Perhaps before today, Doctor Zhou's understanding of the term "fugitive" had only stopped at its literal meaning.
But today, he finally understood what it meant to be a fugitive.
The person on the bed was clearly injured all over and had lost half of his life. His pulse and breathing were weak, but he could still turn a deaf ear to it. He calmly allowed Doctor Zhou to remove the rotten flesh and sprinkle medicinal powder on him. He even had the time to remind Doctor Zhou not to play any tricks and steal the antidote in advance.
Doctor Zhou naturally did not dare to do so. He trembled as he applied the medicine.
The robe on his upper body was removed. What entered Doctor Zhou's eyes were the crisscrossing whip wounds on his taut muscles. The severity of the punishment was already lacerated, and the new wounds were stacked on top of the old ones. Perhaps it was because the torture tools were dipped in salt water, but the wounds did not scab and were faintly showing signs of festering.
More than a month in prison. Just from looking at him, it could be seen how long each day felt like a year.
If these wounds were on someone else, even if they did not die from the pain, they would have been unable to move long ago. But when this person wore a robe, if one did not look at his face, it was as if he was not injured at all.
Doctor Zhou had been a doctor for so many years, but he had never seen such a ruthless person.
It was said that people who were ruthless to themselves would not be soft-hearted to others. Therefore, Doctor Zhou did not doubt the authenticity of the other party's medicine. He could only accept his fate. From now on, he would most likely have to listen to his orders.
The process of applying medicine was rather long. It was only when Huo Wujiu's upper body was almost completely wrapped in gauze that it finally came to an end.
"Your injuries are too severe and have already lost Qi and blood. After the wounds heal, there is no guarantee that they will become inflamed and feverish. In serious cases, it could be life-threatening. I will prescribe a few more medicines for you to take orally. You … "
Huo Wujiu, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly opened his mouth and interrupted him.
"Look at my legs," he said.
Doctor Zhou was stunned by the interruption, and only then did he realize what he was talking about.
However, before he could react, Huo Wujiu had already quietly bent down. He pulled up his robe with one hand and rolled up his trousers with the other.
It was a pair of slender, straight legs that looked like they were filled with strength.
However, under the scars and bloodstains, the shocking wounds that were deep enough to see the bones were clearly visible.
That was a wound left behind when his flesh was cut and his meridians were severed.
Doctor Zhou only took a glance and then looked away in panic. Although his medical skills were not bad, he was not a peerless divine doctor. With just a glance, he knew that there was no medicine that could cure such injuries.
He looked at Huo Wujiu.
She saw that pair of deep, black eyes quietly looking at the wound where the flesh had been flipped open.
He was so calm that even Doctor Zhou was scared.
"Can you still stand up?" He heard Huo Wujiu ask.
Doctor Zhou hesitated for a moment before carefully saying, "I'd better bandage your leg as well. If the wound festers, it will be difficult to treat."
He carefully avoided Huo Wujiu's question, which could be considered as telling him that there was no hope.
Huo Wujiu said nothing.
A moment later, he grunted and let go of the cloth in his hand. He sat up and leaned back against the wheelchair.
He was very quiet.
Doctor Zhou did not dare to look at his face again. However, when he bent forward and applied medicine on his leg, he saw his hand on his knee.
The meridians on the back of his hand bulged. His five fingers clenched tightly and broke the old wound in his palm.
—
After Jiang Suzhou said that, he clearly felt that the successor was satisfied.
In other words, the successor was not satisfied with what he said, but with the unhappiness on his face when he said it.
The successor seemed to be especially malicious towards him. He especially liked to build his happiness on his pain.
After Jiang Suzhou agreed, the matter naturally came to an end. The successor seemed to have lost interest in the imperial court. Several officials had a report to submit, but he listened to it with disinterest. He waved his hand and said that he would let the Prime Minister make the decision.
The imperial court had become Pang Shao's territory.
Therefore, the morning court did not last long. It ended with a yawn from the successor.
Jiang Suzhou followed the officials out of Guangyuan Palace Hall and pursed his lips.
He really did not expect that the successor's purpose in coming to the imperial court was to ridicule him.
However, it seemed that the successor hated Huo Wujiu. At the same time, his attitude towards him was not much better. Now, Jiang Suzhou and Huo Wujiu were tied together. It would be much easier for the successor to vent his anger.
Jiang Suzhou lowered his eyes and walked down the stairs step by step.
He originally thought that he was already at death's door. He did not expect that he could still walk to this point with difficulty.
At this moment, someone passed by him.
"Your Highness's actions are really disappointing!" The voice was old and gloomy.
Jiang Suzhou looked up and saw an old official with white hair and beard walking two to three feet away.
When he turned around, Jiang Suzhou was stunned.
… The portrait in the historical records was so similar to the person in person!
That person was none other than Jing Mo's only remaining good minister, Taichang Ling Qi Min.
This person was an old official of the third generation of the Jing Dynasty. He was honest and upright. He was one of the few officials who dared to stand up against Pang Shao in the imperial court.
Jiang Suzhou looked at him in a daze. He did not speak for a while. Qi Min did not give him any face. He glanced at him and waved his sleeve, saying, "Your Highness, how can you give up the painstaking efforts of your colleagues in the Ministry of Rites for the sake of your reputation?"
