BLPSG Chapter 104 Extra

What if the Yin River Grand Canal hadn’t collapsed in the tenth year of Tianchu?

 

The massive dragon boat was moored at the edge of the Yin River Grand Canal.

 

The boat was brightly lit, with guards fully armed and serious-faced.

 

Not far away, the Songxiu Prefecture Governor’s mansion was lit up as bright as day.

 

A young man dressed in black quickly walked down the deck, heading toward the cabin.

 

The firelight illuminated his features, making them appear more profound and angular.

 

It also brightened the scattered bloodstains on his robe and sword.

 

Reaching the door, he suddenly stopped and instructed the old eunuch beside him: “Clean up the bloodstains on the deck tonight, don’t delay.”

 

“Yes, Your Highness.”

 

After bowing, the old eunuch who was about to leave suddenly stopped and asked uncertainly: “Does Your Highness need me to call for a physician?”

 

“No need, it’s just a superficial wound.” After speaking, Xie Bufeng casually raised his left hand, the movement exceptionally relaxed.

 

His palm was wrapped in white gauze, with blood visibly seeping through.

 

Though bloodied, it was indeed just a superficial wound.

 

After speaking, Xie Bufeng turned and entered the cabin.

 

The old eunuch hesitated for a moment before leaving.

 

The cabin door slowly closed, and Consort Lan who had been waiting inside hurried over: “Quickly, check His Highness’s wound!”

 

Her fingers were tightly clasped together, looking extremely anxious.

 

“Yes, Consort Lan.” Two young eunuchs stepped forward quickly and removed the young man’s outer robe.

 

By the light, one could see that the young man’s back was wrapped in thick layers of gauze.

 

The moment the gauze was unwrapped, a heavy smell of blood immediately filled the cabin.

 

On Xie Bufeng’s back was a foot-long wound.

 

The flesh on both sides of the wound was turned outward, slightly blackened, and even the blood was purplish-black.

 

Although it had been simply bandaged, the smell of blood on him was still too strong.

 

Earlier, Xie Bufeng had deliberately cut his palm to create a wound to mask this smell.

 

“The wound is so severe…” Despite being mentally prepared, Consort Lan was still startled, “Judging by the wound, that sword was likely poisoned.”

 

If the poison was left untreated, the flesh around Xie Bufeng’s wound would rapidly decay.

 

After speaking, she took a deep breath, as if making a great decision: “If necessary, we should still find a physician. I’m afraid only they can identify what poison is on your back.”

 

“No need,” unlike everyone else who looked tense, Xie Bufeng took some gauze from the side and calmly rebandaged the wound, “If we find a physician, the news will definitely reach the Emperor’s ears.”

 

Consort Lan pressed her lips together and said no more.

 

The southern tour boats had just arrived at Songxiu Prefecture when they encountered assassins.

 

The Emperor had recently dealt with a batch of former dynasty nobles, and on the surface, these assassins seemed to be remnants from that incident.

 

But as the head of the inner palace with particularly good intelligence, Consort Lan knew… things weren’t that simple.

 

Those assassins were targeting Xie Bufeng.

 

And behind them was the Emperor himself.

 

The current Emperor was in his prime and particularly valued power.

 

But his sons were gradually growing up, reaching the age where they could compete with him for the throne.

 

Especially Xie Bufeng…

 

Though his mother was not the Empress, she managed the six palaces.

 

His maternal grandfather was the current Prime Minister, and his uncle was the Minister of Works, with the entire family wielding tremendous influence at court.

 

Whenever the Emperor thought of this, he became restless.

 

This southern tour was jointly led by Crown Prince Xie Bufeng and Second Prince Xie Guanzhi.

 

Before this, Xie Guanzhi had already been confined by the Emperor on some pretext.

 

And today’s assassination attempt was a show deliberately arranged for Xie Bufeng.

 

When the “assassins” came, the guards around the Emperor didn’t rush to save him, but instead tightly surrounded Xie Bufeng, protecting him even more than the supreme ruler.

 

In the eyes of others, this exposed Xie Bufeng’s “military control” and wild ambition.

 

Afterward, court officials would surely denounce the Crown Prince for being disloyal and unfilial, and could even use the opportunity to pin the “assassination attempt” on him.

