Yu Pinyan entered the Crown Prince's small courtyard and saw Wentao and the other old officials kneeling in front of the door. They were all haggard and had sorrowful expressions. There was a scorching sun in the sky, but the courtyard was filled with a sorrowful and cold aura.
The Crown Prince was born after the Yuan Empress. He was the eldest and had both ability and integrity. If there were no accidents, he would definitely be the next emperor. However, the first time the Crown Prince went out on a mission, he was infected with an epidemic. If he died of illness, based on how much the Emperor loved him, he would definitely bury everyone with him.
The scorching summer wind blew and the old officials began to tremble. It was as if the cold entered their bones. Hearing the sound of footsteps, they turned their heads to look back, their turbid eyes bursting with light.
Marquis Yong Le! How could they forget that Marquis Yong Le was looking for a godly doctor for his younger sister! It really was the protection of the heavens!
"Master Hou, godly doctor … …" Yu Wentao trembled as he climbed up. Before he could finish, he saw the cold youth leading an old man into the room. The tightly closed door blocked out everyone's hopeful gazes.
Because the Crown Prince could not stand the wind, the windows in the room were all locked and covered with a curtain, causing the light to be very dim. As they approached the bed, they smelled a strong sour smell. If a person who was not sick smelled it, they would feel uncomfortable.
Yu Pinyan did not seem to feel it and walked over to take a closer look.
In just half a month, the Crown Prince had become so thin that he was only left with bones. His tightly closed eyes were covered with thick yellow dirt and the breath he exhaled had the smell of a rotting human body. If Yu Pinyan did not feel the weak pulse at the side of his neck, he would have thought that he had already passed away.
"Doctor Piao, please treat the Crown Prince." Yu Pinyan bowed deeply to the old man with white hair and a youthful complexion.
Lai Shun had already guessed that the old man was the godly doctor Master Hou had invited. Seeing this scene, he knelt down and repeatedly kowtowed. He was quick-witted and knew that this kind of divine person would not be able to resist coercion. If he used his power to force him to treat the Crown Prince, he might even fight to the death with him.
The old man calmly stroked his beard and smiled, "Yu Pinyan, you have to think this through. I only promised to treat one person. If you save the Crown Prince, I won't care about your sister anymore! "
Lai Shun looked at Master Hou with tears in his eyes.
Yu Pinyan didn't show it on his face, but his hands in his sleeves were clenched into fists. Between the Crown Prince and Xiang'er, who was more important? The Crown Prince's life was in danger. Naturally, they should choose to save the Crown Prince. However, Xiang 'er's leg could not be delayed …
Closing his eyes, Yu Pinyan cupped his hands and said, "Doctor Piao, please treat the Crown Prince."
The old man laughed mockingly. "I thought you were a righteous person, but in the end, you gave up your family for power. If that's the case, I'll treat the Crown Prince. "
Yu Pinyan pursed his lips and said coldly, "Doctor Piao, there's no need to sow discord. Logically speaking, the Crown Prince is the emperor, and I'm the subject. It's a subject's duty to be loyal to the emperor, and there's no such thing as bending over power. Logically speaking, the Crown Prince and I have a deep friendship, and it's not inferior to family. His life is in danger, so naturally, I should choose to save him. My sister's life is not in danger now. Without Doctor Piao, I can still find Miracle Doctor Wang and Miracle Doctor Zhao in the future. It's not a big deal. "
The old man was so angry that his beard curled up. He snorted coldly, "You're so stubborn! In this world, other than me, only Master Ku Hui can treat your sister's leg. Master Ku Hui crossed the sea to Siam ten years ago, and we don't know if he's dead or alive. If you can't find him, don't come crying and begging me! "
Saying this, the old man smiled proudly. He picked up the medicine box and walked to the bedside to take the Crown Prince's pulse. He shouted, "Open the window, open the window! If you don't want the Crown Prince to suffocate to death, quickly open the window! "
Even Lai Shun, who had lived in the palace for a long time, had heard of Doctor Piao's great name. He hurriedly opened all the windows to let the sunlight in. The strange smell slowly dissipated, and everyone felt refreshed.
Doctor Piao took out a set of golden needles and gently inserted them into the Crown Prince's major acupoints. He then took out a few drops of turbid blood from the Crown Prince's fingertips, ears, and earlobes. The Crown Prince, who was on the verge of death, coughed lightly and immediately woke up.
His vision was still a little blurry, but it didn't prevent him from recognizing Yu Pinyan's sculpture-like handsome face. The Crown Prince smiled and said with certainty, "Yi Feng (Yu Pinyan's courtesy name), you've saved my life again."
Doctor Piao wasn't satisfied. He used a silk cloth to wipe the blood from the Crown Prince's fingertips and reminded, "Your Highness, Marquis Yongle doesn't know medicine."
The Crown Prince smiled and said warmly, "Thank you for saving my life, Divine Doctor." He seemed to have thought of something, and the joy on his face disappeared. He shouted, "I've already caught the plague in Luoyang. Quickly purchase medicinal herbs and gather doctors to Luoyang to prevent the epidemic from spreading! Go quickly! "
The day after Yu Pinyan left, he started to have a high fever. At that time, he thought he had caught a cold and drank a few doses of medicine. By the time he realized that he had caught the plague, it was already too late. He fell into a deep coma, and the last thought in his mind was to gather doctors to save the victims.
It was a pity that Yu Wentao and the rest didn't have the ability to read minds. The Crown Prince was seriously ill, and they didn't have the heart to think about anything else. This delayed them for nearly half a month. They also didn't know if the epidemic had spread to the disaster area.
