Chapter 51: Courage, going all out (2/2)

Her heart gave a thump as she squeezed her hand a few times and went forward with her head bowed. She carefully lifted a corner of the hanging beads, only to be immediately met with a pair of hawk-like eyes filled with murderous intent.

“You’re the Qin Wangfei, Han Yunxi?” Emperor Tianhui asked coldly. He was around 40 years old, with a short beard and a face as cruel as the King of Hell, angry and impressive. This was a different coldness than Long Feiye. Long Feiye’s ice came from detachment, indifference, and a certain loftiness. Emperor Tianhui’s coldness was both serious and fiendish.

Nerves upon nerves piled onto Han Yunxi, though she kept a calm face and gave a generou bow. “To reply your majesty, chenqie is precisely the Qin Wangfei, Han Yunxi.”

Yet Emperor Tianhui suddenly turned stern. “Who allowed you to just walk in so casually? Who let you in?”

These words stunned Han Yunxi in place. She was a time traveler who only knew the basics of etiquette. How would she know there were so many rules associated with the imperial study? Not to mention, hadn’t Eunuch Xue announced her beforehand and told her to go in? Han Yunxi kept her body bowed, not knowing where she’d gone wrong. For a while, she couldn’t think of an answer and thus decided not to answer at all. Although she was the Qin Wangfei, in the emperor’s eyes, Han Yunxi was just a petty and low commoner. Just when she was in dire straits, a familiar voice spoke up from the side.

“Elder Imperial Brother, she was originally a woman without breeding. Why wrangle with her over these things? There’s more important business at hand.”

That low voice with its particular brand of magnetism was icy enough to make one shiver. Though the tone was sneering, right now it was the warmest thing to reach Han Yunxi’s ears.

He’s here, Long Feiye!

She unconsciously raised her head towards the voice, only to see Long Feiye dressed in courtly robes of white brocade, handsome and at ease. His honorable form was sitting at a tea table by the side, holding a cup of steaming hot tea as he slowly sipped.

This guy actually came, and even earlier than she did!

Seeing him sit there looking composed and leisurely, Han Yunxi felt relieved of a heavy load. Somehow, she released a breath. Did he come because of her? A wild hope rose in her heart, even against her own expectations. Beyond a doubt, Long Feiye’s words carried weight. Emperor Tianhui looked over and didn’t say any more, but waved his hand to gesture for Han Yunxi to rise.

It was only a long time later that Han Yunxi learned even the empress had to pay respects outside the imperial study’s curtains until the emperor gave permission to enter.

“Thanks to your majesty,” Han Yunxi rose, shooting Long Feiye a grateful glance. Unfortunately, he wasn’t looking her way.

Although she and the emperor were siblings now, there were still differences between a ruler and his ministers. She couldn’t even enter the emperor’s eyes. Long Feiye remained sitting while she remained standing.

“Zhen[1] heard the empress say that Mu Qingwu’s coma and Princess Changping’s rash left all the physicians at their wits’ end. Yet, you cured them with a single prescription?” Emperor Tianhui spoke straight to the point, looking disdainfully down at Han Yunxi. It was obvious that he didn’t see her as a sister-in-law at all.

“To reply your majesty, such a thing did happen. However, strictly speaking, the young general and Princess Changping weren’t ill, but poisoned. Chenqie knows how to treat poisons, but not illnesses.” No matter what, Han Yunxi needed to tell the truth. She could take a look at the crown prince, but she had to be honest beforehand.

Yet the emperor only replied, “Medical arts and poison are of one family. Zhen heard your mother once say that the focus of all diseases originated from poisons. You should understand this principle?”

Hey…

Han Yunxi narrowly avoided choking on her spit. She wasn’t sure if Lady Tianxin ever said such words, but they were truly ahead of her time. If you looked at it from the perspective of Western medicine, the focus of all diseases truly did come from various poisons. Unfortunately, this wasn’t necessarily her case. Toxins and viruses were two completely different concepts. Most of what she could treat were poisons from nature’s plants and animals or manmade toxins. Even ignoring that, Tianhui Emperor’s words still put Han Yunxi in a difficult position. She was incapable of denying her mother’s words, but she couldn’t explain the truth to the emperor in a way he’d understand.

Han Yunxi mused a bit before replying humbly, “Medical arts and poisons are one family in the highest realm of doctors and poison specialists. Yunxi has only learned the surface of my mother’s skills.”

“Heheh, no wonder the empress said you were modest. The diseases that your father and Imperial Physician Gu couldn’t even cure, you fixed as easily as turning over your hand. If this only counts as the surface, then wouldn’t your father and Imperial Physician Gu be no better than useless trash?” Emperor Tianhui asked sternly.

“To reply your majesty, Divine Doctor Han and Imperial Physician Gu can treat illnesses while Yunxi can treat poisons. These are two different things, so they can’t be compared,” Han Yunxi still tried to explain.

But the emperor lost his patience and grew unhappy. “Qin Wangfei, Zhen summoned you to treat an illness, not to see you act modest! Zhen is counting on you to cure the crown prince with a bowl of medicine as well! It couldn’t be that you’ll keep on hiding your hidden depths?”

With these words, Han Yunxi’s heart gave a lurch. Heaven knows how the empress had fed him all this pillow talk. Now the emperor firmly believed the rumors that she was a highly-skilled physician.

-o-

[1] Zhen (?) – the royal ‘We,’ a personal pronoun used exclusively by the emperor to refer to himself.