Chapter 130

Xue Yuan shouldn’t have shown such an expression.

Whether cruel or arrogant, refined or ruthless, Xue Yuan should never have worn such a look. Pitiful, heartbroken, as if dying—it made one’s breath catch, unable to utter harsh words.

Gu Yuanbai closed his eyes and, amid his troubled thoughts, fell into an uneasy sleep.

The next day, he received the Buddhist monks from Hebei who had come from Jinchan Temple.

Among them, Xue Yuan spotted the monk who had lingered three times outside the Emperor’s courtyard at Jingchen Temple but never entered. With a slight gesture, the Emperor looked up and fixed his gaze on the young monk, who stiffened completely, too nervous to move.

The Emperor smiled gently. “Don’t be so formal. Come forward and speak.”

The young monk swallowed nervously, stepped forward, chanted a Buddhist phrase, and bowed. “This humble monk is Huili. I pay my respects to Your Majesty.”

“No need for such ceremony,” Gu Yuanbai smiled warmly, completely unlike the stern emperor who supposedly eliminated Buddhism without hesitation that the monks had imagined. “You look quite young. Are you twenty yet?”

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In the palace, the monks from Jinchan Temple were settled in the palace by Tian Fusheng in bewilderment, with everyone gathering around Huili: “Huili, what’s the story with your master?”

“Why does His Majesty treat us so well?”

The young monks of similar age asked question after question. Huili scratched his head and honestly shook it. “I don’t know either.”

The monks from Jinchan Temple didn’t know, but those who understood the reason were already getting excited.

Tian Fusheng’s hands trembled as he served tea to the Emperor. Seeing him like this, Gu Yuanbai couldn’t help but laugh and tease: “You’re so emotionally stirred. If that monk isn’t Doctor Jiang’s great-uncle, or if he’s already lost the medical texts and doesn’t know medicine, wouldn’t you be celebrating for nothing?”

Tian Fusheng’s breath caught. “Your Majesty, please don’t joke about such things!”

Gu Yuanbai shook his head with a smile.

He too had been surprised and delighted when he first heard the news, but quickly, Gu Yuanbai suppressed his joy. He began thinking about the worst possible outcomes, preparing for the most unfavorable scenarios. Only this way, when reality truly took an unpleasant turn, could Gu Yuanbai maintain his composure.

Jinchan Temple was deep in Hebei Province, much farther than the summer palace. A round trip would take half a month.

During this half month, guards assigned to force Prince Heqin to quit his addiction also reported that the prince’s withdrawal symptoms were severe, but he had gritted his teeth and persevered through them all. With his current willpower, he should be able to completely quit within about a year.

Gu Yuanbai was silent for a long while before saying, “Don’t report anything about him to me until he successfully quits his addiction.”

The guard acknowledged the order.

All of Gu Yuanbai’s attention, apart from state affairs, was focused on Jinchan Temple in Hebei. Even Xue Yuan’s attempts to catch his attention by exposing his chest and legs couldn’t reclaim a moment of his focus.

Xue Yuan’s face darkened with frustration, thinking to himself: Does he really want to sleep with me that badly?

Besides the Emperor, Doctor Jiang also received the news. Every day she eagerly hoped that the monk from Jinchan Temple was indeed her great-uncle, and even more fervently hoped that her great-uncle had a way to save the Emperor’s life.

Among the monks from Jinchan Temple in the palace, there were also senior temple elders leading the group. These elderly men knew much more than the young monks. Tian Fusheng personally questioned them multiple times, and the more he inquired, the more certain he became that Doctor Jiang’s great-uncle must have become a monk at Jinchan Temple!

No wonder they couldn’t find him anywhere in Hebei!

During the famine, corpses littered the ground. Jinchan Temple had sent monks out at that time, using the temple’s grain stores to save whoever they could. Jinchan Temple was small, built against mountains in a remote location, which was precisely why it could preserve some grain. After the chaos ended, Jinchan Temple became a famous temple in Hebei, earning everyone’s great respect.

The temple elder told Tian Fusheng that Huili’s master, Kongxing, had entered the temple alone as a disaster victim during that time.

Previously, his heart had been ice-cold, with cold winds howling through it. Now with definite news, even before seeing the person, Tian Fusheng had already secretly cried several times at night while clutching his collar, his heart full of joy.

Occasionally when he got up in the morning, he’d notice that Director Zhang across the way also had red eyes.

In this anxious waiting, finally, the Eastern Guard who had gone to Jinchan Temple returned to the capital with a middle-aged monk and several bundles of medical texts, travel-worn from their journey.

When the moment arrived, Gu Yuanbai was no longer anxious.

He merely smiled and said lightly, “How can we force someone to examine my pulse after rushing for days? The Eastern Guard worked hard, and so did that monk. Let them go rest for two days. After they’ve recovered, then let him enter the palace to see me.”

“Oh my, Your Majesty,” Tian Fusheng was dying of anxiety, “let him take a look first!”

It was truly a case of the emperor not being anxious while the eunuch was frantic. Gu Yuanbai glanced at him. “No examination. We’ll discuss it in two days.”

No matter who was anxious, Gu Yuanbai wasn’t rushing for a day or two. He had a proper dinner and slept well. The next morning, beyond Gu Yuanbai’s expectations, the monk Kongxing, who had been brought by the Eastern Guard on the long journey, actively requested an audience with the Emperor.

Gu Yuanbai raised an eyebrow and said leisurely, “Please!”

After a moment, a thin, resolute-looking middle-aged monk walked in, prostrating himself and saying, “This humble monk Kongxing pays respects to Your Majesty.”

The Emperor sat behind his desk, his voice clear and bright. “Rise.”

Kongxing stood up, cupping his hands and bowing his head. Though dressed in Buddhist robes and just a simple monk, his temperament was extraordinary, truly possessing the bearing of a worldly master monk.

“This humble monk already knows why Your Majesty summoned me,” Kongxing said frankly. “Since separating from my brother, I have treasured our ancestral medical texts, never slacking in my studies for even a moment. However, Jinchan Temple is in a remote location, and apart from treating the monks’ colds and stomach ailments, I have never examined anyone else’s pulse.”

Gu Yuanbai smiled with graceful bearing. “Whether you can cure me or not, I will not blame you.”

Kongxing’s expression grew solemn as he said earnestly, “This humble monk will do his utmost.”

No matter how calm and composed Gu Yuanbai appeared on the surface, when Kongxing took his pulse, he couldn’t help but hold his breath. Realizing this, he found it amusing and slowly relaxed his body. Looking around, he saw that everyone around him was staring intently at Kongxing, all holding their breath in concentration, trembling slightly with tension, their faces flushed.

What would Xue Jiuyao be like?

Gu Yuanbai turned his head to the other side. Xue Yuan was also watching Kongxing, but seemed to sense Gu Yuanbai’s gaze. He turned to meet the Emperor’s eyes and smiled stiffly, silently reassuring Gu Yuanbai: “Don’t be nervous.”

You’re the one who’s nervous, Xue Jiuyao.

The pulse beat slowly and steadily. It felt like an instant, yet also like a long time had passed. Kongxing stood up. “Your Majesty, this humble monk has taken liberties.”

He pressed on several acupoints on Gu Yuanbai’s body—some hurt, others felt nothing. After this examination, Kongxing had reached a conclusion. His expression relaxed slightly, though he dared not speak too confidently. “This humble monk’s medical knowledge seems to contain prescriptions that could treat Your Majesty, but I dare not fully trust what the texts say. If the palace physicians are also present, this humble monk could bring out the medical texts and study them together.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the tense atmosphere in the hall changed, immediately filling with joy.

Gu Yuanbai’s pupils contracted for an instant as he forced himself to smile calmly. “In that case, I trouble you.”

“How could this be trouble?” Kongxing smiled bitterly. “Your Majesty doesn’t know—ever since learning of your poor health, this humble monk has been deeply worried, wanting to come to the capital day and night. A year ago, I compiled my medical knowledge into five volumes, wanting to have someone bring them to the capital to present to you. But the person I entrusted returned these five volumes intact after two months. Only then did I realize I had thought too simply—not just anything could be brought before Your Majesty.”

Gu Yuanbai was startled and pressed further: “Last year? When last year?”

“Early June of last year,” Kongxing sighed and shook his head. “The officials in the capital refused to accept gifts from common people. They were truly incorruptible and righteous.”

Gu Yuanbai understood. That was during the anti-corruption period when all officials were scared witless—indeed, no one dared accept anything under his watchful eye.

He found it both amusing and touching. The anti-corruption campaign had created advantages during the locust disaster, but he had inadvertently pushed away an opportunity to cure himself.

But ultimately, Heaven still favored him.

Gu Yuanbai had the Director of the Imperial Medical Academy come to attend to Kongxing, having him work with the Imperial Medical Academy to develop a treatment plan for his condition.

Until the end of the month, Gu Yuanbai never once pressed the Imperial Medical Academy, but the imperial physicians and Kongxing were very anxious. They deliberated over prescriptions hundreds of times. Because the Emperor’s body was too weak and he had been taking various medicines for years, they had many concerns. Balancing the prescription without damaging its efficacy kept them busy until August, when the Imperial Medical Academy finally submitted a complete treatment plan.

Gu Yuanbai felt this speed was already quite fast.

By this time, Gu Yuanbai had been in mourning for Imperial Concubine Wan for over two months.

Time passed quickly, and Imperial Concubine Wan had been gone for a long while. When Gu Yuanbai occasionally thought of her, his grief had softened, leaving warm feelings in his heart. Holding the Imperial Medical Academy’s treatment plan in his hands, he suddenly realized that even in death, Imperial Concubine Wan had brought Gu Yuanbai a great gift—among the monks who had escorted her to the capital, they had found hope for curing Gu Yuanbai.

In the height of summer, with constant cicada and bird calls, ice basins in the hall emitted wisps of cool air. The Emperor only noticed he had been crying without realizing it when he heard Xue Yuan’s anxious calls.