dognovel Chapter 510 Recuperation
Chapter 510 Recuperation
Shen Yanzhou took a deep breath and was about to speak when footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall. A eunuch rushed in, his face panicked, and said, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Lord Cui's wound has become infected again, and his fever has returned. Physician Li wants you to go and take a look at him immediately!"
Shen Yanzhou's expression changed drastically, and he immediately stood up: "Wanxia, I'll go check on Cui Zhihao first, and then I'll come see you later."
Shi Wanxia nodded: "Your Highness, please go quickly, don't delay Brother Cui's treatment."
Shen Yanzhou strode out of the palace gate and headed towards Cui Zhihao's room.
His heart was filled with worry—how could Choi Ji-ho's wound have become infected again? Was it due to improper care? Or was there some other reason?
As they approached Cui Zhihao's room, they heard Physician Li's voice from inside: "Lord Cui, please bear with it. This old minister will clean your wounds, and you will be fine soon."
Shen Yanzhou pushed open the door and went in. He saw Cui Zhihao lying on the bed with a flushed face and cracked lips, clearly suffering from a high fever.
Physician Li was cleaning his wounds. The festering wounds looked worse than before, with the surrounding skin red and swollen, and even oozing yellow fluid.
"what happened?"
Shen Yanzhou walked to the bedside, his voice urgent, "Wasn't it fine yesterday? How come the wound has become infected again today?"
Imperial Physician Li sighed and said while cleaning the wound, "Your Highness, Lord Cui was too emotional yesterday."
“When the old minister came to change his dressing yesterday, he asked about the Cui family of Qinghe. He learned that his father had been arrested for colluding with the Prince of Rongyang. He became agitated, and his wound reopened, leading to infection and suppuration, and he also developed a high fever.”
Shen Yanzhou's heart sank.
He knew that although Cui Zhihao had broken away from the Qinghe Cui clan, he still cared about his father.
He must be very upset that his father was arrested for colluding with the Prince of Rongyang.
"Huai'an,"
Shen Yanzhou walked to the bedside, looked at Cui Zhihao's flushed face, and said softly, "Don't worry, your father's matter will be handled fairly by the Emperor."
“If your father is innocent, the Emperor will surely clear his name.”
"The most important thing for you right now is to recover from your injury and avoid getting agitated, otherwise your wound will never heal."
Choi Ji-ho slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with pain and exhaustion: "Your Highness... I know... but he is, after all, my father... I..."
"I know you're very sad,"
Shen Yanzhou interrupted him, her voice softening, "But in your current state, even if your father is innocent, you can't help him."
"Only if you recover properly can you find out the truth and clear your father's name."
Choi Ji-ho nodded, tears streaming down his face. "Your Highness... I understand... I will take good care of myself..."
After cleaning the wound, Physician Li applied new medicine to Cui Zhihao and gave him fever-reducing medicine. He then said to Shen Yanzhou, "Your Highness, it's all better now. Lord Cui needs to rest and cannot be subjected to any more stimulation."
"I have already sent someone to prepare the medicine. Once it's ready, I'll feed it to him, and his high fever should subside."
Shen Yanzhou nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, Physician Li. You may leave now; I will stay here with him."
After Physician Li left, Shen Yanzhou sat by the bed, watching Cui Zhihao gradually fall asleep, his heart filled with emotion.
He knew that the bitterness in Choi Ji-ho's heart was more painful than the physical wounds.
The betrayal of his loved ones and the physical pain weighed on him like mountains, making it hard for him to breathe.
Yet he remained so strong and so loyal, never uttering a single word about giving up.
Shen Yanzhou thought of Shi Wanxia, of her lying in the hospital bed gritting her teeth and enduring the pain, of her first words after waking up being to the people of Chuzhou, and of her love and loyalty to Cangling.
They were all such good people, yet they had to endure so much suffering.
He secretly vowed to make Rongyang King and those who colluded with foreign enemies pay the price, to ensure that Shi Wanxia and Cui Zhihao could live well, and to make Cangling better and better, so that their suffering would not be in vain.
The setting sun shone through the window lattice, falling on Cui Zhihao's face and on Shen Yanzhou's body.
The hall was quiet, with only Choi Ji-ho's faint breathing and the distant sound of bells.