 

By then, Xie Bufeng would never be able to compete for the throne, and Consort Lan’s family’s power would be greatly diminished.

 

It was truly killing two birds with one stone.

 

However, events developed completely differently than expected.

 

Xie Bufeng didn’t rely on the guards but used his own abilities to lure the assassins into the cabin and kill them personally, leaving no survivors.

 

Finally, he walked out of the cabin as if nothing had happened.

 

“Indeed, if His Majesty learns that you’re not unharmed but seriously injured, he will certainly…”

 

Consort Lan only said half of what she meant, but both she and Xie Bufeng understood.

 

If the Emperor knew Xie Bufeng was seriously injured, he would certainly change his plan and choose to deliver the final blow, directly taking his life.

 

This way, though it wouldn’t harm the Su family, it would permanently eliminate Xie Bufeng as a threat.

 

It was now deep night, with moonlight falling on the Yin River Grand Canal, swaying with the ripples.

 

As they spoke, Xie Bufeng suddenly stood up.

 

Consort Lan instinctively asked: “Your Highness, where are you going?”

 

“To Songxiu Prefecture, to find someone to treat my wound.”

 

Xie Bufeng’s voice, along with the sound of water outside the window, reached Consort Lan’s ears.

 

Find someone?

 

Treating the wound wasn’t difficult, but was there really someone in Songxiu Prefecture who could neutralize the poison on Xie Bufeng’s wound?

 

*

 

Late spring was the best season in Songxiu Prefecture.

 

The weather was neither dry nor cold, and flowers bloomed everywhere.

 

In a small courtyard in the south of the city, roses were planted abundantly.

 

When the breeze blew, their fragrance filled the streets.

 

“Knock, knock, knock…”

 

In the dead of night, a series of urgent knocks suddenly sounded.

 

In just a moment, they woke the light sleeper inside the courtyard.

 

“Who is it?”

 

There was no answer from outside, only the knocking continued.

 

Who could it be at this late hour?

 

Though somewhat puzzled, remembering that patients in acute pain who couldn’t even speak had visited in the middle of the night before, Wen Qingci immediately put on his outer robe, picked up a lantern, and walked out.

 

Without hesitation, he opened the courtyard gate.

 

A heavy smell of blood hit him.

 

Wen Qingci instinctively stepped back half a pace.

 

He paused before seeing: a young man dressed in black, covered in blood, was leaning against the wall looking at him.

 

The young man’s eyes were a cold, pale amber.

 

He was like a beast lurking in the deep night, with a bone-chilling coldness in his eyes.

 

“Come in quickly,” without time to think further, Wen Qingci immediately supported the young man, “Where are you injured, can you stand steady?”

 

The other nodded with some difficulty and replied in a low voice: “I can stand, the wound is on my back.”

 

By the moonlight, Wen Qingci saw that the young man’s face was almost completely pale, clearly seriously injured.

 

At the same time, Xie Bufeng was also observing the person before him.

 

The man had a fine, straight nose and lips as light red as roses.

 

His eyelashes were extremely long, seemingly shyly covering his jet-black eyes.

 

Most distinctive was the cinnabar mark between his slender eyebrows.

 

Xie Bufeng, who had grown up in the palace, was seeing such a beautiful man for the first time…

 

Songxiu Prefecture was exceptionally quiet at night. After confirming he couldn’t hear anything, Xie Bufeng finally slowly relaxed.

 

At the same time, he removed his hand from the sword hanging at his waist.

 

Before the southern tour, Xie Bufeng had thoroughly researched Songxiu Prefecture.

 

This was a famous medicinal town in the Wei dynasty, with many medical clinics.

 

The most famous one was owned by a man named Wen Qingci.

 

He had a cinnabar mark between his eyebrows, making him easy to recognize.

 

Xie Bufeng had followed a map to find him, only to discover that this physician named Wen was even younger than he had imagined.

 

“Alright, I understand.” Wen Qingci nodded, not asking further questions, and immediately led him to the examination room, taking out medicine and bandages from his medicine box.

 

“Lie down here first, let me see the wound.”

 

“Alright.” Xie Bufeng was very cooperative.

 

He was born without the ability to feel pain.

 

At this moment, he was only tired and weak from blood loss, causing his vision to darken.

 

After Wen Qingci finished speaking, he removed his blood-soaked outer robe, revealing the bandages on his back that were already wet with blood.

