abcnovels
Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Upon leaving the Palace of Benevolent Peace, Yanshu's limbs were still weak, and her body felt devoid of strength.0
Yuwen Lan hadn't had time to summon the imperial carriage, so he simply carried her all the way back to Ganlu Palace.0
When the people in the palace saw this, they were all startled and hurried forward to ask, "What happened to the mistress? Mistress..."0
Yuwen Lan placed her on the bed, and seeing that her eyes were still open, he asked, "How are you feeling? Any better? Should I call for the imperial physician?"0
Yanshu's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, "No, no need..."0
It was as if even speaking had become difficult, and her face was deathly pale, with sweat beading on her nose, looking extremely weak.0
Yuwen Lan, both worried and puzzled, said, "Last time, didn't you feel better after resting for a while? Why is it so severe this time?"0
But he heard her thinking to herself — How could it be the same as last time? Last time she only had one wound, but just now Zhao Chengwen's blood was all over her body!0
It was too intense!!!0
Yuwen Lan: "..."0
Well, perhaps she had used all her willpower to watch the commotion earlier, and now that the excitement was over, her willpower had relaxed, causing her to feel so weak.0
The fact that she could still think of so many random things meant she was probably fine.0
He then instructed Rendong to give Yanshu some water.0
Sure enough, about a quarter of an hour later, Yanshu's complexion had become rosy again, and she had the strength to thank him, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for carrying this humble concubine back."0
Yuwen Lan couldn't help but smile, raising an eyebrow as he asked her, "You clearly faint at the sight of blood, yet you insist on watching?"0
Yanshu stubbornly replied, "It's not that this humble concubine insisted on watching. The Eldest Princess suddenly became so agitated, who could have imagined she would actually slash the Prince Consort?"0
Yuwen Lan continued to raise his eyebrow, "You really didn't expect it? The stories in your novels are far more violent than what just happened."0
Yanshu choked a bit, "...Well, novels are fiction after all. They need to be more exaggerated for people to enjoy reading them. How can they be compared to reality?"0
In her heart, however, she was quite disappointed, thinking, [It's a shame, I overestimated the Eldest Princess. She chased him for so many circles only to land two cuts, and didn't even hit any vital spots. What a waste of a great opportunity.]0
Yuwen Lan: "???"0
Who's disappointed?0
The Eldest Princess?0
Or is she disappointed she didn't see enough excitement???0
Then immediately after, he heard her sigh in her heart, [The ceiling for women is indeed still being a princess. When the man misbehaves, just slash him! Who else would dare to do such a thing?]0
Yuwen Lan: "???"0
...How come one after another, they all think like this?0
Are all women so ferocious???0
Then he saw her secretly glance at him, thinking to herself, [Of course, this kind of problem would never happen with him.]0
Yuwen Lan breathed a sigh of relief.0
That's more like it.0
But then, he heard her continue, [Because he has no way to misbehave anyway!]0
Yuwen Lan: "..."0
His feelings were quite complex, and he very much wanted to say something.0
However, at that moment, Fu Hai came running to the door in a panic, reporting, "Your Majesty, the Eldest Princess has gone to slash the Prince Consort again."0
Huh?0
Yanshu was startled and immediately asked, "Where did she slash him?"0
Fu Hai, however, was stammering and looked very troubled, "She slashed... uh, she slashed..."0
After a long while, he still couldn't say it.0
Seeing this situation, Yanshu secretly guessed in her heart, [Could it be that the Eldest Princess really went and cut off Zhao Chengwen's precious thing???]0
[It must be! Otherwise, if it were somewhere else, why would Fu Hai take so long to say it? No, I must go and see!!!]0
Yuwen Lan: "..."0
Who was it that was so weak from seeing blood earlier?0
He glanced at her and said, "I'll go take a look. You stay here and rest well."0
As soon as he finished speaking, the girl had a reluctant look on her face, "But, but this humble concubine..."0
[Leaving me behind to go watch the excitement alone seems a bit too unkind!!!]0
Yuwen Lan raised an eyebrow at her, "You want to faint again? And have me carry you back?"0
Yanshu could only say, "I don't want to."0
Then she heard him say, "Then stay here obediently."0
With that, he stood up and walked straight out of the palace doors.0
Yanshu could only watch him leave with longing eyes, feeling extremely resentful in her heart.0
Why did she have to faint at the sight of blood!!!0
What an incredibly exciting scene she was missing!!!0
It was truly a lifelong regret!!!0
Yuwen Lan boarded the imperial carriage and made his way to Spring Scenery Garden, where the Eldest Princess and her husband were located.0
As soon as he got off the carriage, he heard a commotion.0
