Chapter 170 The Old Man
The golden sunshine weaves brocade, the sun shines at noon, the streets of Shengjing are bustling with people, and carriages and sedan chairs are passing by in an endless stream.
Gu Nianting sat leisurely in the carriage, gazing at the green mountains in the distance and humming comfortably.
Suddenly, the sound of horses neighing as if they were frightened was heard, and the carriage followed closely and stopped in a storm. The sudden force caught people off guard, and the screams of passers-by were even louder and more shocking.
Gu Nianting was shocked and quickly opened the car door and looked inside.
"What happened?"
Wu Yan, who was following on horseback, immediately replied.
"Reporting to the prince, I almost bumped into an old man, but luckily I escaped unharmed."
Gu Nianting was confused for a moment.
"Old man?"
His eyes followed it down, first glanced at the old man who fell to the ground in fear, and then pretended to be casual and glanced at the pedestrians who were standing still.
Normally, he wouldn't care about this matter. He was just an ordinary person. It would be very merciful for him to just ignore it and leave.
Now, he has gained the support of the people with his plan to cure the disease, and people are watching him in large numbers. Naturally, he cannot take it lightly.
Gu Nianting thought about it quickly, acted amiable, got off the carriage, and helped the old man up himself.
"Old man, are you injured?"
The old man responded politely.
"I feel ashamed to accept your personal gift of condolence."
"Reply to Your Majesty, everything is fine."
Gu Nianting smiled at the right time.
"That's good."
"I'm sorry for scaring the old man. I feel guilty about it. I will reflect on myself after returning home."
"To prevent any accidents, please take the carriage with me, the old man, and I will personally escort you to the Xinglin Hall not far ahead, and ask the doctor to examine you carefully, okay?"
The old man bowed politely and was about to kneel down.
"How dare we? I am terrified."
Gu Nianting has kind eyes and behaves like a benevolent man.
"Old man, you don't have to worry about conventional etiquette. I almost bumped into you, so this is as it should be."
"If there is any injury, there is absolutely no time to delay. Please come in quickly, old man."
The old man bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness."
Gu Nianting maintained a friendly expression as he helped the old man onto the carriage. Then, he lowered his brows and smiled slightly at the spectators, then instructed the coachman to go to Xinglin Hall.
Along the way, he was very considerate, and even accompanied the old man to see a doctor at Xinglin Hall. After confirming that he was safe, he also bought some tonic medicine for the old man to accept.
After everything was so orderly, they even hired a sedan chair to take the old man home.
Gu Nianting watched him for a while before getting on the carriage. He stopped smiling and ordered in a deep voice, "Return to Prince Chen's Mansion."
The groom replied, "Yes."
After sitting down, Gu Nianting found an envelope lying quietly on the cushion where the old man had sat.
Is this... a thank you letter?
When did he write it?
Could it be that he wrote it secretly while receiving medical treatment at Xinglintang?
Where did the envelope come from?
In addition to treating illnesses, Xinglintang also sells envelopes?
That's not right. After he came out of Xinglin Hall, he took the sedan chair and went home. When did he get on the carriage?
Gu Nianting opened the envelope with doubts, and saw only a prescription.
"This... this handwriting seems familiar."
"It's Ning Yunxi!"
"Why did she give this king a prescription?"
"Could this be the prescription she used to treat my father's old illness last year?"
"That old man was sent by her!"
In astonishment, the carriage stopped at the gate of Prince Chen's mansion.
Gu Nianting got off the carriage and immediately gave instructions to Wu Yan.
"Convene a meeting and invite Third Uncle as well."
"Remember to stay hidden and don't attract too much attention."
Wu Yan responded and left.
"Yes."
Before everyone arrived, Gu Nianting sent someone to summon the doctor in the mansion to see him.
Not long after, the doctor, Zhu Hei, came in respectfully.
"Greetings to the prince."
Gu Nianting handed over the prescription.
"I remember that when Ning Yunxi was researching the prescription last year, I asked you to consult with her. Doctor Zhu, do you still remember the complete prescription?"
Zhu He bowed, took the prescription with both hands, and asked questions at the same time.
"Your Highness, are you referring to the prescription for curing the Emperor's old illness?"
Gu Nianting nodded.
"Correct."
"Take a look at this prescription. Is it this?"
Zhu He explained in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.
"Last year, Princess...Princess Yuexi only discussed the condition with me and did not finalize the prescription, so I don't know the whole story."
"Besides, the prince has already instructed the princess to keep the prescription secret and not to leak it to anyone, so I dare not overstep my authority."
Gu Nianting expressed helplessness.
"I was just trying to protect myself from the people in the palace. Who told you to avoid suspicion and not watch?"
"You really didn't see it?"
Zhu He lowered his body even lower.
"Yes."
"I failed to understand your Majesty's intention. I am really stupid."
Gu Nianting sighed.
"I have read the complete prescription, but unfortunately I am not familiar with medicine and cannot remember it."
"In this case, I can only ask Ansong. But he doesn't know the whole story, right? Otherwise, it would be impossible for my father to show mercy, protect Ning Yunxi everywhere, and try every means to pacify her."
Zhu He held the prescription but still didn't dare to check it without permission.
"Your Majesty, I passed by several times when the princess was making medicine. Perhaps I can make some inferences and identify whether the prescription is real or fake."
"Please allow me to take a look, Your Majesty."
Gu Nianting urged impatiently.
"Don't you see how anxious I am? Look quickly."
Zhu Hei bowed again.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Thanks, then I started to check the prescription.
After a while, he finished reading.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, this prescription is correct, but the efficacy is slightly insufficient."
"According to what the princess said before, I guess that four herbs are missing."
"But fortunately, these four herbs are not the most important. As long as you think carefully, you can get a complete prescription."
Gu Nianting was pleasantly surprised.
"Can you figure it out?"
Zhu He smiled with shame.
"It is difficult to guess the ability of a servant."
Gu Nianting's smile faded and the corner of his mouth curled up.
"It's hard to guess. Why are you still talking nonsense?"
"Are you kidding me?"
Zhu He quickly came up with an idea.
"Your Majesty, you can recruit famous doctors from all over the world, and let me describe the emperor's old illness and ask them to write down their own prescriptions for treatment."
"Based on their prescriptions, I will be able to guess the medicine the princess is using in a few days."
Gu Nianting responded with a sullen look.
"Wait for the king to discuss it before deciding."
"Leave the prescription here, and leave first."
Zhu He retreated in response.
Then, people arrived one after another.
Gu Nianting roughly described what happened and then gave his own conclusion.
"It turns out that she was pretending to surrender, but the one she really loves is still me."
Mu Rong gave him a secretly disdainful look, but when she saw him looking at her, she immediately put on a smiling face.
"Your Majesty, your words are wrong."
"Don't trust this woman easily. I think Ning Yunxi's plan to send the prescription is just a false surrender."
"She must have other plans."
Mur Chen nodded in agreement and then expressed his own thoughts.
"Second sister, what you said makes sense."
"Ning Yunxi sent someone to deliver the prescription, but she deliberately left out a few herbs. Perhaps she thought that the prince didn't remember the prescription, and once he got it, he would rush to present it to the prince in exchange for what he needed."
"If we present the incomplete prescription to His Majesty, at best, the father and son will be alienated and the Emperor will no longer be willing to cooperate with us; at worst, the Emperor will become suspicious and charge you with plotting to murder His Majesty, and the Prince Chen's Mansion will be in great trouble."
"In short, Ning Yunxi definitely has bad intentions."
Not wanting to hear the words he wanted, Gu Nianting turned to Zhong Hua and asked respectfully.
"What do you think, Uncle San?"