GBP Chapter 508 Side Hall
Chapter 508 Side Hall
Almost no part of his body was unscathed; his arms and legs were wrapped in thick bandages, which were still oozing blood. His chest was particularly bad, with a large, palm-sized scar clearly visible. It was burned by a branding iron, and the edges were still red and swollen, indicating that the wound had become infected.
He was unconscious at the moment, but his brows were still furrowed and his lips moved, as if he was enduring great pain.
"Master Cui..."
Doctor Li's voice lowered even further, "He was not only tortured, but also given a bone-softening powder, which damaged his tendons and bones."
"I have applied the best wound medicine to him, but his bones are too badly injured. Even if he recovers, he will not be able to ride a horse and shoot arrows like before."
"And he has a persistent high fever, he could..."
"impossible!"
Shen Yanzhou immediately interrupted him, his eyes filled with determination, "He's so resilient, how could anything happen to him? You must cure him, no matter what medicine you use, even if you have to use up all the medicines in the Imperial Hospital, you must cure him!"
Imperial Physician Li nodded hurriedly: "This old minister obeys the decree and will do his utmost."
Shen Yuxi walked to Lin Yiyu's bedside. Lin Yiyu was already awake. When he saw the emperor, he tried to bow, but Shen Yuxi held him down.
"Don't move, take good care of your injury."
Shen Yuxi's voice softened a bit, "This time, thanks to you, Shi Wanxia, and Cui Zhihao, Chuzhou was able to be safe, and Cangling was spared a war."
"Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly."
Lin Yiyu opened his mouth, his voice weak: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I'm fine, it's just... Lord Shi and Lord Cui... they..."
"I know,"
Shen Yuxi sighed, his gaze sweeping over the three people lying on the bed, his eyes filled with reluctance.
"I will have people take good care of them. You are all meritorious officials of Cangling. I will not let you suffer in vain."
After saying this, he turned and walked out of the side hall, and instructed the eunuch behind him: "Issue my decree that from today onwards, twenty palace maids and ten eunuchs shall be assigned to take care of the daily lives of Lord Shi, Lord Cui and Lord Lin. The Imperial Hospital shall send three imperial physicians to take turns on duty every day and report on their injuries at any time."
"Anyone who dares to be negligent will be executed without mercy!"
"According to the order!"
The candles in the side hall remained lit all night.
Shi Wanxia woke up the next morning, but as soon as she opened her eyes, she was startled by a sharp pain in her chest, and her vision went black for a moment. She almost fainted again.
"Lord Shi, you're awake?"
The palace maid who was guarding the bedside quickly stepped forward and carefully supported her shoulders.
"Don't move. The imperial physician said your internal organs are badly injured and it will hurt if you move."
Shi Wanxia gritted her teeth, took a difficult breath, and her voice was hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper: "Where... is Lord Cui? How is he?"
The palace maid's eyes darkened, and she whispered, "Lord Cui hasn't woken up yet. His high fever hasn't subsided, and the imperial physicians are still changing his dressings."
"Lord Lin woke up once, then fainted again. His arm was broken, and he was in a lot of pain when his dressing was changed."
Shi Wanxia's heart tightened, and the pain in her chest seemed to intensify.
She remembered seeing Choi Ji-ho in prison—he was chained to the wall, covered in blood, and could barely stand, yet he was still smiling at her, telling her he was alright and not to worry.
"water……"
She managed to utter a single word.
The palace maid quickly brought over a cup of warm water and carefully fed it to her with a small spoon.
The water slid down her throat, slightly relieving the dryness, but the pain in her chest did not lessen at all. Every sip felt like a knife scraping her internal organs.
Just then, the palace door was pushed open, and Shen Yanzhou walked in.
His eyes were bloodshot, clearly he hadn't slept all night. When he saw Shi Wanxia was awake, a look of surprise immediately appeared on his face, and he quickly walked to the bedside.
"Miss Shi, you're finally awake!"
His voice was urgent; he wanted to touch her but was afraid of hurting her, so he could only stand carefully by the bed.
"How are you feeling? Does it still hurt? The imperial physician said you've been poisoned and has already used silver needles to force it out once. You'll need to do it a few more times."
Shi Wanxia looked at him, trying to force a smile, but the pain twisted her lips: "Your Highness... I'm sorry to have worried you. Is Chu Zhou... alright now?"
"never mind,"
Shen Yanzhou nodded quickly, his voice softening, "The remnants of Rongyang King's faction have been eliminated, and the people have been resettled."
"Just focus on recovering and don't worry about anything else."
Shi Wanxia nodded, and was about to say something when a sudden surge of emotion welled up in her chest. She coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood onto the white sheets, which was particularly glaring.
"Late Summer!"
Shen Yanzhou's expression changed drastically. He quickly supported her and shouted outside.
"Imperial Physician! Send the message to the Imperial Physician quickly!"
Physician Li arrived quickly. He took Shi Wanxia's pulse and examined her wounds. With a grave expression, he said, "Your Highness, Lady Shi's internal wounds have reopened because she just woke up and her emotions were too volatile. This old minister will need to reapply the medicine and insert a few more needles. It may be a little painful, please forgive me."
Shen Yanzhou nodded: "Go ahead and treat her. As long as she gets better, it doesn't matter how much pain she feels."
Physician Li took out silver needles and carefully inserted them into Shi Wanxia's acupoints.
With each needle prick, Shi Wanxia's body trembled, and cold sweat streamed down her forehead, soaking her pillowcase.
She gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound, but her face grew paler and paler, and her lips were bitten until they bled.
Shen Yanzhou stood aside, watching her pained expression, his heart aching as if it were being cut by a knife.
He wanted to step forward and hold her hand, but he was afraid of disturbing the imperial physician, so he could only clench his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms, leaving several deep bloody marks.
It hurts even more when I apply the medicine.
Physician Li first had to remove the old medicated bandages, which were stuck to the wound. When he pulled them off, they brought up a piece of flesh and blood.
Shi Wanxia could no longer hold back. She let out a muffled groan, and tears streamed down her face, dripping onto the bed sheet and spreading into a small water stain.
"Bear with it, Lord Shi,"
Doctor Li's voice also carried a hint of pity, "It will be fine soon. Once the new medicine is applied, the wound will heal slowly."
Shi Wanxia nodded, closed her eyes, buried her face in the pillowcase, and tried her best not to make a sound.
She knew she couldn't cry now, couldn't worry the Crown Prince, and couldn't distract the imperial physician.
She still wants to wait for Cui Zhihao to wake up, and she wants to see Cang Ling get better and better.
The pain was so intense that she felt as if her internal organs were burning, and every breath felt like swallowing razor blades.
She even began to miss her time in Chuzhou—the pain then was nothing compared to what she felt now.
Finally, the application of the medicine was finished.
Physician Li wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Shen Yanzhou, "Your Highness, it's alright. Lord Shi needs to rest now. He cannot be stimulated or moved. His diet should be light, and he can only drink some thin porridge."
Shen Yanzhou nodded: "I understand. You may leave now. I will summon you if there is anything else."
After Physician Li left, Shen Yanzhou walked to the bedside and carefully wiped the cold sweat from Shi Wanxia's forehead. His voice was so gentle it could melt water: "Sister Wanxia, you've worked hard. Get some sleep. I'll stay here with you."
Shi Wanxia opened her eyes and saw the bloodshot eyes and exhaustion in his eyes. She said softly, "Your Highness...you should go and rest too. You haven't slept all night."
"I am not trapped,"
Shen Yanzhou shook his head, sat on the chair by the bed, and held her uninjured hand.
"I will stay with you until you fall asleep, then I will leave."