Chapter Forty-Two: Seeking Medical Treatment

Watching Eunuch Mingde grow anxious beside him, Zheng Tianlan couldn’t suppress a secret delight. All along the way, Zheng Tianlan had been worried; if he failed to play his part convincingly, and this Mingde failed to cooperate, the whole affair might fall apart, giving the Prince of Pingyi an excuse to act against Feng Yewu.

But to his great surprise, the oblivious Eunuch Mingde was not only cooperating but seemed even more anxious than the prince himself. This gave Zheng Tianlan all the more reason to press on.

Today’s scene was, in fact, quite simple. Feng Yewu had arranged for Zheng Tianlan to stride boldly, under Mingde’s escort, straight into the Prince of Pingyi’s residence. It was all for the sake of spectacle. With Feng Yewu’s personal sign language and the high status of Eunuch Mingde, the head steward of the palace, Zheng Tianlan’s identity as an imperial physician was firmly established. Even if the Prince of Pingyi remained skeptical, surely the poisoned servants in his residence would believe him.

Moreover, upon hearing that there was an antidote and a way to detoxify them, who wouldn't want it? As long as Zheng Tianlan, before everyone’s eyes, told the prince that the antidote was in his own domain, then even if the prince wished to stall, it would be hard to justify himself to his entire household.

Previously, when the Prince of Pingyi had come to the palace to challenge him face to face, Feng Yewu understood it was a display of power. It was meant to inform the eyes and ears among the civil and military officials, to show them the prince’s attitude and methods. Now, Feng Yewu had turned this tactic against him. The prince’s household would know that there was a cure for their poisoning, and all it required was the prince’s permission. The entire residence could be saved.

The Prince of Pingyi watched coldly as Zheng Tianlan and Eunuch Mingde performed their duet before him, his teeth grinding in frustration. He had already guessed Feng Yewu’s intentions, but it was too late to interrupt their act. When Zheng Tianlan announced there was a solution, every poisoned servant in the residence had heard it. Now, they stood in the shadows, quietly observing everything in the main hall, their eyes filled with hope.

“Eunuch Mingde, it’s not that I’m unwilling to help, but I simply don’t have the antidote,” Zheng Tianlan said, shaking his head helplessly, his expression full of regret.

“Could it be that the antidote is something truly special?” Eunuch Mingde asked, voicing not only his own question but also that of the anxious servants.

“The antidote itself is not special, but given the current circumstances, it’s very difficult to obtain,” Zheng Tianlan sighed and began to explain.

“So what exactly is the antidote?” Eunuch Mingde was growing impatient, his eyes eager.

Seeing that Mingde’s patience was wearing thin, Zheng Tianlan finally spoke earnestly. If the eunuch truly lost interest, there would be no one left to play along in this drama.

“The poison afflicting the prince comes from a flower called Siam, ground into powder. Its toxin acts slowly, and the only antidote is to eat the fresh petals of the Siam flower raw,” Zheng Tianlan said, all the while covertly watching the prince’s expression. The prince’s calm demeanor suggested he already knew the nature of his own poison.

“Siam?” Eunuch Mingde, who had served at the palace for many years and seen all manner of exotic things, found the name unfamiliar.

“In all my years by His Majesty’s side, I’ve never heard of such a flower. Could it be it’s hard to find even within the palace?” he asked.

With a slight smile, Zheng Tianlan continued, “It’s not just the palace; you won’t find it anywhere in the capital.”

“Why is that? Is the flower so rare?” Mingde was astonished.

“Because it grows only in the prince’s fief,” Zheng Tianlan replied.

Unable to listen any longer, the Prince of Pingyi interjected, “Indeed, this flower is common in my domain.”

At this, many of the prince’s servants, who had followed him from his homeland or were born there, suddenly understood. When Zheng Tianlan mentioned the Siam flower, the name had seemed familiar. Now, with the prince’s own confirmation, they realized it was the very flower that had always grown abundantly around them since childhood.

“So the Prince of Pingyi knows the Siam flower?” Eunuch Mingde looked at the prince in surprise, who wore a look of weary resignation.

“Of course I know it. That flower is everywhere in my fief,” he replied.

“Then, why not send someone to fetch it and relieve the poison in your household?” Mingde asked, puzzled. If the flower was so common, why had the prince remained silent?

“Though it grows everywhere in my domain, it cannot be found elsewhere, nor can it be gathered from outside,” Zheng Tianlan explained with a smile, his gaze lingering playfully on the prince’s darkened face. “Am I right, Your Highness?”

The prince, catching Zheng Tianlan’s provocative look, nodded under Mingde’s questioning gaze.

“And why is that?” Mingde pressed, but the prince, now exhausted, simply raised his teacup in silence.

Zheng Tianlan, calm and composed, elaborated further for Eunuch Mingde.

“How strange, how very strange. Who could have guessed the prince’s fief harbored such a unique flower? Truly astonishing,” Mingde marveled repeatedly at the flower’s properties and the means of detoxification.

“Now that the matter is clear, I can give His Majesty a proper account,” Eunuch Mingde said, rising gracefully to bow to the prince. “Doctor Zheng, let us return to report to His Majesty.”

Zheng Tianlan politely rose as well, bowing in turn. “Your Highness, please rest well. The matter must be conveyed to His Majesty.”

The Prince of Pingyi maintained a cordial smile, escorting Mingde and Zheng Tianlan out of the residence. He watched them leave with a pleasant expression, then turned abruptly, ordered the gates closed, and stormed off toward his study.

Behind him, countless servants looked at the prince with hesitant eyes. After all, upon learning there was hope for their recovery, homesickness for their native land had already stirred in their hearts. They were, in the end, only servants of the prince’s household; they hardly dared hope that their lord would consider their lives.