Chapter 45
This blood-stained, seriously injured young man was none other than Xiao Cheng’s personal shadow guard, Shen Huaishi.
Taking a closer look, Lin Qingyu found that Shen Huaishi’s injury was more serious than he expected: a knife wound on his chest that cut deep enough to see the flesh was the most deadly. The wound was even faintly black. Aside from this, there were various other large and small sword wounds. If an ordinary person were to be injured like this, they would have long passed out from excessive blood loss. That Shen Huaishi could still stand in front of him as if nothing had happened, he had truly proven himself to have come from the Imperial family’s secret guards, the Tianyi Camp.
Lin Qingyu and this person have only met once; that was during Lu Wancheng’s funeral when Shen Huaishi placed the edge of his sword against his neck. Had anyone else treated him like this, they would have probably made it on top of his grudge list. But Jiang had told him that the plain-looking shadow guard in front of him would be Xiao Cheng’s only weakness in the future.
For Shen Huaishi to be injured like this, he must have gone to do work for his master. After getting injured, he must have come to the Imperial Medical Office to get Jinchuang medicine to stop the bleeding. His eyes stayed on Lin Qingyu’s face for a long time. Without saying a word, he covered the stab wound on his chest with his hands. He made to go around Lin Qingyu’s side and leave.
Lin Qingyu said, “One or two applications of Jinchuang medicine might not be enough to fix Imperial Bodyguard Shen’s injury.”
Shen Huaishi pursed his lips and said, “I won’t trouble Imperial Physician Lin to trouble himself over this matter.”
“To heal to wounded and to rescue the dying is the duty of every doctor. It is best that you get rid of the poison now while it still hasn’t penetrated too deep. Otherwise, the poison will enter your heart and won’t be able to practice your martial arts. How can you continue to serve the Crown Prince then?”
Hearing his last statement, Shen Huaishi’s expression softened. Lin Qingyu added, “You’ve been poisoned with the Five Evils Powder from the Western Regions. I happen to know how to dispel it. Would you like me to give it a try?”
Shen Huaishi knew that no matter how powerful his martial arts, he was still just a man. Holding on for this long , he was an arrow at the end of its flight. If he were to reject Lin Qingyu’s offer, he might not be able to return to the Eastern Palace with a clear mind. After weighing his options again and again, he finally said, “Thank you, Imperial Physician Lin.”
Lamps lit up a corner of the Thousand Herb Hall. Shen Huaishi took off his shirt, revealing his hole-riddled chest and back. The entire surface was covered in new wounds and old scars. It was a sight too horrible to endure.
During his study travels, Lin Qingyu had also treated injuries for people of the Jianghu. Most martial arts practitioners had a bunch of large and small injuries. But compared to those martial artists, Shen Huaishi’s condition was far worse. It could be assumed that he’d been working himself to the bone for his master.
If Xiao Cheng was going to fall in love with him, how could he be so willing to let him suffer so much? Perhaps it is as Jiang had said, scumbags always disdain those who go through fire and water for them, but long for those who regard them as beneath their notice.
Lin Qingyu cleaned up Shen Huaishi’s wounds and applied the antidote. “It will hurt a little.”
Shen Huaishi shook his head; this pain was nothing to him at all. Lin Qingyu’s jade-like face was right in front of his eyes. The teardrop mole at the corner of his eye looked particularly moving under the candlelight.
Noticing of his gaze, Lin Qingyu raised his eyes. “What are you looking at me for?”
“Imperial Physician Lin is as graceful as the moon, a person of matchless beauty. No wonder…” Shen Huaizhi’s voice was very soft, showing a look of envy and inferiority, “No wonder His Highness keeps thinking of you.”
Lin Qingyu stopped the movements of his hands and looked at him. “Then, with you face, why does the Crown Prince favor you?”
That Xiao Cheng was dissolute was quite true but he either liked people who looked like Jingchun or he bestowed favor among those with real beauty. Shen Huaishi’s appearance at first glace looked very ordinary. After scrutinizing it for a long time, it still looked ordinary. The most that could be said was that he looked very heroic.
Shen Huaishi was momentarily stunned. “How did you…”
“How do I know?” Lin Qingyu glanced at the ambiguous marks on Shen Huaishi’s collarbone, “Wounds and scars aren’t the only marks on your body.”
