Chapter 3 - His Majesty Loses a Handkerchief (2/2)

The Captain of the Imperial Bodyguard’s surname was Zhang and named as Zhang Xu. Besides looking outstandingly valiant, he was also endowed with extraordinary talents and became the Captain of the Imperial Bodyguard selected personally by the emperor from the Forbidden Army. Zhang Xu was grateful for the emperor’s appreciation and decided to guard the safety of the emperor. He was infinitely loyal to the emperor, which could be described as fully devoted.

The Captain of the Imperial Bodyguard sighed deeply and fondly said, “His Majesty is happy today.”

Tian Fusheng couldn’t help nodding, “If there’s such a thing next time, this little one will beg His Majesty to go and see it. If His Majesty can be happy, even if this little one breaks [my] waist, [I] will be on the field and play Cuju to show His Majesty.”

The Captain of the Imperial Bodyguard was silent for a while. The Imperial Bodyguards opposite him were busy winking and making signals at him. The Captain minced for a while before he said, “Us brothers are also good at playing Cuju.”

Moreover, many of them even specially trained Cuju because the emperor liked it. Each of them was an expert who played showily and impressively.

Tian Fusheng chuckled, which made his face wrinkled, “Since Bodyguard Zhang said that, this little one will remember it. When His Majesty asks later, this little one will tell him about it. Then this little one will be able to bask in the light6 of His Majesty and see the skill of you all, the Imperial Bodyguards.”

The few of them were talking and laughing when Tian Fusheng heard a few meows in the corner of the wall. He trotted over without a change of expression. A moment later, he walked back with joy on his face, “Bodyguard Zhang, a famous doctor has entered the capital city!”

*

According to the information from the Supervision Bureau, a traveling doctor came to the capital city from Huainan. He was skillful but never treated the influential officials. When Tian Fusheng told Gu Yuanbai the news, Gu Yuanbai didn’t look happy. He squinted slightly. He was still wearing the heavy dragon robe when he attended the imperial court.

This dragon robe was cumbersome. His face was ruddy because he was encumbered by the heavyweight. It seemed that there was no time to be beautiful as his face looked conspicuously exhausted.

During the imperial court today, many people participated in the issue of General Xue’s son, Xue Yuan, galloping in the downtown area. This matter was neither big nor small, but Gu Yuanbai was very upset.

This future Prince Regent was excessively rampant.

He penalized General Xue with a three-month salary cut and ordered him to discipline his son. Just because he remembered Xue Yuan, the male protagonist in this book, he was in a bad mood again.

However, he still had to see the famous doctor. Gu Yuanbai let the attendants change him into indigo casual clothes, and took a few people out of the palace in a low-key way.

In fact, Gu Yuanbai didn’t have much hope in his heart. The imperial doctors in the palace were the best in the country, but they couldn’t do anything about him. Could this traveling doctor be better than his imperial doctors?

“Gongzi, it’s here,” The Captain of the Imperial Bodyguard pointed to the wooden door at the front.

The corner of Gu Yuanbai’s lips arched in a smile and let him knock on the door. Not a short while later, a child opened the door and looked at them through the crack of the door, “Are you here for treatment?”

The Captain of the Imperial Bodyguard said, “Yes.”

The child asked, “Who needs the treatment?”

Gu Yuanbai came out from behind the Imperial Bodyguard. Dressed in normal clothes made his body as long as bamboo. He gave a wee smile to the child, “It’s me.”

The child looked at him with his mouth wide open, and asked foolishly, “An Immortal get sick too?”

“I don’t know if the Immortal will get sick or not,” Gu Yuanbai said with a smile, “but I am sick.”

The child led Gu Yuanbai in. There were many other people inside came to see the doctor. Each of them was dressed in coarse clothing, with a yellow face and rough hands. They looked at his group of people curiously.

The Imperial Bodyguards were full of vigor and their momentum unlike that of the ordinary people, let alone Gu Yuanbai. He was carefully protected in the center as he walked in a leisurely pace. Even if his face was pale, he couldn’t hide the gripping noble aura.

The traveling doctor took a look at them and knew that they must not be ordinary people, but he didn’t expose them. Instead, he silently motioned Gu Yuanbai to sit down. Gu Yuanbai stretched out his hand with a small part of his wrist exposed. The famous doctor took a quarter of an hour’s pulse. His brows gradually creased.

When he moved his hand away, he said straightforwardly, “Can’t cure it. [The illness] can only be suspended with tonic.”

The faces of the following attendants secretly sunk. Gu Yuanbai sighed deeply and asked someone to leave the money as he got up to leave.

Contrary to expectation, he didn’t feel so bad.

The emperor walked casually and slowly came to the river. He looked down and saw that the face reflected on the water had the color of peach blossom. This body was not good anywhere. Only this face was outstanding, but Gu Yuanbai didn’t like it.

He looked at it for a moment. He reached the back and the attendant gave him a handkerchief. Gu Yuanbai wiped his wrists and hands. He saw that a mother bird was feeding the little birds in the tree. He was fascinated for a moment, and the handkerchief was blown into the river by the wind.

“Zhen’s good handkerchief is wasted,” Gu Yuanbai sighed deeply, “let’s go back to the palace.”

The water surface was tranquil. The handkerchief was carried away into the distance by the water. When the group of people disappeared, there was suddenly a movement under the water. A man dragged a woman onto the riverbank. They were soaked through and cut an extremely sorry figure, but the eyes of the man dressed up in satin were shining. He brushed away the water stains on his face, which appeared red as though he had a sweet dream.

Note:

reishi mushroom; Ganoderma lucidum

Cordyceps sinensis

he used the pejorative word 厮

The Imperial Army that guard the palace and capital city

The imperial secret police that served the emperors of the Ming dynasty. It was founded by the Hongwu Emperor in 1368 to serve as his bodyguards.

to benefit from association with sb or sth; reflected glory