Elder Shen's chopsticks stopped in mid-air.
He looked at Chu Tianxing as if he were looking at a poorly prepared medicine, which could either save a person or send them to their death.
"I don't want to die with you."
Chu Tianxing stuck.
He actually looked down and did some calculations.
"No, no, it seems like I'm the one who's at a disadvantage."
"I'm still young, while your beard is already white."
"We can live together, but if we die together, you'll benefit."
Elder Shen choked on his wine and coughed twice.
He tried to hold back, but couldn't resist. He grabbed the pestle next to him and tapped Chu Tianxing on the head.
Chu Tianxing covered his head.
"Hey bro, you're pretty ruthless."
Elder Shen glared at him.
Who's your older brother?
Chu Tianxing rubbed his head, his eyes glancing at the chicken leg on the table.
It hurts, but I can't stop eating.
"Weren't we just going to become sworn brothers?"
I did not agree.
"Then why did you hit me?"
"I'll teach you to shut up."
Elder Shen placed the pestle on the table, causing the wooden table to vibrate slightly.
"Otherwise, you might not have died after me."
Chu Tianxing nodded like Xiaoji.
"I understand, I understand, don't be angry, big brother."
"The older brother is teaching the younger brother."
Elder Shen picked up the pestle again.
Chu Tianxing immediately lowered his head and started eating.
"I'll shut up."
"My mouth is only for eating today."
Elder Shen glanced at him.
"One more thing, tonight you'll copy the ' Materia Medica ' a hundred times."
Chu Tianxing stopped eating.
"Copying books?"
"Um."
"That won't do."
He hugged the bowl tightly to his chest, protecting it more closely than his own life.
"I'd rather be hit by you."
Elder Shen: "Two hundred times."
Chu Tianxing immediately lowered his head.
"Well, we'll have to put our brotherly bond on hold for now."
The back room became quieter.
The smell of medicine in the cabinet masked the aroma of alcohol, and the fragrance of chicken fat clung to the rim of the bowl. With the hot rice in his mouth, Chu Tianxing finally kept quiet.
Elder Shen watched him shovel rice into his mouth, his brows still furrowed.
In the afternoon, before the emperor, not in the back room of a pharmacy.
If you say something wrong here, the worst that can happen is you get a beating.
If you say the wrong thing in the Hall of Supreme Ultimate, losing your head would be the quickest relief.
Elder Shen put down his wine glass and decided to break things down, teaching him sentence by sentence.
Remember these three sentences.
Chu Tianxing swallowed his food and sat up straighter.
Eating is one thing, but when it comes to survival, he doesn't take it lightly.
Elder Shen said, "First, the elixir does indeed have some toxicity; prolonged or excessive use will damage the spirit and blood."
Chu Tianxing after him.
"The elixir is poisonous; consuming too much will harm your health."
Elder Shen frowned.
"Don't just say it's poisonous, say it's rather poisonous."
Chu Tianxing changed his tune.
"The elixir is somewhat poisonous."
Elder Shen raised his hand.
Chu Tianxing quickly filled in the gaps.
"Too toxic, too toxic."
"This calligraphy is quite refined."
Suppressing his anger, Elder Shen continued, "Secondly, His Majesty's foundation is still stable. By ceasing the use of elixirs and recuperating, he can turn the tide."
Chu Tianxing after him.
"His Majesty's health is still stable; stopping the elixir and recuperating can turn the tide."
After he finished reading, he grinned first.
"That's making my teeth ache. Can't you just say there's still hope?"
"No."
"Why?"
Elder Shen stared at him.
"Because you are facing the emperor."
Chu Tianxing stuck the chicken leg into the bowl.
"Fine, the emperor really loves being fussy."
Elder Shen pointed at him.
"Thirdly, thereafter, the prescriptions for alchemy must be examined jointly by the Imperial Medical Bureau and folk doctors to prevent anyone from misleading the Emperor."
Chu Tianxing after him.
"From now on, the Imperial Medical Bureau will review the prescriptions together with us, so that no one can deceive the Emperor."
Elder Shen remained silent for a moment.
