After breakfast in the morning, a young eunuch came over to deliver a message:
"Master Pei, His Majesty summons you to the imperial study."
Gu Qi tidied up hastily and put away the detailed water control plan that had not been completed last night.
Arriving at the door of the royal study, the young eunuch stopped and said, "Master Pei, please go in. I'm waiting outside."
"Thank you, father-in-law."
Gu Qi straightened her clothes, gently opened the door of the imperial study room, and saw Yuan Chengxi standing in front of the desk with his back on his back.
"See Your Majesty."
Yuan Chengxi turned around and saw Gu Qi, wearing a slightly larger official uniform, sitting on his knees with his head bowed.
"Get up."
Gu Qi stood up, nodded slightly, and stood with his hands down.
"That day, the imperial study room was robbed, and the assassin went to the Hanlin Academy and injured you. How are you now?"
"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."
Yuan Chengxi narrowed his eyes slightly, stared at Gu Qi and asked, "Have you known Uncle Huang for a long time?"
"I came from Qingzhou together with His Highness King Zhe, and we didn't know each other before."
"Oh?" Yuan Chengxi turned around and reached out to touch the box that was burned that day: "Song Lian said, did you have a banquet a few days ago?"
Song Qingyao was Song Lian's beloved daughter, and it was not unusual for Song Lian to know about the banquet.
But why did Yuan Chengxi mention this today?
Gu Qi followed the words and replied: "Your Majesty, it is indeed true."
"Is there anyone attending?"
"The Liu Mansion held a banquet and invited Mr. Song's daughter Song Qingyao, Mr. Li's daughter Li Muhe, General Zhao's son Zhao Dexun, and the oiran of Jinxiang Pavilion, Feng Chuxian."
Yuan Chengxi had a cold face, as if he didn't get the answer he wanted: "What else?"
Gu Qi thought for a while, then raised her head and looked at Yuan Chengxi.
His back was turned to him, and he showed no emotion.
"Master Liu was present that day, and there were three other adults who I have never met before, so I can't recognize them."
Yuan Chengxi snorted coldly and said, "You are discussing matters with King Zhe in the study, and you don't even know who is on the other side?"
Gu Qi was extremely smart and reacted immediately!
She knelt on the ground with a clang: "Your Majesty, I know that I didn't go to the study that day. I really don't know what happened next!"
Yuan Chengxi turned around and looked at Gu Qi who was kneeling on the ground.
"Get up."
Gu Qi stood up and raised his hand to wipe the sweat from the tip of his nose.
"this is for you."
Gu Qi respectfully took it in his hands, and it turned out to be the Zhu Ling he had stolen that day!
"Your Majesty, what is this?"
"When I was 6 years old, I saw the prince forcing the palace, and the intrigues between the emperors and uncles. Now only King Zhe is left. The late emperor has passed away, and King Zhe has become more and more active recently."
Gu Qi tightened his grip on Zhu Ling and responded, "My lord, I am willing to share your worries for Your Majesty!"
Yuan Chengxi showed a satisfied smile.
He took a step closer and said, "I saw you twice. Once in the court hall, you knelt down and lowered your head. I didn't look at you carefully. This time I raised my head."
Gu Qi raised his head anxiously.
This was also the first time that Gu Qi looked directly at the Emperor of Lan Kingdom.
The emperor who was right in front of him was younger than Yuan Zhe, and his fair and tender face still had a childish air.
However, he has grown a beard on his lips, and his clear eyes have lost the clear look in his youth, and become more Machiavellian.
The bridge of his nose was high and his thin lips curved into a smile.
"It's no wonder that King Zhe is willing to get close to you."
"What?" Gu Qi came back to his senses.
"Nothing." Yuan Chengxi stopped looking at him: "Pei Qihuan."
"I'm here!"
"I have high hopes for you, don't let them down."
"I will be loyal to Your Majesty with all my heart and soul!"
At this moment, the little eunuch outside the door shouted: "Your Majesty!"
"Come in."
Gu Qi put Zhu Ling away and saw the little eunuch pushing the door open from the outside, followed by - Rong Di?
