The Crown Prince Ascends the Entertainment Throne - Chapter 2

Xiang Xu let out a breath and turned his gaze toward the medicine cabinets in the distance.

While this world seemed strange, there were many familiar things, such as the written language and the herbs. From an architectural perspective, it also seemed more complex than the Yin Dynasty.

And then there was his Imperial Sister. But why did she always look so guilty? Could she be taking this opportunity to sell him off? Were there laws against human trafficking in this world?

No, that could not be it. If she wanted to sell him, why would she bring him to see a doctor? Xiang Xu felt like he was scaring himself for no reason.

“I see that your brother’s problems are quite serious,” the elderly doctor said, peering at the siblings who clearly looked like they had just entered society. His voice carried a hint of pressure. “But getting it checked now is still better than not checking at all. His condition is difficult to treat, but not impossible. If you had brought him in any later, there would be nothing I could do.”

Xiang Xu’s thoughts snapped back, and he narrowed his eyes from beneath his bangs.

The way this man spoke reminded him of Grand Tutor Zhang, whom he hated most. The Grand Tutor’s favorite saying was: “Your Majesty, at your age, the ancestors had already conquered the four corners of the land and established the Yin Dynasty. While your natural talent is not up to par, if you start working hard now, you could at least surpass the First Prince in five years. But if you do not exert yourself, even if this old servant puts in all his effort, there is nothing I could do.”

The purpose of both statements was identical: to put psychological pressure on the other party so they would behave and listen.

He glanced at his Imperial Sister and saw her expression sink silently, though she did not reveal much on the surface.

“Then tell me, how should he be treated?”

Xiang Ji’s tone was cold. The elderly doctor coughed, adjusted the stethoscope hanging around his neck, and pulled out a form, noting things down as he spoke:

“First, he needs to take a psychological test, followed by a brain CT scan, an electrocardiogram, and blood tests…”

“Wait a moment.” Xiang Ji stared at him sharply. “Why do you need to draw blood and perform tests for psychological issues?”

“You are at a hospital; blood tests are standard. It concerns the follow-up medication. Your brother is also malnourished, so it is even more necessary to check.”

Xiang Ji swallowed hard. “What about the electrocardiogram?”

“We must rule out any underlying heart conditions in case he is not fit for medication.”

Xiang Ji’s mouth twitched. She asked, refusing to give up, “And the brain CT scan?”

“Severe psychological problems can manifest in the brain. It is part of the standard procedure.”

Xiang Ji’s face turned increasingly dejected. She strongly suspected this quack-like doctor was trying to swindle her, but this was a field she was unfamiliar with, and the other person was a professional doctor.

“Oh, right…” the white-haired doctor moved his shriveled lips. “In addition to a routine blood count, we also need to check his kidney function and vitamin levels.”

“Hold on!” Xiang Ji looked like she was about to protest frantically. “Why check for vitamins?”

“A lack of vitamins severely affects mood fluctuations. If you want the treatment to be effective, we must test for it and prescribe the corresponding supplements.”

Xiang Ji felt like she was about to faint. She felt something was wrong, yet everything the doctor said sounded very reasonable.

To her, however, all of this meant money. She only had about two hundred yuan; was it too late to run?

She turned her head stiffly, her smile barely holding up. “Xiao Xu, did you not say earlier that you were fine?”

Xiang Xu did not understand what they had been discussing earlier, but since he had indeed said he was fine, he nodded cautiously.

Xiang Ji grabbed his arm, preparing to flee, but before the doctor could try to stop them, she froze. Then, she dragged her brother back with a fierce expression.

Xiang Xu spent his days and nights playing games and refused to communicate with others. Xiang Ji had always wanted to take him to see a doctor, but they had a poor relationship. Every time she brought it up, Xiang Xu would block her with, “I am not sick; if you force me, I will die just to spite you.”

Now that he had finally knocked his brain silly and she had dragged him here, his speech was odd; he was clearly suffering from something serious.

If she did not get him treated, what if he ended up like the person in Building 10 who suddenly jumped off the building?

Xiang Ji was caught in a dilemma. Pressed for time, she slammed her hand onto the counter with a bang:

“I am warning you, you old man! I only have two hundred yuan in my pocket, not a cent more! If you can treat him, then do it. If not, I will find people to tear down this crooked shop of yours. I am capable of anything!”

Both Xiang Xu and the old doctor were left stunned.

“You do not believe me? Jiang Lingdong, the boss of South Street, is my friend. I can call him over with one phone call!” Xiang Ji shoved her phone screen in front of the doctor. The name Jiang Lingdong was clearly visible in her contacts.

Jiang Lingdong was a big name in the area. Rumor had it he had gone to jail for murder three years ago but was released within a few months, supposedly because he had connections at the police station.

The only thing more frightening than a bully is a bully whom the law cannot touch.

The old doctor could not help but size the girl up. She had a very innocent and quiet look, the type who probably would have been a top-performing good girl in school. He had not expected her to have ties to such a thug.

Even if she was likely bluffing, what if it were true?

“Speak up! Can you treat him or not?!” Seeing the doctor unresponsive, Xiang Ji took a few steps forward, her voice rising. The way she acted, she looked like she might devour him.

The doctor stepped back, finally speaking with lingering fear: “…The psychological test is free, pulse diagnosis is 30, and then I will prescribe some herbal medicine…”

“It is a deal.”

Xiang Ji snorted and stepped back. “Do not you try any tricks. I know when I am being scammed!”

The old doctor looked tremblingly at the woman with messy hair, wearing a hoodie and slippers. He had previously thought her thin and quiet, but now she looked just like a street hoodlum.

