Li Zhao had been keeping a close eye on Mo Zhizhang's expression. When he saw the latter's face change, he couldn't help but tense up. "How is it? Is it...?"
He paused for a moment before mustering the courage to continue. "Is there absolutely no hope of recovery?"
Mo Zhizhang withdrew his hand, looked at Li Zhao, and said solemnly, "It's too early to make a judgment. I'd like to take a look at Uncle Li's tongue root."
Li Zhao did as he was told. Only then did Mo Zhizhang say, "Uncle Li doesn't have an illness."
Li Zhao was taken aback for a moment, and his brows furrowed. "If it's not an illness, then what is it?"
"Uncle Li's pulse indicates that he has been poisoned," Mo Zhizhang said. "Judging from his tongue root, Uncle Li has been poisoned for several years. The poison has been lurking in his body, sapping his vitality. Once Uncle Li experiences extreme emotional fluctuations, it will trigger this poison, causing it to spread further and gradually invade his heart meridian. Eventually, the poison will flare up and lead to his death."
Li Zhao never expected this outcome!
Back then, the King of Chu had ordered the extermination of the Li family in Luozhou. He should have been a "dead man." This poison couldn't have been administered by the King of Chu at that time. Thinking of the sordid affairs of the Li family in the past, he guessed who the culprit was.
Humph, his good second uncle wanted to completely wipe out his branch of the family line.
In order to compete with him for the position of the head of the Li clan, his second uncle had secretly set up countless obstacles for him. His separation from Yingniang back then was also related to this second uncle.
Li Zhao remembered that when he first heard the news that Yingniang had abandoned him, he had felt a surge of blood in his chest and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Since then, his health had not been good.
However, his good second uncle probably never guessed that the crazy and homicidal King of Chu would order the massacre of the entire Li family for some trivial matters.
On that day, the Li family compound was littered with severed limbs and heads rolling on the ground. The fresh blood had dyed the entire lotus pond red.
He had also thought that he was doomed to die. Who would have thought that when he woke up again, he found himself lying in a small boat, drifting aimlessly on the river.
Someone had saved him and kept him alive.
The Li family no longer existed. With nowhere to go, he could only try to find the woman he loved deeply.
But he had spent several years in a daze with his sickly body. He had witnessed the fall of the Chu court and the change of the ruling dynasty in the world, but he had never been able to find her.
But now...
His Yingniang was in Dongli Town, and their child was by his side!
Li Zhao looked up at Mo Zhizhang. The intense unwillingness and indignation in his heart gave rise to a strong desire to survive. "I wonder if this poison can still be cured? Is there any hope of recovery?"
Mo Zhizhang smiled faintly. "Uncle Li is quite lucky to have met me. I'm different from my senior brother. He has made remarkable achievements in medicine and is a rare master. As for me, I'm actually better at detoxification than treating illnesses."
Li Zhao finally felt relieved. The hand at his side involuntarily clenched into a fist in excitement. "No, you're wrong. I'm not lucky. It's because I met Mujin. Mujin brought me good luck, which is why I was able to meet you."
"This poison has been with you for many years, so it won't be easy to remove it. Given Uncle Li's current condition, I need to administer acupuncture thirteen times to completely expel the poisonous blood. Moreover, before the poison is completely removed, Uncle Li must never let his emotions fluctuate too much, or all our efforts will be in vain."
Since there was a solution, Li Zhao wouldn't be reckless with his health. He immediately said, "Okay, I promise you. But..."
"Can you not tell Mujin about my poisoning?"
...
By the well, Xiao Jingcheng rolled up his sleeves, revealing his slender arms. He subconsciously glanced at Ye Wanmian.
Ye Wanmian didn't notice this detail at all. When she realized that Xiao Jingcheng was really going to squat down and help her wash the dishes, she felt extremely complicated.
She really wanted to knock his head open to see what was inside. Did he really plan to experience the hardships of the common people?
Xiao Jingcheng cleared his throat and casually picked up a bowl.
The bowl was covered in grease and rice grains. An involuntary look of disgust appeared on his face.
He, the crown prince of the Sheng Kingdom, had never done such menial work like a servant before.
He almost wanted to throw the thing in his hand away, wash his hands clean, and go back to the house to lie down.
But when he thought of the scene of Mo Zhizhang and Ye Wanmian getting close, he tightly grasped the pottery bowl and didn't move.
In order to finish the task quickly, he increased the force of his movements. Seeing this, Ye Wanmian exclaimed, "Be gentle! These are the bowls I just bought today. Don't break them!"
Xiao Jingcheng snorted lightly. "Don't worry. I won't care about a few pottery bowls—"
His hand slipped, and the pottery bowl in his hand fell to the ground, cracking a line.
Ye Wanmian was so angry that she was almost fuming. "Jing Goudan! Did you do this on purpose?"
Xiao Jingcheng also felt a bit embarrassed.
Previously, he had seen Mo Zhizhang wash the dishes so easily. He thought that washing dishes wouldn't be difficult. But who would have thought that the bowl would be so slippery? And it was so fragile!
He picked up the cracked bowl, his face tense. "What are you panicking about? It's not broken yet. Besides, the quality of the pottery bowls from this store is not very good. Don't buy from them next time."
He didn't correct Ye Wanmian's nickname for him.
"You make it sound so easy. The pottery bowls from this store are the most affordable in the whole town. Who's like you, making such a big fuss just to buy a golden bowl?" Ye Wanmian said through gritted teeth.
"Aren't you afraid that if your heroic deeds spread, Xiao Yixuan will come after you? I'd like to see how you'll deal with that then."
Xiao Jingcheng laughed softly and retorted, "If he really comes to the door, do you think you can escape?"
For the sake of the remaining dishes, Ye Wanmian had to hold her nose and endure this person's bad temper. She picked up another bowl.
"Watch carefully. It should be done like this."
She demonstrated for him, her slender fingers grasping the porcelain bowl and the dishbrush. Her movements were quick and smooth, and she cleaned a bowl in a few strokes.
"Have you learned it?" Ye Wanmian asked.
Xiao Jingcheng snorted. "What's so difficult about this?"
Although he said so, Ye Wanmian was still a bit worried. Fortunately, Xiao Jingcheng wasn't exaggerating. He was a smart person. After just one look, he knew the key points. This time, there were no more accidents, and he successfully washed a bowl.
He really learned quickly. He really was the crown prince, after all.
Ye Wanmian muttered to herself. She was washing the dishes with him, and from time to time, she would look up at Li Zhao and Mo Zhizhang under the tree.
The two of them talked for a while and then got up and left together. Before leaving, Mo Zhizhang turned back and glanced at her, nodding slightly.
Ye Wanmian felt a surge of excitement.
Uncle Li had agreed to let Uncle Mo take his pulse!
She hoped that Uncle Mo could find something and come up with a way to treat Uncle Li!
Because she was worried about Li Zhao's health, Ye Wanmian was a bit absent-minded for the rest of the time. After she and Xiao Jingcheng finished washing the dishes and put everything back in place, she made an excuse and went back to the house first.
"You—"
Xiao Jingcheng wanted to say something to her, but what greeted him was the door slamming shut.
Xiao Jingcheng endured it and didn't go up to knock on the door. Instead, he turned to look at the yellow and furry dog hiding in the corner outside Ye Wanmian's door.
Dahuang pricked up his ears warily. The next moment—
"Bark?!"