Chapter 171: Wei Jiao Recovering From Injuries
Night enveloped the temporary palace, the palace courtyard here brightly lit, as eunuchs arranged the meal on the table.
“Captain, your dinner is ready.”
Wei Jiao leaned against the bed, looking at the table full of exquisite dishes, and let out a chuckle: “This is quite lavish.”
A woman’s voice came from outside the door: “Senior Brother is recuperating, so he needs to eat better.”
Wei Jiao looked outside and saw four eunuchs holding lanterns, escorting Miss Yang as she walked slowly.
Eunuchs and palace maids indoors and outdoors all paid respects, their expressions deferential.
“His Majesty ordered me to look after the Captain, so I naturally must do my utmost.” Mo Zheng said with a smile, walking in.
Early that morning before dawn, Wei Jiao had suddenly been gravely wounded and summoned the imperial physicians.
News was also sent to the Emperor, for Wei Jiao was after all the youngest son of Longxi Great General Wei Cui; if anything happened, it would be a grave matter.
The Emperor ordered the imperial physicians to spare no effort in rescuing and treating Wei Jiao.
At the same time, he had Miss Yang, who was staying in the temporary palace, take charge of looking after him.
With this decree from the Emperor, the eunuch in charge of the temporary palace ordered all eunuchs and palace maids there that everything and everyone was to be under Miss Yang’s command.
Mo Zheng sat down.
“All of you may withdraw.” she said, “I will personally serve the Captain his meal.”
The eunuchs and palace maids indoors paid respects and withdrew.
Wei Jiao sat on the bed and tsked twice: “Miss Yang is truly imposing.” Then he lowered his voice, “No, I misspoke; it should be… Your Highness the Princess.”
He had bled that morning, but the one who needed the imperial physicians was not him, but the Emperor who had fainted in his arms.
However, the Emperor had woken before the imperial physicians arrived, then ordered the news kept secret, had the Embroidered Uniform Guard erase traces of his arrival, and soon left the temporary palace.
Although the Emperor had only told Wei Jiao to look after Miss Yang and said nothing else, Wei Jiao of course knew what that meant.
Mo Zheng nodded: “Senior Brother, no need for formalities.”
Who was being formal with her? Wei Jiao spat, got up from the bed, walked over, and sat down in front of her.
“When is Your Highness the Princess returning to the palace? You can’t keep being a temporary palace princess forever.” Wei Jiao said lazily.
Mo Zheng reached out, picked up the chopsticks, and put some vegetables into her bowl.
“Never.” she said, “Actually, I haven’t acknowledged kinship, so I won’t be a princess either.”
With that, she looked at Wei Jiao, one hand stroking her heart.
“As long as I know my father has me in his heart, that’s enough.”
Enough? Wei Jiao scoffed inwardly. As if!
Her father had her in his heart, but others did not; what followed would be even more lively.
He knew this dog thing was going to continue going mad.
“How is that enough?” Wei Jiao said with a beaming smile, “Let Senior Brother help you out as well.”
Mo Zheng sighed softly again: “Senior Brother, more than just helping me once; you’ve helped me several times before, and now I need your help even more…”
Wei Jiao sneered, pointing at the desk: “Since you know I’ve helped you multiple times and you still need my help, can you stop keep piling food into your own bowl? This wounded patient’s bowl is still empty!”
This dog thing was pretending to be all earnest while nonstop shoveling food into her own bowl.
Mo Zheng pointed at the plain congee placed in one corner of the desk: “Senior Brother, that’s yours; you’re still on medicine, so your diet needs to be light. I had a bowl of medicinal porridge made for you.”
Wei Jiao oh-ed: “So this whole table isn’t prepared for me; you’re just using looking after me as an excuse to eat and drink your fill.”
As he spoke, he reached out to flip the table, but Mo Zheng’s hand was already pressing down on the desk; the plates and bowls clattered, but the desk remained steady without overturning.
“Senior Brother.” Mo Zheng held the chopsticks in one hand and pressed the table with the other, her expression sincere, “It’s truly for your own good. Knowing medicinal porridge is hard to swallow, so I’m letting you gaze at plums to quench your thirst and eat happily.”
With that, she burst out laughing first.
Wei Jiao sneered to say something when a voice from the Embroidered Uniform Guard outside requested, “Captain.”
Wei Jiao paused, about to say something, when the woman’s voice preempted: “Come in.”
The Embroidered Uniform Guard outside seemed to hesitate a moment before entering; seeing Miss Yang there, he gripped the bamboo tube in his hand tightly.
“Whatever it is, just say it.” Mo Zheng said, looking at that Embroidered Uniform Guard, “His Majesty has ordered that everything in the temporary palace is under my command.”
That Embroidered Uniform Guard said nothing.
Wei Jiao smiled brightly: “Miss Yang, you may be in charge of the temporary palace, but you can’t command us Embroidered Uniform Guards.”
