Chapter 380: Master

Chapter 380: The Master

By the time Zhao Changhe emerged from the secret chamber, refreshed and clear-headed, it was already high noon.

He truly wondered who was the real doctor for whom...

In any case, his attempt to cure Tang Wanzhuang’s illness had been largely unsuccessful—he had only managed to keep that faint spark of her third secret treasury from continuing its erosion and collapse; everything else remained as before. Even that one achievement still required further treatment.

Yet Tang Wanzhuang had not only treated his external injuries thoroughly but had also, with that final finger before she fell asleep, infused something like a water-softening technique, leaving him feeling exceptionally energetic when he woke up.

He found a new set of clothes from his ring, changed comfortably, and stepped outside. No one was there.

Zhao Changhe wandered around. Da Zhou sat in the duck shop with a gloomy expression, watching the workers at their tasks, his mind seemingly adrift somewhere far away.

Zhao Changhe waved a hand in front of his face: "Brother Zhou, making ducks?"

Da Zhou muttered absently, "Yeah, same as you."

Zhao Changhe: "?"

Da Zhou suddenly seemed to snap back to reality and immediately pulled Zhao Changhe aside: "Mr. Zhao, you’re finally out..."

"What’s wrong?"

"Yesterday, in a moment of satisfaction, you killed Lü Shiheng, and the Xiangyang army nearly mutinied. It was only because Chief Tang, Prince Yang, and the other two held the line, captured the ringleaders, and the Yang family’s private troops suppressed the unrest that the situation was barely stabilized."

"..." Zhao Changhe stared blankly at Da Zhou, his mind struggling to piece together the thoughts. Why was he telling him this?

"Lü Shiheng had been entrenched in Xiangyang for years, with countless loyalists in the army. Yesterday, leaderless, we barely managed to hold things together. After a night of scheming, who knows what trouble they’ll stir up. We need to act quickly."

So that was it... Zhao Changhe rubbed his head: "Why are you telling me this?"

"?" Da Zhou’s face was expressionless: "Chief Tang ordered that you are fully responsible for Xiangyang affairs."

Zhao Changhe opened his mouth, then closed it again.

It was satisfying to show off in the moment, but the actual work might not be so pleasant—especially when it involved concrete tasks he had never handled before.

It was easy to boast, "Leave it to me," but when it came to real, practical matters, he had never done any of it. What could he possibly accomplish?

He massaged his temples for a long time, finally asking, "Your Secret Investigation Bureau..."

Da Zhou knew what he was thinking and cut him off: "The Secret Investigation Bureau never had many hands to begin with. It’s not like the former dynasty’s factory guards, who were everywhere and watched everyone. Relying on the Bureau to handle this is unlikely. Our current manpower is mainly used internally—the Xiangyang Demon Suppression Bureau. Si’an is now interrogating and investigating one by one to determine who defected."

Oh, there was also the matter of the Xiangyang Demon Suppression Bureau’s defection...

Zhao Changhe had to ask: "Where is Sect Leader Xue and the Blood God Sect followers?"

"They’re still out chasing down the remnants of Maitreya’s forces." Da Zhou’s tone carried a hint of disbelief as he spoke. He had never seen a pursuit that lasted a whole day and night without end. Didn’t they need to rest?

It seemed they didn’t. Once scattered, each of them was a martial arts expert, acting on their own.

Zhao Changhe’s headache worsened: "Help me send an order for them to return... If we’re worried about the Xiangyang army causing trouble, we need our own army stationed nearby to keep order, then screen them level by level."

Da Zhou hesitated: "Send an order... Can the Blood God Sect really be commanded? We’re more worried about the Blood God Sect entering the city than Lü Shiheng’s troops."

Zhao Changhe sighed: "It’s fine. Let’s trust them for once."

Da Zhou’s expression shifted slightly. He studied Zhao Changhe for a long moment, thinking to himself that if, as the Chief had once hinted, this man was the prince she intended to support, then that meant he was a prince with his own military base. That changed things...

But then again, Chief, weren’t you the one who hated the idea of being a crown prince’s consort? What are you doing now?

Da Zhou thought for a moment and asked, "Xiangyang doesn’t have much in the way of grain and funds. Do you have any ideas, Mr. Zhao?"

"Grain and funds... How much is left?"

"It needs to be tallied, but not much. Lü Shiheng had already raised the entry tax to one tael... By the way, should we change that?"

"..."

"Also, spring plowing has been delayed. Should we return the land to the people?"

"..."

"And the Xiangyang officials..."

"Stop, stop, stop..." Zhao Changhe felt his head swelling to three times its size: "I-I’ll sort it out slowly. Give me a moment..."

Da Zhou looked at him sideways: "It’s fine. We won’t bombard a novice with too many questions... Oh, there is one thing. I sent someone to invite a few famous doctors. Would you like to see them?"

With his head full of mush, Zhao Changhe went to the reception hall. As soon as he stepped inside, his head felt like it had multiplied to seven or eight.

Several famous doctors were arguing in the hall, each refuting the other’s medical theories, spittle flying, voices shaking the roof tiles.

Zhao Changhe looked at Da Zhou speechlessly. Da Zhou tucked his hands into his sleeves: "We just gave them a question—what they thought about lung meridian damage—and this is what happened. They’ve been arguing for two hours now. Truly famous doctors, all of them. Their lung power is impressive."

"Are they really all famous doctors?"

"All famous doctors."