He went to Hunchun Hall where the noise was coming from, and saw Zhao Chengwen lying on the ground, with two new wounds on his left shoulder and face. Most importantly, his lower body was covered in blood.0
Yuwen Lan: "???"0
Did she really cut it off?0
Looking at the Eldest Princess again, he saw that she was being held back by palace servants, but her sword was still flailing wildly in her hand, and she was still cursing angrily, "I'll hack you to death, you dog..."0
He simply stepped forward, snatched the sword away, and said, "If you keep slashing like this, he's going to die."0
The Eldest Princess snorted, "He deserves to die! Even death can't quell the hatred in my heart!!! I want to chop him into pieces and mince him into meat paste to feed the dogs!!!"0
Yuwen Lan: "..."0
He first ordered the imperial physician to stop Zhao Chengwen's bleeding, then said to the Eldest Princess, "Even if he deserves to die, we need to give an explanation to the world. Otherwise, people will think you killed him for no reason."0
The Eldest Princess was still angry, and suddenly remembering something, she immediately asked him furiously, "Your Majesty, since you knew about his treachery early on, why didn't you tell me sooner?"0
Yuwen Lan said, "At that time, you had complete faith in him. If I had told you, would you have believed me? Naturally, I had to wait until the evidence was irrefutable and he couldn't defend himself before telling you."0
Yuwen Yan cursed again, "Letting him live these extra days was a waste of my food!"0
Especially when she thought about how this dog actually kept so many women behind her back, she wanted to go and slash him a few more times.0
So she pointed at him and cursed, "Zhao Chengwen, I struggled and escaped death to give birth to a daughter for you, and you dare to plot against me for those two illegitimate sons? Just you wait, I'm going to throw those two bastards into the mountains to feed the dogs!"0
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Chengwen, who was on the brink of unconsciousness, hurriedly said, "No! I beg the Princess not to harm them! The wrongdoing was mine, I'll accept any punishment, but they are young and innocent. I beg the Princess to show mercy."0
After he finished speaking, Yuwen Lan also said, "Elder sister, calm down first. He should pay for his own mistakes, there's no need to involve innocent children."0
Then he rebuked Zhao Chengwen, "You only remember that those two boys are your flesh and blood, but have you thought about Lan Jun? For the sake of having your illegitimate sons recognized by the ancestors, you were willing to let Lan Jun lose her mother?"0
Lan Jun was the only daughter of this couple, only five years old this year. She had been doted on by the late emperor and was granted the title of Yi'an County Princess at birth.0
Upon hearing this, the Eldest Princess was about to step forward to kick Zhao Chengwen again.0
But then she heard the emperor rebuke her, "Elder sister, you also need to reflect on this matter. You are usually harsh and contemptuous towards others, so why did you have such blind faith in this man? Moreover, even though he was already suspected of violating the law, you still tried to obstruct my investigation?"0
Yuwen Yan choked, and finally said, "I acknowledge my guilt."0
Yuwen Lan straightened his expression and said, "In this matter, I will handle it according to the law. Before that, you are not allowed to interfere anymore."0
Yuwen Yan had no choice but to agree.0
The next day, news of the Eldest Princess angrily slashing her husband spread throughout the court and commoners.0
People only heard that Prince Consort Zhao Chengwen had kept many young women outside the palace, and even built a mansion in Jiangnan to select concubines, attempting to rival the emperor. This enraged the Eldest Princess so much that she directly drew her sword and cut off his manhood...0
For a time, the whole world was in an uproar.0
However, at the same time, it also confirmed the previous speculation of many —0
It turned out that the "Two-faced Scholar" written in the Carefree Young Master's new novel was indeed Prince Consort Zhao Chengwen.0
Tsk tsk tsk tsk, thinking of the once glorious Top Scholar, the Prince Consort appointed by the late emperor, who turned out to be such a lecherous scoundrel!0
It was truly eye-opening, leaving people at a loss for words.0
One had to say, the Carefree Young Master's title was truly fitting, "Two-faced Scholar Dies Under Flowers". Indeed, one face in public, another in private!0
Of course, now he was just short of dying...0
And then, the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review announced more news: it turned out that the person who had instigated the students to cause trouble in front of the Imperial Academy's notice board was also Zhao Chengwen.0
His family had committed evil first and then suffered the consequences, yet he harbored resentment towards the Household of the Earl of Loyalty and Righteousness. That's why he spread rumors and caused trouble, attempting to make Li Tianrui lose his qualification to study at the Imperial Academy.0
