Diagnosis by Observation

"How?"

"Your Majesty, you kicked off the covers! It's cold... You should cover yourself with more blankets when you're cold!"

When Zhang Xuezhou exited his magical state, a faint white light was already shining through the window, dimming the candlelight in the room.

The feeling of being in the womb receded like the tide, and Zhang Xuezhou then opened his eyes.

He saw that the new emperor, who was sleeping in the very center, was the first to get up and kept patting Han Yan, who was curled up in a ball next to him. Only when Han Yan also woke up and responded did the new emperor breathe a sigh of relief.

"Your hands and feet are ice cold, and your breathing is weak. I thought you had suddenly fallen ill," the new emperor said. "I suppose you felt cold in the middle of the night and wanted to cover me with a blanket, but you were too sleepy and fell asleep, so you didn't even cover yourself with a blanket and ended up feeling cold!"

"Ugh!"

Han Yan responded subconsciously, his head swaying as if it were filled with water.

He felt cold and weak in his limbs, and even getting up was difficult.

Is Han Yan feeling unwell on this tortoiseshell bed?

As Zhang Xuezhou got up, he kicked Sang Hongyang, who snapped back to reality. Seeing Han Yan, who seemed to be ill, Sang Hongyang quickly went to help him.

"This bed is warm in winter and cool in summer, but even the best bed can only protect one side of the body. Han Yan's other half must be getting cold!"

Zhang Xuezhou added a sentence, choosing to speak last.

His words drew nods from the crowd, who seemed to agree on the same point.

After sleeping for a night, Han Yan felt cold and fell ill.

"Han Yan is skilled in martial arts, and his cultivation is only one step away from the Divine Ability Realm. His illness is too outrageous," the new emperor complained.

"Those who practice Qi and Blood Martial Arts are physically strong and generally don't get sick," Sang Hongyang said.

"Perhaps Han Yan doesn't practice martial arts for direct combat," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Yan Xi practices hidden weapons, and his slingshot is unerring," the new emperor said. "His ability in direct combat is average, but when paired with me, he is extremely skillful, and can almost instantly defeat opponents of the same level!"

"So that's how it is!"

Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed in surprise, and in that instant he understood why Han Yan got along so well with the new emperor.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that the ability to find reasons to avoid getting close to the new emperor even when the other party was in a daze was something that ordinary people could not match.

Han Yan's martial arts skills, when combined with those of the new emperor, would undoubtedly lead to harmony and benefit, rather than conflict and harm.

Zhang Xuezhou's skill in martial arts far surpasses Han Yan's, but he really needs to learn Han Yan's way of getting along with people.

These may only be two points he currently knows, and there may be much more for him to learn.

"Dongfang Shuo, you are also a doctor, so you should examine Han Yan's health first. If it doesn't work, I will return to the palace and summon a royal physician for Han Yan," the new emperor said.

"Good!"

Zhang Xuezhou agreed.

He took a deep breath and then circled around Han Yan to examine her.

"Dongfang Shuo, are you going around in circles when you're diagnosing a patient? Shouldn't a doctor just take the patient's pulse?" The new emperor asked in surprise, "Are you even qualified?"

"A doctor uses the four diagnostic methods of observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation; I'm using observation," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Did you see anything?" the new emperor asked.

"I think Han Yan should eat more breakfast; that should help him recover," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"You mean Han Yan's cold hands and feet are due to hunger?"

The new emperor asked in disbelief.

He thought Zhang Xuezhou's diagnosis by observation was a bit ridiculous, but there was nothing wrong with eating breakfast. Even if they were to return to the palace, they could have breakfast at the Marquis of Pingyang's residence.

The new emperor gave a shout, and the servants of the Marquis's mansion, who had been waiting at the gate, immediately ran out quickly.

"Guard Mao, come and take a look at Han Yan!"

The new emperor referred to himself as emperor in his palace, but once he stepped out of the palace, he reverted to his identity as the Marquis of Pingyang and summoned Li Guang using the same title he had used before.

Eat more!

Li Guang touched Han Yan's cold hands and feet, and seeing how weak he looked, replied in a low voice.

"You also think Han Yan should eat more!"

The new emperor exclaimed in surprise.

He felt that Zhang Xuezhou's diagnosis was illogical, but Li Guang said the same thing, which made the new emperor have no more hesitation.

