In the imperial palace, Prince Qing knelt from yesterday night until this morning. In the interim, Lin Zhenfei and Eunuch Li had persuaded him multiple times to stop kneeling, but he persisted, determined to remain until the Emperor saw him.
This was the first time everyone had witnessed Prince Qing’s perseverance in a single endeavor. Even the Emperor, upon hearing of this, felt a sense of admiration for him. The man who usually spent his days indulging in food and drink was, after all, quite concerned about matters pertaining to his own mother.
However, they had all misjudged Prince Qing, and his intentions were far from what they guessed.
As the Empress’s biological son, Prince Qing was indeed anxious about his mother’s imprisonment. Yet, he also understood that the Emperor would not have imprisoned the Empress without a valid reason. It was certainly because the Empress had crossed a line with the Emperor, leading to this outcome.
He feared that the Emperor might vent his displeasure upon him due to the Empress’s affair. Thus, he decided to take the initiative, seeking to garner sympathy from the public and earn the reputation of a filial son. Kneeling outside the Emperor’s chambers for a whole night, he deemed it a worthwhile endeavor.
Alas, he finally fainted from the cold. Subsequently, he was sent back to Prince Qing’s manor by a carriage arranged by Eunuch Li.
Back at Prince Qing’s manor, Prince Qing lay quietly on his bed. The room was attended only by Imperial Physician Chen, Imperial Physician Xu, and a few of Prince Qing’s personal guards. The concubines and maids of the manor dared not attend to him, keeping their distance. Meanwhile, Prince Qing’s most favored concubine, Leng Ruoshuang, was not present. Thus, it was left to a group of men to care for him.
Imperial Physician Chen and Imperial Physician Xu, having spoken with undue arrogance the last time they treated the Empress Dowager for lung ailments in Changshou Palace, were reported to the Emperor by some malicious individuals in the Imperial Hospital. This nearly cost them their lives.
Had the Empress not personally intervened to save them and allowed them to retain their positions in the Imperial Hospital, they would have been expelled from the institution. Although they remained in the Imperial Hospital, they were now ostracized by their peers.
To secure their own futures, Imperial Physician Chen and Imperial Physician Xu decided to align themselves with Prince Qing.
“Imperial Physician Chen, Imperial Physician Xu, is my master’s condition serious?” the Prince Qing’s guard, Zuo Qing, anxiously inquired.
“His Highness’s condition is not severe; he merely has a fever. I will prescribe two doses of medicine, and he will recover after taking them,” Imperial Physician Chen stated calmly.
“Then, Imperial Physician Chen, please prescribe the medicine quickly. I will arrange for someone to fetch it immediately,” Zuo Qing urged.
“Certainly, Left Guard.”
Following this, Imperial Physician Chen wrote out a prescription for a fever-reducing medicine and handed it to Zuo Qing. Zuo Qing immediately arranged for someone to procure the herbs and prepare them for decoction.
An hour and a half later, Prince Qing’s fever-reducing medicine was finally brewed. Imperial Physician Chen slowly administered the medicine to Prince Qing.
Prince Qing’s body temperature gradually returned to normal, and he slowly regained consciousness.
Upon seeing Imperial Physician Chen and Imperial Physician Xu in the room, Prince Qing expressed his gratitude to them.
Just then, a guard burst into the room.
“Your Highness, Prince Leng has instructed his guard, Yin Chen, to escort Leng Ruoshuang to the main gate of the manor to demand money,” the guard stammered fearfully.
“Demand money? What money does Jun Mohan seek from this prince?” Prince Qing asked, utterly bewildered.
“It is the expenses incurred by Liu Ruyi and Leng Ruoshuang over the years while living at General Leng’s residence,” the guard cautiously replied.
“What does the money owed by her mother and daughter have to do with this prince? Can Prince Leng not simply approach them directly?” Prince Qing exclaimed exasperatedly.