When the news came out, everyone spat on him in disgust.0
To commit evil first and then attempt to harm others is truly wicked behavior that must be severely punished by the law.0
On this day in court, faced with the passionate outrage of his ministers, the emperor issued an edict on the spot: Zhao Chengwen, for trafficking humans in Jiangnan and disrupting the Imperial Academy examinations, was to be stripped of his position as imperial son-in-law, thrown into the imperial prison, and executed after autumn. His father, the Marquis of Wuyang, for failing to properly raise his son, was stripped of his title, and the entire family was to be exiled to the border regions.0
Perhaps due to this shock, Consort Ning, who had been injured at the hot springs imperial palace previously, suddenly took a turn for the worse and passed away within a few days.0
In the blink of an eye, an entire noble household vanished from public view.0
Everyone couldn't help but sigh—0
"Those who enjoy good fortune must pay a price accordingly."0
"Marrying a princess and still wanting to open a harem? Isn't that like pulling whiskers from a tiger's mouth?"0
"They got what they deserved!"0
With Consort Ning's death, there were even fewer people left in the imperial harem.0
However, the Empress Dowager still did not favor her niece Consort Zhou, and refused to summon her again no matter what.0
Instead, her attitude towards Yanshu seemed somewhat different than before.0
The day Yanshu fainted at the sight of blood, the Empress Dowager even sent some precious medicinal ingredients to Ganlu Palace.0
This made Yanshu feel both flattered and frightened. Bound by etiquette and rules, she had no choice but to go to the Palace of Benevolent Peace again to express her gratitude.0
It was morning, and Zhang Shengkang, the head of the Imperial Hospital, had just finished checking the Empress Dowager's pulse for her well-being.0
So when Yanshu entered the hall, she immediately spotted him.0
She remained composed and first bowed to the Empress Dowager, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I have recovered now, please do not worry."0
The Empress Dowager said, "This is the first time I've heard of someone fainting at the sight of blood. It must not be easy for you."0
She then asked Zhang Shengkang, "Is there any way to cure this condition?"0
Zhang Shengkang bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, fainting at the sight of blood is actually a psychological issue. Medication cannot completely cure it."0
The Empress Dowager nodded and sighed to Yanshu, "You poor thing. From now on, you should avoid bloody scenes as much as possible."0
Yanshu agreed.0
Then she heard the Empress Dowager say, "By the way, I heard you also have an allergy to peach blossoms? This year, before the peach blossoms bloomed, His Majesty had all the peach trees in the palace replaced with other trees."0
Yanshu quickly replied, "His Majesty's love is truly overwhelming, making me feel ashamed. I have indeed been allergic to peach blossoms since childhood."0
The Empress Dowager continued, "Why don't you let Doctor Zhang examine you and see if there's any solution?"0
Yanshu paused.0
Let Zhang Shengkang check her pulse again?0
Goodness, was this some kind of impromptu medical examination?0
She became wary and hurriedly said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, but my peach blossom allergy has already improved significantly. There's no need to trouble Doctor Zhang."0
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shengkang immediately said with surprise, "To my knowledge, peach blossom allergy is a stubborn condition that doesn't easily improve. May I ask how Consort Yi managed to recover?"0
Yanshu secretly rolled her eyes.0
—Zhang Shengkang was not a good person, she knew that.0
So, if she told him that another imperial doctor had cured her illness, would he become jealous and harm that doctor?0
She therefore lied, "Actually, it was a prescription my parents brought from our hometown. They said they got it from a traveling doctor. After taking it, I indeed felt much better."0
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager looked surprised, "There are such skilled traveling doctors?"0
Zhang Shengkang smiled and said, "There are indeed hidden talents among the common people, truly not to be underestimated."0
He appeared so humble, completely unlike someone who had once ungratefully caused his master's death.0
However, at that moment, Yanshu heard the system say, [Well done! That Doctor Jiang owes you a favor now.]0
Huh?0
Yanshu didn't quite understand, [What do you mean? Would Zhang Shengkang really harm someone out of jealousy?]0
The system replied, [It's not exactly jealousy, but Jiang Nianqi and Zhang Shengkang were actually enemies to begin with.]0
Enemies?0
Yanshu was even more confused, [What do you mean by that?]0
The system explained, [The master that Zhang Shengkang angered to death years ago was none other than Jiang Nianqi's father. This is a blood feud!]0
What?0
Yanshu was stunned, [Jiang Nianqi's father was Zhang Shengkang's master? You mean the legendary doctor Xun Ji?]0
