Chapter 248: Chapter 244: Healing Prayer Technique_1

Translator: 549690339

The next day, before dawn, someone outside was calling for Yingbao.

“Little doctor, hurry over. Master Xiao is feverish and delirious,” they said.

Yingbao slowly sat up. “Got it, I’ll be right there.”

Changxiu quickly got up to help her dress and fetch water for her to wash up.

Once she was ready, Yingbao leisurely made her way to a side hall in Qilin Hall.

At the entrance stood several eunuchs. Through the large window, she could see an Imperial Physician administering acupuncture to Xiao Chengjun.

However, Xiao Chengjun was flailing about, uncooperative.

So, two eunuchs went in and pinned him down.

Yingbao thought for a moment and decided to go in.

The Imperial Physician was intently administering acupuncture to Xiao Chengjun, asking the eunuchs to hold him down, before turning to the Senior Historian of the East Palace and saying, “We should invite someone practiced in the Healing Prayer Technique from the Imperial Medical Bureau, it seems like Master Xiao is bewitched.”

The Senior Historian nodded, turning to instruct a eunuch to go to the Imperial Medical Bureau to invite a Shaman proficient in the Healing Prayer Technique.

Yingbao walked into the room, seeing Xiao Chengjun with his eyes tightly closed, his face beet red, muttering something under his breath.

After thinking a while, she took a few steps closer, trying to discern what he was saying.

After listening for a while, it seemed like he kept repeating: sorry… sorry… sorry… I didn’t want you to die… I didn’t want you to die…

Huh? It seems like this guy killed someone and was confessing in his sleep.

Leaving the room, Yingbao suddenly noticed Chen Tiantian standing at the window, looking in, worry etched clearly on her face.

And the King was also standing at the entrance of the main hall, wanting to come over but being stopped by the eunuchs.

After all, Xiao Chengjun was his childhood companion, and also his direct cousin. Naturally, he was concerned about him falling ill unexpectedly.

Yingbao walked over to Murong Xian and said, “You don’t need to worry, he’s just been frightened. The Imperial Physician just administered him acupuncture.”

Murong Xian furrowed his eyebrows and asked, “I heard from the eunuchs that he’s been encountering strange happenings all this while, is that true?”

“I have no idea.”

Yingbao said with all seriousness, “You should ask Chen Tiantian. She’s been with Master Xiao a lot lately, and they seem to get along well. She would definitely know about anything that happened.”

Murong Xian couldn’t help but chuckle, “How old are you to know what it means to get along well?”

“Of course I know. It means that Chen Tiantian likes Xiao Chengjun, and Xiao Chengjun also likes Chen Tiantian. They even went fruit picking together.”

Yingbao decided to solidify the relationship between these two, lest Chen Tiantian ascends to the position of Empress Dowager in the future and persecutes her family.

Murong Xian rubbed his temples, changing the topic, “Yingbao, are you really planning to go back to your hometown?”

“Yes!” Yingbao nodded, “Mom and I have been out for quite a while. If we don’t go back, dad will be worried. And there’re my little brothers at home. They’re still young, with no one to look after them.”

Seeing the desolate expression on Murong Xian’s face, she added, “Your Highness, now that your health is better, you can go out and have fun. In a few years, when my brother comes to Beijing for the Imperial Examination, I’ll come to see you.”

Murong Xian laughed, “Are you sure your brother can come to take the exam in just a few years?”

“Of course! His studies are going really well. Even Grandpa Wu praised him.”

Yingbao had absolute confidence in Jiang Jie. Because old Mr. Wu had said that once he turned eight, he could start taking the exams.

If her little brother got the title of Scholar when he was eight, he could then take the provincial examination at twelve or thirteen.

Once he passed the provincial examination, wouldn’t he be able to take the metropolitan examination in Beijing? At the time, she could accompany him to Beijing and take the opportunity to visit the King then.

Murong Xian did not agree with Yingbao’s words. He couldn’t imagine a child of a few years old taking part in the Imperial Examinations.