“However, Leng Ruoshuang claims she has no money to repay. Yet, Prince Leng and Princess Leng are relentlessly holding her accountable,” the guard added.
Hearing this, Prince Qing’s anger flared up intensely.
Prince Qing questioned, “Which person did Prince Leng send to collect the money?”
The guard replied, “One of Prince Leng’s two personal guards (Yin Chen).”
Prince Qing then asked, “Ask him how much silver was spent in total.”
The guard responded, “He stated that the two of them spent a total of sixty-eight thousand, one hundred and eight taels of silver over these years.”
Upon hearing this, Prince Qing’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Damn it! Liu Ruyi and Leng Ruoshuang, just a concubine and a庶女 (concubine’s daughter), spent so much money. They are truly wasteful women! I will not pay. Go out and tell them that mother and daughter must find their own solution,” Prince Qing declared furiously.
“Yes, your subordinate obeys!” the guard respectfully replied, turning to leave the room.
“Wait!” Imperial Physician Xu suddenly called out to the guard.
The guard immediately halted.
Prince Qing frowned, glancing at Imperial Physician Xu with a puzzled expression.
“Your Highness, the Emperor has been quite agitated these past two days due to the Empress’s matters. If Princess Leng and Prince Leng cannot secure the money at Prince Qing’s manor, they will certainly report to the Emperor. If they complain to the Emperor about Leng Ruoshuang, the Emperor will inevitably vent his displeasure upon you, especially since Leng Ruoshuang is currently carrying Your Highness’s child. Therefore, this humble official believes that Your Highness, having finally gained the Emperor’s favor, should not lose it over a few tens of thousands of taels of silver,” Imperial Physician Xu reasoned meticulously.
After listening, Prince Qing pondered for a moment and replied, “Very well, I shall heed your advice this time, Imperial Physician Xu.”
He then looked up and instructed Zuo Qing, “Zuo Qing, go to the accounting office and retrieve sixty-eight thousand, one hundred and eight taels of silver and give it to Yin Chen to take back.”
“Yes, your subordinate obeys!”
Subsequently, Zuo Qing hurried to Prince Qing’s accountant and collected the sixty-eight thousand, one hundred and eight taels of silver, which he handed over to Yin Chen, thereby redeeming Leng Ruoshuang.
Yin Chen immediately released Leng Ruoshuang and returned to General Leng’s manor with the bank notes to report.
Having been freed, Leng Ruoshuang tearfully walked into Prince Qing’s chamber and approached his bedside.
“Your Highness, Prince Leng and that Leng Jin Yu father and daughter are truly bullying people. Not only did they seize the jewelry and banknotes my mother left me, but they also demanded that my mother and I compensate for the expenses incurred over the years at Prince Leng’s general’s residence,” she wailed.
Unexpectedly, Prince Qing slapped her across the face. Leng Ruoshuang’s face, already swollen and bruised from Leng Jin Yu’s earlier assault, instantly became more swollen.
Leng Ruoshuang immediately ceased her crying, standing there stunned.
“You wretched wench, before you’ve even given me a son, you’ve already spent tens of thousands of taels from me. You truly are a jinx.”
Prince Qing, witnessing Leng Ruoshuang’s state, exploded in anger. He couldn't fathom why he had ever been attracted to such a foolish, empty-headed woman, abandoning the brilliant pearl that was Leng Ruoli.
Meanwhile, Yin Chen quickly returned to General Leng’s manor, handing the bank notes and silver to Leng Ruoli.
Leng Ruoli intended to give the money to Leng Jin Yu, but Leng Jin Yu did not accept it.
“Li’er, you keep this money yourself. Your father heard from the Emperor a few days ago that you plan to open a large medical clinic in the capital to benefit the common people. Consider this money my contribution,” he said.
“Alright, then Li’er thanks Father,” Leng Ruoli replied with a sweet smile.
Subsequently, Leng Ruoli instructed her two young maids to prepare lunch for Yin Chen and the others who had not yet eaten hot pot.