Chapter 51 Persuasion

After preparing the medicine at hand, Wen Qiao lowered her head to take a look. The seventy-two silver needles were arranged in an impeccably neat and orderly fashion. Although Nanny Zhao was somewhat advanced in years, she possessed a remarkably meticulous mind. Even though her vision was completely gone, she had still managed to arrange these silver needles—which varied in thickness and length—with absolute precision, operating entirely in pitch darkness. This clearly showed that she had measured them carefully with her fingers many times over, which explained why she had been able to take care of Xiao Jingheng quite well within the palace for so many years.

Once Xiao Jingheng had undressed, Wen Qiao stepped forward, her fingers lightly brushing across the row of needles. She picked up the one right in the middle and inserted it directly into Xiao Jingheng's back.

Nanny Zhao made no outward movement, but her hands were tightly clenched, revealing the intense anxiety hidden within her heart. Huaping, on the other hand, stood quietly to the side, holding her breath with undivided attention, appearing completely unfazed.

That was only natural; after all, she had been by Wen Qiao's side for quite some time. Moreover, since Wen Qiao had been treating the Empress day after day lately, Huaping had gained a fair understanding of her needling techniques.

Before long, Wen Qiao stopped moving her hands and walked over to the desk instead, intending to write a prescription first and have someone fetch the medicine. Yet, upon second thought, given Xiao Jingheng's current circumstances, firstly, he had no reliable men at his disposal to send on errands, and secondly, even if he were to send someone to the Imperial Hospital, those dogs who judged people by their status would most likely refuse him.

Therefore, after weighing her options, Wen Qiao decided against writing it down.

Besides, Xiao Jingheng did not have any writing materials here anyway, making it impossible to write even if she wanted to.

After wiping down all the silver needles, Wen Qiao put them away, stood up, and addressed Xiao Jingheng: "This concludes the first session of acupuncture. Since the Third Imperial Cousin seems to have experienced no discomfort whatsoever, I can finally set my mind at ease. At the very least, the Third Imperial Cousin is able to withstand my needling technique, which is certainly a blessing. Subsequent acupuncture sessions can be slightly easier. I imagine the Third Imperial Cousin has no spare hands to fetch the medicine, so once I have prepared the formula shortly, I will have Huaping send it over. You can then instruct Nanny Zhao to decoct the medicine and feed it to you. When I arrive tomorrow, I will bring several extra doses of medicine so that even if I happen to be busy and forget one day, the Third Imperial Cousin won't miss a dose. That would not do at all."

Xiao Jingheng lowered his head and offered his sincere thanks to Wen Qiao. After packing up her things, Wen Qiao left with Huaping, leaving only Xiao Jingheng and Nanny Zhao behind in the room.

Once the visitors had gone far away, Nanny Zhao stepped forward and felt along Xiao Jingheng's back by touch.

The silver needles were exceptionally fine, leaving no blood when inserted or withdrawn, so Nanny Zhao could not feel anything unusual.

However, Huaping had quietly informed her just moments ago that the needles had been applied to Xiao Jingheng's back, which was why she came over to examine it.

Even though she could not detect anything with her fingers, Nanny Zhao's heart still ached for him.

"I blame those heartless wretches who poisoned the late Consort back then; otherwise, His Highness would not have to suffer such hardships today. Fortunately, we have Miss Wen Qiao, which is truly our blessing. Once His Highness's poison is cured, we shall beg His Majesty to let Your Highness leave the palace and establish your own manor outside. Remaining cooped up in the palace and constantly facing those people—this old servant sees it with her own eyes and feels it in her heart. I no longer wish to see Your Highness endure this kind of suffering."

After all, Nanny Zhao had watched him grow up since childhood, and she was well aware of all the miseries he had suffered over the years. Thinking of how Xiao Jingheng was frequently bullied, she always felt a heavy ache in her heart. Yet, establishing a manor outside the palace—how could such a thing be done just by speaking of it? It would inevitably require careful deliberation by the Emperor before any decision could be made.

It was just that Xiao Jingheng was indeed now at the age where he could be enfeoffed as a prince.

However, if he wished to be granted a fief, he was unlikely to receive a good one. Most likely, if the Emperor found the sight of this son irritating, he would casually assign him some remote and desolate territory and banish him far away.

Even so, that would at least allow them to live in peace. Just thinking of such an outcome brought joy to Nanny Zhao's heart.

Yet, Xiao Jingheng was unwilling to simply accept some random fief at this moment.

If he were to do that, how could he ever repay the kindness Wen Qiao had shown him?

However, it was still too early. Xiao Jingheng only kept such thoughts to himself in his heart, choosing not to voice them aloud so as not to give Nanny Zhao any extra cause for worry.