Zhao Changhe sniffed and finally asked Da Zhou one last question: "Where is Wanzhuang? I need to see Wanzhuang."

"The Chief is out shopping." Da Zhou revealed his true intention: "I also think we should bring her back."

"I’ll go look for her, go look..." Zhao Changhe fled the duck shop in disgrace, as if escaping.

The prince’s attempt to govern Xiangyang with a "I’m here" attitude had ended in a failed show of bravado.

...

In truth, Tang Wanzhuang’s shopping trip wasn’t going well either.

Xiangyang was in chaos. Any merchant with a shred of caution had shut their doors. How many were still open for business? Street vendors were even rarer. Walking down the streets, everything was desolate, with few pedestrians. The occasional passerby hurried by, giving no hint that this was a famous city.

In times of turmoil, all sorts of disorder arose. Idle ruffians had tried to harass her several times, but in the end, Tang Wanzhuang did nothing—she simply left them to the Demon Suppression Bureau agents quietly following behind.

Listening to the screams and pleas for mercy echoing behind her, Tang Wanzhuang let out a long sigh.

Public order in chaotic times was far harder to maintain than before. Even the capital and Gusu were not much better, let alone Xiangyang.

She had intended to "slow down" and relax, but instead, the more she wandered, the more melancholy she became. Eventually, she couldn’t bear to go anywhere else. She stopped by the lake inside the city and sat on a stone bench, staring blankly.

It was spring, the season when all things come to life, yet it felt more desolate than late autumn.

The world was like this—how could she ever find peace?

For her illness, it was an unsolvable problem. As long as she couldn’t bear to look away, she would never be able to set aside the burdens of war and the grind of paperwork.

Someone plopped down beside her.

Without turning her head, Tang Wanzhuang knew who it was. She sighed and said, "So this is your ‘Xiangyang affairs are in your hands’?"

Zhao Changhe said, "Well, I need to get familiar with the work. It’s something I can learn..."

Hearing this, Tang Wanzhuang’s gloomy mood lightened a little. She chuckled and said, "Learn everything? Can you really learn it all?"

Zhao Changhe sighed and admitted, "Honestly, I’m not really keen on learning this."

Tang Wanzhuang’s eyes sparkled: "But I really want to teach you this."

Zhao Changhe said, "So that’s the real reason you ran out to shop?"

Tang Wanzhuang’s eyes crinkled with laughter: "How does it feel? Power in your hands, life and death at your command—comfortable?"

"...It’s useless. The only good thing about power is having a big harem."

Tang Wanzhuang’s smile vanished.

Zhao Changhe turned his head away: "Don’t always be so eager to play the teacher. You want to teach me this, you want to teach me that... Anyway, I’m not going to call you ‘Master.’"

Tang Wanzhuang said expressionlessly, "Then are you still going to study medicine?"

Zhao Changhe said, "I feel those so-called famous doctors are unreliable. I'm thinking of seeking out that 'King of Hell's Enemy' from the Earth List?"

"Would he even bother with you?" Tang Wanzhuang rolled her eyes. "You can't even find the person."

"Then what do we do? If I really go to these unreliable quacks, I'm afraid I'll end up killing the patient."

"I'll teach you," Tang Wanzhuang said with righteous confidence.

Zhao Changhe was stunned. "You can teach this too?"

"Of course I can. Long illness makes the patient a doctor, and I'm clever." Tang Wanzhuang had a rare mischievous smile. "My medical skills already surpass most so-called famous doctors."

"Why didn't you say so yesterday?"

"I also think what you said makes sense. I should slack off a bit... Besides, it's supposed to be you treating me, but in the end I'm teaching you how to treat me. No matter how you think about it, it feels very strange." Tang Wanzhuang sighed. "Let's not talk about that now. Just tell me, are you learning or not?"

Zhao Changhe mumbled for a long time, "I'll learn."

Tang Wanzhuang turned her head to look into the distance, gazing at the faraway sky. "Call me 'Master' and let me hear it."

Zhao Changhe said, "Damn it, I'm trying to save your life, and you're using this to threaten me?"

"How is it a threat? When learning martial arts, music, calligraphy, and painting, you don't call anyone 'Master.' Now you're learning medicine, and still won't call me that? Ask anyone anywhere—is there such a principle?"

Zhao Changhe glared at her sidelong for a long while, finally said, "Don't you regret this."

"What do I have to regret?" Tang Wanzhuang had a look of petty triumph. I'm not some fool—I've taught so many things without even a respectful title, and I still get teased.

I must make this rascal honestly call me 'Master.'

"Fine." Zhao Changhe bowed solemnly. "Master."

Tang Wanzhuang's eyes curved like crescent moons. "Good disciple."

Zhao Changhe said, "Master, your disciple has an important matter to report."

Tang Wanzhuang cleared her throat, putting on airs. "Speak."

"The power of your third secret repository still hasn't fully closed; it's still scouring your lung meridian. It's best to perform a treatment daily to suppress this matter first. Noon has arrived; it's time to begin."

Tang Wanzhuang didn't react for a moment. "Ah... then treat..."

Halfway through, she suddenly realized—treat? How to treat?

Kiss again?

You call me 'Master' while thinking of this?

"Bang!" The distant spies heard a scream, followed by the sound of someone falling into water.

The usually elegant First Seat angrily lifted her skirt hem as she walked back. "Don't fish him out! Never seen such a rebellious scoundrel, you bastard!"