Shen Yanzhou sat on the edge of the bed, quietly looking at Cui Zhihao, his heart filled with determination.
The road ahead is long, and the healing process will be painful, but as long as they don't give up and as long as he is by their side, they will definitely get through it.
He would tell Shi Wanxia about his past relationship with her slowly after she recovered.
The paulownia leaves in the side hall fell three times. Shi Wanxia's chest injury finally allowed her to sit for half an hour, and Cui Zhihao, leaning against a soft pillow, could write a few words with his uninjured right hand.
However, when changing the dressings every morning, the two of them would still turn pale with pain—although the rotten palm print on Shi Wanxia's chest had faded a bit, even a little force would cause pain in her internal organs.
The splint on Cui Zhihao's left arm hadn't been removed yet. Every time the imperial physician adjusted his bone position, he had to bite down on a handkerchief, and the cold sweat on his forehead could soak half a pillowcase.
That morning, just as Physician Li finished changing Shi Wanxia's dressing, a eunuch's shrill voice came from outside the palace: "His Majesty's decree—summoning Lords Shi Wanxia, Cui Zhihao, and Lin Yiyu to the palace immediately for a meeting in the Golden Palace! The Imperial Medical Academy will accompany them, and three soft couches will be prepared. There must be no delay!"
Shi Wanxia paused, her hand holding the handkerchief still throbbing slightly in her chest. She looked up at Cui Zhihao and saw him trying to sit up, supporting himself on the edge of the couch with his left hand. She quickly reached out and pressed him down, saying, "Brother Cui, don't move. Your arm isn't healed yet."
Cui Zhihao's fingertips touched her slightly cool hand, and his movements immediately softened. His voice was hoarse from just waking up: "His Majesty suddenly summoned us to the Golden Palace. Could it be that there's more to the matter in Chu Prefecture?"
Lin Yiyu sat on the soft couch opposite him, his right arm still in a sling and unable to move. He frowned and said, "I'm afraid it's because of the remnants of Rongyang King's faction, or the Cui family's matter—I heard a few days ago that someone from the Qinghe Cui family pleaded for Uncle Cui in court, saying that he was coerced."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Heng entered with several palace maids and eunuchs, followed by two eunuchs carrying a soft couch and Physician Li carrying a medicine box.
"My lords, His Majesty is still waiting in the Golden Palace. Shall I help you to your bed?"
Yu Heng had a smile on his face, but when his eyes swept over Shi Wanxia's pale face and Cui Zhihao's arm wrapped in a splint, he couldn't help but frown.
Shi Wanxia tried to sit up, but as soon as she exerted force, a sharp pain shot through her chest. She groaned and sweat instantly beaded on her forehead.
Seeing this, Cui Zhihao quickly reached out with his uninjured right hand and carefully supported her back, his movements as gentle as if he were afraid of breaking porcelain: "Slow down, let me help you."
His palm was warm, which came through the thin nightgown, and Shi Wanxia's tense body relaxed slightly, but her fingertips still turned white from the pain.
The palace maid hurriedly stepped forward, placed a thick pillow under her arm, and stuffed a soft cushion behind her back. After a while, she was finally able to lean against the soft couch, her breathing labored.
Cui Zhihao was in an even more troublesome situation. His left leg was also injured and could not bear weight. When the two eunuchs supported him, his right leg trembled slightly in pain, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
Only after sitting on the soft couch did he breathe a sigh of relief, but he still turned to look at Shi Wanxia: "Does it still hurt? Should we have Physician Li give you a couple of acupuncture needles to ease the pain?"
Shi Wanxia shook her head and forced a faint smile: "No need, let's wait until we reach the Golden Palace. Don't keep His Majesty waiting."
Three people, one after the other, left the side hall on soft couches and headed towards the Golden Palace along the palace road.
The autumn wind carried a chill, causing the gauze curtains on the soft couch to sway gently. Shi Wanxia leaned against the pillow, looking at the willow trees by the roadside covered with fallen yellow leaves. She suddenly remembered that outside Chuzhou City, Cui Zhihao had shielded her from a hidden guard's knife to protect her. At that time, he had done the same thing, even though he was in great pain himself, he still asked her if she was alright first.