Chapter 18 - The One Who Delivers Medicine

 Hongying's continuous praise made Zhao Yujiao blush, as if she had seen how she would be in charge of the Qing Palace.

In the afternoon, Pei Xiuyan came to see Zhao Yujiao, sent a few boxes of jewellery and medicinal materials, and repeatedly told Zhao Yujiao to rest assured and heal her legs. This made Zhao Yujiao more convinced that Hongying's statement was right.

As the year draws to a close, many accounts of the six ministries need Pei Xiuyan's review. In addition, Prince Pingyang will stay in the palace for the New Year this year, so he is particularly busy during the New Year and often stays in the palace.

Zhao Yujiao is trying hard to recover her leg in peace. No one disturbs Ye Chuyan, and the Qing Palace is rarely peaceful.

In a blink of an eye, it is New Year's Eve. The palace is decorated with lights and red couplets everywhere. As soon as the sky gets light, the sound of firecrackers outside is endless. The servants of Jianjia Garden arranged everything yesterday. Although Jianjia Garden is under house arrest, the atmosphere of the New Year is not bad at all.

Ye Chuyan sat by the window with a frown. Since the day of house arrest, Doctor Wei has come every three days and sent a self-prepared red pill, which was more effective than the medicine of the imperial physician in the palace and basically healed her rib injury. As long as she is not unlucky, she can sit, lie down, and walk without any problem.

After breakfast, Ye Chuyan ordered the servants in the yard to go home, rest for a day, and come back to serve tomorrow. New Year's Eve should be a day for family reunions, but she couldn't reunite, and she didn't want others to be like her. How dare the servants rest? They all kneeled down and said that they wanted to spend the New Year with the princess.

Ye Chuyan forced the gatekeeper, Yan Xue, to drive everyone back to rest on the grounds that she wanted to be quiet. Yan Xue agreed without thinking for some reason. The servants then realised that the princess really wanted them to go back to reunite, so they were grateful and kneeled down to thank her again and again.

At noon, she and Bai Zhi were the only ones left in the huge Jianjia Garden.

Bai Zhi couldn't help but say, "Princess, other people's courtyards are bustling during the New Year, but ours is quieter than a temple. I wonder if Doctor Wei will come today."

Ye Chuyan looked up at the sky and said casually, "He will come."

As soon as he finished speaking, Doctor Wei entered the courtyard with his medicine box.

Bai Zhi was surprised. "Princess, you are really smart."

Ye Chuyan smiled slightly.

"Bai Zhi, Doctor Wei came to help me feel my pulse on New Year's Eve. It's not easy. Go make some snacks that you are good at, and bring them to Doctor Wei when he leaves."

Doctor Wei never accepts other money except for the consultation fee. Salty snacks are Bai Zhi's best thing, and the taste is even more playful than those made by the imperial chef in the palace. Bai Zhi received the order and ushered in Doctor Wei, then went to the small kitchen to make snacks.

After taking Ye Chuyan's pulse, Doctor Wei sighed, "The princess has a good foundation. If she rests properly this time, she will be completely cured in half a month, and there will be no root of disease left."

Doctor Wei took out a black jade porcelain bottle from the medicine box and said, "The princess must continue to take this pill, and she must not stop.

Ye Chuyan took the jade porcelain bottle and suddenly said, "If I fall ill again, I'm afraid I will be sorry for the pill that person gave me."

Doctor Wei froze suddenly, and the action of packing the medicine box was obviously flustered.

"I don't understand what the princess said."

Ye Chuyan poured out the red pills in the porcelain bottle, one pill a day, and there were exactly three pills in it.

 "This pill is called the Muscle-Growing and Bone-Enhancing Pill. It is made from dragon blood grass from southern Xinjiang and other 180 precious medicinal materials. Dragon blood grass is extremely rare. Even in the palace, there are only two."

"Doctor Wei, although your medical skills are the best in Kyoto, this kind of pill is not something you can make."

Ye Chuyan stared at Doctor Wei, tapping the table with his fingers, making a rhythmic and crisp sound.

"Doctor Wei, how do you know the person who sent the medicine?"

Seeing Ye Chuyan's eyes tightly grasping his face, Doctor Wei could only sigh.

"After all, the princess saw it."

He had to tell the truth.

A few days ago, a young man suddenly came to his clinic, found him privately, took out a bottle of muscle-growing and bone-enhancing pills, and gave it to him, hoping that he could find an opportunity to let Ye Chuyan take it. Dragon blood grass is a rare thing. If you find it, you must hand it over to the court and cannot use it privately. He didn't know the identity of the young man, but the one who could take out this kind of medicine must not be an ordinary person. He didn't want to get into trouble, so he had to tell the man that Princess Qing was not terminally ill and could be cured even without this rare pill.

Ye Chuyan sneered when he heard this.

"Did that man tell you that if I didn't want to take it, he would destroy all the pills in front of you? You felt sorry for such a good medicine and wanted to help me, so you agreed."

Doctor Wei took a deep breath. How could Ye Chuyan guess everything that man said correctly?

Ye Chuyan saw the blush on Doctor Wei's face and knew what he was worried about. If others knew that he had obtained this pill and didn't hand it over, it would be a serious crime punishable by beheading.

"That person can safely give you this pill because he thinks you are a man of your word and not someone who would break your promise. Don't worry, I will never tell anyone about this."

Doctor Wei thought that he had just doubted for a moment whether Ye Chuyan would use this as a threat after knowing it, and suddenly felt that he was judging others by his own standards.

There was a bit of shame on his face. "Princess..."

Ye Chuyan smiled and bowed to Doctor Wei in a proper manner.

"Doctor Wei, I am grateful that you are willing to take the risk to help me. Don't let that person send this pill. I will write a letter; please give it to that person, and he will naturally not bother you after seeing the letter."

Doctor Wei hurriedly helped Ye Chuyan up.

"Princess, you can't do that. I can't accept this gift. Old Ye has been kind to me before, and it is my duty to help you."

Ye Chuyan thought of her father, and her heart ached. She was no longer polite to Doctor Wei. She picked up a pen and wrote a letter, sealed it, and handed it to Doctor Wei. Doctor Wei carefully placed the letter at the bottom of the medicine box, nodded slightly to Ye Chuyan, and hurriedly left with the things.

When Bai Zhi came out with the cakes, she saw that there was no one in the room except Ye Chuyan, so she looked around.

"Princess, is Doctor Wei gone?"

Seeing Bai Zhi's disappointment, Ye Chuyan said faintly, "Doctor Wei was in a hurry to go home for a reunion, and I couldn't keep him, so I let him go. Doctor Wei said that he knew our feelings and asked me to thank you on his behalf."

Bai Zhi forced a smile on her face, looking at the cakes in her hand, a little worried.

"What should I do with so many cakes? Princess, you are taking medicine now; you can't eat these snacks."

Ye Chuyan glanced at the gate of the yard and raised her chin.

"Go and deliver it to Yan Xue. He has been guarding the gate of Jianjia Garden for so long, allowing me to rest in peace. Even if he has no merit, he has worked hard."

Bai Zhi's ears turned slightly red, and she said angrily, "He ordered us to be confined, so he doesn't deserve to eat these cakes."

Ye Chuyan couldn't help laughing and touched Bai Zhi's nose.

"This is an order, what? You don't even listen to me?"