Chapter 20: The Eccentric High Empress

  Cao Ying had never entered the bedroom and didn't know Zhao Yan's method of bringing down Zhao Yun's fever. In fact, she was just thinking that if the officials and the empress found out it was Zhao Yan who brought down Zhao Yun's body temperature, they would definitely be very surprised and might even praise Zhao Yan.

  But what Cao Ying didn't expect was that Empress Gao had just entered and rushed out, angrily questioning herself. This made Cao Ying feel both wronged and helpless. As a junior, she didn't dare interrupt Empress Gao's anger, so she could only lower her head and silently endure it, hoping that after Empress Gao vented her anger, she would listen to her explanation.

  "Your Majesty, please calm down. Whoever is treating the illness of Prince Ying, what's most important now is how his body is and whether his condition has improved?" Just as Empress Dowager was scolding Cao Yun, Han Xi, who had just arrived in the hall, spoke up to advise her. He had some connections with Cao Yun's grandfather and had met Cao Yun when he was a child, so he felt compelled to speak up after seeing this acquaintance being reprimanded, and Cao Yun also looked at him gratefully.

  The Empress Dowager was originally a very steady woman, but now her most beloved son is seriously ill, so she would be so out of control. Now hearing Han Qi's words, she also calmed down her excited mood and calmly said to Cao Ying: "Where is San Ge Er? Hurry up and let him come see me and the officials!"

  "The county king has gone to the inner house to fetch medicine, and will soon..."

  Cao Ying's words had not yet faded away when Empress He coldly laughed again, saying: "The illness of the Prince of Wei will be treated by the imperial physicians in the palace. You just take care of yourself, Third Brother. Now, immediately send someone to bring Third Brother back!"

  "No need to send anyone, I'm already back!" Just then, a voice came from outside the hall, and Zhao Yan walked in with a backpack he had brought with him when he crossed over, smiling as he bowed to Empress Gao, "Your son greets Your Majesty!"

  This was the second time Zhao Yan had seen Empress Gao, who was about thirty years old, with a melon-shaped face, vermilion eyebrows, slender eyes and thin lips. Although she looked pretty, it was clear that she was a very strong-willed woman, the kind of woman who would be called a "female strongman" in later generations.

  Zhao Yan had been here for a while, and just now outside, he also heard the words of Empress Gao. Although he was no longer the original Zhao Yan, when he heard that his own mother did not trust her son, and the other party was his biological mother, it made Zhao Yan feel a little heartbroken. Similarly, as sons, when he himself fell ill, Empress Gao's expression was cold and indifferent, but when Zhao Yun fell ill, she went crazy. Such a biased mother is truly rare. If it weren't for the historical records of later generations clearly stating that Empress Gao gave birth to four princes, with Zhao Yan being one of them, he would have even doubted whether he was really Empress Gao's son.

  Empress Gao saw Zhao Yan walk in so calmly, and she was taken aback for a moment. However, she quickly thought of another son lying in the room, which made Empress Gao's anger surge up. Just as she was about to scold him, a somewhat weak voice came from behind her: "Third brother, just now the imperial physician and the guard told me that it was you who found a way to bring down your elder brother's fever. Is this true?"

  The person who spoke was Zhao Shu. It turned out that after the Empress Dowager left earlier, Zhao Shu had managed to keep his composure and asked the imperial physician and Chen Ding in detail. The result shocked him greatly - he hadn't expected it to be true that Zhao Yan had helped Zhao Yun bring down the fever. Although he had already confirmed this with the imperial physician and Chen Ding multiple times, Zhao Shu still couldn't quite believe it.

  It's not surprising, actually. Zhao Shu has four sons, and the other three are all excellent in their own ways. Only Zhao Yan spends his days hanging out with a bunch of spoiled brats, eating, drinking, having fun, and causing trouble. Before, he had worried about Zhao Yan, but later on, seeing that Zhao Yan was really not making anything of himself, he simply let him continue down this path of debauchery, thinking to himself that he had given birth to a worthless son. But today, this worthless son did something that left him speechless.

  Zhao Yan also saw Zhao Shu, who was wearing a yellow robe. He appeared to be tall and thin, with a sickly look on his face. Although he was only in his thirties, he looked like a middle-aged man in his forties due to the hardships and illnesses he had endured over the years. His temples were slightly gray, and there were several wrinkles on his forehead, making him look particularly haggard.

  Just by looking at Zhao Shu's attire, Zhao Yan guessed his identity and immediately paid respects: "Your son greets you, Father. When Big Brother was sent here, he had a high fever that wouldn't subside, and ordinary medicine took effect too slowly. That's why I ordered someone to remove Big Brother's outer garment and use wine to wipe down his body. This method can most quickly lower the body temperature, making it easier for subsequent treatment."

  Zhao Yan was somewhat dissatisfied with the partial Empress Gao, and even extended to her father Zhao Xu. However, he was also very guilty, after all, occupying someone else's son's body, so now he had to pretend to be a son, especially since Zhao Xu was still the Emperor of the Great Song, such a powerful backer must be grasped.

