The curtain of the carriage fluttered along with the oncoming wind, revealing a corner of the green mountain outside the carriage and the long stone road behind it. It was like countless scenes that were continuously rewinding.
In the corner of the picture, a black cloth was fluttering. It became a flowing black light, gradually taking over the entire picture.
The picture turned bright, and the mottled sequins became familiar little flowers, blooming between the cliffs of Danzhou. A slightly rough but exceptionally warm hand reached out and plucked one.
The flower was dried by the sun and the sea breeze on the balcony of a house, and mixed into the tea. Boiling water was poured into the cup, stirring the tea leaves and dried flowers into a golden amber color. Another hand reached out, picked up the cup, and placed it in front of him.
"Young master, have a cup of Sisi's new tea. Today is her first day in the family." Dong 'er, who had not been seen for a long time, had a warm smile on her face. For some reason, she was not in Danzhou acting like a tofu beauty.
Fan Xian shook his head, took the tea, and brought it to the other side. He looked at Wan 'er, who was sitting next to him, nibbling on a chicken leg. "It's oily," he said, rebuking her. "How can you eat that? Drink some tea and clear your throat."
Wan 'er did not say anything. Instead, it was her sister, who was sitting to his right, who smiled. The faint worry between her eyebrows had disappeared, making Fan Xian feel very comforted.
"It's time to go," said Wu Zhu coldly, his face covered with a black cloth.
"Where are we going?" he asked subconsciously.
"To see the Lady."
"Alright." Fan Xian did not have any objections. He stood up excitedly and walked to the bedside to pick up his luggage, as well as that black box. But for some reason, the box was unusually heavy today. He could not lift it, and he was sweating profusely.
...
...
A drop of sweat rolled down Fan Xian's forehead, dripping onto the pillow. In a daze, he opened his eyes a little and stared at the painted eaves above him. He knew that he was in a strange room, and he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. He thought to himself, "What are you doing?
"Don't tell me … he wore it again?"
If he had to be reborn every time he died, perhaps Fan Xian would rather he had died thoroughly the last time. Why did he have to walk through this world? He had seen so many people, encountered so many things, moved so many emotions, and felt a reluctance to part. Yet, he had to leave. Yet, he still remembered.
Fan Xian's somewhat unfocused eyes finally adjusted to the light in the room. He began to learn to focus like a baby. Finally, he saw clearly beside him. Wan'er's eyes were red and swollen from crying. She gripped the corner of the bedsheet tightly and bit her lower lip, unwilling to make a sound. It seemed that he was still alive, and still in the world of the Kingdom of Qing. He just didn't know where he was lying.
It was difficult for him to lower his head, but from the pain in his chest, he knew that his injury had not been healed. At this moment, the room was filled with submissive eunuchs. They were looking around in fear, pretending to be busy and sorrowful. At the door, a group of old men dressed in the attire of imperial physicians were talking to a middle-aged man sorrowfully.
"Your Majesty, we really have no other choice."
The middle-aged man was furious. "If we cannot save him, then you will all accompany him in death!"
Fan Xian, who was in a semi-conscious state, saw this scene and couldn't help but laugh coldly. But the corners of his lips did not listen to his brain's commands.
He thought to himself that this was indeed a familiar line. But you, the Emperor, are only venting your anger when I am about to die. You don't seem very kind. Compared to the situation in front of him, Fan Xian subconsciously hoped that it was his father, Minister Fan, who was yelling at the imperial physicians.
He wanted to reach out and pat the back of Wan'er's hand, but he didn't have the strength to move. There was no place in his body that did not hurt. There was no place that did not feel empty. He forced himself to focus, but his head buzzed and he fainted again.
— — —
While Commissioner Fan still had the leisure to silently criticize the Emperor and comfort his wife, the entire capital was in chaos.
The Emperor had been assassinated!
