Although Lu Wancheng was seriously ill, under Lin Qingyuâs careful care, there were very few times of embarrassment and he never vomited blood. He couldnât save Lu Wanchengâs life, but at the very least, he could let him walk cleanly and with dignity.
Nasty things like blood should never appear on his body.
Lu Wancheng vomiting blood seemed to have turned on the switch for the poison to release. More and more gushed out. After a while, it dyed red the front of his clothes and the brocade quilt. He then fainted.
âEldest Young Master,â Hua Lu cried, âEldest Young Master, please donât scare this servantâŚâ
âShao-shaojun, what do we do!â
The servants of the Blue Wind Pavilion had never been faced with this sort of battle. All the servants were flustered, waiting for Lin Qingyu to take charge of the situation.
After Lu Qiaosong hit the back of his head against the pillar, he was sent kneeling to the ground by several servants. He had lost all dignity as a young master. Seeing so much blood, he remembered how heâd done the same all over that singer that day. His eyes were about to split and his eyes were red as he shouted happily, âLin Qingyu, do you see? Your husband vomited so much blood. Heâs going to die. No matter how good you are at medicine, no matter how many thousand-year fleeceflower root you give him, you wonât be able to save him!â
Lin Qingyu looked at him and suddenly let out a low laugh. That voice carried a chill that pierced through the bone. Paired with his face, there was unexpectedly a sense of bewitching coquettish-ness, sending chills down peoplesâ spines.
When Lu Qiaosong came back to his senses, he was âinvitedâ out by the servant of the Blue Wind Pavilion. The curtains in front of the bed were lowered, and only the shadows of the figures behind could be seen.
Lin Qingyu was busy all through til midnight. It could be said that he saved Lu Wanchengâs life. The servants helped Lu Wancheng wipe off the blood and put on clean clothes and bedding. Lu Wancheng lay quiet and peaceful, sleeping, spotless, as if feeling no pain at all.
Lin Qingyu watched him for a while. The main courtyard sent servant to deliver a message, saying that the Madam was asking the Shaojun to come over.
Lu Qiaosong had ran to the Blue Wind Pavilion to make a scene, making his seriously ill brother vomit blood. This was considered a major event in the house, and even Nanâan Hou was also disturbed. After hearing the ins and outs of the matter, he said angrily, âWhere is that unfilial son now!â
Now that the matter had blown up to this point, Liang Shi no longer kept up the pretense of being a loving mother to Wancheng. Making concessions in order to gain advantages, sobbing and sniffling, she said, âMaster Hou knows that Wancheng is ill, but do you remember that Qiaosong is also ill?â
âHow can his illness be compared to Wanchengâs?! He knew that his brother was seriously ill, but he went to the Blue Wind Pavilion to kick up a fuss, spouting insolent remarks. Should he not be punished?â
âNaturally, he should be punished. Itâs just that after Qiaosong was kicked out of the Blue Wind Pavilion by the servants, he unexpectedly fainted. The doctor said that his body was weak and that he mustnât get angry. Saying so may sound bad but, Wancheng⌠he is already like this. Does Master Hou really want to punish Qiaosong while he is ill, possibly worsening his condition!â Liang Shi wiped away tears, observing Nanâan Houâs expression, âMaster Hou doesnât know but Qiaosong just found a cure for his unmentionable illness. He was too eager to get well, wishing to provide descendants for Master Hou. In his eagerness, he impulsively contradicted his elder brother and his wife. If Master Hou wishes to punish him, I, his mother, have nothing to say. My only request is that Master Hou wait for him to feel better before punishing himâŚâ
Having no descendants has always been a matter of utmost concern for Nanâan Hou. Hearing Liang Shi say that Lu Qiaosongâs unmentionable illness had hope of being cured, he couldnât help but waver. âIs what you say true?â
Liang Shi nodded again and again. âI wouldnât dare deceive Master Hou.â
Lin Qingyu watched on with cold eyes, only feeling that these two were wasting his time.
Nanâan Hou glanced at Lin Qingyu and said, âForget it, let the two of them recuperate first. Other matters will be discussed later.â
Lin Qingyu walked out of the main courtyard and Huan Tong immediately greeted him. âYoung Master, what did Master Hou say?â
Lin Qingyu sneered. âWere you still counting on him?â
Huan Tong couldnât believe it. âBut the Third Young Master made Young Master Hou vomit blood. It canât be that he just plans to let this matter go, right?â
âEnough.â Lin Qingyu said, âGo and find Zhang Shiquan.â
Lu Wancheng slept for three days before waking up.
