Chapter 120: Grasping at Straws

Li Cui assumed the air of an elder lecturing a junior, preaching with infinite patience about his duty to serve the nation, to prioritize the state above all else, and to keep the welfare of the common people in his heart. He urged that one should not indulge in hedonistic pleasures—especially the cravings of the palate or the entanglements of romance—and that it would be best if one were willing to embrace a satchel of explosives to shield the glory of the Li Tang dynasty.

Zhen Qian expressed his ten-thousand-fold agreement, raising both his hands and feet in support!

"Why are you Tang people all such alcoholics? You'll drink yourselves to death!"

As Li Cui warmed to his subject, he kept mouthfuls of wine and food going, yet he couldn't seem to stop talking. He had consumed quite a bit, yet showed no sign of intoxication. Could it be that his Erguotou was counterfeit?

Just as Zhen Qian was feeling frustrated, Li Cui’s guard entered. "Your Highness, the Magistrate, Vice-Magistrate, Sheriff, and Registrar of Luquan County are outside requesting an audience."

Li Cui, right in the middle of his spirited lecture, slammed his wine cup onto the table, his face full of annoyance. "Tell them to go find local physicians to treat the Princess! Why come here to see me? I will not see them!"

Zhen Qian felt deeply vexed. Was this not a case of the cuckoo taking over the nest? He, the master of the house, hadn't even spoken yet!

Very well! You are a Prince, you are the boss, you make the calls. But once these words reached the ears of the Luquan officials, would it be seen as Li Cui putting on airs, or would they think he was the one causing trouble in between? Would he still be able to survive in Luquan County after this?

Zhen Qian knew that this Prince, while having a title in Hengzhou, held no real power. The lower-level officials treated him with outward compliance but secret opposition, leaving Li Cui filled with pent-up rage. But he shouldn't be venting that rage in someone else’s home!

Zhen Qian felt terribly aggrieved. When the city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat suffer. When gods fight, the commoners get trampled. His luck was truly abysmal!

If the Luquan officials failed to see Li Cui, they wouldn't dare hold a grudge against the Prince, but they would surely blame him. At the thought of this, his eyes darted around. "Your Highness, what kind of illness has befallen the Princess? We must not delay her treatment. Perhaps Magistrate Feng and the others have already found a way?"

He wanted them to enter the estate so that their business with Li Cui would no longer involve him.

Li Cui’s heart was tied to his daughter; as long as these officials could cure her, nothing else mattered.

"Let them in!"

Feng Wannian and the other officials walked into the room with trepidation. They looked at the gloomy Li Cui, then at Zhen Qian, who was signaling them with his eyes. There was another man they didn't recognize, but having heard about the Japanese envoy at the gate, they guessed he must be from Japan.

Feng Wannian was also feeling incredibly stifled. It was bad enough that this Prince had come to Luquan County for no reason, but for the Princess to fall ill here was an unmitigated disaster.

"Your Highness, I have already sent men to scour the city for the finest doctors to send to the official relay station. The Princess is suffering from a cold-fever affliction; the chill has entered her bones, and there is pus in her phlegm. I fear... it will be difficult for her to recover in the short term."

Feng Wannian desperately wanted to say that the Princess was beyond saving and that they should buy a burial plot to settle the matter, but he swallowed the words. He hoped that once Li Cui heard the Princess was critical, he would quickly leave Luquan County to seek treatment elsewhere, making it no longer his problem.

Li Cui knew well enough how his daughter was faring. There was a physician in the caravan, but his skills were mediocre; he couldn't treat her, which was why they had been forced to stop in Luquan.

"Is there really not a single renowned doctor in all of Luquan County?"

Feng Wannian grumbled to himself: it depended on who was being treated. The Princess’s status was so delicate that those city doctors were half-scared to death before they even stepped through the door. Who knew who was saving whom? His small temple could not contain such a great deity; he should just find someone more capable.

"In this desolate backwater, where would we find renowned doctors? They are all just charlatans. The Princess's condition cannot be delayed. I hope Your Highness will forgive us!"

Feng Wannian was standing his ground. It wasn't as if he had invited them here; if you're so capable, find a doctor yourself!

Li Cui was so angry he felt his soul leaving his body. He longed to tear Feng Wannian apart, but he could only think it; there was nothing he could actually do to the man.

"Then what are you here for? Get out!"

Feng Wannian wasn't offended. It was the Prince who had refused the county's aid, so the Princess’s life or death no longer concerned him. This was exactly what he had been waiting for. He bowed, turned, and left without a backward glance.

Li Cui ground his teeth in hatred and slammed his fist against the table, sending the wine and dishes flying. The heated kang was left in a mess of discarded plates and cups.

"Your Highness, what if the Princess were brought to my humble residence? While I cannot cure her cold-fever, I might be able to stabilize her for a while."

"Hmm? What did you say?"

Li Cui thought he had misheard. Zhen Qian repeated himself, and the Prince looked even more puzzled. "I had heard that the Zhen family passed down knowledge of mathematics and medicine, but I didn't know you were a physician. Why bring the Princess to your home? Can she not be treated at the relay station?"

The cold-fever ailment sounded simple enough, and in the Tang Dynasty, it wasn't an incurable disease; if diagnosed correctly and treated in time, it was not terminal. But the Princess was of such high status that the local doctors were too intimidated by her authority to prescribe strong medicines, opting instead for conservative treatments that delayed her recovery and allowed the illness to worsen.

"From what Your Highness said, the Princess caught this cold while on the road. The constant jolting has allowed the chill to penetrate her internal organs. My home happens to have a heated room that can help drive the chill from her body. Combined with a prescription I once obtained, I may be able to alleviate her condition."

Li Cui felt what Zhen Qian said made some sense, but could this young man really save his daughter?

"Very well! Bring the Princess here at once. If Master Zhen can cure my daughter, I will ensure your prosperity and wealth for the rest of your life!"

This was the definition of "grasping at straws in a medical emergency."

Even Zhen Qian wasn't certain he could save the Princess, yet Li Cui believed him. But then again, who else was there to trust?

He couldn't be sure of a cure, but stalling for time was possible. "Chaihu, Scutellaria, Ginseng, Pinellia, roasted Licorice, fresh Ginger, and Jujubes. Simmer over a low flame, three bowls of water boiled down to one. Heat the steam bath in the bedroom. As soon as the Princess arrives, have her take the medicine, then sit in the steam room for a quarter of an hour—but be careful not to make it too hot. Give my bedroom to the Princess and prepare plenty of warm salt water and ginger slices..."

Seeing Zhen Qian making preparations with such gravity, Li Cui began to feel a glimmer of hope. "What are the effects of this prescription?"

"This formula is primarily for cold-fever, loss of appetite, irritability, nausea, bitter taste in the mouth, dry throat, and dizziness. It also has curative effects for women’s cold-fever where heat has entered the blood chamber and chill has seeped into the skin. Combined with the steam to force out the internal cold, it should ease her condition."

No one dared to offer a guarantee. If the Princess’s constitution was too weak and she perished before treatment began, who would be held responsible? It was better not to over-promise.

Zhen Qian had his own reasons for stepping in. If Li Cui were to recommend him for an official position, he needed a large tree under which to shelter. Li Cui might not be the best "thigh" to cling to, but he was the only opportunity at present. After all, a Prince was still a Prince; even without much power, his status alone should be enough to shield him from minor storms and rain.