The only two people left in the bedroom were Jiang Suizhou and the old
man.
"Please speak, doctor," Jiang Suizhou prompted the moment the door of the
room was closed.
The old doctor knelt in front of his bed and said, "If I am not mistaken,
Your Highness's current illness is caused by poisoning."
Jiang Suizhou fell silent for a moment, nodded and said, "Doctor, you have
excellent medical skills. I was indeed poisoned some days ago. I just don't
know if you have a cure for it."
The doctor pondered for a long time and said, "Although Your Highness is
poisoned, the poison is very strange. It's floating on the surface and
messing with Your Highness's pulse, but not hurting your body. During this
period, you only need to recuperate and wait for the effects of the medicine
to subside. Just…"
He paused and raised his head to look at Jiang Suizhou.
"Your Highness has been weak since childhood, right?" he asked.
Jiang Suizhou nodded: "Indeed."
The old doctor frowned and said thoughtfully, "Although Your Highness's
weakness is seemingly congenital, honestly… it's a bit like it's caused by
drugs."
Jiang Suizhou was stunned.
"You mean…?"
The old doctor nodded.
"For the specifics, I still need to prepare some medicine for Your Highness.
After taking the medicine, only then can we know where the crux of Your
Highness' physical weakness lies," he said.
Jiang Suizhou was rendered momentarily speechless.
He really did not expect that the original owner's so-called congenital
weakness was also tampered with. But on further consideration, the mother
of the original owner was favored by the previous Emperor at that time, and
her beauty was unparalleled. It was only right to assume that a tall tree
attracted the wind1
and incurred the jealousy of others.
So, since it was not congenital, was there a cure for his weakness?
Jiang Suizhou didn't want to be this weak for the rest of his life, coughing
after taking only two steps.
He was surprised for a moment, and only after a while did he find his voice
and ask, "If you say so, Doctor, is there a cure for my illness?"
The old man shook his head and replied, "I am only thirty percent sure."
This was promising for Jiang Suizhou.
He wasn't at all affronted, and so he said, "Thirty percent is fine. From
today onward, you can stay in Jingwang Manor with peace of mind and just
treat my illness. If there is anything you need, just ask."
The old man bowed and thanked him for his favor.
Then he heard Jiang Suizhou pause and asked, "Do you have any other
specialties?"
The old man was stunned and asked, "What is Your Highness asking
about…?"
Jiang Suizhou cleared his throat; his expression indifferent; and his tone
calm and waveless.
"There is a cripple in my room, as you have seen," he said indifferently.
The old doctor lowered his head in response.
Jiang Suizhou frowned, and then said: "This man is just crippled. Every
cloudy and rainy day these days, his legs will hurt. It's really annoying to
hear him toss and turn in the middle of the night. Doctor, please examine
his legs. If you can find a way to relieve him some, it'll save him from
disturbing my rest."
The old man, kneeling on the ground, obviously froze.
Jiang Suizhou only thought he was surprised because he wanted to let him
heal a prisoner of war. He pondered for a moment and said unhurriedly,
"Heal him, by all means. I love peace and quiet. If you can cure him of his
disease, your reward will be indispensable."
After saying that, he lowered his eyes and looked at the old man.
The old doctor, kneeling on the ground, kowtowed: "I'll be at Your
Highness's disposal."
—
After the consultation, it was the first time in a while that the doctor was
given a place to stay.
Knowing that this doctor was quite capable, Meng Qianshan naturally
treated them both as guests. When the consultation was finished and Jiang
Suizhou asked him to make arrangements, Meng Qianshan generously
invited the two guests into a spacious courtyard, and also assigned a few
maids to wait on them.
This treatment gave off the impression that they were distinguished guests.
After arranging the courtyard, Meng Qianshan didn't forget to ask someone
to prepare all the daily needs of the two. It wasn't until it was late in the day
that he smilingly bade farewell.
The old man led his disciple into the room.
The moment the door was closed, Wei Kai turned around and hurriedly
asked what had happened between the old man and Jiang Suizhou in the
room.
The old doctor sat down at the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and told
Wei Kai one by one what he had talked to Jiang Suizhou just now.
"So Jingwang was really drugged?" Wei Kai couldn't help but ask.
The old doctor nodded.
"Someone had drugged him from the time he was born. Otherwise, how can
any child who has been pampered and born from his mother's womb in
good health fall ill with such an unexplainable disease?" he said, stroking
his beard.
"However…it's a bit fishy that he was drugged this time."
"How so?" Wei Kai asked urgently.
The old doctor pondered for a moment and shook his head.
His mysterious reaction made Wei Kai anxious, and he said angrily, "Li
Changning, don't beat around the bush!"
The doctor named Li Changning snorted when he heard his words, and
replied, "Can't I speculate? Who knows who inflicted such painless poison
on him?"
His remarks rendered Wei Kai speechless.
Then Li Changning said, "But…it seems so coincidental."
"What?" Wei Kai did not understand.
"Jingwang isn't seriously ill, but he asked for medical treatment. We had no
way to find the General, but we were able to take this opportunity to get
close to him," Li Changning said slowly, "Just now, Jingwang specifically
mentioned that the General's leg injury always flares up, and asked me to
examine the General's legs in the next couple of days. Say, how can
everything be so coincidental that it all turned out to be beneficial for the
General?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Kai fell into deep thought.
"It is indeed too coincidental…" he echoed, "And just now, the General was
also a bit strange."
"What?" Li Changning asked.
Wei Kai looked at him with doubts all over his face.
"Just now, when I told the General that Jingwang had been kind to us, so I
would leave his body intact later on, the General was a little upset," he said.
