"Your Highness!"
Imperial Physician Yang: "Absolutely not!"
He could no longer control his expression, standing up in agitation, "The plague toxin has entered your body, and now you wish to subject yourself to potent drugs. If anything goes awry, does Your Highness understand the potential consequences?"
This is a path to certain death!
Qu Dubian felt a bit lightheaded. Sitting on the edge of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lower your voice. Don't let Banban hear."
Imperial Physician Yang was at a loss for words, could only lower his voice and say, "Your Highness, you are a person of the utmost importance."
Qu Dubian: "My life is fundamentally no different from those of the people outside."
"Medicines take effect quickly in my body, and their effects fade just as swiftly. As for the more specific details... Physician Yang, you understand far better than I do."
Imperial Physician Yang fell silent.
Indeed, he had treated the Seventh Prince for over a decade and understood his constitution better than anyone.
Perhaps it was due to developing a resistance from years of illness, but any prescription that proved effective on him would undoubtedly become a standard, exemplary formula worthy of being recorded in medical texts when used on ordinary people.
"Even so, it is absolutely impermissible."
Qu Dubian was about to say more when his ear twitched slightly, catching the sound of footsteps outside.
Ye Banban was about to enter.
Thus, he had no choice but to swallow his remaining words.
Ye Xiaoyuan pushed the door open and saw Qu Dubian still sitting up. "Your Highness, I brought you some sour fruits. Have a few and then lie down."
Qu Dubian complied. "Alright."
He ate one and lay down on the bed.
Ye Xiaoyuan pleaded with Imperial Physician Yang, "I beg of you, Physician. You've pulled His Highness back from illness so many times before. You can save him this time too, right?"
Imperial Physician Yang, however, looked towards Qu Dubian, who said, "We trouble you, Physician."
Though both uttered words of entreaty, Imperial Physician Yang knew their meanings were utterly different.
One wished for him to pull the Seventh Prince back from suffering; the other wished for him to push him towards the precipice, onto a spider's thread.
Imperial Physician Yang: "I shall naturally do my utmost."
Midnight.
The bitter, clear scent of herbal medicine rose from Qu Dubian's small courtyard.
Imperial Physician Yang had been continuously recording Qu Dubian's pulse and changes in condition. He brought over a bowl of medicine. "Your Highness, let us first try the Modified Atractylodes and Poria Decoction[1]. In the early stages of the plague, your fever is not yet extremely high. Let us see if this medicine can suppress it."
He had not yet steeled his resolve to proceed with drug testing as Qu Dubian requested and was using a proven prescription.
Qu Dubian said nothing, waiting for the medicine to cool before drinking it all in one go.
The medicine was ineffective.
In the latter half of the night, Qu Dubian burned with fever, his body scalding hot, blood faintly seeping from his ears. However, accustomed to illness, he had always been able to endure. Waking from intermittent sleep, he could still clearly describe to the physician where he felt discomfort.
Having written academic papers for over a decade, his terminology and descriptions were precise.
"Nasal passages feel scorching, ear canals have a stabbing pain, eyelids feel a burning sensation, nausea, coughing... a sense of suffocation when breathing."
Ye Xiaoyuan turned his face away; with each symptom Qu Dubian listed, his heart ached sharply.
Imperial Physician Yang wiped the sweat from his palms and felt Qu Dubian's pulse. Thankfully, the pulse was not weak.
"He needs to induce sweating. Prepare the Major Blue Dragon Decoction[2]."
A potent formula for inducing sweating, not to be used if the pulse is weak. If not controlled properly, it can cause excessive fluid loss in the patient, leading to a massive depletion of yang energy. A single misstep could bring life to the brink of danger, resulting in death from yang collapse.
Once the potent formula was administered,
Qu Dubian began to sweat, and his body temperature dropped.
Imperial Physician Yang's spirits lifted slightly.
It was working!
For those whose pulse is not weak, at the onset of high fever from the plague, one dose of the Major Blue Dragon Decoction can be administered; for those with a weak pulse, switch to the Minor Blue Dragon Decoction.