  "Not bad, Yan'er you've finally grown up and learned to do some proper things. In the future, you can also let your father worry less!" Zhao Shu nodded with great emotion, saying that in the end, he was also very pleased to look at Zhao Yan a few times, even his eyes were red with excitement. There's nothing more exciting for a father than seeing his prodigal son return."

  Han Qi and Zeng Gongliang in the hall also heard Zhao Yan's words, and they were equally surprised to look at him. As for Zhao Yan's great name in the past, Han Qi and others were also very familiar with it. There have been several times when Zhao Yan made trouble, and he even made trouble in their homes. Now that they see Zhao Yan seems to have changed into a different person, and he also understands medicine, can it be said that it is really "after three days, one should look at each other with new eyes"?

  Feeling the thick father-son affection in Zhao Shu's tone, Zhao Yan also felt a warmth in his heart. Although Empress Gao was biased, at least this father still cared about his son. Thinking of this, Zhao Yan said excitedly: "Father, big brother has an infected wound, that's why he has a high fever all over his body and can't be reduced. Now although the fever is temporarily down, it can't last long, please allow me to treat big brother's illness..."

  "No need, the imperial physician will take care of Zhaoyi's illness. You should focus on recovering from your own illness first!" Zhao Yan's words were cut off by Empress Gao beside her. Although she had already understood that Zhao Yan seemed to have indeed brought down Zhao Yi's fever, she was still very skeptical of Zhao Yan's medical skills and even thought that Zhao Yan's success in bringing down Zhao Yi's fever might just be a coincidence, after all, based on Zhao Yan's previous performance, he shouldn't know anything about medicine.

  Although Zhao Shu was delighted with his son's transformation, he also thought that Zhao Yan's previous behavior might be just a sideline, so he shook his head and said: "Yan'er, you've already helped your big brother to reduce the fever, which is a great help. The imperial doctors in the palace are already treating your big brother, let them handle it from now on, after all, they have more experience!"

  Zhao Yan's proposal to let Zhao Xu examine him was, on the one hand, intended to show off in front of the kind-hearted father, Zhao Shu, and make up for the bad impression he had left before. On the other hand, he also wanted to take this opportunity to make future Song Emperor Zhao Xu owe him a favor. However, now that he has been rejected by Zhao Shu and his wife, especially with Empress Gao's very bad attitude, Zhao Yan is also resentful. Moreover, since other imperial physicians have arrived, he no longer needs to deliberately show off.

  "Yan'er, last time you were injured by lightning, I was also ill and couldn't come to see you. How's your body recovering now?" Zhao Shu was very interested in the changes on his third son's body, because he found that after not seeing him for many days, Zhao Yan's temperament and speech were greatly different from before, so he wanted to know what caused it.

  "Thank you, Father, for your concern. I've been much better these past few days. And after going through this life-and-death experience, I too have woken up to reality. My previous self was too reckless, so since waking up, I've spent my time reading, painting, and cultivating myself, and my temperament has become completely different from before. It's all thanks to Father's painstaking efforts!" Zhao Yan said with a look of remorse.

  Zhao Shu had originally believed that Zhao Yan had indeed changed after getting married, but when he heard Zhao Yan say something about "reading books and painting, cultivating one's character", Zhao Shu shook his head in dismay. Based on his understanding of his own son, if Zhao Yan could really read books and paint, it would be the most absurd thing under heaven. As for cultivating one's character, it was even more impossible. Even people like Han Ke and Zeng Gongliang in the hall showed expressions of disbelief. It was simply impossible for someone to change so thoroughly in just over a month.

  Next, Zhao Xian chatted with Zhao Yan for a few more sentences. Just by looking at him occasionally glancing towards the bedroom, one could guess that he was also worried about Zhao Yun's condition now. After all, several imperial physicians had been inside for a long time, and if the condition was not serious, they should have come out by now. In fact, not only was Zhao Xian worried, but also Han Qi and those old ministers who were showing anxious expressions.

  At the moment when everyone was anxious, the door of the bedroom was opened, and then several imperial physicians came out one after another. However, their faces were very heavy, which made Zhao Shu and others feel a little depressed.

  "How is it, how's Zhaoyi's condition?" Empress Gao was the first to ask hastily. Anyone with eyes could see that between Zhao Yi and Zhao Yan, Empress Gao obviously cared more about Zhao Yi.

  "I report to the Empress, originally the Duke of Ying was only slightly injured and would have been fine if he had been bandaged in time and kept his wound dry. However, after getting hurt, the Duke of Ying continued to be exposed to the rain outside and didn't rest even after developing a fever this morning. As a result, his minor injury turned into a serious illness. Now, the Duke's wound has become severely infected and swollen, and his fever is extremely severe. Although the high fever has temporarily subsided, there are signs of it rising again. We can only re-dress the wound and administer some medicine to dispel the evil and reduce the fire, but whether the Duke will wake up, we have no guarantee." The chief imperial physician said with a heavy tone.

  The people in the hall heard the imperial physician's words, and one by one, their faces changed greatly. Especially Empress Gao, who was overcome with grief, tears streaming from her long, narrow eyes. Zhao Xun's face was also ashen. He had high hopes for Zhao Xun, and if he were to lose his son in middle age, not only would he himself be unable to bear it, but the entire Song Dynasty would also face a great shockwave, and even Liao and Western Xia might take action.