He never actually wanted Liang Yuzhou to die. When chasing the two of them, the words "Liang Yuzhou, kill without mercy" slipped out in a fit of blind rage.
He already regretted it.
But Wan Chu took it seriously.
She had always been a woman of dignity and self - respect. For Liang Yuzhou, she knelt before him and begged.
Unable to answer the Crown Prince's question, Song Wanchu solemnly kowtowed three times. "Please, Your Highness, show mercy."
To the Crown Prince, her words seemed to confirm his suspicion.
In her heart, he was a petty and narrow - minded man.
The Crown Prince heard the sound of his heart shattering in his chest.
In front of so many people, he had to take several deep breaths to maintain his noble composure.
"Go to the post station first. I'll have the imperial physician in our entourage examine him."
Shi Luohan felt sorry for his sister, but he knew that only Wanchu could plead with the Crown Prince.
Hearing the Crown Prince's concession, he helped Song Wanchu up.
The Crown Prince prepared a carriage. He wanted to help Song Wanchu into it personally, but looking into her cold eyes, his hand hung back in the end.
Even if he had offered his hand, Wanchu would have taken it only as a compromise to power, not because she wanted his help.
At the post station, Baizhi and Luocen came out to greet them.
"Miss, your room and hot water are ready. Please follow us to rest."
Song Wanchu knew this was the Crown Prince's arrangement. Not wanting to make things difficult for the two female officials, she reluctantly complied.
Liang Yuzhou was carried to another room, and the accompanying imperial physician, Cui Xianrong, examined him.
Baizhi and Luocen carefully checked Song Wanchu's body.
Without time to take a bath, Song Wanchu washed her face and hands, changed her clothes, and then went to Liang Yuzhou's room.
The Crown Prince and Shi Luohan were both there.
Cui Xianrong, with a solemn expression, was feeling Liang Yuzhou's pulse.
"Wanchu, Doctor Cui is here, and both I and your brother are here. You've been through so much. You must be tired. Go and get some sleep."
The first light of dawn was seeping through the window.
They had been on the run the previous night, fallen off a cliff in the morning, and endured a night of danger and confrontation.
Song Wanchu's body was exhausted, but she couldn't sleep at all.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Liang Yuzhou spitting blood and fainting. She was too afraid to sleep.
"Your Highness, Liang Yuzhou is the most important person in my life. I want to stay with him. I want him to see me as soon as he wakes up."
The Crown Prince felt a dull pain in his chest. Wanchu's indifference towards him and her concern for Liang Yuzhou were like knives stabbing into his heart again and again.
"You can't do much here for now. Go back and rest first. I'll take you to your room."
He reached out to take Song Wanchu's hand.
Meeting his gaze, Song Wanchu suppressed the impatience in her eyes and bowed to him slowly. "Your Highness, I'm begging you. Stop caring about me in your self - righteous way, okay?"
It was almost a plea.
The Crown Prince's arm froze in mid - air.
The air in the room seemed to freeze. The Crown Prince's broken heart was crushed over and over again.
Bitterness, anger, and even a hint of grievance welled up in his heart. His face darkened, and a low - pressure aura surrounded him.
Shi Luohan held his breath involuntarily.
Cui Xianrong stared at Song Wanchu in shock, his eyes seemed to say, "Are you looking for death?"
Song Wanchu's eyes were firm, and she didn't flinch.
She was so beautiful and delicate, yet her attitude was stubborn, firm, and unshakable.
The Crown Prince swallowed hard several times before suppressing his surging emotions.
Silently, he walked out of the room.
Song Wanchu didn't care whether the Crown Prince was angry or dejected.
She sat in front of the couch, holding Liang Yuzhou's hand, and there was no one else in her eyes.
"Doctor Cui, how is his eye? He has a lung disease. After inhaling the cold air, he coughed up a lot of blood..."
Cui Xianrong didn't dare to be negligent with Song Wanchu. He had already seen that this young lady held a special position in the Crown Prince's heart.
She even dared to say such audacious words in front of the Crown Prince, trampling on the Crown Prince's dignity.
But the Crown Prince didn't blame her; instead, he compromised.
He patiently and in detail explained, "The wound on his shoulder is just a flesh wound for Taoist Priest Qingzhou. Since it was treated and bandaged in time, it's not serious.
His lung disease can't be cured overnight. Fortunately, Taoist Priest Qingzhou is young and strong. With medicine and recuperation, he may be cured in a year or two.