He immediately began comparing the prescription for the Major Blue Dragon Decoction with the previous one.
But before long, his temperature rose again.
The Major Blue Dragon Decoction only provided relief; it was not a prescription capable of curing this particular plague.
The second day.
Around noon.
Xia Fuyang led his troops into Le'an County.
The Vice Captain remarked, "I recall when we first came here for relief efforts, the county was far from being as orderly as it is now."
Xia Fuyang scanned the surroundings and nodded. "Indeed. The disaster management guidelines disseminated by the commandery to each county originally came from Le'an County. It's not surprising their order is better."
They arrived near the county office. Magistrate Hua, hearing the news, came out to greet them.
"Lord Xia, you have arrived."
Xia Fuyang politely cupped his hands. "Yes. I have received orders from the commandery to bring the Seventh Prince back."
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Hua's face clouded with deep worry, like the sun obscured by dark clouds. "Ah... I'm afraid the Seventh Prince cannot be moved at present..."
A sense of extreme foreboding gripped Xia Fuyang's heart.
Magistrate Hua: "The Seventh Prince contracted the plague last night. Imperial Physician Yang is still treating him."
"Where are they now?"
"In the rear courtyard of the county office."
Magistrate Hua: "Please follow me. However, it's best not to enter the room itself. The Seventh Prince has given orders: only Imperial Physician Yang may enter the room; no one else is permitted, not even Eunuch Ye."
Xia Fuyang followed behind Magistrate Hua, walking briskly towards the county office.
Qu Dubian's small courtyard.
Three earthenware pots for brewing medicine emitted curling wisps of medicinal steam.
Two physicians watched over the pots in the courtyard, while Imperial Physician Yang entered the small room once more.
A bowl of dark, murky medicinal broth was brought to the bedside.
This medicine was not a verified prescription; it was a new formula concocted by Imperial Physician Yang, modified by combining prescriptions from past plagues.
Qu Dubian was not lying in bed. Instead, wrapped in a quilt, he sat cross-legged on the footstool, curled into a ball, with a wooden bucket placed in front of him.
Imperial Physician Yang handed him this bowl of medicine. "...Your Highness."
A few seconds later, Qu Dubian finally responded with a hoarse "Mm," reaching out to take the medicine bowl. In that instant, Imperial Physician Yang suddenly tightened his grip, his voice trembling. "Your Highness, this medicine... it's a new formula. I..."
The youth wrapped in the quilt sighed sincerely.
Being saddled with someone like him and treating him for over a decade must be quite trying.
But he truly did not intend to make things difficult for Imperial Physician Yang.
Qu Dubian: "I merely happened to contract the plague, and Imperial Physician Yang is merely exerting every effort to treat me. Rest assured, the matter of me testing medicine on myself will absolutely not reach His Majesty's ears, and you will not be implicated for it."
He coughed a few times, slowly finished the medicinal broth, and placed the bowl aside.
"I hope Imperial Physician Yang can develop a renowned prescription that will be passed down through the ages, leaving your name alongside other plague prescriptions in medical texts, bringing glory to future generations."
As for the matter of him testing the medicine, in his plans, it would become a secret, forever hidden within this dim little room, unknown to the world.
Yet, Imperial Physician Yang bowed deeply to him.
"It is not because I fear what Your Highness mentioned."
"This bow is not from subject to sovereign, but from a physician to the afflicted people of the three commanderies. Your Highness, for the sake of the people, does not spare even your own body. This humble official likewise has nothing to fear. I seek neither fame, fortune, nor a place in history's annals. But I must inform the world of Your Highness's sacrifice!"
Imperial Physician Yang grew more impassioned as he spoke, wishing he could grab a loudspeaker right then, go outside, seize people by the ears, and tell them what the Seventh Prince had done.
Qu Dubian: "..."
Had he not made himself clear enough?
If others were to find out, while Imperial Physician Yang might escape punishment with his protection, he would certainly face reprimand, and any credit would surely be forfeited.
Moreover, if not for the simulator, he would never have taken such a risk with this kind of impulsive behavior.