Meanwhile, after leaving the Imperial Princes' Quarters, Wen Qiao returned directly to the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility. She figured that this matter could not possibly be kept hidden from the Empress, though she had not expected the Empress to receive the news quite so quickly.

As soon as Wen Qiao stepped back into the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility, she saw the Empress reclining on a cushioned couch, looking at her with a radiant smile, as if waiting for her to offer some explanations.

Helpless, Wen Qiao had no choice but to recount everything she had done during her outing today to the Empress, detail by detail, to prevent her from later accusing her of deliberate concealment.

"Your granddaughter did not mean to keep things from the Imperial Grandmother intentionally. It is simply that the poison lingering within the Third Imperial Cousin's body has been entrenched for far too many years, and detoxifying it cannot be achieved overnight. It requires careful deliberation on my part. Furthermore, I am not entirely certain of success yet, which is why I chose not to speak of this to the Imperial Grandmother just yet. I wanted to avoid raising your hopes in vain should the Third Imperial Cousin's health encounter any unforeseen complications. Besides, Uncle has not yet stated that he is willing to treat the Third Imperial Cousin the same as the rest of my imperial cousins, and truly, I cannot rest easy in my heart. If Uncle were to discover that I went to detoxify the Third Imperial Cousin and grew displeased, how could your granddaughter ever withstand Uncle's wrath? Please do not be angry with me, Imperial Grandmother. Had it been possible, I surely would not have kept it from you. It was precisely because I feared you might find yourself caught in the middle between myself and Uncle and feel troubled that I chose not to burden you with such worries, which is why I did not tell you."

Seeing Wen Qiao's docile and endearing appearance, the Empress found herself unable to utter any more words of reprimand, though a lingering sense of anxiety remained in her heart regarding the Emperor's potential disapproval of Xiao Jingheng.

Now that Wen Qiao had voiced these concerns, the Empress felt somewhat reassured.

Since she now knew that Xiao Jingheng was indeed suffering from poison, the Empress firmly believed that with Wen Qiao involved, the task would undoubtedly be accomplished, regardless of what others might say. Therefore, she did not harbor excessive worries, only feeling a deep ache for the child who had lived with poison from his youth onward.

Moreover, his daily meals were never satisfying, his sleep was never peaceful, and his own brothers and sisters would frequently come over to torment him. The Empress was well aware of all these things, yet she had never dared to intervene too openly on the surface.

Fortunately, Wen Qiao was here now. Once she cleansed the poison from his body, he would be able to live like a normal person and no longer endure such a pathetic existence.

If possible, she would speak with the Emperor when the time came, asking him to confer the title of Prince upon Xiao Jingheng and arrange for him to move to his own fief. That way, he would no longer have to suffer bullying from his siblings within the palace walls, and his life would comparatively take a turn for the better.

Once he reached his own fief, he would be the supreme authority there, and the hardships he had tasted over the years could finally be compensated.

Having lived such a difficult life since childhood, the boy probably harbored no political ambitions; the only worry was whether he might harbor deep resentment toward the Emperor in the future, which would make things truly difficult to manage.

Nevertheless, the Empress trusted that someone as clever as Wen Qiao would easily perceive any hidden motives if Xiao Jingheng truly harbored untoward thoughts, and would certainly not have agreed to cure him so readily otherwise.

With this thought, the Empress's heart settled somewhat, though the very mention of Xiao Jingheng's current plight still brought a dull ache to her head.

"The Emperor is a stubborn man by nature; Your Grandmother has known this for the longest time, yet nothing could ever be done about it. Fortunately, we have a clever girl like you mediating in the middle, preventing Jingheng's days from becoming completely unbearable. In a few days, go and speak a bit more with your Uncle; he will likely moderate his harsh opinions of Jingheng then. You are a good girl, and I trust you completely."

The Empress continued to chat with Wen Qiao at length, offering a flurry of affectionate reminders. Unwilling to let the Empress dwell excessively on such troublesome matters—for fear that overthinking might harm her fragile health—Wen Qiao offered a few perfunctory replies before gently urging the Empress to return to her bed to rest.

With no other choice, the Empress yielded and followed Wen Qiao's wishes.

Wen Qiao stayed by her side until the Empress closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Only then did she rise, intending to head toward the Imperial Study. She wanted to brief the Emperor on the events of the past two days, and besides, the matter concerning Xiao Jingheng had been weighing heavily on her mind; unless resolved swiftly, it would continue to plague her thoughts. Dwelling on it herself was of little consequence, but if the Empress were dragged down into worry as well, wouldn't that be an unpardonable sin?

