Minister Hou’s vomiting finally stopped. He glanced at the wriggling worms he had expelled, rolled his eyes, and fainted.
“Father! Father—”
“My Lord! My Lord!”
The Hou family members cried out in alarm.
After such a bout of purging, diarrhea, and agonizing abdominal pain, coupled with being on the verge of death from exhaustion, seeing the live worms spewing from his mouth, it was no wonder Minister Hou fainted.
“How is Minister Hou? Has he vomited everything out?” Duke Qian glanced at the spittoon and immediately looked away, truly unable to bear the sight.
“Pretty much. All the adult worms have been expelled. As for the remaining eggs, I’ve written a prescription. Taking the medicine for five consecutive days will kill the eggs.”
Xie Jiang rubbed her arms. Although she had grown up with the courage of a bear and the gall of a leopard, witnessing a living person spew worms from their mouth still made her hair stand on end with disgust.
She turned to Hou Jingyi and said, “Once the medicine is decocted, remember to give it to Minister Hou.”
Hou Jingyi nodded as if in a dream, “Thank you, Marquis of Nanhai. But my father, he… *retch*…”
Xie Jiang said, “He’s just a bit startled, it’s nothing serious. It’s a good opportunity for Minister Hou to rest. We’ll wake him up later to take his medicine.”
Minister Hou needed some time to recover. If they woke him up now, the thought of the worms he had vomited would likely scare him to death again.
That would be too inhumane.
The four imperial physicians were gathered around the spittoon, suppressing their discomfort as they discussed in hushed tones.
Seeing Xie Jiang finishing up and walking out, they followed her in unison, “Marquis of Nanhai, what is going on? Where did so many worms come from inside his abdomen?”
“Before I entered the palace, when I practiced medicine in my hometown, a wealthy man in the village died from spitting out strange worms. The situation was very similar to Minister Hou’s today, but I don’t know how this strange illness actually forms…”
“I heard that many years ago, someone in the suburbs of the capital also spat out strange worms. A divine physician happened to pass by and cured him, but within two years, he relapsed and died…”
Hearing the words of the imperial physicians at the palace gate, Hou Jingyi’s heart immediately tightened as he walked over, fearing that if his father recovered this time, he might relapse in two or three years…
At that time, it might not be possible to get the Marquis of Nanhai to help in time!
Seeing their humble attitude of seeking advice, Xie Jiang proceeded to educate them about the infection methods and causes of parasitic worms.
Imperial Physician Zhang: “You mean, Marquis, that the strange worms in Minister Hou’s abdomen were ingested attached to fish and seafood, and then reproduced inside him, causing him to vomit so much?”
Hou Jingyi: “Fish and seafood can contain invisible strange worms? My father indeed loves to eat raw fish and seafood the most…”
Hou Jingyi’s face turned pale, and he subconsciously swallowed. “We’ve also eaten quite a bit of raw fish. Does that mean we…”
As Hou Jingyi spoke, he placed his hand on his abdomen and immediately felt a churning sensation. He clutched his mouth tightly to prevent himself from vomiting.
Xie Jiang said, “Not everyone who eats raw food will be infected with parasites. There’s no need to scare yourselves.”
Only then did Hou Jingyi breathe a sigh of relief. Many people in the capital ate raw fish. Almost everyone at the banquet had eaten it, and they were all still alive and well.
Hou Jingyi could only comfort himself, telling himself that there were definitely no live worms in his stomach, definitely not…
“…”
Upon hearing this, Duke Qian’s eyes widened like copper bells. He had been wondering why this young fellow Xie Jiang was so respectful of elders, pushing two plates of raw fish and seafood towards him!
What was this brat plotting! Ah!
Xie Jiang said, “Not only fish and seafood, but water can also contain parasites. In short, it’s best to cook fish and seafood thoroughly before eating, and boil water…”
“I just heard Imperial Physician Wang say that even if this strange worm disease is cured for a time, it will relapse after several years. Will my father’s body…” Hou Jingyi was worried and his brow furrowed.
