Chapter 11
Upon seeing the man’s true face, Lu Hanzhi’s back stiffened instantly. He reflexively clamped his mouth shut and even made a gesture as if sewing his lips together.
No, no, no—he had gone as far as hiding in the outskirts of the capital, yet he still couldn’t escape the misfortune brought by this tyrant.
The man before him was a complete lunatic. The words he had just spoken might sound like mere threats coming from someone else, but this man—he was absolutely capable of carrying them out.
Lu Hanzhi nodded like a bobblehead, but just then, Ah Chan, who had been lying in Yuwen Min’s arms, woke up.
Ah Chan looked up at Yuwen Min, sniffed him a little, and perhaps sensing that he wasn’t his biological father, immediately opened his little mouth and began to wail.
Lu Hanzhi was so frightened he nearly lost his soul. Yuwen Min was not the kind of man who showed respect for elders or kindness to children.
He was the infamous tyrant recorded in the history books!
If this child’s crying angered him, what would happen then?!
Before Lu Hanzhi’s soul could even hit the ground, Ah Chan, this remarkable little troublemaker, managed to commit yet another outrageous act.
Beneath his red bellyband embroidered with the character for “blessing,” the soft little dumpling of a child, startled by fear, suddenly released a jet of clear liquid.
And as if it had eyes, that stream shot straight toward Yuwen Min’s face.
The situation happened too suddenly for anyone to react. Yuwen Min, who had just removed his mask, ended up getting a face full of his own son’s pee.
At this moment, Lu Hanzhi should have been terrified—he really should have been.
But, well—
He couldn’t hold it in.
He really couldn’t hold it in.
He simply couldn’t hold it in!
“Hahahahahahahahaha—”
A burst of uncontrollable laughter echoed through the room.
Yuwen Min kept his mouth shut, letting the stream slide down his handsome face and drip onto his clothes.
Only after Ah Chan had finished his business and stopped crying did Yuwen Min grit his teeth and hiss, “STILL NOT TAKING HIM AWAY?!”
Lu Hanzhi finally snapped out of his daze, realizing what he had just done. He hurried forward, scooped up Ah Chan, and—without thinking—used his own sleeve to wipe Yuwen Min’s face: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Your Highness has graced us with his presence, and this lowly subject has lost all decorum! Please don’t hold it against me!”
Yet inside, he was practically dying of laughter. Yuwen Min had the worst luck!
It was bad enough that he had inexplicably ended up with a son. But on their very first meeting, he got peed on by that same son.
Could this possibly get any funnier?
Yuwen Min seemed too stunned to react, standing completely still as Lu Hanzhi wiped his face.
Finally, he moved.
With a shove, he pushed Lu Hanzhi away. His eyes burned with barely restrained fury, and even his handsome face twisted slightly in frustration.
“Go bring me a change of clothes,” he ordered, voice tight with irritation.
Lu Hanzhi, feeling as if he had just been granted amnesty, quickly set Ah Chan down on the small bed before scurrying off to find something for Yuwen Min to wear.
Meanwhile, Yuwen Min helped the gravely ill Eldest Prince over to Lu Hanzhi’s bed. After a moment’s thought, he changed his mind and instead moved to the couch by the window, carefully settling the Eldest Prince down.
It was clear that Yuwen Jue was seriously ill.
His face was unnaturally flushed—a sign of fever.
His weak coughing broke the silence from time to time, the ragged, wheezy breaths making it sound as if his lungs were barely functioning.
By the time Lu Hanzhi returned with the clothes, he saw Yuwen Min gently feeding his elder brother some water.
Though Yuwen Min’s expression remained unreadable, it was obvious that he held deep feelings for his brother.
“Big Brother, do you feel any better?”
Lying on the couch, Yuwen Jue looked like a shadow of his former self. Even so, he still mustered a weak smile for his younger brother and shook his head: “I’m fine, Ah Min… I’ve burdened you.”
Yuwen Min shook his head. “Big Brother, don’t talk. Just rest.”
But Yuwen Jue waved a hand dismissively. “I’m fine, I’m fine… Ah Min, send word to Uncle. Tell him he must not return to the capital! Yuwen Jing has set up an ambush using his foreign in-laws. If Uncle returns, he’ll be attacked on the road.”
