By the time Imperial Physician Gu arrived back at the Da Zhou capital, travel-worn and weary, he didn’t even take the time to check on Jun Beiyue first—he went straight to the study to find Prince Baxian.
Only to find it empty.
At this hour, Prince Baxian should have just finished morning court and be in the study. Unable to find him there, Imperial Physician Gu could only head toward the Xuanlong Palace instead.
“Prince Baxian, Old Sha…”
Before he’d even entered, Imperial Physician Gu called out joyfully—the message Physician Beiqiu had sent him had been sitting with Prince Baxian this whole time, never having been forwarded on!
Imperial Physician Gu was overjoyed and excited—but the moment he pushed open the door, it was as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him, every ounce of his excitement instantly extinguished, leaving him frozen stiff in shock!
Heavens!
Who was he looking at?
There beside the medicinal pool stood Yingzi and Yelu Qianqian, quiet and composed, while kneeling on one knee beside Jun Beiyue, head bowed, was a figure so, so familiar—
Wasn’t that…
“Situ… Situ Haonan!” Imperial Physician Gu blurted out in shock. He’d clearly coordinated with the Eighth Prince of Xijing, executing everything flawlessly—he’d even deliberately chosen a rare drug specifically to numb the brain meridian, one that Physician Beiqiu wouldn’t recognize.
Situ Haonan should have remained unconscious—how could he possibly… how could he possibly be standing right here?
Imperial Physician Gu’s first thought was that he must be dreaming—he simply couldn’t accept the reality before his eyes!
At the consultation, he’d been absolutely certain—there was no way Situ Haonan could wake, not unless someone discovered his brain meridian had been numbed and cleared the drug from his system. Otherwise, there was no possible way he’d ever wake up!
Imperial Physician Gu stood frozen, dumbstruck, momentarily unable to find any words at all.
Yingzi and Yelu Qianqian watched coldly too, betraying no emotion, and in the silence, Situ Haonan slowly lifted his head, giving Imperial Physician Gu an innocent-looking little smile. “Old Imperial Physician Gu, haven’t seen you in a year—quite bold of you, addressing this young lord by name so directly?”
To anyone unaware, this would sound like mere teasing—but to someone with a guilty conscience, it was unmistakably a warning sign!
Even though Imperial Physician Gu couldn’t bring himself to believe it, he had no choice but to face the reality before him. His hands clenched unconsciously inside his wide sleeves, barely managing to maintain his composure—though in truth he was genuinely, thoroughly frightened, still unable to find his voice.
Situ Haonan deliberately rose to his feet, stretching his legs a bit before walking toward Imperial Physician Gu, who instinctively stepped back, his previously blank mind now flooding with waves of anxiety!
How exactly had Situ Haonan woken?
Who had saved him?
What was he here for—did he already know something?
Had the Eighth Prince betrayed him?
How much of the truth did Yelu Qianqian and Yingzi already know?
Weren’t they supposed to be out searching for Han Ziqing? Why had they come back to the capital?
All these anxieties, in truth, all boiled down to one single question: had Situ Haonan seen through his scheme?
At this thought, cold sweat broke out across Imperial Physician Gu’s clenched palms. He had no room left to worry about anything else—he immediately began preparing for the worst: assuming Situ Haonan knew everything and had come specifically to confront him, how would he defend himself, how would he flatly deny everything to the last?
He had to come up with some reasonable justification to clear his own name. Prince Baxian was on his side, after all—worst case, he could always break ties, just as he had with Jun Beichen before.
He simply refused to believe that Situ Haonan and Yelu Qianqian, both outsiders, along with Yingzi, a mere servant, could actually do anything to him here, in front of Prince Baxian, within the very palace of the capital!
If nothing else, Prince Baxian still needed him to save Prince Yao!
At this thought, Imperial Physician Gu managed to steady himself somewhat, and watching Situ Haonan narrow his eyes and advance step by step, he braced himself, ready to face whatever accusations or interrogation might come!
But unexpectedly, Situ Haonan said nothing at all—simply narrowing his eyes, a cold smile curling at his lips, advancing step by step toward him!
What was he trying to do?