The system confirmed, [That's absolutely correct. Xun Ji had only this one son, no doubt about it. His real name is Xun Lan, Jiang is his mother's surname.]0
Yanshu suddenly realized—0
If you remove the "water" radical from the character "Ji", doesn't it become "Qi"?0
So he was called "Nianqi" to commemorate his father!0
[But he's been in the Imperial Hospital for some time now, hasn't he? How has Zhang Shengkang not discovered this?]0
The system explained, [Well, Zhang Shengkang is the head of the hospital, he's usually busy with many affairs. Xun Lan has always been just a regular doctor, so the two hardly ever cross paths. Moreover, after his father's death, Xun Lan began planning his revenge. He's undergone bone reshaping and facial reconstruction over the years, so he no longer looks like his former self.]0
Bone reshaping and facial reconstruction?0
Yanshu was shocked, [There's such advanced medical skill?]0
The system said, [Well, he is the son of a legendary doctor after all, of course he's quite capable.]0
Yanshu exclaimed inwardly, if she could learn this skill, it would be incredibly profitable!0
The market prospects were quite broad indeed!!!0
As she was marveling at this, she heard the Empress Dowager say, "I have no more business here, you may all return now."0
Yanshu agreed and took her leave from the Palace of Benevolent Peace.0
However, upon returning to Ganlu Palace, her mind was still on the matter from earlier—0
Since Jiang Nianqi was the son of a legendary doctor, and his medical skills were so advanced...0
She quickly called out to the system, [Can Jiang Nianqi treat impotence? Can he cure the emperor?]0
The system replied, [That's hard to say. This system is only responsible for providing information about events that have already occurred. I can't predict things that haven't happened yet.]0
Yanshu: "..."0
Although the system couldn't guarantee anything, she still felt there might be a possibility, after all, the legendary doctor Xun Ji had been a specialist in treating infertility.0
So perhaps Jiang Nianqi could do it too.0
However, the system interjected, [The problem now is—how can he treat the emperor?]0
Yanshu: "..."0
That's true, tsk.0
The emperor had always strictly guarded his secret, never allowing the palace doctors to examine him. How would he easily allow Jiang Nianqi, a mere imperial doctor, to examine him?0
Most importantly, how could she let the emperor know that Doctor Jiang was the disciple of a legendary doctor and might be able to cure his condition?0
Write a story?0
This seemed to be the only feasible option, but there was still one problem—0
What if Doctor Jiang couldn't cure the emperor?0
Would the emperor kill him to silence him?0
If that happened, wouldn't she indirectly cause the death of a skilled doctor?0
...0
While Yanshu was lost in deep thought and difficult decisions in Ganlu Palace, Yuwen Lan was completely unaware, listening to his ministers' reports in the imperial study.0
With the second batch of new students already enrolled in the Imperial Academy, it was time to prepare for the third round of examinations.0
Today, Yan Zhengping, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, and Zou Mozhong, the Hanlin Academy scholar, among others, were here to report the plan for the third round of examinations to him.0
After hearing the report, he nodded and said, "This time, we must strictly examine the qualifications of the candidates. What happened last time must not occur again."0
Everyone quickly agreed in unison.0
Seeing that the important matters had been reported, the others took their leave from the imperial study, but Zou Mozhong lingered for a moment.0
When there was no one else in the room, he asked, "Your Majesty, has the Carefree Young Master produced any new works recently? It's been several days since the last book 'The Two-Faced Scholar', and the booksellers have been urging for more."0
Yuwen Lan frowned, "Don't they have any other books to publish?"0
Why are they rushing so urgently, not even allowing people to rest for a few days?0
However, he heard Zou Mozhong say, "There are indeed other books, and recently some people have been deliberately imitating the Carefree Young Master's style in their writing. However, they have the form but not the essence, falling far short. Readers aren't buying it."0
Yuwen Lan raised an eyebrow.0
That's true, after all, Yanshu's stories all had real-life prototypes, and each one was shocking and tongue-wagging.0
He said, "I'll ask her about it later."0
Zou Mozhong agreed and also took his leave.0
Yuwen Lan busied himself in the imperial study for a while longer, then after a simple dinner, he got up and left.0
Dusk was falling, and the palace lanterns were just being lit.0
When the emperor arrived at Ganlu Palace, the palace servants were just clearing away the bowls and dishes.0
Yuwen Lan glanced at them and noticed that a lot of food was left over, which he found strange.0
So he asked Yanshu, "Did you not have much appetite today?"0
