Chapter 63

Chu Zhaoyou was still concerned about the sweet potatoes’ plight. “Divine physician, can these sweet potatoes be saved?”

The old man replied, “They were alive to begin with. Saved from what? Instead of worrying about this, you should focus on your child in your belly. Why bother with these things?”

Chu Zhaoyou explained, “To be honest, these sweet potatoes are very important to me. They can be planted year-round, their leaves and stems are edible, and they easily thrive. If widely cultivated, it could provide another staple food for the people of Da Chu to withstand famine.”

Xiao Heng finally learned about the purpose of these “medicinal materials” from Chu Zhaoyou.

Previously, Chu Zhaoyou couldn’t explain their origin and dared not speak. By falsely claiming to search for medicine, he wondered what the person behind the scenes would think upon realizing that these materials were not intended as medicine for the Regent.

The old man glanced at Chu Zhaoyou, his expression moved. He had seen too many impoverished people who couldn’t even eat their fill, let alone seek medical treatment. Although the young emperor had made no significant contributions in state affairs, his constant thoughts of adding another dish to the people’s tables were a great improvement compared to previous emperors.

“Your Majesty, there’s no need to worry too much. The bloodstains in the soil were mixed with a substance specifically designed to agitate the He Xin Gu, targeting only its restlessness, which is harmless to ordinary people. After a while, once the bloodstains in the soil have dissipated, you can plant them as usual.”

“That’s good.” Chu Zhaoyou had just breathed a sigh of relief but the Regent pinched his cheek.

“The sweet potatoes are fine, what about you!” Xiao Heng was extremely frightened. Half of the He Xin Gu was supposed to be in his body, but Chu Zhaoyou had recklessly drawn it onto himself, bearing double the risk for him.

What could have caused a three-point restlessness in others became a six-point agitation in Chu Zhaoyou’s body. Once the He Xin Gu became agitated, it could sever the connection between Chu Zhaoyou and the child. In milder cases, it could lead to an unstable position of the fetus, while in severe cases, it could result in stillbirth. Not to mention that after nearly six months of pregnancy, they had developed some affection for the child. If the He Xin Gu were to depart and the fetus were to perish, Chu Zhaoyou, being a man, faced risks far exceeding those of an ordinary woman.

Xiao Heng asserted firmly, “Before Your Majesty gives birth, you are not allowed to leave the palace. Furthermore, from now on, any items brought into the palace for Your Majesty’s use must first be inspected by the divine physician before being sent to the Funing Palace, especially food.”

The bloodstains specifically targeted only Chu Zhaoyou, evading detection even by him.

Chu Zhaoyou frowned. It was impossible not to be afraid. After reaching a certain stage of pregnancy, he had rarely left the palace, but now the Regent had imposed a complete ban, leaving him feeling a little uncomfortable. The palace was only so big, and he had seen every corner of it long ago.

Chu Zhaoyou said, “The soil the Regent’s boots tread upon when leaving the palace might also be tampered with by someone with ill intent. Do you also have to remove your boots every time you come to see me?”

Xiao Heng replied, “Why not?”

Chu Zhaoyou was tempted to retort, asking if he should also remove his clothes, but he felt the Regent Prince might readily agree to that. Instead, he found a way out, “Do you want me to wash your feet every day? Dream on.”

Xiao Heng was exasperated. Chu Zhaoyou had said everything, and he refused to stay obediently in the palace, making Xiao Heng want to seal the palace gates shut.

Chu Zhaoyou reached into the Regent’s embrace and, despite the awkward look from the divine Physician, felt around and retrieved a roll of silver bills, handing one to the old man with a determined look, “Divine Physician, you have a solution, don’t you?”

The old man hesitated, his gaze lingering on the silver bill, “Your Majesty was targeted while seeking food for your people. I’m just an ordinary commoner; how could I dare accept money?”

Chu Zhaoyou joyfully rolled up the silver bill and tucked it into his pocket, “The divine Physician is benevolent and compassionate, helping the world. I’ll bestow a plaque for you in the future.”

The entire proceeds from the Regent’s estate this spring, just turned in by the stewards, flew away before they even had a chance to warm up.

The Regent dared not voice any objection. “Do you have a solution, divine Physician?”

The old man replied, “I will prepare an herbal remedy. Your Majesty should burn a dose every morning upon waking and regularly soak your clothes in the herbal solution to resist the intrusion of blood toxicity.”

Xiao Heng said, “Please prepare two doses. I will do the same as His Majesty.”

He was now the closest person to Chu Zhaoyou and had to be even more cautious.

Chu Zhaoyou rubbed his chin and asked, “Is there a particular significance to this blood?”