The meaning is correct, but the wording is incorrect.
Chu Tianxing troubled.
The words are too hard to memorize.
"I came down the mountain to become a doctor, not to take the imperial examination."
Elder Shen said coldly, "Those who treat patients before the Emperor without using their brains are long gone."
Chu Tianxing picked up his wine glass and practiced the song in a low voice.
"These elixirs do indeed have some toxicity; prolonged or excessive use can damage the spirit and blood."
"His Majesty's health is still stable; stopping the elixir and recuperating can turn the tide."
"Thereafter, the prescriptions for alchemy must be examined jointly by the Imperial Medical Bureau and folk doctors to prevent anyone from misleading the Emperor."
After he finished reading, he looked up at Elder Shen.
"How about it?"
Elder Shen nodded.
"He can barely survive."
Chu Tianxing breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the chicken leg again.
"As long as I can survive, that's enough."
"Only by staying alive can we eat."
He took a bite, then looked up.
"By the way, does the Emperor provide meals?"
Elder Shen darkened.
Chu Tianxing immediately changed his tune.
"I'm only concerned about the food in the palace."
"If His Majesty asks me what reward I want, I can't exactly say I want meat noodles, can I?"
Elder Shen stared at him.
Chu Tianxing stuffed the chicken leg into his mouth.
He mumbled, "I understand, but I can't say."
Elder Shen held the wine glass, twirling the rim between his fingers halfway around.
He already had a picture of the Hall of Supreme Ultimate in his mind.
Chu Tianxing knelt before the emperor, and the moment he opened his mouth, everyone in the hall lost their heads.
Elder Shen closed his eyes briefly.
Cao Jin would be best to stand closer then.
When Chu Tianxing really loses control of his mouth, at least someone can keep him in check.
Hall of Supreme Ultimate.
The emperor pushed the medicine cup to the side of his desk.
Gu Moran stood to the side of the hall, her sleeves still wet.
He hadn't even had a sip of tea after returning home when he was summoned here.
The emperor stared at Chu Tianxing.
Chu Tianxing knelt in the hall, his medicine box beside his knees. He had just finished eating and couldn't help but burp.
Several imperial physicians inside the hall lowered their heads.
Cao Jin stood at the back, his face as dark as if he were carrying a coffin for Chu Tianxing.
The emperor spoke, " Chu Tianxing."
Chu Tianxing looked up. "This humble subject is here."
The emperor's hand rested on the imperial desk, his fingertips rubbing the edge of the jade paperweight.
"What exactly are the effects of these elixirs?"
He paused for a moment.
"How much longer do I have?"
No one in the hall dared to move.
The Second Prince Gu Mochen, knelt on the right, sweat rolling down his temples.
He didn't dare to raise his sleeve to wipe it.
The sweat trickled down my skin, making me unbearably itchy, but I could only endure it.
Chu Tianxing's lips moved slightly.
"Two..."
Gu Moran pressed the corner of the paper in his sleeve with his fingertip.
Terrifyingly strong.
Chu Tianxing truly fearless.
If the emperor had heard in the palace that he only had two years left to live, the death of a physician in the Hall of Supreme Ultimate today would not have been limited to just one doctor.
Elder Shen coughed once in the imperial physicians' column.
Chu Tianxing pressed his tongue against his teeth and quickly swallowed the rest of his sentence.
He changed his tune, saying, "Two kinds of harm."
Elder Shen breathed a sigh of relief.
Chu Tianxing glanced at Elder Shen, then looked at the medicine cup on the imperial desk.
"This elixir is definitely not a good thing; it damages both your qi and blood, and harms your mind and spirit."
"I couldn't sleep soundly at night, and my health deteriorated day by day."
The emperor did not interrupt.
Chu Tianxing broke out in a sweat.
The aroma of the chicken legs had long since dissipated, and the smell of medicine in the hall seeped into his throat. He had to carefully consider each word before uttering it.
"But His Majesty has a strong foundation."
"Stop taking pills, detoxify, sleep well, and adjust slowly."
"If treated properly, it can recover."