LYIPhSAA (lxi)
Edited: 09.27.2023
After Ye Zi left the Prince’s manor, Gu Yan also went out.
Inside the Yongchun Hall Medical Clinic, Gu Yan sat quietly in the compartment and sipped tea. Not long after, Pei Ge came in at a brisk pace.
Gu Yan placed the tea down and raised his eyes to look at him: “Did you discover anything?”
“Yes.” Pei Ge’s footsteps were slightly hurried, with a bit of uncontrollable joy in his eyes. From all these years that Gu Yan had known him, he had never seen this unflappable doctor look like this.
As if realizing that he had lost his manner, Pei Ge slightly tidied up his clothes and bowed to Gu Yan: “Your Majesty, I have carefully examined the medicinal residue you sent me and there is indeed a herb that is not in the prescription I wrote.”
Gu Yan was not surprised at all and simply asked: “Will you be able to find out what that one herb is?”
“That’s the problem.” Pei Ge said, “The world is a big place. I have been practicing medicine for many years, but this kind of herb is unheard of, I really can’t tell what it is. But……”
“But what?”
Pei Ge hesitated for a moment before saying: “Can I first check Your Majesty’s pulse?”
Gu Yan nodded.
Pei Ge sat down next to Gu Yan and carefully checked his pulse. A few moments later, he put down Gu Yan’s hand and got up: “The herb in the medicinal residue is not detrimental to the efficacy of the medicine. On the contrary, it makes the medicine more effective.”
Gu Yan nodded: “I do feel that my body has been much better recently. Are you saying that it’s all because of this herb?”
Pei Ge said: “What I have prescribed for Your Majesty is a nourishing tonic, which originally needs to be taken for years to be effective. But now with this added herb, if Your Majesty takes it for a few more days, your body will probably be completely healed.”
Gu Yan lowered his head thoughtfully, but there was not much joy in his expression, instead, he frowned slightly.
Pei Ge noticed Gu Yan’s reaction and tested the waters: “Your Majesty, I wonder if I could ask a bit more questions, who prescribed this herb for Your Majesty?”
Gu Yan didn’t answer.
Pei Ge assessed the situation and quickly added: “Forgive me, Your Majesty. The moment Your Majesty brought the medicinal residue for me to test, there should have already been a guess in your heart. I can only say that the person who gave you the herb isn’t trying to harm Your Majesty and Your Majesty can take it with confidence.”
Gu Yan answered in a faint voice: “I understand.”
Pei Ge opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but didn’t.
Gu Yan didn’t miss this reaction and looked at him: “What do you want to say?”
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Pei Ge responded: “Remember how Your Majesty had asked me to investigate the cure to the epidemic? After I saw the medicinal residue that you brought in today, I think I finally have a lead.”
Gu Yan’s eyes moved slightly: “You mean……that herb?”
“Yes.” Pei Ge nodded.
Gu Yan sipped his tea and asked: “Is that herb’s medicinal effect that powerful?”
Pei Ge explained: “I have previously discovered that the epidemic wasn’t a simple disease. The patients suffer from some kind of strange poison that is difficult to detect. Although the specific toxicity and source have not been identified for the time being, since it is a poison, there definitely will be an antidote.”
“From the medicinal residue Your Majesty has brought in, the herb that was added to your medicine seems to have the ability to cure all sorts of poisons. That’s why I was thinking whether or not I could have the person who administered the medicine to Your Majesty give that herb to me to study for a while.”
Gu Yan refused without thinking: “No.”
“Your Majesty……”
Gu Yan said: “This Prince can give you any other things that you want, but this is the only thing I cannot give you.”
After he finished speaking, without waiting for Pei Ge to say anything more, he stood up: “This matter ends here. Regarding the herb, please don’t mention it to anyone else, Dr. Pei.”
Pei Ge hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but just bowed towards Gu Yan and answered in a low voice: “Understood.”
On the other end, Guangxu Zi and Ye Zi were sitting in the post house where they first met. Guangxu Zi was drinking tea casually, but Ye Zi was stiff, and upon closer inspection, his fingers were trembling slightly.
In front of him, the orange furball lay carelessly on the bench, turning out its soft belly for Guangxu Zi to stroke.