The old man nodded, “I’ve heard that in the Miao region, there were women with unique constitutions whose fresh blood could elicit most poisons.”

“Before you arrived, there was someone named Miao Ruoqiu who claimed she could treat the Regent Prince. Do you know her?”

“I don’t know the younger generation,” the old man replied.

“She possesses that kind of constitution. I had someone track her, and we should have news about her whereabouts soon. As long as the blood is fresh, she must not be far from the capital.”

A cold glint flashed in the Regent’s eyes, exuding a chilling aura. Since falling for Chu Zhaoyou, he had refrained from displaying his cruel side in front of him. He had momentarily shown leniency and hadn’t allowed Miao Ruoqiu to try using blood to elicit the poison. Yet, she had ungratefully used blood to harm Chu Zhaoyou!

His voice turned cold. “From observing Miao Ruoqiu’s expression, it’s evident she isn’t confident in her ability to cure the poison. When we were close to her, neither His Majesty nor I had any noticeable reaction, indicating that her blood alone is insufficient. Blood is just a carrier; the real danger lies in the substances mixed into it.”

“Indeed, the He Xin Gu and the Yin-Yang Double Poison form an integrated entity, making it challenging for external elements to attract them,” the old man said gravely. “Prior to today, I had no idea that a substance could have such a significant impact. These details are not even recorded in ancient texts. Perhaps only the owner of the He Xin Gu truly understands them.”

Chu Zhaoyou turned abruptly to the Regent. “Do you know where the late emperor acquired the He Xin Gu?”

Was it an imperial secret, or obtained from an outsider?

Xiao Heng rubbed his head. “If I knew, would I have been poisoned?”

If the late emperor had possessed the poison early on, he wouldn’t have intentionally waited until Xiao Heng rose to prominence to use it. He didn’t have that kind of nature, nor could he have foreseen the day when Xiao Heng would emerge and help him overthrow Wei Wanhong.

The late emperor and the empress dowager had long been at odds in private. If he had the He Xin Gu, he would have used it on Wei Wanhong much earlier, instead of enduring her for over a decade.

At the beginning of his reign, Xiao Heng meticulously had the palace historians go through the late emperor’s daily records to see if he had encountered any suspicious individuals, but the search turned up empty.

A report from Lu Huai’s men revealed that after being thrown out of the capital by the Regent, Miao Ruoqiu had established connections with a group of martial artists, carousing and drinking in the vicinity of the capital. However, she disappeared three days ago. Her last known location was at the Matchmaker Temple, seeking a match. The temple was bustling with people, seeking accurate marriage predictions. While the surveillance faltered for a moment, Miao Ruoqiu vanished.

The Matchmaker Temple again.

Chu Zhaoyou had been attacked at the Matchmaker Temple and was wounded by Zhang Huiji.

Considering the location where the cart of sweet potato vines appeared, Xiao Heng began to calculate. He raised an eyebrow, “Did Your Majesty have someone track Miao Ruoqiu?”

Chu Zhaoyou retorted, “What, you don’t want her tracked? Is she also capable of curing you? Do you have a soft spot for her?”

Xiao Heng found the jealous Emperor especially adorable and couldn’t help but kiss him, saying, “So Your Majesty has liked me for so long.”

“No!” Chu Zhaoyou blushed. “I’m just afraid she’ll come back to deceive you!”

Xiao Heng teased, “Let her deceive. Then Your Majesty won’t have to laboriously fabricate false prescriptions. Isn’t that good?”

Chu Zhaoyou stood up in a huff. “What do you mean, ‘let her deceive’? Fine… I’m leaving the palace with the child right now.”

Xiao Heng held him tightly. “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Why did you refuse Miao Ruoqiu at the time? Was it because she made an exorbitant demand?” Chu Zhaoyou asked.

“Because she took a fancy to my Emperor,” Xiao Heng replied.

Chu Zhaoyou blushed, “You’re supposed to tell the truth!”

Xiao Heng replied, “That is the truth. I had a feeling that even if I were to cure the poison in such a manner, even if I could live a long life, Your Majesty still wouldn’t be with me. There must be another way. There’s always a way out for everyone.”

Chu Zhaoyou couldn’t help but smirk, “You’re quite far-sighted.”

He held Xiao Heng’s hand that was wrapped around his waist. It had been so long since the Regent had placed a feeling more precious than life itself in front of him, purely without any ulterior motives.

“Alright, alright! Why are you still lingering here?” Suddenly, a voice interrupted them, urging them to leave.

The old man angrily ushered the two out. He had been disturbed the previous night and now they were back, chattering away.

