The Loyal Dead Soldier Did Not Plan to Run with a Bun (Pregnant) - Chapter 12

Wei Zheng’s splash was quite large; a patch of lotus leaves and stems were crushed, and the flower buds that had been ready to bloom were now scattered across the surface of the water in disarray.

The water surface was a mess. After Wei Zheng, who had fallen in, struggled a few times, he vanished from sight, with only a few bubbling gasps breaking the surface to indicate someone was below.

Not only was Wei Heng stunned, but even Steward Li was left with a blank face in his shock.

After a few seconds, Steward Li suddenly let out a shrill scream: “Come quickly! The Prince has fallen into the water!”

The lotus pond was in a remote location and usually had few people around; the steward shouted several times without receiving a response, so he had to shift his gaze of desperation to the Crown Prince nearby.

“The Prince doesn’t know how to swim! Crown Prince, I beg you, please save the Prince!”

Steward Li knelt and hugged the Crown Prince’s thigh, weeping bitterly.

The Crown Prince, who also did not know how to swim: “…”

Your Prince doesn’t know how to swim; do you think I do?

The Crown Prince kicked Steward Li away and explained helplessly: “I don’t know how to swim either. Instead of begging me here, you’d better find someone to fish him out quickly.”

Steward Li seemed to wake from a dream, scrambling and running to call for help.

He was lucky or rather, it was not yet Wei Zheng’s time to die for he hadn’t run far when he saw a cleaning servant running toward him quickly.

Steward Li felt as if he had seen a savior, grabbing him and turning back to run.

“Quick, quick, quick! The Prince has fallen into the water; you must save him quickly! If anything happens to the Prince, everyone in the entire Prince’s estate will be executed!”

The cleaning servant was none other than Wei San, who was disguised and wearing a human-skin mask. He had just inquired about the Prince’s whereabouts from a secret guard and, before he could even get close, heard the news of the Master falling into the water. While his heart was burning with anxiety, he was also incomparably thankful—thankful that he had chosen to venture out because of his concern for the Prince’s safety.

“Steward Li, I beg you to quickly go and fetch Physician Liu. Leave the Prince to me.”

Wei San was a dead soldier who only knew how to kill; rescuing people was never as professional as a physician. There were physicians kept in the Prince’s estate. He threw this sentence at Steward Li and then, in two or three strides, left him behind.

Steward Li seemed to wake from a dream, muttering “yes, yes, yes,” and then hurried toward Physician Liu’s residence.

By the pond, the Crown Prince stood far away, peering at the bottom of the water to see if any bubbles were surfacing, to confirm if his foolish brother had drowned or not.

The pond water was actually not very deep. Even with mud at the bottom, the water level only just reached the bridge of the nose. Logically speaking, as long as one stood on tiptoe, it was impossible to drown.

But at the bottom of the pond, the lotus stems were complex and tangled. Since the Virtuous Prince did not know how to swim, it was not impossible that he had panicked after falling into the water, or been tangled by the lotus stems, leaving him unable to climb up and causing him to drown.

The Crown Prince hugged his arms with a sense of sympathy, viciously thinking that it would be best if he drowned, saving him the effort later.

While he was observing, Wei San, disguised as a servant, had already reached his side. As he brushed past him, Wei San could not suppress the anger in his heart; the glare he cast toward him was like a poisoned dagger, which immediately filled the Crown Prince with displeasure, his expression turning gloomy.

A lowly servant, as insignificant as an ant, dared to give a look of disdain to the heir apparent of a country how incredibly bold!

Wei San did not care about the Crown Prince’s displeasure. His heart was filled only with the safety of his Master. Without even stripping off his outer robe, he plunged headfirst into the pond water.

The water was murky. Wei San groped around for a moment before seeing Wei Zheng, who had his hands and feet entangled by lotus stems.

Because he had been drowning for too long, Wei Zheng’s complexion was tinged with a deep, bruised blue.

He was frantic, swimming forward without a second thought. Regardless of whether it would offend his Master, he pressed his lips against Wei Zheng’s to transfer air.

The pond water was icy, but the pressed lips were warm and soft. The drowning person’s eyelashes trembled slightly; Wei San felt a surge of joy and began to transfer air with even more vigor.

After transferring air several times, Wei Zheng showed no reaction, and Wei San nearly thought it had been an illusion.

It was unwise to stay in the water for long. Giving up the idea of reviving him with transferred air, he quickly snapped the lotus stems, then pulled Wei Zheng to the surface.

“Quick, quick, quick! He’s been saved, he’s been saved.”

A crowd had already gathered on the shore, having been sent by Steward Li on his way to fetch the physician. Seeing a figure emerge from the water, they immediately stepped forward to help.

Steward Li happened to arrive with the physician. After the servants pulled Wei San and Wei Zheng onto the shore, the physician looked at Wei Zheng’s condition and immediately exclaimed in distress, directing the crowd: “Quick, move the Prince to my quarters.”

So, the group found a stretcher and rushed Wei Zheng to Physician Zhang’s courtyard in a frenzy, with Wei San naturally accompanying him at his side.

At the critical moment of the Virtuous Prince’s life, the Crown Prince was, naturally, ignored by everyone.

His gaze moved with the departing crowd, his lips pursed, frowning.

Wei Zheng falling into the water by accident—at first, he hadn’t reacted, but now, pondering it carefully, the more he thought, the more something felt wrong.

Because of his guilt toward Consort Xu, the Father Emperor was extremely doting on Old Seven. Regardless of whether Old Seven falling into the water today was an accident, he could not disentangle himself from the blame.

If he did not want to leave leverage in others’ hands because of this, he had to plan early.

.

