Chapter 72
Xiao Li is the emperor’s youngest son and his only son by the Empress. Only fifteen years old this year, he was supposed to be the object of admiration in the palace, growing up loved and pampered. However, due to his lack of innate intelligence, he was regarded as a disgrace by the Emperor and left neglected in the provincial palace. No matter how much the Empress thought of her son, she was only able to see him twice a year — once during the Mid-Autumn Festival and once during the New Year.
“The Sixth Prince?” Hu Ji asked, “Why are you suddenly interested in the Sixth Prince?”
Lin Qingyu found the row where the prince’s medical records were stored. “I want to know how the Sixth Prince got sick.”
Although Xiao Cheng had great respect for the Empress, his dimu, he was, after all, someone who had a biological mother. Moreover, his biological mother was a noble concubine with a distinguished status. When Xiao Cheng ascends the throne in the future, both the Empress and Concubine Chen would be Empress Dowagers — one, a muhou Empress Dowager and the other a shengmu Empress Dowager. Having been in control of the harem for so long, naturally, the Empress wouldn’t want to share power with another woman.
Anyone who didn’t want Xiao Cheng to ascend to the throne could temporarily be his ally and to win over the Empress, Xiao Li was undoubtedly the best point of entry.
Xiao Li had been relegated to the provincial palace for more than ten years and the Emperor has kept his son’s dullness a secret. He was spoken of very rarely in the palace. Lin Qingyu and Hu Ji have only entered the palace in recent years and the only thing they know about the sixth prince was that he was a dullard; as to how severe the dullness, they had no idea.
Hu Ji helped Lin Qingyu find the medical records. He said, “I heard that the Empress called for famous doctors to diagnose and treat the Sixth Prince. But no matter whether it was the imperial physicians in the capital or miracle working doctors of the Jianghu, they were all helpless in the face of the Sixth Prince’s illness. Given the circumstances, it would seem that his dullness is innate. There is no cure.”
While Lin Qingyu agreed with Hu Ji’s statement, Xiao Li was still his biggest bargaining chip to control the Empress. Therefore, this matter was worth him expending a bit of time.
“I found it!” Hu Ji took out a thick and heavy case of medical records. “Take a look and see if this is it.”
Lin Qingyu took a look. “This is indeed the Sixth Prince’s medical records.”
The two immediately began reading it. Every doctor who examined Xiao Li said that his pulse was no different from that of any other person; they couldn’t even find the cause of his illness so how could they possibly treat him?
Xiao Li’s medical file was much thicker than others. At first, he was no different from the other princes. He was examined daily and before the age of two, he suffered nothing more serious than the occasional mild illness. But by two years of age, Xiao Li still could not speak. The Empress began to worry. More and more doctors were invited to the palace and more and more medical records were made. When Xiao Li was five years old, the Emperor gave up completely. Ignoring the Empress’ pleas, he insisted on sending his youngest son to the provincial palace.
On the day Xiao Li left the palace, another person came to examine him. This person was no imperial physician. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t any sort of doctor, rather it was the National Teacher of Dayu, Xu Junyuan. The last record in the prince’s file said: The National Teacher declares his illness to be a loss of soul and there is no cure for it.
“A loss of soul?” Hu Ji pondered, “I’ve heard my grandmother say that a newborn’s soul is unstable. Given a terrible fright, it may just scare the soul away…”
Lin Qingyu asked, “Do you believe that?”
Hu Ji smiled, embarrassed, “I know doctors shouldn’t believe this but there are many things that simply cannot be explained by common sense.”
Lin Qingyu closed the medical file. “I didn’t use to believe it. But now…”
Gu Fuzhou’s soul can fly all over the world, what was Xiao Li’s mere ‘loss of soul’ compared to that?
Hu Ji said, “If the Sixth Prince really has lost his soul then he is beyond help even if Hua Tuo were to be brought back to life.”
Lin Qingyu thought for a moment and said, “I still want to see it with my own eyes. — Who is the Medical Officer for the provincial palace now?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Whenever people in the palace spoke of a provincial palace, they often referred to Jinyang Garden. It was but a day’s ride away; half if you spurred on a horse to full speed. Jinyang Garden was built facing the water and was used by the Imperial family as a summer retreat. In recent years, the Emperor has been in poor health and has not visited Jinyang Garden in a long time. In Jinyang Garden, apart from a few old concubines, there was only one master, Xiao Li. The maids and eunuchs who serve there were naturally not as dedicated as those in the palace; even the medical officer was the lowest rank in the Imperial Hospital.