"Your Majesty!" Rong Di took two steps and knelt on the ground with a "pop" sound.
"General Rong?" Yuan Chengxi looked surprised, "Didn't you accompany the emperor back to Qingzhou? Why are you in such a mess?"
Rong Di raised his head. Dust mixed with tears left traces on his face, and his body and hands were covered in blood.
"I am guilty! I failed to protect His Highness King Zhe! We encountered an ambush on the road, His Highness King Zhe, His Highness King Zhe was seriously injured!"
Yuan Chengxi was so shocked that he rushed towards Rong Di and asked, "Where is he now?"
Rong Di was already crying.
Yuan Chengxi's eyes were red with anxiety, and there was a "pop" sound! Slap Rong Di!
"I'm asking you, where are the others?"
"Here, in the Zhudi courtyard!"
Yuan Chengxi pulled Rong Di up and shouted to the young eunuch: "Quickly call all the doctors in the Imperial Hospital."
After finishing speaking, the little eunuch rushed out of the door.
Yuan Chengxi dragged Rong Di and ran towards the small courtyard. After running for a few steps, he suddenly thought of something and changed to walking quickly.
Gu Qi was stunned by the scene just now.
He came to his senses and hurriedly chased after him.
As soon as he stepped onto the gravel road outside the small courtyard, he saw blood stains along the way, extending directly to the small courtyard.
When they arrived, the doctors from Tai Hospital had already gathered around the bed and began to discuss treatment methods. Seeing Yuan Chengxi coming, they all stood up and said, "See your Majesty."
"No need to be polite, how is your uncle's condition?" Yuan Chengxi waved his hand, skipping the kneeling ceremony, and hurried to the bedside, looking at Yuan Zhe who was dying on the bed.
"There are many external injuries on the body. I lost a lot of blood all the way back. My limbs are cold and I am unconscious. The serious injury is the arrow in the chest. If I forcefully pull it out, I am afraid there will be no cure." An old imperial doctor said.
"How to treat it?" Seeing the silence of the imperial doctors, Yuan Chengxi was furious: "Say it!"
"This..." A middle-aged man next to him wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied: "We can only nourish the Qi and blood first, and then do further treatment. But the moment the arrow stays on the wound, it becomes more likely to be infected. risk."
Yuan Chengxi frowned and stopped talking, and there was a deathly silence around him.
"If we start now, there is still some hope. If we delay it any longer, I'm afraid it won't help even if Hua Tuo is alive."
Yuan Chengxi roared: "Who is talking!"
Gu Qi looked up and saw a doctor slowly walking out of the crowd.
Yan Churong? !
Rong Di knelt down next to Yan Churong in the direction of Yuan Chengxi: "Your Majesty, this is Doctor Yan. Due to the emergency, I was afraid that there were not enough manpower in the palace, so I happened to meet Doctor Yan on the East Street, so I took it upon myself to take care of him. come over."
Yuan Chengxi took a deep breath, looked at Yan Churong and said, "Are you sure?"
"Six points." Yan Churong stepped forward to inspect it and said, "If we delay any longer, I'm afraid we won't even get three points."
"How to heal?"
"'Abdominal pimple therapy' may be a try."
There was a commotion in the crowd, and then the old imperial doctor said: "I have heard that the "Yuan History" records that the injured person was stuffed into the tripe of the cow to stop the bleeding with blood, but this method has never been used since the beginning of the dynasty, I'm afraid. ..”
"Do you have any other suggestions?" Yuan Chengxi glanced over with cold eyes, and everyone was silent, falling into silence again.
"As Doctor Yan said, if the emperor's uncle successfully escapes from danger, he will be rewarded heavily!"
Everyone dispersed, and two young eunuchs helped Yuan Zhe from the bed to the courtyard. Rong Di cut open the tripe with a knife and took out the internal organs.
Gu Qi had never seen such a scene before. Seeing a large amount of blood spurting out, his vision went dark, and he no longer knew what happened.
I don’t know how long it took, but when I opened my eyes again, it was almost dusk.
