Chapter 174: Personally Picking Up Little Wan
Late at night. Imperial Medical Office.
The redwood courtyard gates were thrown wide open. Two rows of Jinwu Guards cleared the way, filling the courtyard. Hearing of the Regent’s sudden visit, Imperial Physician Fang hurriedly led the night-shift medical officials out to welcome him.
This was a man who wasted no words. If he came, it must be for something major.
“Your Highness.”
“Over twenty days ago, His Majesty came to the Imperial Medical Office personally. You must know of this. What did he come for?” Su Jingzhi asked.
Imperial Physician Fang was stunned for a moment. He recalled briefly, organizing his thoughts before speaking: “His Majesty came to find Bai Linyue.”
“Who is Bai Linyue?”
“He is a Miao doctor who has served several reigns of Emperors. The man is old now, and hasn’t stepped out of doors for four or five years. Since he has no family left in the Baiyue region of the Southwest, we officials have let him stay in the Case Files Room…”
“Take this Prince to see him.”
Su Jingzhi’s lips pressed into a tight line. Passing through the halls and entering the room, he arrived in front of the Case Files Room. He heard the rustling chirps of insects and saw lush flowers and plants, with pale green and yellow bamboo cages hidden amongst them.
“What are these?”
“Reporting to Your Highness, they are Gu.” Imperial Physician Fang bowed with cupped hands from behind the Regent.
Su Jingzhi spoke in a deep voice, “Did the Twin Life Gu come from here?”
During the time he was poisoned, he had lost all five senses. After waking up, he only heard that Little Wan had found the Twin Life Gu to save him. But as for where this Twin Life Gu came from, or how Little Wan planted it on himself, he did not know. Immediately after recovering, he went to fight the Turks and hadn’t pursued the matter further.
Imperial Physician Fang, however, said, “It did not come from here. But the Miao doctor Bai Linyue is a master of Gu. If His Majesty wanted to use Gu, it is possible he asked for his advice.”
Su Jingzhi stood outside the door. Dozens of torches held by the Jinwu Guards illuminated the courtyard as bright as day, disturbing the silence of the early morning. Countless Gu worms were awakened, making rustling sounds as they crawled in their cages.
Tang Tuan was about to knock.
Su Jingzhi stopped him. He was anxious, but he was the one asking for help, and the other party was extremely old. If Bai Linyue refused to speak, or got angry and fell ill, the clue would be severed.
For Little Wan’s sake, he had to be cautious.
Su Jingzhi dismissed his attendants. All the Jinwu Guards retreated from the courtyard with their torches. In that instant, the restless insect cries quieted down slightly. He stood outside the door, bent his knuckles, and knocked gently on the bamboo door.
“The sixth-generation head of the Su family of Great Wei, the current Regent Su Jingzhi, seeks an audience with the gentleman late at night. I ask to see Mr. Bai.”
This was the humblest attitude he had ever taken in his life, even going so far as to invoke his ancestors, hoping this recluse would cooperate.
There was no sound from inside.
Su Jingzhi’s brows furrowed slightly. He waited patiently for a few more breaths. Only then did he hear someone inside draping clothes over their shoulders and getting up. Unable to hold back, he pushed open the door. “Mr. Bai.”
He lit the candlestick for Bai Linyue.
Light instantly filled the room.
He then helped Bai Linyue lean back into the bamboo chair. This series of actions astonished the old Miao doctor.
The old Miao doctor had avoided the secular world for a long time; much of his news was stuck in the past. He had heard of this Regent, Su Yan, knowing him as a man of worldly talent and literary and military strategy, but whose temperament had suddenly become dark, ruthless, and tyrannical. Later, he heard there were changes… but he never expected the Regent’s transformation to be this drastic.
Bai Linyue remained silent.
“His Majesty left the palace in secret. This is a major matter with a complete information lockdown. Before leaving the palace, the only person His Majesty met privately, not for official business, was you, Sir. May I ask if you know the reason for His Majesty leaving the palace, and his whereabouts?”
Bai Linyue did not know the relationship between the two.
Because Bai Linyue admired the Little Emperor greatly and didn’t understand what the Regent wanted to do, he feared saying the wrong thing and losing his integrity in his old age by getting involved in court struggles. Bai Linyue only coughed hoarsely, the candlelight flickering.
“Cough, cough cough… It was nothing more than some precautions for using Gu. As for the rest, this old official… this old official knows nothing…”
“Then what Gu was used?”
