Chapter 616: Kindness Grace Garden (Part 1)

Liu Yucheng originally didn't want to tell him the truth, but seeing the other party doubt him, he could only steel himself and reply: "Steward Tie, we are also anxious about this matter; my father, who was perfectly fine, suddenly disappeared."

Tie Zheng laughed heartily; after his laughter, the killing intent on his face grew heavier: "Liu Yucheng, you are truly spouting lies one after another. The Prince has invited you to the prince's residence for medical treatment several times, yet you father and son keep making excuses—today you have something to do, tomorrow you're too busy, and now you even use a broken leg as an excuse, and now you're pretending to disappear. Do you think I'm a three-year-old child, so easily fooled? Does your Divine Farmer Society not even put the Prince in your eyes?"

Liu Yucheng replied anxiously: "Steward Tie, I, a commoner, certainly do not mean that, and I would never dare to look down on the Prince. Everything I said is true, without a single false word."

Tie Zheng sneered: "I don't know whether it's false words, but today the Empress Dowager is unwell. The Prince recommended Master Liu to the Empress Dowager, and she is now waiting at Kindness Grace Garden. Whether you go or not is up to you to decide."

Liu Yucheng broke out in a cold sweat; he never expected the Empress Dowager to summon them for medical treatment at this time. Unfortunately, his father had just disappeared at this critical moment. Although Liu Yucheng had studied medicine beside his father since childhood, he still lacked the courage to treat the current Empress Dowager.

Tie Zheng said: "The Emperor has always been the most filial. If he finds out you dare not go, hehe, the consequences are for your Divine Farmer Society to bear." He then turned sharply and walked outward.

Liu Yucheng was so shocked by this sudden change that his face turned pale. After Tie Zheng left, it took him a long while to recover. He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down—finding his father was the urgent priority, yet he dared not defy the Empress Dowager's summon. All his senior brothers had been sent by his father to various places for medical rounds. Now the only person in charge of the Divine Farmer Society was him, and at this sudden crisis, only he could bear this responsibility. Liu Yucheng said: "Ling'er, bring my medicine box; I will go to Kindness Grace Garden."

As the saying goes, one cannot defy a superior's order; Liu Yucheng could only submit. He turned to Hu Xiaotian and said: "Brother Hu, excuse me."

Hu Xiaotian, however, said: "Brother Liu, why don't I accompany you?"

Liu Yucheng blinked in confusion, not understanding what Hu Xiaotian meant.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Brother Liu, although I am untalented, I also know a bit of medicine. To be frank, the chronic ailment of the Emperor of Dakang was cured by my own hands. Otherwise, the Emperor would not have entrusted me with the important task of escorting the princess to Yongdu for her wedding. If I go with you, perhaps I can be of help."

Liu Yucheng hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded and said: "Good!"

Hu Xiaotian decided to follow Liu Yucheng there. First, he genuinely wanted to help Liu Yucheng. Second, because he had heard that it was the Empress Dowager of Da Yong who had summoned them—as the saying goes, after searching in vain with iron shoes, the solution appears effortlessly. The Empress Dowager is none other than the mother of Xue Shengkang; as long as he sees her, wouldn't that present an opportunity to break the impasse? As the saying goes, killing two birds with one stone.

Fan Ling'er ran over with the medicine box, having rushed too urgently; her little face was flushed.

Liu Yucheng reached out to take the medicine box, but Fan Ling'er did not give it to him, whispering: "I will go together with my master-uncle."

Liu Yucheng sighed and said: "You child, don't come along and cause trouble."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Ling'er, I will accompany your master-uncle. Just rest assured." He gave a word to Zhou Mo, then left the gate of the Divine Farmer Society together with Liu Yucheng.

Yet they saw a luxurious four-horse carriage parked outside the gate of the Divine Farmer Society, with Tie Zheng sitting on his horse, waiting silently. Upon seeing Hu Xiaotian, he couldn't help but feel a bit curious, furrowed his brows, but said nothing.