Xiao Heng escorted Chu Zhaoyou back to the Funing Palace, keeping an eye on him as he drank the tonic prepared by the old man. This time, he willingly took the candied fruit.

Chu Zhaoyou, after taking the medicine, began reminiscing about the past, recalling how the Regent had deceived him into drinking medicine by mixing it with chicken soup, “I almost choked!”

The Regent furrowed his brow. This time, the urgency of the medicine couldn’t tolerate any delay from Chu Zhaoyou.

“If the guard hadn’t reported, would Your Majesty have hidden this matter and obediently taken the medicine in secret without daring to mention it?” he asked, seeing Chu Zhaoyou hesitating with the medicine in hand.

Chu Zhaoyou immediately felt guilty, “Of course not. I’ll drink it now, I’ll drink it now…”

Xiao Heng wiped away the medicine at the corner of his mouth and said firmly, “Be good, or else I won’t help you with the petitions.”

Chu Zhaoyou pulled the blanket up to his chin and lay down. “Aren’t I good?”

Xiao Heng said, “Passable. Keep it up for another five months.”

“Such a long time,” Chu Zhaoyou said, looking at the colorful carvings on the ceiling, fidgeting. “Will the Regent be tired?”

“Never,” Xiao Heng said, kissing him. “Never.”

No one cherished life more than him, as long as Chu Zhaoyou was alive.

Chu Zhaoyou patted his belly, “I won’t either.”

Xiao Heng moved his study to the council chamber within the palace, allowing him to attend to state affairs while keeping a close eye on Chu Zhaoyou.

A map of the outskirts of the capital lay on the table, with the Matchmaker Temple circled in red ink. The sweet potato vines were found in a dilapidated temple on the closest mountain to the Matchmaker Temple.

The door knocked twice, and Xiao Heng raised an eyebrow, “Come in.”

Feng Xingzhou was the kind of person whose knocking force never changed.

Xiao Heng pretended to put away the map and asked, “What brings you here?”

A hint of hesitation flashed in Feng Xingzhou’s eyes. Thinking about the deep affection between the Regent and Chu Zhaoyou, he finally spoke calmly, “Seeking advice.”

With a flick of his wrist, the Regent spread out the map and casually pointed to a certain location, “Go here.”

Feng Xingzhou approached with skepticism and saw a symbol of a temple on the map.

His usually composed expression now showed a hint of annoyance, or rather, anger out of embarrassment.

He stiffly said, “…That’s not it.”

Xiao Heng retorted, “Look closely.”

Seeking help from someone, Feng Xingzhou stooped to take another glance and found, adjacent to the Wuyun Temple, a Matchmaker Temple.

Just a wall apart.

Xiao Heng said, “It was there that I fell in love with Zhaozhao. As the Buddha said, if there’s a lotus in the heart, one sees lotuses everywhere. You saw Wuyun Temple first, but if your Emperor were to look, he would certainly see the Matchmaker Temple first.”

Feng Xingzhou had an epiphany.

The next day, Feng Xingzhou took control of Lu Jinghuan and headed to the Matchmaker Temple.

The display was grand, indicating the personal visit of the Grand Preceptor of Dayan, which left the onlookers in awe and sparked discussions about whether the Grand preceptor had entered the wrong place.

The suggestion came from the Regent, and Feng Xingzhou expressed agreement.

Feng Xingzhou was too transcendent; he needed to let Lu Jinghuan understand that he was no longer an exalted monk but just an unattainable mortal in this world.

In the evening, Lu Jinghuan returned, visibly frightened, and Feng Xingzhou was so angry that he wanted to fight Xiao Heng.

A body was found in the lotus pond of the Matchmaker Temple, clad in robes from the neighboring Wuyun Temple, belonging to a high-ranking monk.

Feng Xingzhou exclaimed, “You sent me to find a corpse?”

The Regent denied, “Seeking advice.”

Since he couldn’t enter enemy territory for the time being, and Feng Xingzhou had a keen nose, it was only fair that he did some work after enjoying hospitality for so long.

“Jinghuan was really frightened,” Feng Xingzhou gritted his teeth.

In reality, he hadn’t made Lu Jinghuan see the body. He just had a feeling at the lotus pond, and after leaving, had someone search, resulting in the discovery of decaying bones. The news caused quite a stir, and it inadvertently reached Lu Jinghuan’s ears.

Xiao Heng said, “Yes, Zhaozhao was startled there too. Weren’t you seeking advice?”

The route was an exact replica for you. Congratulations, Feng Xingzhou, on obtaining the real scripture.

Feng Xingzhou: “…”

Author’s note: Feng Xingzhou: “Seems like anyone can have a wife.”