Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 377 Doubts
"Miss, Doctor Shu has arrived." Xiao Zhao gently lifted the curtain.

Xue Sui was leaning against the soft couch by the window, flipping through the medical books that Li Zhao had found in the palace. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Tian Shu walking in, carrying a worn medicine box. His tall figure stood in the light and shadow, with a hint of solemnity between his brows.

"Big brother."

With only Xiao Zhao and Ruyi by her side, she felt no apprehension. She put down her book and naturally revealed a faint smile.

How is my mother?

"Lady Xue hasn't woken up yet, but her pulse is more stable than last night." Tian Shu sat down opposite her, took the hot tea offered by Ruyi, and gently rubbed his fingertips for a moment before slowly speaking.

"I have come today to explain His Majesty's medical history to you in detail."

"His Majesty?"

Li Zhao did not mention to her that Tian Shu had diagnosed the emperor's illness.

Hearing him speak so frankly at this moment, Xue Sui was extremely shocked.

Li Zhao had always been suspicious of Tian Shu's identity, yet he allowed him to diagnose the emperor.

Xue Sui asked, "What did you discover, Senior Brother?"

Tian Shu pondered for a moment, then opened his medicine chest, took out a scroll of paper, and pushed it in front of her: "This is a copy of the medical records from the Imperial Medical Academy. Take a look."

Xue Sui took it and opened it.

The medical records were written in messy ink, yet they were detailed.

Tian Shu's voice rang out from the side, "His Majesty's pulse is very strange... sometimes rapid, sometimes sluggish, completely erratic. The senior officials of the Imperial Hospital are probably panicked, only daring to keep him alive with ginseng soup, and none of them dare to delve into the root of the problem or risk using strong medicine in order to seek a glimmer of hope."

"Is the aphrodisiac powder that Consort Xiao administered still causing trouble?" Xue Sui paused on the paper and looked up at him.

“Not entirely,” Tian Shu said. “The Yang-Boosting Powder damages kidney essence. While it does damage yin, there are traces to be found. It works on a single meridian and isn’t a deadly poison that kills instantly. Your Majesty shouldn’t have declined so rapidly…”

"Senior brother, is there something else going on?" Xue Sui's heart tightened slightly.

Tian Shu raised his eyes, his gaze clear: "His Majesty's symptoms seem to be caused by chronic poisoning over the years. Consort Xiao's dosage was merely the last straw that broke the camel's back."

Xue Sui's fingers suddenly tightened.

It seems that the dragon bed in the Zichen Palace is more like a bottomless pit that devours people than the deep mansion of the Xue family.

Who else knows about this?

"No one has mentioned it yet. Either the imperial physicians missed it, or... someone is deliberately keeping quiet, just to protect themselves..." Tian Shu's eyes darkened. "The Emperor's health is of utmost importance. Who would dare to speak the truth, especially at this critical juncture?"

The other side of having the Crown Prince oversee the country is that it makes it inconvenient for His Majesty to rule.

Xue Sui understood Tian Shu's implication and silently frowned.

She recalled the words Empress Xie used to berate the people in the Imperial Hospital.

Everyone speaks half-truths, seeking no merit but avoiding demerit, and each person is more adept at lying than the last in order to avoid responsibility.

She was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Senior Brother, did you truly want to save people by risking your life to go to the Zichen Palace this time?"

Tian Shu paused slightly in his cup-holding hand, looked up and stared directly at her, his tone tinged with self-mockery.

"In your heart, is your senior brother a quack doctor who takes revenge for personal reasons and disregards human life?"

Xue Sui pursed her lips.

The blood debts of the Old Mausoleum Swamp are a nightmare in the heart of the eldest brother.

Emperor Chongzhao was one of the instigators of that bloodshed.

He could take any revenge on the emperor as he pleased.

"Some debts can only be repaid while you're alive." Tian Shu's voice softened, a suppressed storm churning in his eyes. "Some grudges can only be satisfied when the enemy is lucid. Let him hear the curses of the world, let him confess his sins to the world... Only then will my heart find peace!"

He wasn't trying to save his enemy; he wanted to ensure his enemy was put on trial alive.

"what are you guys saying?"

A deep voice sounded, carrying a subtle tension.

Li Zhao was already standing at the entrance of the side hall, his posture upright and his face stern. His casual clothes were slightly dusty, indicating that he had just returned from outside. He was also carrying an exquisite sandalwood food box, the contents of which were unknown.

A silent tension permeated the hall.

The two men's gazes met briefly in the air, one deep and unfathomable, the other sharp and piercing.

Xue Sui's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly smiled and said, "Your Highness, what brings you here? I was just hearing my senior brother say..."

"Your Highness, let's talk about His Majesty's illness." Tian Shu spoke first, rising to bow, his expression returning to its usual aloofness and restraint.

"I have met His Highness the Crown Prince."

"No gift."

Li Zhao's gaze lingered on Tian Shu's face for a moment, then he nodded slightly to him, walked slowly to Xue Sui's side, and naturally reached out to touch her slightly cool forehead.

"Are you feeling better today?"