Besides, without Physician Yang and the outside doctors researching the medical formula and treating him together, even if he simulated it, it would be of no use.
He was far from being as self-sacrificing as others imagined; he had his own selfish considerations. What seemed like risks were actually all within his plans, it was just that outsiders were unaware.
Qu Dubian felt he hadn't paid too high a price, so he also didn't believe he deserved the well-wishes and gratitude of the people from the three prefectures. The two were not equivalent.
...He really couldn't let Physician Yang speak of this!
What would he do if it got out? If it were truly spread, with the hearts of the people from three prefectures turning to him alone, would his troublesome older brothers let him off?
His smiling tiger of a second brother and his simple-minded eldest brother would probably both set their sights on him instantly!
Qu Dubian suppressed a cough, trying hard to persuade, "Physician Yang, calm down... listen to me... cough, listen to me."
Creak—
The room door opened.
The daylight from outside poured in all at once.
It was a bit blinding.
Qu Dubian instinctively raised a corner of the quilt to shield his eyes, squinting to look towards the doorway.
Xia Fuyang's face was like cold ice. Clad in light armor, his hand resting on his sword hilt was clenched tightly. His gaze landed precisely on the figure by the bed who had bundled himself up in the quilt.
Qu Dubian: "......"
He hadn't heard Xia Fuyang's footsteps at all just now. Probably due to his poor condition, Qu Dubian's brain was muddled with fever, his thoughts drifting. He thought that given his current level of internal strength, it should be about equal to Xia Fuyang's.
A few seconds later, Qu Dubian's heart sank with a thud as he finally realized.
It's over.
Judging by this guy's expression, Xia Fuyang must have heard everything.
Xia Fuyang walked in step by step.
He and Qu Dubian had been separated for two years. During those two years, all sorts of news had come from the capital.
He knew about His Majesty's serious illness and that his health was not what it used to be. He knew about the Third Prince losing an arm and completely withdrawing from the succession struggle. He also knew about Consort Zhou's passing.
He had even written letters to Xi Zixing and Qu Dubian, sending them mulberry wine and specialties from the Xiang River region.
He had imagined many scenes of reuniting with Qu Dubian. Perhaps he would be promoted and return to the capital, happily greeting them from atop a tall horse. Perhaps he would return to the capital to report on his duties, and the three of them would gather again in their usual private room at Ruyi Tower, chatting about everything under the sun.
He had also thought that the Seventh Prince was good-looking, taking after his uncle Tingfeng's side. He was already quite handsome at twelve, and would probably be even more so at fourteen, having grown into his features a bit more.
The Seventh Prince also liked to wander around the capital for fun. By then, who knew how many young ladies' eyes he would catch. Would he overshadow his, Xia the Young Marquis's, title of the capital's number one young master? He had even pondered how to win it back.
But he never, ever imagined that meeting again would be like this.
Just now, insisting on entering despite being stopped, he had heard their low conversation the moment he reached the door. Without internal strength and focused listening, one definitely couldn't hear it from outside.
Just happened to catch the plague?
Testing the medicine on himself?
Xia Fuyang truly couldn't hold back his emotions and directly pushed the door open.
A wave of the smell of blood hit him. The person he had thought of for two years, the one he wanted to pledge his loyalty to in the future, was sitting pallid-faced by the bed, blood seeping from the corners of his eyes, the tip of his nose, and his earlobes.
This appearance was far from being something to attract young ladies' affection; if let out at night, it would surely scare quite a few passersby to death.
One sleeve was rolled up, with several cuts on the arm for draining tainted blood, dripping slowly, a small wooden bucket placed underneath to catch it.
Wasn't he supposed to be unable to stand the smell of blood?
No wonder.
No wonder this guy didn't dare to let Young Eunuch Yuan stay inside.
Physician Yang recognized him and hurriedly handed over a cloth face covering. "Young Master Xia, please cover your face quickly to avoid catching the plague as well."
"Internal strength to hold my breath is enough, no need for that."
Xia Fuyang walked up to Qu Dubian. Qu Dubian, with half his head covered by the quilt, mustered his energy. "Well, long time no see."