Don't be tempted, sir

Chapter 143 Resignation

Doctor Zhong sat down and stroked his beard to think. After a long while, he was stunned. "Xu Yu San! If this medicine is sprinkled on the wound, the wound will be difficult to heal. Usually, it is used on prisoners. The wound will take a long time to heal and the prisoner will suffer a lot."

"Extremely painful?" She said she was used to it... Song Xiaoyuan naturally didn't believe it and ordered the team to return to Beijing quickly.

"Yes, how can it always be the same when you are injured? If the pain is the same every day as when you were injured, of course it is extremely painful."

Doctor Zhong stroked his beard and looked at Song Xiaoyuan's body. It was a bit chilly in spring, but he was still wearing a thick robe. His face was pale and he was afraid of the cold. "Song Xiao'er, I think you have been poisoned."

"Yes, but... the poison has been cured. Please ask the imperial physician if Xu Yu San can cure it?"

"Yes, follow me." Doctor Zhong took him to the pharmacy, which was filled with a dazzling array of bottles and jars. Although they were not as numerous as the Saint's Medicine Pavilion, the number was still not small.

Doctor Zhong searched around and took out a medicine bottle from the small compartment. "Antidote, Ningxi Powder. Sprinkle it on the wound after cleaning it, sprinkle more on it and bandage it. Don't touch it to water or change the medicine for three days."

"Thank you, Doctor Zhong. Is there any scar removal?"

"You should ask Old Man Liu about this. I don't have it here."

Song Xiaoyuan bowed and said goodbye in a hurry. Doctor Zhong saw that he was frail and pale, and that he was seriously deficient in energy and blood. Before he could say a word, he was gone.

After taking a bath, Shen Yining's long hair was dripping with water. She sat alone by the window under the moonlight and looked at the moon. She often saw the moon in Feiyu Pavilion of Qiang State. Maybe it was because the poison was too painful at that time, and she always felt that the moonlight was hazy and not as bright as that in the capital.

Song Xiaoyuan climbed over the wall and came to Shen's house. She leaned against the window alone in the moonlight, feeling lonely and desolate. Shen Yining did not expect him to come. She stood up excitedly and clenched her hands nervously: "Why don't you go back and rest?"

Song Xiaoyuan walked over, carried her into the room, and placed her by the window. He lit a candle to illuminate the room: "You don't like to light the lamp since you came back?"

Shen Yining's nightgown covered her bare feet. She was too embarrassed to sit with her knees hugged in the air. "I can see clearly."

"Indeed." He put down her hands that were hugging her knees, gently pulled open the nightgown that was stuck to the wound, and cleaned the wound, applied medicine, and bandaged it as Doctor Zhong had instructed just now.

"Don't touch the water or open it for three days."

"okay."

Shen Yining's hair was dripping with water. She found a towel to dry her hair with her and rubbed it with her fingers. When they first met at the age of 15, they were silent. Shen Yining turned her back to him for a long while and whispered, "If your injury heals, you won't come again."

Song Xiaoyuan wiped her hair and knew what she meant. When she left, she reminded him, "Don't hurt yourself. Go to bed early."

The next morning, Song Xiaoyuan went to court in red official uniform. Before he reached the main hall, he was stopped by the crown prince. The crown prince waved the petition in his hand and asked, "Xiaoyuan, do you look familiar?"

This memorial was of course familiar to me. It was a letter of apology and a request for resignation that I had written. Song Xiaoyuan bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for not abandoning me and saving me. This memorial is familiar to me. Your Majesty, please review it and approve my request."

The prince walked around him, looking much thinner and colder. He was so polite that he could not bear it, so he asked for his return: "Don't do this. I went through so much trouble to save you, but you want to die! Xiao Yuan, this time, your father has given me full power. I will not approve your request!"

Song Xiaoyuan opened the petition and wrote in cinnabar: "The evidence is false, so I won't allow it."

"I tell you, don't even think about getting the Emperor's approval. He will definitely scold you for your request."

Song Xiaoyuan closed the memorial and threw it into the stove beside him. The charcoal fire ignited and the memorial turned into ashes. The two of them went to court and entered the hall. Zai Gui, who looked thin and sick, bowed and greeted him. Emperor Yan sat high up with a look of joy on his face: "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back!"