While stroking the cat, Guangxu Zi looked at Ye Zi and scoffed: “Why is Mr. Ye so timid? This cat is so cute, what’s so scary about it?”
Ye Zi glared at him and quietly moved aside. If he had been chased by this cat since he was a child who would bite at the drop of a hat, he would definitely not find it cute anymore.
Seeing him like this, Guangxu Zi didn’t ask anymore and instead said: “I have been here for quite some days now. When things come to an end, it will be time for me to leave.”
Ye Zi was stunned: “Taoist Priest, you are leaving?”
Guangxu Zi laughed: “Yes, it’s time for me to leave. If I don’t go, I’m afraid the Wen family will find out what’s going on. Although General Wen is a martial artist, he is not a brainless person. After being deceived several times by me, he probably has caught on. It’s better if I take some precaution.”
Ye Zi cursed in a low voice and then asked: “When will you leave, Taoist Priest? His Majesty and I will come and send you off.”
Guangxu Zi’s eyes averted for a moment, as if he didn’t really want to see Gu Yan. He coughed lightly and said: “That won’t be necessary, it’ll be inconvenient for you. If outsiders see you, there will be more complications. Today’s meal here will be considered Mr. Ye’s farewell party for me.”
Seeing that he had made up his mind, Ye Zi didn’t insist anymore and instead raised his glass in a toast: “Today I will use tea instead of wine to send you off, Taoist Priest. I also hope that everything will be safe and smooth sailing for you. I have to thank you deeply for this time. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will definitely repay your kindness.”
Guangxu Zi smiled and said calmly: “Repayment is not necessary, we will definitely meet each other again in the future. I hope that by that time, Mr. Ye will still remember this priest.”
“I definitely will.”
The two raised their cups and drank together. Guangxu Zi put down the teacup and added: “There is another matter, it’s about this cat……”
Guangxu Zi’s eyes fell on the orange cat. The orange cat was lying on its back on the bench with its four paws slightly curled up and trembling, it seemed so comfortable that it was about to fall asleep.
Guangxu Zi said: “Mr. Ye, Prince Rui had told me before that he intended to keep this cat with me. But now that the waves have settled, I am not one who takes away another person’s love. Does Mr. Ye want to reconsider if he wants to take this cat back to the Prince’s manor?”
The orange cat looked like it understood what they were saying and snapped its eyes open.
It slapped away Guangxu Zi’s hand with a paw and jumped onto the table, its gaze traveling back and forth between the two for a moment.
It was the first time Ye Zi had ever looked at the orange cat so calmly and it took an unknown amount of strength to force himself to not run away. His hands under the table clenched the hem of his clothes as he asked in a trembling voice: “This……Erbao, do you want to go back to the Prince’s manor?”
The orange cat stared at him with a pair of round cat eyes and suddenly walked forward.
——!!!
Ye Zi was extremely nervous and felt that his heart was almost going to stop. In a daze, all he could think about was that he was about to be bitten by a cat, he was about to be bitten by a cat, help……..
However, the orange cat only came forward and rubbed affectionately on Ye Zi’s face. Afterward, it jumped back to Guangxu Zi’s side and lay down beside him.
Guangxu Zi laughed: “It seems that this little thing is quite fond of me.”
A layer of cold sweat broke out on Ye Zi’s back but his fear subsided for a few moments: “In that case, please take it with you, Taoist Priest.”
Since the orange cat made a decision, Ye Zi finally breathed a sigh of relief. If he had to take the cat home by himself, he would either be scared to death on the way or be eaten clean by this cat in his plant form.
The two of them sat for a few more moments before Ye Zi said goodbye to Guangxu Zi and slowly went back to the Prince’s manor.
When Ye Zi stepped into the courtyard, Gu Yan had already come back before him and was sitting at the desk reading. Ye Zi walked in and took out a bag of pastries from his sleeves like magic.
Ye Zi said attentively: “The osmanthus cakes from Jade Garden Court, your favorite.”
Gu Yan put down his book and smiled: “The reason it took you so long to come back was because you went to buy this?”