This incident could not be hidden from the world, so many people knew about it at dusk. But what made the people feel at ease was that the Emperor had not been injured in this incident. But not long after, news came. Fan Xian, the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, had loyally protected the Emperor and acted bravely. He had personally resolved this disaster. Then, despite his weakened body, he had chased the assassins from the Hanging Temple into the capital. Finally, he could not take it anymore and fell to the ground, heavily injured. No one knew if he would survive.
Fan Xian had always had a good reputation among the people of the Qing Kingdom. When they heard this news, most of the people in the capital held their bowls of rice in their hands and expressed their sincere concern and blessings. At night, there was a long line of people carrying lanterns to the Temple of Qing to pray for him.
On the southern street of the city, there were not many lights on in Fan Manor. It was dark, and the servants were at a loss for what to do as they waited for news. After Fan Xian was injured, he was sent to the palace by the Tiger Guards. After the Emperor returned to the capital, he kept the heavily injured Fan Xian in the palace and ordered the royal doctors to watch over him. Everyone in Fan Manor felt that this was only natural. The Young Mistress and the Young Mistress had already entered the palace, and there was no news yet. But the rumors said that the Young Master had been stabbed with a knife and was seriously injured. The royal doctors could not do anything about it.
Unexpectedly, the Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian, did not enter the palace. He only sat in his study with a gloomy face. No one knew what he was thinking.
After such a big incident, Chen Pingping could not stay in the Chen Garden in the suburbs to watch beautiful women dance. He sat in his wheelchair and returned to the Overwatch Council. The first thing he did was to investigate the assassination. At the same time, he took over the bodies of the young eunuch and the ninth-level master who had been captured in the Hanging Temple.
King Jing had already rushed into the palace. Princess Rou Jia stayed in her room to cry.
Who knew how many young girls in the capital were grieving?
…
…
The Second Prince shut the gates of the Prince's Mansion tightly and forbade any of his subordinates from inquiring about any news or responding in any way. He knew that he was in a very dangerous situation. In these troubled times, any inappropriate action would bring disaster upon himself.
The Great Prince stood guard outside Guangxin Palace, where Fan Xian was being rescued. He paced back and forth.
Yi Guipin also stood outside Guangxin Palace with the Third Prince. Today, the Third Prince's life had been saved by Fan Xian. Putting aside the fact that Yi Guipin was a relative of the Fan Manor, as a woman of the palace, she knew what was behind the Emperor's anger. She also knew what kind of attitude she should show.
The Empress did not come. The Crown Prince only pretended to be concerned about Fan Xian and comforted Wan'er and Ruoruo. He also asked the Emperor to take care of his body and then returned to the Eastern Palace.
According to other news, although the Empress Dowager had only sent Eunuch Hong to take a look, the old man was burning incense and praying in the Little Memorial Hall behind Hanguang Palace.
The news that Fan Xian was heavily injured and on the verge of death made all the powers of the Qing Kingdom react in the most realistic way possible. They couldn't help but feel that it was ridiculously cute.
…
…
Guangxin Palace used to be the Eldest Princess' residence in the palace. It was also the place Fan Xian had come to the first time he had entered the Royal Palace at night. However, he had never stayed in the sleeping palace, so in the moment he woke up, he did not recognize that he was lying in the Royal Palace. Although Fan Xian had been heavily injured for the Emperor's sake, it was still inappropriate for an official to be left in the Royal Palace to be treated. Fortunately, he still had the identity of being the Eldest Princess' son-in-law.
With a creak, the door to Guangxin Palace was pushed open. The Emperor walked out with a serious expression. He glanced at Fan Ruoruo, who was about to cry by his side. Fatigue appeared between his brows. Eunuch Yao said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, you should go and rest. Sir Fan junior has the royal doctors here to treat him. He should be fine."
A cold light flashed through the Emperor's eyes. "Those useless people …"
"Your Majesty, I want to go in and see." Fan Ruoruo steadied her state of mind and bowed to the Emperor. "But … the royal doctors will not let me in."
"Hmm?" The Emperor furrowed his brows. "Why?" He noticed that there was a very ordinary box next to Miss Fan's feet.