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The trip and back from Jinyang Garden would take Lin Qingyu two days by carriage. After Gu Fuzhou found out, he wanted to go with Lin Qingyu but was ruthlessly rejected, “Don’t you need to attend morning court? Discuss government affairs?”
“I do.” Gu Fuzhou said bitterly, “But I’m sick, you see? I’ll wither if I don’t see Doctor Lin for even a single day.”
Lin Qingyu asked, “Will this disease affect your sleep?”
“That’s a good question.” Gu Fuzhou rubbed his chin and said, “The last time I lost sleep was the last time.”
Lin Qingyu looked at Gu Fuzhou as though he were looking at a fool. Gu Fuzhou smiled and said, “I meant back when I was in Yongliang. At that time that son of b*tch Emperor refused to let me come back. I was so anxious I couldn’t sleep.”
Lin Qingyu calmly packed his medicine box. “It’s obviously nothing big if it’s not going to affect your sleep. — I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Gu Fuzhou knew that Lin Qingyu was going there for business and he was simply all talk when it came to his complaints — in the end, he would definitely let him leave.
Lin Qingyu went unimpeded all the way. Once the guard at Jinyang Garden checked his identity, he was allowed through with a few cursory questions.
In Jinyang Garden, there were stacked up hills and chiseled out ponds; there was continuous running water. It was outfitted with numerous pavilions, scattered high and low. It was a splendid sight in summer; in winter, only a sense of bleakness was left. Walking through the garden, only a handful eunuchs and maids sweeping the grounds could be seen. It wasn’t even as lively as the General’s Mansion.
Lin Qingyu followed the eunuch who led the way to the medical building. There was only one medical officer on duty — a fat man, his stomach almost bursting out of his official uniform, roasting sweet potatoes by the charcoal fire. Hearing footsteps, he didn’t lift his head, saying, “There is no medicine here. If you are sick, you can either go out and find a doctor or you can concoct the medicine yourself.”
The eunuch-guide said, “Imperial Physician Huang, someone from the Imperial Medical Office is here.”
When the medical officer surnamed Huang heard the words “Imperial Medical Office”, he immediately stood up. Seeing Lin Qingyu, he was given another shock. “You are…”
“My surname is Lin.”
There were very few with the surname Lin within the Imperial Medical Office and the person in front of him was of such outstanding looks that he easily guessed his identity with only that bit to go on. Imperial Physician Huang smiled and said, “Ah, it’s the General’s wife. Please excuse my rudeness.”
“You said just now that this clinic is out of medicine?”
“It’s but natural.” Imperial Physician Huang sneered at Lin Qingyu’s icy expression. “With the coming of winter begins, lots of people get sick. For Coughs and colds, naturally, the medicine I have simply isn’t enough. ”
“Then in case His Highness falls ill, do you expect him to ‘either go out and find a doctor or concoct the medicine’ himself?
Imperial Physician Huang was momentarily at a loss for words. “This… what is the General’s wife saying? His Highness the Sixth Prince is in good health.”
“I said, ‘in case’.”
“We-well then we will definitely find a way. His Highness is the Emperor’s son. Even if we each had nine heads more than one, we would not dare to neglect his condition.”
When Lin Qingyu had served as an official in the palace for a long time. He was long accustomed to dealing with people who insist on acting wilfully, showing outward devotion but inner opposition. “Where is His Highness now?” he said, “Today, I have come to examine His Highness.”
Imperial Physician Huang complained bitterly in his heart. But for fear that Lin Qingyu would blab to the Yuan Pan, maybe even reporting to the Empress, he had no choice but to carefully try his best to please, “Yes, I ask the General’s wife to please come this way.”
Lin Qingyu reached the pavilion where Xiao Li resided. As soon as he entered the gate, he saw a young man dressed in black brocade squatting in the snow, his head lowered, playing some unknown game. It was such a cold day, yet the boy didn’t even have a cloak on.
Lin Qingyu asked the eunuch who guided their way, “Is this His Highness the Sixth Prince?”
The eunuch readily affirmed, “Yes…”
Though there were people talking nearby, Xiao Li gave no response. He inserted his hand, red from the cold, into the snow. He dug up a handful of snow and stuffed it into his mouth.