“A Calming Gu. His Majesty… slept poorly.”
Wrong.
Keenly sensing the old man’s resistance, Su Jingzhi couldn’t pry it out. Even the type of Gu worm was different from what Imperial Physician Fang had said. Su Jingzhi realized this old man definitely held information he didn’t know. He dared not show his anxiety, so he had to guide him patiently.
“For hypnosis, one should prescribe medicine. Why use Gu?”
The old Miao doctor: “Matters of the Son of Heaven, this old official dares not discuss recklessly.”
If Su Jingzhi pressed further, the old Miao doctor might treat him as a rebellious subject. The candlelight trembled in the room, casting Su Jingzhi’s flickering shadow on the wall.
He carefully maintained the balance of the conversation.
“The Emperor has left the palace, and this Prince is assisting in governance. Although it is a matter of the Son of Heaven, it is also related to the world. Even a commoner has a responsibility.” He used sharp words to gently apply pressure on the old Miao doctor.
That aura of righteousness was indeed far removed from the rumors of tyranny and ruthlessness. Bai Linyue narrowed his eyes.
The Su family was, after all, a family of famous generals who had protected the country for generations…
Bai Linyue took a deep breath, his dry upper lip quivering.
Su Jingzhi held his breath in the dark. He was about to speak.
“Boss!!!”
With a bang, Tang Tuan suddenly rushed in from the door behind them. The candle flame swayed violently. Bai Linyue trembled at the roar, looking as if his old bones were about to fall apart, causing Su Jingzhi’s heart to sink heavily.
“Get out—”
“I can’t, Boss! Chongren Ward… huff… huff… someone in Chongren Ward reported news of His Majesty!” Tang Tuan was out of breath, completely disregarding the setting, his eyes practically glowing. “You said to look for a young woman. A neighbor reported there’s a young wife without a husband. She doesn’t like to go out much, has deer-like eyes, loves sweets, and often shares candy with the landlord’s child. Apparently, she had bangs a few days ago.”
Tang Tuan spilled everything at once: “He brews his own medicine. The courtyard smells bitter every day. Everyone thinks he was abandoned by someone.”
Su Jingzhi cried out, “Wanwan!”
Since there was intelligence, there was no need to pursue Bai Linyue’s line anymore. Su Jingzhi turned to leave, but Tang Tuan hurriedly stopped him.
“Boss, there’s just one more thing. This woman isn’t just a young wife, she’s a pregnant woman. Pregnant for several months!”
The heart that had just been lifted was instantly frozen again.
Su Jingzhi murmured, repeating, “Pregnant woman?”
“We weren’t sure when we were searching because of this. The information matches, but how could His Majesty be a pregnant woman?”
An anxious atmosphere flowed through the Case Files Room.
Bai Linyue observed secretly. Because of that “Wanwan” just now, he had already sensed the affection between the Regent and His Majesty. How could a subject call the monarch by his childhood nickname?
Su Jingzhi stepped forward. “Pregnant woman or not, verify it first.”
Bai Linyue called out to him hoarsely from behind, his voice flowing quietly in the room. “Your Highness, please stay a moment. A few months ago, His Majesty used the Twin Life Gu to save his sweetheart. This old official thought the other party was a woman. I make bold to ask, was the other party you?”
He was finally going to talk about the Twin Life Gu.
Su Jingzhi turned his head. His mind was being pulled toward Chongren Ward, so he spoke quickly. “Yes. This Prince and His Majesty have pledged our lives to each other.”
“Then this old official has another question. Did you know that what His Majesty planted might be the Mother Gu?”
“What is the difference between Child and Mother Gu?”
“The Twin Life Gu was originally used for oaths in the Miao stockades. Later, it was modified by local women to become a tool to lock onto their sweethearts. The Mother Gu can aid in pregnancy.”
Su Jingzhi’s breathing tightened abruptly. “Aid in pregnancy?”
In that instant, he connected all of Wei Wanlan’s abnormalities since arriving in Turkic territory: his fear of smoke, his love for sour food, his temper becoming a bit bad, his tendency to cry, his laziness, and that fall where his stomach hurt…
“The one who plants the Mother Gu, after intercourse, will conceive a child, regardless of gender. If His Majesty has the Gu, it is possible he bears a pregnancy.”
Wanwan was that pregnant woman.