Lu Hanzhi’s mouth opened slightly. He wanted to say that their uncle, Rong Di, had indeed been ambushed.
But the Great General of Wuwei wasn’t exactly easy prey. Yuwen Jing’s so-called “foreign in-laws” had been utterly crushed by Rong Di.
In the end, their uncle never returned to the capital—not because of the ambush, but because he ran into Yuwen Min on his way back. Upon hearing the dire state of affairs in the capital, Rong Di had outright rebelled.
But Yuwen Min merely replied, “I’ve already sent a letter to Uncle. Big Brother, just focus on recovering. You don’t need to worry about anything else.”
Lu Hanzhi was stunned. He felt as if the storyline was teetering on the brink of total collapse!
In the original novel, Yuwen Jue had died in prison.
And at that time, Yuwen Min had been stationed at the northern border, fighting battles—he hadn’t even returned to the capital.
It was only after he was declared a fugitive that he secretly snuck back.
Yet before he could even enter the city, he received word that his elder brother had died in his cell.
At the time, he didn’t immediately seek revenge. Instead, he worked in the shadows, investigating the true mastermind behind his brother’s murder.
Eventually, he discovered that it was none other than the seemingly harmless, unassuming Little Imperial Uncle—Yuwen Mingji.
In the end, Yuwen Mingji met his demise at Yuwen Min’s hands.
But ever since Lu Hanzhi had transmigrated into this world and sent out two anonymous letters, the plot had started diverging more and more from what he had read.
At that moment, Yuwen Jue spoke again: “Ah Min… have you gone to see Mother Concubine? How is she?”
Yuwen Min replied, “She’s fine. She’s under house arrest, but she’s safe.”
Yuwen Jue nodded. “Someone… is deliberately trying to kill us. After I was imprisoned, they locked me in a water dungeon, then dragged me into a dark chamber. They knew I was frail—they wanted me to die of illness in that cell. That way, it would appear as if we brothers had committed treason. Ah Min, someone is orchestrating all of this from behind the scenes.”
Off to the side, Lu Hanzhi silently agreed: Yes! It was Yuwen Mingji manipulating Yuwen Jing!
Yuwen Min’s expression remained cold and unreadable. “Leave everything to me, Big Brother. Just focus on getting better.”
At last, Yuwen Jue fell silent. He lay back down and soon drifted into a light stupor.
It was only then that Yuwen Min finally turned his attention back to Lu Hanzhi. With a casual flick of his wrist, he pointed his heavy sword at him.
His gaze carried a trace of disdain as he coolly asked, “Lu Hanzhi?”
Lu Hanzhi: ??? What was with that look? Did he offend him somehow? What the hell was that deep-rooted contempt supposed to mean?!
This cold-blooded, heartless man! I went through ten months of pregnancy to give you a son, and this is the attitude you show me?!
Lu Hanzhi, however, carefully maintained a polite smile and said, “Yes, yes, I am Lu Hanzhi, a humble commoner. What does Your Highness wish to command?”
A cowardly man with little ambition, Lu Hanzhi thought to himself: Since you were drunk that night and don’t remember anything you did, I’ll let it slide.
Now, let’s go our separate ways. You’d best take your dear royal brother and get back to your grand rebellion plot.
Yet, Yuwen Min showed no intention of leaving. He planted his heavy sword beside the bed and said to Lu Hanzhi, “Go and find some medicine to treat lung disease. Do not let word of this spread. The child will stay here—I will look after him for you.”
Lu Hanzhi scoffed inwardly. You? Look after him?
I’m afraid by the time I return, Ah Chan will have been roasted over a fire.
Glancing at Yuwen Jue, Lu Hanzhi hesitated and carefully said, “Your Highness, if I may speak plainly, I fear that ordinary herbs won’t be enough to treat Prince Chu’s illness. I have some knowledge of medicine—may I take a closer look at his condition?”
The emperor’s sons had all reached adulthood and received their respective titles.
Only Prince Ling’an held the rank of a county prince, while the others were all made full princes.
Prince Chu was the eldest prince’s official title—granted early, as his maternal family was highly valued by the emperor. He had been given a prestigious fief along with it.
Yuwen Min knew that calling for a doctor at this moment was unwise. Since this Xiao Langjun claimed to have some medical knowledge, there was no harm in letting him examine the patient.