“Your Highness!” The eunuch rushed to Xiao Li’s side and grabbed his hand, “You can’t eat this.”
With the eunuch’s pull, the snow in Xiao Li’s hand fell to the ground. He stared blankly at the ground. He then slowly stood up and looked at Lin Qingyu.
When their eyes met, Lin Qingyu was slightly startled.
Xiao Li was born with outstanding physical qualities. With a slender figure, at the age of around fifteen or sixteen, he was already as tall as Lin Qingyu. His brows were delicate and evenly-spread, his facial features imposingly handsome. However, his eyes were blank. He appeared lifeless and dull. No matter how unsurpassed his appearance, his spiritless manner lowered its overall quality.
For some reason, Lin Qingyu always felt that Xiao Li’s appearance was somewhat familiar.
Lin Qingyu saluted Xiao Li, “Student Lin Qingyu greets Your Highness.”
Xiao Li still did not respond. He squatted back again, repeating his previous action of digging and eating snow.
Lin Qingyu said coldly, “Where are the momos who look after His Highness?”
The eunuch was so nervous that he broke out in a cold sweat. “I’ll go find them now!”
Lin Qingyu stood beside Xiao Li, watching him for a while. He then stretched out his hand and helped the young man up. “Your Highness, let’s go inside.”
Xiao Li let him support him up, neither crying nor making trouble, like a walking corpse. Lin Qingyu asked him to sit on a chair then took out a wrist pillow to diagnose his pulse. The only thing he could glean was that Xiao Li was suffering from a cold. However, other than that, he was indeed no different from any other person.
Lin Qingyu finally understood what was meant by “a loss of soul”. The Sixth Prince, Xiao Li, truly was left with only an exquisite body; his inner essence was gone.
After a while, the maids and eunuchs serving Xiao Li arrived, each sporting an ugly expression.
These were all Xiao Li’s long-term servants. Although this Sixth Prince was the Emperor's son, he was shunned by the Emperor and the Empress is able only to see him twice a year. The Sixth Prince couldn’t speak, he couldn’t speak up even when he was being treated harshly. So long as they went through the motions whenever the Empress sent someone to inspect, they could go lazing about all the other days.
Lin Qingyu didn’t even ask where they were just now. He ordered, “His Highness is cold. Go and cook a bowl of ginger soup.”
While everyone was busying about, Xiao Li sat there motionless, as though he didn’t exist in this world.
Lin Qingyu wrote out a prescription for Xiao Li to ward off the cold. He asked the eunuch to hand it over to Imperial Physician Huang. “I know that there is no medicine in the clinic. I will ask my father to inform the Empress about this and have her send more medicine.”
This single sentence cost them nearly half their lives. “Doctor Lin, these servants know we’ve done wrong. We shall definitely serve His Highness well in the future… We beg you…”
Lin Qingyu smiled compassionately, “You may tell this to the Empress later.”
Lin Qingyu didn’t stay in Jinyang Garden for long. He drove through the night and returned to the capital the next day.
“Doctor Lin is finally back.” Gu Fuzhou had just arrived home, still in his official uniform. He welcomed Lin Qingyu at the door, “It’s true what they say, ‘ A separation of two days feels like a separation of two days. ‘”
Lin Qingyu frowned. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Gu Fuzhou held back a smile: “It’s nothing.” He took the fox fur cloak that Lin Qingyu took off and hung it on his arm, “It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. Could it be that there’s something you want to tell me?”
“Yes.” Lin Qingyu stepped into the room, “But I will have to inconvenience the General to make me a cup of tea first.”
After drinking the tea made by his husband, Lin Qingyu recounted to Gu Fuzhou everything that had happened at Jinyang Garden. “Tomorrow I will go to see the Empress again. I believe she will want to see me this time.”
Gu Fuzhou listened absent-mindedly, “What else?”
“What else?”
“What else do you want to tell me?”
Lin Qingyu thought for a while and asked, “What did you look like before?”
Gu Fuzhou hadn’t expected for Lin Qingyu to suddenly ask this. “Really? Didn’t you see it in the dream?”
Lin Qingyu felt inexplicably guilty. “I forgot.”
Gu Fuzhou raised his eyebrows. “Didn’t you say you have a highly-retentive memory? How could you forget what I looked like?”
