The three of them had been arguing here for so long that the medicine had almost cooled down and looked even more bitter.
People who were unwilling to drink before are now even less willing to look at it.
After Wei Yutang saw through his plan, he frowned slightly with a hint of helplessness and could only nod.
"Never mind, it's probably not a big deal if we don't use it for one day."
Although he said this, every time a doctor examined the Empress, His Majesty would summon the doctor to the Imperial Study and ask him questions in detail.
The doctors kept repeating the same advice: take the medicine properly, don't get angry, don't think too much, and take good care of yourself. It's not impossible to live to be a hundred years old.
After all, being born into the imperial family, the Imperial Hospital had countless precious medicinal herbs that ordinary people could only dream of.
His Majesty also dotes on the Empress, and all the medicinal herbs in the Imperial Medical Academy are prepared for her. The occasional tributes from the surrounding small countries are also medicinal herbs, all in an effort to please Wei Yutang.
The reason for saying this is that His Majesty knows himself well. Even if he didn't say it, there probably wouldn't be any other way to appease the Empress and make her drink the medicine. After thinking it over, he could only let him do as he pleased.
When the young prince saw that his father was no longer as cruel as he had been when he forced him to drink medicine, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He was too young at the time to resist his father's clutches, but now he is grown up and has the ability to protect his father. He will never let his father suffer the same pain he did.
After finishing his meal, Chu Qing returned to his bedchamber. After all, he hadn't fully recovered yet, and staying outside for too long made him feel rather listless.
Xia Xia originally wanted to go with his father. After standing with his father and disobeying his father, even just being away from his father for a short while gave him the feeling that he would be punished by his father soon.
Unfortunately, he hadn't gone far when his father summoned him down, using the excuse of checking his studies. Even Chu Qing couldn't stop him.
Xiaxia watched helplessly as her father got further and further away from her until he disappeared completely. Only then did she quickly put on a smile.
He approached his father with exceptional deference and asked him why he had been kept behind.
You shouldn't be like that.
Xiaxia didn't take her father's words seriously, especially when she saw the medicine still there.
Even from this distance, I can smell the bitterness of the medicine. If Father were to drink it, he definitely wouldn't need to eat again tonight.
"Your subject already knows he was wrong and promises it won't happen again."
The young prince is always quick to admit his mistakes. On several occasions, before His Majesty could even react, he had already thoroughly examined the mistakes he had made.
His Majesty wanted to reprimand him, but didn't know where to begin.
Unfortunately, this time it's not like the small mistakes I made before, which can be easily overlooked.
After speaking, the young prince carefully observed his father's expression. When he noticed that Wei Yutang's expression had not eased at all, he stared at his father nervously.
He was, after all, his own son, even though he had been a little angry with him before.
However, when this kind of thing happens now, it's still necessary to make things clear to Xiaxia in advance. Otherwise, it would be reasonable for Xiaxia to side with her father.
"You did something wrong this time."
"Father, I know I was wrong and I promise I won't do it again."
After saying this, the young prince silently refuted it in his heart. If his father was forced to drink such bitter medicine again next time, he would still help his father persuade the emperor.
My father can't be as lively and energetic as I am; it's already pitiful enough that he can't go around looking for things.
Now he's being forced to drink such bitter medicine; just thinking about it makes the young prince feel a pang of heartache.
“I know you feel sorry for your father, but in this matter, you must do as I say.”
The young prince nodded earnestly on the surface, bowing to his father in accordance with the etiquette his tutor had taught him. From any perspective, it was impeccable.
Unfortunately, His Majesty, who knows the young crown prince very well, saw through his insincerity at a glance. He agrees readily now, but when the time comes, he will probably still do as he pleases.
"Since you've already promised, you can't go back on your word. If something like this happens again..."
Wei Yutang had just gotten to this point when he realized it was the current time, and quickly changed his tune.
"I need to take my medication tonight, so I'll have to trouble you with this."
Xiaxia never imagined that her father had already chosen the date for her by simply making a casual remark.
What's wrong with this father? Can't he see that I was just making empty promises?
"I can let other things go, but only you can supervise me when it comes to taking my medicine."
Xiaxia felt that her father's words made some sense, but it was precisely because her father trusted her that she could not let him down.
"did you know……"
"hold head high?"
"The doctor said before that if your father is unwilling to take his medicine properly, he may not live to see you come of age."
Wei Yutang originally did not intend to tell Xia Xia this, but now he realized that if he didn't tell her, the little guy would definitely not be able to help him persuade Chu Qing to drink the medicine.
These words struck Xia Xia like a thunderbolt, causing him to instinctively widen his eyes and turn pale.
"Ah...ah?"
"Father, are you lying to me?"
Chapter 78
Xiaxia could only hear about her father from other people and guess what kind of person he was from these snippets of information.