“Your Highness!!!”
It was as if he had been struck by a powerful electric current in that instant. Flashes of white light appeared before Su Jingzhi’s eyes.
“Wanwan… is carrying this Prince’s child. And is wandering outside?”
“Yes, definitely pregnant, definitely pregnant,” Tang Tuan finally dared to voice his guess. “Boss, I felt His Majesty had changed a long time ago. You might have become a father back in Turkic territory!”
Imperial Physician Fang didn’t even steady his hat; he suddenly rushed in and knelt. “This old official deserves ten thousand deaths—I had diagnosed a slippery pulse, but because the matter was too rare, I did not report it. His Majesty indeed is two months pregnant. Please punish me, Your Highness…”
Two months.
The time of their first intimacy matched perfectly!
The other Imperial Physicians also said, “We also diagnosed a slippery pulse. We request punishment together!”
He didn’t know whether to be joyous or worried. For a moment, he was at a loss, his heart filled entirely with Wei Wanlan.
Wanwan was carrying their child alone, yet had inexplicably left the palace, suffering unknown hardships.
His Wanwan had a baby.
Su Jingzhi: “I am going to Chongren Ward to pick him up.”
“Your Highness!”
“Ride the horses, Your Highness! Quick, quick, follow the Prince! Prepare the horses—”
Today was the final moment of the deadline. Life or death would soon be decided.
Wei Wanlan had been a bit nervous since the early morning. Before the winter sky had brightened, he leaned against the headboard with his eyes open, looking at the moon revealed through the crack in the window. Because he was afraid of it being stuffy, he always opened the window a crack. Although it was a little cold, he slept soundly.
He felt his body was very heavy and didn’t want to get out of bed.
Ever since Hao Da started nursing his health, the cubs had grown very fast. His belly quickly became round and bulging, like a little frog.
Hao Da said this was normal. Because it was twins, he showed early.
Wei Wanlan held his belly with two paws, feeling the weight beginning to settle inside. The sensation was very strange. He couldn’t sleep now, worried about the matter of choking to death, so his thoughts ran wild again.
Is the Regent searching the whole city for a woman… is he looking for Zhen? He knows Zhen can disguise himself.
But what if he isn’t looking for me? If Zhen leaves, he can find someone else to live with.
Hmph. If he has a change of heart, I’ll take the cubs away. Zhen will live with the cubs from now on and ignore this bad Royal Father.
He took the opportunity to poke his belly, asking for the little friends’ opinion. Doctor Hao said that fetal movement for twins also comes earlier, feeling like little fish swimming in the stomach. But Wei Wanlan couldn’t feel it. Even when he was badmouthing the Regent, the cubs didn’t react. They didn’t move.
Wei Wanlan was a little worried. Move a little, please.
In the early morning, he heard birds chirping, then the sound of the wooden gate downstairs. It seemed someone came over and said something, but he didn’t hear clearly.
Next, Cai Yue, who came to help at the house, would be making breakfast. Doctor Hao would also get up at around this time to brew medicine for him to drink.
But today he couldn’t eat and dared not drink, even though he felt a bit sorry for everyone’s labor.
Just endure through today. Today is the most dangerous!
Before the fish-belly white appeared in the east, the curfew theoretically shouldn’t have been lifted, and there shouldn’t be any movement on the streets outside Chongren Ward. But why did he hear the clop-clop of horse hooves right now?
Could it be that he had been found by the Regent???
Why find Zhen today of all days? Zhen is going to choke to death today…
Run quickly QAQ
Wei Wanlan hurriedly got up. His stomach was a bit heavy. He held his belly with one hand and put on his boots with the other. Just as he stepped firmly into both cotton boots, hurried footsteps came from the floorboards.
He panicked and opened the door. It was Hao Da holding a candle, his face filled with righteous indignation. “Wei Little Young Master, Neighbor Gentleman Chen warned that there is movement on the streets of Chongren Ward. He asked you to be careful. I guess it might be the heartless man coming for the children. The heartless man is almost here!”
Gentleman Chen was Chen Shiba, but…
“What heartless man?” Who is a heartless man?
He was completely unaware that the Regent’s image had been shattered into pieces in Hao Da’s mind.
Wei Wanlan blinked his deer-like eyes, listening as the horse hooves got closer and closer. He was, after all, a Little Emperor who had truly been on the battlefield. The sound of a warhorse riding alone was something he could definitely distinguish. The one who could approach him despite the curfew order must be the Regent!
