met free Chapter 218 Approaching a Dead End
Chapter 218 Approaching a Dead End
After making up her mind, Shen Qingtan did not go to the dining hall of Hualing Temple, but instead went into the house to discuss it with Zhao Yi.
"Second Master, Uncle Qin has sent a message. Zhongyuan is unwilling to go to the capital." Shen Qingtan did not understand Zhongyuan's character and expressed his concerns: "Your health is not suitable for long journeys. Zhongyuan's whereabouts are hard to find. I am worried that when you are better and go to Baohua County, he will have disappeared again. I plan to go to Baohua County in person to invite him to the capital."
After reading the letter, Zhao Yi coughed twice and said, "Even the most skilled doctors have their own temperaments. He claimed he was unwilling to go to the capital, which probably means he has some concerns. You may not be able to get what you want when you go to Baohua County this time."
"I'm thinking of going to invite him to the capital first. If I can't persuade him, I'll write to you again. By then, you'll be better fit and can set off for Baohua County."
Shen Qingtan looked worried: "I feel more at ease if I stay over there with Zhongyuan."
Zhao Yi pondered for a moment: "It's getting late today, let's talk about it tomorrow."
Shen Qingtan frowned: "You want to come along?"
"Please ask Imperial Physician Chen to come and examine my pulse tomorrow. If the situation allows, I will go with you." Zhao Yi held her hand and said gently, "Zhongyuan has said that if we want him to treat our illness, we must go to him in person. If you go alone, he might think we are not sincere, wouldn't that offend him?"
Shen Qingtan looked serious and pondered for a long time before saying, torn between two options, "Let's talk about it tomorrow."
The next day, Jiang Chao invited Chen Yuanshi to Hualing Temple to take Zhao Yi's pulse.
Chen learned from Jiang Chao that they had found Zhong Yuan and reported the good news to Emperor Jing'an, who granted him permission to go to Baohua County with Zhao Yi.
"Young Master Zhao, your health is weak, and you should not overexert yourself, let alone travel." Suppressing his excitement at the prospect of meeting the divine physician, Imperial Physician Chen said calmly, "Make sure the carriage is spacious and comfortable, and slow down your journey to Baohua County. With me by your side to take care of you, there should be no major problems."
Shen Qingtan was still worried: "Can Second Master's body handle it?"
Dean Chen smiled and said, "I will definitely be able to hold on until I see the divine doctor."
Shen Qingtan: "..."
With the approval of Imperial Physician Chen, Shen Qingtan instructed people to prepare a spacious carriage, lay out thick mattresses, and prepare a full range of medicines and food before renting a chair to carry Zhao Yi down the mountain.
Shen Qingtan got into the carriage and asked, "Shall we ask our brother to come with us to Baohua County? With our brother by our side to protect us, nothing will go wrong."
"My fourth uncle and uncles returned to the capital yesterday. The palace will hold a welcome banquet today. My brothers-in-law will also be attending the banquet, so it will be inconvenient for them to come with us to Baohua County."
Zhao Yi looked relaxed: "The Emperor has arranged for assassins to protect me in secret, so there won't be any major problems."
Shen Qingtan felt relieved.
-
Prince Yu's Mansion.
Prince Yu, dressed in a spotless white robe, sat in a round-backed chair reading a letter.
As he opened four or five letters in a row, his expression grew increasingly gloomy.
"Your Highness, the second branch of the Duke's family has been expelled from the clan. The Duke only gave them a two-courtyard house on Xingning Street, and did not give them a single bit of family property."
The Grand Master cautiously asked, "Do you still want this chess piece?"
"Why not?" Prince Yu burned the letters one by one in the stove: "Only those who are driven to the brink of despair will risk their lives to fight back."
The Grand Master was taken aback: "Do you intend to use them now?"
“Not enough. The second branch of the family is not yet in dire straits.” Prince Yu said casually, “We need to wait a little longer, and stage one or two more plays before it reaches the right moment.”
A chill ran through the Grand Master's heart, and his scalp tingled.
He had a vague feeling that Prince Yu wanted to fan the flames and push the second branch of the family to their doom, making them risk their lives to drag Shen Qingtan and the others down to hell.