Xue Sui looked up at him: "After using the prescription my senior brother gave me, the tightness in my chest feels better."

"Hmm." He responded, then sat down on the edge of the couch. He turned to Tian Shu, his gaze calm, and asked, "In your opinion, Doctor Shu, is there any chance that His Majesty's condition will improve?"

"Yes," Tian Shu answered crisply and directly, his tone unadorned. "The poison has penetrated deep into the body, and the illness is too severe to be easily eradicated. We can only use strong medicine to stimulate it, supplemented by acupuncture, which may bring back a sliver of clarity. However..." He paused and looked at Li Zhao.

“Speak freely,” Li Zhao said.

"This method is extremely dangerous, like walking a tightrope over a cliff. If you succeed, you will be lucid for a period of time and able to distinguish right from wrong. If you fail, you will most likely suffer a complete collapse of your heart meridian, unable to speak or move, like... a living dead."

Li Zhao's jawline suddenly tightened.

Such a choice carries a tremendous burden, and indeed, no one dares to make a decision lightly.

"Your Highness, please consider this matter further." Tian Shu bowed and said calmly, "If Your Highness has no further instructions, I will take my leave now."

Li Zhao waved his hand.

Once Tian Shu's figure disappeared outside the curtain, only the two of them remained in the hall.

Li Zhao took out an earthenware pot from the food box, filled it with warm bird's nest soup, and handed it to Xue Sui.

"Drink it while it's hot."

Xue Sui took the soup bowl and looked at him: "Has there been any change in Xiao Song's behavior in prison lately?"

“No. He’s very stubborn.” Li Zhao sneered. “But the kind of person he is, is afraid of death. As long as we find his weakness, he’ll spill everything sooner or later.”

Xue Sui hummed in agreement: "What does Your Highness intend to do?"

"Let's stall for time," Li Zhao said. "The news from the palace can't be kept under wraps for long. Xiao Yan is sharpening his sword in the Western Frontier. Once he learns of the changes in the capital, he will definitely cause a huge uproar."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Once we've dealt with this major threat, we can deal with the evil spirits and monsters in the court later."

Xue Sui gazed into his deep eyes, where a reassuring power resided.

He was always like this, seemingly domineering and tyrannical, yet he always arranged the most complex and dangerous situations step by step to ensure they were safe and secure, refusing to let her take any risks.

"Oh, right." She remembered something, tilted her head slightly, and lowered her voice with a hint of embarrassment that she herself was unaware of.

"Ruyi said... the roots of my newly grown hair, when looked at under the light, seem... to have a grayish-black tinge?"

She raised her hand, her fingertips gently touching her head, and lowered her eyes.

"Look at this..."

Li Zhao was clearly taken aback when she suddenly brought this up.

Then, he chuckled softly.

"I thought Xue Ping'an truly regarded beautiful women as dirt..."

Xue Sui's cheeks flushed slightly, and she glared at him: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Li Zhao's smile deepened: "I believe that Ping An would not care about such things."

Xue Sui blushed at his words and turned her face away slightly. "I just feel... it would be better if we could turn back."

Li Zhao leaned closer, his calloused fingertips gently stroking the short tuft of hair on her head, his movements incredibly tender.

"No rush. Wait until your hair is as black as a waterfall, then you can wear a phoenix coronet and wedding robes, and marry me..."

His smile deepened, a mischievous glint spreading across his eyes.

"At that time, I will personally tie up your hair..."

The warm breath brushed past his ear, and Xue Sui's ears instantly burned, even his neck turning a thin blush.

She hurriedly lowered her head and took a sip of soup.

The bird's nest soup was stewed until very tender, and the warmth spread from my stomach all the way to my heart.

The sunlight outside the window grew brighter and brighter, shining through the curtains onto the two of them, casting long shadows that overlapped closely, indistinguishable from one another.

This brief period of tranquility did not last long.

Outside the hall, an unusual commotion and suppressed shouts suddenly rang out.

Soon, Guan Ya rushed in with a troubled expression and hurriedly reported.

"Your Highness, the Grand Princess is heading straight for the Eastern Palace with the golden mace bestowed by the Emperor Taizu! The guards dare not stop her..."

"Where is he?" Li Zhaoteng stood up abruptly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"The Junior Chamberlain has arranged for the person to be placed in Chenghui Hall. Please give your instructions, Your Highness."

Li Zhao's smile vanished, and he gave a soft, cold snort: "She certainly dares."

Xue Sui sat up straight, his expression grave. "The visitor is ill-intentioned; Your Highness must be careful..."

"You rest." Li Zhao pressed her shoulder, tucked her back into the quilt, and patted her hand reassuringly. "I'll go see what this great-aunt is up to."

Xue Sui nodded, watching his figure disappear behind the palace gate, a sense of unease suddenly rising in her heart.

The Grand Princess has always been protective of her own, and she endured Xiao Song's imprisonment for as long as he was imprisoned.

This time, by forcibly storming into the Eastern Palace with the golden mace, it seems they're really going to break off all pretense of civility.

(End of this chapter)