Chapter 50: The King of Qi Stands Firm

King Qi, Luo Feng, and all those attending to the young prince watched Chu Yun with hope and anticipation. They dearly wished that Chu Yun could cure the prince. In contrast, though Zhou Bing was equally curious about Chu Yun’s medical methods, he harbored an uneasy worry—afraid Chu Yun might truly succeed in healing the prince.

Chu Yun, however, wore a confident smile and spoke in a calm, unhurried tone: “The human body is covered with pores, which can perspire and, naturally, also absorb medicinal decoctions. Just as many external plasters are absorbed through the skin to dispel illness and restore health, so too can this method be effective.”

These words made sense. King Qi, Luo Feng, and the prince’s attendants could not help but break into smiles of delight. Yet Zhou Bing felt even more displeased, unable to conceal his emotions, so much so that an unpleasant expression spread across his face.

King Qi, noticing his countenance, misunderstood and simply assumed Zhou Bing was frustrated at himself for failing to think of such a simple method. He laughed cheerfully, “Ha! Physician Chu, you are truly ingenious! Celestial Master Zhou, what do you think of Physician Chu’s treatment method?”

Clearly, King Qi was shifting some responsibility onto Zhou Bing. This way, if Chu Yun failed to cure the prince, Zhou Bing would share the blame and would find it harder to accuse Chu Yun of wrongdoing. King Qi already recognized Chu Yun’s talent and did not want to lose such a gifted man over the life of the ailing prince.

But Zhou Bing, having risen to the leadership of the Great Qi Dynasty’s branch of the Shamanic Medical Sect, was cunning indeed. He immediately discerned the king’s intent and waved his hand, saying, “I have never tried the method Physician Chu described, but the ability of the body to absorb medicinal decoctions through the pores is rather limited. I fear it may not suffice to heal the prince…”

At this point, Zhou Bing fell silent, suddenly realizing his own misstep. Regret welled up inside him; he almost wished he could slap his own mouth. By saying this, if Chu Yun failed, the blame would not fall entirely on him, but at the same time, Chu Yun would escape punishment.

King Qi smiled, quietly relieved that he could now protect such a rare talent.

Fearing Zhou Bing might retract his words or come up with a countermeasure, King Qi quickly turned to Chu Yun, “Physician Chu, since Celestial Master Zhou believes this method may not cure my son, you need only do your best. I have already made preparations for his passing and hold little hope.”

Chu Yun bowed and replied, “Your Majesty, I will do all I can! But to maximize the chance of healing the prince, I must request certain privileges for convenience.”

King Qi immediately summoned the steward of the Eastern Palace, ordering that everyone in the palace was to obey Chu Yun’s instructions without question—any disobedience would be punished by death.

Chu Yun offered a respectful bow in thanks and set to work. He directed some people to the pharmacy to prepare five full prescriptions according to his formula, and others to the woodhouse for firewood and five cauldrons, which were all brought to the prince’s chamber.

Luo Feng, seeing this, could not help but ask, “Physician Chu, what are you doing with firewood and cauldrons in the prince’s room?”

King Qi, equally curious, turned to Chu Yun. Zhou Bing frowned, unable to fathom what Chu Yun was planning.

Chu Yun only smiled and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll soon understand.”

Everyone nodded and refrained from further questions, watching in silence as Chu Yun proceeded with his treatment.

Once all the items were brought in and preparations complete, Chu Yun had the prince’s bed moved to the center of the room. He then instructed that cauldrons be placed at each corner of the bed, ready for decoction.

Before boiling the medicine, however, he meticulously inspected each batch to ensure the correct ingredients had been used, wary even under the king’s watchful eyes that someone might have tampered with the herbs. Thankfully, everything was in order.

Evidently, his prescription was the same as Celestial Master Zhou’s, only with more precise measurements, so Zhou Bing dared not risk sabotaging the process, lest his own formula be called into question.

Next, Chu Yun ordered the prince’s clothes to be removed—completely. Zhou Bing seized the opportunity, thinking he had finally caught Chu Yun in a misstep, and interjected, “Your Majesty, the prince is your heir, the future of the dynasty. To be stripped bare before so many—what propriety is this?”

The palace staff, hearing this, hesitated to undress the prince. King Qi frowned, beginning to feel uneasy about the procedure. But after glancing at Chu Yun, he declared, “It matters not. I have said that all should follow Physician Chu’s instructions. Besides, the prince is a man, and we are all men here—there is no harm. If he were a woman, we would have the palace maids assist, and the rest of us would withdraw.”

Zhou Bing had not expected King Qi to so staunchly support Chu Yun, and he fell silent. The palace staff, having received the king’s approval, promptly undressed the prince as instructed.

Chu Yun then said, “Now, boil the medicine around the prince’s bed. Make sure the firewood produces no smoke, and fan the steam from the decoction toward his body. The prince must remain enveloped in the hot medicinal vapor at all times. If the steam becomes overwhelming, a dampened piece of hemp cloth may be draped over his face.”

The palace steward immediately selected four attendants, each donning a wet cloth, and set about boiling the medicine around the prince’s bed.

Soon, the entire room was filled with swirling mist, dense as a fairyland, heavy with the fragrance of medicine.