Seeing his expression, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but feel doubtful—Tie Zheng clearly knew him, so why didn't he expose him? Recalling yesterday's encounter at the Prince Yan's mansion, where Prince Yan Xue Shengjing behaved in a certain way, Hu Xiaotian suddenly felt that the events occurring in the Divine Farmer Society were somewhat out of the ordinary. Yesterday, Xue Shengjing had invited Liu Changsheng to the prince's residence; judging from the situation, Xue Shengjing likely suffered from a lower-body ailment and sought Liu Changsheng for treatment. However, Liu Changsheng did not go, which amounted to snubbing Xue Shengjing's face, and today Liu Changsheng's disappearance occurred. Moreover, right after Liu Changsheng went missing, people from the Prince Yan's mansion arrived, issuing an order for Liu Changsheng to go to Kindness Grace Garden to treat the Empress Dowager.

This series of events is interlocking; it should not be a coincidence. Hu Xiaotian secretly wondered: Could Liu Changsheng's disappearance be related to Prince Yan Xue Shengjing? Although he had only recently come into contact with Xue Shengjing, he had some understanding of the man's character—Xue Shengjing is far from the loyal and righteous Mengchang of legend described in rumors; this person is deep-minded, hides a knife behind a smile. Perhaps Liu Changsheng's refusal has already earned his grudge. Thus he set up this scheme: with Liu Changsheng absent, they claim Liu Changsheng is deliberately feigning disappearance, and if Liu Yucheng fails to cure the Empress Dowager's illness, he might even lose his head.

Thinking this through, Hu Xiaotian felt a chill run down his spine; if all this were true, the Prince Yan's heart would be too vicious.

Liu Yucheng sat in the carriage, his face gloomy, visibly worried. Hu Xiaotian patted his shoulder to comfort him: "Brother Liu, the head of the hall, a fortunate person naturally has heavenly favor—you need not worry. I have already instructed Elder Brother Zhou to mobilize our people to help search; perhaps we will soon have news of him."

Liu Yucheng said: "My father is stubborn; once he sets his mind on something, he would rather break than bend. I am worried that he may have inadvertently offended someone." He had just said his father had no enemies, but now he suddenly recalled that his father had repeatedly refused Prince Yan's invitations to visit, which likely earned the Prince's resentment.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Brother Liu, let's set aside other matters for now—what illness does the Empress Dowager have?"

Liu Yucheng shook his head: "I'm not entirely clear either; I hadn't heard any news of the Empress Dowager's illness before. Usually, when members of the imperial family fall ill, they are treated by the Imperial Medical Institute, and it's rare for them to seek us, the Divine Farmer Society. If it weren't for the Prince Yan's recommendation, perhaps the Empress Dowager wouldn't have thought of us." His words were full of helplessness; the Prince Yan's recommendation this time for them to go to Kindness Grace Garden to treat the Empress Dowager likely lacked much goodwill.

Kindness Grace Garden lies southwest of Yongdu, also known as Evening Light Garden. This imperial garden is the largest in Yongdu; generations of emperors have used it as a summer retreat. Now Empress Dowager Jiang has chosen to spend her twilight years here. The surroundings are elegant, the scenery exquisite—although it lacks the grand momentum of the palace, it also lacks that place's solemn oppression, instead offering a touch of tranquil naturalness, making it an excellent residence for cultivating the mind and nurturing one's nature.

The carriage entered Kindness Grace Garden through its east gate, proceeding slowly along the road paved with cloud stones. Hu Xiaotian lifted the carriage curtain, only to see flowers red and willows green lining both sides—a vibrant spring scene. Ahead lay the tranquil Grace Lake, its water emerald green, smooth as a mirror under the sky's light. A gentle breeze blew, causing the willows along the road to sway like graceful maidens; ripples spread across the water surface, and for a moment the lake glittered with shimmering light, beautiful beyond description.

At the lake's center stands Mount Fortune-Longevity, formed by the soil excavated when digging Grace Lake; pavilions and terraces are built into the mountain. At its summit is Kindness Grace Palace, which is the current residence of Empress Dowager Jiang.

