novelraw Chapter 391: Why Did You Provoke Him?
Chapter 391: Why Did You Provoke Him?
Qin Yuan couldn’t help but laugh, "I knew Master could handle it."
"Don’t flatter me. Where did you get that stuff you’re using?"
The medicine Qin Yuan used seemed to have slight modifications from the recipe in the Doctor Li’s family book.
Doctor Li felt suspicious.
Where exactly did the apprentice learn this from?
Or does the Chen family also have similar recipes in their medical books?
Qin Yuan put away his smile, and seriously said, "Isn’t Master curious? I also learned the incense recipe of the Chen family in no time. I don’t want to deceive you, but it’s not convenient to talk about it. I can only say I have my own opportunities."
Doctor Li was startled for a moment as if he recalled something and stopped asking, instead saying, "It seems there is a destined teacher-student relationship between us."
Seeing him like this, Qin Yuan also breathed a sigh of relief, nodded with a smile: "Indeed, a day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father. This lifetime, I will definitely serve you well with Xiao Dong, provide for you and arrange your funeral rites."
Doctor Li was puzzled: "It sounds like it spans several lifetimes."
"To share a boat, you need a hundred years of practice; without the cultivation of past lives, how would there be the sharing of a boat? For us to become teacher and apprentice naturally spans several lifetimes."
Qin Yuan laughed it off, half-true, half-joking.
"Enough, let’s not talk about this," Doctor Li scratched his temple and said, "With the Marquis Mansion around, is there any concern about no one attending my funeral? Just talk about the matter..."
He laughed showing a gesture with his fingers, grinned till his eyes crinkled: "How much silver is appropriate to ask from the Marquis? This is a major issue for a man, a thousand taels of silver isn’t too much, right?"
Qin Yuan chuckled softly, "That’s what he should pay to honor the Master, it’s not too much."
"Alright then," Doctor Li was satisfied.
The apprentice was on his side, eagerly giving him money to spend.
"Let’s discuss how to draft the prescription. Speaking of the Director of Imperial Hospital..."
Doctor Li shook his head disdainfully.
Qin Yuan cleared his throat and said, "Rather prescribe some medicinal baths for the Marquis. He’s been at the Northern Border for many years, his body is somewhat worn out. Now is the prime age of vigor, he may not feel it yet, but when he gets older he’ll feel discomfort. There’s no need for excessive tonics."
Doctor Li was easy-going: "That works."
The two discussed and drafted prescriptions in the room.
Meanwhile, Gu Jinghui was anxiously pacing in the room. Prince Qi had come again, since the family was holding a funeral, it was not appropriate to decline, so he said, "Please come in."
When Prince Qi entered, seeing the table in disarray, he glanced at Marquis Gu and asked, "What’s causing such a big fuss, Third Brother?"
Gu Jinghui said darkly, "Speak. Are you here to mock me or to offer incense to my sister-in-law?"
Prince Qi replied, "Naturally I’ve heard some things, came to offer incense and speak with Third Brother."
"I’m very busy; feel free, sit a while if you have nothing else, and then leave."
Prince Qi said aggrievedly, "Third Brother truly is distant with me. That woman from the Chang Family... she speaks so rudely, should I vent your anger for you?"
Gu Jinghui uneasily waved his hand.
"Can you believe the rumors outside? I understand my own affairs."
Prince Qi relaxed his brow, laughed lightly a few times, then said, "Looks like Third Brother is truly fine now."
"Hmm," Gu Jinghui sat boldly, "To say there’s nothing wrong is not entirely accurate. Doctor Li said, having been at the Northern Border for years, engaged in military campaigns, I’ve gotten some coldness; I need to recuperate before I can have a son."
Prince Qi asked, "Is it the doctor treating smallpox at your mansion?"
"Yes, if Sixth Brother’s wife had been willing to listen to him, she wouldn’t have lost her life. Yet she insisted on seeing the Imperial Physician..."