With a slight nod, he signaled Lu Hanzhi to proceed.
Lu Hanzhi stepped forward, placing a hand on Prince Chu’s forehead before pretending to take his pulse.
Sure enough, the system promptly displayed a message:
“Target’s vital signs are weak. Diagnosis: moderate pneumonia. Recommended treatment: a combination of macrolides and third-generation cephalosporins, or a combination of broad-spectrum penicillins with β-lactamase inhibitors, or carbapenems for injection therapy.”
Lu Hanzhi: …Injection therapy?
Oh, right. Severe pneumonia cases usually require ICU admission. For moderate pneumonia, oral medication alone wouldn’t be effective. Injection treatment, combined with antibiotics, was necessary.
The system even thoughtfully provided a treatment plan: “Required medical supplies: 9 disposable syringes, 1 box of penicillin injection solution, 1 box of oral antibacterial medication (spiramycin). Total cost: 3 exchange points. Would the host like to proceed with the exchange?”
Lu Hanzhi: ?????
How incredibly ‘thoughtful’ of you!
Could he refuse? Of course not. He could only confirm the exchange.
Three entire exchange points! That’s enough to feed Little Fatty Chan for a whole month!
After finishing his act of taking the pulse, Lu Hanzhi furrowed his brows deeply and stood up, turning to Yuwen Min. “Your Highness, to be completely honest, Prince Chu’s condition is critical and requires immediate intervention. I have a secret ancestral medical technique, but it cannot be revealed to outsiders. I must ask Your Highness to leave the room.”
Suspicion flashed in Yuwen Min’s eyes. Your family has been merchants for generations—how could you possibly have medical expertise?
However, looking at the barely breathing Yuwen Jue, he had no other choice.
With a cold glare, he stepped toward Ah Chan’s small bed. Even with just a few steps, his imposing presence was overwhelming.
Scooping up the soft little bundle of a child, he said, “You treat him. I’ll wait outside.” With that, he carried Ah Chan—his hostage—and strode out of the room.
Watching Yuwen Min leave, Lu Hanzhi suddenly had a moment of disorientation.
He looks just like someone walking off with a plate of food…
As if, in the very next second, he’d devour it whole.
Lu Hanzhi muttered inwardly, Ancestor, take it easy! That’s your own flesh and blood! You can’t just eat him like that! But judging from Yuwen Min’s attitude, he probably wouldn’t hold a grudge against a one-month-old infant.
After all, in the novel, there was never any mention of Yuwen Min killing women or children.
In his own words, he only killed those who deserved to die.
Even when exterminating entire clans, women and children were usually exiled or sold into slavery.
Once Yuwen Min shut the door behind him, Lu Hanzhi exchanged the treatment supplies from the system.
Nine disposable syringes, a box of penicillin injection solution, and a box of oral antibacterial medication.
In this ancient era, antibiotics didn’t exist, making pneumonia cases like Yuwen Jue’s extremely fatal.
Moreover, his condition seemed deliberately induced, making his illness even more severe.
In the original novel, Yuwen Jue had died in prison due to his worsening illness. His mother, Concubine Rong, had been left in despair, yet for the sake of her other child, she had endured a miserable existence.
It wasn’t until one fateful day—when she personally shielded Yuwen Min during his escape and was struck by seventy-two arrows—that her suffering finally came to an end.
Sigh, what a pitiful fate.
Lu Hanzhi mixed the penicillin injection with the accompanying glucose solution, shaking it to dissolve.
Thankfully, he had learned some injection techniques back in university. Even if he hadn’t practiced much, he at least knew the basics.
Besides, thanks to his sickly childhood, he had received plenty of injections himself.
He knew firsthand how agonizing they were—it was nothing short of torture.
After preparing the injection, Lu Hanzhi placed his hand on Yuwen Jue’s forehead.
The feverish prince, lost in his delirium, murmured weakly, “Mother Concubine…”
Sigh, poor child. At just a little over twenty years old, he had already been ensnared in such ruthless schemes.
As he mused, Lu Hanzhi reached for the prince’s belt and, without hesitation, pulled down his trousers.
Yuwen Jue’s body burned with fever. Without a second thought, Lu Hanzhi found a suitable spot on his gluteus maximus and plunged the needle in.
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