Tan Hua - Chapter 14

Song Liqing sat quietly leaning against the railing, gazing at the back of his hand.

He felt anxious because he had returned to Qilin Mansion from the palace for at least a quarter of an hour, yet the slight scratch was still bleeding and hadn’t stopped.

Watching the wound slowly oozing blood, Song Liqing remembered that after the rough night with Jun Qiyu, he had also bled a lot. At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it, assuming it was just because Jun Qiyu’s rod was too large…

Although his body was not strong, it was still healthy. When had he ever started bleeding and not been able to stop it?

Could it really be, as the Prince of Loulan said, a disease?

Seeing that it was still early, Song Liqing decided to go to the Imperial Hospital.

After entering the palace, no one stopped him wherever he went. At most, the guards who didn’t recognize him would ask a question and then let him pass. This was probably the only benefit of being the Crown Prince’s consort.

Song Liqing wasn’t very familiar with the Imperial Hospital and had to look around for a long time before finding someone familiar at a table under the window.

“Doctor Qi… Doctor Qi!”

Song Liqing didn’t want to disturb the other physicians who were busy preparing medicines and writing prescriptions, so he called out softly a couple of times.

Qi Miao looked up in confusion, but his dull eyes instantly brightened when he saw Song Liqing outside the window.

“Crybaby!”

He exclaimed, immediately getting up and rushing out to grab Song Liqing, shaking him excitedly.

“How come you have time to come to the hospital to see me? I was just thinking when I should go to Qilin Mansion to find you, but I was afraid you wouldn’t see me.”

Song Liqing, who was physically weak, felt dizzy after being shaken a few times.

Seeing that he was pale and had dark circles under his eyes, Qi Miao stopped shaking him excitedly.

“What’s wrong with you? Are you sick? Let me check your pulse.”

Qi Miao said, reaching out to grab Song Liqing’s hand. Song Liqing instinctively dodged, and Qi Miao hesitated for a moment before reluctantly retracting his hand.

“I’m sorry, I was too impulsive. I forgot that you’re… um, with the Crown Prince Consort now.”

“It’s okay.” Song Liqing looked around and said, “I came to see you about my illness, but… is there a quieter place?”

“Okay, follow me.”

Qi Miao led him through two corridors to the garden of the Imperial Hospital. It was secluded and quiet, with lush vegetation on the artificial mountain. Apart from a sweeping palace maid, there was no one else around.

Song Liqing and Qi Miao sat face to face.

“Your… Your Highness, I’m not used to calling you that way.”

“Just call me by my name.”

“Crybaby?”

Qi Miao made a clumsy joke, but Song Liqing felt relaxed and smiled.

Song Liqing joked, “You’re handsome and talented now, the youngest physician in the Imperial Hospital with a promising future. I can’t call you Big Dummy anymore.”

“It’s okay, my grandfather and my master both scold me for being dim-witted. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have failed to study and switched to medicine. It was only because my grandfather had connections that I was able to apprentice under Physician Bian. My master always warns me not to kill anyone, but if I do, don’t say I learned it from him, haha!”

When Qi Miao smiled, his round eyes narrowed slightly, and his short, thick eyebrows curved downwards, making him look even more honest.

“I’d better check your pulse…”

“Alright.”

Qi Miao took his wrist and listened to his pulse earnestly.

Qi Miao was a year older than Song Liqing, the grandson of the old Grand Secretary, and they had studied together in the academy. Before, relying on his tall stature, he often bullied Song Liqing, snatching his meals. Later, he was beaten by Jun Qiyu and had to complain to the court. Jun Qiyu even got spanked, and Song Liqing was asked to secretly apply medicine to his buttocks in the toilet.

The nicknames “Crybaby” and “Big Dummy” were given by Jun Qiyu back then, saying that Song Liqing was always crying.

As they grew older and wiser, their relationship grew closer.

Song Liqing suddenly felt the unpredictability of life. The person who used to bully him had now let go of past grievances, while the one who had protected him seemed like an enemy.

Thinking of this, Song Liqing’s eyes dimmed.

After a moment, Qi Miao released his fingers, his expression still relatively relaxed.

“You have caught a slight cold, and you are also fatigued from overwork, showing signs of mental exhaustion. You need to rest well. I’ll go back, prepare a prescription, pick up the medicine, and personally deliver it to Qilin Mansion for you.”

“Alright, thank you.”

Song Liqing hesitated for a moment but decided to inquire with Qi Miao.

“Doctor Qi, I actually came to you today not because of the cold… it’s another matter. Look.”

Song Liqing pointed to the scratch on the back of his hand, which had been there for an hour or two now, and the wound had dried up and coagulated slightly, no longer bleeding.

“I was scratched by a toothpick, but the bleeding won’t stop… what kind of illness is this?”

“Unstoppable bleeding…” Qi Miao frowned, “Are there any other symptoms? Generally, blood-related diseases are not trivial. You need to tell me all the abnormalities.”

Song Liqing hesitated to speak.

“And… after… intercourse, there is always blood…”

Song Liqing hesitated to speak, detailing every recent discomfort and abnormality on his body.

After listening, Qi Miao took a deep breath, his expression becoming serious.

“In fact, there are not many diseases that cause unstoppable bleeding, but they should not be underestimated. From what you’ve said, it seems like… it seems like…”

Seeing Song Liqing’s hesitation, Qi Miao smiled awkwardly at him.

“You don’t have to worry, intentionally hiding it from me.”

“Hemorrhagic syndrome.”

Qi Miao uttered these four words.

“Hemorrhagic syndrome?” Song Liqing nodded, “I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s rare. My master mentioned it once. He said he couldn’t understand the origins of this disease, nor was there any medical theory behind it. People just become weaker and weaker, and if they accidentally get hurt, they bleed uncontrollably, until they… die.”

As Qi Miao spoke, he stole a glance at Song Liqing’s gradually stiffening face.

Song Liqing opened his lips and asked, “Then… is there a way to treat it?”

“Medicines, acupuncture… probably won’t work. Unless there is some miraculous medicine or a miracle…”

Qi Miao’s speech became even more stuttered, and he broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead.

Song Liqing forced a weak smile, “So it’s an incurable illness.”

“No no no, my master said that he had heard of patients with hemorrhagic syndrome recovering on their own. Don’t worry too much…”

“One in a million chance?”

Qi Miao didn’t answer. Song Liqing knew he didn’t want to lie to him.

A sense of foreboding washed over Song Liqing, leaving his mind muddled.

Even if he pretended to be calm, he couldn’t conceal the slight trembling of his fingers.

For a moment, Song Liqing couldn’t think.

He was still in his prime, how could he have contracted such an illness? He had just achieved the top rank in the imperial examination, had just gotten married, and he hadn’t had the chance to see what Jingguo looked like, nor had he had the chance to win back Jun Qiyu’s heart. He had thought that they had a long, long road ahead of them to walk together.

If he died, how would his parents, who had worked so hard to raise him, feel?

Song Liqing felt as if a dark cloud was pressing down on his heart, as if his name had already been written on the Book of Life and Death by the King of Hell.

He wasn’t afraid of death at all, but he was afraid that even in death, Jun Qiyu wouldn’t love him…

Author’s Note:

Thrombocytopenia was considered an incurable disease in ancient times.

Thrombocytopenia is a medical condition characterized by a low platelet count in the blood. Platelets are blood cells that help with clotting, so a low platelet count can result in an increased risk of bleeding or easy bruising.