Instructing Daiqiao to tend to the Empress with utmost care within the palace, Wen Qiao took Huaping and departed for the Imperial Study.

"Why does Qiao-er have the leisure to visit朕 here today? I assumed you would stay cooped up in the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility all day, doing nothing but chatting with your Imperial Grandmother. I never imagined朕 would one day be remembered by my dear niece."

Xiao Zheng's words carried a distinct trace of childish pique. Wen Qiao merely smiled, offering all sorts of flattering and ingratiating remarks for a good long while until Xiao Zheng finally abandoned his sarcastic tone.

With a silent sigh of relief, Wen Qiao organized her thoughts and presented everything she had intended to discuss with Xiao Zheng over the past two days.

"Uncle, I have come today primarily to speak of two matters. First, Imperial Grandmother's health is recovering rather well. When taking her pulse, I can perceive that her physical condition is currently relatively stable and capable of bearing potent medicines, yet these remedies treat only the symptoms, not the root cause. If possible, I hope Uncle can dispatch trusted men to retrieve the Tianshan Snow Lotus as soon as possible. Only then can the Gu poison within Imperial Grandmother's body be thoroughly eradicated, alongside these chronic ailments. If we delay her complete recovery, Imperial Grandmother will inevitably continue to suffer, and seeing that breaks my heart entirely."

Xiao Zheng had long been aware of this matter and had already dispatched men to handle it, so Wen Qiao's words came as no surprise. However, after waiting for a long time without hearing the second matter she had come to raise, a wave of curiosity prompted him to ask, "I am already aware of this. But Qiao-er mentioned just now that there is a second matter you wish to discuss with me. What might that be?"

Since Xiao Zheng had already broached the subject, Wen Qiao decided to cast aside her hesitation. Gathering her thoughts once more, she spoke in a measured tone:

"The second matter concerns the Third Imperial Cousin."

As soon as she finished this sentence, Wen Qiao raised her eyes to steal a glance at Xiao Zheng's expression. Observing that his demeanor remained entirely normal, she relaxed slightly and continued with her explanation:

"Your subject knows that Uncle has not had an easy time these past years, and it is precisely because of this that I hesitated to bring up the Third Imperial Cousin. Yet, between father and son, no grievance lasts overnight, and the Third Imperial Cousin has done nothing wrong. I am aware that Uncle has always harbored lingering resentment over past events, but the Third Imperial Cousin is, after all, entirely innocent. Furthermore, his life has been exceptionally bitter over the years; even my own upbringing in the countryside was vastly more comfortable than what the Third Imperial Cousin has endured. Presently, he is afflicted by a poison within his body—a fact I discovered quite by accident a few days ago. With Uncle's permission, I intend to help him detoxify it first. After all, such an ordeal would weigh heavily on anyone's heart. While I understand that Uncle feels distressed, my heart truly aches for the Third Imperial Cousin when I look at his plight. Ultimately, the Third Imperial Cousin and I are cousins by blood, and seeing him suffer so profoundly, I simply cannot bear it."

Had anyone else spoken such words, Xiao Zheng's anger would have flared instantly. But because the speaker was Wen Qiao—for whom he always harbored a sense of maternal debt—her words did not provoke the fierce wrath he would have directed at others. Even so, Jiang Congan, standing dutifully to the side, broke out in a heavy cold sweat on her behalf.

Xiao Zheng merely fell into a brief contemplation. Upon reflection, he conceded that Wen Qiao's reasoning was sound. Xiao Jingheng was indeed blameless, having had nothing to do with the events of the past. Even if his biological mother had committed grave errors, a child could not determine such matters, and the boy had certainly suffered no small share of hardships through the years.

He was well aware of how the palace servants, ever eager to curry favor based on status, treated those lacking in influence; curtailing Xiao Jingheng's provisions and daily rations was a frequent occurrence.

Curiously, hearing these truths spoken by Wen Qiao actually brought a strange sense of relief to his heart.

It was impossible to say he never cared for this son at all; affection might be lacking, but he still secretly kept watch over him. Whenever the servants crossed the line too egregiously, he would quietly send someone to issue a warning.

During those intervals, Xiao Jingheng's life would improve slightly for a few days, only for the perpetrators to revert to their old ways once they realized the Emperor paid no further heed, squeezing every possible advantage from the prince.

"I am aware of this matter, and I naturally know that the boy has lived a harsh life. Very well, let it be as you say. Later on, I shall send someone to visit him at the Imperial Princes' Quarters. As for the poison in his body, if you possess the means to cure it, go ahead and purge it. Remaining in this state indefinitely brings no peace to my heart either, and leaves a lingering sense of guilt."