"There is no need to trouble the Princess Ronghe, Your Highness can recover with a period of rest," Xie Jingxi waved his hand, signaling the eunuch beside him to escort the guest out.
Just then, Han Jingyu arrived to deliver rations.
Ji Zizhao seized the opportunity and raised her voice again, saying, "This subject's daughter kindly came to deliver medicine to the Second Prince, but the Second Prince did not even look at it. Three hours have passed, yet the army remains stagnant. Those who know understand that the Second Prince is unwell and cannot endure jolting, but those who don't might suspect the Second Prince is deliberately slowing down the march."
As these words were spoken, they naturally drew the attention of countless soldiers.
The soldiers hadn't thought in that direction at all; they were too cold to worry about themselves.
However, upon hearing Princess Ronghe's words, everyone couldn't help but ponder. Yes, if he was truly unwell, why refuse the medicine offered to him?
Han Jingyu was truly surprised by Princess Ronghe's boldness.
But upon closer thought, he understood. If she lacked boldness, how could she have dared to storm the palace to plead for justice?
Xie Jingxi's face turned as dark as charcoal. He almost gritted his teeth as he looked at Han Jingyu and said, "Is General Han a dead man? To stand by and watch as someone defies authority?"
Han Jingyu snapped back to reality and quickly looked at Ji Zizhao, "The Second Prince is unwell, Princess Ronghe really should..."
Before Han Jingyu could finish speaking, Ji Zizhao directly interrupted him, "If the Second Prince does not trust this subject's daughter, he can summon a military physician to examine it thoroughly and see if this subject's daughter's medicine can indeed help the Second Prince's condition."
Between her delicate fingers, she held a dark brown pill.
Even though her fingers, exposed to the cold wind, were frozen to a purplish-red, she showed no intention of retracting her hand.
Xie Jingxi wanted to tell Ji Zizhao, that bitch, to get lost, but the eyes of all the surrounding soldiers were fixed on them.
If he were to reject Ji Zizhao so outright, wouldn't it be an obvious admission that he was feigning illness out of guilt?
The commotion here not only attracted the Tenth Prince, who peered out from the carriage window, but also drew the Seventh Prince, who was not far away, directly to the scene.
Seeing the growing crowd, Xie Jingxi could only order the eunuch beside him to summon the military physician.
Before long, the physician hurried over.
He took the pill from Ji Zizhao and carefully brought it to his nose to smell it.
Suddenly, the physician's brows furrowed deeply.
Seeing this, Xie Jingxi suddenly felt relieved.
He had thought so; what kind of miraculous medicine could a weakling who had never even left his courtyard have?
"May I ask where Princess Ronghe obtained this pill? It is truly... miraculous!"
Xie Jingxi, "..."
The breath he had just exhaled was caught in his throat again.
The physician, however, continued to marvel at the pill, "The Medical Canon records that the Four Gentlemen Decoction uses Codonopsis, Poria cocos, Licorice, and Atractylodes macrocephala to alleviate fatigue and eliminate tiredness. I never imagined someone would be so bold as to replace Atractylodes macrocephala with Schisandra chinensis. However, it is precisely because of this that it can be condensed into a pill for the convenience of patients. Furthermore, the inclusion of Ophiopogon japonicus is the most ingenious part. It not only preserves the medicinal effect of Schisandra chinensis replacing Atractylodes macrocephala but also neutralizes the acrid and cold nature of Schisandra chinensis." Suyan Novel Network
Ji Zizhao said calmly, "This medicine was prepared by Manager Chen Gang of Xuanyi Pavilion, whom this subject's daughter entrusted before departing."
The physician stroked his white beard, "So it comes from one of the Four Great Medical Halls. No wonder it is so ingenious..."
"Cough, cough, cough... cough, cough, cough..."
A bout of dry coughing interrupted the physician.
The physician followed the sound and saw that the Second Prince's face had already turned the color of a pot of charcoal.
Ji Zizhao, who also looked at the Second Prince, spoke, "Since the military physician says it is effective, please take the medicine promptly, Second Prince."
Xie Jingxi glared fiercely at the physician.
The physician's body stiffened, and he remained frozen for a long moment before finally saying, "Princess Ronghe is indeed concerned about the Second Prince's health. In that case, perhaps the Second Prince should take the medicine first."
He dared to help the Second Prince fake an illness, but he did not dare to slander the medicine prescribed by the Four Great Medical Halls.
The Four Great Medical Halls held immense prestige in the imperial city, so much so that even the Emperor had personally bestowed them with inscribed tablets. If he dared to slander them, wouldn't he be slapping the Emperor's face as well?
The Tenth Prince, who had been peering from the carriage window, also said softly, "Second Imperial Brother, you will only get better if you take your medicine."
Xie Jingxi helplessly looked at the Seventh Prince, who had always been at odds with Ji Zizhao.
He had expected the Seventh Prince, who was always in conflict with Ji Zizhao, to help him. However, not only did he not get the expected result, but he also received a massive eye-roll.
Xie Jingqi, "..."
If you're sick, take medicine. Why are you looking at me?
It wasn't that Xie Jingqi didn't want to taunt him, but that everything Ji Zizhao was doing now left him with no room for sarcasm.
At the same time, the soldiers' gazes had all shifted towards them.
Under the scrutiny of those eyes, Xie Jingxi, who was cornered and had no other options, resignedly snatched the pill from the physician's hand and threw it into his mouth.
However, just as he was about to swallow it whole, he heard Ji Zizhao's voice calmly ring out again, "Manager Chen Gang of Xuanyi Pavilion personally instructed that this pill must be chewed to be effective."
Xie Jingxi, "..."
A wave of bitter taste melted between his lips and teeth. As he continued to chew, the bitterness intensified.
After swallowing only half the pill, Xie Jingxi's eyes welled up with tears from the bitterness.
Once he finally managed to swallow the entire pill, Xie Jingxi could no longer control himself and leaned into the carriage, retching violently.
Ji Zizhao looked at the Second Prince, his face streaming with tears, and said calmly, "Please take good care of yourself, Second Prince."
With that, she turned and left.
Xie Jingxi watched Ji Zizhao gradually walk away, his heart filled with hatred.
The eunuch, seeing that everyone had dispersed, quickly closed the carriage door to keep his master warm.
However, Xie Jingxi looked at the eunuch and instructed, "Send a box of our pastries to Princess Ronghe."
The eunuch mistook it as the Prince wanting to reconcile with Princess Ronghe, so he happily took a box of pastries and descended from the carriage.
Yet, Xie Jingxi, leaning on the soft couch, clenched his fists, his eyes full of hatred.
Since that bitch Ji Zizhao wanted to be a standout, he would oblige her.
After the midday rest, the army resumed its journey.
However, they hadn't traveled far before they saw the eunuch from the Second Prince's carriage jump off again.
This time, he was delivering high-quality tea to Princess Ronghe.
Then...
The Second Prince's act of sending things to Princess Ronghe continued without pause.
From pastries to tea, from thin blankets to warm stoves, everything was provided.
The army, which had already been forced to slow down due to the Second Prince's supposed illness, now had to march even more slowly due to the Second Prince's repeated deliveries to Princess Ronghe.