Shen Huaishi suddenly stood up, the look in his eyes turning vigilant. “Imperial Physician Lin and I are not at all acquainted. How was it that Imperial Physician Lin was able to call out my name last time in the Nan’an Hou’s Mansion?”
Lin Qingyu sidestepped the question. “I haven’t finished applying the medicine yet.”
Knowing that Lin Qingyu didn’t want to answer him, Shen Huaishi said indifferently, “I’ll do it myself.”
Lin Qingyu no longer forced himself to do it. He got up and stepped aside. Shen Huaishi had some injuries on his back, and it would be extremely inconvenient for him to apply the medicine himself. Seeing that Shen Huaishi was finding it difficult to move, Lin Qingyu sneered and said, “You have suffered quite a lot. And the Crown Prince? Maybe he’s out there enjoying yourself with someone else in his arms.”
When Shen Huaishi heard the words, he froze. After a while, he said quietly, “He is the Crown Prince. He can bestow favor on whom he so ever wishes – including you, Imperial Physician Lin. You can hide for now but not forever. ”
Lin Qingyu smiled. “That’s true.”
Shen Huaishi only felt that Imperial Physician Lin’s smile was very confusing. It seemed to bemoan the state of the universe and pity the fate of mankind; it had an indescribable charm. It is probably this kind of beauty that could make the Crown Prince turn serious.
Shen Huaishi hastily finished applying the medicine. He thanked Lin Qingyu again: “It’s late and the road is dark. Imperial Physician Lin, please take care on your way home. I shall be taking my leave.”
Lin Qingyu said, “Once the medicine loses its effect, come to the Imperial Hospital to find me. I’ll change the medicine for you.”
“No.” Shen Huaishi knew, “The fewer people who know about a shadow guard being injured, the better.”
“Then I’ll go to the Eastern Palace to find you.” After Lin Qingyu finished speaking, he leaned over and blew out the candle. The Thousand Herb Hall fell back into darkness.
For the next succeeding days, Lin Qingyu did not see Chu Zhengde at the Imperial Hospital. The Emperor’s headache had gotten worse and it has reached the point where it wasn’t even possible for him to attend court. Chu Zhengde personally attended to the Emperor and remained on call in Qinzheng Hall.
When Hu Ji was talking about this, Lin Qingyu was pouding medicine in a mortar. He was currently only a seventh-rank medical officer. Rather than making patient visits, he spent most of his time making medicine in the Imperial Hospital.
Lin Qingyu asked, “Does the Emperor often get headaches?”
Hu Ji said, “When the Emperor is hard at work handling state affairs, it’s not rare for him to get headaches. This time his headache is quite severe. He can’t even look after the government’s affairs. So he can only have the Crown Prince supervise the country.”
The Emperor was getting old and he now suffered from chronic illnesses like headaches. In the days to come, Xiao Cheng will be supervising the country more and more.
Lin Qingyu put the pounded medicine into the medical box. “I’ll be going out.”
Xiao Cheng was suspicious by nature and the Eastern Palace was heavily guarded. Even though Lin Qingyu was wearing an official uniform and carrying a medicine box, showing at a glance that he was an imperial physician, he was still stopped by the guards of the Eastern Palace. “We have not received any notice from His Highness regarding the arrival of an imperial physician. Imperial Physician Lin, please turn back.”
Lin Qingyu said, “I didn’t come here to diagnose or treat His Highness.”
“No matter who you are here for, you are not allowed to step even half a foot into the Eastern Palace without His Highness’ express permission.”
Sure enough, Xiao Cheng’s defenses couldn’t be compared to those idiots in the Nan’an Hou’s mansion. Lin Qingyu was thinking about what to do next when he heard someone call him. “Imperial Physician Lin.”
With a few days of rest, Shen Huaishi’s complexion looked much better than last time. When the two guards saw him, they cupped their hands in salute and said, “Shen Daren.”
“Imperial Physician Lin is here for me.” Shen Huaishi said, “I will take him to my room.”
“With Shen Daren here, we can rest assured.” The guard said, making way for Lin Qingyu.
It could be seen that Xiao Cheng did indeed treat Shen Huai differently from others. Maybe he has yet to reach the point of ‘like’, but at the very least, he was trusted.
Lin Qingyu followed Shen Huaishi to a room in the back hall. Shen Huaishi pushed open the door and said, “Lin Shaojun, please.”