Yu Pinyan cupped his hands and immediately left to carry out his task. Doctor Piao saw that the Crown Prince loved the people like his own children and was righteous. Although he didn't say anything, his acupuncture became more stable.
Yu Wentao and the rest were still kneeling outside the courtyard. After receiving the Crown Prince's orders, they immediately burst into tears and cried bitterly. The Crown Prince was already so ill, but he still cared about the people in the disaster area. His benevolence and righteousness weren't feigned, but they were truly rooted in his bones. The Great Han Dynasty was truly fortunate to have such a virtuous and talented heir!
The group of old officials kowtowed three times in succession and went to carry out their tasks with renewed vigor. After returning to the capital, they wrote down the Crown Prince's words and deeds in full detail in a memorial and presented it to the emperor. The wording wasn't exaggerated in the slightest, but it was enough to satisfy the emperor. Yu Pinyan's performance also made his eyes light up. He secretly decided to cultivate this young Master Hou, who hadn't even reached the age of twenty, into the Crown Prince's right-hand man.
Let's not talk about this for now.
Doctor Piao used a set of Spirit-Steadying Acupuncture Techniques and pulled the Crown Prince back from the brink of death. He also prescribed a strong medicine for the Crown Prince to drink. Seeing the Crown Prince's face quickly turn red and his eyes become much clearer, he let out a sigh of relief. He waved his hand and returned to his room to sleep.
The Crown Prince had been lying down for ten days, and now he couldn't lie down anymore. He asked Lai Shun about what happened after he fell unconscious. Lai Shun answered one by one. After hesitating for a while, he finally confessed, "Your Imperial Highness, it was thanks to Young Master Hou that you were able to wake up …"
He then repeated the conversation between Doctor Piao and Marquis Yongle.
The Crown Prince was very moved when he heard this. He sighed deeply at the top of the tent, "This Autarch's life was exchanged with Yi Feng meimei's legs. This Autarch is truly ashamed."
Lai Shun hurriedly comforted, "Your Imperial Highness doesn't need to think too much. Just find another famous doctor for Young Miss Yu in the future." After saying this, he muttered in his heart: This Young Miss Yu's legs were exchanged for Master Hou's and the Crown Prince's lives. It really is precious. If this matter is delayed, there might be a great opportunity in the future. Just these two favors are enough for her to enjoy for the rest of her life.
On the other hand, Yu Pinyan ordered people to purchase large amounts of medicinal herbs and gathered many doctors. The next morning, they prepared to rush to the disaster area. The carriage had just left the relay station when they saw an imperial guard entangled with a young girl.
The young girl looked very delicate and cute. When the corners of her lips curled up, two deep dimples appeared on the side of her cheeks. They seemed to be filled with honey, making people feel sweet when they saw them and not the slightest bit of disgust. It was also because of this extremely pleasing appearance that the imperial guard did not harshly stop her. Instead, he kindly advised her to leave.
"But my medicinal herbs are really useful. After drinking it, it will be much better the next day. You can give it a try! "The young girl held up a paper bag high.
When the imperial guard saw that he could not persuade her to leave, he could only accept the medicinal herbs. He thought that there were many people in the courtyard who were infected with the epidemic. It was the same to give it to them. As for the Crown Prince, even if they were beaten to death, they would not dare to give him something of unknown origin.
The young girl seemed to have sensed his thoughts and said with a smile, "The process of decocting this medicine is very complicated. If there is a mistake, the medicine will lose all its effects. Bring me in, I will help you decoct."
Before the imperial guard could speak, he heard a bone-chilling voice behind him, "Is this how you perform your duties? You allow suspicious people to approach the relay station and even accept an unknown medicine. If this is a bag of poison, even if you die ten thousand times, it won't be enough to atone for your crimes! "
The imperial guard's legs turned to jelly. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed to the young Master Hou who was striding over. Although this person was only sixteen, he was a vicious and merciless master who did not recognize even his own family. Those who offended him would only be 'living a life worse than death'. Moreover, every sentence he said was reasonable and every word was a gem, making it impossible for others to refute. It was also because this young girl was too sweet and charming that he couldn't help but let down his guard. If she really was an assassin sent by someone, then there would be a big problem!
The more he thought about it, the more scared he became. The imperial guard threw away his sword and halberd and kowtowed desperately.
The young girl was also scared stiff. The sweet smile on her face was completely replaced by fear and unease. Her pair of watery eyes widened as she pitifully looked at the ice-cold youth.
The youth ignored her and stepped onto the steed in front of the gate. He lightly said, "Capture her and properly interrogate her. If there is anything suspicious, report it to Official Yu and let him deal with it. The Crown Prince is still sick, so do not disturb him. "Before he finished speaking, he had already gone far away.
The imperial guard repeatedly agreed and straightened his body. There was no trace of warmth on his face. He grabbed the young girl who was about to run away and threw her into the relay station's dungeon.
The young girl screamed and struggled violently. Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing an orchid-shaped birthmark on her wrist.
After only four hours, the young girl's parents came begging. Because of her clean background, she also happened to be acquainted with an accompanying official. The family used seventy to eighty percent of their wealth to redeem the young girl and rushed back to their hometown in Lingnan.
After this incident, the originally wealthy family gradually declined.
Three days later, the Crown Prince recovered from his illness. Not only did he not return to the capital, he returned to Luoyang where the epidemic was serious and vowed to advance and retreat together with the people. At the beginning of the eighth month, the epidemic was completely eliminated. Luoyang regained its former prosperity. When the Crown Prince left, tens of thousands of people lined the streets to send him off, their eyes brimming with tears. The Crown Prince's benevolence and righteousness spread throughout the world, and the imperial family became more and more loved by the people.