Chapter 56: What Happened?

"Second Young Master, if it hurts, just shout it out!" Zhao Cheng lay on the soft couch, drenched in cold sweat, as Guihua wiped his sweat away.

"This woman is too vicious, she really went all out!" Doctor Wang lifted the white silk cloth covering the prince's hand and saw that Zhao Cheng's palm had already turned black, swollen and shiny, as if it would burst like a bubble with just a light touch. Even the usually good-tempered doctor couldn't help but curse, "Second Young Master, bear with it a bit. I need to use a needle to pierce your fingers and let out the blood, or your hand will be useless!"

"Doctor Wang, just treat me, I can bear it!" Zhao Cheng smiled at the anxious old doctor, but in fact, he didn't really take this injury seriously. If he were in his previous life, he would have treated it himself. However, the people in the room all secretly praised him, for the prince not only didn't make a sound during the torture but also dared to challenge Dianzheng. Now, he still acted as if it was nothing. If it were them, they probably wouldn't be so calm.

"Second Young Master, you will surely grow up to be a true man!" Doctor Wang praised, but his hands didn't stop. He pulled out a silver needle from his needle case and quickly pricked each of Zhao Cheng's five fingertips. Blood immediately gushed out like a fountain, dripping into the bowl below, forming red flowers. Guihua and Huahua couldn't bear to watch and turned their heads away. When the blood flow slowed down, Doctor Wang continued to squeeze Zhao Cheng's palm until the black blood turned fresh red before stopping.

"Second Young Master, what happened?" The door was suddenly pushed open, and Jianxi, holding a jar of wine, rushed in and shouted. He had just entered the inner courtyard and noticed the eunuchs' strange expressions, and their vague answers made him realize something was wrong.

"Director, Second Young Master was beaten by Dianzheng today, and he is quite badly injured!" Guihua quickly answered.

"I'll fight her!" Jianxi pushed through the crowd to the bed, seeing the prince's pale face, drenched in sweat, and his hand, though treated, still swollen beyond recognition. Seeing the bowl of fresh red blood in Huahua's hands, his eyes turned red, and he choked out, "Second Young Master, what did you do wrong for her to dare beat you like this!"

"Jianxi, come back. She is a sixth-rank Dianzheng, and you are just a newly appointed eunuch. What can you do to fight her!" Zhao Cheng shouted to stop Jianxi.

"Second Young Master, I'll fight her to the death, what did you do wrong for her to dare beat you like this!" Jianxi still insisted.

"Alright, a gentleman's revenge is ten years in the making!" Zhao Cheng smiled indifferently. "What are you holding in your arms, is it distilled liquor?" He saw the wine jar in Jianxi's arms and became excited.

"Second Young Master, yes, the distilled liquor is successful, just like what we made. Smell it!" Jianxi said, lifting the lid and bringing the wine jar to Zhao Cheng's nose.

"Um, it's fragrant and strong!" Zhao Cheng lifted his head to smell it and took a big gulp from the jar. His face immediately turned rosy, indicating the alcohol content was indeed high.

"Second Young Master, they all say so!" Jianxi, seeing the prince's happiness, wiped away his tears.

"Refreshing!" Zhao Cheng took another sip but didn't swallow it, instead spitting it onto his hand. The pain instantly spread throughout his body, and every cell seemed to be stimulated, making the frustration in his heart dissipate.

"Second Young Master, don't let your hand touch water for a few days, limit movement, and don't lift the stone lock. I'll prescribe some medicine to clear the heat and toxins. Drink it, and you'll recover quickly!" Doctor Wang applied ointment to Zhao Cheng's hand and wrapped it in silk.

"That's not necessary. I just need to soak my hand in this strong liquor every day, and it will be fine in two days. I think that woman has a lot of liver fire, so you can prescribe some heat-clearing medicine for her!"

"Ha ha, Second Young Master, you have a point!" Doctor Wang was taken aback but then realized the prince's mischievous smile and couldn't help but laugh.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Uncle Wang!" Zhao Cheng was very satisfied with the old man, truly a skilled doctor with a sharp mind. "Jianxi, get a few jars of our newly brewed distilled liquor for Uncle Wang. It's the best for soaking medicine!"

"Thank you, Second Young Master. I've heard about this distilled liquor for a long time but never had the chance to taste it. Today, my wish is finally fulfilled!" The old man was delighted and bowed.

"Uncle Wang, you're too polite. It's from our own distillery. You can come and get it anytime you want!" Zhao Cheng waved his hand indifferently.

That night, the prince's mansion held a grand banquet to celebrate the completion of the dam and the successful brewing of the distilled liquor. Unfortunately, the prince couldn't attend due to his injuries, but he instructed that the new distilled liquor be served, and everyone should drink to their heart's content. This made everyone in the mansion aware that the prince had been beaten and was seriously injured, and the instigator was the new Dianzheng from the palace.

That night, Yuzhu didn't sleep well, not because she felt guilty about the prince's injuries, but because the night guards patrolled outside the Autumn Courtyard every half hour, constantly banging their gongs until dawn, preventing her from getting up on time.

