Rebirth: I'm a Daddy's Darling in the Qing Dynasty

Chapter 352 The Dragon's Reverse Scale: Touch It and You Die

Since it was a charade, it had to be done properly. The "night watchman in the palace" was clearly Kangxi's public explanation for last night's grand performance. As the saying goes, once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. In order to continue the charade and to test the reactions of other parties, Kangxi feigned illness and refused to attend court, leaving only Yinzhuo to attend to him.

If we were to ask who was the most unlucky person when Kangxi refused to see anyone, it would undoubtedly be Yinzhuo. Kangxi didn't want to see others, but that didn't mean others didn't want to see him. What could they do if they couldn't see Kangxi? They would have to come to Yinzhuo to inquire about information, since he was currently the only person who had contact with Kangxi.

For the first few days, Yinzhuo was able to patiently deal with it, but as time went on, his already limited patience ran out. His method of avoiding these people was simple: he simply rolled up his bedding and moved to his father's imperial tent. After all, when attending to an ailing person, one must stay by their side at all times.

“Father, look at you, you don’t look sick at all. If you were sick for ten days or half a month and your complexion was even more rosy than when you were healthy, that would be so embarrassing. How about this, let’s eat less for a few meals. We don’t need to starve to the point of being weak and frail, but at least we should look presentable. Doctor Wang, do you have any medicine to suppress appetite? If so, please prescribe some for us, preferably the kind that makes us vomit at the sight of food. That way… Oh, Father, I’m doing this all for your own good. It’s one thing if you don’t appreciate it, but why are you hitting me?”

If Yinzhuo was Kangxi's heart and Yinreng was Kangxi's confidant, then Imperial Physician Wang was definitely Kangxi's confidant, although he wasn't entirely willing to be one.

Kangxi chased Yinzhuo all over the imperial tent for half a day. Although both father and son were panting heavily, they had at least completed their exercise quota for the day. Despite Yinzhuo's pitiful cries, the number of times the ruler actually fell on him was comparable to the number of times Fan Jian disciplined his son. After Kangxi finished disciplining his rebellious son, he threw the ruler on the table and turned to look at the Imperial Physician Wang, who was standing straight and watching the show with great interest.

"I've been thinking about it, and what Yinzhuo said makes sense. Since he's sick, he should act like he's sick. Imperial Physician Wang, do you have the prescription he mentioned?"

Hey, look at the question you asked! What a coincidence! It's a perfect match for my expertise. Not only do I have this prescription, but I also have a complete set of acupuncture techniques. I guarantee it will make you both lose your appetite and vomit after every meal. Isn't that what it means to look sick without harming your health? Just you wait and see; I have plenty of strength and skills in this area.

It must be said that an expert's skill is evident from the first touch. When Physician Wang took out his silver needles and quickly inserted them, both Yinzhuo and Kangxi's stomachs began to churn violently. The man vomited even more violently than when Yinzhuo had been on the boat. After this ordeal, both Kangxi and Yinzhuo's faces turned a shade paler.

"Imperial Physician Wang, isn't your method a bit too simplistic and crude? I asked you to think of a way to make me nauseous at the sight of food, not to make me nauseous directly. Look at us, an emperor and a prince, is it appropriate for us to be vomiting like this while holding a basin?"

After finally managing to lift his head out of the basin, the first thing Yinzhu did was naturally to go and argue with Physician Wang. And Physician Wang? His main principle was sincerity. In short, he just said one thing—just tell me if you vomited or not.

With the seemingly ordinary but actually brilliant physician Wang around, Kangxi and Yinzhuo's days of feigning illness and attending to each other were quite eventful. What he said before was absolutely true; he could come up with a brand new little trick to suppress appetite every day. If you're not satisfied, no problem, we offer a full refund or exchange.

As the saying goes, "If you are prepared, you will succeed; if you are not prepared, you will fail." There is no wasted effort in this world, and naturally, no wasted work. After all the trouble that Yinzhuo and Kangxi went through, the results were simply amazing. On the day the emperor returned to the capital, although Kangxi did not need anyone to help him walk, his pale face and weak body made it clear to anyone with eyes that he had been seriously ill.

Yinzhuo, who had been attending to the ailing prince for so many days, naturally couldn't look too good either. He had just been induced to vomit by the imperial physician with silver needles before leaving the imperial tent, and his head was still spinning. He didn't notice something tripping him while walking and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Yinti, who was beside him, caught him quickly. Otherwise, our Prince Zhao would have lost all face today.

"Little Six, are you feeling unwell? Should we call Physician Wang over to take a look? I know you've been working hard these past few days, but even if you're worried about Father's health, you still need to take care of yourself. Look at how pale you are; anyone would think you're the one who's sick."

Yinzhuo felt dizzy at the mere mention of Physician Wang. Seeing that Li Yu, who was beside Yinti, had already received the order and was about to leave, Yinzhuo quickly grabbed his elder brother's sleeve to stop him.

“Brother, don’t worry. I’m just feeling a little dizzy because I haven’t been resting well these past few days. I’ll be fine after a nap in the car. Brother, I’ve been staying by Father’s side these past few days to take care of him, so I don’t know what’s going on outside. You all…”

Although Yinzhuo did not finish his sentence, Yinti understood his meaning. He first looked up and around, and seeing that everyone's eyes were focused on Kangxi in front, he helped Yinzhuo move a little closer to him and whispered.

"Don't worry, Xiao Liu. It's true that your elder brother wants the crown prince position for the second prince, but your elder brother would never stoop to such underhanded means. The second prince is the heir apparent that Father has painstakingly cultivated for so many years. Father can depose him, but that doesn't mean we can kick him while he's down. If you are Father's armor and weakness, then the second prince is now Father's Achilles' heel. Touching the Achilles' heel will lead to death. Your elder brother understands this principle."

Upon hearing Yinti's words, Yinzuo felt a sense of relief. His elder brother, a straightforward and loyal man, should not have become a victim of the power struggles within their family. He deserved a broader life. Rather than being confined to the inner palace, his destiny might have been to roam the battlefield and point his sword at the heavens.

You ask why Yinzhi was only half at ease? The answer is actually quite simple. What was Kangxi's purpose in setting up this scheme? It was clearly to test his sons. Now Yinti understands the principle that touching a provocative mark will lead to death, but Yinzhi fears that his fourth brother, who is far away in the capital, doesn't understand. If he makes a mistake, he could lose everything, just like Yinti and Yinsi in history.