He only cried for a moment before a knock sounded at the door, followed by a woman’s voice:
“Feng’er, what’s wrong? Open the door quickly and let your mother in!”
As expected, the beautiful middle-aged woman was the young man’s mother.
Chu Feng went to open the door. The woman hurried inside and immediately saw his short hair, which looked as though a dog had chewed it. Her face changed in alarm. “You… What have you done?”
Chu Feng had already thought up an excuse. In a sorrowful voice, he said, “There’s no way I can get through this ordeal. So I might as well shave my head and become a monk, ending my miserable life…”
Hearing this, the woman’s tears fell like rain. She raised a hand to his shoulder and gently comforted him:
“My son, don’t be afraid. You were once the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. Your Father Emperor summoned you to the capital city this time, although it was because of… But he only believed slander. He certainly won’t truly harm you.”
“As the saying goes, even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs. You’re his own flesh and blood!”
Father Emperor?
Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace?
These were words he’d only ever seen in TV dramas and novels. Now he’d heard them for real, but instead of feeling delighted, he was terrified.
Wait. There was another phrase that made his scalp tingle, one he’d almost overlooked. What the beautiful woman had just said was—“once the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace”!
Did that mean the man he was impersonating was a Deposed Crown Prince?
The old Emperor had believed slander and was going to harm the Deposed Crown Prince?
Now he understood why the Deposed Crown Prince had hanged himself. The old Emperor had stripped his son of his Crown Prince title, and now he was going to kill him. Heartbroken, the Deposed Crown Prince had chosen suicide.
Father and son turning against each other—what a terrible ordeal to face.
He’d thought he was impersonating an ordinary commoner. He never expected to be a Deposed Crown Prince—and one who was being sent to his death!
Chu Feng decided to find out exactly what had happened.
Crying, he asked, “Father Emperor… whose slander did Father Emperor believe?”
The beautiful woman’s eyes immediately reddened. Gritting her teeth, she said:
“Who else could it be? The Imperial Noble Consort and her son, Chu Ying! Those two had already accused our mother and son of treason. They stripped me of my title as Empress, demoted you to a commoner, confiscated our property, and took all our money. Now they’ve slandered you to your Father Emperor again, urging him to take your… They want to wipe us out completely!”
So the beautiful middle-aged woman was the deposed empress!
“Why did Father Emperor believe their slander?”
The deposed empress’s eyes brimmed with hatred.
“Those two are experts at underhanded schemes. This time, taking advantage of your Father Emperor’s critical illness, they must have colluded with Director Dong and insisted that only your heart’s blood could cure your Father Emperor. It’s obvious they want you dead!”
“But don’t be afraid. Your father-in-law, Zhu Bingcheng, is the Great General Who Guards the Nation. He’ll surely speak up and remonstrate with your Father Emperor. The censors at court will submit petitions urging him to reconsider, too. So nothing will happen. Don’t worry!”
Father-in-law? That meant the Deposed Crown Prince was already married and had a Crown Princess?
Then… there was a clear difference between his own thing down there and the Deposed Crown Prince’s. If he shared a bed with the Crown Princess, she would very likely notice.
That was a huge flaw. He was doomed!
Just then, someone pushed open the door, and several people walked in.
At their head was an obese Eunuch, one hand clutching his stomach, his face twisted with pain. Several sword-wearing guards followed behind him, yawning as they walked.
The fat Eunuch was in a foul mood. The moment he entered, he snapped impatiently, “Why are you crying? What happened?”
Before he’d finished speaking, he caught sight of Chu Feng’s hair and froze. “Huh? Why did you cut your hair? Planning to become a monk?”
The deposed empress hurried forward, smiling broadly. “Eunuch Wei, the child was confused for a moment and cut his hair because he wanted to become a monk. I’ve already talked him out of it. He’s given up the idea.”
Chu Feng understood. This fat Eunuch Wei had brought the guards to deliver an imperial edict, then take the mother and son back to the capital city.
Eunuch Wei gave a slight nod and said darkly, “good. His Majesty is still waiting for his heart’s blood to be added to the medicine.”
“Let me give you a word of advice: whether you plan to become a monk or run away, forget it. If you’re caught and brought back, both of you will be executed!”
The deposed empress replied with a fawning smile, “My son has always obeyed his Father Emperor. We’ll go to the capital city without making trouble.”
