BLPSG Chapter 92.2

Yesterday, when he delivered medicine, he’d run into Xie Bufeng.

 

The emperor wasn’t wearing his usual wide robe, but a dark, narrow-sleeved round-collared one.

 

The creamy white, spotless wool bracelet stood out strikingly against the black.

 

It was impossible to ignore.

 

…That old, worn bracelet had always meant something special to Xie Bufeng.

 

Now, he had actually changed it.

 

Didn’t this mean His Majesty no longer saw his colleague from Songxiu Manor as a mere “stand-in,” but was truly moved?

 

The side room fell silent.

 

Wen Qingci’s heart gave a faint tremor at the young physician’s words.

 

He picked up the tray and, almost against his will, nodded.

 

The next moment, Wen Qingci froze.

 

Wait! What did I just do?

 

But unlike Wen Qingci, the young physician didn’t seem surprised.

 

“I knew it!” he said, a little excited.

 

Though he’d worked at the Imperial Medical Bureau with “Physician Wen Qingci” for a long time, they’d only ever been acquaintances.

 

Perhaps only Yu Guanlin and Wen Qingci could be considered familiar.

 

But he and this colleague had survived life and death together!

 

Naturally, his loyalties leaned toward those he knew best.

 

Realizing this, the young physician couldn’t help but feel happy for him.

 

But at the same time, he was still a bit worried.

 

After some thought, he said softly, “I know His Majesty treats you well, and it’s understandable you’d fall for him. But… as an old hand at Taishu Palace, I still have to remind you.”

 

Wen Qingci turned, looking at him with a hint of confusion.

 

A reminder?

 

“His Majesty’s feelings for that Physician Wen run deep-everyone knows it. Now, he’s shown you such favor after only a few days. At first glance, it seems he’s truly moved, and that’s a good thing. But when you think about it, you should keep a cool head.” The young physician clearly saw Wen Qingci as one of his own, speaking sincerely.

 

Wen Qingci asked instinctively, “How do you know His Majesty has real feelings for me?”

 

His voice grew quieter.

 

The physician asked, “Did you also give His Majesty a bracelet?”

 

“Yes.”

 

His tone immediately brightened, and he even clapped his hands. “That’s it! Yesterday I saw His Majesty, for the first time ever, wearing a narrow-sleeved robe. And he wore the bracelet over the sleeve-if that’s not showing off, what is?”

 

So Xie Bufeng changed his clothes for this?

 

Wen Qingci realized he really was a bit slow when it came to such things.

 

And rather than calming him down, his colleague’s words only made Wen Qingci’s cheeks burn even hotter.

 

At this point, his excited colleague forgot to control his volume.

 

The next second, his voice echoed through the small courtyard-and a cold sweat broke out on his palms.

 

“…Do you think I was a bit loud just now?”

 

“You were indeed not quiet.”

 

A deep voice came from outside the courtyard.

 

This time, the one answering wasn’t Wen Qingci, but… Xie Bufeng, dressed in a dark, narrow-sleeved robe.

 

The young physician instantly turned ashen.

 

How much had His Majesty overheard?

 

Did he only catch the last sentence, or did he hear everything?

 

It was over. His Majesty’s affections might shift quickly, but his feelings for Physician Wen-and even for this colleague-were definitely sincere.

 

No matter how much he’d heard, what the young physician had just said was enough to offend the emperor.

 

Xie Bufeng’s face was expressionless and his tone calm, scaring the young physician half to death.

 

But Wen Qingci noticed… a trace of amusement in Xie Bufeng’s eyes.

 

The side room wasn’t large, and after Xie Bufeng came in, it felt even more cramped.

 

The young physician didn’t dare breathe.

 

He gripped the handle of the food box, wishing he could bury his face in the ground.

 

After a long moment, Xie Bufeng finally spoke again: “Are you standing here waiting for a reward?”

 

His voice was icy, clearly not directed at Wen Qingci.

 

“…Ah!” The young physician froze, sneaking a glance at Xie Bufeng out of the corner of his eye.

 

In that instant, he realized His Majesty didn’t seem intent on punishing him.

 

“Yes, yes, I’ll take my leave-”

 

He still wasn’t sure how he’d gotten so lucky, but in the next moment, he made a hasty retreat, vanishing from Xie Bufeng’s sight as quickly as possible.

 

Only the two of them remained in the room.

 

Wen Qingci was about to take the medicine from the tray and hand it directly to Xie Bufeng, but was interrupted by his movement.

 

Xie Bufeng slowly reached out and removed Wen Qingci’s veil.

 

Looking into Wen Qingci’s eyes, he lowered his voice and said, “I really was showing off.”

 

As emperor, Xie Bufeng’s voice carried a hint of willfulness that only appeared before Wen Qingci: “If you could give me more gifts, so I could show off even more, that would be wonderful.”

 

As he spoke, he reached up and tucked Wen Qingci’s long hair behind his ear.

 

Xie Bufeng’s tone was utterly earnest; he wasn’t joking.

 

…Even if he possessed the riches of the world, he still wanted to receive more things from Wen Qingci’s hands.

 

It wasn’t that Xie Bufeng lacked anything.

 

He simply wanted more ties to Wen Qingci.

 

…

 

Wen Qingci never knew exactly how much of his and the young physician’s conversation Xie Bufeng had overheard.

