jdhmnovel Chapter 263 Don’t believe it
Chapter 263 Don’t believe it
After the meal, the palace servants cleared away the bowls and chopsticks and set out tea and snacks.
"Doctor Long, did you enjoy today's meal? Did you eat your fill?" Emperor Sukang asked politely.
However, he thought to himself that she should have eaten her fill. He had noticed during the meal that the girl was not at all reserved and even ate more than him.
Take that braised pork for example; he noticed that the girl picked it up four times, so she must like it.
She only took one or two bites of the last three dishes, probably because she was already full.
I am quite envious of her. I also like to eat braised pork, but I have never taken more than my share due to etiquette.
However, I am the emperor, and if I like to have a second meal, I can have the imperial chefs make it again; it's just that I can't eat to my heart's content in one go.
Long Chuqing replied calmly, "Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty. The meal was very delicious and I have already eaten my fill."
Long Chuqing thought to herself: Now that we're full, shouldn't we get down to business? Ask me whatever questions you have so I can leave the palace sooner.
Even someone as mentally strong as me would find myself digging my toes into the ground while sitting like this.
Long Chuqing smiled faintly.
Emperor Sukang lightly patted his thigh, then used the support to stand up.
"Come with me for a stroll in the garden to aid digestion..."
“Yes…” Long Chuqing also stood up.
Eunuch Xue draped a large black fur-trimmed cloak over Emperor Sukang, embroidered with dragon and auspicious cloud patterns in gold thread.
The emperor, who was nearly 1.9 meters tall, looked even more majestic in his black cloak.
Another palace maid brought Long Chuqing's white hooded cloak and draped it over her shoulders, then thoughtfully helped her tie the sash.
The two left Yicheng Hall one after the other.
It was just past noon, and the sun overhead was shining brightly, so the palace servants held up a canopy to shield people from the sun.
Yicheng Hall is not far from the Imperial Garden. Emperor Sukang walked leisurely at the front, with Long Chuqing and Eunuch Xue on either side, followed by a group of palace maids and eunuchs.
After walking around the artificial hill, Emperor Sukang stopped in the middle of the small bridge and looked down at the fishpond below.
Due to the cold weather, a layer of ice formed on the surface of the fishpond. Some of the ice had been cleared by the palace staff so that the colorful carp could come out to breathe and so that the masters of the palace could come here to admire them.
At this moment, a group of plump koi carp emerged from the broken ice, their mouths opening and closing, whether breathing or waiting to be fed, it was unclear.
Emperor Sukang extended his right hand.
Eunuch Xue had already taken the fish food from the little eunuch behind him, ready at any moment. When he saw Emperor Sukang reach out, he handed it directly to his palm.
Emperor Sukang threw a handful of fish food into the water, and the koi carp instantly became agitated, swaying their round bodies and vying for the food, making the water lively.
"I know you are currently working to detoxify the Prince of Qin. How is the progress? How long will it take to completely remove the poison from his body?"
Emperor Sukang suddenly spoke, but his eyes remained fixed on the fish in the water.
Long Chuqing knew he was talking to her.
"Soon," she replied casually.
Emperor Sukang: ...?
Seeing that Emperor Sukang paused noticeably, Long Chuqing realized that her answer was somewhat perfunctory, so she added.
"Your Majesty, there is now only a trace amount of residual poison in the Prince's body, which is no longer life-threatening. He can be completely cured after drinking the herbal medicine for another half month."
Emperor Sukang nodded with slight satisfaction.
"I have sent people to find famous doctors for the Prince of Qin, but they were all helpless against the poison that the Prince of Qin was poisoned with, and could only suppress the outbreak of the poison."
Emperor Sukang sprinkled a small handful of fish food on the ground: "I see you are not very old. Where and from whom did you learn your medical skills?"
They've arrived! Are we to find out her background?
Where and from whom did she learn her medical skills?
Long Chuqing said with a heartfelt expression: There are so many, I can't even count them all. It's really hard to explain.
Even if she told him, the emperor might not believe her.
A fabricated story might fool Qing Tong and the others, but the person before them is the emperor. Even if someone who sits on the throne has only one cunning mind, let alone eight hundred, they are not easily fooled.
Lying is easily seen through, and then it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor.
However, he didn't know which of my statements were true and which were false.
"My medical skills were not learned in one place or from one doctor, but from learning and consulting with many different doctors."
This is true; she wasn't lying...
"Several different doctors?" Emperor Sukang looked at Long Chuqing.
“Mm,” Long Chuqing nodded in response.
"Even a doctor with superb medical skills may encounter difficult and complicated diseases that he has never faced before."
"Moreover, each doctor has their own specialty, and you can learn more by learning from multiple doctors."
"The reason I can cure Gu poison is because I have studied it specifically."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Sukang was slightly startled.
He had been staring into Long Chuqing's eyes the whole time, and from her expression, he could tell that she wasn't lying.
But upon closer reflection, I felt that there was some exaggeration in her words. Would a doctor so easily teach his best skills to an outsider?
Although he rarely left the palace, he knew that the work of medicine apprentices in the common people was very hard.
They not only had to take care of their master's daily life, but also help patients prepare and pack medicine, learn to identify the measuring cups for weighing medicinal materials, and use copper jars to grind medicine, etc.
In the early days, my master only taught me some basic pharmacological knowledge, and only later will he gradually pass on medical knowledge.
Even if they teach, they will hold back some skills and will not teach their core medical techniques to outsiders, lest they teach their apprentices and starve themselves.
She's making it sound like cabbages are everywhere on the street.
Those who don't know the situation might think that you could just go out on the street and grab any rich lady and she would be willing to pass on her medical skills.
Long Chu thought to herself: His expression clearly showed disbelief. I should have just made up an excuse.
"Judging from His Majesty's expression, it seems that he has something to say about what I just said?" Long Chuqing asked directly.
She not only dares to look me in the eye, but also dares to read my intentions from my expressions, and now she even dares to question me!
That's incredibly audacious.
Did she know that this was a grave offense of disrespect, something that would have killed anyone else several times over?
Is she ignorant, or is she truly fearless?
Emperor Sukang's face regained its calm yet slightly serious expression, to prevent Long Chuqing from prying into his thoughts again.
"If I were to say what you just said to me, would you believe me?"
Emperor Sukang threw the question back to Long Chuqing.
As expected of the emperor, he didn't fall for it.
Long Chuqing smiled faintly: "I don't believe it..."
Her sincerity caught me off guard.
Emperor Sukang: ...?
The answer was so confident and self-assured!
And with a relaxed, slightly smiling expression—is she toying with me? How dare she…
Today, I am here to investigate her background, but I cannot let her lead me astray.
Emperor Sukang remained serious and calm: "Could it be that what Doctor Long just said was all a lie? Do you know that lying in front of the emperor... is a crime of deceiving the emperor?"