Although Lu Qiaosong was spared punishment, he was also warned by Nanâan Hou not to approach the Blue Wind Pavilion and disturb his brotherâs recovery. In addition, Nanâan Hou also asked the steward to go to the market to buy some thousand-year fleeceflower root for Lu Qiaosong to use as medicine.
Lu Qiaosong ate the precious medicinal herbs like a meal. Piles and piles of money were spent, but it still didnât work. By this time, he realized that he might have been deceived by that quack doctor. In a fit of anger, Lu Qiaosong imprisoned the quack doctor in the firewood room of the mansion, threatening him that if he couldnât think of a way to cure him, he would  chop off his hands so that he wouldnât even be able to carry his bowl to beg for food.
The quack doctor was frightened out of his wits. Who knows whether the emergency brought out his quick-wittedness or what but he actually came out with a prescription. Lu Qiaosong was skeptical but prepared a medicinal pill according to his prescription. After taking a few pills, he really felt that his body had changed. His spirit was excited, his body was hot, and his waist and legs were also able to get stronger. Lu Qiaosong was overjoyed, thinking that soon, his shameful illness should be cured.
Liang Shi was also overjoyed. The son left by the first wife had only a few days to live. Her daughter was now the side concubine of the crown prince. If her son could be cured and leave descendants for the Hou Mansion, her life would be complete.
The only thing that worried her a bit was that though she had had someone bring news into the Eastern Palace to tell Lu Niantao what has been going on in the mansion, she hadnât gotten a reply.
So, she prepared a generous gift and sent someone to bring it to the eunuch who helped mother and daughter pass word to each other. Unexpectedly, the eunuch threw the person out, coldly throwing out this sentence, âThe Nanâan Houâs Mansion has truly raised a good daughter.â
When Liang Shi heard these words, she felt very anxious but she couldnât find out what happened. She wasnât able to enjoy her comfortable days for long before she began to panic again.
She didnât know what about Lu Niantao was âgoodâ, but Lin Qingyu knew very well.
Hu Ji brought him news â His medicine had worked.
A few days ago, Xiao Chengâs head suddenly began to hurt. He had a splitting headache, deafness and pain in his eyes. It made him want to hit his head against the wall. Imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital gathered in the Easern Palace but after looking for a long time, they couldnât find the cause. Concubine Chen ordered a thorough investigation into the expenditures of the Eastern Palace; from the food, tea and water to all the clothing, no detail was overlooked. Still, nothing could be found.
At this time, Concubine Chenâs female headservant said that since the problem wasnât in the crown princeâs palace, maybe it was in another palace?
As a result, the palaces where the two concubines resided were also carefully searched. The incense Lu Niantao used in her palace was found and checked by the imperial physician. But Xiao Cheng was suspicious by nature. Even if the imperial doctor said that there was no problem with the incense, he still ordered that no one in the entire Eastern Palace should use incense in the future.
Xiao Cheng was no fool. The same trick couldnât be used on him twice. Lin Qingyu knew that Lu Niantao had outlived her usefulness.
Such being the case, he ought to squeeze out whatever value she had left.
Imperial Physician Hu was loyal to his father and he had helped them so much. He deserved something in return.
The cause of the crown princeâs headache could not be found. The imperial doctors of the Imperial Hospital were all helpless in the face of this crisis. No one expected that it would be Hu Ji, a newcomer to the Imperial Hospital, who would finally find the cause.
There was nothing wrong with the incense used by the crown princeâs side concubine, but if it was mixed with Feng Qiu Huang and Sheng Chazi, it will cause wind-heat syndrome, easily leading to a headache.
Feng Qiu Huang and Sheng Chazi were the special incense used by the Empress and Concubine Chen. The crown prince went to Fengyi Palace and Changle Palace every day to pay his respects. Occasionally, he would go to the side concubines at night.
After the truth was revealed, Concubine Chen was furious. She thought of how the Nanâan Houâs Mansion and the Empress had a relationship by marriage. She thought that this must have been deliberately done by Lu Niantao and that it was instigated by the Empress. Concubine Chen cursed at Lu Niantao, calling her a â despicable woman â and delivered two slaps to her face. She almost raised this matter to the Emperor but was stopped by Xiao Cheng.
