One night, Hu Ji returned to the department after treating a patient to see Lin Qingyu tinkering with a ceramic urn. Curious, Hu Ji craned his neck to look. “What’s that, Imperial Physician Lin?” he asked.
“A golden silkworm.”
Catching sight of the golden silkworm, Hu Ji gave it a wide berth. “Why did you breed that?”
Lin Qingyu covered the urn. “Its wings are a medicinal ingredient,” he explained casually.
Hu Ji forced a laugh. “I see.”
“Did you come back from the Directorate of Ceremonial?” Lin Qingyu asked. “Have you heard any news?”
“News?” Hu Ji thought about that for a while. “Oh—I heard something from the eunuch who delivers flowers from the greenhouse to the Eastern Palace. Apparently, His Highness has been foul-tempered these past couple of days. The eunuch thinks it’s because the shadow guard who was always with the crown prince has disappeared.”
As I expected. Someone as stubborn as Shen Huaishi would need time to come to terms with the information he’d learned. Lin Qingyu wondered what realizations he’d reached in the few days he’d been gone.
In Huai’s Revenge on the Monarch, Shen Huaishi had held his knife to Xiao Cheng’s throat after hearing the truth. Now that he’d heard a much more brutal so-called truth, he’d probably respond in a more gratifying way, wouldn’t he?
The palace was strangely quiet that night. As the hours passed, all the imperial physicians on duty nodded off.
Then a palace maid stumbled into the Department of Imperial Physicians, her shrill, frantic sobs breaking the silence: “Imperial physicians! The Eastern Palace calls for imperial physicians!”
Startled into wakefulness, everyone quickly rose from their seats, save for Lin Qingyu. He just sat there, his brow slightly furrowed. Why did the palace summon physicians? Is Xiao Cheng clinging to life?
Everyone knew that the crown prince was healthy. If the Eastern Palace had called for imperial physicians this late at night, then the prince had probably fallen acutely ill; judging from how harried the palace maid had looked, he was in dire condition.
As the imperial physician overseeing the Eastern Palace, Hu Ji approached the situation with caution. He shouldered his medicine chest and made to leave, only for Lin Qingyu to call after him, “Imperial Physician Hu?”
“Need anything, Imperial Physician Lin?” Hu Ji asked anxiously.
After momentary hesitation, Lin Qingyu replied, “Nothing. You can go.”
After Hu Ji left, a few more imperial physicians headed out to the Eastern Palace. As the court physician attending the emperor, though, Lin Qingyu was to stay in the department on standby.
Even after dawn broke, Hu Ji and the others didn’t come back. The Eastern Palace remained lit throughout the night, and people entered without leaving. No news came overnight, as if the Eastern Palace was locked down.
After Lin Qingyu’s shift ended early that morning, he left the palace, preoccupied. The moment he stepped out the gates, someone called, “Imperial Physician Lin.”
It was Gu Fuzhou. He was clad in a military official’s robes; he was probably there for a court meeting.
Lin Qingyu walked briskly over. “General.”
Gu Fuzhou’s gaze was bleary, as if he wasn’t fully awake yet. “You must be hungry after your night shift. I brought some food for you; finish it in the carriage while it’s still hot.”
Lin Qingyu took the layered wooden case Gu Fuzhou handed over. “Thank you, General.”
When Gu Fuzhou noticed Lin Qingyu’s bad mood, his drowsiness vanished. Lowering his voice, he asked, “What happened? Did Shen Huaishi do anything?”
“Shen Huaishi struck, but I think he must have held back. Otherwise, he could’ve taken Xiao Cheng’s life in one attack.” Lin Qingyu gazed downward, concealing his roiling emotions. His arms tightened around the wooden box. “If Xiao Cheng is lucky enough to survive this…”
Gu Fuzhou contemplated that. Then his brow relaxed, and a smile bloomed on his face. “We don’t yet know anything about the crown prince’s condition. Even if he survives, I’ll work hard and come up with a better plan for you.” Gu Fuzhou’s wide palm covered the back of Lin Qingyu’s head. “Don’t worry. It’s not a big deal. Go back to sleep, and remember to eat something first. I’ll come keep you company after the meeting.”