Chapter 34: Starting Over

 Chapter 34: Starting Over  

 

A few days ago, the Ministry of Rites had already informed them to head to Wuying Hall today to welcome Prince Chen alongside the emperor. Early that morning, he arrived and waited as instructed. The civil and military officials had all assembled, but just as news of Prince Chen’s arrival at Qili Pavilion came through, the emperor issued an edict dismissing everyone.  

"This came from the imperial study. Fan Wenzhong even suggested the emperor reprimand you, ensuring you’d remember clearly who is the master and who is the servant."  

"The emperor was swayed by his words and wanted to put you in your place."  

"When we heard about it, we were enraged! You had just returned to the capital, yet the emperor immediately listened to the slander of treacherous officials, deliberately disrespecting you!"  

Ming Xiyang grew increasingly furious as he spoke, his face flushing red. He slammed his palm angrily on the small ruyi table beside him.  

He was infuriated on the spot, and not just him—many comrades in the army felt similarly indignant. They not only sympathized with Prince Chen but also sensed impending doom for themselves. If someone like Prince Chen, who had rendered unparalleled service to Great Qi, was being targeted and suppressed, what hope did they have?  

But they were stopped by Su Mubai.  

Su Mubai reasoned that if they openly voiced their grievances for Prince Chen, it would only deepen the emperor’s suspicion of him.  

Ming Xiyang sighed inwardly at the thought and refrained from mentioning it further. Instead, he said, "My lord, it’s fortunate you left the palace for the residence early; otherwise, who knows how long you’d have been left standing there."  

Ming Xiyang grabbed the tea in front of him, downed it in one gulp, and cheerfully wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "As soon as I heard you were back, I came straight here. My lord, can I stay for dinner?"  

He grinned cheekily, his demeanor full of familiarity and camaraderie.  

Ming Xiyang had spent three years stationed in the north before his injury, serving under Gu Jue’s command.  

Gu Jue chuckled and instructed, "Yun Zhan, tell the kitchen to prepare something, but remind them not to use ingredients that are excessively cold or hot."  

"Many thanks for your concern, my lord!" Ming Xiyang cupped his hands in gratitude, visibly moved.  

Last October, he had sustained yet another injury on the battlefield. The military physician treating him remarked on the numerous hidden injuries in his body and advised against consuming foods that were too cold or too hot. Unexpectedly, Gu Jue had remembered this detail.  

"However, my illness is long gone. I can eat whatever I please now!" Ming Xiyang declared proudly, pounding his chest in a show of vigor.  

"Oh?" Gu Jue raised a brow.  

Gu Jue was well aware of how severe Ming Xiyang’s injuries had been last year, which was why he had arranged for him to leave the north and return to the capital ahead of time.  

At the mention of this, Ming Xiyang grew spirited, his voice rising. "I almost thought I wouldn’t live to see your return to the capital."  

"You don’t know, my lord—just a few days ago, I was coughing up blood, and not just a little! Bowls and bowls of it, until I was nearly gone. The physicians in the capital are all quacks, even the imperial physicians. From winter to March, I took who knows how many medicines, but not only did I not recover, the blood just kept coming, almost killing me!"  

"General Ming, you’re exaggerating," Yun Zhan teased with a laugh. "Look at you now—rosy-cheeked and full of energy. Who are you trying to fool with stories of spitting bowls of blood?"  

Yun Zhan and Ming Xiyang had fought side by side in the north, a bond strong enough to trust one another with their lives. Hence, their banter was unreserved.  

"That’s because I was fortunate enough to meet a divine healer!" Ming Xiyang said, his tone still tinged with lingering fear.  

Death is inevitable for everyone, but as a soldier, he would rather fall on the battlefield than waste away like that.  

"That physician is truly incredible. One dose of their decoction pulled me back from the brink. That was just four days ago. I was carried into the clinic, but after just one hour, I walked out on my own!"  

"Then, after taking their prescribed medicine for three more days, I completely recovered!"  

Speaking of the physician, Ming Xiyang’s face filled with admiration.  

The young physician had dismissed his case as a minor illness, even as his wife muttered her concerns. Yet, after three more days of medicine, he was indeed fully healed, with no need for a follow-up visit.  

