Hesitation clouded his eyes—not from fear of the illness itself, but because the truth was too difficult to voice."Your Highness, Prince Zhao..." Lin Fengyu maintained a calm exterior, yet clearly struggled to speak.One who serves beside the Emperor must always be cautious—better to remain silent than to speak wrongly, for a single misplaced word could entangle one in political whirlpools from which there is no escape.
Li Ce had already anticipated this, and said gently,"Rest assured, Lin Fengyu. Today, it is just the two of us brothers here, seeking only health and clarity. No one else will be implicated, nor will a single word be leaked to outsiders."In other words, even if the diagnosis revealed that someone had poisoned the prince, no one would compel him to testify."But the kindness you show today, in treating and saving lives—we shall not forget it."
A complex expression crossed Lin Fengyu's face. His fingers tightened around the pulse pillow, and the furrow between his brows relaxed slightly at Li Ce's words. Though still guarded, a flicker of a healer's compassion softened his demeanor."A physician must not shy away from the truth," he finally said solemnly. "Since Your Highness has made such a promise, I shall examine Prince Zhao once more."
"Should have done that earlier!" Li Jing sat down with casual bravado, stretching out his hand. "Just say it straight—what's there to be afraid of?"
Lin Fengyu offered a faint, restrained smile. Easy for you to say. For those in their station, a single misstep in speech could cost their lives.
Li Jing's hand rested on the pulse pillow. Lin Fengyu only needed a moment to feel the pulse before nodding faintly. He leaned forward with respectful gravity."Your Highness and the Princess Consort suffer from the same ailment—an exhaustion of kidney yang, leading to both yang deficiency and yin depletion."
"How could I be deficient?" Li Jing snorted."I take tonics and supplements every day. Only stopped these past few days."
Clearly, he hadn't grasped what "exhaustion of kidney yang" truly meant. Princess Consort Zhao, Cui Jin'er, also looked bewildered, her eyes wide with confusion.
"Do you have the prescription?" Lin Fengyu asked.
"The prescription?" Li Jing frowned, but Li Ce stepped forward and handed it to him.
Lin Fengyu lowered his gaze, carefully examining the formula. Though he said nothing, his expression darkened.
"Let's step outside," Li Ce suddenly suggested."Let Master Lin speak with Prince Zhao alone."
It seemed he already suspected the truth, though it was unfit for public discussion. He rose and left first. Cui Jin'er hesitated, then followed. As Ye Jiao exited, she casually picked up the roasted chicken from the table.
Outside in the courtyard stood a simple stone table, around which the three sat. Cui Jin'er, restless and uneasy, spoke:"Prince Chu, don't hide things from me. Is the prescription wrong? That formula was given by Zhang Fengyu at the Empress's command. We've been taking it for years."
Li Jing was the Empress's own son. No matter the circumstances, she had no reason to harm him. To question her was to commit treason. Zhang Fengyu, too, was a fifth-rank imperial physician of the Imperial Medical Bureau, equal in status to Lin Fengyu. What motive or courage could he possibly have to poison a prince?
"Be at ease, sister-in-law," Li Ce replied calmly, accepting a hot towel from Shuiwen."Though the two physicians share the same rank, their skills differ. I heard that Zhang Fengyu took leave for personal matters. Since we have Lin Fengyu here today, let us hear his opinion."
Inside, only Li Jing remained. Lin Fengyu could now speak more freely.
"Your Highness, have you read Ban Gu's Treatise on Rites?"
"Stop beating around the bush," Li Jing grumbled. He had no patience for cryptic speech.
Lin Fengyu nodded and recited:"Of the bedchamber—it is the extremity of human emotions, the very frontier of the Dao. Thus, the Sage Kings devised music to temper inner desires and created ritual to bring order to indulgence. The classics say: 'The ancient kings created music to moderate all affairs.' When pleasure is restrained by harmony, one attains peace and longevity. But the deluded ignore this, leading to illness and death."
Li Jing swallowed, both thoughtful and slightly embarrassed.Lin Fengyu was quoting directly from Han Zhi. The implication: sexual indulgence, though natural, must be tempered by virtue and discipline, or it will deplete one's health, even lead to death.
