nucmednet Chapter 117 Arrival at Fang Mansion
Chapter 117 Arrival at Fang Mansion
When they arrived at the Fang Mansion, Bai Zhi first asked about the house where Qiao Wanwan was recuperating, and then rushed over at great speed.
The room was filled with a nauseating herbal smell. Qiao Wanwan lay on the bed with a pale face and eyes closed. However, her breathing was steady, as if she was out of danger.
Bai Zhi breathed a sigh of relief.
Outside the house, Fang Zhiheng came in late with two dark spots under his eyes: "Your Highness, why are you here... Oh, Miss Bai is here too. I haven't seen you for a long time since I came to the capital. Miss Bai, how are you?"
Bai Zhi smiled and said, "How are you, Doctor Fang? Thanks to your Highness, you are doing very well. Thank you for saving Captain Qiao."
Chu Yunchuan stood up straighter.
"Miss Bai, you don't have to be polite. Captain Qiao was injured during his duty, so I should do my best to help him. It's just my job." Fang Zhiheng dismissed the servants and closed the door, then he relaxed and said, "I didn't expect that the second wife of the Marquis's Mansion would come to the Thirteen States to join the army. It's true that we meet in the world. Your Highness, Miss Bai, what are you doing here?"
Chu Yunchuan took out a few books from his bag and said, "Bai Zhi found some clues about the strange poison in the corpse."
Bai Zhi: "I only have a rough understanding of pharmacology. Doctor Fang will have to determine what the specific poison is."
Fang Zhiheng's expression became serious. He led the two of them into the study and asked, "Before Captain Qiao fainted, she only had time to say that the corpse that Lord Lin asked her to bring was poisoned. Did His Highness order the corpse to be sent here?"
Chu Yunchuan nodded: "Yes." He told Fang Zhiheng the whole story, including the murder of the coroner. Fang Zhiheng frowned and said: "This happened on the eve of the imperial examination. If there is any trouble, it will be difficult to explain to the people."
"Let's get straight to the point, Doctor Fang." Bai Zhi pulled Chu Yunchuan in front of her and gestured to him, while explaining to Fang Zhiheng the condition of Chawacuo's body.
Chu Yunchuan was very obedient. He raised his head when he was told to and closed his eyes when he was told to.
Fang Zhiheng: “…”
This situation is awkward no matter how you look at it.
"…That's it, Doctor Fang. I found several similar poisonous weeds in the book." Bai Zhi took the books she brought with her, spread them on the table, and turned them one by one to the page with folds. Fang Zhiheng's heart twitched as he looked at the rough folds. He flattened them carefully and then read them silently.
Bai Zhi and Chu Yunchuan had no way of intervening in what happened next, so they sat on chairs nearby and chatted in low voices.
"Bai Zhi, now that I think about it, it's a good thing that you persuaded Qiao Wanwan to divorce. Otherwise, not only would the Thirteen States be missing a good general, but if she were to be exterminated along with the Marquis's Mansion, I would have a hard time facing General Qiao Juchong again."
"...Are you really planning to let Qiao Wanwan follow the Marquis' Mansion to exterminate the entire family?"
"Before the family is wiped out, the fewer variables the better. If I protect Qiao Wanwan, I can't guarantee that she will cause any trouble."
"Your Highness, Prince Jing, you really won't give up until you achieve your goal. Qiao Wanwan ran into you...it's a blessing that she was lucky."
"It's all thanks to you. By the way, I forgot to ask for leave from Manager Zhou. I was absent from work today without reason. Will she deduct my wages?"
"Your wages come from my dividends, so it doesn't matter if it goes into her own pocket. Why would she do that? Besides, you are a prince, so what are you missing out on?"
"Post-war reconstruction costs money everywhere, and a prince should be careful with his budget. I managed to get 30,000 taels of gold from the emperor..."
"Thirty thousand taels of gold?!"
"It sounds like a lot of money, but it's spent like water. Otherwise, I wouldn't have given credit to places that were short of money and food, and I would have spent money a long time ago."
"How come even you are short of money... I haven't touched the banknotes you gave me yet. If you need any money, tell me."
"Why didn't you move?"
"When I first arrived in Qing County, there wasn't even a bank here, so I couldn't exchange the silver. I just kept it in my bottom drawer."
"Three thousand taels of silver is a drop in the bucket, so let's keep it in the bottom of the box."
"...Look at you, you look so out of touch with the world."
Fang Zhiheng finally raised his head from the book and couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, Miss Bai, what are you doing..."
He had wanted to ask for a long time, but Fu Yao only left him a message, "Yunchuan went to chase Miss Bai." The next day, Changfeng was the only one left in Prince Jing's Mansion, and all the mess was piled on him. Fortunately, there was not much to do and he could still handle it.
This scene in front of me... no matter how I look at it, it seems to be a happy scene. Could it be that the two of them have already...
Bai Zhi misunderstood and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, we talked too much. Let's shut up now."
Chu Yunchuan: "Bai Zhi, that's not what he wanted to say."
Bai Zhi: "Ah?"
"Zhiheng, as you can see, Baizhi and I are now engaged." Chu Yunchuan supported his face with one hand and smiled. Baizhi finally reacted and picked up the teacup to drink tea awkwardly - she never minded talking about her relationship with Chu Yunchuan to outsiders, but why was it so awkward to talk about it with acquaintances?
Fang Zhiheng couldn't tell whether he was happy or unhappy, he just had a look of understanding.
Chu Yunchuan continued, "When the Thirteen States have been stable for a few more years and everything is peaceful, Zhiheng, are you willing to take over the position of King Jing?"
"Cough cough cough-"
Bai Zhi resisted the urge to spray the tea, but she choked and her face turned red. Chu Yunchuan patted her back to calm her down, and said self-reproachfully, "Next time I won't talk while you're drinking tea."
Bai Zhi: "..." Is that the case? It's too sudden to bring this up all of a sudden! Don't you need to consider Fang Zhiheng's feelings?
As expected, Fang Zhiheng was hit hard: "Your Highness... what does this mean?"
"As I said, when everything is peaceful, I will abdicate and let others take over." Chu Yunchuan said, "I have done what I should do to redress the injustice of the previous king and rebuild the homeland. It is time to take a break. To be honest, Zhiheng, I am really exhausted as King Jing."
He didn't tell the truth at all! Bai Zhi kept coughing and couldn't speak. She was so anxious that she kept pulling Chu Yunchuan's sleeve. Chu Yunchuan covered her hand as if to comfort her, and then said to Fang Zhiheng, who looked solemn, "It doesn't matter if you don't want to. The world is so big that there will always be someone who can sit firmly on the throne, or you can choose a person with both virtue and talent from this imperial examination."
After a long while, Fang Zhiheng walked towards Chu Yunchuan, bowed deeply, and spoke slowly and solemnly: "I followed Your Highness not for fame and fortune, but to save the world. If Your Highness really wants to do so, I will find the most talented and virtuous person to succeed the throne... Your Highness, it's time to rest after ten years of wind and snow."
"it is good."
Chu Yunchuan's eyes were as calm as water, like a deep well after a storm. Although it had been filled with mud for a long time, it would eventually be exposed to the sun as desired, drying out the mud and falling off, revealing the clear spring underneath.
Bai Zhi gradually regained her breath, and Fang Zhiheng said to her, "Miss Bai...thank you very much."
He didn't say thank you, but Bai Zhi felt that she knew. She looked at Chu Yunchuan deeply and responded softly, "No, same to you."