Top Scholar

Chapter 633 British Gifts
"Instead of using a proper doctor's prescription, why resort to unorthodox remedies?" The young princess immediately and unequivocally objected. When it came to her idol's safety, even if the other party was the emperor's alias, she wouldn't hesitate.

Zhu Shou glared and said, "This isn't just something I made up. It was Scholar Su who told me personally that if I ever have a headache or fever, this remedy will be effective immediately!"

"If it's the top scholar who said it, then it must be effective!" The little princess immediately changed her tune, her eyes filled with admiration. "The top scholar is more than just a top scholar; he's practically a miracle doctor! My brother suffered from malaria for a long time, and we consulted all the famous doctors in Sichuan and even the imperial physicians in the capital, but he still couldn't get better. It was only after receiving a folk remedy from the top scholar that he saw improvement after taking it, and he recovered completely in less than half a month!"

"Right, right? My brother can do everything except have children!" Zhu Shou nodded repeatedly, and he was just as admiring of Su Lu.

The two fans hit it off immediately and decided to use their idol's remedy to cure his illness.

She Yunluo, secretly worried, whispered to Huang E, "Is this...reliable?"

Huang E said softly, "My husband once mentioned this prescription to me, saying that it is quite effective in reducing fever."

'Well, another admirer...' Zhu Yin shook her head and smiled wryly, holding her waist. 'Then let's give it a try. Willow bark won't kill anyone anyway.'

~~
At Zhu Shou's command, the Imperial Guards rushed out of the house and headed straight for the willows by the Taiye Pond in the Leopard Chamber. They carefully scraped off the freshest white bark of the willows, and soon they had collected a full basket, which they quickly sent back to the Zhuangyuan Mansion.

"This is for Scholar Su to use as medicine, not to feed pandas!" Zhu Shou said irritably, looking at the full basket of willow bark.

He then ordered people to select tender white skins, wash them with clean water, put them in a pot and simmer them over low heat for half an hour, and then serve them the warm soup.

Looking at the bowl of pale yellow-green, slightly clear medicinal soup that Zhang Yong had served, Zhu Shou couldn't help but exclaim, "Look at this color! Isn't it much better than something that's completely black?"

As he spoke, he picked up the glass and took a small sip first.

"General..." Zhang Yong was stunned and hurriedly tried to dissuade him. It was always others who tested medicine on him, how could he test medicine on others?
"Get out of here." Zhu Shou waved his hand vaguely and began to savor the taste... It was slightly bitter at first, with a faint hint of herbal astringency, and then had a slightly sweet aftertaste.

"Hmm, it's not bad." He smacked his lips, giving a fair assessment.

After a while, feeling that there was nothing wrong with his body, Zhu Shou waved his hand and said, "Feed him!"

Huang E helped Su Lu sit up, placed a soft pillow under him, and wiped the thin layer of sweat from his forehead with a plain handkerchief before bringing the medicine to Su Lu's lips. Su Lu wanted to take the bowl and drink it himself, but Huang E insisted on feeding him spoonful by spoonful. He had no choice but to enjoy the treatment of a seriously ill patient in front of everyone.

After giving him the medicine, Huang E fed him warm water to rinse his mouth and wiped the corners of his lips clean, her movements as gentle as if she were taking care of a baby.

Afterwards, everyone retreated to the outer room to wait, leaving only Huang E to take good care of the patient by the bedside.

Soon, a miraculous scene unfolded... In less than half an hour, Su Lu's brows gradually relaxed, his groans ceased, the cold sweat on his body stopped, and he became fully awake.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw that Huang E's eyes were slightly red and her beautiful face was still marked with tears.

“I’m sorry to have worried you…” He reached out and gently grasped his wife’s soft hand.

Huang E quickly shook her head, unable to say a word, only staring intently at him, her eyes filled with a thousand words of concern and apology.

After a long while, Su Lu asked softly, "Are they still outside?"

Huang E nodded.

"Tell them all to go back. It's just a cold, no need to be so nervous," Su Lu said.

"Okay." Huang E responded, got up and went to the outer room to explain to everyone that Su Lu had woken up and was much better.

Upon hearing this, everyone rushed to the door to look, and sure enough, they saw that Su Lu was able to sit up with his head on a pillow and even waved to them. He was still pale, but the pain he had just shown was completely gone.

The onlookers were all dumbfounded, exclaiming in amazement, "This willow bark has such miraculous effects?!"

"Brilliant! I'll use this prescription for headaches and fevers from now on!" Zhu Shou was overjoyed, practically dancing with delight. It seems that even trying to tough it out can be risky...

Huang E hurriedly explained, "My husband once said that this medicine does not directly dispel cold, but only reduces fever and relieves pain, so that people can safely get through the course of the illness."

"Understood, understood! Now I can rest assured!" The young princess breathed a long sigh of relief and quickly took her leave, saying, "Then I'll go back now and won't disturb the top scholar's rest."

“I will escort the princess,” Huang E said.

"No need, no need. Taking good care of the top scholar is the most important thing." The little princess firmly refused and happily left the courtyard.

Zhu Shou also came out. Seeing the princess about to get into the sedan chair, he rolled his eyes and said with a grin, "Hey, you who raises white foxes, you can't sit still, do you want me to find you a nice job in the Leopard House?"