"woke up?"
Yan Churong took a bowl of medicine and handed it to Gu Qi.
Gu Qi took the medicine bowl: "How is Yuanzhe?"
"died."
"What?"
Before I could swallow the medicine, I choked and started coughing!
The bitter taste spread in my mouth, making me want to vomit.
"What are you so excited about?"
"Why aren't you excited? You..." Gu Qi's voice rose a few degrees, and even she was startled.
Then he lowered his voice and said: "You put Prince Zhenguo to death, aren't you just waiting to be held accountable?"
After saying that, he was about to stand up, but Yan Churong held his shoulder with a big hand.
"Sit tight."
"There's no time. Run now!" Gu Qi struggled to get up. As soon as he stood up, he felt dizzy and fell to the couch with a thud.
Yan Churong quickly supported her and comforted her: "Don't worry, I just scared you."
"What's the meaning?"
Yan Churong pursed his lips toward the back room: "He's still breathing inside."
Gu Qi turned her body and looked towards the bed in the back room.
He saw Yuan Zhe lying on the bed, motionless.
"So how is he doing now?"
Yan Churong stood up and put the medicine bowl on the table: "He lost too much blood and is very weak now. But with his physique, it won't be a problem for him to wake up in a month."
"Where's Rong Di?"
"He collapsed from exhaustion after running around for days. Now he is resting elsewhere and is being cared for by other imperial doctors."
After listening to Yan Churong's words, Gu Qi finally felt relieved: "Huh, that's good."
At this time, there were knocks on the door.
Yan Churong stood up and opened the door, and saw a fair little eunuch standing outside the door: "What's the matter?"
"Your Majesty asked your servant to ask about the situation. Are His Royal Highness King Zhe and Lord Pei feeling better?"
"Master Pei just woke up, His Royal Highness King Zhe is still in a coma."
"Then Dr. Lao Yan will take care of you. I will resign."
Gu Qi sat on the couch outside, listening to the footsteps walking away.
It wasn't until there was no movement outside that he started to discuss with Yan Churong: "I don't know what Yuan Zhe went through to be so seriously injured."
Yan Churong stopped talking.
"What’s wrong with you?"
He smiled: "It's okay."
"Aju!" Suddenly there was a chill, and Gu Qi sneezed.
Yan Churong pulled the quilt behind him: "Although taking medicine has caused physical weakness, it will not cause other diseases. Why do you faint now?"
"Maybe I'm not used to this kind of scene. It's not a big deal."
He didn't respond, but frowned thoughtfully.
"What's wrong with you?" Gu Qi raised her hand and waved it in front of his eyes.
"Oh, it's okay." Yan Churong came back to his senses and said, "I will be very busy these two days. You have to be careful everywhere in this palace."
"When I saw you with the imperial doctors today, I thought you had entered the palace."
"Wouldn't it be better to come to the palace to accompany you?" Yan Churong changed his gloom and smiled.
Gu Qi thought for a while and said: "It's not bad, but it's too restrictive in the palace. It's better to be outside where it's cheaper."
"I think so too. I rented a yard on East Street some time ago, and rented it together with the shop in front of it."
Gu Qi gave a thumbs up in approval: "East Street is next to the city gate, it is indeed a good place!"
"Let's see how he is doing tomorrow. If there is no danger to his life, I will go back."
"good."
next day
Just after breakfast, an older eunuch came to the small courtyard: "Master Pei, Doctor Yan, Your Majesty summons you two to the imperial study."
"Thank you."
Gu Qi and Yan Churong followed the eunuch and walked towards the imperial study room.
"You two, go in."
Opening the door, they saw Yuan Chengxi sitting at the table reading a book. The two of them hurriedly took two steps forward and knelt down to salute.
"Get up." Yuan Chengxi put down the book and said, "Doctor Yan, how is the emperor's condition?"
"Your Majesty, he is alive and well, but His Royal Highness King Zhe is too seriously injured and will need some time to recover."
"Doctor Yan has superb medical skills, would you consider coming to Tai Hospital?"
