Chapter 456: Too Late (1)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
20 years have passed. When he thought of Emperor Taizu’s voice and appearance, the Emperor’s heart still surged, and the corners of his eyes turned slightly red.
“Father.” After a while, Chu Yi’s clear voice sounded in the silent East Warm Pavilion. “Everyone says that Emperor Taizu burned the letter before he died.”
The Emperor took a few deep breaths and composed himself. His surging emotions calmed down a little before he said in a hoarse voice, “Before Emperor Taizu passed away, he wrote a few notebooks. Most of them were torn apart and burned, leaving only the last one. Not long after he finished writing that book, Emperor Taizu passed away…”
“And the handwritten letter is gone.”
“Before Emperor Taizu’s coffin was placed in the imperial mausoleum, the late Emperor thoroughly searched the entire imperial palace several times, digging deep into the ground, but found nothing.”
“Sigh, the late Emperor has always suspected that Aunt Fengyang took the letter.”
At this point, the Emperor rubbed the space between his eyebrows and felt a deep sense of exhaustion surge up.
Seeing the Emperor’s fatigue, Chu Yi got up and walked to the Emperor’s side. He said in a low voice, “Father, you should take an afternoon nap.”
The Emperor was already at the age of knowing his fate. All these years, his dragon body hadn’t been good. He had a small illness every three to five days. In the past few months, it was because Chu Yi had returned to the country that he was in high spirits and looked a little better.
Meeting his son’s concerned gaze, the Emperor couldn’t help but smile. Without another word, he patted his son’s hand and smiled in relief. “Alright, alright. I’ll go rest.”
The Emperor looked like he didn’t care about anything and asked Zhao Rang to hold the Peach Blossom Painting for him before leaving.
As soon as the Emperor left, Chu Yi instructed Xiao Shi, “Call He Lie over.”
Half a cup of tea later, the Embroidered Uniform Guards’ commander, He Lie, complied and cupped his fists in greeting.
“What’s going on with Marquis Ji’an?” Chu Yi asked calmly. There was a faint smile on his handsome face, making it impossible to tell his emotions.
He Lie maintained his cupped fist posture with a solemn expression.
Ever since Chu Yi took over the Embroidered Uniform Guards, they had truly become the eyes and ears of the Emperor. They knew very well about the recent major events in the capital.
He Lie replied concisely, “Marquis Ji’an regrets it. Three days ago, he went to Duke Wei’s Mansion to ask for forgiveness and even gave himself a dagger…”
“Marquis Ji’an’s stab wasn’t deep, but the first doctor didn’t treat his wound well, causing external evil to enter his body. The wound was red and swollen, causing his high fever to not subside. He almost died.”
“That day, it was Doctor Wan from the Myriad Herb Hall who took the initiative to look for Marquis Ji’an’s Mansion. Their matriarch tried it as a last resort.”
“After applying the medicine, Marquis Ji’an’s fever subsided in the middle of the night, and he woke up at dawn.”
“Although his wound hasn’t healed yet, it’s better. He can almost sleep now.”
The knuckles of Chu Yi’s right hand tapped casually on the desk. The fingers of his other hand occasionally gently brushed across the small green porcelain jar. His eyelashes were half-closed, and it was unknown what he was thinking. He seemed to be listening, but also seemed to not care much about He Lie’s report.
After He Lie finished reporting, the room fell silent.
He Lie looked at Chu Yi quietly, waiting for his instructions.
Seeing that he was silent for a long time, He Lie racked his brains to think of something. He thought of something else that seemed somewhat related, so he reported, “Your Highness, Manager He from the Ministry of War also bought a few jars of penicillin.”
“Oh?”
With just a simple word, Chu Yi conveyed his intention, and He Lie understood it. He continued speaking tactfully, “A few days ago, a team from the Divine Pivot Camp returned from Yanzhou after suppressing bandits. One of the captains and several soldiers in the camp developed high fevers after being injured. Despite various attempts with different medicinal concoctions, the military doctors couldn’t bring down their fevers. The Ministry of War procured penicillin for them.”
Chu Yi looked at the white powder in the small porcelain jar and his thin lips curled into an ambiguous smile. His eyes were deep.
Penicillin? Penicillin powder?
He never believed that there could be such a coincidence in this world.
As He Lie had said, the Ministry of War had indeed ordered someone to buy medicine for this. This medicine was used on the few injured people that day.
In just two or three days, all the injuries had subsided.
Their injuries weren’t serious to begin with. These soldiers were young and had good foundations. After their fever subsided, they recovered in a few days.
The Minister of War, Wu Zhongde, attached great importance to this matter. He immediately reported the whole story to the emperor and several military doctors from the Imperial Hospital jointly submitted the injuries and drug records of these injuries..