My Imperial Sister… she… although a bit rude, this is actually good. She will not be easily bullied, Xiang Xu thought to himself, nodding.

Moreover, she truly cared for her brother; in that respect, she was just like the one in his memories.

The next step would be treating his psychological illness, right? If he was cured, could he return to the Yin Dynasty? His Crown Princess was still waiting for him.

Thinking of this possibility, Xiang Xu decided that, at the very least, he should cooperate with the treatment.

The doctor brought over a psychological test and handed Xiang Xu a pen.

The pen was a retractable ballpoint pen with a transparent casing and a rubber grip at the bottom. The black ink cartridge inside was partially visible, and the tip had a clickable cap, the most common kind.

Xiang Xu stared at the pen for a full five seconds before taking it, feeling lost with it in his hand.

Looking at the stack of papers in front of him, he felt even more dizzy.

On the smooth, white paper, the characters were smaller than standard script, and he did not recognize more than half of them. Xiang Xu scanned them from right to left, top to bottom, but the content was completely incomprehensible.

He felt like a man who had studied for twenty years only to become an illiterate.

“Write your name first,” the old doctor pointed at the test. “For the other questions, just put a checkmark.”

Looking at the horizontal line, Xiang Xu gripped the pen nervously. He suddenly remembered that although this Imperial Sister called him Xiao Xu, his name might not actually be Xiang Xu, and the way Xiang Xu was written here might be different from the Yin Dynasty.

What made him more anxious was that while he held a pen, how was he supposed to use it?

He tentatively tried to draw a line on the paper using the motion he would use for a calligraphy brush, but no ink appeared.

The old doctor frowned. “Click it.”

Click? Click where?

Xiang Xu explored the pen barrel, pressing his fingertips here and there, but he did not press the top.

The old doctor let out a long sigh. The sound made both siblings tense up.

The younger brother was afraid of being discovered as an outsider, while the sister knew that the doctor sighing meant the patient had a serious problem.

Sure enough, the doctor spoke: “Your brother’s brain is already somewhat…”

Xiang Ji’s heart skipped a beat, and the corners of her eyes turned red, but she kept up her aggressive facade: “Can you speak clearly? Less nonsense, just treat as much as you can!”

The old doctor shrank back. “You write for him. Ask him the questions one by one. Speak slowly and see how much he understands.”

Xiang Xu watched as his Imperial Sister took the paper and pen from his hand and clicked the cap.

So that is where you click it.

Why did you not explain it clearly? he rolled his eyes internally.

When the Imperial Sister wrote his name, he secretly took a peek.

So Xiang looked a bit different, but Xu was the same.

However, why were these two characters written horizontally? And even if they were written horizontally, why was Xiang on the left of Xu?

Still, he was apparently called Xiang Xu.

Before he could ponder further, the Imperial Sister began to ask questions.

“1. Do you often feel unable to relax? A. Never, B. Rarely, C. Sometimes, D. Very frequently.

…”

Xiang Xu did not understand what A, B, C, D meant, nor did he know these were options, so he just randomly picked answers.

He did understand some of the Yes or No questions, but they were things only an abnormal person would have, such as, “Do you often feel short of breath in social situations?”

Xiang Xu shook his head at every question. What were social situations and short of breath?

Whatever, it sounded bad, so he would just shake his head.

And so, for the next while, he shook his head until he felt like vomiting.

He remembered those infamous emperors in history who feigned madness, and he felt his current situation was much the same.

He completely understood their helplessness, yet seeing his Imperial Sister’s increasingly worried face, he felt a bit reluctant.

I am sorry, Imperial Sister of this world, I truly do not understand, but in order to survive, I have to pretend that I do. I hope you can understand.

After the last question was asked, he looked anxiously at his Imperial Sister as she handed the paper back.

The old doctor adjusted his glasses and scanned the questions one by one. He glanced at Xiang Xu, then scanned them again.

The siblings watched his increasingly serious expression nervously, as if waiting for the pronouncement of a death sentence.

He pressed the test back onto the counter and his mouth twitched. “Are you not wanting to get treated? Choosing randomly is a waste of time!”

Xiang Xu’s heart skipped a beat, terrified that his failure to understand the common sense of the A, B, C, D options was about to be exposed. Xiang Ji, however, paused, a flicker of dejection crossing her face. “Maybe he is angry at me.”

Xiang Xu was stunned. How did she arrive at that conclusion?

The old doctor frowned slightly. “You do not get along with your brother?”

Where did that come from?!

Under Xiang Xu’s shocked gaze, he saw his Imperial Sister nod heavily.

So he really did not get along with his Imperial Sister!

No wonder she always looked so guilty; it was very likely that the original Xiang Xu would never have come to the doctor with her.

Xiang Xu felt he had misjudged the situation and made a tactical error. But since he was already here, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and turn his face away, acting as if he really was throwing a tantrum at Xiang Ji.

Thus, when the old doctor asked him to check his pulse, he acted somewhat resistant. He stood there with his neck stiffened, pretending not to hear anything.

Perhaps because he had never been rebellious before, this was the most rebellious behavior he could think of. But catching a glimpse of his Imperial Sister’s eyes, which were on the verge of tearing up, Xiang Xu suddenly felt he had gone too far. He pouted and sat down, though still unwillingly.

The doctor smiled. “Your brother does not actually hate you that much.”

The surprise on the Imperial Sister’s face was too obvious. Xiang Xu desperately wanted to cover his face, scream, and run away.

Whether it was acting as a normal, good child or a bad child feigning a grudge with his sister, he had no talent for either.

I will just stay still, he thought. If I keep acting, I am afraid I will really be locked up as a madman!