Top Scholar

Chapter 632 Fans Meet Their Idol

The Emperor returned to the capital.

Zhu Houzhao escorted Su Lu directly to the gate of the Zhuangyuan Mansion, instructing him to rest well and not to overwork himself. He also repeatedly urged him to seek treatment from a trustworthy folk doctor.

“Alas, in fact, quack doctors in the folk cause more deaths…” Zhu Houzhao sighed. His aversion to doctors had reached the point of refusing to eat for fear of choking. “But at least they won’t deliberately kill you.”

"Ah..." Su Lu felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this and couldn't help but ask, "So what have you done all these years since you got sick?"

"Carry it," Zhu Houzhao said simply.

He looked serious, without a trace of a joke: "I don't trust any doctor, whether they are imperial physicians or famous doctors. I won't drink a single drop of those dark, unclear medicines."

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, showing off his tanned arms, "So I can only toughen up my muscles and try my best not to get sick!"

Su Lu was speechless for a moment, feeling a heavy weight in his heart. Perhaps everyone's tragedy was predetermined long ago…

Watching the imperial carriage depart in a grand procession, Su Lu turned and returned to his residence.

The eldest aunt was watching her grandson in the front yard. As soon as she saw him, she scolded, "Oh my, what a rare guest! Does the top scholar want to eat?"

"Auntie, you're the one who told us to prioritize our careers, so why are you unhappy again?" Su Lu complained with a smile.

"You know, you can't go too far with anything! If you overcook the food, it'll burn; if you say something too harsh, it'll make you angry!" My aunt always had a point, and she said with the most cutting tone, "Take it easy. How much money does the Emperor give you? If you keep doing this, the family will have to pay you every day!"

To my shame, since Su Lu took office, his expenses have increased dramatically, and in just one year his family has already given him several thousand taels of silver in subsidies...

Su Lu smiled sheepishly, wanting to go over and tease the little lion head, but suddenly sneezed and quickly walked away, afraid of passing the illness on to the child.

"I'm dirty, I'll go change my clothes first." He then walked to the back.

"If you miss your wife, just say so. Why not change your clothes?" The eldest aunt, holding the little lion head, pouted and said, "There are guests coming up."

"..." Su Lu had already entered the inner courtyard, and it was unclear whether he had heard her words.

~~
Su Lu was sore all over and just wanted to lie down. He dragged his tired body to the inner courtyard, pushed open his half-closed gate, and heard the sounds of women drinking tea and laughing under the trees.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that besides his two sisters-in-law, there was also a somewhat unfamiliar, slender young woman present.

Su Lu was feeling dizzy and was caught in a dilemma, wondering what he should do in accordance with the "Rites of Zhou".

"Oh dear, my brother-in-law is back." She Yunlu sat facing the courtyard gate, her eyes sharp and her tongue quick.

Apart from the heavily pregnant eldest sister-in-law, all the women stood up to greet her.

"My lord, you've worked hard." Huang E quickly stepped forward and introduced him, saying, "It just so happens that Princess Yibin is returning the visit today..."

Su Lu realized that the beautiful woman with bright, joyful eyes looking at him was actually the Princess, who had helped him so much. He quickly straightened his clothes, bowed, and greeted her. "This humble official greets Your Highness."

"This humble woman pays her respects to my benefactor." The young princess, both shy and delighted, gracefully bowed.

Seeing this, Zhu Yin and She Yunlu glanced at Huang E with clear meaning, but Huang E remained calm and laughed heartily, saying, "When we meet, it is enough to bow and exchange pleasantries; there is no need for such formalities."

The young princess also smiled generously and said, "Sister is right. I have always wanted to thank Scholar Su on behalf of my elder brother, and today my wish has finally come true."

"Your Highness is too kind. It's mainly because His Highness is a lucky man. Besides, His Highness's family has treated me with immense kindness, and it's truly wonderful to be able to do my part," Su Lu said earnestly.

In fact, this was only the second time the two had met. The last time, they had only caught a glimpse of each other at the Shu Prince's residence, and today they finally had a proper conversation.

Since we've met, we should sit down, have some tea, exchange a few words, and then take our leave; that would be proper etiquette.

Su Lu was covered in dust and dirt at the moment, so it was really abrupt to meet him like this.

He then cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, please sit down. I will come to see you after I have tidied myself up, so as not to be impolite."

But he was overthinking it; little did he know that in the young princess's eyes, he was perfect no matter what...

After the main guest and the guest of honor were seated, she looked at Su Lu with starry eyes, suppressing her excitement and expressing her admiration for her idol: "No need, no need. The world is in chaos now. The top scholar is working hard for the country and the people. He looks far better than sitting idly by with his hands tied and dressed in fine clothes!"

He couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "In times of peace, a top scholar can compose poems and write couplets; in times of crisis, he can bring peace and stability to the country. He is truly a model for all scholars!"

Upon seeing her idol, the young princess was so excited that she chattered incessantly. She expressed her long-suppressed admiration in countless ways, praising Su Lu until he blushed in no time…

When it comes to emotional value, no one can compare to the fan leader.

Unfortunately, Su Lu wasn't in the right state of mind today and couldn't take anything to heart. He forced himself to say a few words, then apologized and said he was tired and prepared to go inside to rest.

The young princess then awkwardly shut up, secretly regretting that she had talked too much in her excitement and annoyed her idol...

But then Su Lu stood up, his body swayed, and he almost sat down again.

"Husband!" Upon seeing this, Huang E quickly got up and rushed over with a speed completely unbecoming of his status to support Su Lu.

"Oh! Why is he so hot?" She noticed his body was hot. It turned out that his flushed face wasn't from embarrassment, but from a fever... "I was exposed to a breeze, it's nothing serious, I'll be fine after a nap." Su Lu waved his hand, indicating that he was alright.

"Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness," he said apologetically to the young princess.

"It's alright, it's alright, go inside and rest." The young princess was heartbroken and hurriedly instructed the palace maid, "Quickly summon the best physician in the manor to examine the top scholar!"

~~
Huang E didn't care about anything else, and hurriedly apologized, carefully helping Su Lu into the inner room.

The young princess watched her idol's retreating figure with worry, forcing herself not to follow...

Inside the room, seeing the lady helping the young master in, Guanqi and Ruhua hurriedly stepped forward to serve him, helping him undress, remove his hat and boots, and quickly settled him on the couch.

Su Lu was already suffering from a cold and was extremely exhausted... He hadn't slept a wink last night, was under immense mental stress, and had traveled eighty miles back and forth. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep.

The physical pain also made him groan softly...

Huang E took the damp handkerchief Guan Qi handed her and gently placed it on his forehead, feeling its burning heat. Looking at her husband's haggard appearance, her heart ached, and she couldn't help but shed tears. She quickly wiped away her tears, then took the warm towel and gently wiped his face, hands, and feet, careful not to hurt the ailing Su Lu…

Before long, Physician Ma from the Princess's residence rushed over.

Upon hearing the princess's instructions, he immediately washed his hands and went inside. He took the wrist pillow handed to him by his apprentice, first checking the pulses of both hands, then examining Su Lu's complexion by opening her eyelids, and finally feeling the temperature of her neck. His brows gradually furrowed.

His expression terrified everyone, and Huang E hurriedly asked, "Doctor, is my husband very ill?"

"Madam, Scholar Su's pulse is floating, rapid, and weak, especially his left pulse. This is due to overwork, depletion of qi and blood, and external invasion of wind and cold, which has caused the pathogenic wind to enter the body and transform into heat..." Doctor Ma stroked his beard, shook his head, and spoke in terms that others could only vaguely understand.

"Just tell me the illness and how to treat it!" The young princess couldn't help but follow her in, her eyebrows furrowing at his words. "Speak like a human being!"

Don't be fooled by her cute and harmless demeanor in front of Su Lu and his wife; she is still a tyrannical dragon from Sichuan and Chongqing, and a princess of a thousand years.

“This is ‘relapse of typhoid fever’,” Doctor Ma clicked his tongue, reluctantly stopping his pedantic display. “At this moment, the disease affects both the exterior and interior, with a mixture of deficiency and excess. Externally, the pathogenic factors have not been resolved, while internally, both Qi and Yin are damaged, hence the persistent high fever, joint pain, delirium, and drowsiness. Right now, we should first dispel wind and release the exterior, replenish Qi and nourish Yin, reduce fever, and calm the mind.”

He paused for a moment and then instructed, "This illness is most aggravated by overexertion. You must rest quietly and take your medicine on time. You must not overexert yourself in any way."

"Yes, I will follow the doctor's orders." Huang E nodded, having already memorized every word the doctor said.

Doctor Ma wrote another prescription, and Song Xiaoyi rushed to the Imperial Pharmacy to get the medicine back.

Auntie quickly brewed the medicine, and in less than half an hour, a bowl of medicine was brought to Su Lu's room.

Huang E took it and was about to serve Su Lu a drink when a loud shout came from the doorway: "Wait! This thing is all black, is it really harmless to drink it?"

"How unusual! Your herbal medicine can have any other color?" The young princess, who hadn't left yet, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and said, "This is a prescription personally written by the royal physician. How could it be wrong?"

Her words came faster than her actions; only after she finished speaking did she turn around and see who it was. She immediately jumped up in surprise and blurted out, "Ah? Your Majesty..."

Zhu Shou quickly raised his hand to interrupt, emphasizing, "There is no Emperor here, only this mighty General!"

He also looked the young princess up and down, and asked with a puzzled look, "You look kind of familiar."

"Your humble daughter is Princess Zhu Dan of Yibin." The young princess dared not presume and quickly curtsied.

"Never heard of it," Zhu Shou shook his head.

"The one who raises white foxes for the Emperor..." the princess added helplessly.

"Oh...it's you!" Zhu Shou suddenly realized, "I remember now! The Emperor's great-aunt..."

According to seniority, the Empress Dowager had to address Princess Yibin as "Imperial Aunt," making her the Emperor's great-aunt.

Of course, Zhu Shou would not act like a grandson in front of her. What does the emperor's great-aunt have to do with me, the mighty general?
"What are you doing here?" Zhu Shou asked, puzzled.

"I am a fellow townsman and a good friend of Madam Huang," the young princess said matter-of-factly. "We happened to run into each other today while I was visiting."

“Even if we’re good friends, we can’t just prescribe medicine haphazardly!” Zhu Shou was still worried.

The young princess was straightforward by nature and, being of seniority, immediately retorted, "If you don't trust the royal physicians, then please have the General summon the imperial physician!"

"The imperial physicians are even more unacceptable," Zhu Shou shook his head repeatedly.

"When you're sick, you can't avoid taking medicine. Are you just going to tough it out?" The little princess pouted.

“It’s better to tough it out than to take medicine!” Zhu Shou insisted.

The Su family's sisters-in-law immediately lost their temper. "Your brother-in-law has been so open and honest with you. Are you trying to kill him?"

Then Zhu Shou changed the subject, speaking in a serious tone:

"I do have a recipe that works—boil willow bark in water!"

(End of this chapter)