The interior of the room is simple and clean, with no unnecessary objects, indicating that the owner of the house was of a serene disposition and rarely returns home. Shen Huaishi poured Lin Qingyu cup of crude tea. “I didn’t expect that you would actually come.”
“Why?”
Shen Huaishi hesitated for a moment and said, “No one cares about the injuries of a shadow guard.”
Lin Qingyu didn’t care either. He approached Shen Huaishi simply because he wanted his master’s life. “In that case, you can care about yourself.” Lin Qingyu opened the medicine box, “Don’t always think about the Crown Prince and be kind to yourself as well.”
Shen Huaishi lowered his eyes and said, “But my life was given by the Crown Prince.” His eyes happened to fall on the corner of the back of Lin Qingyu’s medicine box. His expression suddenly changed and he grabbed Lin Qingyu’s wrist in front of him, “Why do you know the secret code of the Shen family?”
Lin Qingyu frowned and said, “Secret code?”
“This.” Shen Huaishi pointed to the strange pattern carved in the corner of the medicine box. His voice trembling slightly, “How do you know…”
Lin Qingyu was silent. He didn’t know. The one who knew was that person.
So, this ws the reason why that man gave him this medicine box? For Shen Huaishi to recognize it?
Lin Qingyu said calmly, “Let go first.”
The two of them were immersed in their own thoughts and they didn’t notice the sound of footsteps outside the door getting closer and closer. They only heard the “bang” as the door was pushed open from the outside. Seeing their two hands, the man’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “It seems that I have come at an inopportune time.”
Shen Huai came back to his senses, knelt down and saluted, “Your Highness.”
Xiao Cheng ignored him and let him stay kneeling. “Why is Little Qingyu here? I leave you alone and you send yourself to my door. But, have you perhaps taken a wrong turn? Gu’s bedchamber isn’t here. .”
Lin Qingyu said, “Since this official is an imperial physician, naturally, I came to Imperial Guard Shen’s room to treat his injuries.”
“Injuries?” Xiao Cheng finally looked directly at Shen Huaishi, “Are you injured?”
Shen Huaishi lowered his head and said, “It’s but some minor injuries…it is dur to the incompetence of this subordinate.”
“You really are incompetent.” Xiao Cheng turned the jade thumb ring on his hand, “Such a little thing can actually injure you. What use does Gu have of you — and you still haven’t withdrawn.”
Shen Huaishi glanced at Lin Qingyu. Lips trembling, he said, “Your Highness, this is my room…”
Xiao Cheng stared at Lin Qingyu’s eyes and said with a smile, “And Gu wishes to use your room to have Little Qingyu help me… diagnose my pulse.”
Lin Qingyu’s hands hidden in the sleeves of his official uniform clenched into fists. He said lightly, “Seeing Your Highness so leisurely, I presume there has been another great victory in the Northwest?”
Mentioning the Northwest, Xiao Cheng naturally thought of Gu Fuzhou. He also remembered that the beauty in front of him was Gu Fuzhou’s adopted brother. A trace of unwillingness appeared in his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, a eunuch hurriedly came to report: “Your Highness, an urgent report has arrived from Yongliang. All the ministers are waiting for you in Qinzheng Palace.”
State affairs were important and Xiao Cheng could tell which was more important. He finally glanced at Shen Huaishi and said, “You’re on duty today. Come.” After that, he walked away with a flick of his sleeve.
Shen Huaishi staggered to a stand. He gave Lin Qingyu a complicated look and followed. The eunuch said, “Imperial Physician Lin, please go back, as well.”
Shen Huaishi was right. He could escape for now but not forever. Only once Xiao Cheng disappears forever could he feel completely relieved.
Xiao Cheng walked into Qinzheng Palace and waved his hand to do away with the ministers’ courtesies. “What? Did Gu Fuzhou send another resignation letter?”
“To answer His Highness, since His Majesty told him he can came back once he is ‘defeated’, General Gu has not sent a resignation letter.” The Minister of War said, “This time, he said in his report that he has intercepted a secret letter sent by the army to the Xixia capital. Inside is a coded message. He suspects that it conceals Xixia military secrets. But no one in the Zhengxi Army can understand it. General Gu wishes for His Majesty to publicize the message, to look for people of skill and ability within the capital to decipher this coded message for him.”
“Now, there’s this thing.” Xiao Cheng was suspicious, “What is this coded message? Let’s hear it.”
The Minister of War cleared his throat and said solemnly, “If odd, change; if even, remain the same.”