Fan Ruoruo bit her lip and said, "Brother still hasn't woken up, but the Tiger Guards told me to bring him the antidote he normally uses. He must have known before he fainted, but the royal doctors do not … believe me."
The Emperor stood silently on the steps. The royal doctors had their own procedures for treating patients. It was normal for them to refuse Fan Ruoruo's medicine. But the Emperor now was different from how he had been for many years. It seemed that this was the first time he realized that out of all of his sons, only one of them was the most promising. And only one of them did not think about problems for the sake of his own position.
In the Hanging Temple, at such a critical moment, if Fan Xian's first choice had been to risk his life to save the Emperor, the suspicious Emperor would probably still have been wary of Fan Xian. Because that kind of action might have been because he was a powerful official, he wanted to show his loyalty to the Emperor. A person who was an Emperor never believed in visible loyalty.
But the problem was … Fan Xian chose to save the Third Prince first.
If it was investigated further, the Imperial Censorate could even use this detail to accuse Fan Xian of treason. But the Emperor was not a normal person. From this detail, he thought he saw that under Fan Xian's shrewd exterior, there was still a warm and kind heart … just like that woman in the past.
What was funny was that in that instant, Fan Xian did not think this way. The problem was, the Emperor did not know.
So, the Emperor was very pleased.
After learning that Fan Xian was heavily injured and was about to die, his heart, which had not wavered for many years, finally trembled a little. He even began to wonder if he had squeezed Fan Xian too much. After the self-doubt, he felt a sliver of unreasonable jealousy toward Fan Xian. A sliver of anger that could not be expressed to the heavens — such an excellent young man, why … could he only be his son?
How about his sons? The eldest was too straight, the second too fake, the third too young. As for the Crown Prince? The Emperor laughed coldly in his heart. Did this little bastard think I didn't see him purposely step on that wine cup?
So, he left Fan Xian in the palace. On one hand, he wanted to save Fan Xian as soon as possible. On the other hand, he was a middle-aged man with negative emotions that caused trouble in his bones. Fan Xian, who had grown up with him, perhaps understood the Emperor's psychological process very well. So, when his son was heavily injured, he did not enter the palace. He only quietly stayed in the study of Fan Manor.
— — —
The Emperor summoned the imperial physician, who was taking a short break, out of the palace. With a pained expression, he replied, "Your Majesty, the bleeding outside has stopped, but the knife has injured Sir Fan's internal organs."
The Emperor raised his chin slightly, indicating Fan Ruoruo's presence. "Why did you not let Miss Fan enter the palace?"
Even at this time, the imperial physician did not forget to maintain his professionalism. He frowned and said, "We do not know what those pills are made of … the assassin's knife was soaked in poison, but the poison has not been analyzed clearly, so we do not dare to eat it. We are afraid …"
"Afraid my ass!" At this time, King Jing, who had been sitting on a chair at the bottom of the stairs, rushed up and slapped the imperial physician across the cheek. He scolded, "I gave you four hours! Even if you don't want to save him, you should at least wake Fan Xian up! As long as he wakes up, with his medical skills, he will be much more reliable than an old man like you! "
The Imperial Physician had just suffered a slap on his face. His head was dizzy and he was so angry that he could not say anything.
The Emperor was about to reprimand King Jing for his inappropriate behavior, but after hearing these words, he felt that they were very reasonable. Now that Fei Jie was not in the capital, when it came to detoxification and healing, there was no one better than Fan Xian. He frowned and said, "No matter what, we must first think of a way to wake Fan Xian up!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Emperor realized that Fan Xian was indeed an all-rounder. Furthermore, if he had not been worried that he and the princes would be poisoned by the smoke and had thrown the medicine bag on the floor, even if he had been poisoned by the assassin's sword, he would not have fallen to such a state. Thinking of Fan Xian's other good points, the Emperor couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He thought to himself, If only this child's mother was not her, how good would that be?
He shook his head and was led back to the royal study by the eunuchs.
Having received the Emperor's decree, King Jing and Fan Ruoruo pushed through the palace guards. They did not care about the imperial physicians' advice, and rushed to the bedside.
Wan'er's eyes were red and swollen. She did not say a word. She only held Fan Xian's somewhat cold hand and stared blankly at Fan Xian's pale face. It seemed that she did not even know who was behind her.
Seeing this scene, Fan Ruoruo felt a slight sorrow in her heart. However, it quickly turned into determination. She believed that her outstanding brother would not die so simply.
"Wake him up." King Jing did not look like a gardener today. Instead, he looked like a decisive general. He squinted and said, "If the medicine does not work, I will cut off one of his fingers."
Fan Ruoruo did not seem to hear him. She took out a few wooden boxes of different sizes from her box.
King Jing said, "Do you know … which one to take?" He had no choice but to be cautious. After all, the imperial physicians were not all idiots, and what they said made sense. If he had taken the wrong pill, who knew what effect it would have? Perhaps Fan Xian, who was on the verge of death, would have died!
Fan Ruoruo nodded. She calmly took out a light yellow pill from the wooden box. The pill gave off an extremely spicy smell.
She handed the pill to her sister-in-law. The two ladies were both exceptionally intelligent. After Lin Wan'er's hand trembled, she did not ask any questions. She directly put the pill into her mouth and began to chew quickly. She then took the warm water that the eunuch handed over and drank a mouthful to dilute the medicine in her mouth.
The imperial physicians, who were watching with curiosity and nervousness, knew that the two bold girls were about to force the medicine into Fan Xian's mouth. Since they could not stop them, one of them quickly stepped forward and used a special wooden tool to pry open Fan Xian's teeth.
Lin Wan'er lowered her head and fed it to him.
King Jing, who had been silently watching all this time, suddenly stretched out a hand and patted Fan Xian's chest. Then, his hand moved downwards.
Then, everyone began to wait anxiously.
After some time, Fan Xian's long eyelashes trembled slightly. He opened his eyes, but his gaze was weak.
…
…
"Master Fan is awake!"
A tactful eunuch shouted loudly. He went out of the palace to report to the Emperor, and the inside and outside of the palace hall became lively.
After Fan Xian woke up from his injury, his first thought was, "There must be many people who will be disappointed."
Then, he looked at the nervous, excited, and sorrowful faces around him. He said softly, "Pillow."
Wan'er clenched her fists and pressed her lips together. She was so nervous that she could not speak. She took a pillow and placed it on the back of his neck. She knew that her husband wanted to see the injury on his chest, so she put another pillow on top of his head so that his head could be a little higher.
Ruoruo had already moved a bright candlestick over, illuminating his wretched chest.
Fan Xian closed his eyes and let the spicy medicinal power slowly spread through his body, increasing his already withered energy. Only then did he slowly open his eyes and look toward his chest.
The wound was not deep, and it was a little lower. It looked like it was on the chest, but it was probably on the top of the stomach. The royal doctors treated external injuries very well, and Fan Xian could not find anything wrong with it.
But he knew that there must have been a hole in his stomach, and it was still slowly bleeding. His zhenqi had completely dispersed, and he could not rely on zhenqi to heal himself. If he allowed the internal bleeding to continue, he would not be able to survive the night. With the level of medicine in this world, there was nothing that could be done about internal injuries. He could not blame the royal doctors.
"Wipe it off." His energy was such that he could only give a short order.
Fan Ruoruo did not even think. She took a boiled cloth and wiped off all the medicinal powder on her brother's chest, causing the royal doctors to cry out in surprise.
Unsurprisingly, the wound on his chest began to bleed again.
"Needles." Fan Xian spat out one word. He could barely move his hand, and he held his wife's cold hand, which was trembling all over.
Ruoruo took out a few long needles. Fan Xian looked to the side at King Jing and said, "Tiantu, Qimen, Yu Manor, Guanyuan, insert the needles two inches."