“Good. Stop crying and get some rest. We have to set out early tomorrow.”
With that, he turned around and left with the guards.
But as soon as he reached the door, a sharp cramp twisted his stomach. He bent over and clutched it in pain. “Damn it! I’ve had diarrhea more than ten times today. If this keeps up, I won’t even be able to get out of bed tomorrow. How am I supposed to travel?”
A guard bowed and cupped his fists. “Eunuch, should we fetch another doctor?”
“Fetch my foot! We’ve already had two doctors examine me, and neither could cure it. A pack of quacks!”
Chu Feng’s thoughts stirred. As an experienced Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor, treating common ailments like stomach pain and diarrhea would naturally be easy for him.
Eunuch Wei was responsible for their journey. If Chu Feng could cure his diarrhea and ease their relations, they might suffer less along the way from now on.
More importantly, the eunuch delivering the imperial edict surely had considerable status. It would probably be useful to have him on good terms. Besides, Chu Feng could now inquire about more news from him regarding the imperial court and imperial family, ensuring his impersonation wouldn’t be exposed.
He spoke up. “Eunuch, do you have diarrhea? I know a folk remedy that can stop the diarrhea and relieve the pain. Would you be willing to try it?”
Eunuch Wei turned around and stared at Chu Feng, full of suspicion. “You know how to treat illnesses?”
“I happen to know a folk remedy specifically for stomach pain and diarrhea. I’ve used it to treat someone before, and it worked immediately.”
Eunuch Wei’s stomach pain was unbearable, and cold sweat covered his body. He could not hold on any longer. He returned at once, gritting his teeth. “Fine! You can try! It hurts like hell…”
Chu Feng nodded and gestured for him to be seated. He took Eunuch Wei’s wrist and placed it on the table to check his pulse.
This instantly left Eunuch Wei astonished. “What are you doing?”
“Pulse diagnosis!”
“What… What is pulse diagnosis?”
Chu Feng was stunned for a moment. How could a dignified palace eunuch delivering an imperial edict not even know what pulse diagnosis was?
He glanced at the others. The guards and even his Cheap Old Mother were all staring at him in astonishment, evidently not understanding what he was doing.
Even his Cheap Old Mother, the deposed empress, didn’t know about pulse diagnosis? Could it be that the Great Jing Dynasty had no such basic diagnostic method in Traditional Chinese Medicine?
He briefly explained the purpose of pulse diagnosis, saying he’d learned it while studying folk remedies. Only then did Eunuch Wei and the others understand that it was a way to examine an illness, and they were reassured.
After checking his pulse, Chu Feng inspected Eunuch Wei’s tongue. Everyone looked astonished once more. Clearly, tongue inspection was another diagnostic method unknown in the Great Jing Dynasty.
Eunuch Wei asked, “What are all these strange and unusual ways you have of treating illnesses?”
“I told you, it’s a folk remedy. Eunuch, have you been eating too many spicy, rich foods these past couple of days? And then had cold fruits?”
Eunuch Wei’s eyes instantly widened, and he nodded repeatedly. “That’s right! How did you know?”
“Spicy, rich foods readily generate internal heat, while cold fruits readily generate internal dampness. Damp-heat accumulates in the stomach and intestines, and turbid toxins mingle with it and obstruct the bowels, causing qi to stagnate and digestion to go awry. Damp-heat forces fluids and food residue downward, resulting in persistent diarrhea.”
Eunuch Wei and the guards looked at each other, hearing this highly technical and subtle medical explanation. None of them had ever heard anything like it, and their astonishment only deepened.
Chu Feng continued, “I’ll write out a Prescription. Have someone fetch the herbs from an apothecary and boil them into a decoction. At the same time, I’ll treat you with Acupuncture, which will stop the pain and diarrhea right away. After you take the medicine, you’ll recover completely.”
“By the way, does the Inn have silver needles? If not, have someone buy a set from the apothecary while fetching the herbs.”
“Silver needles? What are those?”
“They’re used for Acupuncture. They’re very thin, and longer than embroidery needles.”
“Acupuncture?” Eunuch Wei shook his head in confusion. “I’ve never heard of it. Your method of treating illness really is strange.”
Likewise, the deposed empress and the guards all looked bewildered.
It turned out that the Great Jing Dynasty had neither pulse diagnosis nor tongue inspection, and no Acupuncture.