In the Eastern Palace, Lu Niantao grew pale from crying. She insisted that she hadnât known about it, she only use this incense because His Highness liked it.
Xiao Cheng knew that she wasnât lying. Lu Niantao counted on the Eastern Palace to support her and her mother. She had no motive to lay a hand on him. Furthermore, it hadnât been easy for Xiao Cheng to acquire the position of crown prince. Before he successfully ascends the throne, he didnât want to make trouble with Nanâan Hou.
It was an unintentional mistake on the part of Lu Shi and for the sake of Nanâan Houâs face, Xiao Cheng did not publicize the matter. He only asked that Lu Niantao move out of the side hall. After that, Liang Shi never heard from her daughter again.
Lu Niantao had completely fallen out of favor, with no possibility of changing her fortunes. If Xiao Cheng dies, she would become a lifelong widow in the palace. If Xiao Cheng ascends to the throne, she would be nothing but an abandoned concubine in the cold palace.
She couldnât blame anyone. From beginning to end, it was her own choice.
And Hu Ji, who was young and promising, had a bright future. He had earned the appreciation of the crown prince and Concubine Chen, becoming a mighty newcomer in the Imperial Hospital. His future was limitless.
Lin Qingyu had a complete picture of the situation in the Eastern Palace, but when he talked to Lu Wancheng, he only told him the first half: Xiao Cheng had a headache, the imperial doctors were helpless. If this dragged it on, medicines and treatments would be ineffective, even Hua Tuo would find him difficult to treat.
Hearing this, Lu Wancheng said, âThen does that mean I donât need to drink the medicine anymore? The poison is really painful.â
Lin Qingyuâs chest clenched and he said, âIf you donât want to drink, donât drink it.â
Lu Wancheng looked at him for a while, then laughed, âThis maneuver was truly well done. It is worthy of appreciation â Hua Lu.â
Hua Lu brought in a wooden box carved from mahogany. It had five layers and seven to eight drawers, large and small. There were handles on top, holes are punched on both sides through which strong cloth ropes were passed through â this was a medicine box that a doctor carried on his back when he went out.
Lin Qingyu noticed that there was a strange symbol engraved in an inconspicuous corner of the medical box. It was the symbol that Lu Wancheng drew on the paper last time.
âI asked the carpenter to make it according to the drawings I designed,â Lu Wancheng said. âIn the future, when you enter the Imperial Hospital, you should carry this medicine box with you when you go out.â
Lin Qingyu smiled. âThank you.â
Looking at the smiling face of the person beside him, Lu Wancheng couldnât hold back and said, âThey say one should return politeness for politeness. Wonât you give me a gift in return?â
Lin Qingyu asked, âWhat do you want in return?â
Lu Wancheng thought about it seriously and put on a distressed look: âAh, I still want to see what Doctor Lin looked like in his wedding dress.â
Lin Qingyu: ââŚâ
For him, marrying another man as a male wife had been the thing most against his will that he had ever done. Even if the person he married turned out to be his friend and confidant, it cannot change this. To have him wear a wedding dress again was tantamount to reminding him of the humiliation at that time.
However, if Lu Wancheng really wanted to see it that much, it wasnât impossible for himâŚ
Before he could respond, Lu Wancheng reached out, trying to touch the long hair hanging down on his chest. Maybe he found it dazzling, Lu Wancheng tried several times but failed to catch it.
âLook, youâre all tangled about it.â Lu Wancheng smiled triumphantly, âIâm joking, canât you hear it?â
âI canât.â Lin Qingyu said softly, âYou always do this.â
Make it so that people are unable to tell true from not.
Lu Wancheng said that he wouldnât drink the medicine but then he still obediently took it as scheduled.
That night, Lin Qingyu watched Lu Wancheng fall asleep. There was a rush of footsteps outside the door, and Hua Lu came running in, out of breath. âShao-Shaojun!â
Lin Qingyu raised his hand to signal her to lower her voice. âWhat happened?â
Hua Lu panted. âThird Young Master⌠Heâs gone.â
Lin Qingyu asked, âWhat do you mean by gone?â
âHeâs dead!â
Lin Qingyu said âohâ. He covered Lu Wancheng with the quilt, and said softly, âIâve done something bad again, Wancheng.â