Lin Qingyu made no change in his expression “How can dreams and the real world be compared? Looking at people in dreams is like looking at the moon reflected on water or at flowers through a fog. It’s always separated by a layer. It’s only normal that I would forget.”
“Well, I don’t know how to describe it to you.” Gu Fuzhou said, “Besides, I haven’t been in my original body for so long. It’s been two years. I myself have probably forgotten my original appearance. .”
Lin Qingyu was lost in thought. The Gu Fuzhou in his dream had once made his eyes shine. Compared with Xiao Li, he gave him a far different feeling but he was also a handsome young man. Too bad, he was a dullard.
Gu Fuzhou looked at Lin Qingyu for a long time. He sighed: “How annoying.”
Lin Qingyu came back to his senses. “What’s so annoying?”
“Because, for the past two days, it seems like you didn’t miss me at all.”
Lin Qingyu: “…”
Gu Fuzhou had just been casually complaining. He wasn’t actually expecting a response from Lin Qingyu. They’d been discussing for so long and he was beginning to feel sleepy when suddenly, he heard Lin Qingyu say, “Not necessarily.”
Gu Fuzhou was slow to respond, not fully realizing it yet, “…Huh?”
Cheeks warm, Lin Qingyu quickly changed the subject, “I’m hungry, let’s eat.”
The author has something to say: Salted fish: Where is zhen's imperial translator? What does ‘not necessarily’ mean?
I feel bad for anyone with autism that reads this. 🫤 We know you have souls. Well, that is, presuming people have souls. It’s possible nobody has a soul. What I mean is, this is clearly plot driven bs.
Is it really autism? Because if it is, I’m stupid 😂 I genuinely thought it was like a disease/curse that’s part of the world lol
The translator uses the word “autism.” I can’t say I know what it is in the Chinese or what the author meant.
Unless the translator changed it since four days ago, in which case my comment looks really weird.
I think the translator changed autism to “dullness” or I’m just blind and completely managed to skip over the word lol
Looking at the comments below, it looks like the translator did indeed change the word. While that does make me feel better, my comment now seems really insensitive… 😓
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honestly, the term actually fit just fine with the setting, the lack of knowledge at that ancient time. it’s weird if at this time the doctors diagnosed it as autism already
If what I’m thinking is what is about to happen then I don’t think it’s autism no offense to autistic people out there I have no right to say white is black or anything but if baby Lin said he looked familiar but soulless and asked his wandering soul hubby I think out lovely wandering soul hubby just might originally be from this world and was transmigrating to find his body??? Just a guess based on what’s happened in a way Xiao Li is similar to a zombie or a walking corpse “there” but “not there” if that makes any sense
Ahhhhhhh QingYu misses him ❤️😖❤️
Awww qinyu is shy haha. Thanks for the update!
Hmmm, I wonder with the way he’s acting maybe its better to describe it as low IQ rather than Autism~
Either way, this story has me refreshing every day for an update. Love seeing our LQ start to indulge his salted fish a little bit. My heart is a flutter!!
oof i’ve read the mtl and I have to say hearing xiao li described just as a fool was much more comfortable than hearing him described as autistic… especially for personal reasons but oh well I guess. he has an official diagnosis of loss of soul in the story so I wonder whether autistic is the best descriptor or whether the text is really equating autism (as a whole rather than just xiao li’s case) with not having a soul which is…. rough. I do know it’s set in a historical period but, yeah it’s rough.
As doctors, they don’t even actually accept the National Teacher’s diagnosis of loss of soul (see Hu Ji and LQY’s skepticism. As doctors, loss of soul would be impossible, belonging in the realm of superstition) So I don’t think the novel is equating autism with loss of soul.
Hmmm…you know, I guess the simplest way to avoid potentially stepping into any landmines is to use a different word for fool. ‘Dullard’ ought to do. It’s old-timey enough and conjures more of a blank sort of stupidity. I’ll edit this chapter in a bit.
sorry about the fuss!! but thank you for taking the time both for the translations and the replies
I just watched a documentary on the history of eugenics in the United States (PBS, “The Eugenics Crusade”, not for the faint of heart) and since they were talking about the 1900s, the narrators kept repeating the historically-appropriate medical diagnosis of “idiot” — I felt like I twitched every time I heard it. When they listed the medical scale from “idiot to imbecile to moron,” I thought I was listening to my 12 year-old brother taunting my 10 year-old self yet again.