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Ye Zi grumpily sat on the desk, opened the paper bag, and picked up a piece to feed to Gu Yan: “Not really, I just happened to meet Taoist Priest Guangxu and chatted with him for a while. He will be leaving Chang’an in the next few days.”
Ye Zi also stuffed a piece into his own mouth and mumbled: “I bet you didn’t know this, but it turns out that Taoist Priest Guangxu is actually a good-looking young man. I’m used to seeing him dressed up as an old Taoist Priest so it was really a bit hard to get used to.”
Gu Yan chewed and slowly swallowed the pastry: “Is that so, how good-looking is he?”
Ye Zi tilted his head and didn’t rush to answer. Gu Yan also didn’t rush him and only looked at him quietly with calm eyes.
On the surface, Ye Zi seemed to be thinking seriously, but in fact, he secretly glanced at Gu Yan’s expression and realized that something was wrong.
Why did this person seem to be in a bad mood?
Ye Zi quietly asked himself. He didn’t do anything wrong today. Could it be because he had run off without Gu Yan’s permission and that his anger hadn’t subsided yet?
Ye Zi suddenly regretted mentioning the matter of Guangxu Zi’s appearance to Gu Yan. He was an extremely jealous person, wouldn’t he be even more angry now?
Ye Zi pursed his lips and jumped down from the table. He wrapped his arms around Gu Yan’s neck and sat down on his lap. Leaning forward, he kissed his lips and said flatteringly: “He’s not even as good-looking as you.”
Ye Zi’s active embrace made Gu Yan’s anger subside a little, but he still didn’t respond and only calmly asked: “How did it go with Commandery Princess Changning?”
Ye Zi hurriedly replied: “I’ve already told her our intentions. She said she still wants some time to consider and once she has decided, she will immediately take the medicine.”
Gu Yan faintly nodded without saying anything else.
Ye Zi felt the hair down his spine stand up from his gaze so he leaned forward and nuzzled Gu Yan’s neck like a kitten: “Zicheng, are you angry with me? I bought you osmanthus cake as an apology, please don’t be angry, okay?”
Gu Yan closed his eyes and the last bit of anger in his heart was dissipated by Ye Zi.
He reached out and wrapped his hand around Ye Zi’s waist, saying in a low voice: “I went out of the Prince’s manor just now.”
Ye Zi was afraid that he would be angry with him and quickly nodded his head in response: “Mnn, where did you go?”
Gu Yan answered: “Yongchun Hall Medical Clinic.”
Ye Zi: “……”
A bad premonition suddenly appeared in Ye Zi’s heart. He quietly moved back a little but was pulled back by Gu Yan.
Ye Zi gave a dry laugh: “Were you feeling uncomfortable somewhere? Is it better now?”
Gu Yan said: “No, I just felt that the medicine that Dr. Pei prescribed for me recently was extremely effective so I went to ask him about it.”
A chill rose up Ye Zi’s back. He swallowed and asked cautiously: “……Did he tell you why?”
Gu Yan answered indifferently: “Dr. Pei said that it’s because a new herb was added to the medicine I drank.”
Ye Zi pretended to be surprised: “What, such a thing happened?”
“It was Qiu Tang and Qiu Luo who brought back these herbs according to Dr. Pei’s prescription, but why is there an extra kind? That can’t do, I have to ask them what’s going on.”
As he said that and was about to get up, he was pulled back by Gu Yan.
Gu Yan grabbed Ye Zi’s wrist and clamped it behind his back with a smile: “You personally decoct the medicine every day, so who do you want to go ask?”
This posture was too oppressive and Ye Zi couldn’t help but squirm as he called out pitifully: “…….Your Majesty.”
He tilted his body back, just enough to reveal a small section of his fair neck.
Gu Yan moved up and gently bit on that small piece of skin: “You still don’t want to admit to it?”
“A Zi, if you can’t wait to give yourself to me, you don’t need to use this method.”
☽ ⋆ℍalf 𝕄oon 𝕋ranslations⋆ ☾ 
Why do I hope that our dear Taoist will bring poor princess with him and become wonderful pair of lovers, haha? ٩(๑>౪<๑)۶
Thank You for the new chapter (๑ơ ₃ ơ)♥
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