"I also said that I would tear him to pieces, and the General's eyes seemed
to have turned even more frightening."
Speaking of this, Wei Kai paused and hissed.
"Then…the General also asked me whether you can cure the Prince's
illness."
He looked at Li Changning.
"You say, what exactly does the General want, ah?"
Li Changning showed disdain.
"Why are you asking me when you're the one who has been with the
General for so many years?" he said, "I've only met him for the first time
today, yet you expect me to guess what's in his mind?"
Wei Kai frowned and shook his head.
"If I must guess, it would be that the General wants to cure him and then
torment him to death with his own hands." he said. "And then, later on,
he'll chop his corpse and hang it on their Southern Jing's walls."
"But …"
His words took a turn.
"Why do I feel, again, that it's not quite like that?"
—
Footnote:
1
a person in a high position is liable to be attacked
It was nighttime at Anyin Hall.
Jiang Suizhou was in a festive mood, and many things worthy of happiness
were emerging.
The arrival of a doctor, who had excellent medical skills and was even
expected to cure Huo Wujiu's legs, was already worth celebrating. And just
now, Xu Du sent him news that the Hou Zhu took the bait.
The Ministry of Justice official returned to the palace that day and reported
the news he heard at Jingwang Manor to the Hou Zhu at the first
opportunity. The Hou Zhu must have been very excited after knowing this.
Within a few days, he appointed the same official to lead the troops and
seize the manor in Changle Square.
In the middle of Changle Square, facing the south; the information he gave
to Hou Zhu was detailed enough.
Xu Du had arranged for people to monitor Changle Square, and in the past
few days, there were already several informants from the Ministry of
Justice stepping in there. Presumably, when they have completely
determined their target, it would be time for the real owner of the manor to
be arrested.
Jiang Suizhou felt refreshed.
He went to the study, and when he came back, he saw Huo Wujiu sitting on
the edge of his couch, reading a book.
Thinking of the rather reliable doctor who had come to the house, Jiang
Suizhou sat on the edge of the bed, and his gaze couldn't help but fall on Huo Wujiu's body.
He didn't know how skilled the doctor was, but could he perhaps heal Huo
Wujiu's legs in advance? As long as his meridians could be restored to
before, then neither the Jingwang Manor nor the Southern Jing could
confine him.
If that were true, then the Southern Jing would be finished in less than three
years. What Hou Zhu? What Pang Shao? None of them could flaunt their
power around him anymore.
Jiang Suizhou could not help but feel a little happy.
However, when he thought about it, by then, he would not have the
opportunity to spend time with Huo Wujiu as he was doing now.
Although he was afraid of Huo Wujiu from the beginning, Huo Wujiu was
really a good man. During this period, although they had little
communication, they coexisted peacefully. Even now, with only one look in
his eyes, he could roughly guess what Huo Wujiu was thinking.
Thinking of this, Jiang Suizhou felt a little empty inside for a while.
After all, in addition to his servants, Huo Wujiu was the only person who
had the closest relationship with him for so long after transmigrating into
this era.
Nonetheless, when all was said and done, a golden cage couldn't hold a
falcon forever, and Huo Wujiu originally didn't belong to this place
either…
Jiang Suizhou was lost in thought for a moment, and did not notice that the
person he was watching raised his dark eyes as soon as he felt his sight and
met his gaze straight up.
The sudden stare scared Jiang Suizhou into a shiver.
He realized that Huo Wujiu had, at some point, raised his eyes from the
book in his hands and was looking at him quietly.
Jiang Suizhou felt a momentary embarrassment.
But he immediately calmed down and looked lightly at Huo Wujiu. He said,
"The doctor who came today will take a look at your leg injury tomorrow."
Huo Wujiu did not make a sound for a while.
Jiang Suizhou continued, "However, you should not expect too much. The
doctors in the palace can't cure you, so he doesn't necessarily have the
ability either."
After speaking, he withdrew his gaze and was about to lie back on the bed.
But at that moment, Huo Wujiu suddenly opened his mouth to speak.
"My legs were crippled under His Majesty's orders," he said.
Jiang Suizhou was given a start: "What?"
He looked at Huo Wujiu and saw that Huo Wujiu was staring at him
silently.
"His intention was for me to suffer a fate worse than death in your place,
and you know it," Huo Wujiu said.
This was something that the two of them had never said outright, but was a
fact that they both tacitly knew.
Jiang Suizhou sat up straight and said, "So what?"
Huo Wujiu slowly let out a breath, seemingly somewhat helpless.
"After my legs are cured, have you ever thought about how to explain it to
him?" he asked.
Jiang Suizhou inwardly laughed.
Explain? What would I explain to a dead man? You, Huo Wujiu, are the
butcher's knife hanging over his head. I have shifted dropping your knife down at an earlier date to get this incapable ruler killed; that is to give an
explanation to the people of today.
With this in mind, a smile also surfaced on his face.
"I won't explain." The corner of his lips curled, and under the dark and
gloomy light, he radiated a rippling brilliance. "I would like to see how he
will deal with me."
After saying that, he faintly glanced at Huo Wujiu and lay back on the bed.
Jiang Suizhou felt that his eyes were full of the wisdom of someone from
the future who knew the spoilers.
It never occurred to him that Huo Wujiu, sitting in a wheelchair, wouldn't
return to his senses for a while because of the look in his eyes.
It took a long while before he lowered his eyes.
Perhaps the lights in the room were too bright. He thought.
Otherwise, how could it illuminate those eyes of that silly rabbit, who was
courting his own ruin, so brightly?
—-
The author has something to say:
Jiang Suizhou: I'm so crazy, oh.
Huo Wujiu: He loves me so much.