It was truly miraculous!  

A divine healer? Yun Zhan's mind stirred, and he quickly exchanged a glance with Mo Chen.  

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Yun Zhan casually asked, "General Ming, is this healer truly that miraculous? Which clinic is he affiliated with? I’d like to see for myself."  

Ming Xiyang answered honestly, "The healer practices at Jishi Hall on Huahong Street! However, she mentioned she only sends someone there once every five days."  

Jishi Hall. Yun Zhan silently committed the name to memory.  

Ming Xiyang was quite the talker, jumping from tales of the north to anecdotes about the capital and stories from across the land. Yun Zhan initially wanted to probe more about the healer’s skills, but he never found the opportunity to interject, leaving him so frustrated he almost wanted to grab the teapot and pour it down Ming Xiyang's throat to silence him.  

While rambling on about his good-for-nothing eldest son, Ming Xiyang suddenly shivered inexplicably, feeling as though Yun Zhan’s gaze was filled with “malice.” But he hadn’t provoked him, had he?  

At that moment, the steward entered the hall to report, "My lord, Eunuch Chen has arrived with a verbal decree from the emperor, inviting you to the palace banquet immediately."  

The hall fell silent for a moment.  

Gu Jue let out a barely audible chuckle, leisurely picked up his blue-and-white porcelain teacup, and said unhurriedly, "Tell him I’m busy with pressing matters. Convey my gratitude to His Majesty for his kind invitation."  

He looked utterly at ease, showing no signs of being occupied with anything important. Yet, not a single person dared to question his words.  

Ming Xiyang, unfazed, resumed the conversation, "…My good-for-nothing son recently had the audacity to claim he wants to give up martial arts and take up literary pursuits."  

"Can you believe it? With his big and clumsy hands that can’t even hold a brush properly, what kind of literary pursuits could he possibly undertake? He’s no Prince Chen, who excels in both civil and military affairs…"  

When it came to praising Gu Jue, Ming Xiyang was genuine and overflowing with admiration, his words flowing endlessly like the Yangtze River.  

While Yun Zhan silently agreed with Ming Xiyang’s compliments, he found himself growing more exasperated.  

Gu Jue ultimately declined to attend the palace banquet. From that day onward, the gates of the Chen Prince’s residence remained shut. Gu Jue neither left his residence nor attended court. Over just a few days, the emperor issued multiple verbal edicts and even imperial decrees, but Gu Jue remained unresponsive.  

The emperor, who had intended to put Prince Chen in his place, found himself in an awkward position instead. Enraged and humiliated, he flew into a fury, throwing temper tantrums during court sessions for several days. Even Marquis Yongding, Chu Lingxiao, became a target of his wrath. A minor mistake in one of his assignments led to a severe reprimand, with his salary docked for half a year. The atmosphere in the marquis’ residence turned tense.  

Chu Qianchen no longer remembered if something similar had happened in her previous life. Ever since Gu Jue returned to the capital, she had been frequenting Jishi Hall daily, with no time to pay attention to anything else.  

In her past life, Gu Jue had taken her in a year later when he was already gravely ill.  

She only knew that Gu Jue’s condition stemmed from an old injury sustained during his campaigns in the north.  

They had searched far and wide for skilled healers, eventually finding the renowned physician Lin Miao in Jiangnan.  

But Lin Miao had said, "Prince Chen’s condition has reached the point of no return. Even if Hua Tuo were reincarnated, it would be impossible to save him."  

"Unless we had started treatment a year or two earlier, there might have been hope. But what’s done is done. Time cannot be reversed, and people cannot return to the past."  

That year, she was fifteen.  

Unwilling to accept this, she apprenticed herself to Lin Miao, learning medicine under him, but ultimately, she was powerless.  

Recalling the events of her previous life, Chu Qianchen clenched the handkerchief in her hands tightly, her cherry lips pressing firmly together beneath her veil.  

In her past life, her master’s prediction had come true. Despite her best efforts, she had only managed to extend Gu Jue’s life by a year and a half. In the end, she had failed to save him.  

But what her master hadn’t foreseen was that she would truly have another chance! Now, she was two whole years ahead of where she had been before.  

[End of Chapter]