PDLP Chapter 355 Am I Useless?
Chapter 355 Am I Useless?
"Ziqian."
The gentle call brought him back to his senses.
Su Yue stood beside the corridor column at some point, holding a small celadon bottle in her hand.
The moonlight shines through the bottle, and the light blue pill inside can be vaguely seen.
"This is the medicine Ah Xuan has just made." She handed the porcelain bottle over. "Put one pill in your mouth when you have an asthma attack. It can relieve asthma."
Zhou Ziqian took the porcelain bottle and it felt cold to the touch.
The bottom of the bottle was engraved with Lin Yuxuan's unique herbal pattern, but the medicinal fragrance was a refreshing scent he had never smelled before.
He suddenly thought of the nauseatingly bitter medicinal soups in the Imperial Hospital - it turns out that medicine can also be sweet.
"I..." His Adam's apple rolled, and his fingertips unconsciously stroked the bottle, "I don't know how to thank you..."
"No need." Su Yue interrupted him, her eyes fixed on his clenched knuckles, which had turned white. "Ziqian, you were born noble."
These words were like a red-hot iron, burning Zhou Ziqian's heart.
Noble? A sickly prince who couldn't even control his servants? He smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Sister, you're joking."
"Look." Su Yue suddenly pointed to the courtyard -
Liang Junze was bending over to tie Hanhan's untied shoelaces, his brocade robe of princely regulations dragging on the ground and covered in dust; Gu Qingyan knelt on one knee and let Yaoyao put wild flowers in his hair, the majesty of the Shadow Pavilion Master was gone; Shangguan Haomu carefully rubbed his brother's waist, without a trace of the arrogance of a young master from a noble family.
"They made medicine for you, taught you how to ride a horse, and stayed up late with you..." Su Yue said softly, "not because you are a prince, but because you are Zhou Ziqian."
The night wind suddenly became gentle, carrying the sweet scent of peaches.
Zhou Ziqian looked at the pills swaying slightly in the porcelain bottle, and suddenly remembered what his father had said: "Qian'er, the most precious thing in this world is not others' respect for your status, but their cherishment of you as a person."
Yaoyao's laughter like silver bells came from afar.
The little girl somehow climbed onto Gu Qingyan's back and was pulling on his ears as if he were riding a horse.
A warm current surged in Zhou Ziqian's chest, and something was breaking out of the ground.
"The Emperor's birthday banquet will be held in seven days." He suddenly spoke, his voice firmer than usual. "I will ask the Empress Mother for permission to visit the Prince's residence once a month... to recuperate."
Su Yue smiled. This was how a royal prince should behave—not recklessly confronting others head-on, but knowing how to take advantage of the situation.
The Emperor has always been fond of this frail grandson, and the Empress values filial piety above all else...
"Remember to take your medicine with you," she said finally. "There's a mechanism at the bottom of the bottle. Turn it left three times for an emergency."
Zhou Ziqian solemnly hid the porcelain bottle in his secret pocket.
It originally contained the life-saving pills from the Imperial Hospital, but now it has been replaced with good medicines that carry the warmth of the Su Mansion.
He suddenly remembered the nonsense about "Dantian Qi Sea" that Lin Yuxuan had said during the day, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously.
Yes, Zhou Ziqian was born noble.
It was not because of his status as a prince, but because he was fortunate enough to meet this group of people who were willing to bend down to tie his shoelaces.
As the moonlight grew brighter, Zhou Ziqian walked towards the noisy courtyard.
Yaoyao immediately opened her little hands covered with pastry crumbs and rushed over. He caught them steadily and kissed the little girl on the soft face - this was the first time in twenty years that he had taken the initiative to get close to someone.
The night breeze brought the sweet scent of peaches, and also sent away the Seventh Prince who always hid in the corner.
The porcelain bottle felt slightly warm in his arms, like a newly lit fire.
Before the morning mist had dissipated, three gilded carriages were parked in front of the Su Mansion's villa.
Zhou Ziqian stood next to the most luxurious one, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the celadon medicine bottle in his sleeve.
The palace servants who came to pick him up were the same group - Li Dequan and four young eunuchs, with respectful smiles on their faces but impatience in their eyes.