Inserting the needles required the support of zhenqi, and at this moment, it seemed that only King Jing had this ability. After Fan Xian woke up, he had guessed very clearly that the palm that had sent the medicine into his stomach had contained the powerful zhenqi that had been practiced for many years. King Jing was slightly surprised. It seemed that he had not thought that he would also become a doctor. He accepted the thin long needles and nervously inserted them into the acupuncture points that Fan Xian had pointed out.
The needles entered the skin, and the bleeding stopped. The surrounding royal doctors were dumbfounded and could not believe what they were seeing.
…
…
"The Third Bureau," Fan Xian said weakly to King Jing.
King Jing immediately understood. The Third Bureau of the Overwatch Council was the best at making poisons. He and the Emperor had been so concerned that they had forgotten to let them into the palace to cure Fan Xian. So, he quickly left the palace and had someone summon the head of the Third Bureau and all other personnel into the palace to treat Fan Xian.
Unexpectedly, the people of the Third Bureau were already waiting outside the palace. The head of the Third Bureau had asked for a few edicts to enter the palace to save Fan Xian. However, the palace was a mess tonight. A few of the commanders of the imperial army had been summoned by the Overwatch Council for questioning, but no one dared to ask the Emperor. Naturally, no one dared to let them enter the palace.
At this moment, King Jing was representing the Emperor in giving an edict. The people of the Overwatch Council finally let out a sigh of relief. They directly entered the palace gates and hurried to Guangxin Palace. The people of the Third Bureau had brought a large pile of things. The clinking sounds were like metal objects. Lying on the bed, Fan Xian listened to the sound. It was like listening to the sound of a jade edict.
The head of the Third Bureau was the disciple of Fei Jie, who was Fan Xian's senior brother. In the Overwatch Council, he had always been on good terms with Fan Xian. Now, seeing his junior brother lying wretchedly on the bed, his face immediately became gloomy. He walked to Fan Xian's side and put a finger on his wrist.
Everyone, including the royal doctors, watched him nervously.
After a while, the head of the Third Bureau nodded and looked at Fan Xian. "My junior brother's pill is very good. However, this poison is from Dongyi. Try this one in the Council."
Fan Xian's heart trembled, and he took the pill. He didn't know if it was a psychological effect, but his spirit immediately improved.
There were three great masters of poisons. Fei Jie was one, Xiao En was the second, and the third was a strange man from Dongyi. Among the three, Fei Jie was the most knowledgeable, and undoubtedly the most skilled. But the materials and styles of poisons used by masters of poisons were very different. For example, Xiao En focused on animal fat and glandular secretion, while Fei Jie focused on plant and tree sap. This also affected Fan Xian. Unfortunately, the poison on the assassin's dagger came from the saltpeter mine of Dongyi. The styles of the two groups were different, so it was very troublesome to detoxify the poison. How could the Council have an antidote on hand?
Thus, Fan Xian knew that someone must have used his senior brother's name to send this pill into the Palace to help him detoxify the poison. However, his senior brother, who had long been immersed in the study of poisons and appeared to be a bit one-track minded, clearly did not think of this.
As the poison gradually faded, all that was left was the injury to his internal organs. Seeing the Overwatch Council's ability to cure poisons, the royal doctors were finally impressed. But they were still curious as to how Commissioner Fan and the Third Bureau were going to treat the internal wounds.
"My junior brother, I've brought the tools you asked the bureau to prepare. How do I use them?" The head of the Third Bureau didn't seem to know the functions of those tools.
Fan Xian looked at the bloody wound on his chest and said, panting, "I need someone who is very brave … and someone with a very steady hand."
The head of the Third Bureau dealt with poisons and dead people all year round. He had seen people cut open for who knew how many years. Naturally, he was brave enough. As for someone with a steady hand? The officials of the Third Bureau seemed to be able to handle it.
But … Fan Ruoruo stubbornly stood in front of the bed and said, "I'll do it."
(To be continued, if you want to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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