"Your Majesty's honor is a blessing to the common people. However, the common people do not have this ambition. They would rather hide in the countryside and contribute to the people of Li."
Yuan Chengxi smiled and said, "In that case, I won't force Dr. Yan to stay. Wei Li!"
The eunuch pushed open the door and came in: "Your Majesty!"
"Doctor Yan will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold for his meritorious service in rescuing people. In addition, the confiscated mansion next to the Liu Mansion will be given to Dr. Yan. He will come back after settling it properly."
"Slave takes orders."
"Thank you, Your Majesty! The common people will retire."
It turns out that this personal eunuch is named "Wei Li".
Gu Qi stood there, watching Wei Li lead Yan Churong out and then close the door of the imperial study.
"Pei Qing was very frightened yesterday. He must have never seen anything like this before."
Gu Qi smiled sheepishly: "I made your Majesty laugh."
"It doesn't matter." Yuan Chengxi waved his hand and said, "Now that the emperor's uncle is seriously injured and still needs to stay in the palace for a while, you will take care of him during this time."
"Your Majesty, this...isn't it appropriate?"
"What's wrong?" Yuan Chengxi raised his eyebrows and glanced at Gu Qi from top to bottom: "Is it possible that you are still afraid that my uncle, the emperor, will take advantage of you?"
Gu Qi's face turned red: "No, I... I obey your order."
Yuan Chengxi's smile disappeared and he returned to his serious look: "This is the best opportunity for you to get close to the emperor, Pei Qing, please don't let me down."
Gu Qi nodded and fell into deep thought.
“If you have any doubts, just say it’s okay.”
Gu Qi plucked up the courage and asked, "If Your Majesty wants to get rid of His Royal Highness King Zhe, why bother to save him?"
Yuan Chengxi sat back at the table and chuckled.
"In your eyes, I am such an unscrupulous person?"
"Your Majesty, forgive me!"
"The Emperor's uncle was injured, but you never showed concern. Now you ask me these words. I'm relieved." Yuan Chengxi picked up the tea and took a sip: "Although I suspected that the Emperor's uncle was unfaithful, I never did. Basis. If he is really loyal, I will regret not being able to do my best to treat him today."
"Your Majesty has a kind heart, but you have the heart of a villain. I hope your Majesty will forgive me!"
"Get up."
Yuan Chengxi did not blame him, but instead had some appreciation for the person in front of him.
I thought Pei Qihuan was a nerd who studied water control, but now it seems that he is of great use.
At this time, Pei Qihuan's loyalty still needs to be considered.
Yuan Chengxi did not say it deeply: "There are inextricably linked relationships between ministers in this court. I can only place my trust in you. Only outsiders can see things clearly."
"My lord, I will live up to His Majesty's instructions!"
Let's say that after Yan Churong left the palace in a hurry that day, he thanked the palace attendants, but did not go back directly to the palace, but walked towards the rented shop in Dongshi. He opened the door, locked it from the inside, and went into the courtyard.
"You shouldn't have saved him." The man on the bed wrapped gauze around his body and slowly put on his clothes.
Yan Churong said while packing the medicine box, "You are too reckless."
"It's a pity that he's not dead." The person on the bed got up and walked outside. That person was Han Zizheng.
"He was assassinated when he left the city. If he dies, Yuan Chengxi will search the entire county and city. How can you survive in the county?" Yan Churong put the medicine box away, took another bowl of soup and said, "If it hadn't been for her I'll help you hang on to your life, I'm afraid you won't be able to wait until I come back."
A woman stood in the room and remained silent.
Han Zizheng took the bowl and drank the soup in one gulp. He glanced at the woman again and smiled: "Wu Zhuo is good at using poison, but I didn't expect that she also knows medicine."
"Thank you, Master. You know a little bit about it." The woman crossed her hands on her chest and bowed slightly.
"What are your plans next?" Yan Churong took back the medicine bowl and put it on the table.
Han Zizheng said: "Of course I'm going back."
Yan Churong didn't look at him. He just sat at the table. After thinking for a while, he replied: "Yes."