They continued in the carriage all the way to the entrance of the Long Bridge.

Tie Zheng opened the carriage door, and Liu Yucheng and Hu Xiaotian stepped out.

Tie Zheng said: "We've arrived!"

Hu Xiaotian looked ahead and saw, at the bridgehead, a kind-faced senior eunuch accompanied by a young eunuch standing there.

Tie Zheng stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Eunuch Dong."

Eunuch Dong, an old attendant of Empress Dowager Jiang, spoke in a thin, high voice: "What? Master Liu hasn't come?"

Tie Zheng replied: "Master Liu is not at home, so I have brought his son instead. Young Master Liu has truly inherited his father's true teachings; his medical skill is worthy of the saying 'blue surpasses indigo'."

Liu Yucheng's face flushed slightly; he felt unworthy of such praise. Upon truly entering the imperial precincts, Liu Yucheng's heart could not help but feel a little uneasy.

Eunuch Dong grunted: "You two, follow me inside." He glanced at Tie Zheng and said: "Go back!"

Tie Zheng hastily bowed and took his leave.

Eunuch Dong then recalled another matter: "Why hasn't Prince Yan come over?"

Tie Zheng said: "The Prince is busy today; he wanted to come, but unfortunately he couldn't free himself."

Eunuch Dong said: "The Empress Dowager has only two sons; the Emperor, burdened with myriad affairs and occupied with state business, still finds time amidst his busy schedule to visit her—could Prince Yan possibly be busier than the Emperor?"

Tie Zheng hung his head, daring not to say more.

From the tone and content of their conversation, Hu Xiaotian could tell at once that Eunuch Dong was highly favored; otherwise he would not dare to openly criticize Prince Yan in front of so many people.

Eunuch Dong said: "Hurry up, go and tell the Prince what the Zajia says. Since he returned from outside, it's been some days, yet he hasn't visited Kindness Grace Garden even once. Don't think that sending two physicians over can demonstrate his filial piety; he ought to reflect on himself properly."

After Eunuch Dong finished speaking, he walked away. Hu Xiaotian gave Liu Yucheng a glance, and the two followed him up the Long Bridge.

After crossing the Long Bridge, they arrived at the foot of Mount Fortune-Longevity. They passed the Jade Tower and Jade Archway at the mountain's base, then went through the Gate of Fortune-Longevity, the Sun-Moon Gate, the Hall of Fortune-Longevity, the Hall of Virtuous Radiance, the Buddha Fragrance Pavilion, and continued all the way to Kindness Grace Palace at the summit. Although Eunuch Dong's attitude toward Tie Zheng was not particularly good, he was quite courteous to these two outsiders, Hu Xiaotian and Liu Yucheng, introducing the sites as they walked along.

Because Hu Xiaotian was carrying Liu Yucheng's medicine box, Eunuch Dong also harbored no suspicion; he likely regarded him as merely a medicine-box porter.

Upon arriving outside Kindness Grace Palace, Eunuch Dong said: "Although you were recommended by the Prince Yan, this place has its own rules; normally we must inspect your belongings." He put it politely, but in fact it meant a body search.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Of course." He and Liu Yucheng raised both hands; the two young eunuchs searched them thoroughly, also examining the medicine box Hu Xiaotian carried on his back, finding nothing amiss, whereupon they led the two inside the palace.

Upon entering the palace gate, the first thing seen was a large "longevity" character screen wall. Going past it, the sound of flowing water could be heard; ahead lay a natural spring, with hot springs leaping about in a water pool three zhang in radius. The pool's perimeter was lined with white marble railings, carved jade inlay, surrounded by water channels that encircled it, divided into six passages, forming the garden's water system—exquisitely designed, a marvel of craftsmanship.

Four young eunuchs were pruning flowers and trees in the garden; upon seeing Eunuch Dong enter, they hurriedly halted their work and bowed to him. Eunuch Dong smiled narrowly: "Go about your duties—is the Empress Dowager in the hall?" (To be continued~^~)