In Physician Zhang’s courtyard, all extraneous personnel had been cleared out. With no one else in the room, Physician Zhang looked around, confirmed that no one was left, and closed and locked all the doors and windows.

Steward Li glanced at Wei San, who had stayed behind: “And him?”

“He can be trusted.”

Wei Zheng, who should have been drowning and unconscious, sat up from the bed. Apart from a somewhat pale complexion, he showed no signs of any problems.

Wei San did not feel surprised, because the moment he dragged Wei Zheng onto the shore, he had discovered the truth. A person drowning and unconscious would not have voluntarily relaxed his body weight so as not to press against him.

At that moment, Wei San realized Wei Zheng was plotting against the Crown Prince, so he continued to play out the act.

The drowning was fake, but he could not avoid the lingering fear—fearing it was not fake, and that the Master had truly suffered an accident.

His gaze followed Wei Zheng; he did not dare to look away for a second. When Wei Zheng stood up, he immediately took the initiative to fetch a cloth to wipe the Master’s hair, which was still dripping with water.

The dead soldier was thoroughly frightened, acting with such caution that he treated the Master almost like a porcelain doll. Wei Zheng took the cloth from his hands and patted his hand back reassuringly: “Don’t be nervous; I am fine.”

Wei San pursed his lips, wanting to say something, but when the words reached his lips, he remembered his own identity. Whatever he said now would be overstepping, so he had to observe his subordinate’s duty and step back, though his gaze, fixed on Wei Zheng, never moved away.

Wei Zheng smiled helplessly and did not attempt to soothe him further, letting him be.

Physician Liu and Steward Li, who had been watching the two’s every move from the side, exchanged a look, both sensing something intriguing in the other’s eyes.

The way their Prince looked at the dead soldier could hardly be considered innocent. Had the iron tree finally blossomed?

Physician Liu didn’t feel there was anything wrong with that; after all, the Yu Dynasty was open-minded, and marriages between men and taking male concubines were not uncommon. Even if the Prince had truly taken a fancy to a man and married him as a noble concubine, it wouldn’t be a major issue.

Steward Li, however, was filled with worry. He had served Consort Xu for over ten years, and only followed Wei Zheng after her death, but counting it up, he had followed him for ten years as well. He understood Wei Zheng better than Physician Liu and knew in his heart that Wei Zheng was quite dedicated in matters of affection; if he truly fell for Wei San, he would likely never be able to look at anyone else again.

Steward Li could not help but sigh. Consort Xu had only this one son; if he took a male wife, wouldn’t that mean the end of the lineage?

Steward Li was worried, but the Master’s affairs were not things a servant could interfere with. He could only pray in his heart that the Prince was just acting on a whim and would tire of it after playing for a while, otherwise, he wouldn’t know how to answer to the Consort after he passed away.

Wei Zheng did not know that in just a few seconds, Steward Li’s mind had circled back and forth several times.

He hung up the soaked cloth and, when he turned his head, lowered his eyes to ponder for a moment.

“Physician Liu, do you have a method to cause a person to have a high fever and convulsions continuously?”

Physician Liu said: “There is one, but that prescription is extremely violent. The body will be very uncomfortable during the medication, and it is hard to guarantee there won’t be side effects.”

“As long as there is a way, Physician, use the medicine. If something goes wrong, I will not blame you.” Wei Zheng did not care about side effects; at most, it would just be bodily discomfort. He had been acting foolish for so many years; the psychological repression and pain were even more unbearable than physical pain.

“Your Highness, your meaning is…”

Physician Liu couldn’t quite grasp his thinking, but when Wei Zheng smiled meaningfully at him, he knew what he had to do.

“Master.”

Wei San could not help but speak up. He knew that Wei Zheng doing this must have his own intentions. He wanted to urge Wei Zheng to think thrice; after all, the physician had said the prescription had side effects, and he could not bear to see Wei Zheng trample on his own body like this.

“Hmm? What is it?”

Wei Zheng watched him with amusement, a smile on the corners of his mouth, waiting to hear what he wanted to say.

Wei San was at a loss for words for a long time, but eventually didn’t speak his heart, instead kneeling on one knee, looking blank.

He bent his waist, bowed, and saluted: “This subordinate is willing to share the Master’s burdens; please, Master, give your orders.”

As a dead soldier, only by doing something for the Master could his value be embodied.

Wei Zheng, who had been waiting for the dead soldier to say something pleasant: “…”

He clutched his aching forehead, feeling that if he didn’t find something to order the dead soldier to do, the man would likely be kneeling until the end of time. He said: “You don’t need to do anything; you just need to continue acting as my male concubine while I pretend to be sick, and guard me.”

Wei San felt two extremely shocked gazes—they came from Physician Liu and Steward Li, who had just learned that he was actually Master Sui Yun. He flushed with embarrassment, lowered his head, and gave a light “Hmm.”

After they had negotiated the plan, Physician Liu prepared the prescription on the spot.

The effect of the prescription was indeed as violent as he had said; within a quarter of an hour of Wei Zheng drinking it, he collapsed, suffering from a high fever and a cold sweat. His face flushed with a sickly crimson, yet his lips were faintly blue—looking as if he were unable to act and ready to die at any moment.

Apart from the superficial sickness, the side effects of the medicine followed. Wei Zheng only had time to order Steward Li to move him back to the side hall to recover from his illness before he lapsed into unconsciousness, leaving the three of them staring at one another in dismay.

Physician Liu was over sixty, and Steward Li was an old eunuch of over fifty; their two old frames couldn’t carry a strong young man like Wei Zheng.

The two looked at one another, and with a tacit understanding, they spoke in unison: “Master Sui Yun, the task of taking the Prince back to the side hall must be entrusted to you.”

Wei San, who had high expectations placed upon him: