The Imperial Palace
Ji Jin prescribed, "Your Majesty, although your headaches have fully recovered, you must still pay attention to rest and take care of your imperial body."
Emperor Changwu sighed, "I'm old. I used to run under the sun all day without any issues. Now, a moment's carelessness leads to heatstroke."
"It's mainly because you've been overworked recently and haven't been sleeping well. If possible, Your Majesty, why not set aside state affairs and go to escape the heat?"
"Including Jiangnan, Great Yin has as many as three battlefields. How can I possibly rest assured? Even if I wanted to escape the heat, it's absolutely impossible at this juncture."
Ji Jin then fell silent. If the Emperor were to escape the heat, the Crown Prince would surely be appointed to oversee the state. Ayen was still at war, and if the Crown Prince were to make any moves behind the scenes, wouldn't that be too dangerous? He thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, your humble subject has recently developed a scent that is remarkably effective for sleep. Perhaps you could try it."
Emperor Changwu was quite confident in what he developed, "If you have such a good thing, why didn't you bring it out sooner?"
"Its effects have only been tested on animals, so I dared not present it to Your Majesty."
"I understand. You may send the scent over."
As a imperial physician, Ji Jin had no authority to test the scent on people, but the Emperor did.
Illness arrives like a mountain collapse, and recovery is as slow as drawing silk from a cocoon. Emperor Changwu's health was indeed not as good as before. A mere heatstroke left him completely dispirited. He had to let the Crown Prince temporarily manage court affairs. Shortly after the morning court, the Crown Prince, Prince Ning, and the Third Prince hurried to attend to the Emperor.
"Imperial Physician Ji, how is Father Emperor?" Ji Jin had only half-bowed when the Crown Prince personally helped him up, asking anxiously.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, rest assured, His Majesty is merely exhausted. He will be well after a few days of rest."
The Crown Prince felt a pang of disappointment, but on the surface, he breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."
Why wasn't it a terminal illness? At this time, Fourth and Seventh, who had achieved great military merits, were far away on the battlefield. Third was with him, and only Situ Jue, who had been suppressed recently, was left. With whom could he compete?
What a pity... He cast a furtive glance towards the Emperor's bed, wondering if his mother could bribe an imperial physician.
Prince Ning, however, was genuinely relieved.
Now, only the three of them remained in the capital. Third and Second were in league, making it one against two. Without the interference of other princes, he stood no chance at all. Only the Third Prince remained the most composed. The position would never fall to him anyway, so why worry unnecessarily?
Ji Jin watched the three princes flock towards the Emperor's bed and quickly said, "Your Highnesses, please step back a bit. His Majesty has suffered from heatstroke. We must ensure smooth ventilation. If you all crowd around, you might make it stuffy again."
Emperor Changwu finally spoke, "I am not seriously ill. You should all attend to your duties."
The Crown Prince earnestly said, "Father Emperor, your son wishes to stay and attend to your medicine."
"It's just heatstroke, what is there to attend to? Doing your duties well and causing me less worry is your greatest filial piety."
"Your son understands."
"Go then, and Third Prince and Fifth Prince, you should also leave. Step down."
"Then your son will not disturb Your Majesty's rest."
The three, each with their own thoughts, withdrew together, claiming they would visit again in the afternoon, which Emperor Changwu waved away.
Ji Jin followed them out of the room and called out to Situ Jue, "Your Highness Prince Ning, your humble subject observes your gaunt appearance. Are you feeling unwell?"
He had noticed Prince Ning as soon as he entered the room.
His face was puffy, his eyes were bruised, a clear sign of excessive indulgence. Most importantly, the Qingxin Gu that he had placed on him was gone.
Could it be that he truly found another physician skilled in witchcraft?
Situ Jue flatly refused, "Imperial Physician Ji is too kind. This prince has simply not been sleeping well these past few days. A good rest will suffice." Joking aside, he was so weak now that he needed tonics. If Ji Jin discovered it and reported it to their father, how would their father view him?
Ji Jin could not insist, "Then Your Highness, please rest well."
Watching Situ Jue's retreating back, Ji Jin lowered his head, concealing the worry in his eyes. Judging by Situ Jue's countenance, the Qingxin Gu had clearly been removed successfully, and his body had recovered, only to be overused again. Even if not in the next few days, he would surely recover in a few more.
What if he went to harm Shengsong?