Dullard does has a kind of old-timey feel to it, so maybe it would convey both the medical and the emotional content of how the characters intend the word. But, sadly, I think that you are in well-mined territory.
Thank you for the translation, by the way. I read this in mtl a while back, and I love the arc of LQ’s and (insert name-of-the-moment-here)’s relationship(s). Your translation really brings life into these lovely and sometimes beautifully painful scenes. Beautifully done.
💕
I guess Xiao Li is his original self before he was born in the modern world. And he’ll be the one to become the emperor.
I was looking everywhere to find someone with the same theories as me! Thank you!
That chapter was somehow sad :< But is it possible that our salted fish is the real soul of XL? 🤔
Thank You for the new chapter (๑°꒵°๑)･*♡
Sweet couple and poor prince💔
Thank you for your translation 🤍🤍🤍
ok that makes sense considering Jiang guy knows the author…
I think Jiang doesn’t actually know the author; he was joking when he told Lin Qingyu “I know someone who said you’re the prettiest in the world”. He just meant he’d read the novel, and that in it the author had explicitly stated that Lin Qingyu was the most beautiful person on earth. Xiao Li being Jiang’s ultimate body (if my hypothesis is at all right) would be more of an isekai coincidence than anything!
Recuerdo otra novela en la que los cuerpos de los protagonistas del presente tenían autismo y según el abuelo de la ml le decía que creía que solo le faltaba el alma y cuando reencarnaban en ese cuerpo volvían a la normalidad o incluso más inteligente que el promedio, así que creo que es lo mismo
Poor prince. He is being mistreated. I hope his minders will get what they deserve. But I have a feeling that this “empty soul” is a critical plot line.
about the dullness term, it just makes me getting more and more amazed by you guys translators!! how you’re not only translate the words, but also trying to find other terms to fit the reader without ruining author’s intentions 😍👏👏👏
Could it be salted fish soul can wander everywhere because it never was in his original body?
Jiang did say he is from modern era and transmigrated into the book. They just both look same and I think he is the final form.
Now that’s an intriguing development – Xiao Li is a person with no soul – making him an empty vessel? Also looking very similar to IRL Jiang? That makes things more interesting..
Thanks for the chapter 💞
thank you for the chapter!
Oh my I think I finally understand where Jiang will eventually end up and even become the emperor. Right now though what will happen to gu Fuzhou that starts the process is a mystery.
Ah this novel has this trope then. Without reading ahead I already know the great revelation they’re going to have. I’m just a tad disappointed, but oh well, it’s a good book otherwise
OH MY GOD, THATS NAMELESS JIANG’S APPEARANCE IS IT NOT??? HES GONNA TRANSMIGRATE INTO HIM IN THE FUTURE ISNT HE FUCK
so jiang is going to be in xiao li’s body next??? it would make sense, xiao li having ‘no soul’ and jiang, being a soul himself that needs a body which he can use for a long time. it was like jiang has found the corresponding body in that world. and xiao li seemed to look like the jiang’s original body
I’m just thinking about it, putting away the medical diagnosis. That temple dude said the prince has lost his soul. It would be nice if we found out it’s just that and Jiang is just trying to go to the body he was supposed to transmigrate into.
Guys, why are you taking “no soul” thing seriously. He is just describing him that it like when I get depressed people feel like like I have no soul left. If he has no soul seriously than he would be in coma rather than like this where he sees and walks. My guess is that when Xiao li and Jiang both about to die than Jiang would transmigrates into him just like 2times since they both look similar this is the final form I think.
Also don’t forget that Jiang is from modern era transmigrated into book. Xiao li has his own soul just like other 2 persons Jiang transmigrated to when both parties are dying. It might be Xiao li is Jiang past life since Jiang is from modern and Xiao li is in this era and both look same.
Jiang is 19 and Xiao li is 15 or 16
It seems like jiang is moving to the prince’s body next but if it has to be by general gu dying I don’t know if I can take the pain 😭
So that’s the crown prince the ML transmigrates into, and seems it’s the same as his original body. But I hate the ableism sigh. Autistic ppl historically (and even now) are seen as not “having a soul” and being incomplete people. Other cnovel translations I’ve read also use “autistic” as a negative descriptor, so I guess it’s, unfortunately, a phrase used in Chinese. Sigh