Feng Yu Heng no longer knew how to describe Prince Lian. The flowing blood created a shocking scene, and the finger that had been cut off had fallen to the ground. Laying there on its own, it was like a sorrowful child that had been abandoned by its master.
“If you won’t let me reconnect the finger, I feel that I should stop the bleeding. She reached into her sleeve and pulled out some things that looked very weird to the people of Qian Zhou. “After all that was said, I still don’t know what illness you would have me treat. One surnamed Feng, are all people from Qian Zhou so careless when speaking?”
Prince Lian endured the pain, his face turning pale. In regards to his illness, it was already no longer just an illness. It was his life. After so many years, he should have gotten accustomed to it, but there would still be nights when he would recall his mother’s face. It could be said that he always had something on his mind, but there would be times that he would wander around the streets with his current expression and clothes, and he would look quite well.
Put plainly, this situation had existed for too many years. It had been so long that he could no longer distinguish reality from fantasy. He was even a little confused about himself. How could he explain it clearly to someone else?
Prince Lian spent around an hour to form his thoughts. Only after Feng Yu Heng had finished treating his injury did they hear him say: “I also don’t know if what I have is considered an illness or a poison. I am someone from Qian Zhou that grew up surrounded in poisons. Starting from when I was six years of age, I was sent to a secret location to test out a drug. That drug was created by Qian Zhou’s imperial family. Boys under the age of eight would slowly become girls after being given this drug and being soaked in it. The one that gave me this drug was none other than the emperor, my younger cousin. When my imperial grandfather was alive, it was my father that was the real son of the first wife, and I was the proper imperial grandson. The one with the most right to the throne should have been me, but my cousin’s father and mother had the vilest thoughts. They kidnapped me and imprisoned me in a place that nobody knew about. I don’t know what drug it was, and I had no power to fight back. I could only give up on keeping a record over the years. Slowly, my body became like this.”
Prince Lian looked at his own body and felt his own face. He then brought his hands up to his face before comparing them with Xuan Tian Ming’s hands for a while. He self-mockingly said: “Look, a man’s hands should be like that, but my hands are even more fragile than a woman’s. Do you understand why I need to have that incense burning all the time? That is my medicine. Only by breathing it in can I maintain my appearance, my health and my youth. Once I stop, not only will that disappear, my life will also quickly come to an end. Ya Ya, when I was in Qian Zhou, I heard that you are a divine doctor. Since you are a divine doctor, can you treat my illness of being neither man nor woman?”
He looked at Feng Yu Heng, his face filled with expectation. He suddenly thought of something and informed his guard, “Quickly go to this prince’s wardrobe. There is a small box there with that stuff.”
The guard left quickly. When he returned, he held a small makeup container.
The container was extremely exquisite, and the colored metal of the box was adorned with gems. Prince Lian handed the box over to Feng Yu Heng and opened it, “Look, after I turned ten, every time that I was fed the medicine, I would scoop some out with my fingernail and hold it there until I was released. I’ve managed to save up this much. Take a look. What exactly is it?”
Feng Yu Heng never thought that someone that appeared as inattentive as Prince Lian would actually be so complicated. She just could not understand. In this situation, was Prince Lian currently a male or a female?
She was too embarrassed to ask this question, but Xuan Tian Ming understood her feelings the best, as he took the initiative to dispell any doubts: “Qian Zhou has never announced to the public that there was a female prince. Thinking about it, your Highness Prince Lian should still be considered a man in the eyes of the public.”
Prince Lian smiled bitterly, “When they let me out, the current ruler had already been crowned. I have no knowledge of anything in the outside world. I heard about everything after I was let out. Perhaps it was for the sake of making reparations, but he gave me the position of Prince Lian. In addition to this, my father was once the crown prince, and he had the right to lead 100 thousand soldiers. He felt that with me becoming a woman, I was no longer a threat, thus he allowed me to continue living.”
The more he said, the fiercer his eyes became. The hand that held the makeup container shook uncontrollably. Xuan Tian Ming personally received the box to prevent him from crushing it in his hand; however, he heard Prince Lian continue: “I’ve already investigated it in secret. Do you know who else was present when this prince was poisoned?”
Feng Yu Heng’s mind was stirred, as she rushed to say: “Duan Mu An Guo?”
Once this name was spoken, Prince Lian’s expression became dark. Xuan Tian Ming, however, suddenly said: “A few years ago, there were spies that said that Duan Mu An Guo had a magician at his side and was very well versed in all kinds of poisons.”
Feng Yu Heng brought her nose closer to the box and sniffed.* She could smell a few different medical herbs, but there were some things that did not seem to be medicine. Instead, they were a little similar to modern chemicals. She could not immediately determine what sort of medicine this way; however, she could basically guess the effects of the medicine, “It changes the genes in the body. It is a drug that reduces male signatures and abilities. This is filled with female hormones. If a boy begins using it from a young age, he can change the direction of his development. The chest will grow, and the waist will become thin. It will completely prevent the ability to reproduce; however, the reproduction organs will still remain intact. The people that use this sort of product are usually very beautiful, and there will not be any too noticeable differences from women. It’s just that the hands and feet will be the same size as for men, and the voice will be a little thicker.”