"I..." Li Jing flushed."I am not that kind of man! I do it for filial piety—for the sake of continuing the line. Even if there's some depletion, I'm still taking supplements!"
Lin Fengyu held the prescription silently, unwilling to offend a fellow court physician. But Li Ce's earlier interruption had already hinted that this formula came from Zhang Fengyu at the Empress's behest.
He could only speak with careful diplomacy:"Does Your Highness know this prescription contains Cnidium and Horny Goat Weed? While these herbs do warm kidney yang and strengthen essence and qi, taken daily, the depletion outweighs the benefit. Over time, Prince Chu's claim of poisoning is not entirely unfounded."
In other words—the medicine itself was not wrong. You simply took too much of it.
Li Jing chuckled sheepishly."I know what's in the medicine. I used to fear the bedchamber, so the physician added a little aphrodisiac. I just overdid it because I was anxious to have a child. Is it serious? Will the Princess Consort be all right?"
Stroking his beard, Lin Fengyu replied,"I shall write Your Highness a new formula—nothing but licorice root, one decoction per day. In addition, you should take daily walks with the Princess, strengthen your bodies naturally. As for an heir—it may come when the time is right."
Only then did Li Jing's brow unknit, and he smiled."In that case, I shall rely on you, Master Lin."
The prescription was simple. Once Lin Fengyu finished writing it, Li Jing moved to open the door—when suddenly a loud voice rang out from outside.
"Oh my! What brings the Princess Consort of Prince Wei here?"
It was Ye Jiao, signaling a warning.
Li Jing's expression shifted sharply. His hand froze on the door handle. Then, slowly, he shut it again.
Yan Shuangxu had arrived.
She wore arched pearl brows and a hint of red at the temples, a short jacket of Shu brocade over a stone-blue skirt, shoulders wrapped in a snow-white fox-fur cloak that fluttered in the breeze. Elegant and composed, she carried herself with stately grace. As a princess consort, her entrance naturally commanded presence. Her retinue—maidservants and matrons—numbered more than a dozen, instantly filling Ye Jiao's small courtyard.
Both Ye Jiao and Cui Jin'er rose. Cui Jin'er greeted her as "sister-in-law," while Ye Jiao addressed her formally as the Princess Consort of Prince Wei.Li Ce also stood, though only after carefully wiping Ye Jiao's hands clean.
"If Jiao'er insists on calling me Princess Consort," Yan Shuangxu teased as she approached Ye Jiao, "then I shall have to call you Marchioness Wu. After all this time, have we really grown so distant?"
Ye Jiao smiled with some reserve. It had indeed been several years since they last met. Her memory of Sister Yan was of a shy girl who always laughed with a lowered gaze. But now, Yan Shuangxu had matured, carrying the air of a noble matron, composed and commanding.
She turned to Cui Jin'er and asked,"You've come too, sister-in-law? Didn't the Prince come with you?"
"No," Cui Jin'er replied breezily, lifting her delicate chin and lying without blinking, "He's probably off dying somewhere again."
"That's hardly a lucky thing to say," Yan Shuangxu laughed, taking her hand."Everyone knows you two are thick as thieves."
Cui Jin'er smiled, then added a compliment of her own."Princess Wei, it's your household that sets the standard—your husband treats you with deep affection and utmost respect. Not like my husband. He doesn't even want children with me."
It's not that I'm infertile—it's that he refuses to try. Cui Jin'er always pushed the blame this way, making others wary of bringing up the subject of children.
Li Ce, who had remained silent, finally interjected with a polite cough."I still have matters to attend to and shall not intrude on the ladies' conversation."
The princess consorts bid him farewell—but just as Li Ce reached the gate, Shuiwen approached and said,"His Highness, the Prince of Jin, seeks an audience."
Of course, the Prince of Jin wouldn't set foot in Ye Jiao's inner courtyard—he was waiting in the front hall, with Ye Changgeng keeping him company.If Ye Jiao were an ordinary noble lady, she would have no need to appear before a visiting man.But her identity now was far from ordinary...