 

Wen Qingci used scissors to cut open the bandages.

 

In the lamplight, he couldn’t help but frown.

 

“Your wound is indeed severe, and there are signs of poisoning around it,” Wen Qingci said while using cotton to clean the edges of Xie Bufeng’s wound, “We must first cut away the blackened flesh.”

 

Concerned about touching Xie Bufeng’s wound, Wen Qingci’s movements were exceptionally gentle.

 

His fingers slowly slid across the flesh of Xie Bufeng’s back.

 

Like a ribbon sliding across it.

 

The young man felt a strange tingling sensation in his heart.

 

He suppressed that odd feeling and said in a deep voice: “I understand.”

 

Seeing that the injured person had no objections, Wen Qingci didn’t waste any more time and immediately set to work.

 

He took out a powder that could numb the wound area, gently sprinkled it on Xie Bufeng’s back, and also brought a clean cotton cloth, placing it beside the young man, thoughtfully instructing: “I’ve applied anesthetic powder… but your wound is quite large, so the effect might be limited. If the pain becomes unbearable, bite down on this cotton cloth.”

 

“Alright.” Xie Bufeng didn’t tell Wen Qingci that he actually couldn’t feel pain.

 

While waiting, the young man saw from the corner of his eye:

 

Wen Qingci sterilized a silver knife over fire, then took a ribbon from somewhere and tied his long hair, which had been hanging over his shoulders, high on his head.

 

His features were particularly delicate in the lamplight and moonlight.

 

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Wen Qingci took the sterilized silver knife from the candle flame and slowly began to cut into Xie Bufeng’s wound.

 

As a renowned physician in the area, Wen Qingci had treated many difficult cases, but this was his first time dealing with such a deep knife wound.

 

Therefore, his movements were particularly careful.

 

Wen Qingci’s drowsiness had long since disappeared without a trace.

 

At this moment, his mind was focused solely on cleaning the wound.

 

As the incision deepened, Wen Qingci’s fingers also gently pressed against Xie Bufeng’s back.

 

The cool sensation instantly traveled along his nerves to Xie Bufeng’s mind.

 

It transformed into a familiar tingling feeling, causing the young man’s body to involuntarily tremble.

 

Feeling the patient’s muscles suddenly tense, Wen Qingci thought he had been too heavy-handed.

 

He immediately said softly: “I’m sorry, if the pain becomes unbearable, you must tell me, don’t endure it.”

 

Wen Qingci’s tone was gentle yet serious.

 

To Xie Bufeng, it sounded… both unfamiliar and as if he were comforting a child.

 

“Do you understand?”

 

Seeing that Xie Bufeng remained silent, Wen Qingci paused his work and asked again.

 

“I understand.”

 

Only after the patient nodded did he continue cleaning the wound.

 

At this moment, Xie Bufeng suddenly realized from the other’s tone-perhaps Wen Qingci truly was treating him like a child?

 

This discovery inexplicably annoyed the Crown Prince.

 

In less than the time it takes to burn two incense sticks, Wen Qingci had completely removed the necrotic flesh from the wound.

 

He examined the wound, then poured the contaminated blood into a jade cup, mixed it with something, observed it for a moment, and then turned to prepare medicine.

 

After a while, Wen Qingci returned and said: “Fortunately, this poison isn’t difficult to neutralize. If my assessment is correct, it was extracted from decaying animal remains. As long as the wound is carefully treated, with daily dressing changes, and allowed to heal properly, there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

 

His voice was extremely gentle, but his tone was particularly firm.

 

Earlier, Xie Bufeng had already sensed that Wen Qingci’s wound treatment technique was far superior to the palace physicians.

 

If he could speak in such a relaxed tone, he must be completely confident.

 

“Thank you for your trouble.”

 

“It’s nothing,” Wen Qingci smiled and said, “Rest well tonight. As long as you don’t develop a fever, there should be no major problems.”

 

After speaking, he placed the back of his hand against Xie Bufeng’s forehead, carefully feeling his temperature.

 

After confirming there was no issue with the patient’s temperature, he finally lowered his hand.

 

“This bed is too narrow and has no bedding, let’s go inside.”

 

Wen Qingci looked somewhat conflicted toward his own room.

