Chapter 290
Results (5)
Although Mu Mingtang was reluctant, she could only listen to her husband’s words and stand outside of doors without daring to disturb him. Now that the time was up, Mu Mingtang could no longer hold back and immediately ran to see Xie Xuanchen’s condition.
Inside the hall, she saw an extremely tired Xie Xuanchen with a pale face and reddened eyes. Looking at his ragged appearance, Mu Mingtang’s eyes filled with tears in a blink of an eye.
“I’m… fine.” The hoarse voice of Xie Xuanchen blended into the air.
Xie Xuanchen wanted to stand up, but just as he moved, he ended up falling down again, and the sound of the black iron chain hitting the ground echoed in the hall.
Mu Mingtang hurriedly stepped forward to support him and helped him sit properly back in the seat slowly. “Don’t be hasty and take your time.”
After Mu Mingtang finished speaking, she hurried her steps towards the door to call over the little Taoist: “Little Taoist, hurry and come. Check how he is doing.”
The little Taoist sniffed at the door, and when he felt that the smell of wormwood was almost gone, he walked in slowly. He checked Xie Xuanchen’s pulse and said, “It can be considered a success. I will give you two doses of medicine for a while, one at noon and one in the evening, every day. After drinking for five days, I will start preparing for the second treatment.”
Xie Xuanchen didn’t even have the energy to speak, and just nodded as a response. Mu Mingtang asked about some dietary taboos before solemnly thanking the little Taoist and sending him off.
The little Taoist knew that the pair of husband and wife needed some time alone, so he simply went back to catch up on his sleep without saying another word.
After the little Taoist left, Mu Mingtang sat next to Xie Xuanchen, touched his cold fingers, and felt distressed. “Is it painful and hard to endure?”
Xie Xuanchen, who had a pale complexion and dry lips, just shook his head: “It’s okay.”
Although Xie Xuanchen said it was okay, actually fighting poison with poison was not as easy as it sounded. Only the person who was going through the ordeal could understand the real hardships.
Mu Mingtang felt sad in her heart. She silently undid the lock of the black chain on Xie Xuanchen’s hand.
After the lock was opened, Mu Mingtang was ready to remove it from Xie Xuanchen’s hand, but it was forcibly snatched away by Xie Xuanchen. This chain was really heavy.
Mu Mingtang suddenly remembered what she wanted to ask earlier: “How did you take the chain out? Didn’t the people in the warehouse doubt you?”
Xie Xuanchen didn’t say much and just gave a vague response: “They didn’t notice that I took it.”
‘How could they not notice that such a thing is missing?’ Although Mu Mingtang had some doubts in her heart, she didn’t ask further.
After Xie Xuanchen’s headache and dizziness passed, the two of them secretly returned to Yulin Hall. They didn’t see any reaction from the servant girls who were on duty. So they assumed those maids didn’t know that they went outside.
They had also gone out of their chambers during the night once or twice in the past without getting discovered by the servants and patrol guards, but this time for Xie Xuanchen’s treatment, they hadn’t been in the their chambers for so long, so did the maids who were on the night duty really know nothing?
Mu Mingtang didn’t want to think about it any further, and Xie Xuanchen didn’t say anything, so she didn’t ask. The current situation of the palace was very complicated. Mu Mingtang couldn’t tell clearly how many people sided with the emperor, how many belonged to Xie Xuanchen’s faction, and how many were sitting on the fence.
After several such treatments, Mu Mingtang didn’t know if it was showing any effects or not, but Xie Xuanchen’s facial expressions had improved a lot lately and he rarely showed signs of discomfort and had gradually calmed down. On top of that, he was no longer as sensitive to the change in fragrance and high-pitched sounds as before. From this point, no matter whether it was actually effective or not, it was worthwhile to heal Xie Xuanchen’s disease.
March had arrived in no time. The flowers were already in full bloom, the vegetation was mending, and animals were also awakened from hibernation.
On the fifth day of the lunar new year, Mrs. Zhu personally wrote a letter, inviting Mu Mingtang to go to Xiangji Temple to offer incense.
[TL Notes: Chinese Lunar New Year is known as the Spring Festival. Xiangji temple is a Buddhist temple.]