sick this time and might be to the point of
death.
Naturally, the official did not dare to touch Jingwang's bad luck. When he
arrived at the residence, he conducted a routine inquiry, and then left.
After all, His Highness Jingwang was not short of money, so why would he
be greedy for more? Even if he embezzled this four or five thousand taels,
His Majesty would never blame him for the sake of brotherly love.
The official just wanted to go through the motions.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he left King Jing's Anyin Hall and passed by the
garden of the manor, he heard a restrained voice from an elevated lane. The
voice with a trace of exasperation reached his ears.
"Can you blame me for this? Isn't it because the Prince has bought a house
outside and raised a younger one? I don't even know where the Prince got
the money to build a 'golden house' for that little fox!"
The official from the Ministry of Justice paused and looked in that
direction.
In the corner of the garden, a beautiful gentleman in red was standing in the
corner with arms akimbo, ranting in a whisper to the maid at his side.
—–
The author has something to say:
Jiang Suizhou: Speaking of this good wife, we have to look at our Chang
Kyun…
Huo Wujiu rocked his wheelchair and moved out gloomily.
Jiang Suizhou: Why are you leaving?
Huo Wujiu: To kill the dog Emperor and be your good wife.