“As long as Minister Hou diligently takes the medicine according to my prescription, killing all the worm eggs in his body, and then pays attention to his diet, avoiding raw fish and seafood, and taking good care of himself, there’s no need to worry about a relapse.”
Hou Jingyi was overjoyed and bowed deeply to Xie Jiang, expressing his gratitude, “Thank you, Marquis of Nanhai, thank you, Marquis of Nanhai!”
Xie Jiang said to the imperial physicians, “For Minister Hou’s follow-up consultations and recuperation, I will entrust it to you four imperial physicians.”
Hou Jingyi looked at the four imperial physicians and then at Xie Jiang, seeming hesitant to speak.
Xie Jiang understood Hou Jingyi’s concern. “The medical skills of the four imperial physicians are beyond doubt. It’s just that having served in the palace for many years, they have rarely encountered such difficult and complex illnesses. Now that they understand parasitic diseases, they will naturally be adept at treating such conditions in the future.”
The four imperial physicians cupped their hands in shame, “Marquis of Nanhai’s medical skills far surpass ours. We hope to have the opportunity to receive some guidance from the Marquis of Nanhai in the future…”
“I have another physician at my residence whose medical skills, whose skills, far surpass mine. If the imperial physicians have time, you can visit and spar with him.”
Xie Jiang originally wanted to say that the person at her residence was the legendary poison doctor, but after being kicked by Duke Qian, she had to retract the words that were already on her lips.
After all, everyone would know sooner or later. Was there any need to hide such a thing?
There was no need to hide it, but everything required a proper approach. It was better to reveal it gradually. To just throw it out like that, who were they trying to scare to death?
“When the imperial physicians visit Lou Yi’an in the future to spar in medical skills, you can subtly let them know that you and Lou Yi’an are from the same school, and even that Lou Yi’an’s medical skills are even better than yours.”
As they walked out of the side hall together, Duke Qian whispered into Xie Jiang’s ear, “Since Lou Yi’an’s medical skills far exceed yours, then Lou Yi’an is the true poison doctor. Wouldn’t that be logical?”
When fellow disciples travel the martial world together, isn’t it normal for credit to be misplaced?
Seeing Xie Jiang’s indifferent demeanor, Duke Qian kicked her again. Xie Jiang couldn’t possibly be kicked by him twice in a row, and she instantly leaped higher than a rabbit.
“I know, I know! I’ll do as you say! I’ll definitely do as you say!”
Xie Jiang dared to bet that the spot on her leg that Duke Qian had kicked had definitely swollen! This old man from the military was too impetuous!
As the two of them emerged from the side hall, they saw the people who had been waiting outside the hall for news all bent over and vomiting in unison.
It turned out that a medicine boy had just come out with the spittoon, preparing to take it back to the Imperial Medical Office for disposal. Everyone, out of curiosity, had gathered around to take a look, and then a wave of vomiting erupted.
Especially after hearing that these live worms were all vomited out by Minister Hou, the frequency of their vomiting became even more intense.
Yi Yanheng and Xia Rongyu also looked a bit unwell, but compared to the others, they were relatively calm.
Seeing Duke Qian and Xie Jiang emerge from the side hall, Yi Yanheng and Xia Rongyu stepped forward together to inquire.
“How is Minister Hou’s condition? Is it serious?”
“Duke Qian, Marquis of Nanhai, how is Minister Hou?”
Xie Jiang’s gaze first fell on Yi Yanheng. “There’s no major issue. He just needs a period of recuperation.”
Then, she couldn’t help but look at Xia Rongyu a couple more times.
It was a distant view at the banquet, but now it was a close-up observation.
She felt that the Third Prince’s demeanor was indeed well-deserved of his reputation.
Moreover, the rumors hadn’t mentioned that the Third Prince had a pair of fox-like eyes.
Although they were fox-like eyes, there was no trace of frivolity in them.
There was only a unique, captivating depth and tranquility.
Her gaze lingered on him for a second time.
She completely failed to notice Yi Yanheng’s face, which was as dark as a looming storm, ready to unleash its fury.