After he finished speaking, he turned to leave.
Jiang Suzhou came back to his senses.
… He did not expect that his guess in the imperial court was actually true.
Although he appeared to be an idle prince, the silent officials in the court seemed to have subconsciously treated him as their backbone. Now, Qi Min's words completely confirmed his guess.
Seeing that Qi Min was about to leave, Jiang Suzhou caught up with him and hurriedly spoke.
"Does the Prefect think that this prince is only doing this for my own reputation?" He asked in a low voice.
After confirming this, Jiang Suzhou knew that he could not say or do nothing at this time.
The officials all had their own motives for forming cliques.They secretly gathered under his command. Even Qi Min was involved in this mess. Their motive was most likely to be to fight against Pang Shao.
He still had three years to spend with these people. If he did not appease them well, he would probably die in the imperial court before Huo Wujiu beheaded him.
So …
What he had to do now was to fool them.
For example, Qi Min in front of him. Although he had been an official for three dynasties and was the Prefect of the Prefect, in the end, he was just an official in charge of the ancestral temple etiquette. This kind of high-ranking official, although his position was high, did not have any real power. Presumably, he was a righteous person and would not curry favor or fight for power.
This kind of person was easier to scare.
Sure enough, when he heard Jiang Suzhou's words, Qi Min paused and slowed down his footsteps.
When Jiang Suzhou saw this, he quickly sneered and said in an unfathomable tone.
"The Prime Minister can openly manipulate His Majesty to fight with me in the imperial court today. Don't tell me that he can't do other things in the future?" He said. "The construction of the ancestral temple is related to our ancestors. If something happens here, Prefect of the Prefect, this is not something that you and I can bear."
Sure enough, Qi Min did not say anything else.
Jiang Suzhou smiled faintly, quickened his pace, and brushed past him.
"Prefect of the Prefect, what I want is not to save my own reputation," he said.
"I want to save your lives."
—
After leaving such a meaningful sentence, he swaggered off without looking back.
After all, the best effect was to leave things unsaid and let the other party ponder and speculate.
Moreover, the other party was an old-fashioned and conservative old man.
After getting on the carriage waiting outside Kaiyang Gate, Jiang Suzhou secretly turned his head and saw Qi Min standing in front of Zhengyang Gate with a solemn expression on his face. No one knew what he was thinking.
… He was really fooled by him.
Jiang Suzhou could not help but smile a little.
Although he was now in a hopeless situation with wolves in front and tigers behind, and all of them could kill him, it seemed quite interesting to find joy in suffering.
For example, he could scare the great loyal minister whose name would go down in history. After that old man returned home, he would not be able to eat for a few days because of his ambiguous words.
This feeling was quite strange.
Although he originally chose to stay in school because he wanted to be a salted fish pretending to be a high-level intellectual, studying history was his hobby.
After all, his family was chaotic since he was a child. His father relied on the fact that he had some money and changed wives more frequently than he changed carriages. Not only did he have many children, but each of them had their own mother. Those children knew how to group up from a young age. Jiang Suzhou was more miserable. His mother only gave birth to him, and he was too quiet and did not like to talk.
His father and the other children played tricks at home, while Jiang Suzhou hid in his room to read books.
However, books were books after all. They were just words. Now, he could actually watch those people from a thousand years ago in the history books come and go in front of him. It seemed … quite interesting.
Jiang Suzhou had always been good at finding joy in suffering.
Therefore, he put down the curtain in a good mood and sat back down.
The carriage set off. While looking at the scenery outside through the fluttering curtain, he made plans in his heart.
The court officials could not be neglected, but the most important thing was still the Huo Wujiu in his residence. He came from the future, so he had seen the spoilers. He knew that no matter how they fought, the dynasty would be destroyed in three years.
Since that was the case, there was no point in fighting Pang Shao to death. Therefore, he only needed to appease them and fool them for the next three years. That would be enough.
The carriage swayed as it passed through the wide streets of Lin 'an. It turned into Qinghe District and stopped in front of Imperial Prince Jing's Estate.
Jiang Suzhou got off the carriage and went to Anyin Hall, where he lived.
His official position was leisurely, so he did not have to go to the yamen for morning court. He wanted to rush to Imperial Prince Jing's study and flip through the letters and memorials in his room to understand more.
However, at the entrance of Anyin Hall, a maid who was about to cry blocked his way.
"… Your Highness!" The maid was dressed exquisitely. She must be someone's personal maid.
"Madam Gu was wronged this morning and is crying right now. Your Highness, please help her!"
Jiang Suzhou was stunned.
… What Madam Gu?
He frowned and said in a low voice. "… What's the matter?"
The maid hurriedly said, "This morning, Madam Huo, who just entered the residence, happened to bump into my master when she was moving out. My master just chatted with her for a while, and she attacked him. You've injured Master! "
Jiang Suizhou's originally much more relaxed expression stiffened bit by bit at the maidservant's words.
… He did not expect that the original owner of the body not only married Huo Wujiu, but also had other concubines in his backyard.
He also did not expect that there would be a fight between men.