Chapter 33
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The students of the Pan Palace had their own rooms for overnight stays, and Li Yi had some recollection of the general location. When they arrived, they found rows of dormitories arranged from west to east. Li Yi didn’t know which one Zhao Shen lived in, but a scholar happened to pass by.
Li Yi didn’t recognize the man, but everyone recognized him. The scholar immediately knelt down in front of the Crown Grandson and paid his respects.
Ping An, following Li Yi’s instructions, stepped forward and asked the man, “The Crown Grandson inquires, do you know which room Dian Nan Wang Shizi is staying in?”
Although he was puzzled as to why the Crown Grandson was looking for the Shizi at this hour, the scholar didn’t dare to be negligent. “Your Highness, the Shizi has contracted an epidemic and has been getting worse and worse. Seeing that the Pan Palace is about to start classes, in order to prevent the nobles from catching the disease, the palace steward ordered the prince to be moved outside.”
Zhao Shen had contracted an illness!
Li Yi was shocked and asked the scholar directly, “Is the Shizi seriously ill? Where is he now?”
“The Shizi’s condition is not good. I will lead Your Highness there now.”
The scholar led the way, and Li Yi followed closely behind. As they walked, his heart grew heavier and heavier. They had already left Pan Palace and passed through a side gate, heading towards a row of dilapidated houses near a mountain where graves were located.
As they passed by a desolate hill, Li Yi couldn’t help but wonder if this was where people were taken when they had met with an accident…
He didn’t dare to think too deeply and looked up instead. The scholar had already arrived in front of a broken house.
Following Li Yi’s orders, Ping An ran over and led the scholar away.
Li Yi approached alone, and the closer he got to the door, the more he felt weighed down.
In his mind, he still saw the handsome young man who seemed to have descended from the heavens and now lay in this dilapidated house next to the cemetery, his life hanging in the balance.
Li Yi pushed open the creaking door, and inside it was so dim that it was difficult to see anything, and the air was hot and filled with a strange smell.
Li Yi called out for Zhao Shen.
No one answered.
He felt a sudden panic rising within him, and when his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw that Zhao Shen was standing by the bed, propping himself up with a sword in his hand.
As soon as they saw each other, Zhao Shen’s legs gave way, and he collapsed back onto the bed.
Li Yi hurried over to help him, but Zhao Shen shouted, “Don’t come any closer!”
Li Yi had to stop in his tracks. He realized that the Shizi had contracted dysentery, and although he knew how it could be transmitted and was not afraid, people at that time were as scared of it as they were of a tiger.
“Get out! Can’t you hear me?!” Zhao Shen lost his composure and kept shouting at Li Yi, but his voice was weak.
Li Yi had been able to tell from Zhao Shen’s appearance that he was already emaciated and pale as a sheet. He now understood that the Shizi was in a state of acute anger and fear. Zhao Shen even raised the sword he had been holding and brandished it at Li Yi.
Li Yi was forced to retreat to the door.
Zhao Shen returned to the bed canopy, propping himself up with the bed frame, and the two men glared at each other across the table with anger in their eyes.
Finally, it was Zhao Shen who softened his tone first. “Your Highness, please don’t come here again.”
Li Yi looked at the long sword in Zhao Shen’s hand and remembered how he had not responded when he first called out his name, but had instead stood holding the sword at the head of the bed. “Is someone trying to harm you?” he asked.
Zhao Shen replied briefly, “I’m not sure, but I have to be careful.”
Li Yi refused to leave and continued to stare at Zhao Shen with his deep, deer-like eyes, which gradually became filled with a layer of watery light.
Zhao Shen could no longer see the little boy from the hunting family as merely a curious child. He suddenly said, “Your Highness was born in the 14th year of the Guanghua era, right?”
Li Yi nodded, and the glint in his eyes could illuminate Zhao Yuan’s entire body.
“I am over three years older than Your Highness,” Zhao Yuan slowly sheathed his long sword and placed it back on the bedside, no longer looking at Li Yi. “Your Highness should go back. The proper order of seniority should be respected.” Zhao Yuan paused for a moment before lifting his head again. “Your Highness, please obey.”
Li Yi was stunned. He saw the faint smile on Zhao Yuan’s face, his expression softened and his eyes shining with affection.
Li Yi was unable to resist Zhao Yuan’s gentleness and felt uncomfortable inside. He had no more words and turned around, walking straight away.
Zhao Yuan fell back onto the bed and breathed a long sigh of relief.
With everyone gone, he had eliminated the last person in the world who cared about him.
Zhao Yuan felt light enough to float away at any moment.
On this day, Li Yi had not yet arrived at the palace, but someone informed the Crown Prince that the Crown Grandson had been slightly unwell today. Soon after, Lin Jian, the head physician of the Imperial Hospital who had been treating Li Yi, arrived.
Originally, Li Yi had only used heatstroke as an excuse, but after witnessing Zhao Yuan’s situation, he had been greatly affected by shock, anger, injury, and sadness, and now looked worse than what the servants had described.
Lin Jian had to carefully check his pulse. Not long after, the Zhonghe Palace was informed, and the Emperor Guanghua was also alarmed. The Crown Prince had hurried to inform the Emperor.
Li Yi’s mind was filled with Dian Nan Wang Shizi, and since leaving Pan Palace, he had only been thinking about how to save Zhao Shen. Seeing an opportunity now, he hastily said to Lin Jian, “May I ask Lin physician to do one thing for me?”
Lin Jian knelt down and said respectfully, “Your Highness, please do not hesitate to ask. I am at your service.”
“I have a classmate who lives far away and is poor. He contracted an epidemic during the summer heat, and I hope that Physician Lin can recommend a renowned physician in the capital to treat him.”
Originally, Li Yi had wanted to ask Lin Jian directly, but he felt that there were many potential problems due to his status as the Crown Grandson. If Lin Jian were to accept his request, it might lead to complications. Therefore, he added, “May I ask Your Excellency to please make it clear to whom the medical treatment is for?”
Lin Jian had been working at the Imperial Hospital for a long time, and he knew the palace’s attitudes towards many things. He was quite surprised and thought of the risk the Crown Grandson was taking to help Zhao Shen. He could not help but say, “Your Highness, please think twice. Have you informed the Crown Prince and heard the Emperor’s attitude?”
Seeing Lin Jian earnest persuasion, Li Yi knew he meant well, but he was afraid of losing his noble heart if he changed his mind.
As an emperor, in such an era, losing a noble heart meant losing everything.
However, Li Yi shook his head and refused to change his mind. “Doctor Lin is thinking well for me, but I cannot let him die.”
Seeing that Li Yi had made up his mind, Lin Jian had no choice but to stop persuading him and promised to find a suitable person to treat Zhao Shen’s illness.
Li Yi smiled and said, “Although Doctor Lin came to persuade me, you actually have the heart of a parent for his patients. If anything goes wrong, I will take all the blame.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Jian sighed and left. When he got home, he did not recommend another doctor as Li Yi suggested. Instead, he ordered his own son to treat Zhao Shen.
After his son returned, he reported, “Following father’s instructions, I told the Shizi that the treatment was a favor from the Crown Grandson, but I only used a false name from another region. The Shizi was very cautious and only allowed me to call him Young Master Zhao. He did not reveal his identity.”
Lin Jian thought that this was the best outcome and nodded, saying, “It depends on Shizi’s fate.”
If unfortunately discovered by the imperial guards, Lin Jian himself would only be punished with some salary deductions for not being aware of the situation. But for the Crown Grandson, it was uncertain what Emperor Guanghua’s attitude would be.
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