Imperial Physician Gu panicked again, retreating further and further as Situ Haonan closed in, until his foot suddenly caught on the doorsill, and he toppled backward, crashing hard to the ground!
In the silent room, a distinct “crack” could clearly be heard—as though something had broken. But given how rattled Imperial Physician Gu already was, he had no room to spare a thought for that. Before Situ Haonan had even said a word, he lost his composure first, shouting furiously, “Situ Haonan, what exactly do you mean by this?”
To his surprise, Situ Haonan hurried forward to help him up. “Oh dear, Imperial Physician Gu, what happened? I was just so excited to ask whether you’d found any news! How did you end up falling like that! Get up, get up quickly, everyone’s been waiting for your news!”
Sha Qiuzi had, of course, held nothing back in sharing Jun Beiyue’s condition and the strange nature of his constitution with Situ Haonan and the others.
Hearing this from Situ Haonan, Imperial Physician Gu froze, his heart skipping a beat, still unable to fully recover his composure!
Situ Haonan could clearly see Imperial Physician Gu’s guilty unease—but he chose to say nothing. As long as he stayed silent, Imperial Physician Gu would remain trapped in that guilt, living in constant dread day after day. The moment he spoke up, Imperial Physician Gu would surely join forces with Prince Baxian against them!
Situ Haonan wasn’t so foolish—this treacherous servant would naturally be dealt with once the true master returned. For now, though, he had no intention of letting Imperial Physician Gu off easy either!
“Imperial Physician Gu, whatever it is, just say it calmly, don’t get so worked up!” Yelu Qianqian added, stepping forward as well.
Prince Baxian had clearly sensed something was off, but recalling that Imperial Physician Gu’s relationship with Situ Haonan and the others had soured significantly over the Han Ziqing affair, he didn’t think much of it.
Besides, his mind was entirely occupied with Jun Beiyue’s condition, and he pressed urgently as well, “Imperial Physician Gu, what exactly did you find out? Tell us at once!”
Seeing that Situ Haonan had no intention of exposing him right now, Imperial Physician Gu finally calmed himself slightly—but the moment he relaxed, he immediately felt a sharp pain shoot through his thigh, and couldn’t help but wince, sucking in a breath through gritted teeth.
He pointed at his own leg, signaling for Situ Haonan to keep his distance.
“What’s wrong, what’s wrong, did the fall hurt you?” Yelu Qianqian asked, all apparent concern.
“Where did it hurt, quick, Old Sha, come take a look!” Situ Haonan called out at once. Sha Qiuzi had already learned the truth of Situ Haonan’s condition a couple of days prior, and had been so furious he’d nearly stormed off to drag Jun Beiyue away several times—only Situ Haonan and Yingzi’s persuasion had barely managed to hold him back!
He merely glanced over and said flatly, “It’s broken.”
As a physician himself, the sound of Imperial Physician Gu’s fall just now had told him everything at once.
Imperial Physician Gu, still utterly disoriented, finally reached down to check his shin, and was immediately struck with alarm—it truly was broken!
Even a young man’s broken bones took a hundred days to heal—let alone his own set of aging bones!
Looking at Situ Haonan and Yelu Qianqian’s seemingly harmless, concerned expressions, a chill immediately ran down Imperial Physician Gu’s spine, and he didn’t dare move a muscle.
What exactly was this brat Situ Haonan trying to do?
Though Situ Haonan and the others seemed concerned, in truth they hadn’t actually done anything at all—even the gesture of helping him up had been purely symbolic, no real support given.
Prince Baxian, however, grew anxious. “What are we going to do now, we can’t afford to be without you at a time like this, Imperial Physician Gu! Old Sha, hurry up and take a look at him!”
Urged on by Prince Baxian, Sha Qiuzi finally approached, moving to set Imperial Physician Gu’s fractured bone back into place—setting a bone was, of course, the single most painful step in treating a fracture.
Just as Sha Qiuzi was about to begin, Situ Haonan, who had stayed silent this whole time, stopped him. “Old Sha, I’m quite experienced with setting and splinting bones myself, and I’ve got plenty of strength too.”