The young princess was taken aback: "What job?" Zhu Shou smiled and said, "The Leopard House has been expanded, and now there are many rare birds and animals, such as white foxes, cranes, and giant turtles... all kinds of spiritual creatures need to be carefully cared for. Since you like these, why not become the manager of the Leopard House's Spirit Bird Garden, in charge of the rare birds and animals in the garden? It's a leisurely and carefree job. You can decide how to do it, as long as you can keep them alive."

"Well..." The little princess rolled her eyes, smiled and nodded, "Alright."

~~
Although willow bark has miraculous medicinal effects, colds still have a course of illness.

Zhu Houzhao ordered Su Lu to stay in bed and rest obediently, with Huang E keeping a close eye on him, not allowing him to do any official business. When his elder brother returned from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices that evening, he didn't even have a chance to report to him.

Huang E wasn't trying to hold him back; she just wanted Su Lu to see if the Court of Imperial Sacrifices could still function without him...

During the few days that Su Lu was recuperating at home, powerful and influential figures from the capital came in droves to visit him. Those nobles who had secretly sabotaged him not long ago were now bringing lavish gifts and shamelessly showing up at his door, as if they weren't the ones who had been secretly plotting against him.

Su Lu naturally declined all offers, refusing both the gifts and the visit—a dignified top scholar should do so!

However, there were some people he couldn't refuse, such as the Duke of England.

Upon hearing that Su Lu had fallen ill, the Duke of England immediately slammed his fist on the table and declared, "This child must be weak!"

The next day, he personally brought a gift box to the door. As soon as they met, he opened it as if presenting a treasure, and a dried tiger penis about a foot long was prominently displayed in the brocade box!
"Nephew, take a look! This is the whip of a fierce tiger that I hunted myself years ago. It's extremely nourishing! After eating it, you'll be able to repel even a mad tiger with a single punch, let alone a minor cold!" the Duke of England said smugly.

Su Lu was at a loss for words, unsure whether to thank him first or cry for help... "I have a cold and need to relieve the fever, but you gave me a whole tiger penis, which is enough to kill me."

Of course, they definitely didn't want him to eat it right now...

He could only smile gently and say, "Your Excellency is too kind. I have only caught a slight cold and am not that weak... It's just that His Majesty is considerate and has allowed me to rest at home for half a month. My wife is also very strict and won't even let me touch any documents. I'm so bored."

"Haha, I knew it!" The Duke of England clapped his hands and laughed. "The top scholar has always been robust, how could he just collapse like that? It's alright, it's alright. You haven't had a baby yet, have you? Keep this whip to strengthen your virility, wouldn't that be even better!"

"Cough cough..." Su Lu almost choked on a mouthful of tea and choked on it.

He would never accept this gift, no matter what, otherwise he would be recorded as a "Kidney Deficiency Champion" in the later "Wanli Yehuo Bian" (Unofficial History of the Wanli Era).
'Su Zhuangyuanlu was known for his integrity and prudence. One day, while ill, he refused all gifts from guests, except for a tiger penis from the Duke of England.'

The two struggled for a long time before Su Lu finally managed to get the Duke of Ying to retract his whip. The Duke of Ying sighed, "It seems the top scholar is still angry with me..."

"No, why would I be angry with you?" Su Lu asked, puzzled.

"When you were repairing the Yongding water tank a while ago, those guys did a lot of dirty work on you behind your back," the Duke of Yingguo said apologetically.

"But I absolutely didn't say a bad word about you, and I even warned them not to mess around, but I'm getting old after all, and none of them listen to me anymore..."

"Don't worry, my lord, I've never doubted you for a moment," Su Lu said with a bright smile. "We've worked together before, don't I know your character? If you really had a problem with me, you would have come to my door and yelled at me, how could you possibly do anything behind my back!"

"Hey, the top scholar really understands me!" The Duke of England breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest, saying, "And don't worry, I have no complaints about you; on the contrary, I wholeheartedly approve of your achievements!"

“You civil officials truly produce outstanding talents in every generation. I have witnessed the brilliance of Master Yu, Li Wenda, Shang Zhuangyuan… and even the likes of Liu and Li. Now, with rising stars like Zhuangyuan Su, how can one not be envious?” He sighed deeply as he spoke.

"Look at our noble families, our ancestors were such heroes, but now each generation is worse than the last. Even my own family's offspring are the same, each one foolish, selfish, and short-sighted, thinking they're very shrewd, but in reality, they're incredibly stupid. It's true what they say, comparisons are odious..."

"You flatter me, sir," Su Lu said softly.

Civil officials are all the most outstanding scholars in the land, and they are the best at passing the imperial examinations. How can the nobility, whose ranks are getting worse with each generation, compare to them? There's no comparison at all!

Of course, one should still choose to say the nice things. "Most nobles are still good; it's just a few individuals who have rebelled."

"It's not just a few individuals, it's quite a few!" The Duke of England shook his head resolutely, saying with shame, "In times of national crisis, we nobles who share the fate of the nation should share weal and woe with the court. We cannot simply enjoy the benefits brought by the country without wanting to give anything in return. Unfortunately, most people do the opposite; they only want to take advantage, and they jump up and down cursing at the slightest loss, revealing their ugly side!"

"What pains me most is that they've been spoiled rotten, they're all incredibly stupid! Do you know what they're trying to do by bringing you gifts?" the Duke of England asked with a heavy heart.

"What are you doing?" Su Lu asked knowingly.

"They want you to share some of the water from the Yongding water tank with them! How could they possibly have the nerve to come knocking on this door and ask for this?" The Duke of England said, his face full of shame.

"Pah! That's fucking shameless!"

(End of this chapter)