Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 197: Treating the Wound

   Before the banquet even ended, the Step-Empress found an excuse to leave. She made her way down to the secret cabin below, and sure enough, Hongzhou was already waiting for her there.

“I’ve heard everything,” he said, turning at the sound of her footsteps. “He scolded you at the banquet.”

“…You certainly keep well-informed.” The Step-Empress paused for a moment, doing her best to keep her tone even. “I only did what I was supposed to do. If he wants to indulge with Yangzhou’s whores and play the part of a debauched ruler, I cannot play the part of a muddle-headed empress. When it’s time to advise, I still have to advise.”

“He didn’t listen to your advice and instead continued to revel with Noble Consort Ling, didn’t he?” Hongzhou walked toward her, looking at her with pity. “Shushen…”

The Step-Empress interrupted him: “Prince He, you shouldn’t call me that.”

“Shushen.” Hongzhou insisted on the name. “He doesn’t cherish you—it’s his blindness! In my eyes, no matter how many years pass, you will always be that kind and upright woman from back then.”

“…I’m not.” The Step-Empress turned her face away and sighed. “I’ve changed far too much.”

“The one who made you change is Hongli.” Hongzhou spoke coldly. “Even when you were ill, he not only showed no concern—he distanced himself from you and even thought you had gone mad. A man so cold and heartless… let me ask you: is he worth it?”

Is he worth it?

The Step-Empress lowered her head. After a long silence, she slowly raised it again. In the secret cabin, only a single candle had been lit. In the flickering light, the beauty beneath the flame grew more and more captivating the longer one looked.

“All these years, only you have always stood by my side. I remember your kindness, and I understand your heart even more, Hongzhou…” She called his name gently. “I can trust you, can’t I?”

“Of course.” In his excitement, Hongzhou grasped her hand. “Trust me! I will definitely help you—help both you and your son!”

“Very well. From now on, I will continue to cooperate with your plan.” The Step-Empress unobtrusively withdrew her hand. “Until things are accomplished, we must still act as though we are not close… I should go back now.”

The moment she returned to her quarters, every trace of gentleness vanished from her face.

She spread out a sheet of xuan paper, picked up her brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote swiftly for a few moments. Then she quickly folded and sealed the letter. Finally, she opened the pigeon cage, tied the note to the pigeon’s leg, cupped the white bird in both hands, walked to the window, and with a soft whoosh, released it into the sky.

Watching the pigeon fly farther and farther until it became nothing more than a tiny speck on the horizon, the Step-Empress let out a long breath of relief.

Meanwhile, in Yongqi’s cabin, Wei Yingluo hardly dared to breathe.

This southern inspection tour was not only for official duties—it was also to find one person.

—Ye Tianshi.

This peerless physician had once briefly served as an imperial physician in the palace, but he soon grew weary of the endless scheming and intrigue and requested to resign and leave.

Now that the entire Imperial Medical Bureau was at a loss, Wei Yingluo had come to him as the last thread of hope.

Fortunately, Ye Tianshi did not disappoint her hopes.

“It can be treated.”

With just those two words, a spark of hope lit up in everyone’s eyes.

Even Yongqi, who had always been mature beyond his years and rarely showed emotion, now had a trembling voice: “Divine Physician Ye, is it really true? My leg… can still be saved?”

Ye Tianshi lightly tapped Yongqi’s knee with a small wooden hammer. Yongqi frowned slightly, and the physician actually smiled. “Of course it can be saved. If the meridians in the leg were truly severed, there would be no sensation at all in the right leg. Since you still have some response, there is hope. However…”

“However what?” Wei Yingluo asked urgently.

“First, we must remove the necrotic flesh and rejoin the broken bone. Most people cannot endure that level of pain. That’s one difficulty. Second…” Ye Tianshi hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose to speak the truth, “the success rate is only about forty percent. And even if the bone is successfully reconnected, there will likely be many complications in the future—joint deformity, abscess in the bone, bone rotting…”

Wei Yingluo couldn’t bear to hear any more. Halfway through, she turned to Yongqi and said, “Fifth Prince, perhaps… we should forget about it.”

But Yongqi shook his head firmly. “I’m willing to try.”

“Fifth Prince!”

She was about to persuade him further when Hongli took her hand and half-pulled, half-dragged her out of the room.

On the deck, the sea breeze was blowing. The two stood side by side at the bow of the ship. Wei Yingluo looked sullen and refused even to glance at him.

“You’re really angry,” Hongli said helplessly. “Yongqi is my son. I understand him better than anyone. Forcing him to spend the rest of his life hobbling on crutches would be worse than killing him.”

Only then did Wei Yingluo speak. “Even if he could never stand again, it would still be better than losing his life!”

“You could lie in bed forever and let me peel grapes and feed you watermelon,” Hongli said with a wry smile, “but Yongqi cannot. Besides, he’s no longer a child. You have to respect his choice.”

Wei Yingluo opened her mouth, but the words turned into a sigh. Deep down she knew he was right, yet emotionally she still couldn’t accept it. So she began to sulk, shaking off his hand. “I’m going back in to see the Fifth Prince.”

Yongqi indeed agreed to the treatment.

The procedure was every bit as agonizing as Ye Tianshi had described. When Wei Yingluo entered, the physician was just opening a bamboo tube. The eunuchs and palace maids behind him caught a glimpse of what was inside and instinctively stepped back.

“Fifth Prince, this is a kind of carrion worm. It specializes in devouring necrotic flesh from wounds… Don’t move!” As Ye Tianshi carefully poured the tiny insects onto Yongqi’s wound, he gave a stern warning: “Whatever you do, do not move!”

Watching the dense swarm of small insects crawl onto Yongqi’s wound, Wei Yingluo felt her scalp go numb. She quickly turned her face away, unable to watch. Suddenly, a miserable scream rang out beside her ear, followed by Ye Tianshi’s panicked cry: “Something’s wrong!”

Wei Yingluo whipped her head back. “What happened?”

On the bed, Yongqi had already fainted at some point. Ye Tianshi was leaning over the edge of the bed, pinching one of the small insects between two fingers from the wound. After examining it for a moment, cold sweat broke out on his forehead. “This… this isn’t a carrion worm… What is this?”

The eunuchs and palace maids in the room had already been so frightened that they retreated to the doorway. One of them, moving like a thief, slipped silently out the door.

Though Wei Yingluo sensed something odd, right now her only concern was Yongqi’s injury. She rushed forward. Seeing the insects, bloated and swollen like spiders after gorging on blood and flesh, she cried out in horror: “Zhenzhu! Call someone—quick, call for help!”

One of the insects, still insatiable, began burrowing deeper into the flesh. Terrified, Wei Yingluo was suddenly reminded of Ming Yu—of the silver needle that had pierced deep into her organs and ultimately taken her life. Without thinking, she reached out to grab it. The startled insect turned its head and bit down hard on her finger.

“Oh heavens!” Ye Tianshi let out a sharp scream, equally horrified. “Someone! Help! Come quickly!”

Seeing that Wei Yingluo herself had already collapsed, no one else dared to touch those cursed things anymore. One by one they rushed out to call for help, only to have their wrists grabbed the moment they reached the deck: “Quick, come help!”

The eunuch was stunned. “The Fifth Prince needs people over there…”

“The Empress Dowager needs people even more!” The other person dragged him along. “Hurry, help put out the fire! The Empress Dowager’s cabin is on fire!”

A wave of scorching heat swept across the deck, and the source turned out to be none other than the Empress Dowager’s cabin.

A water bucket was forcibly shoved into the eunuch’s hands. He rushed forward with the crowd, but before he could even splash the water out, a series of cracking sounds came from the opposite side — a beam had collapsed, completely blocking the cabin door.

Li Yu screamed: “The Emperor! The Emperor and the Empress Dowager are still inside! Save His Majesty! Hurry, someone come save His Majesty!”

With this shout, more and more soldiers surged toward the cabin.

“Help! Save His Majesty!” Hongzhou also shouted the same words, but while his mouth called out, his feet were quietly moving toward the back of the crowd. Suddenly a great commotion erupted from behind the people — men and women, old and young, all shouting in unison:

“The great calamity has arrived, heaven and earth are plunged into darkness, the sun and moon give no light! The Yellow Heaven is dying, the Azure Heaven shall rise! Kill the tyrannical ruler, and the world will undergo a great change!”

They’ve finally come, Hongzhou thought to himself. Yet out loud he shouted: “Not good! The White Lotus cult rebels have taken advantage of the chaos to attack the ship!”

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