While she spoke, she looked carefully at Prince Lian. She looked at the hands, legs and chest. Prince Lian felt awkward from being stared at and helplessly said: “My chest is larger than a man’s, but it still cannot compare to a woman’s.” After saying this, she looked sideways at Ban Zou, “Didn’t he say that my chest is small. But my hands and feet are also small.” He extended his hands and feet, “Look, they’re much smaller.”
Indeed, Prince Lian’s hands and feet seemed to belong to a woman. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to have foolishly not suspected anything. This person’s hands and feet were small, and he did not have an Adam’s apple. He also looked so beautiful. It could only be blamed on her being too young. She could not even tell if he was male or female.
Ban Zou asked him with a wicked smile: “Do you still have something in that place?”
Prince Lian’s face turned bright red, and Feng Yu Heng also said: “Since I am to treat your illness, I need to know everything.”**
She then watched that person nod his head, “It is there, but it’s very small.”
She could practically determine what had happened. Using a supportive medicine, they managed to produce this Prince Lian, harming the grandson of the first wife. This allowed the current emperor to successfully ascend the throne. The reason that they kept Prince Lian without killing him, she figured, was that the ruler of Qian Zhou wished to use this person to perform experiments, right? They wanted to see just what Prince Lian would end up looking like after all of the drugs and to see how long he could live. Using this, they would calculate whether or not this drug could be considered a success.
This illness… was not one that she could definitely treat.
Prince Lian cautiously asked her: “Is there any hope?”
Feng Yu Heng nodded, “There is, but it requires some testing, and it’s not something that can be done in a single sitting. You will need to follow me the entire time. As a whole, applying the poison was an experiment. Detoxifying the poison is also an experiment. Both sides are engaged in this experiment, and this is a race to see whether their poison will act faster or if I can remove it faster.”
Prince Lian let out a sigh of relief. Although Feng Yu Heng did not give him a straight answer, she was the only person after all of these years to say that there was some hope. Da Shun’s divine doctors really were extraordinary. They did not distort the risk that he took to make friends with them.
Prince Lian was extremely grateful. The guard at his side dropped to his knees and kowtowed three times to Feng Yu Heng without saying a single word.
Only then did Prince Lian say: “Ya Ya, you’ve given me hope. No matter what the end result of this hope is, I will thank you. Aside from this Luo City, this prince wishes to give you another grand gift.” As he spoke, he said to his guard, “Call General Hei over.”
The guard very quickly brought a brave general into the hall. Prince Lian pointed at this person and said: “This prince has 100 thousand soldiers under my command. They are Qian Zhou’s sturdiest soldiers. Over the generations, only the sons and grandsons of the first wife have been permitted to join. They will be a gift from this prince to Ya Ya. Just take them with you to fight your way into the capital. Drag Feng Zhao Yin from the throne for me to see!”
The more he said, the more emotional he became. By the end, he simply got out of his chair, and an aura of anger filled the room. Everyone was surprised. It seemed as though the entire hall was shaking.
“General Hei, receive the order.” Prince Lian gave a shout, and General Hei immediately kneeled before him, “Listen, starting from today, 100 thousand soldiers from Qian Zhou’s army will belong to Da Shun’s imperial daughter Ji An. This prince will provide the imperial tally. You should greet your new master!”
General Hei’s eyes lit up, seemingly understanding something. A look a joy appeared on his face, as he quickly asked: “Has imperial daughter Ji An agreed to your Highness’ request?”
Prince Lian slightly nodded with a look of relief on his face.
General Hei did not say another word and quickly turned toward Feng Yu Heng. Like the guard before, he kowtowed three times to Feng Yu Heng and loudly said: “This subordinate’s name is Hei Tian. Starting from today, I will obey imperial daughter Ji An’s orders and will place the troops under your command!”
Prince Lian handed over a plaque to Feng Yu Heng: “Take care of it. It’s made of thousand-year-old ice. It will not even melt in hot places.”
Feng Yu Heng looked at Xuan Tian Ming, her intention was: Do we want it?
Xuan Tian Ming spread his hands, “This was the result of your hard work. Of course, we want it.”
She nodded and received the ice plaque from Prince Lian’s hand. Once the thousand-year-old ice touched her skin, a chill pierced her skin. She trembled and threw the tally over to Xuan Tian Ming, “I don’t want it. I’ll give it to you.”
Xuan Tian Ming smiled wryly, “I tell you all the time to properly train yourself, but you refuse to listen.” He held it in his hand, but there was a slight look of discomfort.
Prince Lian laughed. The ice that had frozen his heart for many years had been resolved. That feeling was truly the same as when he had been freed from that dark place. He immediately felt as though the world had expanded. In the past, he had been kept in the gloomy Qian Zhou, but it now seemed that some light could shine through, giving him a bit of hope.
This laughter grew louder and louder. Slowly, Feng Yu Heng was filled with that earlier feeling of surprise once more. She felt that Prince Lian’s laughter was causing the entire hall to begin shaking.
Was this person’s voice really that loud?
Just as this doubt appeared, the shaking suddenly intensified. She grabbed a hold of Xuan Tian Ming while nearly falling. She wanted that evildoer to stop laughing, but it was at this time that a soldier ran in from the outside with a horrified expression. Arriving before everyone, he urgently said: “Your Highness, something terrible has happened!”