diskusbooks Chapter 1043 Healing Medicine
Chapter 1043 Healing Medicine
The others agreed wholeheartedly. They weren't fools; in recent years, His Majesty had spent long hours in the alchemy room, staying indoors and becoming increasingly weak. He had also neglected state affairs and was not indulging in beautiful women. It was impossible to say that there was nothing in the alchemy room that was captivating His Majesty.
However, the exact nature of what it is remains unclear to the Qian family, as Zhou Pu is usually very cautious.
Seeing that it was getting late, Qian Ying waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "Everyone has gone to great lengths for Wan'er today. On Wan'er's behalf, I thank you all, my uncles and elders. It's getting late, so everyone should go back to your rooms and rest to recharge. There's a tough battle to fight tomorrow. Besides, I've calculated the days, and Cui Ling is away on official business. He should be back in the next day or two. I'll go to the Cui residence in person to discuss this matter and see what the final outcome will be."
Grand Tutor Qian nodded upon hearing this, "Yes, what the eldest brother said is right. It's not time for a direct confrontation yet. Tomorrow is the day for the main course. You should all go back and rest. I also need to go back and rest. Tomorrow morning I will personally go to the palace to meet His Majesty. I believe that no matter what, His Majesty will still give me some face."
"Dad, thank you for all your hard work," Qian Ying said, feeling very guilty.
"Wan'er's surname is Qian, so it is only right for me, her grandfather, to go to the palace for her sake. It's not hard work at all."
After saying this, Grand Tutor Qian stood up, supporting himself on a chair, put his hands behind his back, and slowly returned to the backyard.
After their father passed away, Qian Jie and Qian Wei stood up, patted their elder brother on the shoulder to comfort him, and then went their separate ways.
Although Madam Qian was worried about her daughter, as the matriarch of the family, she knew the importance and urgency of the matter. This matter could not be rushed, so she could only sigh and give up for now.
Meanwhile, Cui Ling, whom the Qian family was keeping an eye on, had arrived near the border between Hebei and the capital and was taking a break at a tea stall by the official road.
The entire right eye was wrapped in gauze, starting from the back of the head and going around the head. The eyeball was slightly brownish, which was the trace of the plaster seeping into the gauze.
Aside from the injuries on his face, he looked extremely disheveled, his hair was messy and he had just tied it with a strip of cloth and draped it over his shoulder. His neck and the elbows holding the reins were covered in sweat.
It's clear that the journey back was very arduous.
But his aura remained strong, and he looked like someone not to be trifled with.
There were thirty-one people on this trip, but he was the only one who returned. He messed up the mission, and he didn't know how His Majesty would punish him when he returned to the capital.
In addition, he lost an eye. After returning to Beijing, his colleagues will surely ask him all sorts of questions.
Cui Ling felt extremely depressed when she thought about these things, and her whole body exuded a cold aura that kept strangers at bay.
The waiter noticed the man's fierce appearance, the murderous aura he exuded, and the external injuries that made him look like a notorious bandit. He couldn't help but scrutinize him a few more times. As he looked at him, he placed the flatbread and braised meat on the table and said cautiously, "Sir, your dishes are all served. Please enjoy your meal."
"Hmm," Cui Ling nodded, then picked up a pancake and ate it in big bites as if no one else was around. The way he ate the pancake looked like he was eating the flesh of his enemy, with a fierce look in his eyes.
Most of the customers around him were dressed as passing merchants. Cui Ling's unapproachable demeanor made him seem like someone not to be trifled with, so everyone consciously kept their distance from him and didn't want to provoke him.
For a moment, the area around Cui Ling seemed unusually empty.
Because Cui Ling was in a hurry and had been constantly pursued by the Li family, enduring wind and rain and sleeping outdoors without getting any rest, he ate quickly and hurriedly, finishing his meal in no time. He then placed the silver on the table and prepared to mount his horse and leave.
Just then, a passing merchant who had been watching from the sidelines suddenly raised his hand and called out, "Brother, please wait!"
"What is it?" Cui Ling paused, turned around and asked coldly.
Their attitude was anything but polite.