Xue Kedao came out and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

Emperor Yan knew what he was going to report, and ignored Xue Lin's request to report. He was about to ask Song Xiaoyuan what he wanted to report. Several officials and inspectors also stood up to report. Emperor Yan could not ignore them and raised his hand to approve it: "Tell me, what is your report."

"Your Majesty, I am reporting that Lord Song may have treasonous thoughts! Lord Song has been staying in Qiang for half a year. The Qiang people said that Lord Song served as a patrol minister in Qiang and helped the Saint Lady to quell the Loulan rebellion!"

"Yes! Lord Song has been late in returning, and as a Liao official, he stayed in Qiang to assist. I wonder if he has revealed everything about the Liao."

"Your Majesty has also specially approved Lord Song to review memorials on a regular basis. He must know a lot of important matters."

"Your Majesty, Lord Song is no longer worthy of this position."

The prince glanced at him coldly: "He is not worthy, but Minister Liu is?"

"Your Highness, I don't mean that."

The prince criticized everyone: "What do you mean? What basis do you have for what you said? It's all groundless."

"Your Highness, I know that you and Lord Song have known each other since childhood, but the Song family is the minister after all, and you are the king!"

"Master Liu, are you saying that I favor Xiao Yuan?"

"I have no such intention, but Your Highness the Crown Prince is kind and trustworthy."

"Yes, Your Highness, the human heart is unpredictable."

The prince waved his sleeves speechlessly and returned to his team to stand. Emperor Yan looked down at all the ministers in the hall. Some were silent while others were passionate. During the verbal battle, Song Xiaoyuan lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Emperor Yan pulled his sleeves and said, "The others who are silent all think so."

Shen Changjun stepped forward and bowed: "Your Majesty, I see that you are all greedy and unwilling to respond to this unfounded accusation."

"Captain Shen, what you said is a bit harsh. As Liao officials, we are concerned about the government. How can we be blinded by greed? Lord Song is young and holds a high position. It is inevitable that he is ambitious."

"Yes, now that the Shen family and the Song family are married, one of them is a scholar and the other is a warrior, so there is no guarantee that they will not have any delusions in the future!"

"I heard that when Lord Song was in Qiang, General Shen and Lord Jueming both petitioned His Majesty to request troops..."

"I'm afraid this is not a request, but a threat!"

Shen Changjun just said one sentence, and the next three or four sentences were waiting. He remained silent because he didn't want to talk at cross purposes.

During the verbal battle, Song Xiaoyuan took off his official hat and bowed: "Your Majesty, I ask to resign."

The palace was completely silent for a moment. Those who argued had not expected it to go so smoothly, and those who kept silent had not expected that they would resign. For a moment, no one spoke. Emperor Yan saw that he was becoming less and less ambitious. Those who said they were ambitious, the eyes of the people in the palace were empty at this moment, and they might not even have a heart.

Emperor Yan stood up and left the palace. He took the official hat handed to him by Song Xiaoyuan and looked at it. After a while, he held the official hat behind his back and went to the palace: "Dismiss the court. Xiaoyuan, stay."

Everyone left the court, not knowing what His Majesty meant. They accepted their official hats but did not say whether it was allowed or not. The Crown Prince and Changjun paced anxiously outside the palace, not knowing what was going on inside. Shen Rushan saw Song Jueming returning in dismay and quickly followed him: "Old Song, is it sad to go alone? His Majesty will not allow him to leave."

Song Jueming raised his hand and waved his sleeves in silence: "Xiao Yuan is finally as dead as ashes and looks like a dead tree. Old man Shen... I am afraid that I will really lose this son."

"How could that be! You are worrying too much, old man!"

"I hope I am just worrying too much."

Song Xiaoyuan lowered his head and stayed in the palace. Emperor Yan was heartbroken to see him like this. He put his official hat on his knees and said, "Xiaoyuan, tell me the truth about why you resign."

"Your Majesty, I have no intention of being an official."

"Xiao Yuan, if you want to take a rest, I can approve it, but you cannot resign."

"Your Majesty, I and the Shen family have received your personal approval. I now ask your Majesty to revoke the approval and dismiss me from my post."

"Little Yining, it's because of little Yining. I want to tell you that Yining went to marry the King of Qiang because she heard you were here. She did it for you."

"I know it all, but I am no longer in the mood to love, and I don't want to delay Miss Shen."