Now that I finally have a chance to meet my father, I haven't even had a chance to spend time with him properly before I hear this news.
Even though her father and tutors had taught her many times that as the crown prince of a country, she needed to have a strong will, Xia Xia couldn't hold back anymore. Her eyes were red and tears were welling up in her eyes.
"I have no reason to lie to you."
Wei Yutang did not blame Xia Xia for not having the bearing of a prince. Instead, he knelt down in front of him and wiped away his tears.
“I have instructed people to find a well-known doctor in the countryside, and your maternal grandfather’s family is also helping, but your father is unwilling to cooperate, and the medicine he takes every day is being thrown away.”
Even the most skilled doctor can't stop a patient from taking their medicine.
After all, this is about seeking medical treatment, not about seeking immortality.
The former is something a person can do, but the latter requires going to a temple or Taoist temple.
"medicine……"
Xiaxia murmured unconsciously, thinking of the bowl of medicine that had been thrown away after it had cooled down, and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.
"Father, please trouble the Imperial Hospital to prepare another dose of medicine. I will go and coax you to drink it."
"good."
Chu Qing didn't get to sleep until dusk this time. He was woken up by the sound of children an hour after lying down. When he opened his eyes, Xia Xia was standing by the bed.
"Father, it's so late."
Are you bored?
Chu Qing lifted the covers and slowly got up, beckoning to him. Xia Xia skillfully snuggled into her father's arms and softly hummed in agreement.
"Father, do you love your son?"
When Xiaxia asked that question, Chu Qing almost automatically assumed that Xiaxia felt insecure because the original owner of the body had neglected him, and answered without any hesitation:
"Love, of course it is love."
"Then how will Father prove it?"
"How does Xiaxia want me to prove it?"
Xiaxia nestled in Chu Qing's arms, tilted her head back, and gently waved her little hand behind her back, beckoning the person who brought the medicine to come forward quickly.
A bowl of medicine was placed on a tray and brought to Chu Qing. Chu Qing frowned subconsciously, and before she could speak, the young prince spoke first:
"If Father loves his son, then drink this medicine."
"Father, please drink, please drink."
Faced with his son's coquettishness, Chu Qing simply couldn't refuse. While he hesitated, Xia Xia had already picked up the medicine bowl and scooped up a spoonful.
"Your son feeds Father."
Chu Qing took the medicine from Xia Xia and drank it all in one gulp.
Rather than drinking it spoonful by spoonful, it was better to just drink it straight. The bitterness in her throat made Chu Qing gag involuntarily. Xiao Zhu brought out the candied fruit that had been prepared in advance.
Xiaxia picked up a piece of candied fruit with her little hands and fed it to her father.
"Father won't feel bitter if he eats this."
"good."
The bitterness in my throat lingered for a long time. The palace was very large, and one side was shady in the afternoon. With the added shade of many large trees, it wasn't too hot to walk around inside.
Chu Qing led Xia Xia to see the lotus flowers. Xiao Zhu held an oil-paper umbrella in her hand and winked at a servant, signaling him to quickly instruct the Imperial Hospital to prepare the medicine.
With the young prince present, the Empress will likely drink tonight as well.
In the afternoon, Wei Yutang heard a servant come to report that the Empress had drunk a whole bowl of medicine today at the urging of the young prince.
After he realized that Chu Qing didn't like Xia Xia, he rarely let Xia Xia interact with Chu Qing. One reason was that he was worried that Chu Qing would be unhappy, and the other was that he was afraid that Xia Xia would be sad.
I never thought that I could use this to coax Chu Qing into obeying me.
The Crown Prince had become quite plump from being pampered in the Empress's palace, and his mischievousness gave Wei Yutang a bit of a headache.
Before, she could still coldly reprimand him and scold him for doing certain things, but now, as soon as she opened her mouth, this little guy knew to use his father as an excuse to bring it up.
Although she wasn't as easy to manage as before, she had the lively charm that Wei Yutang really liked.
The Empress's recent changes have caused Wei Yutang's attitude towards Xia Xia to shift from initially hoping that he could become a qualified Crown Prince to now simply wishing that he could be happy.
As long as I can coax Chu Qing to take her medicine on time every day, nothing else is that important.
With the young prince watching over her every day, Chu Qing had no choice but to force herself to drink all the medicine, even if she didn't want to. After so much time, her complexion looked much better.
When the doctor his maternal grandparents had just found took his pulse, Xiaxia watched him carefully from the side.
The doctor was quite old. After taking the pulse, he gently stroked his beard and said slowly:
"Judging from the pulse, if the Empress takes good care of herself, there shouldn't be any major problems with her health. However, she still needs to be careful on a daily basis."
Xia Xia was relieved to hear this, as was Chu Qing. He rested his forehead on one hand, thinking that he was finally free from the daily pressure to drink medicine that he had to endure before.