Feng Jun Yi and Lin Xulian secretly entered the palace since no one knew about the trip. When Feng Jun Yi entered his study, he was greeted with an exhausted Xu Yichen. The trip took a total of one month and during that month many crazy things happened. One was the Empress Dowager who asked for justice from the empress's bullying. Han Yimei also wanted to see the emperor saying she wanted to personally apologize for her last outburst. Xu Yichen had to receive the pressure from the women and make various excuses for the emperor.
Feng Jun Yu also used that time to create chaos on the court, saying that the emperor isn't taking his responsibility seriously trying to rope the neutral parties towards him. But this scene already happened when the emperor suddenly went missing, only to bring back a woman. The emperor's people kept their fate and the neutral ones just turned a blind eye.
But Xu Yichen isn't the only one having trouble from the emperor and empress's absence. The fifth prince Feng Jun Yun knew from his spy that the emperor is currently not in the palace. He used this chance to visit the empress. Bringing different gifts every time hoping get back on her good side. But he was always turned down by Xiao Tianshi saying that the empress is at her clinic making medicines.
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When Lin Xulian returned to the Phoenix palace, she immediately started making Feng Jun Ying's medicine using the Yanchang herb. It is his first session so she also prepared a pain alleviating medicine. She also made a concoction for a medicinal bath to help him maximize the result of his medicine.
Once she was done, she started Feng Jun Ying's treatment as soon as possible. Feng Jun Yi is also present. This is a turning point for his brother so he doesn't want to miss it. The moment Feng Jun Ying enter the medicinal bath, he didn't feel anything, which is new to him. He would usually feel a sudden shot of pain then it would gradually lessen.
Lin Xulian finally handed him his medicine in a small cup. He drank it in one gulp. A few seconds later his body shivered and he can't help but scream in pain. Lin Xulian and Feng Jun Yi are alarmed hearing him scream. Lin Xulian took out the pain alleviating medicine but Feng Jun Ying didn't take it. "I know if I want to get better I need to get through this without external help." Feng Jun Ying said while trying not to scream.
Hearing his courageous statement, Lin Xulian is proud of him. The first time they met he is estranged and doesn't trust anyone. He also had a little courage that he might not admit. "Ok. But tell jiejie if you can't handle it." Lin Xulian said while giving his hand a gentle squeeze. Feng Jun Ying only nod while still closing his eyes trying to control his breathing to alleviate his pain.
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After the first session, Feng Jun Ying felt better for the first time. He never experienced being totally healthy so he had nothing to compare to but his current state is the most comfortable he had ever been.
He finally had more stamina and Xulian handed him over to Rui to be his master and teach him some basic martial arts. He won't be able to become an expert just yet but it would be enough for him to sustain in his next treatment. Using the Yanchang herb has to be repeated every month until they could find a way to obtain the Buxiu herb. Even though they knew the location of the herb, because of the relationship between the Gonglu and Zhixiang country, Feng Jun Yi still resumed the search for the herb's other possible location.
Since Feng Jun Ying has more stamina, Feng Jun Yi arranged for some tutors for him. Because of his sickly body, his studies are hindered since he would feel dizzy easily from reading and his weak thin arms can't firmly grip a brush. But now he could last much longer and although his strokes are still weak his writing is less crooked and readable.
This gave Feng Jun Yi some hope for a better future for his full blood brother. Their mother risked her life to give birth to his brother although she knew that only one of them will live. Their father wasn't affected by their mother's death and his brother only has him to genuinely care for him. Feng Jun Yi is just so glad that his chosen empress is fond of his beloved brother.
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While Feng Jun Yi and Lin Xulian is celebrating for Feng Jun Ying's development, the Empress Dowager took out her anger towards her servants. She is currently venting her anger by whipping her servants. She badly wanted to storm in the Phoenix palace and whip the empress instead but she still has some lingering fear from her brutal show of power in her previous visit. But the fear wasn't enough to dampen her fury.
After working so hard trying to kill those two brothers, the arrival of that one woman messed things up. Even her usual plot of slowly killing the emperor through poison is not working. He doesn't even got sick for months, and it all started when Lin Xulian came. Even the Jianghu isn't responding to her assassination requests. This frustrates her even more.
"Everything is getting out of hand ever since that woman came. She is ruining my plans and now she is even sheltering that trash of a prince. If he will be totally cured, what is the use of all my previous hard work! I can't let that happen. Not now, not ever!" She said in between each fall of her whip towards the servant's body. "If you don't want to turn out like this servant, find a way to disrupt the sixth prince's treatment. Steal his medicine or even just burn down that clinic. No matter what the result is, your families outside the palace will receive either the reward or the consequences!"
Hearing her threat, the servants shivered. Ever since the empress paid a visit, the Empress Dowager started to change. Unknown to her, some of her servants are slowly reaching out towards the second prince's allies. Some of them are the parents of the second prince's concubines. They anonymously sent information to their manor about the state that their daughters are in. They had no idea that Feng Jun Yu are treating them like a plaything and a trash. They always saw them all covered, not seeing the bruises underneath their thick long robes.
Unbeknownst to the mother and son pair, their power in the court is slowly sinking all because of their current treatment to their servants. The servants only had one thought, if the Empress Dowager and the second prince is gone, they would be able to keep their lives. They have no choice but to switch sides. They have to hug the emperor's thigh this time. And they will start it by crippling their power first.