Since the Qingzhou affair was exposed, Consort Ling fell out of favor, and Prince Yu was confined to his quarters, he has become even more composed.
Prince Yu lowered his eyes to look at the two characters "Zhao Yi" on the Xuan paper, recalling the letter sent to him from the palace. The news that the second wife of the Duke's mansion had plotted to murder Zhao Yi had reached Emperor Jing'an's ears.
Emperor Jing'an was furious, but after hearing that the Duke of Zhao had exterminated the second branch of the family, he did not unleash his wrath on the second branch.
"Your Highness, Zhao Yi is seriously ill. This morning, Imperial Physician Chen went to Hualing Temple to take his pulse." The Grand Tutor asked, "Instead of staying at the temple to recuperate, Zhao Yi actually took Imperial Physician Chen with him when he left the capital. Could there be some other hidden reason?"
“Zhao Yi has not been appointed to an official post outside the capital, nor does he have any official duties that require him to leave the capital. Shen Qingtan has already returned to his ancestral home, and the entire family of the Prince of Zhenbei is also in the capital.”
Prince Yu calmly analyzed, "Father is most concerned about Zhao Yi's health. Zhao Yi's condition was critical yesterday. If he leaves the capital today, Father will definitely do everything in his power to stop him and will not arrange for Imperial Physician Chen to go with him."
The Grand Tutor was taken aback, unable to fathom the meaning behind Prince Yu's words.
"I remember that Imperial Physician Chen determined that Zhao Yi only had a few months to live, and that only by finding Zhong Yuan could there be a glimmer of hope. Therefore, Father Emperor posted an imperial edict to find Zhong Yuan."
Prince Yu raised one corner of his lips, his smile playful: "They left the capital today to go find Zhongyuan."
Aside from seeking treatment from Zhongyuan, there was no other reason that could have prompted Zhao Yi to leave the capital despite his illness.
The Grand Master was startled. "If Zhao Yi is cured, won't the capital be in turmoil?"
Prince Yu and Zhao Yi became enemies, while Zhao Yi was deeply favored by Emperor Jing'an.
Now that Consort Xian is in charge of the affairs of the six palaces and Prince Rui has taken over the Ministry of War, if Zhao Yi supports Prince Rui...
Perhaps the Emperor will really make Prince Rui the Crown Prince.
With his left hand supporting his wide sleeve, Prince Yu dipped his wolf-hair brush in ink with his right and drew a horizontal line on the characters "Zhao Yi".
He watched quietly as the thick ink seeped into the two characters, leaving only two blobs of black ink.
Prince Yu tossed aside the wolf-hair brush in his hand: "Zhongyuan may not still be alive."
For some reason, the Grand Master felt that this seemingly ordinary statement was full of murderous intent. His heart pounded rapidly as he realized that Prince Yu was about to make a move against Zhongyuan.
-
A spacious carriage slowly drove into Baohua County and stopped in front of an inn.
Jiang Chao and Jiang Mu dismounted and came to the carriage: "Second Master, Second Madam, we have arrived at Wushe Inn."
Shen Qingtan looked at Zhao Yi, whose face was pale and whose lips were completely bloodless.
What should have been a two-day journey took them four days to complete.
"If you're not feeling well, just tell me. Don't push yourself." Shen Qingtan touched his forehead and found it cool to the touch, not hot. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Zhongyuan is at the inn. Let's go find him to treat our illness first, and then go back to our room to rest."
Zhao Yi coughed a few times, covering his mouth with a handkerchief, and nodded.
Shen Qingtan helped Zhao Yi down from the carriage and slowly walked into the inn, heading straight for the third floor.
Worried that their departure from the capital might leak out and allow someone with ulterior motives to get there first, they arranged for two assassins to arrive at the Wushe Inn ahead of time to secretly protect Zhongyuan.
As soon as Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi reached the third floor, a dark figure emerged from the shadows.
“Lord Zhao, Zhongyuan had already left when I arrived at Wushe Inn.”
The assassin added, "I've discovered that a force is tracking Zhongyuan. He must have left the inn to avoid them."