So he changed the topic again:

“I heard from cousin Xiao Mo that your family also grows golden ears. The golden ears that Imperial Physician Wen brought were also grown by your family.”

“Yes.”

Upon hearing him mention her family’s golden ears, Yingbao instantly perked up, “Not only do we grow golden ears, but we also grow cotton.”

She extended her sleeve towards Murong Xian, “Look, this cotton fabric I’m wearing was woven by my mother from cotton. It’s very soft.”

Murong Xian indeed stretched out his hand to touch her sleeve and nodded, “Indeed, this cotton fabric is very soft.”

Although Murong Xian had been ill these years, as long as his health was slightly better, he had to attend classes with the crown prince’s guests and various teachers.

He had to learn not only state governance but also poetry and song, as well as knowledge about agriculture and silkworms.

The Great Qian Dynasty also produced cotton, but in very small quantities. Murong Xian, with his prince status, was only allocated fifty taels of cotton each month.

This fifty taels of cotton included cotton cloth.

Yingbao confidently said, “When I get back home, I’ll send you some cotton cloth. It’s quite comfortable to use cotton cloth to make undergarments for winter.”

She glanced at the clothes Murong Xian was wearing, saying, “Your silk clothes are fine for summer, but in winter, nothing beats cotton clothing.”

Murong Xian laughed, “Then I’ll have to trouble little Doctor Yingbao. I’ll wait for you to send the cotton cloth to have clothes made.”

The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they forgot about Xiao Chengjun.

It wasn’t until the eunuch led two shamans that they remembered him, so they went to observe them exorcising the patient’s evil spirits.

The shamans were seen wearing robes pieced together from various colors, bells and drums in their hands, and tall feathered hats on their heads.

After observing Xiao Chengjun’s condition, they had the eunuch bring the altar table, then burnt incense and prayed. One shaman drew talismans and chanted exorcism spells, the other held bells, drums, and a small bow and arrow, and started dancing a shaman ritual.

“An arrow shoots the sky’s calamity, two arrows shoot the earth’s calamity, three arrows shoot the ghost’s calamity, four arrows shoot in all directions, breaking evil spirits, vanishing them away from their homeland, a slash dispels the sky calamity, all ghouls turn into injuries, stars come to guard, the sun and moon provide the three lights, second slash dispels the earth calamity, earth spirits take the center stage, corpses disintegrate, devils and demons completely vanish, third slash dispels the ghost calamity, all ghosts dive into hiding, the fourth slash cleanses all directions, spirits find peace in the underworld, forever blessed within the cave… ”

“… In the name of the Supreme Elder Lord, I command all evil spirits and ghosts to leave immediately!”

The shaman lit the exorcist talisman and placed it in a ceramic bowl.

The talisman quickly turned to ashes, and the shaman took a bamboo tube from his waist, poured a little water into the bowl.

He stirred the water in the bowl a few times with his finger and had the eunuch feed it to Xiao Chengjun.

Surprisingly, after Xiao Chengjun swallowed the talisman water, he fell asleep and stopped his incessant muttering.

The shamans then danced again before coming out and paid their respects to the prince.

They couldn’t leave yet and had to wait until the patient had fully regained consciousness.

Yingbao was very interested in them and quickly approached to ask for guidance.

They were quite forthcoming, answering whatever the little girl asked.

Soon, the eunuch came to report that Xiao Langjun had sweated profusely, and his fever had subsided.

Yingbao was amazed and hurriedly ran in to check.

She saw the eunuchs wiping Xiao Chengjun’s face and feeding him water, looking quite busy.

Xiao Chengjun slowly opened his eyes, and when he saw Yingbao, his pupils constricted.

“Who… who are you?” he asked.

Yingbao’s mouth twitched as she answered, “I’m a doctor who treats people.”

She wondered if Xiao Chengjun had gone mad. He didn’t even recognize her.

At this point, Murong Xian also walked to the bedside, asking, “Cousin, do you feel better?”

Xiao Chengjun abruptly sat up, wide-eyed as he looked at Murong Xian, and instinctively withdrew.