Chapter 661 - 663: Secrets of the Chengshui Country’s Imperial Family
After dinner, Bai Ruozhu brought up the incident of being threatened by Zhou Jue to hand over the suturing technique.
"You..." Jiang Yichun’s eyes widened in anger, "You are really bold, aren’t you? How dare you lie to me?"
Bai Ruozhu gave him a lukewarm look, "If you dare to scare me and cause me trouble, you ought to be prepared, right?"
Jiang Yichun was choked with her words, his fiery momentum cooled instantly, "Even so, you cannot hide things like this from me. This is a life-threatening matter."
Seeing his spirits dampened, Bai Ruozhu softened her tone, "I have managed to stall him for now. It guarantees temporary safety. Besides, I don’t think he would dare to reveal it, and the Imperial Court probably won’t cause me any trouble."
"Did you really use the cowpox technique on him? Or was it all a bluff?" Jiang Yichun furrowed his brows.
"Of course, it’s real. You think I have a death wish to trick such people?" Bai Ruozhu looked at his discontent and rolled her eyes at him directly.
"Doesn’t that give Chengshui too much advantage?" Jiang Yichun’s eyebrows wrinkled even deeper.
Bai Ruozhu lifted her hand to smooth out the crease between her brows, reproached him with another glance, and said, "It’s surprising that you’re a medical student but you don’t see that it’s for the good of the people. Aren’t the people of Chengshui Country also humans? And do you really think any technology can be kept secret forever? Maybe in a few years, it will be obtained by the Danliang Country, and the people there could be spared from the torment of chickenpox."
"For a doctor, healing the sick has no borders." She added.
Jiang Yichun was silent. His gaze towards her brightened. She was always filled with ideas, and it made him realize his own narrow-mindedness.
"You’re right, but we mustn’t let anyone else know of this. The Imperial Court will certainly deal with you harshly once they get wind of it." He gently stroked her silky dark hair, his eyes full of affection.
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "Only you know about it. But I’m quite curious, why does Zhou Jue behave in a feminine manner? When I tried to guess his identity, he said he wasn’t a prince but a princess from Chengshui."
Jiang Yichun almost burst into laughter, "Good thing you didn’t call him effeminate to his face, or he would certainly despise you. This isn’t really a secret among the three countries, so Zhou Jue is more famous than the several princes of Chengshui Country. Not because of his abilities, but because he, a man, is brought up as a woman."
Bai Ruozhu grew interested. This was indeed a royal secret. It was beyond her understanding that the Chengshui royal family would allow such a thing.
Seeing her excitement, Jiang Yichun continued, "The current Emperor of Chengshui Country is Emperor Longchang, Zhou Xinghong. He is quite licentious and indulges in pleasure. He behaves somewhat absurdly. His one regret was not having a daughter. He had son after son, and when Zhou Jue, the sixth prince, was born, he couldn’t bear it anymore and decided to raise Zhou Jue as his daughter."
Bai Ruozhu suddenly remembered that the butterfly had mentioned being forcibly fed poison since its childhood. Could it be...
"Did Zhou Xinghong feed his son drugs to turn him into a girl? That’s sick!" Bai Ruozhu was so shocked she almost yelled out loud.
Jiang Yichun nodded, "Unfortunately, Zhou Jue is pitiful. His biological mother passed away soon after his birth, and they say she was once the most beautiful woman in Chengshui. I’m not sure whether Zhou Xinghong blames Zhou Jue for his beloved consort’s death, or if he is just used to his whims. Either way, the poor child has never had his mother’s protection, has been called a princess since childhood, and is dressed like a little girl. And Zhou Jue inherited his mother’s good genetics, showing signs of his mother’s beauty when he was only six or seven. They say Zhou Xinghong missed his dead wife so much that he gave Zhou Jue medication, worried that as he grew older, he would lose likeness to his mother."
Bai Ruozhu was dazed, she had a feeling that something was off about this story.
Jiang Yichun lowered his voice and continued, "As far as I know, that old emperor was so lustful and enchanted by his own son’s beauty that he did a lot of inappropriate things. The obscenities even reached Danliang and the Turkic countries. Luckily, Zhou Jue wasn’t all that unfortunate, he found a master from somewhere and learned to poison, in time to prevent himself from fully transforming into a woman by the drugs. But since he was drugged from such a young age, he grew to look like what he is now."
Bai Ruozhu shivered, she was thankful she didn’t transmigrate to Chengshui Country. That old emperor was a sick pervert with incestuous tendencies. He transformed his own son into a girl and then...
If Zhou Jue had a ’bromance’ going on with a handsome royal brother, it would even satisfy her imagination as a fujoshi, but with an old emperor, there was no beauty in that. Just thinking about it sent chills down her spine.
The two of them then discussed how Zhou Jue should be dealt with if he came again. Jiang Yichun did not approve of Bai Ruozhu taking it into her hands. With Zhou Jue being so cunning, skilled in martial arts, and proficient in poisoning, if he somehow managed to escape, he would surely come back for revenge against the Bai family. It was a risk Jiang Yichun was not willing to take. He couldn’t let Bai Ruozhu and her family face even the slightest danger.
After some thought, Bai Ruozhu admitted she might not be much help, and it was best to avoid endangering her family.
The next day, when they were supposed to head to the Hot Spring Mansion for relaxation, they were visited by Tu Ying.
"Ruozhu, I’ve arranged a competition with Lord Xu, come and cheer me on." As soon as Tu Ying entered the room, she shouted excitedly at Bai Ruozhu. However, her eyes were obviously scanning towards Bai Zepei’s room, clearly wanting to invite Bai Zepei as well.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help laughing, "In that case, I must go. Even if I’m not cheering for you, I would surely not miss such a spectacle. I’ll ask my second brother if he wants to come along."
Tu Ying was so moved she almost hugged Ruozhu. Ruozhu really understood people so well.
Bai Ruozhu went to her second brother’s room, only to see him reading a book. However, there was a slight crease in his brows. It was clear that he had heard the commotion outside and was now feeling somewhat conflicted.
"Second brother, are you going or not?" Bai Ruozhu asked softly.
"Going where?" Bai Zepei feigned ignorance.
Bai Ruozhu rolled her eyes at him, "You heard everything, why are you still playing dumb? I truly don’t understand what you’re thinking, too mature for your age."
"Not going." Bai Zepei uttered coldly, his gaze returning to his book.
Bai Ruozhu snatched his book, "Do you really not like Tu Ying? If so, I’ll tell her clearly. Let her know it’s your intention not to lead her on, so as not to waste her prime years."
Bai Zepei’s gaze flickered, but he quickly lowered his eyelids, his long lashes blocking the light in his eyes, making it impossible for Bai Ruozhu to see what he was thinking.
"Suit yourself." He replied, obviously in a very bad mood.