But the old man didn't mind. He still walked forward with a smile, cupped his hands in greeting, and introduced himself: "My surname is Jiang. I am a merchant from the south, and I am on my way to the capital to do business. Judging from the direction you are heading, you must also be going to the capital. How about we travel together?"
“It’s not on my way!” Cui Ling refused without hesitation.
Seeing that he was not reluctant to leave and was not easy to talk to, the other person kept smiling and quickly raised his hand again, speaking much faster this time.
“Hey, brother, I haven’t finished speaking yet. Don’t be in such a hurry to get on your horse. I see you have an eye injury. My family has been merchants for generations and we travel a lot. We have a special medicine for treating eye injuries. Now that the weather is hot, it’s obvious that your injury wasn’t treated properly before. I’m sure the area around your right eye is already festering. If this continues, not only will your right eye be ruined, but the eye next to it will probably be affected as well.”
Upon hearing this, Cui Ling turned around, her gaze sharper this time, scrutinizing him. "You have medicine?"
“Not bad,” the other party said quickly as he saw Cui Ling stop and his expression soften. “I wonder if you have been experiencing twitching around your right eye these past two days? This is one of the symptoms of a worsening injury.”
Cui Ling knew this, of course. When he was on the battlefield, he usually treated his own simple external injuries. He also knew that if his right eye was not treated properly in time, it would definitely be lost. But if his left eye was also ruined, then he would be no different from a cripple.
He has indeed been experiencing frequent twitches around his right eye these past few days.
After a moment's thought, Cui Ling quickly made a decision, nodded his chin, and said in a deep voice, "Alright, then I'll give you a ride along the way. Give me the medicine, and we'll part ways when we reach the city gate of the capital. We'll be even."
"Okay, sure!" the other party replied happily.
He quickly turned around and called to his nephews, "Yaozu, Yaozong, Yaohui, hurry up and pack your things, we're going into the city with this important person!"
After saying that, he instructed the five or six laborers who had accompanied him, "You guys hurry up, stop eating, push the cart properly, we're leaving now!"
Cui Ling then looked over in the direction of the voice and glanced at them. It turned out that these people were in the cloth business, but the cloth they were wearing wasn't high-quality silk; it was just medium-to-high-grade brocade. It seemed that their business wasn't very large.
The old man, being mindful of his surroundings, followed Cui Ling at a respectful distance, avoiding any potential annoyance. After walking for a while, his nephews dared to whisper among themselves: "Uncle, this guy looks pretty fierce. Why are we following him?"
The old man rolled his eyes at his nephews, a smug glint in his eyes: "You're all old enough to know better, how come you still have no sense of propriety? You've followed your uncle around all these years for nothing. Although this man looks disheveled and doesn't seem like someone to mess with, I'm sure he's someone of status, not some nobody from the martial arts world. Just look at that glimpse of his undergarment; the material is made for the imperial court, something ordinary people can't afford."
"Uncle, you have a sharp eye!" Yaozu immediately flattered him upon hearing this.
"Hehe, there's something to learn in every aspect of life. You should all learn more from him. Besides, the way that man walks is like someone from the military. In my opinion, he's definitely a general. Even if he's not a general, he's at least a junior officer serving the emperor. We've suffered so many losses on our way from the south. With this man leading the way, we're guaranteed to arrive in the capital safely without having to pay a single penny in tolls."
The nephews were clearly convinced and praised him repeatedly.
Although he spoke softly, those skilled in martial arts could still hear him.
After using the medicine to treat his eye injury, Cui Ling felt much better. He had originally planned to do the old man a favor and get him safely to the capital, since he was a businessman and it wouldn't bother him.
As a result, he heard that the old man had guessed most of his identity. Normally, it would be fine, there's nothing wrong with talking about going out on official business, but this time his trip to Xuzhou was a secret mission that couldn't be mentioned in public.
On the surface, he was supposed to be heading to Kaifeng from the Ministry of Personnel, but these two places are quite far apart and not in the same direction.
Thinking of this, Cui Ling unconsciously pressed the long sword at his waist, a murderous intent flashing in his eyes.