Mo Zheng then looked at him again: “Senior Brother, I just want to share your burdens.”
Wei Jiao ignored her and asked the Embroidered Uniform Guard: “What is it?”
Only then did that Embroidered Uniform Guard hand over the bamboo tube: “News from General Gaoyang’s side.”
General Gaoyang; hearing this title, Mo Zheng immediately stepped to Wei Jiao’s side.
“Have they found something related to my mother’s death?” she shouted, reaching to snatch the bamboo tube from Wei Jiao’s hand.
Wei Jiao instantly crushed the bamboo tube and the secret letter inside in his palm.
Miss Yang stomped her foot in anger and urgency: “You!”
“What’s wrong with me?” Wei Jiao said with a beaming smile, “I’m the Embroidered Uniform Guard Captain; or are you, Miss Yang?”
Miss Yang looked aggrieved: “It’s the Captain.” With that, she picked up the medicinal porridge, deferential and currying favor, “Senior Brother, eat your meal; nothing is more important than your body.”
Wei Jiao laughed heartily, then raised a brow: “Who wants to eat this ghost stuff.” He lifted his chin toward the other side of the table, “Bring me that bowl of steamed meat.”
Mo Zheng acknowledged and went to the other side of the table as instructed.
That Embroidered Uniform Guard stood indoors watching this scene, thinking the Captain’s injuries were not light, but his spirits were quite good; he could even joke and play with Miss Yang, unlike before when he lacked the energy to talk much.
Wei Jiao perceived the gaze, frowned, and looked at him: “Is there something else?”
That Embroidered Uniform Guard hurriedly said: “There’s one more thing: new clues in the Jiang Wangchun case; we’ve traced…”
When he got here, Wei Jiao interrupted him, while looking toward the woman across the desk.
Mo Zheng was focused on scooping steamed meat, seemingly not hearing what they said, then walked back with the bowl.
“Senior Brother, you can only eat a little as a side dish.” she said seriously, “Otherwise, your wound really will heal very slowly.”
Wei Jiao waved lazily: “You may go.”
Mo Zheng frowned: “Senior Brother, His Majesty said for me to look after you…”
“Miss Yang.” Wei Jiao interrupted her coldly, “Those words are just a pretext from His Majesty; don’t use them to pressure me, and don’t cling to me here. You’ve acknowledged your father; your mother’s case will certainly be resolved.”
Mo Zheng sighed lightly: “Senior Brother, I truly want to take care of you.” She placed the steamed meat bowl in front of Wei Jiao and said softly, “Really, don’t eat too much.”
With that, she turned and left.
Outside, palace lanterns swayed; Miss Yang left amid the escort of eunuchs and palace maids.
Indoors and outdoors of the palace room became quiet.
Wei Jiao looked at the bowl of steamed meat placed before him with only a little, and curled his lip.
He would eat more!
Though he said that, he did not take the meat bowl, only stirring the medicinal porridge before him with a spoon.
“Captain.” The nearby Embroidered Uniform Guard called softly, feeling that since Miss Yang left, the Captain seemed to lose his energy too.
Wei Jiao asked lazily: “What new clues?”
The Embroidered Uniform Guard hurriedly continued: “We traced a scholar who had a clear talk with Jiang Wangchun; he mentioned that when debating a line of classics with Jiang Wangchun, Jiang Wangchun cited Wang Zaitian as proof.”
Wei Jiao said lazily: “That old man Wang Zaitian is renowned; it’s normal for scholars under Heaven to mention him.”
The Embroidered Uniform Guard nodded and continued: “That scholar said he questioned at the time, ‘When did you ever hear Wang Zaitian interpret it that way?’ Jiang Wangchun said one of his students had the fortune to hear Wang Zaitian’s lecture.”
Student?
Wei Jiao lifted his head to look at this Embroidered Uniform Guard.
They had already visited civilians in Zhao County and learned from a vegetable-selling old woman that before Jiang Wangchun’s incident, among the visitors to the Jiang Family was a student paying a visit.
“Specially bought some fresh vegetables for the student to try.”
The Jiang Family cook had mentioned.
But inquiring among neighbors, no one had seen this student.
“The scholar said when he asked Jiang Wangchun which student, Jiang Wangchun changed his tune, saying it wasn’t a student but a passerby, then crossed out that annotation of the clear talk classics.”
After the Embroidered Uniform Guard finished speaking, he took a sheet of paper from his sleeve; clear talks were always recorded, and one line indeed mentioned Wang Zaitian, but it was crossed out.
Wei Jiao looked at the words and ink lines on the paper, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Indeed, this was the strange part.
Scholars were all very rigorous; how could he lightly believe a passerby’s words and use them as proof in debate.
He didn’t want to mention this student.
Yes, this student was not to be seen in public.
This unseemly student had heard Wang Zaitian’s lecture?
New plot development underway; can stockpile text now.