As for his eyes, they aren't injured. It's the blood clot in his brain that's pressing on the nerves. He needs to take blood - activating and stasis - removing medicine and be treated with acupuncture."
Song Wanchu let out a slight sigh of relief. "Thank you, Doctor Cui."
Cui Xianrong's eyes flickered. "I'll write the prescription and give Taoist Priest Qingzhou acupuncture later."
He walked out of the room and first reported to the Crown Prince.
Baizhi and Luocen were both in front of the Crown Prince.
"Miss Song is fine. Except for a severely sprained ankle and some minor scratches on her body, it's nothing serious."
The Crown Prince's eyes were cold. He waved his hand, and the two women withdrew.
Cui Xianrong reported Liang Yuzhou's injury truthfully.
The Crown Prince listened silently.
As he spoke, Cui Xianrong observed the Crown Prince's expression.
He was thirty years old, from a family of imperial physicians. Four generations of his family had served in the Imperial Medical Bureau.
His grandfather was a famous doctor in the Great Zhou Dynasty, on par with Chief Physician Shen.
He had achieved success at a young age and became the Crown Prince's imperial physician, always by his side and deeply trusted.
He had also heard some of the past between Song Wanchu and Young Master Liang.
After Song Wanchu rejected the position of the main wife of the Duke's Mansion and the title of a first - rank imperial lady and left resolutely, Young Master Liang had cut off his hair and severed his family ties, becoming a Taoist priest. This shocking act had caused a great stir in the capital.
Now, seeing Song Wanchu so worried about Liang Yuzhou, it seemed that they were about to reconcile.
Wouldn't the Crown Prince have no chance then?
As a close official of the Crown Prince, he also wanted to do something for him.
"Your Highness, may I ask how should we treat Taoist Priest Qingzhou's eyes?"
The Crown Prince was still immersed in grief and disappointment and didn't immediately catch the hidden meaning in Cui Xianrong's words.
"Do your best. Treat him as you should."
Cui Xianrong rolled his eyes and thought for a moment.
"I understand."
The Crown Prince rubbed his temples and waved his hand wearily.
After Cui Xianrong left, Xiao Anzi hesitated for a long time before saying, "Your Highness, Doctor Cui seemed to have something in his words."
The Crown Prince looked listless, showing a rare look of dejection. "What hidden meaning?"
Xiao Anzi was smart and quick - witted. Not wanting to offend Cui Xianrong, he chose his words carefully. "Doctor Cui doesn't seem very confident in curing Taoist Priest Qingzhou's eyes."
The Crown Prince didn't care. "If he can't do it, we'll find another doctor when we get back to Yunzhou City."
Xiao Anzi didn't say anything more.
But he felt a faint uneasiness in his heart.
There had already been Xu Mufeng, who had attacked Liang Yuzhou like a mad dog because of the Crown Prince's words.
Cui Xianrong obviously also wanted to gain merit.
What if the Crown Prince's reputation was ruined by these so - called "loyal" officials...
Miss Song might even hate the Crown Prince!
Xiao Anzi served the Crown Prince to rest on the couch.
"Your Highness, I know you're concerned about Miss Song. How about I go and check on her on your behalf?"
The Crown Prince nodded.
In Liang Yuzhou's room.
Cui Xianrong had written the prescription and ordered his subordinates to go to the nearest town to get the medicine.
Just as he was about to give Liang Yuzhou acupuncture, Xiao Anzi walked in.
Without saying a word, he just glanced at Liang Yuzhou and Song Wanchu, then pulled on Shi Luohan's sleeve.
"Master Shi, could I have a word with you?"
Shi Luohan was called out by Xiao Anzi and was a bit confused.
Xiao Anzi got straight to the point. "Doctor Cui's medical skills aren't very good. Master Shi, please find another doctor for Taoist Priest Qingzhou as soon as possible."
Shi Luohan was puzzled. Could the skills of an imperial physician be worse than those of a rural doctor?
"Is this the Crown Prince's intention?"
Xiao Anzi nodded. "The more people, the more hope, right?"
"Okay, I'll go and find one right away."
Shi Luohan walked out of the post station but still didn't understand Xiao Anzi's hint.
Inside the room, just as Cui Xianrong was about to insert the needle, Song Wanchu suddenly spoke up. "Doctor Cui, are you sure that's the right acupoint to insert the needle?"