 

His clinic wasn’t large, and he had never kept patients overnight before.

 

…But this visitor, judging by his accent, wasn’t from Songxiu Prefecture, and probably had no place to stay here.

 

He couldn’t very well send him to find an inn in the middle of the night, could he?

 

After speaking, Wen Qingci hesitated for a moment, then walked forward and gently lifted the bamboo curtain behind the examination room.

 

Xie Bufeng stood up and followed him.

 

Land in Songxiu Prefecture was valuable, and the city’s clinics weren’t large.

 

Besides this examination room, there was only the bedroom behind the bamboo curtain.

 

The young man saw that there seemed to be a bed in the bedroom…

 

Wen Qingci opened the wardrobe and suddenly turned to look at Xie Bufeng: “Your height should be about the same as mine, right?”

 

Saying this, he took out a moon-white robe from the wardrobe.

 

“Here, I’ve only worn this once, put it on for now.”

 

He saw that the young man’s clothes were completely soaked with blood and couldn’t be worn anymore.

 

Though Xie Bufeng wasn’t particularly favored, he was still a prince, and had never worn someone else’s clothes before.

 

The young man instinctively wanted to refuse.

 

But the next moment, the night breeze carried the faint rose fragrance from the clothes to his nose.

 

Xie Bufeng missed his chance to refuse.

 

By the time he reacted, Wen Qingci had already gently closed the wardrobe door.

 

“You sleep first, the bedding was freshly changed this morning. If you mind, I can bring another new set,” as he spoke, Wen Qingci turned and moved the medical books from a bamboo couch to the side, making space for himself to lie down, “I’ll stay here tonight. If you feel unwell, just tell me.”

 

“…I don’t mind.” Xie Bufeng said.

 

The young man unconsciously clenched his palm and narrowed his eyes as he looked at Wen Qingci.

 

This physician from Songxiu Prefecture was perhaps too kind-hearted.

 

He was just a patient who arrived in the middle of the night, why was he so attentive?

 

Not only was there no impatience, but he even gave up his bed…

 

Xie Bufeng, who could hear people’s evil thoughts from birth, was accustomed to being wary of everything around him.

 

Could it be that he had recognized his identity?

 

No, that’s not right.

 

This thought had barely emerged before Xie Bufeng dismissed it.

 

The dragon boat had just arrived in Songxiu when it encountered assassins, after which the surroundings became heavily guarded. Wen Qingci couldn’t possibly have seen him.

 

Most importantly, Xie Bufeng had not heard his inner thoughts at all.

 

But if Wen Qingci didn’t know he was the current Crown Prince,

 

why was he being so attentive? What was he after?

 

After tidying up the bamboo couch, seeing Xie Bufeng still standing in the middle of the room, Wen Qingci couldn’t help but ask: “What’s wrong? Is your wound painful, making it difficult to lie down?”

 

By all rights, Xie Bufeng should not have let down his guard.

 

He should have refused Wen Qingci, returned to the dragon boat, or found another place to stay in Songxiu Prefecture.

 

But before he could refuse, the fatigue from excessive blood loss once again swept over the young man.

 

Compared to wandering aimlessly around Songxiu Prefecture in the middle of the night like a headless fly, it was better to stay here…

 

“No.” Xie Bufeng hesitated no longer, walked to the bed, and slowly lay down.

 

Wen Qingci’s bedding was completely different from that in Taishu Palace.

 

The bedding made of ordinary cotton was particularly soft.

 

The recently sun-dried quilt not only had the scent of sunshine but also carried a faint rose fragrance.

 

It all made one feel strangely at ease.

 

The young man finally succumbed to drowsiness and slowly closed his eyes.

 

At the moment of falling into deep sleep, Xie Bufeng saw-Wen Qingci in moon-white robes, frowning as he appeared at the bedside.

 

Then, somewhat worriedly, he placed his hand on Xie Bufeng’s forehead and murmured: “This is troublesome, he still has a slight fever.”

 

The next moment, Xie Bufeng completely lost consciousness.

 

*

 

Xie Bufeng had a recurring low fever, and Wen Qingci didn’t sleep all night.

 

He placed a water-soaked cloth on Xie Bufeng’s forehead, constantly replacing it to cool him down.

 

After a while, completely losing his drowsiness, Wen Qingci simply went to the examination room, prepared medicine, and poured it into a bowl.