An emotion completely blocked his chest. Expectant, excited, yet forced to continue hiding, otherwise, all previous efforts would be wasted.
The Regent will see me choke to death QAQ.
Choking to death with the babies… he will go crazy!
Wei Wanlan hurriedly rushed downstairs. Hao Da quickly tried to stop him. “It’s near New Year’s, the winter roads are slippery, and it’s cold outside. The children are important, Wei Little Young Master’s body is important!”
Wei Wanlan felt he made sense. He was supported down to the courtyard. At this time, Cai Yue also came over warily, thinking this ill-fated Madam was encountering difficulties again.
Hao Da quickly offered a plan. “That empty water vat in the backyard is right in the corner. Cai Yue, help the Madam hide in there first. Then put out the fire, don’t cook yet, and dump all the medicinal dregs in the kitchen!”
He absolutely would not give the heartless man a chance to abandon Wei Little Young Master and steal the Little Young Master’s children.
The heartless man shall die without descendants!!!
Cai Yue hurriedly went to do it, grabbing a quilt to take Wei Wanlan to the backyard.
At this moment, the main gate opened. The door bolt was lifted by a blade, falling to the ground with a bang.
Su Jingzhi’s face appeared in front of Hao Da, his expression actually looking a bit crazed.
Who knew he would come so fast? Cai Yue shrieked and dropped the medicine jar. Medicinal dregs splashed all over the ground. It was the medicine Little Wan used often. Su Jingzhi had brewed it before and recognized it at a glance!
In that instant, seeing Hao Da opposite him, the Regent of Great Wei felt an even stronger hostility rising:
“You…”
This person is holding Wanwan hostage. Rescue the person in the house first!
He pushed Hao Da aside.
But because of his Yama-King-like attitude, Hao Da feared the heartless man was acting up. He actually hugged the Regent tight to stop his movement, blurting out dangerous words: “What do you want to do? Violating curfew, trespassing in a private residence! There is a pregnant woman in this house, and I am the child’s fathe—”
“Stop, stop, stop talking! You absolutely dare not speak recklessly!” Tang Tuan rushed in right after. Officials from the Imperial Medical Office, Jinwu Guard, An Ruyi, and others arrived one after another. Tang Tuan hurriedly extinguished the flames of jealousy, terrified the vinegar jar would explode. “The Regent is here. The person in your house is His Majesty. If you abducted His Majesty, death by a thousand cuts would be a light punishment. Release him!”
“His Majesty?”
Countless gleaming blades were held against Hao Da’s neck.
Cai Yue was so scared her legs trembled.
The landlady hugged her little grandson tightly. Unknown when they had stood by the wall, the child was now crying and whining in his grandmother’s arms: “Official army, don’t catch the good person. Doctor Uncle is a good person. Doctor Uncle brews medicine for the Elder Sister every day. He is very hardworking…”
“Your Highness, we didn’t find His Majesty upstairs. nowhere!” The Jinwu Guard reported after searching.
Su Jingzhi became even more anxious, but he had to continue pursuing clues. He suppressed the fire filling his heart and asked in a deep voice:
“Are you the doctor Little Wan hired?”
Looking at this formation, Hao Da finally understood that Wei Little Young Master was the Little Emperor. Then, the strength he displayed in Yichuan Village, that calmness in the face of danger, and that hidden authority could all be explained.
Hao Da raised his neck. “Descendant of the National Physician Hao Tongming. Thanks to His Majesty’s holy grace… I didn’t expect to repay it by stumbling into this.”
Su Jingzhi had heard this voice before, in Yichuan Village.
Su Jingzhi realized that concern had caused chaos; he had actually treated the doctor as a kidnapper. Now he disregarded any arrogant or proud demeanor. Even if he lost all face tonight, it didn’t matter.
—He wanted Little Wan. He wanted to take Little Wan home.
He spoke again, warmly and solemnly:
“There is no rift between this Prince and His Majesty. His Majesty’s status is special. His solitary departure from the palace has made this Prince extremely worried. He is skilled at disguise, forcing me to resort to this poor plan of searching the whole city for a woman. Su has offended you greatly; I hope the famous doctor will forgive me.”
Su Jingzhi paused, then continued:
“I am the child’s true father. Now, this Prince asks you: where are my wife and children?”
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