He summoned the sheep-drawn cart, disregarding the pace of the breakfast preparations at the Pingyang Marquis's residence, and led everyone directly into the dining room.

"Come on, Yan, have something to eat first!"

The breakfasts of royalty and noble families were not much different from those of ordinary people, except that they were more refined and of better quality.

The staple food for breakfast at the Marquis's residence was millet and rice, with pork and chicken as meat, and a plate of seasonal vegetables or wild greens.

The new emperor arranged for Han Yan to take a seat. Seeing that Han Yan had struggled to swallow a bowl of millet and rice and then half a plate of pork, and that his complexion had improved considerably, the emperor was relieved.

"Dongfang Shuo, your observation is truly excellent! Han Yan's hands and feet are warm now, he can stand up, and his speech is normal!"

The new emperor and Han Yan had an excellent relationship. Seeing that Zhang Xuezhou's diagnosis of Han Yan was correct and that Han Yan's health had improved considerably, the emperor was overjoyed.

"Colds caused by wind are often due to insufficient internal heat, and eating is the best way to generate internal heat!"

Zhang Xuezhou gave a casual, perfunctory reply.

Rivals are enemies in the same trade. He and Han Yan rarely met, but who would have thought that their one close meeting would bring Han Yan bad luck.

Of course, this is related to Zhang Xuezhou's high level of cultivation. After all, Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation of cultivation techniques is not like Han Yan's, who relied on the new emperor as the main body to absorb and develop, but rather his growth is almost a leap.

He surpassed the new emperor's current cultivation level several years ago, clearly far exceeding Han Yan's. His superior cultivation level during their encounter also brought a crushing advantage, which would have a significant impact even if unintentional.

However, Zhang Xuezhou remained as cautious as possible. Knowing that Han Yan was practicing cultivation techniques, he avoided physical contact with Han Yan as much as possible, not only reducing the probability of Han Yan discovering his cultivation but also eliminating the possibility of Han Yan's cultivation being broken by him.

Seeing that Han Yan had recovered after eating, Zhang Xuezhou also breathed a sigh of relief.

But the new emperor's gleeful expression after being betrayed made Zhang Xuezhou both annoyed and amused.

He suddenly understood why Emperor Jing was criticized for being cold-hearted, and why Emperor Jing never argued back.

It's easy to become cold-hearted when someone you trust and are close to is unreliable.

His close advisors included Zhang Xuezhou, Han Yan, Sang Li Guang, and Li Guang. Zhang Xuezhou and Han Yan coveted the cultivation of magic arts, Li Guang was a remnant of the Human Emperor, and Sang Hongyang was cultivated by the Luoyang merchant group to protect and develop the interests of the Luoyang Lineage. Almost no one was completely reliable or trustworthy.

Many people come for profit, so there's no possibility of romance. It's perfectly normal for an emperor to be so cold-hearted.

However, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the feelings between the new emperor and himself had probably faded.

He wasn't as considerate of the new emperor as Han Yan, nor did he cooperate with him. His advice caused chaos in the emperor's harem, forcing him to even leave the palace to find peace and quiet while sleeping.

Given that he had such a subject, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the new emperor was already being very kind to him, allowing him to sleep and eat with him, and even permitting him to receive his salary without ever entering the court.

"Dongfang Shuo, since you understand the four diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine, go to the Jiaofang Palace today and examine the Empress. It would be best if you could clearly explain your bunch of Evil Dao theories about men and women to her, and help her calm down!"

After eating, Han Yan's health gradually returned to normal. The new emperor, relieved, got back to the main topic and began to have Zhang Xuezhou, the one who caused the problem, untie it, so that Han Yan wouldn't have to worry about his family.

The new emperor had originally planned to go hunting outside the city after waking up from his nap, but seeing that Zhang Xuezhou had already come to the Marquis of Pingyang's residence, he couldn't help but urge Zhang Xuezhou to hurry up and enter the palace.

If the Empress's wild thoughts can be resolved, and she can be spared from constantly arguing and bickering with him, it will also be convenient for the new Emperor to return.

If Zhang Xuezhou fails to resolve the trouble caused by his incoherent ramblings, the new emperor should also flee as soon as possible. Only after the empress has shut up will he choose to end the hunt.