Prince Qi sighed, "It was because of the late Empress Dowager’s matter that the Imperial Hospital was turned upside down. Back then the Director was just an unremarkable little Imperial Physician, gained favor with Eunuch Gao and the Empress Dowager for promotion, now the Imperial Hospital is in a mess, renowned physicians don’t want to join. Misdiagnosing isn’t much, if he had skills, my elder brother wouldn’t have died and that cripple wouldn’t always hover between life and death."
Gu Jinghui didn’t further engage in this topic, only said, "Doctor Li has excellent medical skills, the smallpox in my mansion was subdued largely because of him. Are you here for the incense recipe?"
"Has sister-in-law decoded it?"
Instinctively, Prince Qi tugged at the chin strap of his hat.
Gu Jinghui pretended not to notice his concern, saying, "I don’t know either, but in recent days I’ve been with Sixth Elder; she is busy managing Sixth Elder’s wife’s matters, neither my mother nor my sister can help, it’s all on her."
Prince Qi placed his hand on his knee, speaking softly, "If that’s the case, we’ll wait until sister-in-law is free, it’s the same. If she decodes it, of course it’s good, if not..."
He paused and added, "Then that’s my fate."
The tone was faint, slightly melancholic.
Gu Jinghui hurriedly comforted, "Rest assured, I will definitely have her try her best to decode it."
Prince Qi was about to express gratitude when Gu Jinghui already called the servant to tidy up the study and was leading him to the outer hall.
Just after taking a seat, someone reported that the Crown Prince had arrived with the Ninth Princess to pay their respects and specifically wanted to see Marquis Gu.
Gu Jinghui asked, "Shall we go out together to greet them?"
Prince Qi nodded.
The two walked to the corridor, meeting the pale and sickly Crown Prince.
The Ninth Princess followed behind.
"Didn’t expect to run into Prince Qi."
The Crown Prince smiled warmly, but there was no joy in his eyes.
Gu Jinghui said, "Today’s mansion truly is honored, with Prince Jin just gone, Crown Prince, Prince Qi, and oh, Ninth Princess arriving. I wonder if King Qishan and King Qin will so coincidentally appear too."
The Crown Prince held Gu Jinghui’s hand as they walked inside, to show closeness.
"Dingbei Marquis is the nation’s pillar, how could we not come?"
Prince Qi said nothing, silently following by the side.
The Ninth Princess charmingly asked, "Has Seventh Sister come before?"
Gu Jinghui replied, "She hasn’t come with Prince Qi. If she comes alone, likely it’s the wife entertaining."
The Ninth Princess fell silent.
A flicker of amusement flashed in Prince Qi’s eyes.
The Crown Prince and the Ninth Princess stayed briefly and then left, Prince Qi also didn’t linger and followed suit out of the Marquis Mansion.
In front of the Marquis Mansion, the Ninth Princess asked Prince Qi, "Seventh Sister didn’t come, is she busy preparing dowry?"
Empress Lin had just chosen a match for Princess Fu Yun, a former top scholar from a poor family, Wu Hanlin.
Wu Hanlin’s family was impoverished, without backing, doing trivial tasks at the Hanlin Academy.
The Ninth Princess actually looked down upon it.
Prince Qi retorted, "Fu Yun’s dowry was prepared since childhood, unlike those small families without foundation that need to gather everything at the last minute."
Prince Qi’s mother’s family was once a dominant clan, treating gold as dirt, precious and rare items as common. Whereas Empress Lin came from humble beginnings, chosen from the common folk as a palace maid, assigned to clean at Cining Palace, later favored by the Emperor and steadily rose to empress.
Just on dowry alone, Princess Fu Yun surpassed dozens of Ninth Princesses.
Without waiting for her to respond, Prince Qi slightly bowed to the Crown Prince and gracefully mounted Kicking Snow Black Steed, leading his guards galloping away.
The Crown Prince coughed lightly and said to the furious Ninth Princess, "Get in the carriage, why provoke him?"