At lunchtime, the kitchen only sent two dishes of vegetables and a bowl of coarse rice, whereas they usually followed the palace rules of four bowls and four dishes plus a soup. She couldn't help but send someone to the kitchen to question this, but the cook had a valid reason: the prince's lunch was only one meat dish and one vegetable, so their standard couldn't exceed his, as it would violate the palace rules. The palace maid sent to the kitchen clearly saw that the eunuchs' dish, though only one, had more meat than vegetables, which made her so angry that she threw the food away, resulting in a missed meal.

Dinner was even worse, with a dish of salted vegetables with more salt than vegetables, a bowl of porridge made from uncleaned rice, and a plate of dark-skinned whole wheat cakes. This time, Yuzhu decided to ask personally, but when she tried to go out, a eunuch at the door stopped her, citing the palace rule that one couldn't go out after dark.

The next day, Yuzhu, who had been humiliated, had red eyes, a sore mouth, and a row of blisters under her nose, clearly due to heat. She sent someone to invite Doctor Wang, but was told that he only treated the prince, and her rank was insufficient. Finally, Doctor Wang, moved by the request and adhering to the principle of a doctor's duty, broke the palace rules and prescribed some medicine.

After taking the medicine, Yuzhu quickly cooled down, but by evening, the blisters were gone, and her oval face had turned into a sharp one. She had to ask Doctor Wang for more medicine, which this time didn't cool her down but made her constipated for three days. For several days, she alternated between cooling and tonifying, and the once fierce woman was transformed into a delicate and frail Lin Daiyu, her swaying appearance making people feel "heartache"!

Under Doctor Wang's careful treatment, Zhao Cheng's hand swelled down in three days, but everyone still didn't let him go out, just keeping him in. However, being young, he couldn't stay cooped up, and today, under the pretext of discussing matters, he finally slipped out of the room and came to the outer courtyard. Everyone saw him and hurriedly came forward to ask about his well-being and his injuries, and of course, couldn't help but "greet" the former Dianzheng a few times.

As Zhao Cheng walked and chatted, it took him half an hour to cover a few dozen meters. He soon noticed a problem: the night guards usually just carried a stick, but today, in broad daylight, they were all fully armed with knives and guns. Even the gatekeepers had short knives, and the watchtowers were equipped with bows and arrows, as if they were facing a major enemy.

"Master Meng, what's going on?" At this moment, Zhao Cheng saw Meng Tao patrolling with two guards and called him over to ask.

"Second Young Master, you're feeling better? Everyone heard you were beaten, and if the chief steward hadn't stopped them, they would have rushed in to cut that woman to pieces!" Meng Tao said angrily.

"Ah, fortunately, you didn't go. She was sent by my mother, and even I can't provoke her. I appreciate everyone's concern, but don't act rashly, or it will cause a big problem!" Zhao Cheng practiced martial arts and boxing with the guards every day, and they were very familiar. These people were straightforward and loyal, and if not warned, they might really do something.

"Oh, this woman has some background, but don't worry, Second Young Master. I'll teach you the Iron Palm, and you won't be afraid of that bad woman hitting your hand anymore!" The guard 'Iron Palm Hongba' behind Meng Tao looked at the prince's tightly wrapped left hand and said with a smile.

"Um, that's a good point, but just practicing the Iron Palm isn't enough. You also need to practice the Iron Buttocks technique, or you won't be able to deal with that woman!" Zhao Cheng nodded 'seriously' and said.

"Ha ha, Second Young Master is right, but you should find Pan Long. That boy has the skills of the Thirteen Protectors, making him invulnerable to knives and spears, and he won't be afraid of the corporal punishment!" Another guard, finding the prince's words amusing, laughed.

"Second Young Master, the estate hasn't been peaceful these days. You shouldn't go out," Meng Tao, seeing the prince's attire, knew he was planning to slip out again and said earnestly.

"Is there trouble in the estate?" Zhao Cheng asked.

"Second Young Master, it's not our people causing trouble. In the past few days, there have been many strangers outside the mansion gates. I and Yang Feng investigated, and among them are not only martial artists but also many officials. They tried to sneak into the mansion several times but were stopped by us. Second Young Master, you shouldn't go out!" Meng Tao explained.

"Oh, what could have caused both the underworld and the officials to take action? Did someone from the mansion cause trouble outside, or are they after something in the mansion?" Zhao Cheng thought for a moment and asked.

"Second Young Master, we're not sure yet, but it doesn't seem to be targeting anyone in the mansion. If it were, the officials would have spoken up. If it's about something, the martial artists might be involved, but the officials know this is a prince's mansion and wouldn't let them act recklessly!" Meng Tao didn't have much information and couldn't say much more.

"Um, then ignore them. As long as they don't enter the mansion, don't engage them. It's just a bit of extra work for everyone!" Zhao Cheng said with a smile.

"Second Young Master, why be so polite? The mansion provides us with good food and drink every day, and our living conditions are top-notch. We owe nothing to the mansion. A bit of effort is nothing!" Hongba felt the prince was underestimating them and said with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Alright, I was wrong!" Zhao Cheng quickly said, "Jianxi, have the distillery send two jars of distilled liquor to everyone to help them relax!" This time, the guards were all happy, as they were still craving the new liquor from yesterday.

"Thank you, Second Young Master!" Others might not know, but Meng Tao knew the value of the distilled liquor. Although their monthly salary was high, it wasn't enough to buy a jar of distilled liquor. Everyone was happy, but Zhao Cheng was frustrated, as his plan to go out was foiled, and he was sent back to the inner courtyard by Meng Tao.

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