 

Nor was he sure if Xie Bufeng had caught the earlier part about being distracted.

 

Wen Qingci couldn’t help but replay the conversation in his mind over and over.

 

He never found an answer.

 

The only thing that became clearer with each recollection was that, at that moment, he really had been distracted because of Xie Bufeng.

 

*

 

Although the front courtyard of the Imperial Medical Bureau wasn’t exactly bustling, there were always people coming and going.

 

No one knew when it started, but rumors about “the physician from Songxiu Manor” and the emperor had spread through Taishu Palace and even all of Yongdu.

 

In Huixin Palace, the Empress Dowager sat behind her desk, sipping tea.

 

There were several rare guests with her.

 

“I heard His Majesty’s health is poor, so I specially prayed for a Buddha statue at the temple. I came to the palace today just to see His Majesty…” The speaker was the former Consort Hui.

 

Though now a Dowager Consort, she was still as radiant as ever, her attire even more colorful than before-clearly, she was living well.

 

Though the official investiture hadn’t yet taken place, news that Xie Bufeng intended to name Xie Guanzhi as Imperial Younger Brother was already well known.

 

Dowager Consort Hui had always been adaptable, and now her words were full of sincere concern and respect.

 

The Empress Dowager believed she wasn’t faking it.

 

With Xie Guanzhi not yet invested, Consort Hui was probably the person most worried about something happening to Xie Bufeng.

 

Xie Guanzhi, who had come to Taishu Palace with his mother, nodded as well.

 

But his purpose was a little different from his mother’s.

 

He had heard many rumors about Xie Bufeng and that physician.

 

He believed that if Xie Bufeng could stir up so many rumors, his health couldn’t be all that bad.

 

So, this time, Xie Guanzhi had come mainly to see for himself just who that physician was.

 

At this thought, Xie Guanzhi’s expression suddenly turned a bit ugly.

 

…It had only been a little over a year since Wen Qingci’s death, and Xie Bufeng had already moved on?

 

Was all that former devotion just for show?

 

The more he thought about it, the more he felt Wen Qingci had been wronged.

 

Hearing Dowager Consort Hui’s words, the Empress Dowager’s fingers paused, and she slowly set her teacup down.

 

Her expression was a little odd.

 

Unlike the uninformed mother and son, the Empress Dowager had already guessed the physician’s identity, and instinctively sensed that the emperor’s “illness” was anything but ordinary.

 

That was why she hadn’t gone to visit the “ailing” Xie Bufeng.

 

Sitting beside her, Xie Fuyin tugged at her sleeve. “Mother, I want to see my brother too.”

 

The Empress Dowager sighed softly.

 

Bringing an empty coffin back to Yongdu-Xie Bufeng had gone too far.

 

She worried he might do something even more outrageous, jeopardizing the state, or use his power to dig up the location of the Valley of Divine Physicians.

 

After much inner struggle, she had finally chosen to tell Xie Bufeng about Steward Zhao.

 

But she still couldn’t hide her private feelings as a family member.

 

…The Empress Dowager had always felt guilty toward Wen Qingci.

 

This guilt gnawed at her heart like ants, day after day, leaving her unable to eat or sleep in peace.

 

“Mother?” Noticing the Empress Dowager’s silence, Xie Fuyin gently tugged her sleeve again.

 

“All right,” the Empress Dowager softly took Xie Fuyin’s hand, lowered her head, and smiled, “Let’s go see His Majesty.”

 

At the same time, she clenched her other hand tightly.

 

Although Xie Bufeng was her own son, there was still an unbridgeable thirteen-year gap between them.

 

The Empress Dowager couldn’t be certain she truly understood Xie Bufeng.

 

There were no rumors in the palace, but having seen firsthand how extreme Xie Bufeng could be, she couldn’t help but worry…

 

Would His Majesty do something bad to Wen Qingci?

 

If he really did, then even at the cost of her own life, she would find a way to stop Xie Bufeng.

 

The Empress Dowager bit her lip, making up her mind.

 

“Good!” Unlike her heavy-hearted mother, Xie Fuyin’s eyes lit up.

 

Her mother hadn’t let her disturb her brother for several days, and she hadn’t seen the rabbits at the Imperial Medical Bureau for a long time.

 

A child doesn’t really understand what “being sick” means.

 

Learning she could go see Xie Bufeng, she was both happy to see her brother and looking forward to feeding the rabbit herself.

 

“Sister Mingliu,” Xie Fuyin tugged the Empress Dowager’s hand and turned to Mingliu, “Can you prepare some hay for me?”

 

Xie Guanzhi was the future crown prince, and when he saw Xie Bufeng, he naturally had important matters to discuss.

 

Most importantly, if Xie Bufeng really did something to Wen Qingci, that scene shouldn’t be witnessed by Xie Fuyin…

 

Rather than risk her interrupting serious conversation, it was better to let her look for the rabbit in the courtyard.

 

The Empress Dowager turned and nodded to Mingliu. “Prepare some for Her Highness.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

The palace road to the Imperial Medical Bureau had never been so lively.

 

As the sun set, dozens of palace lanterns were lit one by one, forming a long fiery dragon that illuminated the evening.

 

After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, an eunuch’s sharp voice pierced the quiet of the Imperial Medical Bureau, clearly announcing to everyone present, including Wen Qingci: “Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has arrived, Prince Heng has arrived, Dowager Consort Hui has arrived-”

 

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