"Your Highness, please get into the sedan chair." Li Dequan bent down more gracefully than when he came, but his eyelids were still drooping. "Your Majesty is thinking of you."
Zhou Ziqian closed his eyes.
The Seventh Prince who slapped someone three days ago seemed to be just an illusion, and he turned back into the bully who could be bullied by everyone.
But this time, he had a bottle of "Lin's Secret Medicine" in his sleeve, a whistle given by Gu Qingyan hidden on his waist, and a mechanism diagram secretly stuffed by Shangguan Haomu in the secret pocket of his lapel.
"Thank you, Mr. Li." He coughed weakly twice and let the young eunuch help him into the sedan chair.
When the car curtain fell, he caught a glimpse of Su Yue winking at him out of the corner of his eye.
The carriage slowly drove away from the courtyard.
Zhou Ziqian leaned back on the soft pillow, listening to the sound of wheels rolling over the official road.
The road here was full of anxiety, but the road back was full of plans.
He took out the medicine bottle and shook it gently. The blue pills made a crunching sound when they hit the bottle wall. This was the first weapon that truly belonged to him in this cruel palace.
The Yongning Palace of the wise king is always filled with soothing incense.
As soon as Zhou Ziqian stepped into the palace, he saw his father leaning on the imperial concubine couch, holding a string of Buddhist beads in his hand, with two dark circles under his eyes.
"Qian'er!" Xianjun almost rushed over, his cold fingertips touching his cheek, and began to lie with his eyes open, "Why are you thinner?"
Zhou Ziqian felt a pang of pain in his nose.
In this world where women are respected, his father is one of the few men who truly loves him.
He opened his mouth, but suddenly found that all the words he had prepared were stuck in his throat - all those calculations and strategies collapsed in front of his father's red eyes.
"Father..." His voice trembled, tears threatening to fall, "Am I useless?"
The wise king's hand trembled, and the Buddhist beads fell to the ground.
He held Zhou Ziqian's face and looked at it carefully, from the red corners of his eyes to his slightly trembling lips: "Who bullied my son?"
Zhou Ziqian just shook his head, tears falling like beads from a broken string.
He remembered what Gu Qingyan taught him: "When you show weakness, you must make it known to everyone in the palace," and he simply threw himself into his father's arms and sobbed.
The familiar scent of agarwood on Xianjun surrounded him, making him feel as if he had turned back into the gentle father who held him and hummed nursery rhymes all night long when he was three years old and had acne.
"I can't even control the people around me..." He choked, "I'm not even as good as Xiaofan..."
These words were like a knife, stabbing straight into the wise king's heart.
The Buddhist beads creaked as they were clutched, but the virtuous king's voice was as gentle as water: "Qian'er is the best child in the world."
Zhou Ziqian wiped his tears on his father's shoulder.
He had been doing this action for twenty years, but today was the first time he did it with a purpose - to let his father and his wife see the lingering red mark under his collar.
He had rubbed it out this morning with peach hair, and it looked like his neck had been rubbed by coarse cloth.
It was already 3 p.m. when I returned to the bedroom.
Zhou Ziqian dismissed his attendants and stood alone in front of the bronze mirror to look at himself - his face was pale, the corners of his eyes were red, and even his lips were chapped from deliberately drinking less water.
A perfect look of "suffering a great deal of injustice".
He unbuttoned his belt slowly and methodically.
Sure enough, within half a minute, the voice of Feicui, the virtuous emperor's personal maid, could be heard from outside the palace: "Your Highness, the virtuous emperor has sent you snow frog soup."
"Come in." Zhou Ziqian deliberately made his voice hoarse.
Yan Yi walked in with the food box and saw the red marks from the seventh prince's neck to his collarbone.
His hand trembled and the soup almost spilled out - it was clearly the scratches caused by the linen material that was worn by rough servants!
"Leave it there." Zhou Ziqian waved his hand weakly, "Thank my father for me."
As soon as Yan Yi retreated, the corners of his mouth rose slightly.
Now, all the clues that needed to be buried have been laid: Li Dequan’s neglect, the torture of wearing coarse clothes, and even the cry of “not as good as Xiaofan” were all carefully planned - who doesn’t know that a wise king hates others comparing him with Prince Ning’an the most?
Because he thinks his son is no worse than anyone else