 

Xie Bufeng hazily saw Wen Qingci help him sit up.

 

And very patiently feed him the medicine spoonful by spoonful.

 

A faint bitterness filled Xie Bufeng’s mouth.

 

Half-dreaming and half-awake, the young man felt somewhat confused.

 

Born without the ability to feel pain, people in Taishu Palace showed him respect on the surface but called him a “monster” behind his back.

 

Let alone care, those people usually wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.

 

No one had ever been as gentle to him as this physician…

 

Though Xie Bufeng developed a low fever in the middle of the night, his biological clock woke him punctually the next morning before dawn.

 

It was only the Hour of the Tiger, and there was still thick fog outside the window that hadn’t dispersed.

 

…A breeze brought the scent of roses into the room.

 

The Emperor was putting on a complete show; after yesterday’s “assassination attempt,” he pretended to be shocked and refused to leave his quarters.

 

But Xie Bufeng couldn’t be sure how long the other’s act would last.

 

Worried that the Emperor would become suspicious if he couldn’t find him, Xie Bufeng planned to return to the dragon boat as soon as possible.

 

“You’re awake?”

 

Wen Qingci, carrying a small bowl, walked in from outside.

 

After speaking, he placed the bowl on the table, came over, and very naturally felt Xie Bufeng’s forehead: “Good, the fever has completely subsided.”

 

Finally, he turned and picked up the bowl, handing it to Xie Bufeng: “Here, this is breakfast.”

 

Wen Qingci was holding a bowl of white fungus soup.

 

The white fungus in the bowl had been stewed to a gelatinous state, clearly cooked for a long time.

 

The young man saw that Wen Qingci had dark circles under his eyes…

 

After a moment of silence, he finally couldn’t help but ask: “Didn’t you sleep last night?”

 

“Mmm…” Wen Qingci’s voice carried a thick nasal tone as he rubbed his eyes and said, “Once the drowsiness passed, I couldn’t sleep, so I just got up and made a proper breakfast.” After speaking, he smiled somewhat embarrassedly at Xie Bufeng.

 

Another waft of rose fragrance drifted into the room.

 

Xie Bufeng’s mind suddenly became disordered for a moment.

 

The young man lowered his head and took a small sip of the white fungus soup.

 

Before coming to Songxiu Prefecture, he had heard that the food here was sweet and cloying.

 

But Xie Bufeng found that the white fungus soup in his hands wasn’t overly sweet at all.

 

It tasted even better than what the palace chefs made.

 

“How does it taste?” Wen Qingci asked.

 

“Very good.”

 

As soon as the young man finished speaking, Wen Qingci smiled again.

 

Warmth awakened his cold lungs, and Xie Bufeng paused before finally remembering his main purpose: “I need to leave soon.”

 

“…Alright,” hearing his words, Wen Qingci paused and said, “I understand.” After speaking, he turned and walked toward the examination room.

 

Xie Bufeng couldn’t help but frown… what was he going to do?

 

After hesitating for a moment, the young man put the porcelain bowl on the table, slowly stood up, and walked toward the examination room.

 

Just as he left the room, Xie Bufeng heard a series of crisp sounds.

 

The young man instinctively looked at what Wen Qingci was doing-the physician dressed in moon-white robes was rapidly working an abacus.

 

…An abacus?

 

At this moment, Wen Qingci finally stopped.

 

“Cleaning the wound, anesthetic powder, medicine, and bandages, a total of one silver coin. Oh, right…” halfway through his sentence, he lowered his head and rapidly worked the abacus again, “plus the fever-reducing soup, that’s half a silver coin more. I won’t charge you for the rest.”

 

After speaking, he looked at Xie Bufeng with an expectant face.

 

Standing in the examination room, the still-young Xie Bufeng’s eyes instantly widened.

 

The next moment, his cheeks suddenly became hot.

 

…What was all that attentiveness for?

 

He must have been delirious with fever last night, or perhaps had been in the palace too long.

 

He had forgotten that physicians outside Taishu Palace made their living from medical fees!

 

Seeing the young man standing motionless,

 

Wen Qingci seemed to realize something and slowly put away the abacus, then asked uncertainly: “Young hero, could it be that… you didn’t bring any money with you?”

 

##

 

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