She smiled and said, "I ate too much at lunch, so I didn't feel like eating much for dinner."0
However, in her heart, she sighed, [Oh emperor, emperor, you are a wise ruler, please don't kill innocent people!]0
Yuwen Lan: "???"0
Kill innocent people?0
What did she mean by that?0
Had something happened today that he didn't know about?0
He sat down calmly on the warm couch and asked, "What have you been doing today?"0
She replied, "This humble consort hasn't done much, just eating, sleeping, and planning to write a new story."0
Yuwen Lan made a sound of acknowledgment and then asked, "What kind of story is it this time?"0
As his words fell, he heard her pondering in her mind, [Should I show it to him? What if it gets someone killed?]0
[But what if it could cure him? Wouldn't that be a waste?]0
Yuwen Lan: "???"0
Get someone killed? Waste for him?0
What could this mean?0
Just then, he heard her steeling herself, thinking, [Damn it, I'll take a gamble! If it works out, everyone will be happy. If it fails and he really wants to kill someone, I'll find a way to stop him. After all, he seems to be quite a reliable emperor so far, so he should be worth saving.]0
Yuwen Lan: "..."0
Reliable?0
Was that meant as a compliment?0
Just as he was thinking this, Yanshu spoke up, "Actually, this story is something I've just started to conceptualize. Would Your Majesty like to hear it?"0
Yuwen Lan, whose curiosity was already piqued, naturally nodded and said, "Yes, tell me."0
Yanshu began, "There was a young man from a family of physicians. His father was a renowned divine doctor, known far and wide for saving lives. The young man was naturally gifted but was somewhat playful in his youth. In contrast, his father's apprentice, who was also his senior, was steady and diligent. Because of this, the divine doctor often praised his apprentice but scolded his son."0
"The divine doctor was broad-minded and never treated his apprentice differently from his son. In fact, he taught his eager apprentice everything he knew, without any reservations, hoping that once the apprentice mastered the skills, he would follow in his footsteps to heal the world. However, he misjudged the person. This apprentice was actually someone who coveted power and status. Moreover, because the young son's talent surpassed his own, he had always been jealous, even suspecting that the master was withholding knowledge from him."0
Yuwen Lan paused.0
Divine doctor...0
He thought of someone.0
He heard her continue, "After completing his apprenticeship, this person became a physician for a prominent family and quickly gained the favor of the family head with the medical skills taught by his master. However, as his master's skills were still superior to his own, he feared that his master might threaten his position. He devised a vicious plan, having people place a dead body outside his master's clinic and causing a commotion, falsely accusing his master of killing a patient. This forced the master to leave the capital, eliminating any future threats to his position."0
By this point, Yuwen Lan was growing eager.0
Indeed, he had already realized she was talking about Zhang Shengkang, the Chief Medical Officer.0
After all, he had previously overheard from her thoughts about how Zhang Shengkang had ungratefully forced his master to his death.0
For the first time, he was so anticipating her storyline that he hurriedly asked, "What happened next?"0
He heard her say, "The divine doctor had saved lives his entire life, yet he never imagined he would be ruined by the betrayal of his ungrateful apprentice. Filled with anger and indignation, he couldn't come to terms with it. The resentment festered in his heart, and not long after leaving the capital, he died coughing up blood."0
As soon as she finished speaking, Yuwen Lan asked, "What about the divine doctor's son? Did he remain unmoved seeing his father die in such anger?"0
Yanshu replied, "Of course not. This story's protagonist is that young man. How could he remain unmoved?"0
Yuwen Lan nodded and asked, "Then where did this young man go? What did he do?"0
No one knew how eagerly he awaited her answer at that moment.0
Ever since he had heard the news from her that day, he had sent people to search. Yet from winter to spring, and now almost summer, they had still found nothing.0
Unexpectedly, she seemed to know.0
At this moment, he stared intently at her cherry lips, almost holding his breath.0
However, to his surprise, she said, "Before I continue, Your Majesty must agree to one... no, two conditions for me."0
Yuwen Lan: "???"0
"What conditions?"0
He frowned and said, "You never did this before when showing me your stories."0
This girl, was she deliberately teasing him?0
But he saw her looking quite righteous as she said, "That's because I'm different from before. The royalties from publishers have doubled. As the first person to hear the story, and from my own lips no less, naturally, there should be some... special conditions. In any case, Your Majesty can consider it as paying in advance. After all, it's not like you can't afford it."0
Yuwen Lan: "???"0
What, pay?0
He was her husband...0